Chapter 34: Susie

Inside a cafe located in Dreamland was a pink haired, robotic woman sitting at a table near a window, staring out of it. This was Susie and she was waiting for someone. After a few moments of nervously looking at her watch, said person entered through the front door.

"Hi there, Susie!" The cheerful voice said. Of course, this was Kirby.

"Greetings and salutations. Sorry, force of habit. Hello, Kirby."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" He replied with a giggle as he sat at the table. "So, you called me here for something. What is it?"

Susie fiddled around with her hands nervously. "I need your help with delivering a gift."

"Oh, that'll be easy! Who do you need me to deliver it to?"

"...Meta Knight."

Kirby looked shocked. "...Meta Knight?"

Susie sighed. "Yes, Meta Knight."

This confused the puff. His mentor absolutely hated this woman due to the trauma inflicted on him by her in the past. Upon seeing his confused expression, Susie decided to clarify.

"Has Meta Knight ever told you about receiving anonymous gifts before?"

"Yes, he has. Multiple times."

"That was me. Each time."

The child tilted his head. That was extremely familiar. There was an anonymous person who sent things to his mentor, but his mentor was at first hesitant to open or accept the packages. This was, until one of his men accidently ate one of the snacks included in one and confirmed that it wasn't poison.

"If you're wondering why...it's my way of showing how sorry I am for what I did. I would give them to him straight up...but it's no secret that he hates me. He would just destroy any gift from me if he knew it was me."

The puff nodded in understanding. "Is there any reason that you're not able to send it how you normally do?"

"Well, the mailman told me the Halberd was not accepting gifts at this time. And the gift I have in mind needs to be delivered as soon as possible."

"Why? What is it?"

"Because it's a cake I baked myself. I could easily freeze it and wait, but it's a type of cake that tastes the best when fresh."

The puff's eyes lit up. "Really? What kind of cake is it?"

"A blueberry and strawberry cake with a lemon-flavored frosting."

The child's eyes seemed to sparkle upon hearing that. "Woooow! That sounds so good!" He then quickly shook his head, taking any thought of eating it out of his head.

Susie just smiled. "I made a slice for you too, Kirby. I figured you would be hungry by just hearing about it."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome." She said, handing him the promised piece. It looked as delicious as Kirby had imagined, which caused him to drool in response. "So, will you help me?" Susie asked, snapping him out of his trance.

The child gave a smile in reply. "Of course!"

"Thank you. I'll tell you my plan after you eat." The puff nodded before he began to eat the cake slowly. It was as delicious as it looked, and he had to take a moment to stop himself from inhaling.

"So firstly, do you know where the Halberd is? I would track it down myself, but I don't want to risk making Meta Knight suspicious."

"It's usually just flying around Dreamland, but if they aren't accepting gifts, they're probably at the home base in Orange Ocean. They usually have it there when Meta Knight goes out to help his mentor with stuff."

"I see, that's useful. Then here's my plan. I want you to deliver the cake. The Meta-Knights shouldn't think a gift from you should be suspicious."

"Of course they won't! They know I'm his student!"

"Then that'll be perfect." She replied with a noticeably relieved smile.

He nodded happily. "However, I'm not sure when he'll be able to eat it. If he's out on a mission with his mentor, then I don't really know when he'll be back."

Susie closed her eyes to think. "New plan. Go to the base and ask them if he's around or where he went. Then if he really is off planet...we'll just figure that out when we get there."

"Alright, I can do that!"

"Thank you, are you ready to leave?"

"Yup! Thank you so much for the piece of cake! It was yummy!"

"You're welcome again, now shall we leave?"

"Yup!" He hopped off his chair. Kirby then immediately grabbed her hand and guided her to where Orange Ocean was via the Warp Star.

Upon their arrival, Susie looked confused. "Why did you bring me with you?"

"Because having you close would be more convenient. Just stay here while I go talk to them. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

She nodded in response as the puff began to make his way to the base.

"Hello! Is anyone here!?" He called out.

Upon reaching the door, he then knocked a lot on the door. After a moment, the door was opened by Meta Knight's assistant, Sailor Dee.

"Oh, hi, Kirby. What's going on?"

"Hi Sailor! Is Meta Knight around?"

"No, he isn't, sorry. He was called out on a mission by his mentor."

"Aw, well I guess that's that. Did he happen to mention where this mission was taking him?"

"Sorry, he didn't."

"Oh, well thanks anyway!"

"No problem. He usually doesn't say where he's going because it's top-secret information."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense, definitely sounds like my sensei."

The Waddle Dee nodded. "Well, thank you Sailor. Have a good day."

"Thanks! You, too!" He then closed the door.

Kirby sighed and walked back to Susie.

"What did they say?"

"That he is on a mission sent from his mentor and he didn't tell them where he was going."

"I see..." she sighed.

"But, I think I have an idea." Kirby offered.

"You do? Tell me what it is!"

"Well, you're afraid of tracking him down, right? What if we ask someone who doesn't care if he's caught or not?"

"Like who?"

"Magolor!"

"...I'm not sure if I trust someone like him."

"I mean, I guess I can't blame you for that. Well, you can try locating him and hope he doesn't notice."

Susie took a moment to think.

"If you don't want to do that, I can think of something else."

"I'm still not sure..."

"Then I'll think of something else!" He exclaimed happily.

The woman nodded in reply.

"Ok, I got it. You teach me the hacking and tracking stuff and I'll track him down for you!"

"Very well then."

"Great! Don't worry, I'm a fast learner."

She nodded in response. "Well, I'll take you back to my lab and show you on one of our computers."

"Sounds good!"

Susie nodded and began to take him there.

Once they arrived, Susie immediately put him in front of her many computers.

"Ok, so what do I do?" He asked.

"Well, first, do you have any technology-based copy abilities?"

He scratched his head. "Does Laser or UFO count?"

Susie put her hand to her face and thought. "...Actually, UFO could work."

Kirby immediately hopped out of his seat. "Ok, let me go copy it then!" He then ran out for a couple of minutes and then returned riding inside a flying saucer.

"Excellent, I should be able to add a few attachments to your ability that will let you track him down."

"Ok!"

"Give me a moment, this shouldn't take long, give or take five minutes."

The puff nodded.

"Ok, that should do it." Susie said after a few minutes of work. "Go ahead and try ."

He nodded and summoned a satellite dish. After a few minutes, Kirby's eyes opened wide and he smiled, which Susie took as a good sign.

"Did you find him?"

"Yup!"

"Wonderful! Where is he?"

"It's somewhere near the moon. Don't know why he'd be there, though."

"...that is a good question. Why would he be there?"

"Well now that we know where he is, what now? I think he'd find it suspicious if I just popped out of nowhere with a cake for him."

"Hm... I need to think."

"Well, I have an idea. I don't know if it'll work though."

"What is it?"

"I could fly to the moon on warp star and if asks what I'm doing there, ill just say I was practicing my warp star driving. Which technically would be true, then I'll ask him if he wants to do something when he's not busy. Then when we get back to Dreamland, I'll hand him your cake."

"Hm... that sounds like a good plan."

"Alright! I'll go meet him then! I'll text you when I've talked to him."

Susie nodded in understanding.

"Oh, and don't worry, I won't take long!" Kirby said, dropping UFO and summoning the Warp Star.

"Good luck!" She waved him goodbye, now left alone. "He's a good person. He had every right to not help me, yet he did. I should do something to thank him, but what?"

As she walked around thinking, her eyes landed on her personal mech, called a Business Suit.

"...yes, I think that would be a good idea."

The robotic lady got to work, wanting to repay Kirby for his kindness the best she could.

Meanwhile, Kirby was on his way to his mentor's location. Kirby landed on the moon, making sure not to dispel the Warp Star.

"Well, time to get looking."

He moved along the ground slowly, looking for any sign of Meta Knight.

"Well, that's his personal star jet over there, doesn't look like he's there though." He then shrugged and began to fly all over the moon surface.

"Kirby? What are you doing here?" A voice called out to him.

The puff recognized the voice immediately. "Meta-sensei!"

"Hello Kirby, again, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was practicing my Warp Star piloting!"

Meta Knight stared at him for a moment before finally nodding, accepting his answer. "I see, that's good, you've been needing to get better at piloting."

"Not that much! I'm just making sure I don't get rusty!"

"Which is good. If you don't need anything else, I need to get going. It was nice seeing you, Kirby."

"Okay then! Maybe we can do something if you're not busy!"

"Such as?"

"Hang out? Relax? You're probably tired from helping out your mentor with whatever."

"...How did you know I was on a mission from my mentor?"

"I didn't see the Halberd flying around so I put two and two together."

Meta Knight stared at him for a while, Kirby trying his best not to sweat from his mentor's intense look. "...I see."

Kirby smiled at him.

"For the record, I'm not allowed to tell you about my mission until i get the go ahead from my mentor." The knight then added.

"Oh, I understand! It's top secret stuff, right?"

"That's right. I'll meet you back in Dreamland, Kirby, I'm mostly done here."

"Ok! I'll see you then!" Kirby then hurried back to Dreamland, texting Susie as he did so. "I found him, I'll tell you more when he returns to Dreamland."

"Ok then." was the texted response.

"Well, looks like everything is working out. Let's just hope he doesn't figure it out." He said to no one in particular.

Soon, he returned to Dreamland. Kirby quickly made it to his home, deciding this would be a good place to give Meta Knight Susie's cake.

"I'm sure he'll will know to come here..." He uttered, putting the cake in the fridge to make it look like he had made it.

Suddenly, Kirby got a text from Susie that read "You can text him to make sure."

"How does she know what I'm saying?" He thought just as he got another text.

"I put small cameras and microphones in your house so I can see and hear his reaction."

Kirby didn't say anything. He got another text.

"I'll get rid of them after he leaves."

He nodded in reply.

"Oh, I see him approaching your house. Get ready." Another text said.

"Ok!" He uttered aloud. Kirby waited by the door, trying to look as natural as possible. However, he was struggling a bit due to how excited he was. "Come on, hurry up already." He uttered, fidgeting on his feet.

He heard a few knocks on his house's door, instantly knowing it was Meta Knight.

"I'm coming!" He exclaimed as he opened the door.

"Hello Kirby."

"Hi, Meta-sensei! Come on in!" The child exclaimed as he dragged him inside. "How was your mission?"

"Fine. Since I was given permission, I'll tell you what it was about. Apparently, a runaway criminal was hiding out on our moon for whatever reason. I dealt with him shortly before you arrived."

"And the reason you had to take your time getting here was to time him to your mentor to take in?"

"No, what took me awhile is that I had to stop at my base first."

"I see."

Meta Knight looked around, his eyes narrowed. "Have you had company over lately?"

"Bandana last week and Knuckle Joe yesterday."

"Alright. So, what did you have planned?"

"Oh, I have something to give you!" He hopped over to his fridge and pulled out the cake.

"A cake?" His mentor said after staring at it for a moment.

"Not just any cake! A cake with strawberries, blueberries, and lemon frosting!"

"I see, did you make it, Kirby?"

"Yeah!"

"Very well then, I'll have some."

"Ok! Let me cut it first!" With surprising grace and skill, Kirby cut the cake into perfectly sized slices. He then placed one of them on a plate and handed it to his mentor. "Here you go!"

"Thank you, Kirby." The knight said, taking a bite.

"So, what do you think?" Kirby asked. Susie herself was also waiting for the answer to that question.

"It's quite delicious."

"I'm glad you like it!"

"There is one question I have... I believe lemons are out of season this time of year. How did you get them?"

The child blinked, internally freaking out at that question. "Chilly and Leo lent me some. They keep a good stockpile of a lot of stuff." He said, which was fine since the part about keeping a stockpile wasn't a lie.

"...I see."

Kirby and Susie both breathed a sigh of relief. The elder puff seemed to quickly finish eating the piece.

"I must admit, definitely one of the better cakes I've eaten in a while. Thank you."

"Then take the rest of it! It's for you!"

"Are you sure? Wouldn't you rather finish the rest yourself?"

"I made it all for you!"

"...Well, it would be rude of me to turn down a gift like this. Very well then."

The child gave a smile.

After a while, Meta Knight ate all of the cake while listening to Kirby talk about some of his recent adventures with friends.

"I believe I'm full now. Thank you for the cake."

"No problem, Meta-sensei! I'm glad you loved it!"

"That I did. I should get back to my crew now, it was good spending time with you today."

"I had fun spending time with you, too!" The child smiled.

"Good. I shall see you later, have a good evening."

"Thanks, you too!"

With a nod, Meta Knight left. Once Kirby was sure he was gone, the child sighed. "Susie, you can come here now."

In a few minutes, the woman arrived.

"So, are you happy, Susie? Meta Knight loved your cake!"

"Yes, I am quite happy, thank you."

"Good! I'm glad I was able to help you out."

The president then bowed. "Thank you so much for your help. I greatly appreciate it."

"Well, I guess that's all you need me for then?"

"For help, yes. However, I do have a gift for you in return for your help."

Kirby looked excited. "A gift? What is it?"

"Come outside and see for yourself."

The puff nodded and excitedly ran outside. What he saw made him come to a complete halt.

"Well, what do you think?" Susie asked.

"Is...is that the Robobot armor?" The child uttered after another moment of silence.

"Yes. I even managed to reinstall your data from when you pilot it."

Kirby didn't know how to respond. His Robobot Armor was back. His long-lost friend was back. He did the only thing he could do. He quickly hugged Susie tight.

"Thank you!"

For a moment, the woman seemed surprised by the sudden action, but then began to slowly hug him back. "You're welcome, Kirby."

Quickly, the puff let her go and began to skip towards the machine. "I have to go test it out now! Thanks again!" The child said as he got into the robot.

The woman watched in excitement as he began to activate the machine. The pink ball-esque machine activated, running just like Kirby remembered. The puff then began to move the mech around.

"So, Kirby, how does it feel?"

"It feels just as I remember it!"

"Wonderful! I'm glad it works out for you."

After a moment of silence, the puff hopped out of the machine, to her confusion, but it became obvious for the reasoning when the child began to cry. Susie, not really used to such a situation, gently placed a hand on his head.

"It's okay, Kirby..." She awkwardly uttered, trying to calm him down.

"I know, it's just... it's just that I thought I'd never see it again." He sniffled as he wiped his eyes.

The woman didn't respond, but she seemed to understand what the child was saying. "Are you happy, Kirby?" She asked, slightly concerned about how he was acting.

"Of course I am!"

Susie nodded and then gave a smile. "Good, then I have successfully repaid you for your kindness."

"Oh, you didn't need to repay me, but I really appreciate it!" The child replied happily.

"Nonsense. You helped me even when you didn't need to. It's only right that I repay you for that."

"Well, thank you!"

"You're very welcome." She then took a moment to look outside his house in deep thought. "Do you think Meta Knight suspected anything?"

"Nope! I would've known if he did!"

"That is certainly a relief. You're quite a quick thinker, Kirby."

"Well, I try." He giggled, scratching his head.

She then looked at her watch. "I should be going now. Thank you once again for your assistance today."

"Oh, you're welcome! I'm just glad to help out a friend!"

With a nod in reply, Susie left his house. Somewhat exhausted from the day, Kirby flopped onto his bed with a smile, happy with how the whole day turned out.

As Susie was walking however, she was stopped by someone she was both hoping and not hoping to run into: Meta Knight.

"...You knew it was me the whole time, didn't you?" She asked. There was a moment of cold silence.

"...perhaps." He finally said.

"I should have figured." She replied with a sigh.

There yet another moment of cold silence.

"So, what now, Meta Knight?" Susie asked nervously.

"...I will never forgive you for what you did, but even so. I'll thank you for your efforts to make up for it. Next time you send me something, use your actual name."

Admittedly, Susie was surprised by how calm he sounded with his response. "I understand and I will do that in the future."

He seemed to glare at her. "Don't be too surprised. Kirby has helped manage my... anger towards you. You are clearly repentant, so at the very least I should give you a chance. But don't expect us to be more than acquaintances."

"That will be more than enough for me. I appreciate you giving me a chance." Susie bowed.

Meta Knight nodded and wrapped his cape over his body. "With that, I shall take my leave...and thank you for the cake." He said, teleporting away.

Susie blinked for a moment but then gave a smile. "You're welcome."

Honestly, she was planning on leaving Dreamland soon, but after today she decided to rethink that.

"It looks like my time on Dreamland is about to get better. And to think... it's all because of a kid I once considered an enemy. Life certainly works in mysterious ways."

Honestly, I really did like writing this chapter.

I hope you all enjoyed reading it as well.

Wyvernium and Guest- I have read your reviews. Thank you for your praise and interest and I hope you're enjoying this series.