Already the 2nd part of this episode. Yay! When Marth has a fight against DK, I must say that it actually happened to me. So, don't think it's impossible, because it's not! Also, because Link nearly killed Roy (IF you can't remember check the last episode's 3rd part) they kiss a lot in this part. They've missed each other a lot! Yeah, I know I got a bit mushy-mushy, but it's cute. And it's not going to last forever. Tell me what you think about the shower! I got a bit excited…

Reviews! Yay! Thank you so much!

RavenGhost: Hey that's why you people review this story, isn't it? To give me advice how to get better! And Marth's cool, so I'll put more him.

The Zoora, and ,again, her pals: Hey, so you're still alive? Great to hear that you loved it! I'm so happy! Pull them off of each other, otherwise I'll lose my reviewers! I really hope you like this part, it was a one-night writing! Hee-hee…

Sagesumi: *blush* *blush* (Roy: "Hey! That's my line!") I'm so flattered to hear you praise this so much! I'm squealing with joy! But I'm not really that great. Honestly. You've really given Young Link's crush a thought, haven't you? Well, I'm finally unveiling the one… It's a relief to me too, believe me. I've been fretting the reactions and everything for the last few episodes and now I'm finally done. I hope you like Young Link's crush! At first I thought the painting idea was crappy, but then I decided to write it down and maybe it'll prove to be something interesting…Yeah, no pressure… Yeah… Ehheh…

---

The morning came, it was filled with clouds and it seemed like it would rain later. Marth put on his armour carefully, not tightening the straps too much. He hadn't slept at all during the night because of the memories that had invaded his mind. The noble yawned, wanting to have something with lots of caffeine in it.

He rinsed his face with cold water, feeling a bit more lively right away. He stretched in front of the mirror, looking at the eye bags he had.

Could be worse…

The prince yawned again as he left the bathroom and was about to go downstairs to see if someone else was already awake.

When he was getting out of his room, he stepped on something that rustled and peeked to see if there was someone in the corridor, avoiding the painting with his gaze. He knew that it had caused his sleeplessness, but didn't admit it to himself. It was so embarrassing to be afraid of paintings, they couldn't move or do anything! They were still. Completely still.

He gasped and closed his room's door quickly when a painting of Ness blinked.

Yeah, completely still…

---

"Hey, it's pizza!" Roy said cheerfully as his elven boyfriend carried the plate to his room looking like someone who had saved the whole world with that pizza.

"Yeah, I spoke with Mario and he made this especially to you." Link sat down on the edge of the bed, putting the plate on the bed and holding the glass of water.

"Oh, wow." The general took a slice and had a bite. "Mm! This is so good!"

"Good. How are you now?"

"Exactly the same as last time you asked." The redheaded boy smiled at him. Link kept asking that from him all the time and he was starting to grow tired of it. "I can take care of myself, Link."

The Hylian smiled, he was annoying the fiery boy. But he couldn't help feeling worried all the time. Roy would get up if he wouldn't watch over him all the time.

"So, how's the furniture in the corridor?" The redheaded general asked to change the subject. He had almost finished his pizza, the corner of his mouth was red from the tomato sauce.

"It's…oppressive. In a way. The painting the princesses brought looks really creepy. It seems to depress Marth a lot…" Link looked at the boy, pointing at the corner of his mouth. "You've got something here."

"Where?" Roy took the glass from him and drank the water.

"Right…" The Hylian took the glass from the boy's hands and put it on the table as he went sitting on top of the boy. "…here." He held the general sitting as he kissed him and licked off the sauce with extreme care. When he was done, he let his hands feel the redhead's back and kissed him lovingly. Roy answered the kiss in his fiery way, holding Link tight against himself.

When their lips parted, the elf looked into his lover's bright eyes, feeling relieved.

"I'm so glad you didn't die." He whispered, hugging the one he loved.

Roy didn't say anything, he just closed his eyes.

After a long while the Hero of Time stood up, taking the general's plate and glass and was about to take them back to the kitchen.

"Link…" The boy said before he left.

"What?"

"…Thank you. I haven't said it before, but I want to thank you because you've saved my life twice now."

"It was nothing. You know I'd do anything for you." Link smiled and left, leaving the redheaded boy blushing alone.

---

"Have you seen Ness?" Young Link sat in the dining hall, having a pasta lunch with Marth.

"No, I saw him the last time last night when Peach and Zelda got mad at him and he ran to his room." The prince of Althea said calmly.

"Oh." The small elf said, sounding worried. "He promised to train with me today and I haven't seen him at all."

"You haven't? That's weird. Now that I think of it, I haven't seen him either…"

"What if something's happened to him? Like when I sleepwalked?"

"I don't think so. He's probably just scared of Zelda and Peach and doesn't want to come out of his room."

"Girls can be pretty scary." Young Link ascertained like an adult. "But still… I'll go to him after your match. That I don't want to miss!" He said excitedly.

Marth yawned once again and thought of having his fifth cup of coffee. After a while he decided not to, because his match was about to start so soon.

---

The prince of Althea was teleported to the Pokémon Stadium and he saw the monkey getting ready to beat the crap out of him. DK was a very remarkable foe, he was strong and big. And he had a better reach than the Falchion. Marth's hope was his fastness and the items.

START!

He ran at the monkey and grabbed him and tossed him high, jumping behind him and hitting him on his back to toss him higher, using the same style as the fiery boy had used on him. The monkey propelled in the air far away from him and he followed as close as possible. The noble had decided not to let DK charge his Monkey Punch or get ready at all.

He countered the smash the brown ape did and hit him with a smash when he was lying on the ground, recovering from the damage of his own smash. The monkey's damage percent was rising dangerously, Marth's plan was working perfectly. His damage was still zero.

DK rolled behind him and grabbed him. The cobalt-eyed prince struggled furiously to get free from the strong grasp. Finally he got off and charged his Shield Breaker in the air as he fell down and released it against DK's face.

The crowd started to cheer him. This pissed the monkey off and he ran away from Marth, charging the Monkey Punch in air like the noble had charged his own attack. The prince realised the fist coming at him too late and it hit him with full power. He flew back on the edge of the Stadium and jumped to get a grasp of the edge.

DK let out a disappointed groan when he made it back. The brown ape was waiting him on the edge and hit him with a smash to toss him out. Marth flew in the air and cursed his plan. He used the Double-edge Dance and barely got a grasp of the edge again.

I can't let him hit me again like that!

He jumped back to the Stadium over the monkey and hit him hard with a smash on his back. DK fell over the edge, but climbed back. Marth looked quickly around to see any items he could use on his foe. He spotted and headed for a bomb. Now he needed to be fast to win. When he reached the bomb and was about to grab it, it blew up and tossed him off stage.

The brown ape posed, this time being sure that his foe was defeated. The prince of Althea fought his way back to the stadium, realising that his damage percent was imminently high. He couldn't do another mistake, it would mean his own loss.

He rushed to DK, countering barely the smash and throwing the monkey off stage. He picked a fan from the ground to hit him in the air and toss him out, but missed.

Damn! Another mistake!

DK came back and Marth went to counter stance to counter. When the brown ape was close enough, instead of a smash, he grabbed the blue-haired man and jumped off the platform.

Marth struggled to get free from his grasp not to lose. DK threw him off just a second before they were both thrown out of the field. Luckily he was on the bottom and died first, so the system declared Marth as the winner. He sighed in relief when looking at his bonuses.

"DK wanted to win… DK go away now." The monkey said as the noble tried to make him feel better about his loss.

"He'll be okay. Tomorrow he can't even remember that you won." Peach said cheerfully to the prince.

"Yeah, I hope so. He would've won if he would've tossed me off sooner."

"But I'm glad he didn't!" Young Link ran to them, his excitement shining from his eyes. "Marth, you were so cool!"

"Oh, thanks." The blue-haired warrior smiled at the boy.

"Can you train with me today?"

"Maybe later. Now I need to go and see how Roy's doing." Marth said, not knowing that a pair of cerulean eyes was looking at him doubtfully.

He listened to the excited congratulations, not paying them attention. He had woke up during that fight finally, he didn't feel tired at all anymore. And during it he had remembered the letter. Now, he was about to find out what Roy had meant with it.

He teleported himself to the living room and walked to the stairs, eager to get an answer. His face was as calm as possible, but inside he felt confused. What had Roy meant when he'd said that he was already with someone and then sending that letter…? Had he broken up with her or him? Or had he even sent the letter? But Marth couldn't think of anyone else who could've sent it, no one had been close to him like the boy…

He fetched the letter from his room and walked to Roy's room's door. He wondered how to ask about it, directly was maybe the best way of doing it, that way the boy would be sincerest. He knocked.

"Yeah?" The general called. "Come in."

"Hi, Roy." Marth entered the room, smiling a controlled smile.

"Hi. How was the match? You won?" Roy seemed to know the result.

"Yeah, I won but it was only because DK made a little mistake."

"What kind of a mistake?"

"He jumped off the Stadium and let go of me too late." The prince of Althea sat down on the edge of the bed, looking directly into Roy's sapphire eyes.

"Oh. That was lucky."

"Hey, what I wanted to talk to you about wasn't the match." Marth continued, taking the general's chin in his hand and putting his head closer. Roy tried to jerk away, but the prince's hand had slipped behind his neck and held him still.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" He asked his eyes wide, trying to find an answer from the cobalt eyes that had turned to look a bit icy.

"The night we spent together… Did you mean what you said during the night…" The prince didn't take his eyes off the blushing boy, still holding his chin, their lips not even inch apart. "Although in the morning you told me that you already had someone…?"

"What I said…" The general said nervously as he avoided the cobalt eyed man's gaze. Marth closed his eyes and slightly nodded. When he opened them again, they were even icier than before.

"I--" Roy began.

"Hey, you want to play with cards?" Young Link knocked on the door, rushing in and Marth jerked away, looking surprised and disappointed.

"Uh…" The redhead was still recovering from the shock the elf had caused. Why had the noble wanted to know? Had he said something to make the noble wonder?

"Roy?"

"Huh?" He lifted his head to look at Marth, but avoided looking directly into his eyes, feeling how red rushed to his face.

"I said I'll come back later. We can talk then." His voice was disappointed and his eyes cloudy. The prince left the room, feeling the eyes of the general's and the elf's following him.

"D-do you want to play?" Young Link blushed, looking nervously at Roy.

"Yeah, poker." The general studied the young elf. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." The elven boy repeated. "It's just that I haven't seen Ness the whole day! And he wasn't in his room!"

"Oh." Roy said, immediately thinking of Link, who would have an answer for his smaller self. "I have no idea where he could be. Have you checked all the stages?"

Young Link nodded.

"Rooms?"

nod.

"Garden?"

nod. "It's like he's disappeared into thin air."

"That's odd. But I'm sure he's somewhere, no one can just disappear like that." Roy assured, having an odd feeling. "Talk to Link about it. He might know something."

"Okay."

---

Link helped Mario with the food, his head filled with only the phrase the prince had said. Why did he want to check on Roy? The teeth of jealousy were gnawing his heart again. But he couldn't help it. Roy mattered so much to him and he didn't want to lose him. If the general fell in love with someone else, he'd be crushed. He felt tears in his eyes, thinking about a life without the one that he loved the most.

When the dinner was ready, he sat in the same table with the prince. Marth seemed to be thinking of something really hard. When he asked that could he sit next to him and he nodded, he seemed to snap out of it and smiled.

"How do you like the furnishing upstairs?" Link started a conversation, catching a surprised look from the prince from the corner of his eye.

"I… don't know." The prince of Althea said, rolling the long pasta around his fork. "…Someone's being painted today." He said, his tone of voice didn't tell did he think of it as a good thing or a bad thing.

"Oh." Link said. He lowered his voice to a whisper when he said: "To be honest, I think it's creepy."

"And I'm sure you're not the only one thinking that." The noble didn't take his eyes off the pasta.

"I don't want those paintings covering the walls." Link said, wanting to know why Marth was so depressed about the painting. It was true that it was creepy and made the whole corridor look somehow weird, but it seemed to trouble the noble the most.

"Me neither." The cobalt-eyed man finally lifted the fork covered in pasta and put it in his mouth. He swallowed before continuing: "It's not that I don't appreciate the princesses work, but the corridor will look like a creepy old mansion's corridor, especially with paintings like that."

"Mm-hm."

"Hey, make room for me!" Young Link ran to them and sat next to Marth, who smiled gently at him. When the boy had sat down, he started: "Hey, gramps!"

Link's eyes widened, he was ready for a brotherly quarrel: "What did you call me, midget?"

"Forget it, anyway, Roy said that I'd need to ask you about this." The elven boy took a deep breath and sighed.

"What is it?" The two swordsmen looked at the young elf.

"Ness's disappeared!" He was serious. "I can't find him anywhere."

"Have you looked everywhere?" Link asked doubtfully, rising one eyebrow slightly. His smaller self had the habit of forgetting to look everywhere in anxiety.

"Yeah, the stages, the rooms and the garden!"

"I haven't seen him either…" The Hylian started to think where he had seen the boy with the cap for the last time.

"He's still missing?" Marth put down his fork.

"Yeah. I've been looking for him the whole day! He promised to train with me!"

"I wonder…" The Hero of Time began, but became quiet.

"You wonder what?" The cobalt eyed noble looked at the elf with a questioning look.

"There was a new painting in the corridor."

"Why are you changing the subject all of a sudden? Ness's disappeared!" Young Link reminded his bigger self, sounding a bit like Roy.

"I think it's linked somehow with Ness's disappearance."

"But…how?" Marth asked, a chill running down his back.

"The painting's about him." The blonde said as he finished and left.

---

Link looked at the uneven surface of the painting next to Ness's room's door. The boy in the painting looked exactly like Ness, but his expression was different from the normal stern style paintings were painted. His eyes were half-open, his mouth like he was about to say something.

The Hylian touched the surface and let his fingers run down the oil paint as he searched the boy's expression.

It could be…

He lifted his fingers as he felt the wet paint on the boy. Otherwise the whole painting was dry, but Ness seemed to be wet, like it was painted just a few hours ago. When he saw Peach coming upstairs, he backed away from the painting, wiping the paint on his blue tunic.

The princess stopped as she saw the painting of the boy, looking at it with a scared expression for a second. Then she realised Link in the corridor and smiled, hoping that the blonde hadn't seen her reaction.

"Isn't it lovely?" She said as she passed the elven Hero.

"Yes." Link said. "Do you know has this painting been painted today?"

The princess of Mushroom Kingdom stopped. Then she turned around to look at the elf with a surprised look, thinking of what to say. "…Yeah, it was brought today, that's why the paint's wet." She answered the unasked question.

"Oh, so that's why it's still wet. But, actually, I've been looking for Ness with Mini-me… do you know where he might be?"

"Uh…" The princess looked at her feet, coughing suddenly. "I'm sorry… I haven't seen him." Then she hurried away.

Link looked after her for a while with a surprised face, wondering why the rush. Was the painting somehow illegal? Or even worse, had the painting not been painted at all? He turned around and ran to his beloved's room, locking the door behind him.

"Hey, Roy."

"Yeah?" Roy lifted his eyes from a book Link had borrowed from the library to him to avoid him getting bored.

"Have you seen Ness?" The elf sat on the edge of the bed, letting the general touch his lips with his and kiss him passionately, not wanting to end the kiss at all.

"No, Young Link asked that from me too." The redhead said when they let go of each other. "Why?"

"There's a painting in the corridor about him. And Peach says it's wet because it's been painted today."

"Aren't paintings kept by the artist until they're dry?"

"That's what I thought too. But it's wet!" Link showed his beloved his stained fingers. The general studied them with a focused expression, finally tasting the brown liquid.

"It's sugar." He said.

"Sugar?"

"Yeah, taste it. That's not paint, it's some kind of a sugary liquid." Roy said, still holding the book.

"But I got this from Ness's painting!"

"You helped Mario with the lunch, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I didn't even touch the sugar. This is from the painting." Link tried to make his love believe.

"It can't be if it's sugar!" The general flared up at him.

Back off, I'm making him angry… The Hero thought as he didn't answer anymore. It was so easy to make Roy flare up. But luckily he calmed down just as fast as he got mad. The elf smiled at the redheaded boy, who snorted and looked very serious. He wrapped his arms around him, pressing him tight against himself. The general put his arms around the blonde to hug him as well.

"Is it good?" Link said as he saw the book the boy was holding.

"Oh, this?" The fiery redhead showed it to him, heaving a sigh. "I don't know. I'm so out of it. I've been trying to get up to have a shower, could yo--"

"No." The Hylian Hero didn't agree with him about the shower, pressing him on his back on the bed, avoiding causing any pain in the wound. "No shower for you before you're allowed by Dr. Mario."

"But he washes me once a week!" Roy wriggled under him. "And I'll start stinking! I can get up!"

Link thought for a while and then let him up. "Even if you went to the shower, someone should be watching over you. You never know if the wound starts bleeding again in the shower and you'll collapse."

"You really don't know anything about medicine, do you?" The boy lifted his eyebrows with an you-don't-know-anything-smile.

"Well, I've lived in the forest…" The Hero stood up and offered a hand to his beloved who didn't take it and stood up on his own. "But I know that I need to watch over you, otherwise you'll push yourself too hard."

"Fine, fine! I'll leave the door open!" Roy snorted to show that he didn't like the babysitting, before entering his bathroom and leaving the door open. "Geez…"

Link heard the sound of the flowing water in the shower and had an idea. He smiled to the sensation he'd give to his beloved after such a long time they were apart. It felt so good to know that the spirit was sealed in the well, it would never come back to Roy.

"Can I come too?" he asked.

"What?" the general said, he hadn't heard the Hylian over the shower.

"I think I need a shower as well", The elf started taking off his clothes with a rascal smile on his face. He had just taken a shower in the morning and Roy knew it, but he wanted to go again. "Can I come?"

"…Yeah, sure." Roy said, sounding a bit surprised. His little shower was going to be very cramped if they both went in it. But it didn't matter.

He turned the water colder and tried to get it good for Link before his beloved would come. He felt like the touch of the cold water was hissing on his body. The general closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. Marth would understand. He was completely happy with the elf, he didn't want to make the situation any worse by sending the wrong signals to the noble. The prince obviously thought that he had sent the letter. Roy cursed his losses of memory in his mind. Everything would be so much easier if that spirit -or whatever it had been- hadn't invaded his mind.

He felt Link's arms around him and turned around to give the Hylian a kiss. They kissed for a long time as the water drip on their bodies. They were both enjoying the warm, relaxing shower. Link's tongue searched in Roy's mouth, tasting the mix of the shower water and the boy's hot flames.

The elf held his general tight against his chest, still trying to be as careful as possible with the wound. Roy pressed his head against the elf's shoulder, almost purring in the pleasure of being with him. The blonde moved his hands lower on the boy's back, kissing his hair gently.

"I missed you so much…" He whispered to the general's ear, who smiled his eyes closed and pressed himself against Link's body tight. Roy took the sponge and put soap on it, starting to wash the Hero's body with large circular movement.

The blonde took the boy's head in his hands and gave him a kiss to show the redhead that he was completely his, before he lost his senses in the everlasting fire that surrounded Roy.

---

Marth waited that everyone had gone to sleep and sneaked out of his room, holding his blanket in his hands. He looked at the dark corridor, a chill running down his back.

Why do I think about that Castle again?

The noble walked towards the stairs, never taking his eyes off the princess's painting. He couldn't help the feeling that the girl in that picture was alive and would jump out of the painting any second. The prince stopped, he was sure the princess had been painted standing, but now she was sitting her eyes shining like rubies.

He took a step closer to her, feeling a cold breeze on his face and closing his eyes. It's calm touch felt good. When he opened them again, the princess was laughing, Marth could hear her laugh. It sounded like she was behind a glass. And her laugh wasn't benevolent.

He backed away and ran down the stairs, gasping for air. The noble had no idea that a large dog-like creature was sneaking behind him, licking its lips. He went to the kitchen and froze. He hadn't expected that someone would still be awake.

"…Hi." The blue-haired prince said, feeling embarrassed that his mind had played tricks on him upstairs.

"Hi. Did you get my letter?"

"It-It was you!?" Marth said before soft lips smothered him from asking any more questions.

---

Okay. This part was a little less Smash File-like, but in the next part Roy and Link'll start working on the "problem" and trying to get things back to normal. I hope you still enjoyed it. Now. Review! Thanks for reading!