"Thanks again for helping me organize all this stuff."

"You'd be at this all week otherwise," I made no attempt to hide my smirk. "But had I known you were such a hoarder…"

"Yeah, yeah…" she grumbled, rummaging through her closet. "Just be careful, will you?" Then suddenly, I noticed her pulling at something wedged between some clutter. "I don't believe it…" and she carefully took the object into her hands, showing it to me. "My old prototype paralyzer… I thought I lost it years ago."

"Does it still work?" I asked.

Samus chuckled. "I could never get this worthless thing to work. Back when I first got into weaponry, I tried making a paralyzer of my very own. Yes, I remember… During my early years training under the Chozo…"

There was a softness in her usually stern features as she sat down on the edge of the bed. I joined her as she let her fingers caress the muzzle, her thoughts lingering elsewhere for a moment. She reminisced some more. "You should have seen me out there in the battlefield. I wanted to protect others, to become the strongest. I wonder…if I can become someone others could depend on."

My hand found hers, gently grasping it, and she interlocked her fingers with mine. How I wanted to reassure her, to tell her how I feel, yet…I had oftentimes wondered the very same thing about myself. It seemed neither of us knew the answer. We leaned our heads together, staying like that for a while.