.
.
.
.
There is nothing I wouldn't do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature.
—Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey—
.
.
.
Kirby stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror with unshed tears. She has been in there for nearly an hour and no matter how much she tried to compose herself, Kirby couldn't. A sob finally escaped her. Kirby's eyesight began to blur. Maybe she just needed to breathe some fresh air. Surely Mr. Arthur wouldn't mind if she just stepped outside for a few minutes…
Kirby walked pass the conference hall and exited the ship. Her damp cheeks tingled in the cool night's air. The moon was full. It's light illuminating many other ships littering the field as a makeshift shipyard. The pink puffling inhaled deeply, taking in a much-needed breath and then exhaled. Feeling a little better, Kirby slumped against the ramp rail, closing her eyes.
"A pretty little girl such as you shouldn't cry!" someone said cheerily.
Kirby's eyes flew open.
In front of her was a little man bouncing on a colorful ball. Brown boots on his feet and a jester's cap on his head. Just where did he come from? When Kirby continued to stare at him without responding, the man blew a party steamer in her face that tickled her under her chin.
Kirby giggled.
"See?" he quipped. "A smile is better than a frown!"
"...who are you?" Kirby asked. She had never seen a creature like him before.
"The name is Marx!" he introduced himself. "And I am a jester by trade!" he did a little backflip to showcase his skill and then began to juggle balls using his feet while rolling the ball beneath him around in a circle.
Kirby clapped at the impressive display. Marx was probably an entertainer she did not get to see at the party. Kirby wilted a little again at being reminded so quickly of her woes.
Noticing her face fault, Marx paused his performance. "What's the matter, Kiddo?"
"I... I just wish I had time..." Kirby sighed. "...because I am not ready," she admitted, feeling very much like a failure. Mr. Arthur needed her to help, but Kirby wasn't sure if she could be of assistance with her heart not in the right place.
"Then how about you runaway?" Marx suggested brightly.
Kirby tilted her head to the side. "Runaway…?" the thought had never occurred to her to flee.
"Yeah!" her new friend insisted. "You don't want to get tied down with popping out pufflings, right?"
"It's not that I don't want to do those things…" Kirby backtracked a little. "...I just need more time to accept this-"
"Same difference!" Marx chirped.
Kirby frowned, not fully convinced.
"It's too bad Kirby can't come with us now," a familiar voice remarked suddenly.
"Huh…?" Kirby and Marx glanced over in the direction where the voice came from. They saw Knuckle Joe and Sirica walking side by side back into the makeshift shipyard.
"Yeah," Sirica agreed with her partner with a sigh. "We really could have used her help…" Sirica stopped in mid-stride. "Joe, are you sure you don't want to say any good-byes before we leave?" she asked. "We're not coming back here for several months-"
"Naw," Knuckle Joe shook his head. "We need to get a head start. This assignment is gonna take enough time as it is."
Kirby tilted her head in surprise. "Why wasn't I told that my friends needed my help?" she wondered out loud.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Marx said. "Sir Arthur and Meta Knight knew, but they didn't tell you!"
Kirby felt something squeeze in her chest. It was an uncomfortable feeling. She felt so betrayed at that moment.
"Say I have an idea!" Marx exclaimed.
"What?"
"Go away with your friends for a while! That will give you time to think!"
"...you're right," Kirby finally made up her mind. "Thank you, Marx!" Kirby waved him goodbye and ran ahead to join Knuckle Joe and Sirica.
"No problemo! Sayonara, Kirby of the Stars!" Marx bidded her farewell.
As he watched her run towards the two demon-beast hunters, the joyful grin on his face soured into a grotesque smirk. "...yes!" Marx hissed triumphantly. "Now with Dreamland's little savior outta the way it's time for part Bbbbeeeh...heh, heh, heh!" he rolled away on his ball back into the darkness of the forest.
Sirica narrowed her eyes. "Joe..." she said his name in a tone similar to what Lady Like would use when she was about to chide her children. "Stop stalling-"
"I ain't stalling!" the fighter retorted impatiently. "Popstar will be here the next time we visit!"
"Popstar will be here, sure, but one day soon she may not be available anymore," Sirica pointed out. "You're not the only one to notice her you know…. that D.J. certainly did-"
"Bah! She wouldn't date a guy like that!" Knuckle waved her off. "She has better taste than you think!"
"Just who are you guys talking about?" Kirby asked them.
The two jumped at her interjected question. Sending startled looks in her direction. "K-Kirby?" They seemed surprised to see her.
"Hi!" she greeted them with a wave.
"Hey, Kirby," Sirica greeted her back, but Joe said nothing yet.
Knuckle Joe squinted his eyes as he observed her face. "Hey, Kirbs, is everything alright?"
"Um… s-sure!" Kirby lied, feigning a smile. "Why you ask?"
Knuckle Joe leaned in and gently wiped the tip of his glove under her eyes. "For one thing, you've been crying," he frowned worriedly at the moisture soaked into his gear.
"I am not!" Kirby muttered childishly, quickly wiping away her tears.
"Who made you cry, Kirby?" he demanded with a growl. There was a dark edge to his tone that unsettled her.
"N-No one did!" Kirby insisted.
Sirica let out a sigh. "Alright, just what did Sir Arthur say?" her hand went straight to the hilt of her gun. "Or worse, what Meta Knight didn't do?"
Maybe confronting Sirica and Joe was not a good idea.
"I…" Kirby twiddled her paws nervously. She tried to think of an excuse, but nothing came to her. Deciding to tell the truth, Kirby confessed, "…I'm not allowed to be a knight anymore. I got to leave Dreamland to become a court lady… and...and become a mom eventually."
Sirica and Knuckle Joe exchanged pensive glances. Something past between the two but Kirby couldn't discern what. Turning their eyes back to her, Sirica asked her carefully, "Is that what you want?"
"Yes, I want to be a mother…" Kirby confessed. "…but I'm… I'm not ready…" she trailed.
"You know you could always just tell them to keff off," Knuckle Joe suggests. "It's your body, your choice."
"I just need time to think… to… to accept this… I need to get away for a short while," Kirby hoped they would take her with them.
A moment of silence past between the trio when Sirica suddenly asked, "Did you hear any of that, Joe?"
Her companion answered with a brisk, "Nope! I think I'll go check our inventory before take off," Knuckle Joe made a b-line for their ship. "See ya around, Kirby!" he called over his shoulder.
Kirby gave him a dishearted, "...bye." She had expected Sirica to follow Joe, but she lingered.
"You know Kirby, Knuckle Joe and I are leaving in a few minutes…." she said deliberately slow.
Kirby wilted. "I see..."
"Yeah," Sirica nodded. "I am sorry to say we won't be back on Popstar for several long months…" Sirica trailed as she stared intensely at Kirby. "The ship is currently unguarded and the ramp…" she motioned to it. "...is down. If a certain someone were to sneak aboard completely unnoticed then Joe and I would have no choice but to take her with us."
Kirby blinked.
"And once that certain someone hides, she does not come out until we say so... bye, Kirby!" she rushed up the landing ramp. A few moments later the ship's engine roared to life. The exhaust billowing out from the rockets, but the ramp remained on the ground.
Now determined, Kirby made a run for the door. She rushed inside tumbling ungracefully onto the bridge. Straight ahead she spotted both Joe and Sirica already strapped into their seats. Remembering Sirica's instructions not to be seen, Kirby hid in a cabinet under the control panels near the rear of the cockpit.
Joe glanced over his shoulder looking in her direction. Kirby's breath hitched, she hoped he didn't see her. To her relief, he turned back around. "C'mon," he urged Sirica to hurry. "Let's get off this star already!"
"Affirmative!" Sirica pressed a button. The ship's docking ramp closed shut with the hiss of the airlock.
Suddenly a loud ping rang in the air.
"Huh, an incoming call…?" Knuckle Joe noticed the blinking light on their holoprojector.
Sirica answered the call. "Yes, sir?" The hologram materialized on the screen. Kirby flinched when she realized it was Mr. Arthur.
"Sirica, Knuckle Joe," Arthur greeted them. "Have you seen, Kirby?" he asked urgently.
"We passed by her a few minutes ago," Sirica answered him carefully. "We parted ways after we said our good-byes, why?"
"We were in conference with young Kirby when she suddenly left during the middle of our meeting! My men are looking for her as we speak."
"Do you need us to join the search party?" Knuckle Joe offered.
"No, we have things under control for now. You two need to get going. Just remember to report in periodically."
"Yes, sir. We will."
Arthur nodded. "Happy hunting," he ended the connection.
Knuckle Joe and Sirica slumped in their seats with twin sighs of relief.
"That was too close!" Joe muttered.
"Let's not get it any closer! Alright... taking off in 3, 2, 1!"
The entire ship began to vibrate as the thrusters lifted it from the ground. Kirby yelped. She rocked back and forth helplessly until things finally smoothed out. It was a few minutes later when Joe walked back to the cabinet she was hiding in.
"Okay stowaway, you're up!" Knuckle Joe yanked the door open.
"Eeep!" Kirby rolled out onto the open floor like the beachball she was. She came to a rest with her feet up in the air.
Joe laughed at her clumsy disposition. "You really suck at sneaking about!" he sniggered.
"I have already set the coordinates to our first base's location," Sirica announced loudly. "So I cannot return to Popstar!"
"You heard her Kirbs? We aren't turning back!" Joe helped Kirby to her feet. "But we don't accept freeloaders either!" he smirked at her as he flicked the side of his nose. "Guess that means you're on our team now!"
Sirica rotated her chair around to face Kirby. "This mission will take about six months if we stay on schedule. Are you up for it, Kirby?"
"POYO! Um, I mean …ahem!" Kirby cleared her throat with an embarrassed chuckle. "Yes! I am a Star Warrior who battles monsters and that's what I am going to do!"
"Then strap in!" Sirica grinned. "We're about to hit lightspeed!"
"Ahh…" Kirby's excitement plunged as she climbed into her seat. "We're going to hit a wormhole?" Kirby remembered the last wormhole she had traveled through on Meta Knight's ship years ago. Not a very pleasant experience worth repeating.
"It's the fastest way," Sirica's tone sounded apologetic.
Knuckle Joe merely shrugged as he strapped himself back down in his chair. "You'll get used to 'em-"
Kirby's stomach chose that moment to sound out a loud groan that echoed throughout the cockpit. Kirby blushed, feeling mortified as Knuckle Joe and Sirica turned to look at her with raised eyebrows.
"You're hungry, huh?" Joe guessed sarcastically.
"I am," Kirby replied sheepishly. "I didn't have anything to eat since breakfast today."
"You're kidding!" Knuckle Joe scoffed. "All the food that was available and you're telling us you didn't even get a single bite to eat at your own party?"
Kirby shook her head. "I didn't get a chance to eat anything before I was pulled away..."
Sirica let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe how inconsiderate those guys are! Hey, Joe, when we exit the wormhole, we're going to have to make a detour to the nearest Galaxy Burger!"
Joe sent her a look. "But we can't afford that, Sirica. Not with Kirby's appetite!"
Sirica reached into her breast pocket and took out a credit card charged to the GSA. "With this, we can~" she sang sweetly. "I'm sure Sir Arthur wouldn't have a problem providing meals for the quote on quote, "Hope for their species survival", right Kirby?"
Kirby grinned. "Right!" she replied, already smacking her lips.
"Okay, here we go!"
.
.
.
Next Chapter: Return of the Temporal Warrior
.