It gets dark in this chapter. Really dark. Violence, blood and cutting ahead. You have been warned.
Drowning
I tried to kill the pain
But only brought more
(So much more)
I lay dying
And I'm pouring, crimson regret, and betrayal
I'm dying
Praying
Bleeding
Screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
Do you remember me?
Lost for so long
Will you be on the other side?
Will you forget me?
I'm dying
Praying
Bleeding
Screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries, for deliverance
Will I be denied?
Christ! Tourniquet! My suicide…
—Evanescence, "Tourniquet"
Kirby slammed open the doors to his room and threw himself onto his bed. His breath was coming fast, and his heart sledgehammered against his chest. Now, he was absolutely sure that everything had gone to Hell.
"Poyo," he sobbed, his rotund body shuddering, the bruises from the latest assault smarting. But the words and the betrayal hurt worse than the bruises.
Why? Why do they keep hurting me? Why is everything my fault nowadays?
He crawled toward the phone on his nightstand and picked it up, one appendage hovered over the keypad. A moment passed. Then another. And another. And then Kirby put the phone back down. What was the point? What would anyone do about this—besides utter the same tried-and-true assurances that everything would be okay and that things would get better?
Well, that was a lie. A God—m lie.
…
Earlier that afternoon…
Master Hand had ended the day's matches a little earlier than usual. Whatever the reason, Kirby was grateful, for less matches meant less opportunities for the audience to heckle him and assail him with thrown objects and venomous words. After his last bout, Kirby showered and made himself comfortable in the Smash Mansion's front yard. It was a relatively warm spring day, without a single cloud to be seen, the sun shining brilliantly in the sky and smiling down at everything below, even Kirby. The pink puffball took comfort in the sun's light and allowed himself to think that maybe, just maybe, Luigi, Jiggs and the rest of the Smashers still friendly with him were right, that everything would turn out just fine in the end.
"Hey, Kirby!" Samus greeted as she walked by, arm-in-arm with Falcon. "Good fighting today!"
"Poy?"
"Of course! It doesn't matter that you lost," Samus said wisely. "You did the best you could."
Kirby sighed. "Poyo poyo poyoyo poy," he said.
"Those tier list worshippers are full of poo," said Falcon. "Why should you care what they think?"
Kirby thought it over. "Poyo," he said finally.
"Exactly. You shouldn't care," smiled Samus.
"Poyo poy!" Kirby chirped brightly. Then, he made a face at Falcon. "Poyoyo poy poyo popoyo poy poyoy poyo poyo."
"Aww, Kirby—I know you want to protect me," said Samus, "but Falcon and I are okay now. We moved past that." She didn't really believe those words, of course, but she didn't want to remain stuck in the past, either.
"Kirby, I know that I wasn't the perfect role model," said Falcon, "but that list blinded me, just like it's blinding Fox. For what it's worth, we're not friends anymore. And while whatever I do won't erase what happened, I hope it can at least make up for it."
Kirby bit his lip as he looked over the racer's remorseful face. "Poyo," he said finally. He wasn't the type to hold grudges, anyway.
Then, he smiled, and Falcon was quick to return the smile.
"Thanks, Kirbs," said the racer. "It means a lot. Wanna catch up sometime?"
"Poyo!" laughed Kirby.
"Great!" Falcon beamed. He and Samus waved at the Star Warrior before continuing on their walk.
Kirby puffed over to a nearby lake and stretched out on his belly, taking in the tranquil scene. Silvery fish skimming along just beneath the waves, butterflies fluttering from flower to flower and birds chirping to each other—it was a perfect way to relax after a trying day of Melee.
Soft, rustling footfalls caused the puffball to slightly raise himself.
Next to him stood Marth, the first to jump on this nonsensical tier list bandwagon. The Altean prince slowly knelt down till he was eye-level with Kirby, a soft expression on his face.
"May I sit with you?" he asked. "It's such a beautiful afternoon."
Curtly, Kirby nodded, and Marth settled down beside him.
"Look, Kirby," Marth said after a while. "I'm sorry about the way I've acted. What I did and said was thoughtless and cruel, and quite unworthy of a prince. I just—I…"
"Poyo poyo poyo?" Kirby demanded of the bluenette.
"I—I don't know," Marth admitted. "Maybe I—wanted to fit in with the other high-tiers."
"Poyo poy poyo poyoyo poyo poyo poyo poy," snapped Kirby.
"You're right. Not all of the high-tiers act like that, but in my mind, they would've spurned me if I was caught hanging around with…" He trailed off. "I was stupid and foolish, and I hope you can forgive me."
Kirby rested his "chin" on his appendages, staring out at the lake. "Poyo poyo poyoyo," he said honestly.
"I don't expect forgiveness right this second," said Marth, "but perhaps further down the road—can we start fresh?"
Kirby sighed deeply. "Poyo poyoyo poy. Poyo poy poyoy poyo popoyo poyo."
"Darn. I messed up, didn't I?"
"Poyo."
"Kirby—I didn't realize how much I was hurting you until—I came upon Roy receiving similar treatment," said Marth. "I'm seeing him, you know. From the day we met, I promised to look out for him. And I asked myself, 'How can I do that if I'm antagonizing someone just because of some list?' Anyway, I leaped in and made the interlopers back off, and I found out—that he'd endured that since that list came out." Marth teared up. "I've been so fixated on you that I left Roy at the mercy of those dogs. I was neglecting his well-being. And—oh, Kirby…" He sniffled. "I don't ever want to do that again. I love Roy. More than anyone in the world, barring the people in my homeland. I needed to step back and reevaluate my priorities. And I came to realize that this mindless feud was causing my relationship with Roy to suffer."
Pikachu hid nearby, listening in on the conversation. It occurred to him that he'd barely found time with Kirby ever since the "contest" between him and Luigi heated up.
"What I also realized," Marth went on, "was that however bad that garbage has been for Roy—it must be harder for you."
"Poyo poy," murmured Kirby.
"My eyes have been opened," said Marth. "I will never be cruel to you again. You have my word."
Quietly, Marth rose and started to leave Kirby to his own devices.
"Poyo," said Kirby.
Marth turned.
A small smile appeared on Kirby's lips. "Poyo poy," he said.
The bluenette grinned. "You're welcome," he said before continuing on his way.
Silently, Pikachu withdrew without being spotted. He had some thinking to do.
…
Present
Luigi's fingers trembled as he dialed the number and pressed "Call". He silently breathed a prayer of thanks when the other person answered after one ring.
"Hello?"
"Sir Meta Knight, thank goodness!"
"Luigi?"
"Yes. I apologize for calling you so late, but—something's happened."
Silence.
"Oh, no," Meta's voice said finally. "Is it…?"
"Yes. It's Kirby. They—I—it doesn't look good. I'm on my way to his room to check up on him."
"I'll be right there," said Meta.
"Thank you, Sir Meta. Please, hurry. I'll be waiting."
Luigi hung up and dashed toward Kirby's room, praying that he wouldn't be too late…
…
Several hours earlier…
Kirby hadn't moved from his spot at the lake, eyelids drooping, turning his conversation with Marth over and over in his head. The prince sounded genuinely remorseful, but the memories were fresh and hurt so much that it would be a long time before Kirby let Marth back in. However, it was good for him to apologize and try to reform, for Roy's sake. Now, if only Pikachu could do the same thing…
Kirby wouldn't worry about that right now, though. Because for the first time in weeks, he felt—hope.
Minutes later, that hope was cruelly snatched away.
"Where is he? Where is that friendship-ruining, low-tier f—face?"
Kirby's eyes snapped open, and he leaped to his feet. He knew that voice. And the first thing that came to his mind was that he needed to run, to hide, to get as far away from him as possible…
Unfortunately, he'd only gone a few paces when Fox burst into the clearing, unbridled hate and rage in his eyes.
"There you are, you little pink b—d! You're dead!"
Before Kirby could do anything, Fox's boot slammed into him, sending him flying.
He landed with a thud, gasping, everything spinning before his eyes. Just as he pushed himself up, the side of Fox's Blaster smashed into his face, sending blood spraying out of his mouth. Seconds later, the enraged vulpine pinned the Star Warrior to the earth, hitting him with his Blaster twice more and then violently pounding him with his fists over and over and over.
"Are you proud of yourself, Kirby? Huh? Are you proud of what you've done to me?!" spat Fox as his assault continued.
"P—poyo?" whimpered Kirby.
"Don't play innocent with me," growled Fox. "My best friend abandoned me because of you, because you had to be a tattletale and ruin everything!"
With a sudden burst of strength, Kirby kicked Fox off of him and assumed a fighting stance. "Poyo poyo poyo!" he snapped. "Poyo poyo poyoy poyoyo popoyo poy poyo poy poyo poyo poy!"
"Because of me?! I haven't done anything wrong!" yelled Fox. "All I've done is tell it like it is! I'm sorry if that hurts your little feelings!"
Kirby narrowed his eyes. "Poyo poyo poyo poy poyoyo poyo," he spat.
"Made your life miserable? Well, you're the one to talk!" snarled Fox as the two circled each other. "Ever since you put on your little victim act, almost everyone has turned against me, and now look what's happened! Not only is my license suspended, but also my best friend threw me to the wolves! Are you happy now, Kirby? Huh?"
"Poyo," Kirby said fearlessly.
"Excuse me?" The look on Fox's face would've been comical had it been under different circumstances.
"Poyo!" yelled Kirby. "Poyo poyoy poyo poyo poyoyo poyo popoyo poyo! Poy poyo poyo poy poyo poyo poyo poyoyo popoyo poy poyo!"
Fox's face twisted into something frightening—and then it morphed into an expression of terrifying calm.
"Okay," he said in a tone of skin-crawling serenity. "You asked for it."
Strong hands grabbed Kirby's arms and pulled them behind his back, restraining him.
"You don't even know the trouble you're in, little one," Dorf's voice hissed in his ear.
Frantically, Kirby struggled, but the Gerudo King's hold was iron. He watched as Koopa materialized onto the scene, grinning morbidly. Fox cracked his knuckles, and then the two of them advanced on the helpless Star Warrior.
"Poyo!" screamed Kirby. "Poy…!"
He was cut off as sharp claws raked across his face, once, twice, thrice. "Nobody hears you, Kirby," Koopa laughed. "Nobody cares about you."
He slashed him again before clenching his fist and punching with all of his might. Kirby saw stars.
"Good one!" cheered Dorf.
"This is gonna hurt," promised Fox. "A lot!"
And he made good on that promise, jamming his finger into one of the slash wounds.
Kirby screamed in pain.
"Yeah? Does that hurt?" taunted Fox. "It doesn't feel so good anymore, does it?"
"Poyo…" pleaded Kirby.
Unfortunately, his pleas fell on deaf ears as Koopa joined Fox in driving blow after blow into him. He continued to struggle fiercely against Dorf's grip, but it was all in vain—it only caused his attackers to increase their viciousness. Kirby screamed again and again; he screamed for someone, anyone, to help him, but his cries went unheeded. One slash from Koopa nearly blinded him in one eye, and a nasty kick from Fox drove the air from his lungs. He gasped helplessly, tears forming in his eyes, as Dorf released him.
"Let me in on some of that!" laughed the King of Evil.
A hammy fist connected with Kirby's rotund body as he tried to rise, sending him back down. His three attackers now surrounded him, Koopa roughly grabbing the Star Warrior and yanking him off the ground, forcing him to meet his gaze.
"This is the last time you make a fool out of us," Koopa said ominously. "We're going to [bleep] you up so badly that nobody in your beloved Dreamland will recognize you, and then you'll wish you were never born!"
Tightening his grip on Kirby, Koopa body-slammed him to the ground. Dorf moved in as Kirby bounced back up, smashing him with a dark magic-infused fist. Fox followed with a wicked spin-kick, launching him back toward the Koopa King to repeat the twisted cycle.
From there, it was just endless pain and torture for Kirby. Assailed on all three sides, barely able to fight back or defend himself. Each punch, slam, kick and slash multiplied the agony manifold, but all of that was soft glass compared to the scornful words issuing from his attackers' mouths.
"Filthy casual!"
"You spoil everything!"
"Look at the great Star Warrior now!"
"Is cake all that you ever eat?"
"Why do you always have to copy people?"
"What makes you so much better than us?"
"Baby!"
"Moron!"
"Pathetic!"
"Lame!"
"Low-tier piece of crap!"
The words and the blows fell, mercilessly hammering into him, the faces of the three twisted in sadistic pleasure at the pain they were inflicting. Fox was steamed over his falling-out with Falcon and personally held Kirby responsible. He wanted to make him pay for losing his best buddy, and that was just what he was doing now, projecting everything onto Kirby with increasingly brutal strikes. Dorf and Koopa were helping out because—why not? Another opportunity to push a little guy around and remind everyone who was in charge.
Dorf stomped Kirby with his mighty foot, and then stomped him again and again as Koopa and Fox bombarded him with kicks. Then, Fox seized him and dragged him, struggling feebly, towards the lake, its peacefulness suddenly out of place in this mess of violence.
"Keep good watch," he said to Dorf and Koopa, "while I finish teaching this friend-stealer a lesson."
…
Samus and Falcon were in a meadow, making out on the soft grass, when they heard the screams. The pained, terrified voice was joined by three other voices, yelling insults and obscenities.
The two of them pulled apart, matching expressions of dawning horror. Kirby was in trouble! They had to save him!
Falcon got up, adjusted his mask and clothes and held out a hand to Samus. "Come on," he said, a little urgently.
"Where are we going?" asked Sam as her beau helped her up.
"We'll need all the help we can get," Douglas explained.
The two of them raced back to the Smash Mansion.
"Luigi should be in the Training Area right now," said Falcon. "I'm gonna go tell him about this. In the meantime, I'd like you to head to MH's office and raise the alarm. We'll all meet up right back here." He brushed a strand of Samus's hair behind her ears. "Stay calm."
Samus nodded, and then the two sprinted towards their respective destinations.
The bounty huntress burst into Master Hand's office, where the giant glove was talking with a giant blue penguin and a purple anthropomorphic mollusk. Lined up on both sides of the office were small, chestnut-colored creatures with bean-shaped eyes, some of them armed with spears. Samus quickly recognized the penguin as the self-proclaimed King of Dreamland, Dedede.
Master Hand jerked his head up, startled. "Samus," he greeted.
"H-hi, Master Hand," panted Samus. "Your Grace—sorry to interrupt."
"That's all right," the penguin king said in his signature southern drawl, "and you can call me DDD."
"What's wrong, Samus?" asked MH.
"It's…" Samus swallowed. "It's Fox. And Dorf and Koopa. They're hurting Kirby and…" Samus sought to rein in her emotions. "Captain Falcon's alerting Luigi about this as we speak, but they're gonna need help."
"Where is this taking place?" MH wanted to know.
"By the lake," Samus told him.
MH didn't even hesitate. Pressing his intercom button, he crisply announced, "All Smashers, please report to the mansion's front yard! All Smashers—to the front yard, please! This is not a drill!"
"I'm coming with you," said DDD. "Kirby and I may have had our disagreements in the past, but I won't stand for anyone hurting the little fella!"
"Thank you," said Samus.
She left the office and made a quick stop in her room to change into her Varia Suit before joining the other assembled Smashers outside. Even Falco was there, looking immensely regretful. Falcon and Luigi were at the front of the crowd, the latter looking extremely frantic and clutching the former's hand as Yoshi, Peach and Mario attempted to comfort him.
"With me!" Samus commanded, and they all ran toward the lake, joined by Master Hand, Crazy Hand, DDD and some Wireframes.
Barring the way were Koopa and Dorf, wearing matching smirks.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Koopa.
"We're only gonna ask this once," said Samus. "Where's Kirby? What is Fox doing with him?"
"Nothing to fear," Dorf said smugly. "Fox is taking really good care of that pink loser."
"C'mon, man, we have no time for your games," said Falco, having grown unnerved by Fox's attitude. "We need to stop him from making a grave mistake! Please, help us help him!"
Koopa snickered. "Fox doesn't need your help. He's got everything under control."
Luigi stormed up to them, fists clenched. "Either you tell us where they are," he said ominously, "or you're both in for a world of pain!"
"Luigi," warned Master Hand.
"Oooh—we're so scared," Dorf said mockingly.
"You two are in enough trouble," said MH. "It's only going to get worse unless you tell us Kirby and Fox's whereabouts."
They were interrupted by Kirby's scream, a scream which was abruptly cut off.
Luigi turned snow white. "Dio…" he uttered.
The large group pushed its way past the diabolical duo and ran to the lake's edge. And there, they bore witness to a horrifying sight…
Fox, kneeling there and pounding on Kirby as he held his face underwater, the Star Warrior thrashing desperately, struggling to break the surface for air. As they got closer, they saw Fox's Blaster laying off to one side, broken, indicating that the vulpine had pummeled Kirby with it. And all the while, Fox was yelling hateful things at Kirby, continuing to give zero regard for his safety.
"Hey!" barked Master Hand.
Fox turned, and the expression on his face as he was caught in the act was priceless.
"You let go of him—right now!" MH ordered.
Seeing the enraged expressions on the Smashers' faces and knowing that he was lost, Fox sullenly complied. Kirby crawled to safety and began vomiting great quantities of water, his breathing ragged.
"Kirby!" Luigi raced to the puffball's side and hugged him, seeking to warm him with his own body. But Kirby feebly pushed him away.
"What kind of person torments a sweet little soul like Kirby?" DDD barked, towering over Fox.
"He made me do it!" accused Fox. "It's all his fault! I lost my best buddy because of him!"
Kirby trembled and sobbed as Dr. Mario wrapped him up in blankets and whisked him to the infirmary.
"Because of him?" challenged Luigi. "He wasn't the one who decided to act like a fool the moment that tier list was put up! Captain Falcon was trying to help you. He only wanted to help—and you spit in his face! That's why he decided to end his friendship with you!"
"He betrayed me for him!" whined Fox.
"I did it for your own good, so now you've decided to take it out on Kirby," Falcon said hotly. "You're supposed to be a role model, and yet here you are, acting like this! Do they have to revoke your license altogether for you to realize that?!"
"What are they, my wet nurses?" sneered Fox. "I'm Melee's top dog—and the top dog can do as he likes!"
Seeing Fox's lack of remorse, Luigi could take it no longer. He was on Fox before anyone had a chance to stop him, pounding that smug face into the dirt and screaming at him, releasing two years' worth of pent-up rage. The rage over what the vulpine had put Kirby through, and the rage over what Fox had put Luigi through in 1999. All bets were off now. Luigi wanted to hurt Fox—break him—destroy him.
It took five Wireframes to pull Luigi off of Fox. Then, Mario wrapped his arms around his younger brother, holding him tightly to calm his shaking.
"This won't make things any better," Mario said quietly.
"I don't care." Luigi exploded in sobs. "I don't care."
"Aw, man—I think he broke something," complained Fox as two Wireframes hauled him up.
"We'll give you some Tylenol," CH said unsympathetically. "Let's go."
As Fox was marched away, MH turned to the Mario Bros.
"I'm going to let this slide just once," he said to Luigi, "but if I catch you acting aggressively towards him, or towards Ganondorf or Koopa outside of matches…"
"Understood," Luigi said weakly, still in Mario's arms.
The Smashers went straightaway to the infirmary, where Dr. Mario gave them his prognosis.
"He's going to be okay," said the good doctor. "I gave him a small jar of that syrup he likes, and then a Maxim Tomato. However, I need to keep him for a few hours, for observation. He's sustained a lot of bruises and lacerations, along with some psychological trauma. Best case scenario—he'll be discharged before dinner tonight."
"I wasn't there," mumbled Luigi. "I wasn't there to protect him…"
Worry twisted in his gut when the puffball didn't show up at dinner. He tried to reach him, but got no response. Alarm bells and Klaxon horns started going off in his mind, and he reacted instinctively, phoning Sir Meta Knight and telling him that something disastrous had befallen Kirby. The masked knight quickly dropped whatever he was doing and promised to get to the Smash Mansion as quickly as he could. Then, Luigi rushed toward Kirby's room, the other sounds drowned out by the beating of his heart…
…
Which brings us back to the present. Kirby curled up on his bed, sobbing to the point he could barely breathe, so much pain searing and stabbing into him. Physical pain, emotional pain and frustration churned together into a dark concoction, a volatile substance which swelled and swelled before exploding, and Kirby didn't know what to do with all of that, so he took it out on his room.
Smashing. Crashing. Bashing. Screaming. Crying. Anything Kirby got his hands on was fair game for his rage.
I can't take it anymore. I can't take it. I can't. I can't—
This tournament had become a nightmare from which there was no escape.
Gasping for breath, Kirby slumped to the ground, not knowing what to do, where to go, who to turn to. And then he remembered the shard in his drawer.
It was a little dull now and stained with dried blood, but it would do. Mercilessly, the beleaguered puffball tore the jagged glass through his flesh. He was turning all of his roiling emotions on himself. Punishing himself with the pain.
"Filthy casual."
He cut again.
"Filthy casual."
And again.
"Nobody cares about you."
And again.
"You're no hero."
And again.
"Who wants to hang out with a low-tier like you?"
And again.
"Everything you touch gets ruined!"
And again.
"How do you live with yourself?"
And again…
Hot, sticky blood poured from the cuts littering his body and mixed with his tears. His body started to shudder. His arms dropped to his sides.
The shard clattered to the floor.
And then Kirby took out his Final Cutter.
Yes. Oh, yes. This will suit me just fine…
…
"Kirby? Kirby, are you in there?"
The silence growled in Luigi's ears as he stood at the door to Kirby's room. When was the last time he sweated like this? Oh, right—when he was in that mansion. Only this time around, he had better reason to be afraid.
"Kirby? Please, I just want to talk to you…"
Still nothing.
Luigi's stomach was falling to the ground at his feet. His heart slammed against his throat. This fear was more naked and rawer than the fear he'd experienced in the mansion. At least during the latter, he'd had some reassurance in the form of that vacuum on his back. But this situation—was something a vacuum couldn't solve.
"K—Kirby? Are you all right?"
The silence gave him the answer.
A huge red alert was sounding in Luigi's brain now.
"That's it—I'm going in there."
CRAASSHHH!
Adrenaline roaring through his veins, Luigi released an emphatic grunt as he slammed his heel against the door. It gave way in one hit, snapping free of its hinges and toppling to the floor in a cloud of splinters. The green-clad plumber raced into Kirby's room and then skidded to a halt.
He could barely breathe.
"Dio—no."
There lay little Kirby, barely conscious, his own blood pooling around him from the cuts and gashes etched into his flesh. Luigi didn't waste a minute, grabbing as many towels and cloths as he could to staunch the bleeding. As he wrapped the makeshift tourniquets around Kirby's arms and body, his eyes fell on the bloodied glass shard and the Final Cutter which lay only centimeters away.
Immediately, he pieced everything together.
"Oh, Kirby—Kirby."
Luigi finished tying the tourniquets, lifted Kirby in tender arms and carried him, bridal-style, out of the room.
"I'm here, Kirby," he said breathlessly. "I'm here."
Kirby's eyes fell on Luigi, and a groggy smile spread across his face before he finally allowed unconsciousness to claim him.
"I've got you—I've got you." Luigi held Kirby close to his chest. God help anyone who dared mess with the puffball now.
"I've got you."
If you or someone you love has self-harmed or is having thoughts of self-harm, get help immediately!
Here are some resources to take down:
Crisis Text Line: Text CONNECT to 741741 (686868 in Canada)
Info on self-injury, S.A.F.E. Alternatives: 1-800-DON'T-CUT (1-800-366-8288)
24-hour Crisis Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK
Self Injury Foundation: 1-800-334-HELP
Real Help for Teens: 1-877-332-7333
Please read and review. And please know, you are not alone.
