Chapter 37 - Soft truths
…
(Ness)
…
(Headmaster Hand)
"Come on!" Ollie ushers as Elmore and Pusher slowly exit the river. I cast a nervous eye at the stampede - the horses are just about beginning to be kept under control again…
"I'm coming!" Elmore snaps. "Shut your mouth, and know your place!"
Caroline seeths in place, but chooses not to speak. Reggie meanwhile, wears a harshly disapproving expression - Pusher and Elmore are being very slow.
"I can't believe we're doing this," Ike hisses. "This is utter madness."
I sigh, as we scuttle to the edge of the camp. "You're far too negative."
"Yeah," Roy chimes in. "Headmaster Hand is right."
"I still don't know how I didn't recognise you…" Ike muses. "I mean, you were the Headmaster for the entire time I was in school, and that was only four years ago."
"Best you don't go shouting about it though," I whisper sharply. "The others don't know I'm from Onett, and if they did, they'd be pretty upset."
"Damn prejudice," Roy grumbles. "But wait a minute - you have powers and stuff - so you mean to say that you've had powers the whole time?"
"Well, yeah," I say. "They're not good for much though. Only summoning rain. I kept them quiet at school - I reckon I was the only powerful one there. Well, until Ness and Lucas came along."
Ike frowns. "Ness and Lucas? Who are they?"
"Some kids," I shrug. "But - I could feel the power, emanating off of them. It's, it's crazy. I don't know. But I believe, they are destined, if destiny really is a thing, to do incredible things."
Roy tenses. "D'you reckon they can stop Porky?"
"I hope," I sigh, without much conviction. "I stole Porky's book of blueprints, and put it into their bookcase, after I escaped Porky's imprisonment. Though, I then stumbled into them in the forest as well, as I was running away, which was… odd."
"Odd," echoes Roy. "But - if they're just kids…"
"Every little bit of hope we can take, I'll gladly accept."
Ike holds up one hand. "Hold on. Another thing. You all keep referring to 'Porky' - you mean, Porky Minch? Well known for his charitability?"
I nod. "Yes."
"...And you think he's some sort of villain?"
I nod again, tersely. "I know he is. Given he locked me up in a cell for 4 months, is planning to convert the world into giant metal creatures, and cause as much suffering as possible."
Unsurprisingly, Ike's views on porky aren't easy to shift. I resolve to work on that barrier later.
We reach the edge of the camp, and I turn to face everyone. "Alright, we need to be quiet. Nobody will notice us, if we slip away, because they're all distracted, yeah? But if we make a bunch of noise-"
"Oh, shut it you old bore," Pusher claps. "We're gonna be free!"
"Yeah!" Elmore enthuses. "Freedom!"
Ollie frowns. "I thought you were perfectly content with life here with the-"
"FREEEEEEDOMMMMMMMMM!" Pusher yells.
Every single soldier in the near vicinity looks around.
We're promptly gathered up, and taken back to our spot.
…
...
(Ness)
…
…
The last puffs of smoke dissipate into the air, and Lucas and I are left, standing alone, by the empty railway. Tall trees surround the tracks on both sides, gateways into the dark mystique of the forest. However; both sides look exactly the same.
I frown, looking around. "Well, which way is east? The river's east, right?"
Lucas points. "I think that way. Ah, I really hope the walk isn't too long."
"Yeah, you look exhausted. I might have to carry you."
Lucas blushes. "That won't be necessary, I hope."
"At least it's dry now."
"Yeah," shivers Lucas. "Imagine being stuck out here in the storm…"
I shudder. "As if it could get any more scary."
"Scary?"
"I mean, it's dark, cold, we're gonna have to walk through the forest…"
Lucas shifts uneasily. "Well, now you've said that, I am scared, so thank you very much."
"No problem!" I beam. Lucas shoves me lightly.
"Come on. Let's go."
I shiver. "But, Lucas, what if there's Future Humans in there?"
He pats me on the shoulder. "There won't be. That one only found us on the train because Pit was under Porky's control. Right now, Porky won't have a clue where we are."
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you're smart. You're right. We're alone."
Lucas nods. "Just the two of us…"
Something in his tone, whether intentional or not, gives me butterflies. But nonetheless, I take his hand, and we venture into the forest.
To our pleasant surprise, it's not long at all until we make it through, and we come to the river. At first, we can hear it - a great churning mass, full to bursting of the remnants of the storm - and then eventually, it reveals itself to us. It's much wider down here than up at the school, all foaming and frothing like angry mouths, rearing up in launching splashes. Goodness. I certainly wouldn't like to get caught in it, in case I get swept away.
There's a pleasant grassy space in between the mass of trees and the river, where Lucas and I can sit down, and make ourselves a space to lie. We're illuminated by the moon, which seems to finally be showing its face.
"This place is actually quite nice," Lucas says, looking about the place. "Shame we're only gonna be here for one night."
"What direction will Toon Link and Villager be coming from?" I ask.
Lucas points. "South."
I nod with comprehension. "Alright."
Lucas lies down. "Honestly, I'm about ready just to crash out. Today has been…"
It doesn't even need saying. I lie beside him. "Yeah."
He wraps his arms around me - which I note he's been doing a lot more recently. It always used to be me to initiate any physical contact, but I like this new change.
I wrap my arms around him too.
We're soon fast asleep.
….
~~o00o~~
….
I take Lucas upstairs to get him settled in - I have to worry, what could have happened to him, to get him this dirty? This messy? Could life selling on the streets be that rough? I dread to know. Lucas stays silent - I bet he feels guilty about having to stay. But if his Father has gone and kicked him out - what choice is there? I want to go to Lucas's house and give his father a piece of my mind, but I know he doesn't like me already, and I don't really want to make things any worse.
"You can sleep in my room," I say. "I'll take the floor, you take the bed. It's much more comfortable."
Lucas turns slightly. "No, I, I can take the floor-"
I fold my arms, stubborn as a board. "I insist."
He looks down, still miserable. "I-I'm sorry for - intruding on your family, I really didn't mean to, I really can go if you need me to, I, I can find somewhere-"
I smile. "Aw, c'mon! You staying over will be awesome, honest!"
He looks doubtful. "Really?"
"Yeah!" I enthuse, slinging an arm around him. "It gets so dull here alone."
Lucas smiles softly. "Thank you… I'm sorry for being kinda negative…"
I wave a hand. "Besides, it's not like you've never stayed over before." I take off my cap, and put it on his head instead. "And now you're part of the family."
Lucas blushes. "Aw-"
"And don't worry about my Father - he won't mind. He's just been in a bad mood lately."
Lucas tenses. "Oh no - why?"
I break into a ramble. "Well, there was the explosion that Porky caused, and now they've found more coal, and there's a lot more work he's having to manage."
Lucas nods sadly. "Tell me about it… My Father isn't pleased about all the extra work either. But apparently he's not being paid any more than normal."
I look down. "I'm sorry."
Lucas sits on my bedroom floor. "It's not your fault - it's your Father's. Sorry."
"We need to stop apologising for everything," I decide, sitting down next to him.
Lucas smiles slightly. "Yeah."
There's a pleasant silence, before I take his hand.
"C'mon. You can't escape any longer. It's time for you to get cleaned up."
…
~~o00o~~
…
I wake, to the sun shining down, to a crisp blue sky, and to the grass around me, coated with a sharp glisten of frost. I'm pleasantly surprised to realise I must've had a completely dreamless sleep - and I'm all the better for it. My eyes aren't even heavy - I feel fit, and able to stand, and run, and jump, and do all sorts of things, and I relish in the unfamiliar feeling.
Lucas stirs near me. "hnngns - uwah - ahxh - hn?"
I grin. "Good morning, you goof."
He opens an eye, and yawns. "Too early..."
"Nah, it must nearly be midday."
Lucas slowly rises. "Midday? We slept so long…"
"We were tired," I yawn. "We have a good excuse."
Lucas looks around. "Wow, it's actually kinda pretty here."
I look too. The bright sun reflects beautifully off of the churning river, the sparkle highlighting the wild grasses on the other side. To my surprise, there's crocuses along the bank - a range of vibrant purple and blue hues, bringing a dash of colour into the area. Where the evergreen trees around us cast shadows, snowy white frost remains, and where there's sunlight, there's light and tranquility. The sky is a sapphire blue, completely cloudless despite yesterday's storm, and a pair of jays sing happily in the tree nearest to us.
I smile. "You're right - this place is absolutely stunning. And we just gotta wait here for the others, yeah?"
Lucas nods. "Yeah. Shouldn't be too bad."
With sudden inspiration, I kick off my socks and shoes, sitting on the bank of the river. My feet meet the cool water, and my toes trace lines in the thick girth of the current.
Lucas follows my lead and joins, removing his footwear too, sitting down besides me.
His toes break the surface of the water. "Ooh - it's nice and cool, isn't it?"
I smile. "Yeah."
Lucas smiles back. "I kinda wish we could stay here forever. Hopefully the others take their time…"
"I don't wanna defeat Porky…" I whinge. "Too much effort."
"Well, if he wins, this and everywhere else beautiful will be destroyed," Lucas says grimly.
I laugh. "Way to be a downer, you goof."
Lucas grins. "Someone has to be the cynic around here."
I kick at the water with my feet. "We should probably do something helpful - gathering food, or something. All I've got is a couple apples, from Toon Link's supply."
"Yeah," sighs Lucas. "You're probably right there."
"I'm always right!"
Lucas snorts. "No, you most certainly are not."
I gasp. "Hey! That was mean!"
"True, though."
"Sadly.'
"Goof."
I lightly prod him. "You're the goof. We have clarified this many-a-time, you are the ultimate goof."
"Uh, I don't think so. Which one of us got tricked into going into a maths competition that really didn't exist?"
"Which one of us spent days looking for a book that was in our dorm the whole time?" I counter.
Lucas laughs. "Uh, excuse me. You didn't notice the book either."
"Shame we left it at school. Would've been quite useful to read it."
He shrugs. "Let's not worry about it."
I smile. "Not worrying is good."
Lucas smiles back. "Yeah. Very good."
I stare down at the water. Water is a strange thing - I observe how it slides easily around a rock, little bubbles forming and disappearing so fast.
I lean back. "Y'know, I'm quite tempted to swim."
Lucas raises his eyebrows. "Swim? but shouldn't we be out foraging?"
"Probably..."
"Yeah…"
"..."
I grin, diving straight into the river. Lucas laughs, following right after me - it's nice, really nice and refreshing. Cold, sure, probably containing loads of bacteria, sure, but whatever. It's deep enough that we can just about avoid touching the floor, but it's shallow enough that we can stand if need be.
Lucas comes up above the water, his hair completely obscuring his eyes. He sweeps it out of the way so casually, so easily. Almost… sexily. "It's cold."
I stick out my tongue. "Boo hoo."
"Hey, you-!"
Grinning, Lucas comes at me, but for once I'm more agile than him. I dodge a grab, and I aim a splash of water that causes his hair to fall back down into his eyes.
"You snooze, you lose!" I taunt.
"You - you fiend!"
"That the best insult you can come up with?"
Lucas pouts. "You know I suck at insults.'
"To be fair, we both suck at insults," I shrug. "Given 90% of our insults are calling each other a goof."
Lucas laughs. "Alright, that's kinda true, but-"
I silence him with another splash of water.
…
A while later, when the sun has moved across the sky a bit, and the day is warmer, we pull ourselves out onto the riverbank, laughing, sopping wet. Snatching the apples off of the ground, I toss one to Lucas, who bites into it with a pleasant crunch. I begin working on one as well.
Lucas looks to the south nervously. "The others - they'll be here soon, right? They're late..."
I nod. "Yeah. They probably just slept in, like us."
Lucas takes another bite of his apple with a smile. "You bet."
We eat, watching the river in silence. A couple birds cause a fuss up in the forest, but otherwise it's completely quiet. Completely tranquil, and completely beautiful.
The perfect moment.
My heart pounds.
"Y'know…" I begin, sandpaper on my throat.
"Hm?" Lucas asks.
I steady my breathing, trying not to sweat or look like I'm extremely nervous. Which I am. Very.
"Uh-"
Lucas frowns. "Ness? Is everything okay?"
"Well, apart from the world ending, yeah. Fabulous. More than fabulous. Wonderful."
Lucas cocks his head to the side. "You're acting weird. You're totally acting weird."
I laugh nervously. "Yeah?"
"Any reason why?"
"Ah, Lucas, hah - uh-"
Lucas raises an eyebrow. "Something you wanna say to me?"
I swallow down any last reservations. "Lucas. I've somehow known you for 8 whole years, and-"
"Nice counting skills," Lucas grins.
I ignore him. "-and, they've been 8 really, really amazing years, and in that time-"
Lucas sniggers.
I fold my arms. "Well, excuse me! You aren't making this easy!"
Lucas frowns. "Huh? Making what easy?"
I shake my head. "Lucas, you are a tremendous goof. What I'm trying to say is-"
"I've never heard you say tremendous before. It's a nice word, use it more ofte-"
I pout, red-faced. "I will put you back in the river!"
"Fine, fine, I'll stop. I'll be quiet."
"Good," I huff. "What I was trying to say is - throughout all this chaos, throughout everything that's happened, throughout everything that Porky's done… well, I've come to learn that I really, really depend on you. Like, a lot. Any time we've ended up in a sticky situation, you've kept me going. Up that tree, running away from the Face, with the grave, underground with Porky…"
Lucas stares straight ahead, blushing. "Y-Yeah?"
"Yeah. And, well, what I'm trying to say, is that I really, really, really like you."
Lucas nods. "I really like you too."
"No, but like," I bluster. "Like like. You know…?"
Lucas hesitates for a second, before shaking his head with a frown. "Huh? What do you-"
I blush furiously. "Like, a ton."
"A ton?"
"I," I run my hands through my hair. "Lucas, I'm tryna say, I'm trying to ask if you..."
"Yeah?"
"...Wanna become more than friends…"
"...Best friends?"
I sigh. "Boyfriends, you-"
Lucas silences me with a laugh. "I know, you goof. I'm messing with you. I'm not that oblivious."
I'm taken by surprise. "H-huh?"
Lucas wraps his arms around me. "Guess what?"
Nervously I wrap my shaking arms around him too. "Wh-what?"
He lowers his voice down to a whisper. "...I wanna be your boyfriend too."
…
I practically launch myself back into the river. "Y-you-?"
Lucas nods, still smiling, albeit nervously. "Yeah. I do. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and… well, you're special. You're - oh for goodness sake, this is so cheesy."
I let out an embarrassingly loud squeal. "I never thought you'd feel the same!"
He laughs. "Well, as I said, I've been thinking about it a lot lately… and I really do. I do. No doubt."
"I-" my voice grows faint. "This is - amazing-"
My face is completely red, and I know it. So is Lucas's, but less so. Of course. Trust him to have everything under control.
He pushes his hair up over his head. "Agreed."
"So - so that means w-we're - officially?"
He smiles, and the smile is all for me. "If you wanna be."
I practically explode.
Lucas continues, with passion. "And even if that means Porky comes after us more or something, and even if everything goes wrong, I honestly do not care. We stay together through it all, yeah? Count up all the time in joy."
"Count it up," I echo, in wonderment.
Lucas pulls me near. "Oh - Ness - when did you figure it out? That you-"
I blush. "I - I dunno really, a while after I figured out that I'm into guys - I guess. H-How about you?"
It's his turn to blush. "About ten minutes ago."
My eyes widen. "...Ten minutes ago."
"Yep."
"So if I'd asked you twenty minutes earlier…"
He laughs. "I dunno. I dunno what I'd have said."
I laugh too. "Well - well, what now?"
Lucas thinks. "I think we're supposed to kiss now."
Butterflies begin performing an Irish jig in my stomach. If I could blush any deeper, I would. "Kiss!? Lucas - I've never - kissed anyone before!"
Not to say that I haven't imagined kissing him ,multiple times.
"Neither have I," Lucas admits. "We don't have to if you don't wanna, though - sorry-"
I look him in the eyes, black meeting blue. "I… do. I do want to."
So ve takes my hands in his. "Well, uh, wow, then, how do we do this?"
"Well," I move nearer. Our lips are just inches away. "I think we do something like this-"
Messily, we collide. I have no idea what I'm doing - I realise I'm probably supposed to be closing my eyes, and there's kind of just a display of wetness and flesh, and lip, and I have no idea what we're doing, until we pull apart.
I blush awkwardly. "I don't think we did that right-"
We both burst out laughing, thoroughly embarassed.
"Maybe - I go for your top lip, you go for my bottom lip?" Lucas suggests.
"Since when did you know so much about kissing?"
It's Lucas's turn to blush. "Zelda and Link sat in front of me in Science last term. I pretty much figured it out from them."
I laugh weirdly. "Okay? Well, let's try that then."
Again, Lucas moves nearer. My heart pounds rapidly - the butterflies rising up - I try to focus on Lucas's bottom lip. It's small, and most often seen in one of Lucas's signature pouts. I hold tight onto Lucas's hands, as he gives a nod. We move together, and I close my eyes, and-
Contact.
Fireworks explode through me. The butterflies reach a crescendo as our lips meet - it feels so - so perfect - and so good, so crazily good, and, and it's Lucas, and I've been secretly dreaming about this for what feels like months-
I deepen the kiss, though I'm not sure how. This could last forever - I wrap my arms around Lucas, and he wraps his arms around me. It feels so… right. So unmistakably right. And like I'm floating away - floating off to a distant land, a land of candy floss and flowers, a land of colour and passion. Lucas even tastes good - like a mix of chocolate and warmth. It's weird to think about. I've no idea how on earth we ended up here, and-
We break apart, Lucas red faced and dapple cheeked, me completely stunned.
"I think we got it right that time," I whisper.
"That was good-" Lucas gasps breathlessly. "I - wow-"
"I didn't know kissing was supposed to be so amazing,' I admit. "But - yeah. Yeah. Wow. You're - we-"
Lucas blushes. "We're officially boyfriends now."
I shake my head in disbelief. "I'm gonna wake up. I'm gonna wake up and realise this is all some kind of wonderful dream, aren't I."
Lucas touches my face. "If so - hopefully we're sharing that dream."
I laugh. "That'd be weird. But - this feels very, very real."
"Yeah," Lucas grins. He prods me. "It does, boyfriend."
I blush even more. "Aaaaaaaaaa!"
Lucas giggles. "Now I get to compliment you all the time, and make you blush."
"Lucas, you're torturing me," I moan. "Come on. Have mercy."
"Never. I will never have mercy on you."
I cuddle him close. "You're mean. But you're also ticklish."
Lucas holds up his hands. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. Please. Anything but the tickling."
I grin. "That's what I thought."
There's a slight pause, before the both of us burst out laughing again.
I flap my hands about. "This is so crazy. I dunno how many times I'm gonna say that but this is crazy."
Lucas nods. "I agree. We're technically committing a crime now."
I scowl. "Yeah, that kinda sucks. We're gonna have to keep this quiet."
"What do you think the others will think?"
I shrug. "They'll be awesome about it. Toon Link knew I'd fallen for you, anyway. The others probably noticed, too. That was the thing I kept trying to tell you, by the way."
Lucas's mouth forms an 'o' in comprehension. "Well, that's good. We just won't tell anyone else. Especially not our fathers."
I shudder. "Imagine if they found out. That'd be hell."
"They won't," Lucas reassures me. "We'll keep it secret. Our secret."
I smile, lying back against the grass. Lucas snuggles up to me.
"Not much is really gonna change," I realise. "I mean, let's face it, we already acted like we were partners."
Lucas beams. "Now we're literal partners in crime."
I laugh. "Yeah."
There's a momentary pause.
"You know," I admit. "I'm not really sure how romance and relationships and all that are supposed to work, so-"
Lucas shrugs. "We'll do it all our own way, then."
I grin again. "That sounds good to me."
"Me too," Lucas agrees. "Really good."
I blush, taking his hand. "God, Lucas, honestly, I- I was really afraid of feeling this way about you. But I'm not afraid anymore."
He rolls his eyes. "Cliché, Ness. Yawn. But… same."
I smile. "This is - so awesome. I'll keep you safe. I swear. I'll keep you safe from all of this."
Lucas hugs me tight. "Now, don't make promises it's impossible to keep. Sometimes things are gonna be out of our control, y'know?"
"Nah. Nothing can separate us. We'll be together forever!"
"Forever is a long time… but," Lucas softens. "I wouldn't mind spending it by your side, Ness."
I blush deeply. "A-aw- Lucas-"
He prods me. "You can do cheesy, I can do cheesy too."
We burst out into fits of giggles.
"I'm really nervous still," I bluster, laughing. "I'm all sweaty - and kinda worried that you're gonna say it's all a joke or something-"
Lucas leaves my arms. "Gross! But… no jokes. This is all real."
I smile. "Awww…"
We lean back against the grass, unsure how to position ourselves.
Lucas smiles once again, one of his smiles reserved for me, and me alone. "What do we do now?"
My cheeks feel warm. "I kinda wanna just stay here and keep cuddling-"
Lucas laughs, a free, clear laugh, that sends heat through me. "That sounds good."
I snuggle up to his slender body. "I still can't believe you feel the same - I mean, me? I'm not exactly attractive."
"Well, for one, yes you are-"
I scoff. "Yeah, right."
"-and, your personality, and just, you-"
It's his turn to go red.
I ruffle his hair. "You're a big sap."
This is crazy. This is so crazy. My brain, it's freaking out. I'm shaking - because, it was as simple as that? Just telling Lucas how I feel?
I'd be foolish to believe everything will suddenly become perfect now, though. Of course there will still be hardships, and challenges, but even that can't take away from the fact that this is awesome.
"You know, the others really should be here by now,' Lucas realises, frowning. I look up at the sky - it's darkening slightly, a glimmering orange sunset appearing in the distance. We must've been swimming for longer than we thought.
"They'll be okay," I say, but it's hard to believe it, because Lucas is right. They should be here now. It's, what, a half mile between us? And all they have to do is follow the river. Even I could walk half a mile in less than 30 minutes.
Lucas peers down the waterway. "Do you think we should go down there? Towards where they are? Meet them in the middle?"
I scratch my chin. It's tempting - but they did tell us to stay in place. We wouldn't want them to end up walking past, or something. "We shouldn't," I decide. "Besides, it's nice here. We can watch the sunset."
Lucas shifts nervously. "How about Pit and Red? They'll be waiting, won't they? Should we walk to where we are, and wait for Toon Link and Villager there?"
I shake my head. "No, we don't wanna confuse things. We should just stay here."
But Lucas looks pained. "Are you sure? We'd stay along the river, it'd be fine-"
"We really shouldn't. I dunno, I just get a bad feeling about it."
"Well, okay…" relinquishes Lucas. "I just feel bad about staying here, doing nothing. What if they're in trouble?"
Oh no. That hadn't occurred to me.
"Look," I reason. "How about we give it until it's night, then if Toonie and Villager don't show up, we go out and look for them? It's not as late as it seems - early nights in winter, right?"
"I guess so." Lucas takes my hand. "Alright. Let's do that. And what was that about watching the sunset?"
I grin, leading Lucas a little way into the forest. "Well, if we climb a tree-"
Lucas physically recoils. "Oh no. No. Not again. Not after last time."
"C'mon, it's only small-"
"We thought that the other one was only small too, then we ended up nearly dying 200 feet in the air!"
I sigh. "Alright. Alright, sorry. I shouldn't have suggested it. It's fine, we can watch the sunset down here."
But it turns out we can't - the sun setting in the west means that the forest is in the way.
"Looks like we have to climb then…" Lucas murmurs once I point this out.
I frown. *You sure?"
Lucas pulls himself up. "For you. Boyfriend."
My heart enters my mouth. "I almost forgot already! Lucasssss, don't do that!"
He laughs. "Okay, boyfriend."
I pout. "I'm gonna report you for bullying when we're back at school."
"If you do - then I'll tell Bayonetta you're into her!"
I swat him. "Okay, fine. Gosh."
Lucas prods me. "I win. Now…" he gulps. "Let's climb this tree.
Easily, I slip myself up the trunk. It's a small little thing, maybe 50 feet tall, but I can see a lot of nice, thick branches at the top, that hopefully we can sit on. I easily swing myself around, bending my knee to lift my leg over a particularly sizable branch, stepping up onto a thicker one. Lucas meanwhile sticks like glue to the trunk, gracefully shuffling up it with his eyes screwed shut. Poor Lucas - when we were kids, we'd always climb trees. I guess our experience with the massive one sort of ruined that for him.
I take another step up - the branches conveniently twist like a spiral staircase, so it's gonna be no trouble to make my way up. And despite his fear, Lucas is soon powering on ahead of me, and soon enough, we're at the very top.
I take a seat on a large protruding branch, that stretches bare. I help Lucas up to join me, and soon, our legs are dangling ominously down below, but we have a fabulous view of the sunset.
And it's beautiful.
Yellow and orange ribbons make bows with purple and pink streaks, that shine a hazy light down below. Small, grey clouds intercept it at points, but it only emphasises the effect. The sun itself is a great orange ball, just slipping past the horizon, creating these kaleidoscopic scenes before us.
Lucas gasps. "It's - woah… I've never seen a sunset like this!"
"It's beautiful," I agree, smiling. "Worth the climb?"
Lucas nods. "Just about… but it was kinda scary."
I wrap an arm around him. "I'm glad you're okay."
"So am I." He wraps an arm around me too.
I turn back to the sunset. It remains stunning - it blows my mind how something so beautiful can be present in nature, just, there. The pinks reflect off of Lucas's hair, and I find myself touching it, lightly. Lucas's hair has always been soft, but now I feel that I can appreciate it more. Now we're together. I don't think it enough, but this world is amazing. It's seriously amazing.
But it's under threat. That's why we need to sort Porky out. For good.
We sit there for a little while. Enjoying each other's company, enjoying the unfolding sights before us, taking in this pocket of perfection.
"It makes me sad," Lucas mumbles after a while.
I frown. "Sad? Why?"
Lucas rests his head against my shoulder. "For all the people that aren't here. For all the people who don't have anyone. For all the lonely people, that don't have anyone to sit and watch this with."
I nod. "Yeah… well, those people won't be alone forever, right? They might be now, but, they'll meet new people. There's loads of hope."
Lucas smiles. "Aw, when you put it like that…"
I cuddle him. "We're super lucky. Super, super lucky. We met when we were young."
Lucas blushes. "Well, I guess I was lonely, before meeting you."
I nod sadly. "I think I was too. I mean, I had Toonie and Inkling, but we just joked around. We never talked about anything personal."
"Aw… that sucks."
"Yeah.'
There's a comfortable silence.
"This is sappy," I decide.
He laughs. "You're sappy."
I grin. "Alright then. Lucas, you're the most wonderful person in the entire world, your very presence is amazing, and-"
Lucas covers his ears. "I will smite you!"
I grin wider. "You already have. I am completely smitten with you-"
"Ness, we've been together for literally half an hour, I swear, please, have mercy-"
I prod him. "It's been the best half an hour of my life so far."
Lucas groans, covering his face. "Ness, you are literally made of cheese."
"So, when did you figure out you were into guys, anyways?"
Lucas removes his hands. "Wow, that was sudden. Uh, I dunno. I mean, both of us knew we weren't really into girls, right? I guess when Nana asked me out… ugh, it's dumb. It kinda confirmed to me, that I'd never really be satisfied with a girl. And then, I realised, that's exactly what started it off when you figured out that you were into guys. You know?"
I nod. "Yeah… and then, as soon as I figured out I was into guys, I realised that… yeah. It's you."
Lucas nods. "Yeah. Hah. Same, but, vice versa."
I fistpump the air. "Ah, man! We're gonna be so awesome. Like, the best couple, ever."
Lucas smiles. "You bet. Though, I still feel a little bad for Nana. She's a great person really - OH!"
"Oh?'
Lucas prods me in the nose. "That's why you didn't really like her! You were totally jealous!"
I fold my arms. "Me? Jealous? Never!"
"You so were!" Lucas sings. "Ahhh, it all makes sense now."
"I will push you off!" I promise.
Lucas mock gasps. "Push me off? Push off your new boyfriend?"
I blush. "Stop doing that - you-!"
He silences me with a hug. I turn my attention back to the sunset - now there's some darker tones mixing in there, as the night progresses. There's some stars top - twinkling, so, so far away, but yet, their light somehow reaches all the way down to earth. Our little planet. The moon is narrow, just a little sliver, and I look up, and see a familiar sight.
"Amici Optimi, our constellation," I whisper. "It's bright tonight."
"It's an outdated name now,' Lucas whispers back. "It meant best friends, didn't it?
I laugh. "I guess so. It's all so surreal, still."
Lucas laughs, too. "It's always gonna feel surreal. Being best friends for so long, and all of a sudden…"
I beam. "We'll adapt, eventually! We'll figure everything out. About how relationships are supposed to work and stuff."
He makes a face. "I have no idea how relationships work. We have a lot of figuring out to do."
I smile, taking Lucas's hand. "Yeah."
There's another comfortable silence, and we continue to watch the stars come out, one by one. I remember the names of a few of them - I'm sure Lucas told me about the North star, or something along those lines. He knows them all super well. I have no idea how though; his brain is seemingly limitless.
"You know," Lucas says, quietly. "I've been thinking about some other things, as well."
"Oh yeah? Like what."
Lucas looks down. "Sorry for killing the mood, but… Ryu. Dark Pit. Even Meta Knight and Olimar. Everyone that's gone."
A lump rises in my throat. "Oh."
"...They didn't deserve what happened to them."
I try not to close my eyes - to again see Ryu falling in front of us, as a result of our blast.
"And," Lucas continues. "We need to make sure it happens to nobody else."
I nod my agreement. "Yeah. Hopefully, they're… somewhere better now, I guess."
Lucas looks up into the stars. "Yeah. Somewhere."
I gently take his hand, staring at his illuminated face. "It'll be okay. They'll be okay."
He nods softly. "Yeah. They will. We'll make things right."
I look upwards too. "Death is weird. It's just so weird how someone can suddenly be… gone."
"...Yeah… so weird…"
"I mean, like, we spoke to Ryu, and all of sudden, there is no Ryu. He's no longer present."
Lucas nods. "It sucks. But, it's okay to be sad about it, yeah?"
I close my eyes. "Yeah."
I feel Lucas's head come down against my shoulder, and I wrap my arms around my blonde counterpart. A sombre mood falls upon us, as we sit like that, a while longer. Just until the last streaks of colour fade, replaced with the dark night sky, and the cold air around us.
Eventually I sigh. "We should head back down. Looks like the others didn't show up."
"Yeah… I hope they're okay."
"We'll go find out. But, they will be. I'm sure."
I unwrap my arms from around Lucas, who sits up on our branch. "How do we get down?"
"Follow my lead," I assure him. "You'll be okay."
..
When we're down on the ground, Lucas turns to me with an expression of deep sincerity. "Thank you, Ness."
I take his hand. "Not a problem. Getting down trees is hard."
"No - I mean, being up there… it was really nice. Talking about everything felt good."
"Aww," I blush. "Well, it's the least I can do."
"Well, thank you, boyfriend."
I tackle him to the floor.
…
"So, we just go south, upstream, along the river?" I question.
Lucas nods. "Yep. We'll eventually reach wherever they were dropped off, and then hopefully, we'll find them."
"I feel like some kind of jungle explorer. Like we're trying to find a really rare species."
Lucas snorts. "Pff. Nah, you'd be too loud. You'd scare them all off."
"I'm not that loud!" I exclaim. Lucas giggles.
We start heading upstream. I'm hungry - so I could really do with some of Toon Link's rations about now. Luckily, the bank is big and flat, flat enough that we can traverse it without having to enter the forest, which is starting to look exceptionally dark now. Sadly, it's hard to see the wildflowers now, but I can still appreciate their presence, as we move along. Everything is still and quiet - except for the gentle movement of the river, the scurrying of small creatures, and the occasional hoot from an owl.
"I wonder what could've held them up?" Lucas says, for the umpteenth time. "I hope they're okay…"
"I'm sure we'll find out what's happened soon," I assure him.
And we do.
It becomes apparent, as the rushing noise of the river starts to get louder, and the geology starts to get rockier, that there's definitely something strange going on up ahead. And when we move a little further on, we find exactly what that is:
A giant waterfall. It must be a hundred feet tall - spurting like arrows over a great vertical precipice - the water thundering down from above, with an almighty noise. It's seriously massive - shimmering water droplets fly up into the sky, momentarily dazzled like silver tears in the moonlight. We're awestruck - at first by the waterfall itself, but moving forwards, I notice a cavern of sorts that's formed behind the sheet of water.
"It's huge!" Lucas exclaims. "How on earth did this form here?"
"Probably some groovy glacial movements," I shrug. "Nevermind. There's got to be a way up and around - no doubt this is what held the others up."
Lucas nods vigorously. "Yeah, this is… pretty crazy! Beautiful, though. Probably even better by day."
We marvel at the sight a little longer. The waterfall seems to plunge into the depths of a diamond-blue pool, trance-like and enchanting. I long to run and jump right in, but unfortunately, we still have a task at hand.
"So, how do we get around this thing?" I ask, putting my weary hands on my hips.
Lucas looks up. "There will be a way, for sure. There must be - because the railway doesn't drop about a hundred feet, right? That'd be quite alarming. So if we go through the forest, to the tracks, and around, we can definitely get to the other side."
"But,' I frown. "What if we miss the others, by doing that? Maybe we should head back?"
"Nah, they're smart, they'll take the same route as us. Chances are, we'll meet them in the middle."
I nervously glance at the forest. "I don't really wanna go in there, though…" All of a sudden, the forest seems to be leering up at me like an angry, shadowy beast.
"Well," Lucas reasons, over the waterfall's clamour. "We'll be okay. Porky has no way of knowing we're here, right?"
I nod. "I suppose so… sorry. I have no reason to be afraid."
Lucas takes my hand. "Fear is a funny thing. But let's go."
We step into the forest. More than ever before, I tremble at how the trees stretch out their boughs, like guardians. It's almost as if we're unwanted in these parts - strange, as never before have I felt this sensation, but…
Sick with unease, I press forwards. I think I'm just being stupid - at least, I deeply hope I'm just being stupid.
I can just about make out damp clumps of moss, coating the trunks of these wooden pillars. Legend has it around here that the moss grows only on the north side of trees, but I've never been so sure. Mostly because I don't know which way north is. But nevermind that.
The waterfall's noise dissipates as we move further. Instead, there's only the reverberations of my own heartbeat, the rustle of evergreen branches, the crunching of our footsteps and the constant buzz of nearby wildlife. Something scurries beneath my feet - who knows what. Perhaps a mouse? Or a rat?
"Are you sure about this?" I ask Lucas.
He rapidly shakes his head. "No. This place is setting me off. Something's wrong."
Crunch.
I freeze in place.
"Just an animal, right?" Lucas shakes.
"Yeah," I agree, desperately looking all around. "Just a… fox, or a rabbit, or..."
Crunch.
Out of the midnight steps a familiar figure. Straggled hair, entangled like ropes around its head. Sunken eyes, hollow windows into the abyss. Covered in wounds - and blood - and rags, and dirt, and filth, and the stench-
It's the Face.
A/N
….
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
NOTES:
Crocuses are a type of flower in the UK.
:')
~ReadyForTeddy
