KT – DA: Hello, everybody! It's me again! I know, I know, I STILL don't own Marth.
Roy: /gasps/ she admits it!
Marth: That's the way, milady!
Link: Oh, please...
KT – DA: /hugs Marth, despite non-ownership/ Roy, do the stuff.
Roy: Okay. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel, does not own SSBM in any way, shape or form.
KT – DA: That's good, Roy. Link, you take the last bit.
Link: riiight... Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does own Sarah Holly, and seeing as she's gotten quite fond of her, she'd appreciate it if you didn't steal her for your own stories. You wanna use her, you gotta ask for her.
Marth: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel would like to apologize for not updating yesterday. She was otherwise occupied.
KT – DA: And now, on with the chapter.
Getting Over Our Troubles – The Smash Battle Files
Sarah Holly walked down the stairs from the girls' dormitory slowly, patting her hair into place. She was not a vain girl by any means, but that didn't mean she wanted to go around looking less than her best. Besides, this was her first day on the job, which was even more incentive to look nice. Finally satisfied with her hair, she entered the dining hall.
Roy was the only one at the table when she arrived. He waved at her and smiled in greeting, his mouth too full to speak. Sarah sat down daintily.
"Good morning, Roy," she said. There was a basket of fruit on the table, and she helped herself to an apple. She hated breakfast, but knew she would need to eat something.
Roy swallowed his food. "Yes, good morning. You're up on the early side. Aren't you going to eat anything else?" His own tray was just as full as it had been at dinner the other night.
Sarah shook her head. "Eating in the morning makes me queasy at best. And yes, I suppose it is a bit early. Where's Link?"
"Still in bed when I left. He likes to sleep late. So do the girls, in fact. I'm usually in here alone at breakfast, unless Marth's gotten up later than usual," Roy said before taking a mouthful of orange juice.
Sarah blinked at the mention of the still-elusive Marth. "Marth likes to get up early too? Is he back yet?"
Roy heaved a sigh. "No, he hasn't returned. This is beginning to look like it's going to last a while. It's always bad when he stays out for a long time."
Sarah suppressed an irritated sigh. She still didn't know why she wanted to meet him so badly. She could manage just as easily without any more male influence in her life. Even thinking about that made her shiver. She hated being touched by men.
Sarah glanced down at her watch. It was seven forty-five. "Roy, if you see the others, tell them I said good morning. I've got to go meet Master Hand in his office at eight o'clock."
Roy nodded and wished her good luck. Sarah left before he could do anything like pat her on the back.
Sarah followed the corridors carefully. She remembered the saying her mother used to say all the time. "Know that you're right, and then go ahead," she would say. It wouldn't do for Sarah to go wandering around the halls, recklessly looking for the office. She was certain to get herself hopelessly lost that way. She went over the directions at every turn. The extra time paid off when she arrived at the office on time without having taken any wrong turns.
The door opened at Sarah's tentative knock, and Master Hand waved her inside.
"Good morning, Miss Holly. Are you ready to start working?" Master Hand asked, sitting down in his chair again.
Sarah nodded. "Yes sir. I think I can find my way around enough to start."
Master Hand rubbed his hands together. He then reached down and opened a drawer in his desk. He motioned for Sarah to come closer, and handed her a cell phone.
"Here you go. You will use this to communicate with me, and vice versa. Keep it with you at all times. If you get lost, call me, and I'll tell you what to do. Don't worry about paying the bill. I'll take care of that," he said. Sarah thanked him and put the phone in her pocket.
"Your first job is quite simple. I need you to go to the library and find a file for me," Master Hand continued.
Sarah nodded. "I remember where the library is, and I'm sure I can find the filing cabinets. Which file do you need?"
Master Hand smiled. "Something has come up that has to do with a past battle. Actually, the battle occurred during the days of the original Super Smash Brothers Tournament. I need you to find the battle file from the week of April 24th, 1995. Just bring the file back to me, and I'll give it back to you when I'm finished."
So Sarah traveled back down the halls of Smash Mansion, seeking out the library. She was glad her first job was something relatively easy, although she hoped her next one would get her closer to some of the Smashers. She liked making friends, even if she wasn't relatively good at it.
The library looked and felt very empty of people when she arrived. There was no answer when she called out 'hello,' so she moved toward the back wall with a shrug. The files were arranged in the back corners of the room by subject and date, which made them fairly easy to navigate. She found the drawer labeled 'Battles, '95, Jan-June' without any trouble and quickly pulled it open. Her fingers crept over the file tabs, searching out April 24th, which she found easily.
Sarah took her prize, closed the drawer with a triumphant grin, her face tilted up as it always was when she was in a good mood, and turned to face a pair of impossibly blue eyes. She thought she might drown in the total blueness and the utter sadness of those eyes if she let herself look into them for too long, but she also felt as though she couldn't possibly look away.
The eyes blinked, and the spell was broken. Even though it had barely been a second, looking into those eyes had seemed to take hours to Sarah. She stumbled back against the filing cabinets with a slight gasp, and managed to take in the whole figure standing before her. It was a boy, dressed all in blue. Even his hair was blue, but there was a slight difference in shade from magnificent blue of his eyes. His clothes looked slightly medieval, and noble. The blue fabric looked like it was lined with fur at the edges, and there was a silver buckle on the thin belt that was slung around his slim waist. Peeking out above the bangs that fell into his eyes was a small, golden crown.
The boy's eyes, while still looking horribly sad, suddenly looked concerned. "Forgive me, milady. I did not mean to startle you."
Sarah managed to find her tongue after a moment, but she was glad he had spoken first. "I-it's alright. I just didn't think there was anyone else in here."
A slight smile appeared on the boy's lips. It still looked sad. "I've only just arrived. I heard someone moving around back here, and I thought I would see who it was. I have never met you before. Might I have the honor of your name?"
Sarah almost blushed at the chivalrous courtesy the boy was showing her. She decided to play along. After all, it never hurt to be polite. "I'm Sarah Holly. Master Hand just hired me as his Personal Assistant. Are you, by chance, a Smasher?"
"I am," said the boy. "My name is Marth. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Sarah," He said with a small bow.
If any other boy had been standing before her acting like this, she would have scoffed openly and told them to stop playacting and get a life. She hated boys who acted in such a cheesy manner. Perhaps it was the outfit, or even the look of Marth himself, but the chivalry and perfect court manners seemed to fit him just right. It was certainly no laughing matter to him. It was what he considered perfectly natural.
Sarah smiled at him. She couldn't help feeling as though she had unwittingly stepped into a fairy tale. "It's very nice to meet you too. I've heard about you some."
Marth looked interested in knowing what she had heard, but didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he offered her his arm. "If Milady is finished with her business, I would make myself available as an escort to where ever Milady needs to go next."
Sarah surprised herself by shifting the file to her other hand and taking the proffered elbow. She kept her flinch to a minimum. "I would appreciate that. I still feel like I'm going to get lost. I think the halls are going to change on me," she said with a bright smile up at him. He was tall enough that she had to look up a little to look him in the eye. He smiled back at her, and the sadness seemed to lessen slightly.
Marth walked Sarah all the way back to Master Hand's office, the two of them chatting lightly. Sarah found herself liking his chivalry more and more, knowing all the time that it wouldn't be that way with anyone else. She noticed how his eyes seemed to become more cheery each time she looked at them, and it made her feel good, for some reason.
When they reached the foyer, Marth took Sarah's hand from his elbow. "Milady, I have greatly enjoyed your company. I hope we may become friends?"
"Of course we will. I liked walking with you too Marth," Sarah said with a grin.
Marth's eyes twinkled. They were bright now, but Sarah could still see the dark sadness lurking just beneath the surface. "I must take my leave now, as I am scheduled to battle in a few minutes. I shall see you again, Milady Sarah." With that, Marth raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. Sarah blushed as she watched his retreating back.
Coming to her senses, Sarah walked down the corridor to the office. She simply smiled as she handed Master Hand the file he had sent her to retrieve.
"Good work. Why don't you go to the kitchens now? Your resume said that you enjoy cooking and baking, right? Go have fun," Master Hand dismissed her and turned his attention to the file lying on his desk.
Sarah left the office and started for the kitchen, wondering when she would meet the Chivalrous Marth again.
KT – DA: So? What did you think? Was it good?
Marth: I was in this one! Yay!
Roy: I got to eat in this one! Yay!
Link: I got to sleep late! Yay!
KT – DA: This is finally starting to become a romance. Anyone wondering why Marth is always so depressed? Anyone know what Sarah's problem with men touching her is? Tell me, and I'll make sure you find out!