Content warning for this chapter: blood, strong language, WoL Spoilers (still), and EVEN MORE FEELS.

Also, forgot to mention last time, I know Fiora (Hom form) has a Spirit in the Light Realm, and Mecha-Fiora (the form I've been using this whole fic)'s Spirit is in the Dark Realm. I'll just stick to Mecha-Fiora being the only form of Fiora in this fic, so they save her in the Dark Realm, hopefully next chapter.

As for Rex, he's there too. I added a little detail in chapter 12 to sort of? introduce him for this fic, at least in passing. I know he's just a Mii Costume atm and probably won't become more than that, but I didn't wanna leave him out.

chapter namesake - So Far Away by Martin Garrix & David Guetta feat. Jamie Scott and Romy Dya

Hiding in my Skin, Broken from Within

Chapter 18 - So Far Away

Within a few minutes, a rumbling sounded throughout the land as Rathalos, Galeem's last guardian, fell. The barrier surrounding Galeem shattered into glassy particles of light, rendering them completely vulnerable. Standing close to the warp pipe he mentioned earlier, Captain Falcon noticed the barrier breaking.

"It's time," he murmured, his voice brimming with contempt at the deity that separated him from the woman he loved. "The hour of reckoning has come, Galeem..." He saw Shulk running to him in the distance. "You ready, Shulk?"

"Ready."

The two leapt into the warp pipe, depositing them in an area of pink clouds where Lucas found Ness. Knowing the way to the staircase from a vision, Shulk led the Captain through the meandering path until they reached the staircase of light to the right of Galeem. They faced no resistance, as Lucas, Ness, and King Dedede had freed all the Spirits in that area. Just as Shulk and the Captain approached Galeem, however, a fake Master Hand blocked their path.

"Of fucking course," Captain Falcon spat. "Galeem controls these fakes too..."

"Don't worry, Captain," Shulk volunteered. "I'll handle him. You go for Galeem."

"...Thanks, Shulk." The fake Master Hand hovered toward Shulk, ready to attack, while Captain Falcon ran to Galeem.

"Galeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeem...!" He cried belligerently, dashing toward them before leaping and shouting, "FALCON KICK!", striking them in their glowing core. The core flashed, following by the Captain hearing Galeem's voice in his head.

So... you've come to defy me, Captain Falcon. Come to destroy my perfect world of preservation...

"The hell I have...!" Falcon shouted. "Before I beat you into submission, I must ask again: where is Lucina?"

I already told you. I do not know. I only ask that you stop, before you do something you'll regret...

"Like I'd ever regret kicking your ass!"

So be it.

Galeem proceeded to attack Captain Falcon, using beams of light that were as thin as piano wires, which Falcon managed to expertly dodge. They then turned their prismatic wings into homing drills, which again, the Captain managed to avoid. Once Galeem was vulnerable, Falcon let loose on them with a flurry of punches. Galeem then warped to another area of the platform they were on, spinning their wings around in perfect circles.

"Oh, what now?" The Captain griped, before seeing something that shocked him.

Emerging from the rings was... Shulk. Or rather, a clone of him created by Galeem. His entire body was made of a bluish-white crystalline substance, with Galeem's familiar blue aura emanating from it. The clone's eyes glowed red, just as Shulk's did when he was under Galeem's control.

"Shulk...?" He stammered, stunned, as the Shulk clone rapidly approached him.

"Captain!" The real Shulk called out from afar, having already vanquished the fake Master Hand from earlier. "That's not me!" He ran to the fake Shulk and, leaping, pulled out his Monado in front of him and shouted, "BACK SLASH!" The strike knocked the fake Shulk onto the ground.

"Shulk..."

"I'll handle the clone," Shulk reassured the Captain. "Just take out Galeem, and we can put an end to all this!"

"Got it!"

You two are fools, thinking defeating me will solve anything...

"Like we give a shit!" Falcon leapt up to Galeem and struck them with his knee before continuing, "It's not like things will get any worse with you outta the picture!"

You don't know what you're dealing with...

"Stuff it, you megalomaniacal god!" He began to gather energy in his fist. "FALCON..."

You'll awaken... my other half...

"...PUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!" With the Falcon Punch, Galeem collapsed into the sky below them as the fake Shulk, who was pinning the real Shulk to the ground, vanished. Getting up, Shulk headed over to the Captain and watched Galeem sink into the sky. "Looks like it's over..."

"Yeah..." Falcon looked down solemnly, fearing that he had truly let Lucina slip through his fingers and that he would never see her again, before he suddenly heard the sound of glass cracking. "Wait, what...?"

"Huh?" Both Shulk and Captain Falcon turned their gazes in the direction of the sound, and could not believe what they saw.

It looked like cracks were appearing in the sky, as if it were a mirror. Eventually, the cracked portion of the sky shattered, revealing a swarm of fake Crazy Hands that flew out of the dark hole and attacked the fake Master Hands, and another deity like Galeem, but instead of looking angelic, they looked demonic. They appeared to be a singular demonic eyeball surrounded by violet fleshy branch-like tentacles with sharp tips. There was a clear aura of darkness emanating from them. As the new deity emerged, Galeem mustered what remained of their strength to flee, with the new deity in hot pursuit after them. Shulk and Captain Falcon looked on in fear.

"Is this... Galeem's other half...?" Falcon murmured timidly. "Who are they...?"

"I don't know..." Shulk answered him, his voice tinged with apprehension. "All I can gather is... they're a deity of darkness, and they probably have the same type of capturing and world-creating power as Galeem..." Just then, his eyes suddenly glowed blue as a staircase of light formed from the south direction of the hole to the ground below where the other Smashers they saved stood.

"Another vision..." Once it was done, Falcon asked Shulk, "What did you see...?"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Shulk said, "Captain Falcon... you'll be happy to hear this. Lucina... is alive."

"She...?!" The Captain's heart began to race as happiness and hope filled his heart, his eyes overflowing with tears.

"She's there... captured by that dark deity in that realm... with a lot of the other fighters. I can sense a lot of the Spirits of our friends in there too... Dr. Stewart, Amy Rose, Rex, the Octolings, Dunban... Fiora..."

"Thank God..." Captain Falcon began to weep as his chest heaved with each breath. "I'm so...glad..."

"Captain..." Knowing the real Captain Falcon was shining through, Shulk extended his arms for a comforting embrace. "Don't be shy. It's okay to cry."

"Shulk..." The Captain embraced Shulk and wept, tears raining from his visor-obscured eyes. Shulk tenderly embraced him back.

"It's okay... I'm happy, too. We can save everyone in earnest now..."

"Heeeey!" Snake called out from below. "What happened? Is Galeem gone? Why's that hole there in the sky...?"

Gently breaking the embrace, which prompted Captain Falcon to wipe away his tears, Shulk called back to Snake, "Just stay there until I return! We're going to investigate this new dark realm for a bit! We'll be back soon!"

"Okay!"

Turning to the Captain, Shulk asked him, "Well? Shall we go?"

"...Yes. Let's." Shulk and Captain Falcon then leapt into the great unknown.

...

"Ugh..." Captain Falcon slowly stood and looked around. Calling it a "dark realm" was certainly apt - the skies were a dark crimson, flashing every few seconds with purple lightning. From the platform he and Shulk stood on, he saw three bridges - one leading north, one to the east, and one to the west. To the south was the same hole they entered into from the Light Realm, which led him to assume they could backtrack that way if they needed to. Walking over to Shulk, he helped the blonde Hom up. "You alright?"

"I... think so..." Shulk grunted, brushing the dirt off his clothing when he stood. "So this is the world that deity of darkness created..."

"Looks like it," Falcon stated. Hesitating for a second, he then said, "Hey... Shulk."

"Yeah?"

"I just... want to apologize."

"What for...?" Shulk was a bit confused at the Captain's sudden apology.

"I... acted rash. I let my emotions cloud my judgment. Even if it means saving Lucina and the others, we don't know what this new deity is capable of. They could be worse than Galeem..."

"Don't worry about it," Shulk comforted the Captain. "I know you wanted to save Lucina really badly, and I haven't gotten any visions after the last one that would have indicated her life was in any danger. She's still safe for the time being."

"That's good..." Falcon looked down, tenderly holding his right hand to his chest. Just then, Shulk decided to cut to the chase.

"...You're in love with her, aren't you?"

"Ah?!" The Captain gasped, surprised that Shulk figured it out. "Yes... I am. How could you tell?"

"It's written all over your face," Shulk chuckled. "No, but really, the way you seemed so concerned for her safety... how angry you got at Galeem when we couldn't find her at first... then how you burst into tears when you found out she's alive in here... that kind of protectiveness and concern for one's safety... it's a sign of true love."

"Right..." Looking ahead, Falcon said, "It's true. Lucina and I fell in love with each other shortly before all this happened... I'm sure she's waiting for me too. She must be so lonely without me..."

"And I'm sure she would appreciate her Prince Charming coming to save her," Shulk suggested. "It's actually pretty amazing how it feels like just yesterday, you were saying you wanted to make up with her for what happened that day... and now you two are an item."

"Yeah... if this deity doesn't give me a hard time saving her." Looking away and blushing, he then said, "D-don't tell anyone else about the fact Lucina and I are a couple, just yet."

"You have my word," Shulk promised. "I know where she is. Want me to take you to her?"

"Lead the way."

Shulk and Captain Falcon took the east bridge to an ominous-looking landscape. Following the meandering path, they suddenly ran into a fake Crazy Hand.

"Oh, come ON!" Captain Falcon objected. "I'm so sick of this bullshit!"

"Don't worry, Captain," Shulk reassured him. "I'll handle this one, too. Just keep going!"

"How will I know where to go?!" The Captain pleaded.

"Through that cloudy area, keep going until you see a path leading to an area with clock gears," Shulk explained. "Then, keep going through the clockwork labyrinth until you find her!"

"Easier said than done..." The Captain muttered.

"Don't worry!" Shulk encouraged him. "I know you can do it! Just go! Once I'm done here, I'll bring everyone from the Light Realm over here and lead them to you!"

"...Thank you, Shulk." Captain Falcon ran off, determined, as Shulk faced off against the false Crazy Hand that the deity of darkness controlled.

...

It had only been a short distance from where he left Shulk to fight the fake Crazy Hand, but Captain Falcon felt as if he had run a marathon through the winding, complex clockwork-like labyrinth. Having faced several Spirits along the way, he was starting to feel exhaustion catch up to him. In the distance, he saw a humanoid figure surrounded by purple and red branch-like tendrils. He couldn't make out who they were, but he knew deep down it had to be Lucina. Shulk's visions never lied.

"Hold on, sweetheart," he murmured. "I'll be there soon..." Just then, a dark mist enveloped him and he found himself on Norfair, a metal Ridley standing before him.

"Another Spirit?!" He cried out of frustration, trying to ignore the blistering heat of his surroundings. "God dammit, just get out of my way! She's waiting for me and I won't let anything separate me from her any longer...!" Leaping to the Spirit-possessed Metal Ridley, he shouted, "FALCON PUUUUNCH!" and punched his opponent with all his might. The puppet Ridley let out a cry as he died before the dark mist returned Captain Falcon to where he was before. The Omega Ridley Spirit joined him, but he paid it no mind, and still trudged forward until he finally saw her, breaking out of her chains.

Captain Falcon could not believe his eyes. There, standing before him, was his lover, Lucina. A crimson aura surrounded her, brimming with the energy of darkness, and her eyes glowed purple amidst a grayish-purple sclera, indicating that this new deity of darkness had control of her body.

But there was no mistaking it. She was indeed, nevertheless, alive.

"Lucina..." He murmured, before a dark mist covered them both and when it cleared, they appeared to be fighting on Arena Ferox, just like when they first met. Within seconds, Lucina, or rather, the being that was controlling her, drew her Falchion out from its sheath.

"Lucina...is that really you?" Captain Falcon asked the Lucina standing before him, his voice sounding forlorn but desperately hopeful.

"This body is merely a vessel," were the words that came out of Lucina's lips; but the voice was not her own. Her face remained stoic as the being that controlled her spoke. "You may address me as Dharkon, the Embodiment of Chaos and Darkness. If you want this woman returned to you, you'll have to take her by force."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Captain Falcon answered the deity controlling Lucina's body. "When Snake saved me from Galeem's control, he did so without any such force. I know the real Lucina is in there somewhere...I know I can reach out to her."

"You truly are a fool," Dharkon spoke through Lucina as her sword was pointed at the Captain. "Why are you willing to risk your own life for this woman...?"

"Because..." Falcon looked Lucina square in the eyes, hoping his voice would reach the real Lucina. His voice was full of unwavering resolve. "Because I love her...and she loves me too. I can only imagine how lonely she must have been without me... Lucina, sweetheart, if you can hear me...I'm finally here. You don't have to worry anymore..."

"She can hear you, but unfortunately for you, she cannot answer," the deity of darkness's voice said through Lucina's lips as Lucina got into an attacking stance. "You should have chosen your last words more wisely." After saying those words, Lucina's body dashed to Captain Falcon, Falchion drawn and ready to attack. Captain Falcon only held his arms in front of him, blocking Lucina's attacks with his metal wristcuffs.

Just like he did that day, he then kicked Lucina's Falchion away, making sure not to hurt her as she stumbled back, before Dharkon made her regain her balance with almost unnatural ease.

Are you remembering, Lucina? The Captain thought, hoping that that would help jog the real Lucina's memory and get her consciousness to surface. I won't stop... until I save you...

"I do not understand," Dharkon remarked as they got Lucina to stand upright. "Why will you not fight back...?"

"You underestimate me, Dharkon," Captain Falcon answered Dharkon, who was controlling the woman he loved. "Didn't I say I would reach out to the real Lucina without hurting her?"

"Even though you risk harm to yourself?" Making Lucina look to the side with a derisive look on her face, Dharkon then said, "And you say you and this woman are in love... heh. Love is perhaps one of the most useless emotions to exist..."

"Shut up! How dare you spew that cruel shit with her face!" Falcon cursed at the deity of darkness. "You're just like that asshole Galeem!"

"Ah, of course, you did mention Galeem once controlled you," Dharkon replied in a haughty manner as they made Lucina make eye contact with him. "But you will see I am nothing like the Lord of Light. They were always so prideful but weak-willed... I am so much more than them!"

"So it's a feud between you two douchebags?" The Captain provoked Dharkon. "Like I give a crap! Leave us all out of it! Leave her out of it!"

"You cannot begin to comprehend why I am doing this...!" Dharkon then made Lucina lunge at her lover again, as the Captain backflipped out of the way.

Please... remember... let this be my way of reaching out to you, my love...

"And why are you doing this?" The Captain interrogated Dharkon. "Don't tell me it's to create a 'perfect world' like Galeem or something like that..."

"Stop comparing me to them!" Enraged, Dharkon made Lucina dash at Captain Falcon once again, only for him to grab their puppet by the collar.

"And why should I...?" The Captain challenged the being controlling his lover.

"You wish to see her again, do you not?" Dharkon asked as Lucina appeared to look down for a moment.

"What are you planning..." But before Falcon could reply, he heard Lucina weakly utter, in her own voice, "C-Cap...tain...?"

"Lucina?!" He promptly let her go, causing her to lose her balance before he then wrapped his arms around her. "Is that really you? Can you hear me?"

"I... It's you..." Slowly reaching her right hand to try to caress her lover's face, Lucina murmured, her face bearing a grateful but sorrowful expression, "I'm so happy... I could cry..."

"It's gonna be okay, sweetheart," The Captain affectionately reassured her. "I'm here. I'll save you."

"You...shouldn't... have come..." Lucina managed to utter as she could feel Dharkon seizing control of her again, a worried expression creeping up on her face. "I'll just... hurt you..."

"It'll be fine, I promise..." He reached out a hand to touch his beloved's face as well. "Remember what I told you? That I would free you if a situation like this arose? You wouldn't hurt me..."

In that moment, Dharkon once again assumed control over Lucina as they made her grab his hand in a vise-like grip before taunting in their own voice, her facial expression turning stoic, "She wouldn't... but I would."

"Kh-!" Captain Falcon grunted before Dharkon commanded Lucina's body to use all of her strength to throw him over her shoulder. Feeling the pain of the impact reverberate through his entire being, Falcon could barely move, only watching as he lay on his back and Lucina, controlled by Dharkon, walked over to him.

"So this is the effect love has on humans? Reducing them to sentimental, vulnerable, weeping husks of the people they have the potential to be? Pathetic." Looking at the F-Zero racer with an expression of scorn on her face, Dharkon then commanded Lucina to step on the Captain's chest with her right foot, knocking some air out of his lungs.

"Ughhhh...!" Falcon groaned in agony.

"Love... friendship... bonds... in the world I plan to create, which is a world that will consume every other and every being will bend to my will, there will be no need for such things," Dharkon explained as they made Lucina continue to torment the Captain. "At the very least, I will say I find it amusing to torture not only you in this manner, but the woman as well. She is watching everything... it breaks her heart so to see me use her body to hurt the man she loves." A sadistic smirk crept up on Lucina's face as Dharkon then boasted, "And I will relish every moment, feeding off her despair as I wring the life from your body and she can do nothing but helplessly watch."

"Dharkon, you sadistic prick!" At that moment, the anger welling up within Captain Falcon gave him the strength he needed to push Lucina off him and stand back up. "Galeem is a narcissistic, uncaring little dickwad, but calling you a 'monster' would be too kind...!"

"So you intend to defy me to the bitter end, then?" Dharkon asked the Captain as they made Lucina push against the ground with her hands before hitting the ground, then backflipping and standing upright.

"Do I even need to answer that?" Captain Falcon retorted. "I will not stop... until I save her..."

Chuckling sinisterly, Dharkon then announced through Lucina, "Very well. You have sealed your fate." The self-proclaimed Embodiment of Darkness then made Lucina attack the Captain without restraint. The few seconds that elapsed seemed like an eternity to him as he only knew one thing: pain.

"Auuuuugh!" He was struck, thrown, kicked, and knocked down, screaming in agony with each blow. Whenever he tried to get back up again, Dharkon, controlling Lucina, would not permit that.

"Lucina, please...!" He managed to shout as he was being continuously beaten. "Remember... our training! You can... filter Dharkon's... influence out! Focus on... my voice...!"

Lucina... he managed to think in the midst of the unbearable hell he was going through. Please... I know you can fight Dharkon's control... I know... you're in there...

Eventually, the Captain lay still on the ground. Sensing this was the time to go in for the kill, Dharkon manipulated Lucina's body to back off momentarily.

"Lu...cina..." he grunted feebly as he lay on his back, trying to stand, but unable to due to the pain paralyzing him. In that moment, Lucina leapt onto him and pointed her Falchion at his throat as Dharkon spoke through her, "Any last words...?"

His vision blurring and his breathing shallow, the Captain would normally feel the fear of death paralyzing him in a moment like this. But he felt no such emotion. Instead, he only smiled softly and reached out a hand to touch his lover's face.

"What are you...?!"

"Lucina..." He began with an exhausted sigh as blood trickled from his lips. "You're... doing it already, aren't you? You're starting... to resist Dharkon's control all by yourself. I'm so... proud of you..."

"Captain...?" For a brief moment, Lucina's consciousness surfaced again, her face bearing an expression that was a mixture of fearful, sorrowful, and hopeful at the same time. "I..." Unfortunately, Dharkon seized control once again as they cried, "Stop it...!"

"You're holding Dharkon back, Lucina. Don't stop..." He caressed her face lovingly as he continued, "Even now, you're willing your body to not attack me, despite Dharkon wanting it to be so... Just keep... holding on..."

"Silence!" Dharkon cried, making Lucina raise her Falchion with the intent to stab Captain Falcon with it, before Lucina seemed to take control again and held the sword still as she strained, "N-no...!"

"Lucina...!" Falcon mumbled, feeling hope welling up in him as he saw his protégé-turned-lover continue to resist Dharkon's influence.

"You dare defy me?!" Lucina's body stood and backed away slowly from the Captain as he slowly sat up.

"You... won't," Lucina said in her own voice. "You won't... make me... do this anymore...!"

"Stop it! Just stooooooop - !" Lucina's eyes squeezed shut as Dharkon tried to maintain control over her, and failed.

"I won't let you use me anymore...!" At that moment, Lucina's eyes flew open again, but it seemed to be her in control, for real this time. "Ngh...C-Captain...?"

"Is... that?" Slowly standing and wiping the trickling blood from his mouth as his senses stabilized, he noticed Lucina standing still a distance from him, holding her Falchion's handle to her chest in fear, a heartbroken expression on her face.

"I... you're hurt...because of me..." She trembled as she stood, her body held still by her will alone. She could feel Dharkon still having a lingering semblance of control over her, and knew they could resume control at any time, but she was doing everything in her power to resist.

"It's...okay, love. This is...nothing. I'm just so happy to know you're alive..."

"But...I'm not happy...knowing I hurt you..." Tears started to gather in her eyes as she lowered the arm holding the Falchion and let it rest at her side. "I don't know how much longer I can fight Dharkon's influence. Please, babe, I'm begging you...just leave me. Save yourself. I'll be fine..." She looked away with a wistful smile as she said, "...Nobody needs me, anyway."

"Lucina...why are you saying that...?" The Captain's face bore a look of immense concern.

"Because..." Lucina closed her eyes, her mouth forming a slight frown as she spoke. "I was there when the beams of light hit, right after I sent Morgan back to my home world. I saw everyone being vaporized and... I couldn't do anything to stop it. I just watched as my parents tried to shield me." She opened her eyes once again, looking directly at the man she fell in love with. "I was so far away from you... I kept reaching out for you after Shulk, Link and Zelda were vaporized, only to see you and the Blue Falcon disappear. In that moment, I could only think about how I failed to save you… How I once again lost someone I loved so dearly before my very eyes. And then... nothing." Looking down solemnly, a single tear slid down her face as she concluded, "Like I said... nobody needs me."

Lucina... The Captain thought. I know that, in this moment, this isn't Dharkon trying to influence your words or thoughts...these are your true feelings. I already know you so well, sweetheart. And that's why...you need to hear what I'm about to say.

"I need you, Lucina. I won't give up on you."

"Babe...?" She could feel his hand softly caressing her face, bringing back wonderful memories of their first night together, their confessions of pure, undying love for each other. She remembered how lovingly his hand would caress her face, wiping away her tears.

"Kirby saved Snake, who saved me when I was under Galeem's control. Now it's my turn to save you, my love. I'm not leaving without you. We can save the others, like your parents and your friends...don't you want to show them all that you became stronger like you promised you would...?"

"Ah..." Lucina willed her right hand to drop the Falchion, trembling, her voice starting to crack. "You're...right..."

"I... knew you were in there. I'm so glad I could see you again..." The Captain smiled, lowering his hand and drawing closer to her before wrapping his arms around her tightly in a passionate embrace.

"I...!" Lucina's eyes were overflowing with tears, but instead of sorrow, these were tears of unadulterated joy. She could feel Dharkon's control on her weaken drastically.

This...feeling...it's indescribable. The joy I feel is so intense, I... I can't stop crying...

She blinked, the tears gushing from her eyes which returned to their normal blue hue among a white sclera. Such a warm emotion...I'm reminded why I'm here, and why I fell in love with him. He remembered our promise...and so did I.

She instinctively embraced him back, burying her face into his chest as she slowly closed her eyes and the dark aura dissipated around her, the setting returning to what it was before the dark mist enveloped them. At that moment, she had finally, completely broke free.

It's like... I'm coming home. With him... I am home.

She softly wept as she held him tighter, enjoying the familiar warmth of his embrace, leaning her ear to his chest and listening to his heartbeat – the one thing that reminded her this was all real - as she felt his left hand softly run its fingers through her hair while his right hand rested on the small of her back. She was finally free, and finally safe again in the arms of the man she loved so much.

He's alive. I'm alive. This is really happening. I've been reunited with him...Naga...thank you.

"Babe..." She pleaded tearfully as she opened her eyes, her voice soft and loving. "Please...don't let me go. I've yearned for this moment for so long... all alone in that dark bubble... my consciousness kept crying out for you. And now... you're finally here... I'm so happy. I wish this moment… here, just the two of us… could last forever."

"I'm so happy, too. I promise, I won't let you go." Captain Falcon gently lifted Lucina's face so her gaze met his. His voice was comforting, but brimming with a joy so great he might have started to weep, too. "All this time...I thought you were dead after those beams of light hit. I thought I was dead... When I came to, I was in this empty, oppressive bubble of light. It was so lonely... all I could worry about was if you were safe."

"Babe...that's right, you said Galeem held you prisoner."

"Yes..." He tenderly wiped away her tears. "A deity of light and a deity of dark...both wanting to destroy everything. They separated us once. I won't let us get separated again."

"You...promise?"

"Yes," Falcon answered her. "It's thanks to Kirby making it out of Galeem's first attack alive that we've been...given a second chance. If he hadn't, we'd all be dead for sure. And in many ways...I'm thankful for Kirby. We were able to live again and... find our way back home to each other." It was at this moment he couldn't hold in his true feelings any more, that he bared his sensitive side to her. A single tear streamed down his face as he uttered, his voice starting to crack, "I really was afraid I lost you...I can't imagine a life without you, sweetheart..."

"Babe...!" Lucina reached out her right hand to caress his face, the face she just couldn't forget, and wiped away his tears as joyful tears rained from her own eyes and she smiled gratefully. "I can't imagine a life without you, either... But please, love, don't cry... Everything's okay now. We did...we really did find our way back to each other...!"

He instinctively held her closer to him, feeling her heartbeat against his chest. "I never doubted that we would. We've been through so much on our own, as well as together... we've suffered so much." Wiping away her tears, he said, "It's up to us now... To oppose them both, and get our happy ending...the one we deserve."

"Of course..." Lucina nodded. Leaning her face closer, slowly closing her eyes, and parting her lips for a kiss, she softly, affectionately whispered, "I love you, Captain Falcon."

"I love you too...Lucina."

Their lips met in a delicate kiss that quickly became passionate but also full of longing. They could feel their blissful sighs mingling as they kissed. Every fear, every feeling of loneliness and sorrow, simply evaporated into the dark clouds above them. All that mattered was this moment. They were alive. They had never felt so alive. They were finally together again, after so many trials and tribulations.

And neither of them wanted to let go.

After several heavenly moments, they broke the kiss and looked at each other affectionately, their minds a bit foggy from the kiss, just silently feeling indescribably happy seeing each other's faces again. Not just that, but hearing each other's voices and feeling the other's touch again. It truly was like they had just come home.

Suddenly, the Captain clutched his side in pain.

"U-ugh...!"

"Babe...?!" Lucina immediately caught Captain Falcon before he could collapse to the ground.

"My love..." The Captain strained before covering his mouth with his left hand to cough. After an intense, hacking cough, he felt something wet on his hand and a copper-like taste in his mouth. Moving the hand away from his mouth, both he and Lucina caught a glimpse of what it was. It was blood.

"Oh gods, you're hurt...!" She gently set him down as she crouched. "You're bleeding internally, and I... I did this to you...when I was under Dharkon's control..."

"Don't...worry about it anymore..." Falcon said weakly as he grimaced. "It's over now...I'm here...I'll be fine..."

"No, you won't," Lucina answered him sternly. "You saved me. Now please, love, let me save you and stop trying to take every burden on to yourself. If I can't overwhelm myself with such burdens, then neither can you. Please..." Her eyes turned pleading at her second "Please".

Looking at her concerned face through his slightly blurring vision, the Captain only smiled softly, feeling a sense of peace wash over him.

You're being strong, for my sake... And you're always so selfless and compassionate. It may be to a fault sometimes, but it's one of the many reasons I fell in love with you, Lucina.

Seeing the others finally catch up to them, Lucina saw Shulk and called out to him, "Shulk!"

"Lucina! You're alright..." Shulk ran to them when, just then, he noticed Captain Falcon crouching and clutching his side in pain, a small trickle of blood dripping from his lips.

"Captain! Oh no! What..." Shulk gasped, his voice sounding slightly fearful.

"Does anyone have anything that can help...?" Lucina called out, desperately.

"...I've got just the thing."

Snake walked out from the midst of the other Smashers. "Here's a Healing Field." He walked over to the newly reunited couple and set the item on the ground, generating a column of healing energy that enveloped them both in a green glow and healed their external and internal injuries.

"S-Snake..." The Captain murmured, weakly. "Thanks..."

"Please, babe, save your breath until you get better," Lucina urged her lover, softly stroking his face. "Just rest..." She sat down and gently lay him down as well, letting his head rest on her lap. Turning her gaze to Snake, she said, "Thank you, Snake."

"You could use some of it, too," Snake urged her.

"Maybe..." She looked to the side briefly. "But...he needs it more." She turned her gaze downward to see the man she loved peacefully asleep. "He went through all that suffering...just to save me. There's no greater love than that..." She smiled as she softly caressed his peaceful face.

"Heh...you two are just like Samus and I. Only, you're way more passionate over each other and devoted to each other...I must say, I'm a bit jealous."

"Heehee..."

"Oh," Snake murmured, noticing Lucina's Falchion lying close by. "Let me get that for you."

"Thank you," Lucina thanked Snake as he picked it up and handed it to her. Laying her lover's head on the ground softly, she then stood and sheathed it into the holster on her uniform. Turning to Shulk, she asked him, "So, what now?"

"Hmmm..." Focusing, Shulk had another vision come to him. Once his eyes stopped glowing blue, he announced, "There's a pocket dimension not far from here. I can sense some more fighters to save there, including Robin, your mother Robyn, and Simon's descendant, Richter."

"Richter... mom..." Lucina murmured.

"You coming?"

"...No," Lucina declined Shulk, kneeling down next to her lover. "I need to rest for now... There's a lot I need to try to wrap my head around at the moment. And the Captain is hurt... I have to make sure he recovers, too."

"I'm stayin' too," Snake announced. "I've got some... catching up to do with them. Especially Cap when he wakes up."

"Very well," Shulk nodded.

"Before you go," Lucina told Shulk, "Apparently the ruler of this domain is named Dharkon. They were controlling me until the Captain saved me just now... apparently there was another deity, Galeem, that controlled the Captain and you guys? The... same one I had those dreams about?"

"Yeah," Shulk confirmed.

"See if Dharkon lets slip anything about their motives, or anything like that," Lucina suggested, wanting to help her friends any way she could.

"I have some things I want to know for myself too," Shulk commented. "Once we save every fighter and Spirit in that dimension from Dharkon's control, we'll report back here and discuss what we've learned."

"Sounds good," Snake commented. "Stay safe out there, guys."

"Of course." Shulk began to walk off before quickly turning back to Lucina and asking, "And... Lucina?"

"Hmm?"

A heartfelt smile graced Shulk's face as he told Lucina, and Captain Falcon as well, "...I'm happy for you guys."

Lucina smiled gratefully as she watched Shulk run off to the pocket dimension with everyone else as the Healing Field ran out of energy. "...Thank you, Shulk."

"I'm happy for you two, too," Snake commented, taking the spent Healing Field. "I had a feeling something was different about you guys after we met up again in New Los Angeles, but I wasn't sure what it was at the time."

"Well, I guess you know now," Lucina giggled. "How long... have you and Samus been together...?"

"Longer than you two, that's for sure," Snake commented. "Ever since the third tournament. When we met, we were like two kindred souls, having lived through similar experiences and we... seemed to just click right away. Unfortunately, I wasn't called back for the fourth, and I had to leave Smash City during that time... she missed me a lot, but for me... every day without her was empty, instilling in me an unimaginable solitude. The world as I knew it stopped spinning..."

"When you two were reunited, you must have been really happy..." Looking down at her slumbering beloved with an affectionate smile, Lucina continued, "To be back together after circumstances separating you for so long... the happiness must be unlike any you've ever known..."

"Like you guys," Snake remarked. "Galeem and Dharkon had separated you two from each other, and when you guys were reunited... you just can't put that happiness into words."

"True," Lucina agreed. "It's like... as Dharkon sealed my conscience away, I couldn't stand what they were making me do to him. My consciousness kept struggling, resisting their control until I broke through. And it's all thanks to him... he was my light in the dark." All of a sudden, Lucina winced, clutching her head. "U-ugh..." She could feel her heart begin to palpitate weakly in her chest.

"Something the matter...?" Snake asked her.

"I... I don't know..." Lucina murmured, panting as she began to feel dizzy. "I didn't sustain any...injuries. B-but... my body... somehow feels...exhausted?" She began to waver and was about to collapse onto the ground when her lover awoke and sat up as quickly as he could, catching her.

"Babe...?" She asked weakly, struggling to keep her eyes open. "You're...rested already...?"

"Not really..." Captain Falcon groggily answered the woman he loved. "But...I couldn't help but overhear. It's because... you were fighting Dharkon's control all by yourself, wasn't it...?"

"Ah..." Lucina sighed, her face bearing a slightly regretful expression.

"That makes sense..." Snake concluded. "I can imagine it must have been very taxing on her mental and emotional state. Even without any injuries or physical strain, that can wear someone out fast."

"I... see..." Lucina panted.

"You could... use some rest too, sweetheart..." Falcon offered his lover, reaching out a hand to softly stroke her face as he slowly lay back down. "If you...have any nightmares or anything, you can... at least feel safe knowing it's not real...that I'm here by your side..."

"O-okay... I need to rest my eyes, anyway..." Lucina slowly crawled to the Captain's side and lay next to him, resting her body above the waist on his chest, allowing herself to listen to his heartbeat and wrapping one of her arms around him as the other rested on his chest. She almost immediately felt one of his arms wrap itself around her, and sighed blissfully as she relaxed into his embrace.

"So... warm..." she murmured, a faint but content smile creeping onto her face. "I've...missed this...so much..."

"I've missed it too..." Falcon replied, his voice sounding drowsy.

"Hey...babe..." Lucina began, her eyelids beginning to feel even heavier. "When...this is all over...we should...thank Kirby. It's...thanks to him that...we're even alive in the first place. You said it yourself..."

"Yeah..." her lover agreed with a yawn. "He saved us both, indirectly... and brought us back together. Just...don't worry for now. We will make it out...together. All of us..."

"I look forward to it..." Lucina sighed deeply, closing her eyes as she sank into another darkness – the peaceful, beautiful darkness of deep slumber.

"All of us...huh..." Captain Falcon murmured, his other arm reaching out to gently pat Lucina on the head as he spoke. "I never thought I'd see the day... that everyone is here, that...we're all back together..."

"It's great," Snake agreed. "And we're up against world-ending forces again, huh...just like old times."

"Like... Tabuu, you mean...?" Falcon's arm that was patting Lucina's head earlier wrapped around her and held her closer to him. The sound of her deep, serene breathing soothed him and made the urge to fall asleep pull at him more.

"Yeah," Snake replied. "I remember it like it was yesterday..."

"Heh..." Looking up at the dark sky above him, the Captain said with a smile before joining his lover in the darkness of sleep, "It's...truly great...to have you back, Snake..."

"It's great to be back." Noticing the lights on Falcon's visor turning off, Snake realized his longtime friend was already asleep. Looking on at the happy, reunited couple asleep in each other's arms, Snake smiled and said to himself, "Don't worry, guys. I'll let you know when Shulk and the others return. In the meantime...you guys deserve a break. Rest well, you two."

Pulling out his signature cardboard box, Snake decided to get some rest himself as well, but only managed to sleep for half an hour before the air became colder. Lifting the box, he noticed Lucina shivering even in the warmth of her lover's embrace. Quietly crawling over, he noticed her sleeping face looking distressed, as if she were having a nightmare.

"Poor girl..." Snake whispered, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. "After fighting Dharkon's control by herself, this is probably the aftermath... she's stronger than she looks." Remembering he brought over some blankets from the Light Realm in his supply bag, he quietly took one out and lay it over the sleeping couple, letting the blanket stop just below Lucina's shoulders. He slowly backed away before noticing Lucina weakly open her eyes.

"Ah..." Crouching, he whispered, "I didn't wake ya, did I...?"

Looking at Snake tiredly, Lucina only faintly smiled and whispered, "Thank you..." before drifting back to sleep.

Smiling compassionately, Snake thought, Don't mention it. That's what friends are for. He then took another blanket for himself and lay on the ground, covering himself with it as he, too, fell asleep.

So, that other story idea I mentioned in chapter 16? I was thinking of doing my own take of the characters being rescued from Galeem/Dharkon's control according to my headcanons and this fic/any connected fics. There will be a Snakus one for sure, soooo

And if you want a sample of what that would be like, check out a fic I wrote months before this chapter, Blue Bird Lamentation. It's basically Lucina's POV when Falcon saves her from Dharkon's control, with a cliffhanger at the end cause well, that's my thing lul

Hope you guys enjoyed, and stay tuned for more...

Also, Luminary (Dragon Quest Hero) was indeed confirmed, and his trailer seems to tie in to WoL or at least have WoL-like elements (and also Galeem/Dharkon possessed alts for the characters sans Kirby and the DLC?). Neku will be mentioned nevertheless and appear in the epilogue but… stay tuned for what I might do with Luminary…

Banjo and Kazooie were confirmed too, but they'll appear in the epilogue as planned.