Roy: Happy New Year!
Ardath: Isn't it already six days after New Year?
Well, of course it is. I finished this while I was in California, and was planning on updating, but I wasn't allowed on the internet until I got a new antivirus program.
Marth: But you did sneak on the internet anyways.
Yes, well, I just had to read all the updates that my favorite stories had! (I recommend Darkling by Game2002, its really good! And not to mention Survival! by Rainstorm Sonata. Four cheers for them!)
And now I'd like to introduce my newest friend to our pre-story talk, the not-so-talkative in Ardath's presence, Semaj!
Semaj: Err... Hi?
Ardath: Semaj! There you are! (hugs Semaj)
Semaj: (chokes)
Roy and Marth: I think you're killing him.
Disclaim already, the audience is restless!
Link: Aru don't own squat. So don't sick the Mafia on her, for that means we'll have to get off our lazy a-
Roy: And she thanks her reviewers! Marth?
Marth: RoyalFanatic, Silver Ferret, and Javier8705!
All(except Semaj, who is currently being rushed to the Hospital Wing of the Mansion): Onward to the chapter and a Happy New Year!
Chapter 6: Poisonous Mood
"Hey, its snowing again." Luan was starting out the window. He was in his human form, to the other smasher's confusion. Around a table behind him was the usual group, minus Samus and Young Link, the former talking to Fox, Falco, and Falcon (much to Marth's dislike. Three guesses why!) and the latter with the other younger smashers.
"Really?" It was clear earlier…" Link joined Luan at the window, followed be Sheik, Katan, and Roy. Katan pushed her face against the window, only to pull back with a yelp.
"It's cold!" she squeaked, dropping the navy blue blanket Marth had lent her. She bent to pick it up, but Roy, being the gentleman he was, grabbed it first and gave it to her.
"Heh, well, yeah its going to be cold. Its below twenty eight degrees outside." Sheik pointed out blandly.
"I'm bored." Roy sat back down, complaining. Marth just gave Roy a "you're not making it any better" look.
"What should we do?" Link asked, sitting down. "Besides sleeping."
"Strip poker?" Marth suggested with a perverted grin.
Before someone could protest and call Marth a perverted idiot, Katan asked, "What's strip poker?"
"A card game that you shouldn't play. We could play normal poker… But do we have any cards?" Link asked.
"No." Sheik replied.
"Darn." Marth went silent as the others looked at him.
"Could we duel?" Roy asked.
"No, not unless Master Hand allows us to." Link replied.
Silence.
"Hey, Katan's falling asleep on us again." Roy spoke up.
"Huh?" Katan jerked awake. "What's going on?"
"Nothing. Go ahead and go to sleep if you want." Sheik sighed before standing. "At least I don't have to stay here." He then waved to the others before switching to Zelda.
"Welcome back, Zel." Link said glumly.
"Hello. What's happening?" she smiled.
"Absolutely nothing, Zelda." Marth replied with a bored yawn.
Roy remained still, watching everyone exchange greetings with the Princess of Hyrule. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder. Katan had fallen asleep and leaned on his shoulder. He hear Luan give out a snort and a small chuckle from his perch by the window.
"I think it's time for Katan's bedtime." Marth laughed as Katan slept on, Roy frozen. "Here, let me help you Roy…"
"Naw, I can do it." Roy murmured. He gently shook Katan, waking her up again. "Hey, sleepyhead Katan, you should go to bed now." He whispered. He stood up as she sat up, rubbing her eyes with a yawn. Roy extended his arm and offered his hand. She stared at it a moment, then took it, pulling her self up.
"Good night everyone." She said with a yawn.
"I'm going to bed too, seeing as there isn't anything to do." Roy spoke up.
"Good idea." Marth stood next to Roy and Katan. "Are you love birds joining us? What about you, Luan?"
"I'm watching the snow." The boy replied, his azure eyes glowing in interest. They seemed to be a shade brighter from the glowing white snow.
"And we'll join you. Master Hand is going to open the arenas tomorrow to begin training. Plus, he's holding Roy and Katan's battles early, for after three weeks, the usual wait time, everyone will be far too busy for Christmas."
"So we're battling tomorrow?" Roy asked, steadying the sleepy Katan.
"Yeah. It will probably be a team battle. You two versus someone and someone else." Link replied with a yawn.
"Oh." Roy said thoughtfully.
"Bed." Katan mumbled.
With that, and a few chuckles, the group went to their beds.
It was about one in the morning. Of all the smashers, there were only three still awake, the others having retired long ago.
"I'll be right back." DK grumbled. "Bathroom."
"You be careful, DK." Luigi told him.
"That killer could be right outside the door for all we know, huh Luigi?" Yoshi told the green plumber, though it was also aimed at the giant gorilla.
"I'm not afraid. Mr. Game and Watch was small and weak. I'm big and stron, not to mention dangerous. And if you are so afraid for me, why not come with?" DK challenged.
The other two froze up. "N-no, w-we t-t-trust y-you, D-DK." Yoshi waved and stuttered. Fear was heavy on his high voice.
DK grinned and started for the bathroom. The hallways were well lit and freezing cold. DK saw the front door had been blown open, snow dancing its cold way into the mansion. He closed it, ignoring the seemingly protesting snowflakes.
"Donkey Kong." Came a raspy voice, strangely familiar…
DK turned and saw a dark shape behind him. In its hand was a knife, covered with dry blood. DK, being an animal with a fairly strong nose, could smell that it was covered with his ex-best friend Mr. Game and Watch's blood.
"Who are you?" DK demanded angrily. He needed to go to the bathroom, and standing in front of him was his friend's killer.
"Me? I'm sure you know who I am." The killer responded, running his gloved hand along his blade. It seemed like it was made from ice.
"No, I don't. I would have hurt you long ago if I did!" DK roared, charging for the figure. The figure sidestepped easily, then flung his arm around, stabbing DK in the shoulder.
"That won't harm me." DK growled. He was about to swing around and smash the shadowed figure, when his body went numb, then limp.
"Hahahaha, the wonders that are caused by one of my friends. Its called poison, you know? I'm quite good with poison. It can't harm me." The voice whispered almost gently in DK's ear.
DK could only panic as his sight began to get fuzzy, then fade to black, as his body screaming in pain as his hear began to slow its steady beating.
The figure shrunk, the robes disappearing. The last thing DK remembered before his seeming end was glowing blue and red eyes, which were fading to blue. Then everything went black.
Roy yawned as he sat up. The sun still hadn't risen yet. He looked and watched as Katan appeared from the door and walk over to the sleeping Luan, who had fallen asleep watching the snow dance in the air.
"Hey let's go play in the snow after breakfast!" came Young Link's voice. Roy saw him attacking Link and Zelda, who were still sleeping. Marth, much to a lot of the smasher's surprise and amusement, was still sleeping.
"He looks so cute when he's sleeping." Katan giggled, sitting down next to Roy. Link and Zelda joined them a moment later, still yawning from Young Link's attacks.
"He really does. Its rare that we get to see him sleeping. Usually, he's already up." Zelda laughed gently.
"And waking me up." Link growled. Zelda, Roy, and Katan laughed at his dislike of being woken up 'early' by the blue swordsman.
"Shall we sit on him and wake him up?" Katan asked. Zelda giggled some more.
"No, lets just wake him up." Samus spoke up from behind them, saving Marth from an attack by his friends. She approached Marth's sleeping form and shook him awake. Marth just moaned and buried his head in the pillow.
"I'm still sleeping." He growled playfully, yet still with a hint of being tired in his voice.
"Too bad. Did you stay up later than when you said you were going to bed?" Samus asked. The other four watched curiously.
"Yes. I couldn't sleep. And I had a weird dream when I did fall asleep. I dreamed about killing DK with some rusty old knife…"
"Where is DK?" Link spoke up, noticing the giant ape was absent. They all looked at Marth suspiciously.
"It was just a dream!" Marth whimpered.
Roy came to Marth's rescue. "He probably already headed to the kitchen. Who's cooking today?"
"I believe its Ganondorf." Katan told him.
"Wow, did you already memorize the schedule?" Link asked the swordswoman.
"No… Something just tells me its Ganondorf." Katan replied innocently.
"Well, you're right." Marth yawned and stretched his arms before standing. "Which means good food, not that Peach's food isn't spectacular as always. Let's get going!"
"I'll join you in a while." Katan stood up. Without another word, she disappeared into the hall. Dr. Mario joined her as she left.
"Is she getting a check up?" Zelda asked, fixing her hair.
"Maybe. She does seem king of pale…" Roy observed.
After a moment of thoughtful silence, Marth spoke up. "Well, lets hit the kitchens." He growled. "I'm still starving!"
Link and company were sitting at their usual table chatting about their next trip to the mall they would take to help out Eula, when an even paler Katan stumbled into the hall through the great oak doors. Marth and Roy were about to hail to her, when she rushed frantically to the Mushroom Kingdom table, where Peach and Mario had been eating lately. She started talking to Bowser, her face stricken. He looked at her gruffly and listened. She was also talking to Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi. They all gasped, then followed Katan out of the hall.
"What's going on?" Marth voiced the question that was going through everyone's heads in the hall. It wasn't everyday that someone had an entire table leave the hall at once.
"Maybe there is something wrong with the arenas?" Young Link suggested weakly. A broken arena could take someone's life easily. All it took was a weapon to a vital part of one of the smashers… Young Link slurped his Lon Lon milk. He wouldn't drink any other milk, no matter what.
Suddenly, Master Hand appeared at the front of the room. "Silence!" he bellowed. The hall fell eerily quiet.
"I'm afraid to announce that there has been another attack." He announced with a dejected sigh. Gasps and shouts of anger and fear arose in the hall, but were silenced immediately. "This time the killer used a fast acting poison. But fortunately for us and the victim and unfortunately for the killer, it didn't work right." Now there were sighs of relief, but the angry and frightened feelings still hung in the air. "The victim, DK, is alright, and is now in the hospital wing recovering. Lady Katan and Dr. Mario found him near the entrance. At this time, Dr. Mario is not allowing any visitors." With that, Master Hand disappeared in a puff of smoke. Only moments later, Katan stumbled into the Main Hall.
"Four cheers for Katan!" Marth shouted. The smashers whooped and cheered for the girl, who still looked awfully pale, and now overwhelmed. She silently plodded to the table and sat down while Link informed Marth that it was supposed to be three cheers, and not four, but four worked anyways.
"What's the matter Katana? You're so pale." Roy looked worried.
"It's nothing." She mumbled. Roy looked at Zelda with worry etched across his face. Zelda turned to Katan, who she was sitting next to.
"Katan, if there is something wrong, you can tell us. We wouldn't dare hurt you in any way." Zelda whispered gently.
"I said it was nothing!" Katan suddenly and abruptly snapped. She stood up and hurried back into the hallway, ignoring the good job compliments from the other smashers. Zelda looked a little hurt, but she also looked empathetic for the young teen. Katan still hadn't eaten a thing since the tea the day before.
After breakfast, the company (A/N I'm a bit tired of calling them "the group", so I'm going to change it occasionally) split ways to go to complete various tasks. Most of the smashers headed for the training room. Some went to the arenas to check up on the arenas, to look for any problems. Several headed to their rooms. These included Zelda, Roy, and Samus, as well as a couple other smashers, namely the younger ones and their supervisors.
Roy didn't remain in his room very long, only to put on his blue and gold armor and strap on his Sword of Seals, the Fire Emblem gleaming from the hilt. He then walked to Katan's room, hoping she was in a better mood. He was deathly worried about the girl, and wondered what caused her to snap earlier, and not to mention how she felt, for her face looked paler than a ghost's.
Roy knocked on her door. No answer came. He knocked again. While he waited for an answer, he studied her little name plaque. It said "Katan", and was decorated with intricate dragon designs in different hues of dark blue, white, and black. On the top of the "t" in her name, Katan had put a spark of flame, decorated with golds, reds, oranges, and yellow. Along the edge were little vines with small fragile looking roses. The vines were green and silver, the roses blood red and a light coral pink. Luan had gotten his own room nearby. He had yet to decorate the little plaque.
Finally, the door opened, but only a crack as the twin wells of sapphire looked out at him. Roy looked into the deep sapphire eyes that no longer burned with their usual fire, but looked dull and tired.
"Yes?" Katan mumbled through the door.
"Katan, can I talk to you?" Roy asked. She simply nodded and opened the door fully, revealing that she wasn't wearing her armor, but instead a simple dress robe. "Thank you." He murmured, entering the room.
The shelves were now filled with tomes, most about the magics on Elibe. On the desk, a book was going through a translation. There were several books with a language Roy had never seen, not even in the great libraries in Eutruria or Arcadia (Lord Pent had a bunch of books from the legendary Arcadia. Roy had never actually been there before.)
Also on the desk was a letter in the odd language. Roy wondered about that. On another shelf was Katan's sword in its silvery blue sheath, along with several intricate carvings of dragons from an ore similar to Katan's dragonstone. One of the beds looked a bit thrashed, seeing as its blankets had been torn off for the little sleep out in the common room.
Katan sat down with a weary sigh on the unthrashed bed. Roy sat next to her. "Tell me what's on your mind. I can tell that you're troubled by something. Is it one of the smashers? Or perhaps the Killer…"
Katan was silent for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons of telling Roy. Finally she spoke, "Well… I'm not quite sure…" she went silent a moment longer. "I… I haven't been feeling quite myself since I started falling asleep last night. I think it may have to do with my dragon blood…"
"How so?" Roy asked. She was finally opening up.
"I… I'm not quite sure… Instinct tells me its something…" Katan stopped. "But that's… not all…"
"Oh? What else is there?" Roy asked.
"I… I think I'd rather talk to Zelda or Samus about it… I need to apologize to Zelda… Do you think she'll still be mad at me?" Roy looked into Katan's eyes again, but she looked away, as if embarrassed.
"No, she's not the type to hold a grudge." Roy said, remembering the hurt and confused look on Zelda's face that morning.
Roy was about to ask further into the secret Katan wanted to talk to the girls about, hoping to be able to get her to talk about it, but he then got the feeling he shouldn't delve deeper. "Well, do you want to come to the training area with me?" he asked.
Finally, Katan smiled. "Why thank you, Sir Roy, I would love to come with you. I do feel better now that I've talked to someone about my problems."
"I'm glad I could be of some assistance. Remember, you can always count on your friends for help, always." Roy told her, grinning at her. She simply nodded. "And now that that's over, what are you doing with all these books in different languages?" he pointed to the shelves filled with books.
"Oh, I'm translating them." Katan smiled. She bounced to her desk, pushing the letter aside carelessly and picking up the book in the mysterious language.
"What language is that in?" Roy asked. Up close, the words seemed to make sense to him some how…
"Its dragonese." Katan's eyes brightened up even further, though her face remained pale. "It's my parents' native language. Luan and I learned Nintendian while we were in the Dread Isles."
"So were you born on the other side of the Dragon's Gate, or was it this side of the Gate?" Roy asked, his curiosity taking over.
"The otherside." Katan replied indifferently. "The Gate had actually been closed and in lockdown since Lord Nils's sister didn't return with him since their disappearance through the Forbidden Gate, as the dragons call it. But you see, Luan and I, me being only able to take human form and my brother only his dragon form, were apprentice Gatekeepers under Lord Nils and Lady Hazel, another half dragon. While we were cleaning the Gate grounds, the gate suddenly opened. And the thing is, it wouldn't close, no matter what Lord Nils or Lady Hazel did to try and close it."
Roy had a thoughtful face on. This lord Nils sounded awfully familiar… "So did your brother and you pass through the gate?"
"Yes, but unlike what Lord Nils and his lost sister did, we were sent by King Jet, the Lord of all Dragons. He's a pure black dragon, and very graceful on the ground and in the air. Anyways, we were sent to live there, to study the conditions of Elibe, which all the dragons dearly miss with all their hearts, even Marble, one of the three dragons to follow Lord Nils and his sister. When he returned, he was gravely injured. Eventually, we made the decision to remain there. Luan was to leave after twenty years, for on Elibe, the dragons age faster. He only has about three years left before he must return."
"What about you?" Roy asked, worried. Would Katan have to leave them all soon?
"Oh, half dragons already have the lifespan of a human, if not a bit longer, but only by a year or two. So while he went back to our home world, I would remain. Only then I was planning to broaden my horizons and travel to Lycia, Sacae, Bern, and Ilia, and not to forget to visit Arcadia, where there are dragon kin. After that, I was going to travel to Altea, West of Elibe, and Magvel to the East. I heard there were Mamkute (some type of dragon, I think. They take the form of a human and use a dragonstone to attack, and have wings) in Magvel."
Roy was about to question further when a knock was heard at the door. Katan jumped to the door, her hands wrapping themselves around a dagger that hung from a peg on the back of the door. She then opened the door as Roy silently drew his dagger from his boot.
"Oh! Link, Marth, Zelda, welcome." Katan seemed to gasp. Roy peaked around at his other friends. Link and Marth looked the same as ever, but Zelda's face was blank.
"Hello, Katan, have you seen Roy?" Marth replied first.
"Oh, he's right there." Katan pointed to Roy, opening the door with her usual Katan-ish look on her face to reveal her room and the swordsman, sheathing his sword.
"Oh, hello Roy. Are you two going to come to the arenas soon? You've both got a battle in about half an hour." Link told them while Zelda played with the hem on her dress nervously.
"Yes, we are." Roy said. He stood next to Katan.
"Oh, well then, I need to get dressed for the fight. And… can I talk to you Zelda?" Katan looked at her friend, who started at the sound of her name.
"Oh! Of course you can, sweetheart." Zelda stepped into the room and shoved Roy out. "Shoo, boys, shoo." Zelda pushed Roy into Link and Marth, causing them to fall into a pile on the floor. As the Princess slammed the door shut, they looked to one another, shrugged, and dusted themselves off, then left for the stadium. Link and Marth took turns telling Roy about their training, then started asking Roy while he was in a room with a misdressed girl alone…
Zelda watched Katan, who had shut the door. She slipped the dagger back onto the peg, then turned to Zelda. "I would like to apologize for yelling at you earlier. I hope I didn't worry you."
"Oh, of course not. We're friends after all. So, what's on your mind, Kat?" Zelda asked as Katan pulled her armor out of the closet.
Katan hesitated, pausing in her chore of pulling at the stuck armor. "Well… It's Roy…" she paused again. "I… I think…"
"You think you love him, right?" Zelda grinned slyly.
"Well… Yes. I do." Katan blushed, color finally returning to her pale features.
"Well, I have an invitation for you. Why don't you join the rest of us girls after the fight? We're going out for a Girls' Night, with the addition of Pichu, who swore he wouldn't tell the boys a thing. Don't worry, we've taken him on a lot of girls night only trips. He's very trustworthy. Who knows, he might take a liking to you. And all the girls are going so far, besides you."
"Okay! Thank you!" Katan smiled. Zelda could tell that Roy cheered her up somehow. She wish she knew how he did it… Then she remembered Katan's feelings towards him, and mentally slapped herself. How could she forget already?
Katan had finally managed to get her armor out of its place. She set it on the table with loving care, and then pulled of her dress robe. She was very slim, almost lanky. There was probably not an ounce of fat on her body. It was all lean hard muscle. But she still looked very much like a teen. She seemed to be going through the adolescence stage of life, with well-rounded breasts hidden beneath a tube like bra.
"Wow, Katan, do you work out?" Zelda exclaimed.
"Not really…" Katan said as she pulled on her beige shirt, then white cloth pants. She snapped together the breastplate and the larger back plate neatly. She then buckled on a skirt like armor around her waist, and a plain leather belt. There were several loops hanging from the belt. She then pulled on her black boots and some rough gloves. If she had looked more masculine, she could have past as a boy.
Next came her weapons. Katan approached her the shelf where her sword lay, waiting for its next battle. She slipped the sheathe into one of the loops. She then hung several daggers from the rest of the loops, and two daggers went into her boots. Lastly, she pulled her hair back into a tail. It hung from her head about a foot and a half before it was tied. After that, it flowed down her back another foot or two. She looked like the warrior she was.
"How do I look?" Katan asked Zelda as she freed her bangs from beneath the tied back strands of hair so they hung like little vines down her face.
"You look like you could beat the crap out of Master Hand and Crazy Hand at once." Zelda gawped, still amazed at the girls appearance. She could be any warrior's dream come true. Roy would have to like her, especially like this.
Finally, Katan strapped on her Silver and Navy blue cape. "Heh, I feel like I could take on anyone." Katan giggled.
"Well, lets see who is going to get them selves beaten up." Zelda grinned evilly. "I know I feel sorry for them."
With that, the girls headed down the hall, getting stares from any other smasher still in the hall.
"Mario and Bowser." Ness grinned to the three boys. Roy nodded, then looked to where Bowser and Mario, ex-arch rivals, were whispering some sort of plan to one another. Mario was currently shaking his head.
"Mario will be easy, if you're any better than me." Marth told the flame headed boy.
"I'm not quite sure. Your battle was great." Roy told Marth.
"I so bet that Katan and Roy will win. With the way Katan beat me and Marth at the mall yesterday, I'm sure that Katan could win this by herself. Let her go for Bowser, alright, Roy?" Link thought up a little plan for their friends.
Just then, there were gasps coming from the crowd that was beginning to form. Katan and Zelda stood in the doorway. Katan looked like she was armed to the teeth. She had at least three daggers around her waste, and a sword the boys hadn't seen. It was massive, with a hilt looking like it was made from obsidian. The pommel stone was like the dragonstone and the little carvings in Katan's room. This one was fiery red, and looked like there were flames hidden with in it.
Finally, Katan and Zelda spotted the amazed boys. They trotted over and joined the still gaping boys.
"What are you guys doing?" Katan asked.
"Y-you…" Link tried to say something to no avail.
"You look like you're ready for a war." Marth finally managed to say. Roy was still speechless.
"I feel that there is more than just-" Zelda began, a playful smirk on her face, when Roy regained his tongue.
"You look beautiful…" he said. "Absolutely wonderful!"
Link coughed and pushed Roy off the stands as Marth, Zelda, Ness, and several other smashers laughed. Katan just turned a deep crimson. Zelda winked at Katan after she managed to bring herself under control.
"Well, you're battle will start soon. So, I wish you both great luck, and may the Goddesses light your path.
"Good luck!" Marth and Link chimed.
"I have a feeling that you won't need any more good luck." Ness grinned.
"WILL THE FIGHTERS PLEASE ENTER THE CONTROL ROOM." A voice boomed over the loud speaker. Mario and Bowser disappeared into a side door. Katan grabbed Roy's arm and dragged him excitedly into the room after them. Mewtwo and Peach helped Katan and Roy into the transporters. With a smile, the four smashers disappeared.
When Roy and Katan opened their eyes, they were on the largest non-moving arena. The Hyrule Temple. The current music playing in the background was the Fire Emblem theme, which Katan began humming to while she inspected the arena. Katan was on the ground while Roy was two platforms above her. Roy could clearly see Mario on a larger platform, though it was lower. Below him and nearer was Bowser, who waved mockingly. Katan could only see Mario's hat, and nothing of Bowser.
The announcer finally started. "Red team, Mario and Bowser of the Mushroom Kingdom! Blue team, Roy and Katan of Elibe!" the audience cheered, especially their friends. "Ready…"
"Oh boy… Oh boy… Oh boy…" Roy was muttering, excited and nervous at once.
"Set…"
"Oh my, I need to polish my sword after this… Oh wait… I was-" Katan was looking at her sword that she had drawn without a sound.
"MELEE!"
The battle was on.
What was Katan going to do when she was cut off by the "MELEE" of the announcer? I am going to start a new contest, though you can still insert your thoughts on the killer. The new contest, which is a lot easier, is to guess of what Katan was about to say! If you need a hint, read the chapter again, starting around the time Roy, Link, and Marth leave Zelda and Katan for Katan to get dressed for her match. That will really narrow it down.
Roy: She loves me? Why do authors love to torture us by pairing us up with random people? Though some scenes aren't so bad...
Marth: Roy! What a dirty mind you have!
Link: Scary... Note to self. Stay away from Roy.
Ardath: You'd better stay away, Roy boy, cause Semaj here will beat you up if you try anything!
Semaj: (nods)
Roy: (Cries) That's not what I meant...
Aww, I still think you're a Uber kawaii chibi pyro, Roy!
Roy: Yay! I'm loved! R&R, people, and tell me you love me too! Please?