A/N: Alright, time for the next chapter.
Link: NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!!
Fox: Oh, cool it. It's just a fanfic.
Link, don't fuss over it, alright?
Link: But am I going to live?
That depends. . . mwahahaha. . .
Link: I'm scared. . .
Fox: Oh, shut up, you guys. Here it is!
That's What Friends Are For: Chapter 2: The Awful News
Three days had passed since Link was sent to the hospital. Ever since the incident, there had been no battles. Everyone was too worried to fight right now. Except for Bowser and Ganondorf, but they were currently being dealt with. The board of executives in charge of SSBM were deliberating on what to do with them. That was a little comforting to the others. At least the two won't be hanging around to pose any kind of threat. But that wasn't the only concern.
"It's been three damn days!" shouted Falco. "I don't see why they can't tell us what's wrong with him!"
They were all talking in the lounge. Some of the more quiet ones were startled by Falco's yelling.
"It's a complicated process, Falco," explained Peach, who had returned to HQ after delivering Link to the hospital. "They have to clean up, take x-rays, all kinds of things. They don't give news until the examining is complete."
"They sure are taking their sweet time. . ." grumbled Falco.
"Well, you'll just have to wait like the rest of us." stated Samus.
That left the room in silence. Roy was definitely concerned for his friend. He looked at the others, one by one.
Mario looked much less cheerful then usual. He was obviously worried about Link, but looked a little angry as well. Back when they were dragging Bowser and Ganondorf out of the building, Roy actually heard Mario grumble dirty words about Bowser under his breath. Roy didn't blame him.
Luigi and Peach were just plain depressed. Their gazes wouldn't reach above floor level. They just sat there, deep in thought.
Yoshi, Ness, Kirby, Popo, Nana, and Mr. Game and Watch sat on the floor huddled in their own little group. The poor little guys were close to tears. Link was the nicest and greatest adult to them. . .
The young Pokemon felt the same way. Link was their playmate (since he was the only one besides Mewtwo who could understand them) and always boosted up their spirits. Now they were depressed, and he wasn't there to comfort them. Roy could only imagine how hard it was for them.
DK, Falcon, Samus, and Mewtwo sat on one side of the room, unreadable expressions on their faces. These guys were never known for expressing their emotions freely, but Roy could tell they were just as troubled as everyone else was.
Zelda sat in her chair, looking terribly bewildered. She eyed the telephone, waiting for it to ring with any kind of news. Young Link leaned on her, looking depressed as well. Words could not express how worried they were.
In the seat next to him, sat Roy's companion, Marth. He sat looking very thoughtful, as if he was trying to figure something out. Probable questions were "Why did this happen?" and "How could it have been prevented?" and especially "What happened to Link?" But Roy could only guess what he was really pondering.
Falco had clearly expressed how he felt. He was impatient to finding out what was going on. But the seat next to him was empty.
Where was Fox?
"Hey, Falco?" Roy finally broke the silence. Falco looked up, slightly startled.
"What?"
"Where's Fox?"
"In his dorm. Doesn't want to be bothered. Said he needed time alone to think."
Roy took in these words and thought deeply. Indeed, Fox had been down for the past few days, but that was natural. Fox and Link were great friends, after all. But why did he need time to think. . .?
Could he possibly feel. . . guilty?
~*~
"Link. . . I'm so sorry. . . You tried to protect me. . . You took a silver bullet for me. . . I owe my life to you. . ."
Fox could not get this feeling of guilt out of him. He laid face down on his pillow, withering in his guilt. If he didn't challenge those bastards, they wouldn't have tried to attack and this would've never happened. He felt worried about Link as well.
"Link. . .You're the greatest friend anyone could ask for. . . Please let you be okay. . ."
Finally, he got up and left his dorm. When he reached the lounge, everyone had gone except for Roy. He looked up at Fox and nodded in greeting. His sad expression didn't change. Fox nodded back, and sat down. There was silence for a moment, then the ringing of the telephone startled both of them. Fox reached over and answered the phone quickly.
"Hello? SSBM HQ."
The voice was soft, so Roy couldn't hear it. He just watched tensely as the discussion went on. Others who heard the phone ring began to enter the room and listened as well.
"Yes. . . What about him?. . . Uh-huh. . ."
His face melted down to a slight scowl.
"Wait, why can't you just tell us. . .?. . . What!?. . . But we can't. . ."
He sighed as if giving in.
"Alright, we'll be there soon. Bye." He hung up.
"Well?" asked Samus.
"They couldn't tell me on the phone for some reason, so we have to go over there to find out his condition."
"Alright, then, everyone get in the limos. . ." ordered Mario.
~*~
They all arrived at the hospital. As they walked into the lobby, some strangers couldn't help but stare. It's not everyday you see the Super Smashers in a place like this. But they ignored the stares and walked up to the front counter.
"Excuse me?" Zelda asked, trying to get the busy lady's attention. "We were told to come here to see Link Gaiden. Which room is he in?"
The lady quickly looked up, stared for a moment, then finally answered her question.
"I don't know. He's been moved to several emergency rooms, so I don't know where he's been put."
"Don't worry, I'll take it from here." An Italian voice said. At first, they thought it was Mario, but quickly knew it was Dr. Mario instead. He stepped out from behind the counter.
"How is he, doc?" asked Marth.
"Follow me." He began to walk down the hall, so the others followed. He suddenly turned back and faced the clerk. "By the way, Link Gaiden is in Room E262."
The lady nodded and fumbled through her papers. They walked down the hall to Room E262. Dr. Mario slowly opened the door. There lay Link in the hospital bed. He was covered with bandages, and was hooked up to a respirator. They all gathered around his bed and looked at him in pity.
"Oh, Link. . ." Zelda sighed, running her fingers through the sleeping Hylian's golden bangs.
"I suppose you all want to know his condition. . ."
Their attention turned to Dr. Mario.
"On a good note, his physical injuries are healing quite quickly. Here are the X-rays from three days ago."
He posted them up on the wall. They all gasped at how messed up they looked.
"As you can see, they seriously broke his left arm, and his ribs are a complete mess."
"Oh my god. . ." sighed DK.
"Damn. . . Those two gave him a lot of damage!" exclaimed Falcon.
"BUT, these are the X-rays we took, oh, I'd say about two hours ago. . ."
He posted more up. These looked much better, and they all sighed in relief.
"We were able to place the bone in his arm back into position, so it's setting right now. His ribs are getting back into place as well."
"But I don't understand," Peach stepped up. "Why hasn't he awaken yet?"
Dr. Mario froze in place. He looked up at the others, who eyed him, patiently waiting for an answer. But how hard would this news hit him? It definitely wasn't good news, but, being the doctor, it was his duty to tell him.
"Well. . . the hard blow to his head combined with the pain of his injuries had really taken a toll on him. . ."
"Meaning. . .?" Fox's voice trembled. He feared the worst.
"Link has. . . . . slipped into a coma."
This definitely hit them hard.
Everyone gasped. Zelda screamed in agony and buried her face in his chest, sobbing loudly. The others cried out in shock, dismay, and disbelieve.
"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. . . I don't know when he'll wake up. . ."
An eerie silence filled the room for several minutes. Finally, someone spoke.
"This is ridiculous. . ." grumbled Falcon.
"Those two have to pay!" cried Young Link.
Suddenly, a cellphone rang. Mario quickly stepped out of the room and answered his. The others listened silently.
"Hello?. . . Yes. . . Please, can it be some other time? We're in the hospital right now and we just found out that Link's in a coma. This is a very difficult time. . . No, we can't. . .(sigh). . . Alright, fine. We'll be there soon." He hung up and reentered.
"What is it?" asked Yoshi.
"That was the board. They said we need to go see them, now."
Most of the others nodded in reply and followed him out the door. But Fox stayed behind, looking at Link in pity, guilt, and sadness. He sat down in the chair next to the bed.
"Link. . . I'm so goddamn sorry. . . This is all my fault. . . If I didn't challenge those jerks, they wouldn't have tried to attack me. . . You wouldn't have had to protect me. . . You wouldn't be here. . . You don't deserve this. . ."
Falco had almost left, but then he heard his leader speak these words. He stopped at the doorway and looked back at him, silent. He went unnoticed by Fox, so he continued.
"I was so selfish, trying to prove myself. . . I should've listened to you earlier. . . I'm sorry. . ."
Fox grasped Link's limp hand and squeezed it gently.
"I know you're strong, Link. . . I know you can pull through. . . Please wake up. . . Please. . ."
He was close to tears. Falco walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, Fox. Let's go."
Fox hesitated, but slipped his hand away from Link's hand. They slowly left the room. Fox softly whispered. . .
"Please pull through, Link. . . Please wake up. . ."
A/N: Ick. . . This is so ooshy gooshy mushy. . .
Link: (sniff) It's not mushy, it's emotional!
Fox: Yeah! (sniff)
I know, I was just kidding. Damn, I never knew I could be so dramatic. . .
Link: It sure touched me. . . (sniff)
Right. Review.
Link: NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!!
Fox: Oh, cool it. It's just a fanfic.
Link, don't fuss over it, alright?
Link: But am I going to live?
That depends. . . mwahahaha. . .
Link: I'm scared. . .
Fox: Oh, shut up, you guys. Here it is!
That's What Friends Are For: Chapter 2: The Awful News
Three days had passed since Link was sent to the hospital. Ever since the incident, there had been no battles. Everyone was too worried to fight right now. Except for Bowser and Ganondorf, but they were currently being dealt with. The board of executives in charge of SSBM were deliberating on what to do with them. That was a little comforting to the others. At least the two won't be hanging around to pose any kind of threat. But that wasn't the only concern.
"It's been three damn days!" shouted Falco. "I don't see why they can't tell us what's wrong with him!"
They were all talking in the lounge. Some of the more quiet ones were startled by Falco's yelling.
"It's a complicated process, Falco," explained Peach, who had returned to HQ after delivering Link to the hospital. "They have to clean up, take x-rays, all kinds of things. They don't give news until the examining is complete."
"They sure are taking their sweet time. . ." grumbled Falco.
"Well, you'll just have to wait like the rest of us." stated Samus.
That left the room in silence. Roy was definitely concerned for his friend. He looked at the others, one by one.
Mario looked much less cheerful then usual. He was obviously worried about Link, but looked a little angry as well. Back when they were dragging Bowser and Ganondorf out of the building, Roy actually heard Mario grumble dirty words about Bowser under his breath. Roy didn't blame him.
Luigi and Peach were just plain depressed. Their gazes wouldn't reach above floor level. They just sat there, deep in thought.
Yoshi, Ness, Kirby, Popo, Nana, and Mr. Game and Watch sat on the floor huddled in their own little group. The poor little guys were close to tears. Link was the nicest and greatest adult to them. . .
The young Pokemon felt the same way. Link was their playmate (since he was the only one besides Mewtwo who could understand them) and always boosted up their spirits. Now they were depressed, and he wasn't there to comfort them. Roy could only imagine how hard it was for them.
DK, Falcon, Samus, and Mewtwo sat on one side of the room, unreadable expressions on their faces. These guys were never known for expressing their emotions freely, but Roy could tell they were just as troubled as everyone else was.
Zelda sat in her chair, looking terribly bewildered. She eyed the telephone, waiting for it to ring with any kind of news. Young Link leaned on her, looking depressed as well. Words could not express how worried they were.
In the seat next to him, sat Roy's companion, Marth. He sat looking very thoughtful, as if he was trying to figure something out. Probable questions were "Why did this happen?" and "How could it have been prevented?" and especially "What happened to Link?" But Roy could only guess what he was really pondering.
Falco had clearly expressed how he felt. He was impatient to finding out what was going on. But the seat next to him was empty.
Where was Fox?
"Hey, Falco?" Roy finally broke the silence. Falco looked up, slightly startled.
"What?"
"Where's Fox?"
"In his dorm. Doesn't want to be bothered. Said he needed time alone to think."
Roy took in these words and thought deeply. Indeed, Fox had been down for the past few days, but that was natural. Fox and Link were great friends, after all. But why did he need time to think. . .?
Could he possibly feel. . . guilty?
~*~
"Link. . . I'm so sorry. . . You tried to protect me. . . You took a silver bullet for me. . . I owe my life to you. . ."
Fox could not get this feeling of guilt out of him. He laid face down on his pillow, withering in his guilt. If he didn't challenge those bastards, they wouldn't have tried to attack and this would've never happened. He felt worried about Link as well.
"Link. . .You're the greatest friend anyone could ask for. . . Please let you be okay. . ."
Finally, he got up and left his dorm. When he reached the lounge, everyone had gone except for Roy. He looked up at Fox and nodded in greeting. His sad expression didn't change. Fox nodded back, and sat down. There was silence for a moment, then the ringing of the telephone startled both of them. Fox reached over and answered the phone quickly.
"Hello? SSBM HQ."
The voice was soft, so Roy couldn't hear it. He just watched tensely as the discussion went on. Others who heard the phone ring began to enter the room and listened as well.
"Yes. . . What about him?. . . Uh-huh. . ."
His face melted down to a slight scowl.
"Wait, why can't you just tell us. . .?. . . What!?. . . But we can't. . ."
He sighed as if giving in.
"Alright, we'll be there soon. Bye." He hung up.
"Well?" asked Samus.
"They couldn't tell me on the phone for some reason, so we have to go over there to find out his condition."
"Alright, then, everyone get in the limos. . ." ordered Mario.
~*~
They all arrived at the hospital. As they walked into the lobby, some strangers couldn't help but stare. It's not everyday you see the Super Smashers in a place like this. But they ignored the stares and walked up to the front counter.
"Excuse me?" Zelda asked, trying to get the busy lady's attention. "We were told to come here to see Link Gaiden. Which room is he in?"
The lady quickly looked up, stared for a moment, then finally answered her question.
"I don't know. He's been moved to several emergency rooms, so I don't know where he's been put."
"Don't worry, I'll take it from here." An Italian voice said. At first, they thought it was Mario, but quickly knew it was Dr. Mario instead. He stepped out from behind the counter.
"How is he, doc?" asked Marth.
"Follow me." He began to walk down the hall, so the others followed. He suddenly turned back and faced the clerk. "By the way, Link Gaiden is in Room E262."
The lady nodded and fumbled through her papers. They walked down the hall to Room E262. Dr. Mario slowly opened the door. There lay Link in the hospital bed. He was covered with bandages, and was hooked up to a respirator. They all gathered around his bed and looked at him in pity.
"Oh, Link. . ." Zelda sighed, running her fingers through the sleeping Hylian's golden bangs.
"I suppose you all want to know his condition. . ."
Their attention turned to Dr. Mario.
"On a good note, his physical injuries are healing quite quickly. Here are the X-rays from three days ago."
He posted them up on the wall. They all gasped at how messed up they looked.
"As you can see, they seriously broke his left arm, and his ribs are a complete mess."
"Oh my god. . ." sighed DK.
"Damn. . . Those two gave him a lot of damage!" exclaimed Falcon.
"BUT, these are the X-rays we took, oh, I'd say about two hours ago. . ."
He posted more up. These looked much better, and they all sighed in relief.
"We were able to place the bone in his arm back into position, so it's setting right now. His ribs are getting back into place as well."
"But I don't understand," Peach stepped up. "Why hasn't he awaken yet?"
Dr. Mario froze in place. He looked up at the others, who eyed him, patiently waiting for an answer. But how hard would this news hit him? It definitely wasn't good news, but, being the doctor, it was his duty to tell him.
"Well. . . the hard blow to his head combined with the pain of his injuries had really taken a toll on him. . ."
"Meaning. . .?" Fox's voice trembled. He feared the worst.
"Link has. . . . . slipped into a coma."
This definitely hit them hard.
Everyone gasped. Zelda screamed in agony and buried her face in his chest, sobbing loudly. The others cried out in shock, dismay, and disbelieve.
"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. . . I don't know when he'll wake up. . ."
An eerie silence filled the room for several minutes. Finally, someone spoke.
"This is ridiculous. . ." grumbled Falcon.
"Those two have to pay!" cried Young Link.
Suddenly, a cellphone rang. Mario quickly stepped out of the room and answered his. The others listened silently.
"Hello?. . . Yes. . . Please, can it be some other time? We're in the hospital right now and we just found out that Link's in a coma. This is a very difficult time. . . No, we can't. . .(sigh). . . Alright, fine. We'll be there soon." He hung up and reentered.
"What is it?" asked Yoshi.
"That was the board. They said we need to go see them, now."
Most of the others nodded in reply and followed him out the door. But Fox stayed behind, looking at Link in pity, guilt, and sadness. He sat down in the chair next to the bed.
"Link. . . I'm so goddamn sorry. . . This is all my fault. . . If I didn't challenge those jerks, they wouldn't have tried to attack me. . . You wouldn't have had to protect me. . . You wouldn't be here. . . You don't deserve this. . ."
Falco had almost left, but then he heard his leader speak these words. He stopped at the doorway and looked back at him, silent. He went unnoticed by Fox, so he continued.
"I was so selfish, trying to prove myself. . . I should've listened to you earlier. . . I'm sorry. . ."
Fox grasped Link's limp hand and squeezed it gently.
"I know you're strong, Link. . . I know you can pull through. . . Please wake up. . . Please. . ."
He was close to tears. Falco walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, Fox. Let's go."
Fox hesitated, but slipped his hand away from Link's hand. They slowly left the room. Fox softly whispered. . .
"Please pull through, Link. . . Please wake up. . ."
A/N: Ick. . . This is so ooshy gooshy mushy. . .
Link: (sniff) It's not mushy, it's emotional!
Fox: Yeah! (sniff)
I know, I was just kidding. Damn, I never knew I could be so dramatic. . .
Link: It sure touched me. . . (sniff)
Right. Review.