Chapter 4 Crash Landing
Aqua moved so slow down the hallway of her castle that she was practically crawling. Her head hung low, her thoughts silent and gloomy. She barely heard FLUDD rambling about the great taste of seafood and toothpaste and…whatever else that dousing machine stuffs into his nozzle. Seriously, when you looked up the definition of black hole in the dictionary, FLUDD's face was there.
The aquatic princess pinched her brow and rubbed her eyes. That party was…good, she supposed. There was a lot to enjoy about it, even with FLUDD's gluttony. Peach had been her usual inviting self, handing out pieces of cake with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. It was fun to see the Mario brothers again. Mario will probably be her best amico for the rest of time, and Luigi was alright too. Overall, it should have been a great night for her.
Emphasis on "should." There was one detail that made her night unbearable. And no amount of cake, dancing, or horrible off-key karaoke would change that.
Aqua lifted her head. The sight of a certain picture met her eyes, one painted with oil and framed in a golden frame. She sighed before forcing on a smile.
"Hey Mom," she said quietly. "Hey Dad." She placed her fingers on the edge of the frame. She traced the lines with her pointer, wishing she could join her parents in the painting. "It's been fourteen years as of today." She chuckled, the sound hollow and fragile. "I can't believe it's been that long. It feels…" she bit her lip. "It feels wrong."
Would her parents still be around today if it wasn't for that fateful attack on the Mushroom Kingdom? Well, one could never really know for sure, but Aqua was willing to bet that the answer was yes. This made the anniversary that much more tragic, and the pit in her stomach much more unmanageable. She stood silent for a while, pressing down on the golden frame so hard that wiping her fingerprints off of it would require a miracle.
"Aqua?"
Aqua did a double take, remembering that FLUDD was here. "Sorry bud. Just…" She looked back into her parents' smiles, eternally stuck thanks to the strokes of a brush. "Just spending quality time with my parents."
"Quality time, huh?" FLUDD snickered. "Man, if hanging out with them in THIS way counts as quality time, what do you consider the kinds of things you do with me?"
Aqua scrunched her brows. "Making love."
These words had an interesting effect on the sentient machine. He went ridged, his nozzle turned fire engine red in a way similar to blushing. "WHAT!"
Aqua shook her head and made her way to the end of the hallway. She opened up the door, which led her to her coral encrusted throne room. She made her way to the throne, carved from a giant, shiny pearl, and flopped down on it in a way that was eerily similar to how one unwinds on a couch. She let out the longest sigh ever known to man.
"I am SO glad that this day is over." She slumped into the throne. "I just want to go to bed."
FLUDD let out a gasp. "Okay, Aqua.' He wheezed. "But could you stop squishing me please?"
Aqua gasped. "Oh!" She sat up and got FLUDD off of her back. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay." FLUDD chuckled. "Honestly, that was probably the most exciting thing the two of us have done together tonight."
Aqua smirked. "Well then, next time I'll sit on you and things will get REALLY wild."
FLUDD laughed, and this time, Aqua was able to laugh with him. FLUDD was a good friend. Sure, Aqua had arguably had a much deeper bond with Mario, as they had gone through countless near death experiences. However, as great as Mario was, she barely saw him anymore. That just was one of the prices of being the princess of her own kingdom. FLUDD, on the other hand, was constantly at her side. They have been inseparable for almost twelve years. They've been through thick and thin, through highs and lows, through hay fever and indigestion. Laughing with him by her side, she almost forgot that it was the fourteenth anniversary of her parents' death.
Almost.
Her face fell, the laughter slowly dying along with any happiness. She sighed and put FLUDD on the right side of her throne.
The dousing device gave her as concerned a look as a faceless robot could give. "You okay?"
"I'm hanging in there." She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "I just wish there was a way to erase this day from history." She leaned against her left arm. "I'm not like Peach; I can't just throw a party, put on a smile, and forget about all my troubles."
FLUDD nodded. "Neither can I. And I've drunken a LOT of hard Chuckola Cola tonight."
Aqua snickered, the sound flat as the top of a nail. "I wish I was like her, though. She doesn't seem to even be frazzled about this." She gripped her hand into a fist. "It's almost…sacrilegious."
"Sacrilegious?" FLUDD mused. "Yeah, I guess I can see your point. But you can't blame your sister for trying to make people happy."
"I guess." Aqua's shoulders slumped. "I just wish that happiness could rub off on me every once in a while."
As soon as those words escaped Aqua's lips, the most Earth shattering BOOM shook her entire castle. She grabbed hold of the sides of her throne, gritting her teeth as the entire palace trembled. The vibration were so strong that they physically hurt her. They also knocked FLUDD right down on his side.
"YEEOOWW!" He yelled. "Help! I can't get up!"
As soon as the vibrations stopped, Aqua grabbed hold of FLUDD and put him on her back. "What do you think that was?"
"I'm not sure." He paused, his faceless form almost looking like it was smiling. "Do you want to go on a little investigation to find out?"
Aqua thought about this. On the one hand, it could probably be dangerous. After all, few things that were able to shake an entire castle were docile. But then again, she had nothing better to do. Besides, she had FLUDD by her side. If she did wind up in danger, she could using his water squirting abilities to get her out of trouble. Not to mention the fact that she had aquakinesis on her side.
Finally, she shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
