They trained.

Punch.

They sweated.

Kick.

They worked.

And she still didn't feel ready.

Thud.

"Sam, maybe we should take a break." Miles said from the metal jaded floor.

"No, not till I'm ready." Samus pulled her glove tightly back on.

"If you keep at this you'll be so exhausted you will lose! Come on honey. Just rest. You'll be ready for him tomorrow."

She was scared. She was stressed. Stress fear betrayal guilt anger sadness love hatred guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt.

"Shut up." She snapped. "If you want to take a break that's fine. If you want to lose then fine. I can break targets or fight a dummy. I don't need you. Just go away." His concerned look dulled into nothing.

"Fine." He didn't take more then three steps before he heard her voice.

"Miles, I'm sorry. I'm just- I'm just stressed."

"It's fine." He sighed.

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The match came too quickly. Samus knew she would face him. She was horrified at how close it was. All spare time she had was devoted to training. The sound of a punch cracking a target, her footsteps on metal, her sweat dripping, her gasping breathe, it was all too familiar to her ears. The training and the noises were becoming excessive, making her insane along with the fear brewing in her stomach, haunting her.

Jaded.

If she saw him, more memories would come back. He knew everything. And he reminded her of everything she hated about herself. She was sick of looking inside herself and finding things she hated. Finding a part of him. She didn't know why exactly she was so scared to face him. She would find out later. Samus had never backed away from her fears before.

But guilt.

She had never felt guilty before. She had never felt loved before. And now here she was, feeling both. And she wanted to back down. Samus would face Bowser, while Miles fought her fear. Samus felt that somehow… it wouldn't work out. She would have to defeat her fear and guilt on her own.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The sliding doors opened. Light poured onto her face making a natural spotlight on her and Miles in the darkness where they stood. The crowd gave endless cheers; the molten lava sizzled and cracked. But she heard nothing. Her senses felt numbed.

Silence.

Blindness.

Her tears blinded her.

What the hell is wrong with me? I've never acted like this in my life. Samus wasn't one to cry. But she regretted-

"You ready?" His hand on her shoulder jogged her senses, giving her a shocking feeling, a shocking feeling that her senses were back to her.

Loud, bright.

"Never."

Miles put his hand on her lovingly for only a moment. And then they entered the stage.

"GO!"

Ganondorf was staring at her, smirking. She saw it out of the corner of her eyes, but she ignored it. Instead she focused on the sizzling, the cracking, the cheers and the smells. - The musty disgusting smell of blood on rock. Thinking of anything but her chest, and her heart. Her guilt.

And then…They attacked.