Feh. I hate this chapter. e.e It jumps around, it's rushed, and it could be a lot more dramatic. I have a speech, a handful of essays, and some sentences to write this weekend, though. So, yeah. On with the chapter.

Roy couldn't help but shiver as he was introduced to the chilly atmosphere of the Hyrule Temple. This place was always frigid, largely because of its high altitude, and the swordsman's lack of sleeves did little to shield him from the crisp breeze that blew through the ruins. He stood near the overhang on the western end of the stage, tensing as soon as he heard the word "GO!" This fight was going to be a tough one. Marth presently alighted on the island on the eastern side of the stage, approaching Roy with a sickening smile on his face.

Dr. Mario, who was monitoring this fight as he did all others, was surprised to find that he had company. When he carelessly turned his eyes up from the field monitors, he was shocked to find Daisy and Peach hanging over him. Both girls were staring at the Hyrule Temple monitor. "Oh, this is going to be great!" "I know! Too bad I didn't bring popcorn…" "Ladies, ladies!" he cried, hopping out of his chair to usher the two gossips out of the room. "Please, this is a medical facility, not a TV room!"

As soon as they came together, Marth and Roy began to clash at the blades. Almost every swipe Roy took was met with a soft *ping* and an eruption of turquoise sparks. "Marth" knew his opponent so well that he could perfectly calculate and deflect Roy's every attack. "He's fighting strangely, though," Roy thought as he deftly rolled away from his adversary. "He's not moving around as much as he usually does. There's something very methodical about his moves…"

"Aww, please let us stay, Mario!" Daisy whined, digging her heels into the floor as she was pushed along. "Yeah, Doctor! It'd be so sa-weet of you if you'd let us watch just this one battle!" Peach chimed in. The doctor was firm, though, as he struggled to get the girls out. "You can watch it tomorrow morning in the TV room, but right now, I need you out of here!"

One of the downsides to Stamina Battles was that they weren't as docile as Melees. Melees were won by kicking your opponent off the screen; Stamina Battles were won by working your opponent's HP down to 0% - or, bluntly, by killing them. Typically, in Melees – though no blood was shown on screen – there were some cuts and bruises taken by the fighters. That's what fighting is all about. However, Stamina Mode was much more violent and grotesque behind the screen than Melee was. The cuts were deeper, the bruises were darker, and the kills were very real. You weren't safe, especially not from those you call friends.

Marth and Roy had always been a very equal match, and both were worked down to 20% HP in no time. One smash would make it anyone's victory. Roy had struggled to get Marth's HP percentile down that far. Where the Altean prince hit hardest with the tip of his sword, Roy needed to use the middle of the blade, thus delivering himself right into the arms of his challenger. In addition, to approach Marth from the front-side or above was, basically, suicide. Roy had tried his hardest to catch the Altean off guard while still keeping his own ass in the game.

The white-coated Mario whimpered as he cowered between the two angry, vegetable-wielding princesses. "All right, all right! You can stay, but just for a few minutes! You're really not supposed to be in here, I have work to d-" "Thank you so much, Doctor!" both girls chirped, discarding their turnips and kissing him on either cheek. They hurried back to the monitors and pulled up some chairs for themselves, crowding the Hyrule Temple screen. Though, after some few minutes of watching, Daisy loudly sighed. "Y'know, I am kinda hungry. Aren't you, Peach?" "Yeah," the blonde wistfully commented, "And these chairs are really uncomfortable. I could use a cushion or two." The good doctor sighed, giving in to his duties, hanging his head as he trudged out of the Monitoring Room. "I'll be right back…"

With half of his regal cape sheared off, his messy hair even worse than usual, and a deep, painful wound in his stomach, Roy paused to catch his breath as he put up his super shield. He and Marth were on the lower level of the temple now, with Roy just hanging onto the edge of the small space. Cowering behind his transparent bubble, the swordsman sneered out at his former friend. Marth was hardly daunted by any of Roy's attacks. It was strange that, even as he was at 20% HP, he showed few signs of tiring and even fewer open wounds. Roy could swear that whenever he'd made an exceptionally heavy hit, the laceration his blade left behind just closed itself back up. And that glint in Marth's eyes … Why were his eyes so pale?

Twirling his sword in his hand, Marth lifted and lowered it in the fencing style, grinning to his opponent. His taunt didn't have its usual fluent flow of Japanese, but rather, he challenged Roy. "Come on now, boy," he snarled, "Don't be a baby. Let's end this now, shall we?" And the Altean dropped into a ready stance. He wanted a classic Swordsmen's Showdown, a running start to the final blow.

As the shield began to uncover his face, Roy swallowed the lump of nervousness in his throat. This type of fighting always made him so sick inside. He never got it right when he was training. He always swung blindly, too preoccupied with dodging and running to aim. He always missed his mark.

Especially when …

After they'd had one bite of popcorn, Peach and Daisy exchanged a look of disapproval, then turned their gazes down to the doctor. He cowered a bit. "What?!" "This isn't fat free, is it?" "I couldn't find that box! This is all we have!" Mario looked exasperated as the monarchs disappointedly pushed the overflowing bowl aside. "The fatty kind always makes me thirsty…" "Yeah! Oh, I could go for a nice Dragonfruit right about now…" Dr. Mario huffed again, his chivalry binding him to the princesses' every whim. Traipsing out of the room again, he was now in search of fluids.

The brief hiatus was over as Roy dropped his shield and crouched low to the ground, in the same position as Marth was. Synchronized by that silent bond they shared, they started simultaneously. The two warriors ran head-on towards each other, the distance between them shortening by the second, and at the very last minute, both dodged and went right past each other. The swift swipes of their swords left vivid blurs after the blades, blue over red.

Skidding to a halt a few feet later, Roy winced, the deep cut sliced in his side causing him to fall to one knee, dropping the Sword of Seals. He wasn't finished yet, though, having 5% of his strength left. Just five percent…

His lavender oculars turned down, now, to the fallen sword. There was a vivid red stain on the dirty blade, and Roy could hear his companion whimpering behind him. "My hand, my hand! You son of a bitch, look what you've done to my hand!!" Fiery-haired swordsman felt nausea rising in his throat, and he leaned forward, closing his eyes tightly. "Gods, no," he whispered, swallowing the disgusting feeling. "Good gods, no… Not again."

"My, you've kept that bad habit, haven't you?" The new voice startled Roy, but he couldn't bring himself to lift his head. He was too weak and too sick… But he needn't worry about lifting his head himself. A cold hand graced the underside of Roy's chin, and his gaze was lifted to meet the pale green eyes of Marth's captor.

"Tomoyuki…"

The prowler-mage grinned, lowering his hand from Roy's face and standing straight again. He loomed over the swordsman, his deformities hidden behind his big black cloak. "When this is all over, you needn't worry about hurting your dear friend like this ever again. No, I'll take very good care of him for you, I promise." Roy didn't have time to react to the threat, because then Tomoyuki smiled, closing his eyes as Roy's body was slowly turned around to face Marth again. Teal-haired tiara-boy was enraged, shuddering violently as he struggled to support his sword in his left hand, his right now completely severed. Such a sight wasn't uncommon to Stamina Battles, nor was it permanent, but it twisted Roy's stomach horribly. He knew that sometimes, such wounds were permanent.

"My gods, Marth," Roy choked out as he watched Falchion hovering above his face, "I'm sorry." But his apology wasn't well-received. All he could do was give a dull grunt of pain as the blade-end met his face, and the fiery-haired swordsman was put out of his misery.

Bah. o.o I'm kinda unhappy with that. Could have been much more dramatic. So much jumping around, too … e.e I don't know when I'll get to do the next chapter, so please bear with me. But review to bug me to get to it soon!