Roy: I still can't believe that we're not answering reviews anymore.

Link: I know, it totally sucks.

Karanos: What do you mean 'it sucks'? I can't recruit minions anymore!

KT: Look, everyone, just settle down. We'll work something out, I promise. We won't let our reviewers go unanswered! For now, just deal with it though. Marth? Stuff.

Marth: Yes, My Lady. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel doesn't own SSBM or any of its characters. She does own Sarah Holly and Jasmine Miles.

KT: Okay, Link, you introduce the chapter this time.

Link: Joy. I give you… the chapter.

"I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark." – Thomas Hobbes

Jasmine Miles grunted as she lifted the heavy bucket of weeds and trudged down the garden path with it. Sometimes, she thought to herself as the bucket banged against her shins painfully, her job was not very much fun. It was hardly fair that she was the only person in the entire mansion that had to pull weeds this early in the morning.

The blond girl set the bucket down and flexed her hands to get the blood running through them again. It wasn't that she didn't like Sarah, no, no; Sarah was probably her best friend. It was just a simple matter of having to get up early on any day of the week and pull weeds. Jazz sighed. She supposed she should be happy that it was such a beautiful morning. Last week it had been a nasty, cold, drizzly day, and she'd felt damp and moldy all day afterward. She almost shivered just thinking about it.

Jazz stripped off her work gloves and went gratefully into the air conditioned mansion. Even if it was a beautiful day out, she was still sweating heavily after her work. Unfortunately, she had to check in with Sarah before she could go get a shower. Impatient to feel clean, she hastened down the hallway, passing the dining hall.

"Milady Jasmine!" a voice called from the hall. Jazz didn't even have to turn around to know that it was the Altean prince.

"Hello, Marth. Had breakfast yet?" she asked conversationally.

Marth smiled as he came to stand beside her. "Yes. I've got a battle this afternoon, so I wanted to get an early start on the day."

Jazz laughed. "Marth, according to your standards, this is a positively late start."

Marth ducked his head sheepishly. "Yes, I know. I was actually up a lot earlier than this. I just got held up in there by Link," he said, gesturing to the dining hall. "We were having a conversation about Hyrulian history."

Jazz rolled her eyes. "I still don't see why you like history so much. I think it's just plain boring."

"I know you do," Marth said, cuffing her lightly on the head. "I'm heading to the training room. Want to come?"

Jazz shook her head. "Sorry, Sarah's got me for work today. I think you should talk to her about this schedule of hers. I mean, I would do it myself, but you've got so much more… sway… over her, right?" she said with a sly smile. She was satisfied when she saw the prince's cheeks turn faintly pink.

"You've really got to stop teasing us. I'll see you later," Marth said with a small wave over his shoulder as he left. Jasmine laughed.

Once he had disappeared around the corner, she sighed. She knew she should stop teasing for her own sake, as well as Marth and Sarah's. It was because she was scared of being teased herself that she wanted to keep her relationship with Roy a secret. She knew it annoyed Roy, and that he wanted to be more open about it, but she couldn't help it. She just wasn't ready for people to know.

She had just started walking toward Sarah's office again when a traumatized Ness tore around the corner, slamming into Jazz with the force of a small rhino. When she finally managed to stand up again, she glowered at the psychic boy.

"What are you doing, running around like that? You could seriously hurt someone! You did seriously hurt me!"

Ness backed up a bit. "I'm sorry, Jazz. Really, I didn't mean to hurt you. I… I… uwaah!" he stammered, tears interrupting his last words.

Jazz bit her lip. She wasn't any good with kids, but she did really like Ness sometimes. "Look, stop crying, okay? I'm sorry I snapped at you. I didn't mean it, honest. Now, tell me what's wrong."

"Well," Ness hiccupped quietly, "I lost… I lost my yo-yo!" The boy started to cry again, louder this time. Jazz frantically tried to quiet him down.

"Ness! You lost your yo-yo? Um, where did you see it last? Have you looked under your bed?"

"Y-yes… It's not there," he sniffled, and didn't quiet down any.

"Well, um, why don't we just buy you a new one?"

This turned out to be the worst possible thing she could have said. Ness stared at her silently for about three seconds, a look of immense horror etched on his face, and then all hell broke loose.

"Buy a new yo-yo? Buy a NEW one! How could you even suggest such a thing! My mother gave this one to me, and I'm not about to go replacing it with some cheap, lousy, messed-up store-bought yo-yo! I want mine!"

Jazz covered her ears and tried counting to ten. "Alright, alright! We won't buy you a new one then. Will you please just be quiet for two seconds? I'll help you find your yo-yo!"

Ness calmed down a bit, but he still glared at her accusingly as they both trudged up the stairs to his dormitory. The two of them searched his room for a full fifteen minutes, Ness stopping occasionally to burst into a fresh bout of tears, before Jazz finally found the yo-yo under his bed. Jazz was pissed.

"You said you checked under there! How could you not have seen it?" she practically screamed, miraculously keeping from tearing her hair out in frustration.

Ness yelled back at her, clutching the yo-yo protectively to his chest. "Maybe I didn't see it because something was covering it! I don't know, but don't get mad at me!"

Jazz was fed up. She was filthy, sweaty, and now dusty, since the boy hadn't cleaned his room in what must have been eons. To make matters worse, she was now twenty minutes late for her meeting with Sarah. She figured it was best if she leave the room before she committed murder, and did so promptly.

Jasmine leapt down the stairs three at a time and sped down the hall at a run, conveniently forgetting that she had just told Ness off for doing the exact same thing. When she reached the office, she was gasping for breath.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry I'm late. Ness was being a little brat about his stupid yo-yo, and I-"

Suddenly, she realized exactly what she was looking at. It was deathly still in the small room, but it looked as though a very small tornado had taken place here a short while ago. Papers were strewn about and torn to bits. The curtains had been pulled from the window and shredded. The desk and chairs were toppled, and some of the chairs were broken. Filing cabinets were dented and the drawers had been pulled out and thrown around the room.

Jazz realized that she was gaping and quickly closed her mouth. She took a tentative step forward.

"Sarah?" she called in a light whisper, fear stealing through her. She took another step, trying not to step on anything important, and found her.

Sarah was slumped in the far corner of the room, crumpled in a little ball on her side. Her brown hair fell into her face, obscuring her eyes. Jazz managed to find herself quickly and rushed to the girl's side. She grabbed Sarah's shoulder and shook it gently.

"Sarah? Sarah! Come on, wake up," she called frantically. When she got no response, she brushed the manager's bangs out of her eyes. She was staring straight ahead, her eyes glazed and unblinking. Further inspection showed that she wasn't breathing. Needless to say, Jasmine was frightened.

Slowly, Jasmine reached out with a trembling hand and took Sarah's wrist. She held onto it tightly, counting seconds, hoping that the next second… the next second…

Jasmine fled from the room, sending a pile of papers flying, and slamming the door shut behind her.

Marth: OH MY GOD! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

Link: Whoa, I think he's gonna snap.

Roy: Did she really… I mean, is she really?

Karanos: Bo-ha-ha-ha! Wow, it's been a while since I've done that. I feel good.

KT: You'll just have to tune in next time! Which, by the by, should be by Monday at the latest.

Marth: Review, or I won't get to find out what happened to Sarah!