Chapter 4, Part 1
In less than ten minutes of nimble dodging and trying to confuse his attacker, Meta Knight had cleared the forest and was currently a safe distance away from the trees, hopefully out of range of his enemy's weapon. The sapphire puffball stopped, standing motionless as he clung to his arm, panting heavily.
If you want to fight me…Come on out. I'm armed and waiting for you, now. I dare you to step out of that forest and quit hiding in the trees.
…He really hoped they wouldn't, though. His side was covered in blood and as time passed, he found it was a little harder to breathe than normally. Plus, the weather must have gotten warmer while he was in the forest. That was the only explanation as to why his body was uncomfortably hot. Meta Knight folded his tense wings, pulling out his cape to try and shield himself from the heat using the garment's dimensional powers. Due to his injury, however, he could only hold one side around him…and besides that, he wouldn't look as cool and mysterious if he got bloodstains all over his cape.
What was he supposed to do now…? Whatever had attacked him was probably still in the forest. But what was it doing right now? Was it scheming to pursue him? Or…would it go after someone else? Those thoughts made him shudder. Maybe he should have sought them out and battled them anyway. Even if he'd blown up part of the forest, he'd at least have peace of mind…Although, it wouldn't be very polite or chivalrous to destroy your hosts' property, so that was out of the question once again.
But he couldn't just stand here, bleeding on the ground and waiting for something to hypothetically attack him. Meta Knight preferred to pick fights when he was in relatively good health and uninjured, and he had no clue what had just come after him. Rushing back into the forest was obviously not an option, which left him with two other options: Continue standing where he was, or go back to the Waddle Dee village and look for his friends so he could heal himself or that he could buy some time for Kirby to beat whatever it was. He knew that Kirby would usually get the finishing blow on a monster. That was almost always how it went in life with Kirby.
Is it okay to leave here? The sapphire puffball shifted in place nervously, scanning the surrounding environment. He didn't see anything suspicious, but it was really getting warm out. What if…it attacks the Waddle Dees while I'm off getting fixed up?
He just couldn't leave here now. He'd feel guilty if he ended up leading them back to camp. Meta Knight withdrew his sword, glad that he was mainly right-handed. There was still no sign of anyone besides him, however…If only he knew the landscape better. If only he was able to fly without injuring his arm.
And if only he wasn't dripping blood on the Dees' perfectly-maintained trail lined with blooming flowers.
If you want to call your friends, why not use your cell phone? It's been off for weeks, so it should still have some battery power left…Yeah, that's not too bad of an idea. He reached into his mouth and pulled out his phone, booting it up and dialing the first number that came to mind. It was geared to be more of a computer than a phone, much to his delight and his friends' dismay. Surely, two wanderers and a king should be enough to defend some Waddle Dee families, right?
…and you know, Kajinara can fight. I wonder how many other Dees are secretly fighters—well, besides Kajinara and—
"Meta; whaddyou want? I'm fixing my turkey bacon, and it smells like plastic. I should know by now not to listen to pink puffballs who'll eat anything. So why are you calling?"
With Meta Knight, some things were guaranteed to be given in extremes. So when giving an answer, it could only be obtained by beating around the bush, or the puff being strangely generous and giving a no-holds answer to the question.
Shock him, Meta; shock him. Give him the straight-up truth and watch his reaction!
"Because I'm standing guard outside the tribe's forest, watching to make sure that nothing comes to murder them, and your help would be appreciated," the puff answered bluntly. "After all, I don't make a habit of standing in my hosts' flower beds in the scalding heat."
There was a brief moment of silence on the other end—but only brief.
"First, it's not scalding hot out. Second, why in NOVA's name would something be coming after us to murder us?!" Meta Knight had to hold his phone away from his head, flinching from the king's shouts. "Stop being vague, Meta; get to the point!"
The puff's eyes narrowed. "Something is coming after us, and I can't determine what it is. But it's potentially hiding in the forest and it is armed with projectiles. I'd need Bandana's familiarity with the land in order to combat it efficiently—without property damage, your Majesty. Would you bring him and Kirby to the edge of the village, or whoever you can find, quickly?"
"Well…" Meta Knight heard the phone shift. "Bandana's right here, but I dunno about Kirby. Bandana, can you go find Kirby for me? Or how 'bout you call him?"
"No!" the blue puff added quickly. "Don't send him off. The two of you just come here, now. Don't delay. If you stumble upon him along the way, wonderful. Just be here as quickly as logically possible, okay? Don't goof off along the way, if you would."
Dedede hesitated, and Meta Knight wished he could've seen the king's expression. "Well…okay, Meta. Yeah, I, uh…really think I should, okay? You still there, Meta?"
"Yes," the puff answered, confused. "I'm still here."
He heard murmuring on the other end, but couldn't make out what they were saying. The king must have covered the receiver so he couldn't hear.
"Meta? Tell me my name, and my full title. No, tell me yours. Give me your title and your skills like you'd put on your résumé."
The puffball's face twisted into one of annoyance and potential confusion.
Why is he asking me this? Does he think something's wrong here? That I'm not really Meta Knight? Or—wait. Did I say something to make him think I'm out of my right mind?
"You think I'm joking? I assure you that I have better things to do than waste your time, making the Dees believe they're under attack," the puff snapped back. "Or did you really wish for me to list that request?"
"Uh, just tell me!" was the hurried response.
He really wants to know? He better have a good reason…although wait, that's just bragging rights…
"Title, professional engineer-slash-computer-programmer; skillset includes but isn't limited to CoMap, Mathematica, Matrix Laboratory, Sci/O Interfa—"
"Uhhhh Meta, we'll be right there, okay? Just stay put! Bye!"
Meta Knight could only blink as the king hung up his phone, not even waiting for the puff to say anything in return. What had prompted that? That most definitely warranted suspicion; no doubt he'd be asking Dedede what it was about later. The king hadn't even waited for him to finish what he'd been asked!
Whatever. It's Dedede. Dedede wouldn't be himself without the odd bit of spontaneity every so often. The sapphire puffball glanced around, reassessing the area in case something had slipped his notice while he was on the phone.
Much to his utter bafflement, nothing had changed.
Was I just imagining that? He glanced at his arm, poking the piece of metal embedded in it. The ensuing pain he felt proved that no, he was not imagining things. Ow, well, was I at least imagining my talk with Kajinara?
He tried to summon his cape to search for the photo, but for some reason, it just wouldn't work. Irritated, he attempted a few more tries, but like before, nothing happened.
This is freaky…This has never happened before, that I can remember…
He really needed to summon his cape…The temperature was rising quicker than he'd ever thought possible for Popstar. Was this the work of whoever shot him? Though, Dedede hadn't noticed…maybe it was just Dedede; his kind were used to the heat. Was it even possible for the area to warm up this fast, though…? Bandana Dee would have surely mentioned something if this was a natural occurrence; this level of heat was uncomfortably high, and Meta Knight couldn't help but feel that something was off.
The knight stepped back into the flowers, wondering if the lush grass would feel any cooler on his feet. It provided temporary relief, but his body heat soon absorbed the coolness. Frustrated, the puff splayed out on his tummy, trying again to summon his cape before the ground became as hot as he was. What was wrong with everything? First Dedede, then the heat, and now he couldn't even use his own magic? Something was wrong here, and Meta Knight intended to figure out what.
…
…why was he out here in the first place, anyway? He tried to sift through his thoughts, but he couldn't find any that would give him an answer. He knew there was a reason; he just couldn't remember…what…was happening here…
Why was everything dark? That usually meant he'd passed out for some reason; he remembered that much…but, why would he faint now? Blood loss alone wouldn't cause him to lose consciousness…Why couldn't he remember anything?!
Relax, Meta. If you just lay here for a little while, you should feel better. The dizziness will wear off, you'll wind up as your normal self again, and then you can go ask Dedede if something's wrong with you and he'll probably say yes and give you some medicine that you'll refuse anyway.
But still, why was it so hot…?
…
Actually, the warmth felt…kind of nice, now. It was like a soft, heavy blanket, protecting him from the outside world, whose sounds were completely obscured at this point. He couldn't hear anything except the rush of his own blood; that and the sensation of heat were the only things he was aware of. He couldn't even feel himself breathing.
Just keep…thinking, Meta. It's…It's not like you…haven't resisted fainting before…
Someone will come…or maybe, you'll just wake up. You're just…waiting for now… waiting on your…own body…so just…try…to get…back up, and…stay awake so…all…this…will…go…away…
…maybe…
…
Though he tried his hardest not to lose awareness, blissful unconsciousness slipped up on the puffball without him realizing it. With a quiet sigh, the puff's body relaxed, his injured arm falling limp to his side.
He was alone, injured, and not in his right mind…but at least, he was left undisturbed by any unpleasant intruders, lying peacefully in the Dees' bed of forget-me-nots…
"Great King! G-Great King, we're going TOO FAST!"
"I'm barely jogging, Bandana! You're just too small to know that!"
Bandana Dee winced, hoping with all his might that his king wouldn't trample anything. Maybe if he pretended that he wasn't squashed under the penguin's left arm, being dragged through camp without explanation, everything would be better. Maybe Dedede would slow down and walk. Maybe he would put the Dee down.
And most importantly, maybe he would stop jogging while looking at his cell phone. Bandana Dee had no idea how the king hadn't stepped on any Waddle Dees yet.
"G-Great King, you know, I could tell you where to go—"
"Don't need to, Bandana." Before the Dee could process what was happening, he was standing on his own two feet again on a dirt trail. "There's Meta and his phone right over there, and—aw, shoot. Hey Meta, wake up…Come on, wake up already; I don't like it when adorable puffballs look like they're about to have a seizure…"
Bandana Dee blinked a few times, taking a few seconds to re-orient himself with his surroundings. True to the king's word, they'd ended up on the outskirts of camp…it's just, the world was spinning so quickly, it was hard to tell where…
"Oh. The forest," the Dee mumbled aloud, rubbing his forehead as his view of the world settled. He turned to look for Dedede. "Great King, do you need any help?"
"Of course I do! Wake him up!" the penguin snapped, shoving the Dee forward a few steps. "We're sitting here and he's not okay and I can't do anything!"
Bandana Dee quickly glanced over the fallen puffball, noting the smears of blood on the flowers, but also noting that the puff was breathing too quickly. He began examining the puff for injuries, finding the spearhead in a second. As the Dee moved the puff's arm to get a better view of the wound, Dedede turned his head.
"Ugh, Bandana…I don't like severe wounds in real life that much, so is it bad, or should I not look?"
"Huh?" The king watched horror movies, and didn't like blood? Although, he did say 'in real life'… "Um, it's not really that bad at all; it's right along his muscles. I don't think it did much more to him than making him bleed a lot."
"Ohhhh, Bandana…" Dedede glanced around quickly before examining the puff himself. "Oh, Meta; why do you always have to be the bearer of bad news…I thought we were gonna enjoy ourselves this week, and now we gotta clean up some bad guys…"
Bandana Dee stiffened, remembering why they were out here in the first place. "Great King, could one of us go back to camp and warn the others that something's out here? We don't know how long ago Meta got attacked, and whatever came after him could be coming after my family!" The Dee jumped to us feet, starting to worry. "Great King, please; we have to do something!"
It was times like these—times when there was an injured puffball at his feet, a panicking advisor right next to him, and a pink puffball out and about without any knowledge that something could be coming to kill him—that Dedede wished he wasn't the first person to give orders on things. It was times like these where he really wished he could regroup his thoughts first, and then make a decision.
Unfortunately, these times came up quite often, but at least he had an idea of what to do.
"Okay, Bandana; here's the deal." The king reached down and scooped Meta Knight into his arms, somewhat disturbed at how warm the puff's body was. Blood loss alone didn't give someone a fever, right? "I go back to camp and find a way to patch Meta up. You got any doctor?"
"Of course, Great King; their house is around the other side of camp."
Dedede rolled his eyes. "Well, great. So I'll dump Meta off there, and then who do I find to get help from?"
"Oh! Um…" Bandana Dee thought for a moment. "Well, here's the deal. The chief of the tribe is named Benjamen. Find him, and here's what you say…"
It was quiet back in camp, away from her son…well, this side of camp, anyway. It was mostly empty, too. Kajinara liked being alone, ever since…well…things had happened…
But she hadn't intended to be alone for long. She'd come to this side of camp to ask Cody for some advice—if she dared. Cody was wise and knowledgeable; she had five children of her own and was Kajinara's legal guardian. If anyone would know how to handle relationships with children, it would certainly be Cody, right? Cody, who'd taught her how to do chores, and play games, and read books, and fight monsters, and—
"Kajinara. I have a job for you, if you would. Scouting job."
The chocolate-furred Dee instantly spun around upon hearing who was asking that of her. "Yes, sir? What is it? What would you like me to do?"
"This may be nothing, but…" The honey-colored Dee talking to her was quite old, clearly a figure of respect. As if his position in the tribe didn't give that away first… "While I was passing through, I saw young Taylor being dragged out of camp by our king, and both of them seemed to be in quite a hurry. Would you check up on them? I know it may just be young men goofing off, but they…No; I don't want to spread rumors. Just, ensure the safety of our guests if you would please, Kajinara. I could have sent any random Dee just to check, but I know you're our best scout, and if anything happens, I'd want you there over anyone else. You understand, don't you?"
Kajinara hoped that the Dee didn't see her blushing from his praise. He probably had. "O-Of course, sir. Just point me where to go, and I'll—"
"Over toward the forest, Kajinara. I'm sure enough Dees heard the king shouting to point you in the right direction."
"He really is loud, isn't he, sir?" Kajinara commented absentmindedly, starting to walk away. The other Dee would have grinned if he'd been able.
"Reminds me of myself, honestly. Ha ha ha!"
The scout wasn't sure what to think of the remark as the elder Dee walked away.
That doesn't matter though, Kaji; right? You've got Dees to protect, so get going. You can finally use your fighting skills. Kajinara smirked at the thought, already reaching to pull at her headdress. You can show Cody how well you can do, just as soon as you get to the—
…oh no.
The forest. The direction he'd been pointing to was near the forest. The footprints on the ground (was the penguin king really that big? She'd not been close to him yet…) were in the direction of the forest.
Kajinara instantly quickened her pace, thinking the worst of what could happen.
Mikaru's okay, right Kajinara? There's no way something would have happened in…oh Nova; it's been half an hour. That's definitely enough time for something to happen. But what? What could happen to him? Is it even him, or someone else? Oh, it's probably him or that pink Pikonyan; why else would our king be involved in this? Mikaru, please; I didn't mean to leave you alone! …no, I did. Why am I such a horrible pare—
"Oof!"
Kajinara collided with someone and lost her balance, falling onto her bottom. After the initial stun from the blow wore off, she realized she was staring at a familiar, orange-and-cream colored Dee with a white chef's hat. The other Dee offered her a paw, and the scout quickly accepted their help.
"Kaji?" Miki tilted her head. "What's wrong? You've been acting a little weird lately; what's with it? First Reggie, and now you…is something wrong with me? You can tell me, Kaji; we're friends!"
"Hm?" Oh, NOVA, I don't have time for this!"Miki no; it's nothing like that. I've got a job though so I'll talk to you later thank you bye!"
Kajinara dashed off, knowing that Miki was probably staring after her with another skeptical expression. It didn't matter; she was almost where she needed to go. She just needed a few more seconds to make it to the edge of camp.
Miki staring doesn't matter right now; something's wrong here and the chief won't tell me! Why won't he tell me? That's NOT a good sign! I—
Kajinara suddenly felt herself smash to the ground again, except with far more force than she'd experienced a few moments ago. The scout moaned; what had she run into this time? It wasn't a tent, but it was certainly something bigger—
"Holy NOVA, are you okay? I didn't see you coming, you were so fast!" A giant hand took her paw, pulling her back onto her feet and then dusting off her headdress. Kajinara let them do what they wanted, clutching her sides. Her impact with the ground had definitely been a lot harder than when she'd bumped into Miki. "Hey, can I ask you something real quick?"
The scout rubbed her eyes, looking up at the person she'd run into—and then had to look up even further, just to make eye contact.
Oh no…How embarrassing…
She'd just smashed into none other than the king of Dream Land and the Sky Kingdom himself, and now she looked like a careless ditz instead of a refined scout.
"Of course you can ask me something, Great King…" she answered, trying to ignore the dull pain resonating through her tiny body. "I'm always glad to be of service to you…"
Dedede's expression brightened. "All right, cool! So uh, do you know where the chief of the tribe is? Bandana—um, Taylor kinda asked me to tell him something…"
"Hm?" Kajinara blinked. "Yes, I do. I just passed him a few moments ago; he's on the other side of camp, over there. Honey-colored fur; you can't mistake him unless it's for our chef."
Who's going to be the next chief anyway…ugh; I can't wait to report to him every day…
"All right." The king shifted his arms, and it was only now that she realized he was holding something. "Well, thanks—and, uh, do you happen to know…"
The chocolate-furred scout froze in place for a few seconds, staring at the blue-clad bundle in the king's arms. She wasn't aware of it, but her eyes had widened considerably, and the pain from her collision with the ground seemed to have faded instantly.
That's…no; that's silly—that's not…
Ask him, Kaji; ask him; he could be carrying your child and if he is, your kid is bleeding all over the poor guy!
'Poor guy'? What about 'poor Mikaru; where were the kid's parents?! Who would leave their child in a dense forest all by themselves?' YOU, apparently!
Mikaru's in trouble and you're just standing there!
A scout should at LEAST protect their own children, shouldn't they?!
Yeah, some parent YOU are…you sent him off to the hospital and never saw him again. How can you say you were his parent? That's not what a parent is; a parent loves their kid and defends them and teaches them! The only thing you qualify for is caring about him, and you tried to forget him, so that doesn't even count!
The king was giving her a strange look, oblivious to the scout's internal argument. It was at this point that Kajinara remembered that he'd asked her another question while she hadn't been paying attention. "Um, I…I don't know? I—"
"Uh, okay, then." The penguin turned, starting to walk away from her. "Thank you, but I gotta go!"
She took a few shaky steps to follow him, but found that she could barely move. "W…Wait. G-Great King."
Dedede stopped, turning toward her with a curious expression on his face. "Huh? What is it? I uh, really need to get moving, uh…what's your name?"
"Great King, what—what happened to him?" Kajinara was standing on tiptoe, trying to see for herself…but compared to the king, she was far too short. "Is he okay…? He's not…"
He's not…no, I just left him…
That couldn't be possible. She had just been out there with him, and nothing had happened. If anything had happened, she would have been there to protect him. He couldn't…No; why was she feeling dizzy all of a sudden?
Get a grip on yourself, Kajinara; this isn't how a scout would act. She slapped herself on the cheek, hoping the king wouldn't find it suspicious. Straighten up. Pretend he's some other poor mom's problem, not your own. Get back to your neutral expression!
Mikaru, this is all my fault!
"Um…" The penguin shifted back and forth on his feet. "He's, uh…probably not okay? I know you'd like to know what's going on, but uh…I gotta get going here…"
"Um, I, um—of course, Great King," the scout replied, voice fading out the longer she stared at the puffball. "I just, um…I'm okay…"
Head spinning, Kajinara turned to leave, but before she could retreat more than a few steps, the king called to her again.
"Hey, uh! Excuse me?"
The Dee stopped, wondering what he could possibly want from talking to her.
"I know you didn't answer before, but could you tell me where you have some sort of first-aid kit or something? I'm…kinda lost, here, and I…" Dedede shuffled his feet awkwardly. "…need a little help?"
"Of course, Great King," Kajinara replied, feeling like she should probably sit down soon so she didn't collapse in front of a neighbor's tent. Was this how Cody felt when her children were in danger? No; Cody was stronger than this…most of the time? She remembered a few times where her mentor had had to 'take a break' for a moment, but only after ensuring the safety of her child…which, if she compared herself with the older mother, would make her such a wimp right now.
How did Cody not faint when she was protecting her children? Kajinara wondered, pointing the king in the direction he needed to go. She vaguely processed that he said something about watching the forest, and in recognition, she dragged her feet toward the edge of camp, instead of after her child like she desired.
Cody, seriously…I wish I could talk to you about this, but…
No. She couldn't. Cody would never approve of her secret romantic affairs, regardless of whether she'd saved her life. She would just have to figure things out on her own, and try to hold off telling Cody until the last possible second. She couldn't bear the thought of disappointing her…but, what if Cody found out before she could explain things? Would that be better, or worse?
Huh. After all, you might know already. You always seemed to have an edge on magic, when none of your tribemates stood a chance…
Is Mikaru going to be okay?
Stop thinking about him!
I love him…
Kajinara felt as if she could break down and start crying on the spot.
Cody, I've made some really stupid mistakes, haven't I…? Maybe it would've been better if I'd just kept him, and let him die from premature birth all those years ago. At least I wouldn't have to deal with the heartbreak of seeing him suffer…I don't know if I can take being a parent again…
Ugh, why was that Dee staring at me? I bet she thinks I murdered Meta or something. Dedede rolled his eyes, wishing that he was Waddle Dee-sized right now. Anyone in the area stared at him as he passed by, and while the king enjoyed attention, he wasn't really in the mood to be gawked at. Especially when puffball blood was dripping off his fingers and onto his stomach.
"Meta? Tell me my name, and my full title. No, tell me yours. Give me your title and your skills like you'd put on your résumé."
…The puff's response was a mix of his native language and a few out-of-place words, like 'pastry' and 'garden' and 'office'.
Had he been aware of what he was saying? Dedede had let an odd word or two slip when he was originally listening to him, but as the puff began making less and less sense, the king decided that he was going to see what was happening for himself. Meta Knight had installed trackers on the quartet's phones, set only to show their location to each other when permitted. Dedede had little clue what he'd have done if he hadn't known where the puff had been; he supposed Bandana Dee would have known where to go, but 'on the outskirts of camp' was not the most helpful description Meta Knight could have given them.
True to what Meta Knight had tried to tell him on the phone, the puffball was hot to the touch. The penguin had no clue why the knight hadn't wrapped his cape around himself, as the cloth reflected heat, but…what mental state had he been in before he passed out? Probably not the best, considering their conversation, but…
Gahhh, where's Kirby? Kirby better not be lying out somewhere, either. And—crap, what about Bandana Dee? I just sent him out there to stand by himself where a serial murderer could be! If I can just dump Meta off and have somebody watch him, maybe I can double back to Bandana in time to make sure he survives. It would suck if he died at his own family party thing—
"Great King? Um, Great King, are you okay?"
Dedede snapped out of his train of thought, staring down to where the voice had come from. He'd almost trampled a mother Waddle Dee by accident. He was about to apologize, but then he snapped back to his thought train.
"Well actually, I'm not okay. Do you uh—actually, do you mind leading me to a doctor or something? I can't get any directions around here…"
Bandana Dee felt like he was in one of the king's clickbait horror movies.
Everything was quiet, nothing was happening, and all he could do was hold his spear as he wondered whether any of his tribemates were dead.
Silva…Oh, please be inside today, Silva…
Probably not. His little sister loved going out and exploring the forest; she could be lying among the tree roots bleeding to death right now, and he'd never know. If only Meta Knight had been conscious, he could have asked if the puff had come across her…but if he had, wouldn't Silva have followed him back?
N-No, Bandana…Silva was with Mom when you left, remember? And Meta's only been gone for…
Oh no. He hadn't seen Meta Knight since breakfast, which was at least an hour ago…
"Bandana? Do you know what's going on here? The chief sent me."
The wanderer whipped around, almost running Kajinara through with his spear. Fortunately, the scout had the sense to come with a weapon out, and had used a dagger to block the attack. Bandana Dee quickly withdrew his weapon.
"K-Kajinara…I-I-I'm sorry; I just…am a little on edge right now."
The scout nodded. "That would make sense. What happened?"
She didn't know? Then again, Dedede had just left…Had they caused such chaos that the chief was concerned? Bandana Dee hoped that they weren't leaving a bad impression on him…
"My friend was attacked, and I…I don't know where the person who hurt him is. I'm worried about my family…My little sister could be in the forest playing right now…"
Much to his confusion, the scout walked over to the edge of the path near the flower bed, stopped, and stood there, staring blankly into the trees. She toyed with the edges of her headdress, twisting the cloth in her paws. Bandana Dee tried not to stare, but…he knew how to read people. Something was off here, too.
"K…Kajinara, are you okay…?" Bandana Dee ventured. "O-or are you just worried about something?"
The scout was silent for a moment, facing away from him and concealed in her glittering blue headdress.
"…was your friend a small, sapphire Pikonyan, by any chance?"
"Hm?" Why is she asking that? "Uh, yeah, he is…Why?"
The chocolate-furred Dee just stood there, eyes wide, as she pulled the headdress closer around her. Despite being nervous, Bandana Dee moved a little closer to her. "Uh, is something wrong…? I-I don't want to be pushy, but…"
Kajinara sighed. "No, you're not pushy. I just…" She titled her head downwards. "You can go be with your friend. I'll be fine out here." She glanced at him for a brief moment. "Just, if…if he's mad at me…tell him to come talk to me. Not in the forest."
Banana Dee blinked, surprised at her tone of voice.
She doesn't sound too good…or look too good. What could have happened to make her like this? Meta said she'd been nervous about something, but this is a little over the top…
"Wha…? Why would he be mad at you?"
"I asked to speak to him for a little, and we went and conversed in the forest." The Dee would have been frowning if she could have. "I left before he did; I should have made him come back. Especially since—well—" Her paws clenched for a split second. "…uh, he's m—he's a guest; I feel as if I should have paid more attention to things. Forced him to come back, or something. I never foresaw anything like this, though…"
There were a few things on Bandana Dee's mind, but only one that he needed to say out loud.
"Meta asked to talk to you?"
Why would Meta need to talk to her?
"Hm?" The scout looked somewhat surprised. "No, I asked to. You wouldn't understand, Taylor."
"How do you know my name?" the wanderer immediately questioned, perhaps too quickly. It wasn't that he'd put it past Kajinara to find out his name, but…why would she even bother to remember it? She never really talked to anyone. Kajinara's expression shifted, letting a bit of confusion show.
"Why wouldn't I? You're my tribemate."
"Well, I just…" How awkward. "…didn't think you'd bother…"
"Of course I'd bother, Taylor." Kajinara turned to face him, and it was at this point that Bandana Dee realized this was the closest to the scout he'd ever been. "I'm one of the tribe's scouts. We're supposed to look after our tribemates. And speaking of looking after my tribemates, I'm sure you'd like to look after and protect your friend as well, correct?"
Bandana Dee hesitated. Why did she want him to leave? And she'd been talking to Meta Knight… "Um, but I can stay here to help you fight!"
"But you don't have to." The scout shrugged, and Bandana Dee noticed that her voice wasn't as feeble as before. "I know you're capable, but having two guards at one spot is pointless. Especially since both of us can handle things ourselves. Our objective is to protect the tribe's guests for now, right? So, unless you want me to guard your friend instead of yourself, I'm not protesting to standing out here by myself. I'll call for help if I need it; don't worry. Just go see your friend."
She had a point…but still, why did she want to be out here alone, right after their guest had been attacked? And she may as well have lured him out there…Bandana Dee was going to have a talk with Meta Knight. Just what had they discussed, in the middle of an isolated forest?
Stop it, Bandana. Kajinara's—Kajinara's been a scout for the tribe since before you were born. If she was going to try anything, she would have done it back when you invited Great King to visit.
But Kirby and Meta weren't here then…
Still, standing here arguing with her wasn't going to get him anywhere. Maybe he could retreat a bit, and watch her from afar…although, she'd probably notice him. But who said he had to be subtle about it? He was just concerned for a tribemate, after all.
"Okay," Bandana Dee relented. "But, I'll be back if you need anything."
"Thank you, Bandana." She actually sounded a bit…what was the emotion? Relieved? Happy? No, it wasn't completely happy…He couldn't dwell on it for now. "I swear, I'll call someone if I need help with anything…it just may not be you, okay? It might be Cody, or another scout…but if it makes you feel better, I'll fetch you."
She offered her paw to him, and it was only now that Bandana Dee realized she was left-handed. The two Dees shook paws, and Bandana Dee started heading toward the small medical building the Dees had built, just in case. The scout waved as he left, before turning back to the forest. Bandana Dee couldn't help but notice, however, that she kept glancing around to see if anybody was within eyeshot of her.
I wonder…No. I'm not going to accuse her of anything until I talk to Meta. But still…why does she want me to leave so badly? As soon as I make sure the others are okay, I'm going back to stalk her. There's no way this is happening to anyone else at our party.
As soon as Bandana Dee was out of sight, Kajinara glanced around one final time.
She was alone. Finally, nobody watching her.
Good. The tribe would probably find it embarrassing if I…If they saw—
With no one around to stare at her or comfort her, Kajinara pulled her headdress around herself and finally burst into tears.
C/N: I'd like to casually mention here that Dedede accidentally stopped Meta Knight from revealing a plot point in this chapter. See if you can find it.
Usual excuses (actually above usual because I'm spending more than 60 hours a week on intense schoolwork), but I'd also like to thank Metanaito-kyou for the cover for this fic! I…also kinda only completed this chapter because I told Mety I'd update it (whyyyyyyy did I let that slip), so thank Mety a lot. I am a penguin of my word…but I'm aware that it's not a good idea to slop 6000 words on the page and not edit them, so if something's rushed or I made a mistake somewhere, call me out on it. I was raising my eyebrow at one or two points and I think Dedede could've said a bit more in his scenes. Just not sure if you guys like the Meta-Dedede friendship; I personally do, but I tried to hold back just because of how overboard I've been going with it behind the scenes.
So uh, important note here that might come up later: As Kaji mentioned, Meta was technically born prematurely. Waddle Dees carry their young for a maximum of eight months, whereas puffballs need about eleven months before they're born. Meta (or, Mikaru) was born a little over eight months, which is why him looking sick in his family photo was an important quality—if he'd been born as a pure-blooded puffball, he'd probably have died. It was only due to Kajinara's side of his genetics that his body was able to form quickly enough to support him. As he aged, more of his puffball genetics set into play (thus why he was colored differently as a child), but because he is part Waddle Dee, some of his magic and copy abilities are more unstable than Kirby's (for example, if he copied something, he might not be able to drop the ability, or he might drop it without wanting to), and any other physical changes will take place quicker in his body compared to a normal puff like Kirby, which was one reason he got wings much earlier than the pink puff.
(Which is an interesting detail in canon, because Meta doesn't have any wings in Kirby's Adventure; he's seen lifting his cape off his back and battling, and nothing's there. And his next appearance in KSS has him making a big show of them when he's chasing Kirby. Taking this perspective, Meta could have grown his wings during the known Kirby timeline and is just showing them off. …maybe it's a part of puffball puberty? -smacked-)
Review Replies:
StarWarrior: Oho, here you have it! Thanks! ^^
I'mSpiderman: IIIIII'm gonna avoid spoilers; eheh...but thank you! I'm glad you liked Meta's name; it's actually based off an ancient Greek word that'll come up later in the story.
Meta and Kaji do get a moment together...buuuuut I'm not making any guarantees on anyone's health, safety, or life. But I was aiming for this view on their relationship because like you said, you can't just be all sunshine and rainbows with someone you don't even know. I see that a lot in stories, too. -.- Anyway, thanks! I'm glad you're liking things!
Me: Aw, why thank you! I also saw your other review; thank you for writing them!