KT – DA: And now, for a public service announcement.
Marth: Milady? What public service announcement?
Link: Hoo-boy, this is going to be good.
KT – DA: This story now has 50 reviews! Count them, there are 50.
Roy: That's not a public service announcement.
KT – DA: Do you want me to tell Karanos that you're here?
Roy: /meekly/ no
KT – DA: Then do the stuff, and stop telling me what is and isn't a public service announcement.
Roy: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel doesn't own SSBM or any of its characters. She would like to make it known, however, that she still wishes she owned Marth.
Link: thanks to everyone who helped us achieve 50 reviews. Your thoughts are much appreciated.
KT – DA: well, I think that's all… Let's get on with the chapter.
Karanos: Ah! Roy! There you are! /pounces/
Roy: T-T somebody help me…
Getting Over Our Troubles – Searching
Sarah Holly woke up. The first thing she saw was the still, dark form of Link, in the same position he'd been in when she'd fallen asleep. The first thing she felt was the slight pressure of Marth's arm around her waist. She sighed and buried her face in the pillow for a moment, making herself think happy thoughts, knowing that the day would probably be stressful. Foremost among those thoughts were those about Marth.
Sarah finally decided that it was time to get up and face the day. Pushing the prince's arm away gently, she sat on the edge of the bed and stretched. She looked out the window and saw the last faint pink streaks of light from the sunrise. She wished that her bedroom has a view of the sunrise, but she got lovely sunsets, so she wasn't complaining. Brushing her hair out of her face, she turned the doorknob.
Except it didn't turn.
Sarah tried again and got the same result. She bit her lip, telling herself not to panic. She turned and went back to the bed where Marth still slept.
"Marth," she said quietly, shaking his shoulder. "Marth, wake up."
Marth brought a hand up to his back and rubbed his eyes, then suppressed a yawn. "My lady… what's wrong?"
Sarah frowned. "The door won't open. I think it's locked from the outside."
"What?" The prince pushed himself off the bed. Bypassing the Hero of Time, he stumbled over to the door and tried the handle. "You're right. It's locked."
"What should we do?" Sarah asked, coming up behind him.
Marth shook his head. "I don't know. I'm not nearly strong enough to break down the door." He hesitated. "Call Master Hand."
Sarah fished around in her pocket for her cell phone, but didn't find it.
"I can't. I took my phone out in the kitchen. I just have left it on the counter," she said, feeling irritated with herself.
Marth tried the door again, then shook his head. "I think we should start yell-"
A long wail cut him off.
Sarah looked at Marth, her eyes wide. "That was Roy…"
They heard the pounding of feet as someone came running through the hall. Suddenly, something crashed into the door, making the door and frame shudder.
"Marth! Link! Somebody! She's gone!" Roy shouted. Sarah and Marth wisely stepped away from the door. The door shuddered a second and third time before finally breaking apart, revealing a disheveled Roy. The redhead's eyes were wild with fear.
"Roy! Calm down!" Marth dried, taking hold of his friend's shoulders.
Sarah stepped over the debris and looked down the hallway. The other male Smashers were opening their doors, looking around in annoyance or concern. She turned back to the two swordsmen.
Marth was question Roy, but all he got were exclamations of "She's gone!" Finally, the prince gave up, and Roy started pulling him out the door. By then, the rest of the Smashers had gathered in the hall. Everyone followed, murmuring questions to one another, as Roy led them hurriedly to the hospital wing.
Sarah stopped at the doorway, horrified by what she saw. The bed that had previously held Princess Zelda now only held a tangle of tubes and wires. The heart monitor she had been hooked to was emitting a single, continuous beep. The sound was ominous. Sarah could not make herself move anymore.
Dr. Mario was sitting hunched over a machine of some sort, writing noted furiously. Roy was standing by the empty bed, a strange hiccupping noise coming from him. Sarah felt Marth take her hand and squeeze it so hard it hurt, but she didn't care. Zelda was missing.
"Roy," Master Hand's voice rang out. Heads turned to face him as he made his way to the front. "What happened?"
Roy gulped. "I woke up about a half an hour ago. When I tried to leave, the door was locked. Peach and Dr. Mario were asleep, Dr. Mario in a chair by the bed. I panicked and broke down the door to get out. I was worried about Zelda and came down here to check on her. I found this." He gestured to the bed, then resumed his story. "I ran back to Dr. Mario and asked him if he'd moved her last night before he came upstairs. He said he hadn't and left before I could say anything else. I didn't know what to do, so I… I screamed, then I went to find Marth. Their door was locked too, so I broke it down, and… you know the rest."
No one spoke as Roy's words sank in. Then Master Hand turned and started back through the crowd. "I've got to make some phone calls. Sarah?"
Sarah made herself answer. "Yes sir?"
"You're in charge. Organize a search of the mansion."
"Y-yes sir. I'll do that."
Master Hand left, and the Smashers started talking all at once, shouting suggestions to Sarah and yelling at each other. Sarah tried to get their attention, but no one would listen to her. Finally, Bowser sat back on his hind legs and roared. Everyone shut up fast.
"Master Hand said Sarah is in charge," Bowser said, his voice a growl.
"Thank you, Bowser," Sarah said, surprised at his help. She took a deep breath. "I want to break everyone up into search parties, and I don't want you to complain about who you're put with."
The crowd started talking, and Bowser roared again.
Sarah did some quick thinking. "First, I want Kirby, Jigglypuff, Pikachu, and Pichu to search the grounds outside. Use your floating abilities and senses of smell. Captain Falcon, Mario, Luigi, and Ness will search the attic. Young Link, Ice Climbers, Mr. Game & Watch, and Ganon will take the basement and the main floor. Fox, Falco, Yoshi, and Samus, you search the fourth and third floors. Mewtwo, Donkey Kong, and Bowser, go to the stadium. Dr. Mario, you stay here. Now go, and come back to Master Hand if you find anything."
The Smashers separated into their groups and went off to search, some walking fast while others flat out ran.
Marth turned to Sarah. She was surprised to see Link standing behind him, but then realized that he must have gone back for the Hero.
"What about us? What are we doing?" Marth asked.
She gave him a meaningful look. "We are going to take Roy and Link, since he's here, and search our hallway on the second floor. You told me that no one else uses it but you, which would mean that no one else would search it, most likely."
A look of understanding crossed the prince's face.
Dr. Mario looked up from his work. "According to my calculations here, Zelda was taken off the machine around two o'clock this morning. The medicine she was receiving was enough to keep her alive for a maximum of 9 hours once taken off the machine if she wasn't completely independent of it. Fascinating! It's eight o'clock now. She's got three hours left to live!"
Roy spun around and snatched the doctor by the front of his shirt, causing him to drop his clipboard, squeaking in surprise. "How dare you say that as if it were entertaining! She's going to die!"
Marth pulled Roy away from Dr. Mario. "That's enough. It's not helping anything to get mad at Dr. Mario, even if you are right. We've got to go search."
The three of them left, leading Link. Roy was still fuming, but Sarah and Marth worked on calming him down as they made their way to the second floor. Roy, who had never been to that part of the mansion before, stopped and looked around.
The group started down the hallway, looking in each room as they went. They searched thoroughly, even to the extent of lifting the frames of the paintings in the Portrait Room and knocking on walls. After all, Roy insisted, there could be secret passageways.
They found nothing in any of the first ten rooms they looked in. Marth suggested stopping for a small break, and so they all sat against the wall.
Sarah checked her watch. They had been at it for an hour. One hour down, two to go. Sarah couldn't help picturing a clock with Zelda lying under it, the clock counting down the minutes to the princess's death. Sarah forced the thought away and looked at the two sitting beside her. They hadn't bothered making Link sit down.
"What I want to know," Marth started in a calculating voice, "is why our rooms were the only ones locked this morning."
Roy lifted his head from where it rested on his knees. "You put Ganondorf and Samus in search groups, Sarah, but they weren't there. I haven't seen either of them all morning."
"I don't know, I don't want to think about anything right now. I don't want to play detective. I just want to find my friend before Death does," Sarah said vehemently. Marth and Roy both agreed, and they set out again, Sarah leading Link this time. She found she didn't mind him touching her when she knew he couldn't do anything to her.
In one of the rooms, though they found nothing of Zelda, they met Kirby resting on a windowsill. Marth walked over and let him in.
"Have you found anything?" Roy asked.
Kirby sighed. "Nothing. No tracks to be seen, nor any smell for the pokémon to follow."
"I see. Well, keep looking," Sarah said, and Kirby left, floating away to another window.
Sarah checked her watch again while she waited for Marth to open the Ancient Library door. Ten-thirty. They had to look faster.
Marth opened the door, and they all walked in.
Roy pointed at one of the large armchairs that were scattered around the room. "What's that? Is something in that chair?"
Sarah and Marth looked at each other, then started forward. Sarah drew Link after her.
When they got around to the other side of the chair, Sarah felt like she was going to be sick. Princess Zelda's glassy eyes stared at them, unseeing. She was wearing her hospital gown, and a small trickle of blood had dried on her lips. The worst thing, though, was her pose. Someone had arranged her limbs in such as a fashion as to look like she was sitting on a throne. A paper crown that had been placed on her tangled hair was falling off as her head lolled slightly to one side.
Roy turned away, white-faced.
Sarah raised a hand to her mouth to keep from retching.
Marth stepped backwards, fists clenched.
Link woke up and went to cradle his princess's cold body to him, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Karanos: I'm so brilliantly brilliant in my writing.
KT – DA: Okay, we covered this yesterday. You gave me the main plotline, I wrote the words.
Karanos: You realize that if this were real life, I would be so kicking you for confronting me like this.
KT – DA: thankfully, this is all on the computer, and we will laugh about how I've portrayed you tomorrow in Spanish.
Roy: Um… Karanos?
Karanos: Wh-? Oh, yes?
Roy: Would you mind… loosening your hold please? I can't feel my fingers, and they look rather purple.
Karanos: Oh, alright. Don't run away. /loosens hold/
Link: Great. So now I'm crying… what kind of a man cries?
Marth: Sensitive men. Milady Zelda will like it.
Link: She will?
Marth: I'm sure of it.
Link: /works up some tears/
Karanos: Hey, send my writer friend (who is truly brilliant in her own way) some reviews!