Lifeline

Prison gates won't open up for me
On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'
Oh, I reach for you

Well I'm terrified of these four walls
These iron bars can't hold my soul in
All I need is you
(Come please I'm callin')
And all I scream for you
(Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin')

Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
And say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth savin' me

Heaven's gates won't open up for me
With these broken wings I'm fallin'
And all I see is you

These city walls ain't got no love for me
I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story
And all I scream for you
(Come please I'm callin')
And all I need from you
(Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin')

Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
And say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth savin' me
(Hurry I'm fallin')

And all I need is you
(Come please I'm callin')
And all I scream for you
(Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin', I'm fallin')

Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
And say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth savin' me
(Hurry I'm fallin')
And say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth saving me

Nickelback, "Savin' Me"

"Stay with me, Kirby. We're almost there."

Luigi raced down the corridor, Kirby still in his arms. The Star Warrior drifted in and out of consciousness. He imagined himself resting on a crescent moon, wearing his sleeping cap and wrapped in a blanket, gently floating through a sea of stars. Luigi's voice spoke to him from all around, soothing him, and he zeroed in on that voice like a lighthouse beacon, guiding him toward shore.

I hope Dr. Mario's still in, thought Luigi, his blood beating in his ears and his face sticky with sweat. Worriedly, he looked at Kirby, whose eyes briefly focused.

"Poyo…" he slurred.

"Oh, Kirby—why would you do this?" asked Luigi.

"Poyo…poyo…poy…"

"Kirby, that's not true. You could've come to me. You could've come to Mario or Peach or Sir Meta Knight or DDD—or any of the other Smashers."

"Poyo…poyoyo…poyo…"

"Of course, we'd understand, Kirby," Luigi said gently. "That's what friends do."

Tears welled up in Kirby's eyes. "Poy…"

Luigi shushed him. "Save your strength," he pleaded. "It's gonna be okay. I promise."

Sensing he was no longer alone, Luigi whirled.

Pikachu and Pichu stood there, horrified at the sight of the semiconscious puffball in Luigi's arms.

Pichu covered his mouth with his paws. "Pichu!" he gasped.

Pikachu steered Pichu toward his room. "Pika pika pi," he instructed.

Nodding, Pichu darted back inside, closing the door after him.

Slowly, cautiously, Pikachu approached Luigi and Kirby. "Pika…?" he asked.

What happened? While you were getting on my case about my side special, Fox and his pals have put Kirby through the worst Hell imaginable! But Luigi held his tongue, knowing that this wasn't the time or place for hostility.

As for Pikachu, it was as if he'd been roused from a dormant state. He'd been so fixated on proving the Green Missile's lack of originality that he'd put everything else on the back-burner—including his relationship with Kirby. He'd heard people talk about how he was being targeted over that stupid tier list, but he'd barely paid attention. If he had, then—well, Kirby wouldn't be wrapped up in bloody tourniquets in Luigi's arms, now would he?

He remembered listening in on Marth's talk with Kirby earlier that afternoon before things took a dark turn. He remembered hearing Marth lament that he'd left Roy to face harassment on his own because the bluenette was busy doing the exact same thing to Kirby. Pikachu couldn't even remember the last time he asked Kirby how he was doing.

Well, that was gonna change. Starting tonight.

Luigi studied the remorseful look on Pikachu's face, and his own features began to soften. "Pikachu," he said quietly. "He needs us. Both of us."

"Pi," Pikachu agreed.

"I'm taking him to the infirmary," said Luigi.

"Pika pi pika," said Pikachu.

"Dr. Mario's office? Even better," said Luigi.

Pikachu scampered down the hallway as Luigi followed.

When they reached Dr. Mario's office, Luigi briskly knocked on the door.

"Just a second," Dr. Mario's voice tiredly said from within.

The good doctor opened the door and nearly froze at the sight of the bloodied puffball.

"Bring him inside," he instructed, swiftly regaining his professionalism. "Quickly!"

Luigi and Pikachu obliged, and Dr. Mario had them set Kirby on a nearby operating table. Urgently, Dr. Mario called in some Wireframe nurses to help him.

"I need to ask you two to wait outside," said Dr. Mario as he washed his hands and scrubbed up to perform his task. "If anything happens, then I'll be sure to let you know."

"Okay," said Luigi.

He and Pikachu stumbled outside and collapsed into chairs in the waiting room. The electric mouse turned to Luigi, beginning to weep in earnest.

"Pika pi," he sobbed. "Pika pika pi pika pi…"

"Hey," Luigi said comfortingly, gathering Pikachu into his lap. "We'll talk about that later, all right? Kirby should be our top priority in the meantime."

Pikachu nodded and snuggled against the man in green. As they awaited news on Kirby, an uneasy truce began forming between them.

Kirby blinked and gazed at his surroundings in wonder. Somehow, he was back in Dreamland, with DDD, a smattering of Waddle Dees, Tiff, Tuff, Chef Kawasaki, Sir Meta Knight and all of his friends running up to greet him. There was no Fox, no Dorf, no Koopa, and best of all—nobody to tell him that he was "low-tier trash" or a "filthy casual".

"Poyo!" he cried joyfully.

"Kirby!" Tiff exclaimed, scooping him up and giving him a big hug. "It's all right now. You're safe. Nobody can hurt you."

"Poyo poy," said Kirby.

"Why the long face?" asked Chef Kawasaki. "I bet this will turn that frown upside-down." He held out a large, three-tiered cake.

Kirby's mouth watered.

Two Waddle-Dees began serving up hearty slices of the cake, and Dreamland's denizens sat with Kirby, enjoying the dessert.

"We've never stopped believing in you," Tuff said quietly. "I hope you know that."

Kirby sighed. "Poyo poy poyoy poyo poyo poyo poyoyo poyo."

"We don't even know what a tier list is!" cried Tiff. "What's a tier list?"

"Poyo poyo poyoyo poyo poy poyoy popoyo poyo."

"Kirby—that's just a piece of paper and nothing more," said DDD. "That flimsy little piece of paper wasn't there when you first defeated me, and it wasn't there when you took on Nightmare. That piece of paper didn't see you defend this town from monsters—granted, I sent out those monsters, but still. Look, what I'm saying is—who are you to let a piece of paper tell you who you are?"

Kirby blinked. "Poyo poyo."

"You're right. It doesn't assign anything to you," said Tiff. "We don't know you as a 'filthy casual'—whatever that is. We know you as our hero, and that won't ever change."

"That's right!" chorused the townspeople.

Sir Meta Knight came forward. "We love you, Kirby," he said, "and that will be so until the end of time."

Kirby's pain began to dull as he heard those words. "P—poyo," he whispered, happy tears welling up in his eyes.

The crowd parted, and then Luigi walked toward Kirby, taking the one of the puffball's appendages in his hand.

"He's right," the plumber said. "We love you. And whatever you're going through—you don't have to go through it alone. Remember that, Kirby. Remember that."

Kirby smiled. "Poyo," he replied.

He would always remember…

Dr. Mario strode into the waiting room to find Luigi and Pikachu chatting quietly together, their first civil conversation they'd had in months.

They turned as they heard him approach.

"How is he?" asked Luigi.

"We stopped the bleeding and dressed and stitched his wounds," replied Dr. Mario. "He's alive, conscious and alert. However, due to what happened, I'll have to keep him here for 72 hours, and I have no choice but to alert Master Hand."

"Pika?" asked Pikachu.

"Yes, you may visit him," Dr. Mario told him, "but try not to get him excited."

Hand-in-hand, Pikachu and Luigi followed Dr. Mario into Kirby's room.

Kirby lay on his bed, swathed in bandages, an IV drip attached to one appendage. He raised his head and studied his two visitors.

"Thank God you're alive, Kirby," said Luigi. "The Smashers will be overjoyed to know you pulled through."

"Poyo," said Kirby.

Luigi and Pikachu sat on either side of Kirby's bed, each holding an appendage.

"What in God's name were you thinking?" Luigi softly demanded of the Star Warrior. "When I burst into your room and saw you, I was so afraid—if I hadn't moved any faster…" He trailed off. "How long were you doing—that?"

"Poyo poyo," confessed Kirby. "Poyo poyo poyo, poyoyo poyo poyo, poyoy popoyo poy poyo."

"That's not true," said Luigi. "You could've turned to me, Mario, Peach, Zelda, Link—we could've dropped everything just so we could sit and listen."

Kirby whirled on Pikachu. "Poyo poyo poyo poy!" he charged. "Poyo poyoy popoyo poyo poyo?"

Pikachu dropped his head. "Pika pika pika," he sighed. "Pika pika pi. Pi pika pika pika—pika pika pika. Pika pika, pika." He stroked Kirby's cheek. "Pika pika."

"Poyo," Kirby softly told him. "Poyo poyo poyo popoyo poyo."

Then, Pikachu told Kirby and Luigi about the conversation he'd overheard between the former and Marth, which had caused him to think about his grudge match with Luigi—and over something so stupid, too.

"I promise—when Kirby is well again, we're both gonna sit down and talk things over," said Luigi. "We're gonna end this, once and for all."

"Pika," Pikachu said quietly.

"But Kirby—why choose to do something like that?" Luigi wanted to know.

"Poyo poyo poyoyo poyo poyo poyo—poy poyo poyo poyo popoyo poyo poyo," sighed Kirby.

"It might seem like it's helping you—but it's only hurting you," said Luigi. "The relief you might feel is only temporary, and it'll leave behind a lot of scars—the scars you can see, and the scars you can't see. It even almost killed you. The next time you feel like you can't go on—don't hesitate to come to either of us. And Dr. Mario is always there—he's a professional, too."

"Poyo poyo poyo," muttered Kirby.

"I do understand," said Luigi, "because I went through a similar experience."

"Poyo poyo poyo poyoyo?"

Luigi dropped his voice. "It got a little physical, but aside from that brawl in the lounge, it didn't escalate to these levels. Maybe because I was a grown man."

"Poyo poy," spat Kirby.

"You're right—they're cowards, all of them. But you shouldn't listen to them. You shouldn't give them what they want. Because not only are they cowards, but also they're liars. You're not pathetic, and you're not low-tier trash—and this tournament doesn't hate you. Don't listen to them. Listen to me. Because I'm telling you the truth."

Grabbing a notepad and pen, the man in green began scribbling down all of the numbers and websites he'd learned from the countless seminars he'd been required to attend in high-school and college. When he was finished, he tore off the paper and handed it to Kirby. "Here are some other resources that can help you," he said, "but Dr. Mario, Pikachu, the other Smashers and I are your primary line of defense. Are we clear?"

"Poyo," replied Kirby.

"Do you know how I managed to endure that crap two years ago?" asked Luigi. "Aside from the fistfight in the lounge, I ignored them. I used their jeers to better myself and to work harder, fight harder. I woke up early and got some practice in before my fights. I wrote whatever I was feeling in a diary and on a blog. And yes—it eventually took its toll and I lost it a bit, but I deeply regret vandalizing that first tier list."

"Poyo," breathed Kirby.

"I proved them all wrong, and so can you," said Luigi. "The training area is always open; the Wireframes are more than willing to spar with you, and there are a lot of Sandbags to practice on. The next time Fox and his pals try to decimate you, don't let them. Because you're better than you think you are."

"Poyo poyo poy poyoyo," murmured Kirby.

"That's right, Kirby. You're the Star Warrior. You're the Hero of Dreamland, the one who can out-fight a giant penguin. Fox didn't do that, and neither did any of his cronies. You did."

"Pika pi!" Pikachu chimed in.

Kirby's face brightened. Pikachu was at last coming around, and Luigi had not only saved him but also served up a much-desired dose of motivation. No longer would he sulk in his room, feel sorry for himself or play around with a shard of glass. The aggression and anger he was feeling was better suited for his matches—and the Training Area.

"Pika pika pika pi," vowed Pikachu, kissing Kirby on the forehead. "Pika."

"Poyo," said Kirby, his heart swelling.

"We're all here for you, Kirby," Luigi assured him. "Now, always and forever."

The storm was coming to an end, and through the darkness, Kirby saw a tiny finger of light reaching out to him. The Star Warrior vowed to grab onto that finger of light and hold it tightly. Because while the world wasn't always puffy clouds and smiley faces and cake—it was still worth living in.

Please R&R.