Author's Note: I have a small announcement: I have gone back and edited Chapters 1-8 of the story! The contents have remained mostly untouched, but I have gone through to fix grammar/spelling errors, add in some more natural dialogue, and switched a few things around to make the narrative smoother. It isn't required to go back and reread if you don't want to, but I hope that these edits make the story a more enjoyable experience regardless. :)
The sun was only just beginning to rise when Fumu woke up for the day. With a sigh and a long stretch, she got out of bed to get ready for the day.
As Fumu was brushing her hair, she closed her eyes and hummed to herself in thought. It was her day off work, so she began thinking of what she would do for the day. There was a lot to consider; spring was right around the corner, and with that Pupu Village's annual Cherry Blossom Festival would begin preparations in the coming weeks. She was one of the lead organizers for the event, perhaps she could discuss with King Dedede how to handle the event this year.
The king seemed to always want to try new things every year, particularly to make Kirby the guinea pig for whatever pranks he could muster. She chuckled at the memory of Kirby getting a face full of soggy, sticky Sakura mochi thrown at his face by King Dedede, making a huge mess. Many laughs were shared that day.
Kirby…
The thought of her friend made her pause, a frown creasing her lips. It didn't take long for her to notice a foreign tension rising in the castle. Meta Knight taking up many more patrols than usual, with no Kirby in sight. For almost a week Kirby was nowhere to be found. She had tried once or twice to knock on Kirby's door, only to get no answer. She asked the townsfolk whether any of them had seen him, always getting similar answers.
"Nope, haven't seen him!"
"Sorry Fumu, he didn't stop here today!"
"I haven't seen Kirby in a few days…"
"Now that you mention it, he said he was going to help sweep the sidewalk today and he never showed up…"
Even Meta Knight was distant about the issue, which was not like him at all. "Kirby needs some space." Is all he would say before walking away, his voice and demeanor cold as ice.
This was concerning. Kirby loved hanging around the village, mingling with the townsfolk and helping them out. It wasn't like him to suddenly disappear out of the blue! And Meta Knight would have been the first person to go searching if Kirby had gone missing, his refusal to talk about his student was highly unusual. If Fumu hadn't been so swamped with work, she would have gone and looked for her friend sooner.
That is what Fumu decided she would do today. She just hoped Kirby was home and not truly missing.
There were few clouds in the bright blue midday sky. White feathers ruffled in the wind, joyous giggling filling the air as Kirby zipped around with ease.
He had finally done it! He was flying! Kirby had never been more happy in his life. The warm ocean breeze coaxed his wings along the sky as he flew. It was just as he dreamed of, flying without the assistance of his copy ability or his Warpstar, it felt like he could do anything.
Meta Knight was looking on in the distance, his eyes shimmering blue like the sky. Kirby could almost see his smile beneath the mask as he landed in front of his mentor, grinning widely as pride puffed in his chest.
"I did it!" Kirby cheered, hopping and flapping his wings in joy. "I can fly, Meta!"
"Indeed you can, Kirby." Meta Knight chuckled, giving Kirby a gentle pat on the head. "I am very proud of you, son."
Kirby closed his eyes, bliss filling his senses as he leaned into Meta Knight's touch. This was all he had ever wanted… Everything was finally okay again.
A harsh, cold breeze fluffed up Kirby's feathers and he flinched, opening his eyes back up. Meta Knight had suddenly vanished. He blinked a few times in confusion, looking around for his mentor.
"Meta? Where are you? Meta…?" Kirby called out, another harsh breeze howling and drowning out his voice. The sky had turned a stormy gray, billowing clouds swallowing up the sun as leaves were blown around by the harsh winds.
"Kirby…" A soft, gentle voice was carried by the wind, swirling around him like a soothing melody. "I finally found you…"
"What?" Kirby looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who's there? Where's Meta? Meta!"
A sudden shadow loomed over Kirby, the sudden darkness making him jump. Meta Knight was standing on a tree branch above him, glowing amber eyes narrowed as his cape billowed in the harsh wind.
"You cannot fly," Meta Knight said solemnly, looking away in shame. "Such a disappointment."
"W-what? Yes I can!" Kirby protested, spreading his wings in defiance. When he did that, however, countless feathers flew off, disappearing into the sky. He cried out in dismay, beginning to panic. "W-what's happening?!"
"I'm very disappointed in you. You're better than this. You are Kirby of the Stars, and you cannot even fly. You… are a failure." Meta Knight's disapproving voice seemed to be amplified by the harsh winds, booming violently in Kirby's head.
Kirby felt his eyes begin to burn, and he stomped his foot in anger and shouted, "I'm not a disappointment! I am not a failure! You would never call me that! You would never… never…" tears began to fall from his eyes, his lips quivering as he tried and failed to hold himself together. "Would you…?"
Meta Knight did not answer; but the winds grew ever harsher, whipping at Kirby's face as he kept his eyes tightly shut. The melodious voice from earlier echoed around him once again, harmonizing with the howling wind.
"I found you… I finally found you…"
Kirby gasped, sitting up with a start. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest. Taking in choked, panicked breaths, the teen pawed at his face in an attempt to wipe the sweat built up on his brow. He blinked a few times, realizing he was in his bed in his home. By the looks of the light peeking from the curtains, it was almost noon. Had he really slept that long…?
For the past week since he found out he couldn't fly, Kirby struggled to do much of anything. He barely ate or slept, and when he was able to sleep, it was almost always filled with strange dreams. He occasionally heard knocks on his door and faint calls for him, but he made it a point to ignore them all.
Kirby shook his head, taking in a few more deep breaths as his heart finally slowed down to a normal pace. He had been having these dreams often, and it only seemed to worsen as time went on. He couldn't pinpoint that voice that kept calling to him. It sounded so… different. Almost familiar. He had bizarre dreams all the time since he was a baby, but these were different. The strange dreams had only gotten worse since that day… that day when he found out he… because Meta Knight…
The thought of his mentor made Kirby furrow his brow in indignation, tightening his grip on his blanket. He had refused to look at Meta Knight, let alone talk to him, ever since that day. Kirby had seen him once or twice with that new Galacta Knight character. Meta Knight had been keeping his distance, perhaps waiting for him to come up to talk? Kirby scoffed to himself. If he had any choice, he would never talk to Meta Knight again.
And yet…
Kirby grimaced as his eyes began to burn with unwanted tears, angrily wiping them away and staring at his feet. Despite the anger, the fury he felt… The sting of Meta Knight refusing to be honest with him outweighed it all. He couldn't tell what hurt more; the fact that he couldn't fly, or the lack of faith he was sure Meta Knight had in him to handle that fact. It made him put into question every aspect of the time they shared together. How Meta Knight would occasionally slip and call him "son", the few times he had seen the knight's mask falter, the tender moments they shared…
Was it all a lie? Was it all a ruse with ulterior motives? Was it to make training easier? Harder? Kirby didn't know. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. The past week's events put everything he thought he knew about Meta Knight into question. Maybe eventually he would find the will to figure things out, but for now…
Kirby's wings ruffled a bit, and he sighed, gazing to his side where his mirror stood. He lazily looked himself over, noticing his feathers were particularly messy today. He reached behind him and smoothed them out a little, making them at least a bit neater whilst he grumbled to himself. "Dumb feathers…"
As he had finally gained enough energy to get out of bed, a gentle knock from the door startled him.
"Kirby?" It was Fumu; her voice was as gentle as her knock. "Are you in there?"
Kirby was relieved, he was glad it wasn't Meta Knight at least. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to train for who knows what "threat." Hell, there hadn't been anything particularly dangerous in Dreamland since Nightmare's defeat, other than the occasional aggressive critter. What was the point in training for a threat that didn't exist?
Another gentle knock on the door pushed Kirby out of his train of thought. He supposed there was no use in thinking too hard about it. He considered ignoring Fumu, but decided against it. He couldn't stay closed in forever. With another sigh, Kirby made his way to the door and opened it. "Hello, Fumu…" Kirby let out a tired yawn.
Fumu gave Kirby a relieved smile. "Oh, you're home! Thank goodness… I hadn't seen you around in almost a week and I was getting worried about you, I tried seeing if you were home before, but… Are you feeling alright?"
Kirby nodded absentmindedly, not making eye contact with his friend as he gave her a soft smile. "Yeah… just been really busy and tired lately." That was a lie and he knew it too, but he didn't want to burden Fumu with the problems weighing him down when she already had so much on her plate.
"Yeah? You have been working hard on learning how to fly… Well," Fumu looked away, as though calculating what she was going to say next. "Do you have some spare time today? We need to talk."
Kirby blinked, tilting his head at Fumu's sudden tone shift. Was something the matter? "Sure, uh… is something up?"
Fumu didn't reply, but gestured to him to follow as she started down the path to town. Kirby blinked again, face twisting in concern as he closed the door behind him, following his friend.
Kirby trailed behind Fumu, an awkward silence weighing down the air between them. Fumu was definitely hiding something that was bothering her, Kirby could read her face like a book. He wondered in the back of his mind if she could do the same to him.
"So…" Kirby began, catching up to Fumu and matching her pace beside her. "What's going on? Did something happen…?"
Fumu's emerald green gaze shifted upwards towards the afternoon sky. She was nervously twiddling her thumbs, as though thinking very carefully about what she was going to say. "I could ask you the same thing, Kirby."
Kirby's face shifted to a quizzical look, stopping in his tracks. Yup, she can read me like a book, too. "What? I'm fine…"
Fumu shook her head, stopping as well and giving Kirby a stern look. "It's not… it's not like you to avoid town for over a week. I tried asking Meta Knight if he knew what was wrong, but he isn't telling me what's going on either… I want to know. What happened?"
Kirby hesitated, his expression turning sour as he broke eye contact with his friend. "It's not important," he mumbled.
"Clearly it is if you're making that face." Fumu gave a miffed sigh, leaning down to be level with Kirby, her gaze softening. "You can tell me anything, Kirby…" She said, her voice gentle.
Kirby squinted his eyes shut, attempting to ignore the lump forming in his throat. The last thing he wanted was for Fumu to pity him, and yet he wasn't sure if he was going to get out of this situation without telling the truth. Fumu was bound to find out one way or another, so… "He lied to me." He muttered bluntly, opening his eyes back up and staring at the ground.
Fumu's frown deepened. "Who lied to you…?"
Kirby felt his eyes begin to burn and he shuddered, trying to hold his tears back. He knew he needed to talk about it, as much as he didn't want to. "Meta… Meta lied to me."
"About what…?"
"My wings," Kirby's voice cracked. "He lied to me about my wings. I can't… I-I can't fly with them. Th-there's something wrong with them…"
Fumu gently reached for Kirby's face, wiping away the tears that fell. "Oh, Kirby… I'm so sorry…"
"I-I don't understand," Kirby whispered, voice wavering as his vision clouded from more tears. "He's never lied to me before… or maybe he has, I don't… I don't know if he's ever been honest with me about anything…" Kirby covered his eyes with his paws in another vain attempt to stop the tears from falling. "This w-was so important to me, and he lied to m-me… it's like he doesn't c-care…"
"Kirby… please look at me," Fumu gently cupped Kirby's cheeks in her hands and moved his paws, her heart breaking at the anguish filling his sapphire eyes. "If there is one thing I know for certain, it's that Meta Knight cares very deeply about you. He doesn't express it very well, but he does care. Maybe…" Fumu paused, looking away for a moment. "Maybe he didn't want to hurt you."
"But he did!" Kirby cried out. "H-he hurt me so bad, I…" Kirby let out a hiccup against his will.
"I-I was so obsessed with trying to fly I did some r-really stupid things, and yet he didn't e-even try to stop me!" He took in a deep, shaking breath. "I-I don't know if I can trust h-him anymore, Fumu…"
"I know you're hurt, Kirby…" Fumu wrapped her arms around him in a gentle embrace. "And it's alright to be hurt. What Meta Knight did was not okay." Fumu rubbed the top of Kirby's head as his tears slowed down. "Do you want me to talk to him?"
Kirby hesitated, but silently shook his head. If he were to talk to his mentor again, he hoped it would be on his own terms. He just wasn't sure when… or if that would happen.
"Okay…" Fumu slowly let go of Kirby and stood back up, giving Kirby a reassuring smile. "Everything will be okay, alright? We'll figure something out, we always have."
"Y-yeah…" Kirby sniffled, wiping the last of his tears away as he took a deep breath to calm himself. "I hope so…"
"Is there anything else that's been bothering you lately?" Fumu asked gently.
"Well…" Kirby paused, unsure of what to say. Other than the whole ordeal with his wings, there was… "I've been having these really weird dreams…"
"Yeah?" That piqued Fumu's interest. "Do you remember what they're about?"
"I'm not sure exactly," Kirby felt his wings unconsciously quiver as the sensation of his dreams came back. His feathers being yanked out by the winds, the strange yet familiar voice calling for him. Meta Knight… "Mostly… about my wings, and then I hear someone calling for me, then I wake up before I figure out who it is. It's all very weird."
Fumu tapped her chin in thought. She hadn't the slightest clue what dreams like that could point towards. "That does sound strange. Maybe it's the stress? I know I get weird dreams when I'm piled up in paperwork…" The blonde let out a small chuckle, which Kirby echoed softly.
"Maybe…"
Fumu hummed to herself, then her eyes brightened as she thought of something. "I could take you somewhere to relax if you'd like? You look like you need it."
Kirby felt his lips curve into a small smile. That did sound appealing to him. He could definitely use some time to wind down after everything. "Yeah… that would be nice, thank you…"
Kirby slowly opened the door to his house, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he walked inside and closed the door. He turned on his lamp, faintly illuminating the small home as he got himself ready for bed.
A relaxing afternoon at the beach was just what I needed, he thought. It reminded him of simpler, happier times in his childhood. He was grateful for Fumu checking in on him and spending time with him. Who knows how long he would have stayed cooped up in his house if his friend hadn't intervened…
Suddenly, Kirby thought he had seen something move in the corner of his eye. He paused, narrowing his eyes as he looked around. He felt himself tensing up as his gaze drifted over to his mirror. He noticed that his wings were halfway unfolded on his back and he sighed, struggling to get them to fold back in all the way. Even after several months of having them, he struggled to keep them entirely under control.
Why is it so hard to keep these things folded? He asked himself bitterly. Meta was right… there is something wrong with them. Maybe I can ask that Galacta guy, he has feathers like me… Maybe things will get better if I can find out what's wrong-
Maybe things would be better if I didn't have these wings at all.
Kirby blinked, furrowing his brow as he forced the thought out of his head. Where had such a thought come from? He loved his wings… Sure, he couldn't fly, but he prided himself in taking care of his wings regardless of that. At least he tried to. He forced himself to look away from his mirror, shaking his head and making his way to bed. He reached to turn off his lamp before curling up under the covers, staring at the waxing moon peeking out the window, bathing him in silver light.
He hoped better dreams would come as his eyes drifted shut.
