'Ey! I'm back with another chapter of Boy in the Plastic Bubble! Thank you so much, Paradigm of Writing and Randomblackberry for reviewing, following, and favoriting! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, especially you, Paradigm :D And also thanks to all my nameless readers! Though I don't know if you guys enjoyed it, I hope you guys did. Anyways, things have gotten better for me, but I still have school so...yeah, updates are iffy with me. Thank God that I managed to solve whatever was bothering me. I seriously hope that I don't have to experience it again and I hope you guys don't have to experience it either...heart-wrenching, let me tell you. But enough about me. Here's the next chapter of this story! Hope you guys enjoy!

It Killed the Cat

Those bubbles broke an important record. They still floated around in Marth's mind even after three days had passed since he first saw them fly with help from the wind. He saw them flutter across the large screen his professors used to lecture their students. He saw them teasingly float behind the customers he helped at the cashier. And he saw them hover with the clouds through the window in front of his comfortable couch.

They changed his routine as well. After the day was done, Marth would quietly walk down that street where he first spotted those bubbles. Each time, he would stop a little ways off the house that contained them. There he would wait patiently. It sometimes took a while, but the shadow would pull out its bubble wand and send those rainbow spheres out into the sky. The college student would then simply stare at them in burning curiosity. He kept his mouth shut every time he was there as he did not want to repeat his mistake of scaring away the bubble blower. He was content with simply watching the perfect, round spheres of soap dance around the neighborhood until they tired of this world and popped away. Marth always stayed, shivering in the cold, hands tucked in his pockets, until the bubble blower had enough for one day and stopped his magic. It was only when the last bubbles drifted from Marth's sight did he start home. Even then, they still glided in his consciousness.

They simply won't leave him alone. Why not? They were just thinly-formed soap, too weak to last a whole minute. There really wasn't a practical use for them other than entertainment for little kids. So why would Marth spend so much of his time thinking about it? He admitted to himself that they were driving him absolutely mad. At times his mind wandered back to those innocent orbs, only to be shoved back into reality by an angry co-worker's call or a disturbed student's question. Even then he quickly returned to the state that the bubbles captivated him in despite the obvious dangers in it.

It was an odd sensation for Marth. Never before did he experience something so powerful, so tempting. He wondered why nothing else held the same height of ecstasy as did the bubbles for him. Surely there were other things in this world that merit more attention than the bubbles. And yet, for the life of Marth, he couldn't think of anything to justify his actions. Anything worthwhile for other people to even consider that it was all right to obsess over soap.

Marth stopped in his tracks. Obsession…was he really obsessed with those bubbles? He could be. Who knew? People couldn't figure out the pretty blunette. And, truthfully, he couldn't figure out himself either. Maybe that's the reason why he found the bubbles so fascinating. Because there's no real reason that they should be so mesmerizing. And yet, here he was, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk on his way to look at those bubbles again. He shook his head clear of those thoughts. Now was not the time. The blinking sun warned him that only a few minutes remained before the mysterious shadow blew those bubbles again. The college student quickened his pace, his heart's pulse accelerating. Bypassing the people, avoiding several obstacles, Marth only saw the bubbles flying away right now. He walked briskly down the street towards his destination. After a few more minutes he arrived. However today was a bit different than the other days.

It had been four days since he first saw the bubbles. The college student watched in curiosity as a man unlocked the door to the house. His back was turned, so Marth could not see the man's face at all. Rectangular light shone from the house while the homeowner stepped inside. Then the door shut, cutting Marth away from the mysterious man. The blunette tilted his head in thought. Was that person the bubble blower? It was quite possible as he did enter the house where the bubbles came from. But for some reason instinct told Marth otherwise. He continued to watch the house. He saw movement in the windows, something stretching out towards something else. The inside lights flickered on, and Marth recognized the green clothes that the man was wearing. The homeowner moved away from Marth's line of sight to disappear somewhere. From his position, the young man could barely see the row of stairs leading up to the second-story although he was able to see a doorway leading to another location and an armchair set up for a TV. Yet stairs were a must in that house as the bubbles came from up high.

The homeowner moved again, flickering by Marth's eyes before disappearing again. A few lights upstairs brightened, including the one that contained the bubbles. The all-too familiar shadow appeared along with the man's shadow. They appeared to be conversing with each other for a brief moment before the bigger shadow headed towards the window. Marth watched the man lean out and close the window. Blinds quickly fell into place, protecting the two from any unwanted attention from the outside world.

Marth felt his heart fall at that. For some reason the simple act of closing his gateway to the bubbles demoralized him immensely. The bubbles gave him something to look forward to each time he walked down this street. They were the only reason he walked down this street each time. It was unlikely that any bubbles would fly tonight, so Marth turned away to return home, unaware of the eyes following his back. Stepping into his home at that particular time felt slightly foreign to Marth. He had a paper due in the afternoon tomorrow but he had no intentions of finishing the remainder of it that night. In fact, he didn't feel like doing anything about anything at all. For the rest of his time at home, the student sat on his couch, leaning back in thought. Time passed a lot more slowly for him that particular night. Perhaps it was because he did not see the bubbles at all today? Perhaps. He found a strange comfort in those soap circles, and even though he had only seen them for six days straight, he couldn't shake off the awkward feeling of not having his daily dose. It was midnight when he finally turned in, his muscles slightly drowsy from staying in one spot too long.

Fortunately it seemed that only that day was a setback for Marth. When he visited the general area the next day, the shadow was blowing the bubbles again. The blunette felt his heart soar at the sight of those free-floating spheres. The wind also shared his joy as it blew the bubbles towards him. Marth ignored the freezing breeze as he held out his hands gently for some of the bubbles to land on. Of course they popped milliseconds of touching Marth's hands, but the student didn't mind. He was simply glad that the bubbles had returned.

"Earth to Marth. Hello?" Roy waved a hand in front of Marth's eyes. The blunette blinked rapidly in an attempt to gain his bearings. He saw how his friends were looking at him worriedly. He had almost forgotten that his list contained "hanging out with friends" today. Each supporting a cup of caffeine just the way they like it, the four students sat at a table a little off of their usual spot as it was occupied by two other students. Noticing the confusion on Marth's face, Roy asked, "Hey, you all right? You seem…a bit more distracted than usual."

Did he? He knew that he usually tuned out his friends' conversations and only added his own input when his friends asked for it. They respected his silence though they did make efforts to get him a bit more involved occasionally. Maybe they had asked him something and he didn't reply. The bubbles were currently on his mind at the moment though thankfully they relinquished their hold on him for the time being for him to process his friend's question. Did those bubbles had such a profound effect on him in just a few days? Another wave of the hand called the blunette back to reality. Marth finally nodded in response to Roy's question, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure about that? Roy's right. You're a bit more distracted than normal. And that's saying something," Meta sipped his coffee. Marth waved away their concern.

"I'm sure. I was just…thinking…"

"Too much thinking, not enough action," Ike smirked.

Meta rolled his eyes, "For you, it's too much action, not enough thinking."

"Hey! I still think!"

"With the wrong thing," Roy smirked. Ike glared at the redhead, his eyes firing a challenge.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Roy held up his hands in defense, but the smirk wouldn't leave, "Hey, I think you should know what I'm talking about, dude, considering your claims that you still think."

"I do," Ike growled. At this point, Marth tuned out his friends' conversation once more in favor of the bubbles again. Even if he wanted to think about something else, such as the sky, the bubbles would always tug his mind back to them. They just wouldn't leave him alone. More importantly, now that Marth spent days after days pondering, he realized that their creator wouldn't leave him alone. Marth wanted to know who was blowing those enchanting spells. His curiosity at the identity of the bubble blower gnawed his insides, threatening to eat him alive unless he found the culprit of his dilemma. Yet Marth wasn't sure how he could achieve that without being viewed as a creepy stalker. It was rare for people to simply walk up and say, "Hey, I want to know who's been blowing those bubbles because they fascinate me so." He didn't want to repeat his first mistake of calling out to the person as it would only scare them away. And Marth wasn't sure how he would react when there were no more bubbles. The empty sensation that captured him after the first bubble-less night felt extremely unpleasant, and Marth didn't want to experience that again.

He briefly returned to earth when he heard Roy saying something about Robin knowing a lot of things and maybe Ike should take advice from him. He was about to dismiss that information like any other stray messages that he managed to hear on his tuning out when he digested the message further unconsciously. Robin knew a lot of things…Robin knew a lot of things…Robin…knew…

"Look, Ike, if you actually listened to the professor like you were supposed to—Hey, where did Marth go?" Meta asked suddenly, his eyes snapping at the empty seat in front of him. Ike and Roy looked at the shorter student before, in unison, turning their heads towards the seat supposedly occupied by Marth. Their whimsical friend was nowhere to be found and there was a slight moment of panic as they scanned the surrounding area for a sign of blue. Roy quickly reassured their anxiety when he spotted Marth edging near Robin.

"Oh, he's just going over to talk to Robin."

"What? Why does he need to talk to the nerd?" Ike asked incredulously. Sapphire orbs much like his own looked at him in disapproving lines.

"Would you stop calling Robin a nerd? It's rude!"

"It won't change the fact that he's a nerd, Roy."

"It still doesn't give you the right to call him that!"

While Ike and Roy got in their usual argument over the albino, Meta watched his capricious friend from his seat. Like his friends, the masked student was curious as to why Marth went to Robin in the first place. It was strange to see his friend interacting with a stranger as Marth was not the type to approach somebody on his own accord, much less a person he barely knew. The only real thing they knew about Robin was that he was among the smartest students in the college and he always sat in the same spot at the Warpcoin. Though Meta knew that Robin wouldn't really be able to hurt Marth, he kept an eye on those two just in case something should happen.

Robin's eyes stared at his laptop screen in fascination. His fingers moved rapidly across his keyboard as his hand jerked his mouse erratically in strange patterns. The gamer barely noticed the blunette walking up to him. Marth didn't mind. He sat down in the chair opposite of the albino and waited patiently. It was fortunate that he was so used to simply sitting and doing nothing as it looked like it was going to take a while. He watched Robin's eyes shine in excitement at certain times before giving way to panic the next. The albino would speak rapidly in the microphone of his headphones, conversations unknown and mysterious to Marth. Yet the blunette continued to sit in waiting. Even after Ike and Roy stopped fighting, Robin was still playing his game unknowingly with Marth watching him. It was only after Robin smiled in obvious victory did he notice that a young man had suddenly materialized in the seat opposite of him. He jumped slightly in surprise, realizing too late who it was.

"Oh, hey, Marth," Robin chuckled awkwardly. He scratched his neck sheepishly, wondering how much of his conversation with his team Marth heard. Dear Naga he hoped Marth didn't hear the bit about him talking about how hot Marth's cousin was…"How long have you been there?"

"I don't know," came the simple answer. The gamer raised a curious brow at both the answer and the tone Marth said.

"O-kay…can I…help you with something?"

The student in question barely hesitated, "Do you know who's been blowing bubbles on 64th Avenue?"

Robin blinked. That…was not a question he was expecting. "Um…blowing…bubbles…yeah, uh…why do you need to know that exactly?"

"I just want to know, that's all," Marth shrugged.

Now that answer was something Robin expected. He knew a bit about Marth's whimsical nature and could rightly guess that those bubbles in question somehow caught his attention. His eyes looked around for an answer to materialize for him. When none came, the albino crossed his arms in thought as he tilted his head upwards. "Well…uh…the bubble blower of 64th Avenue…" Robin trailed off. His eyes shifted to the side in an attempt to look at his headphones. Marth waited patiently for the albino to gather himself. It looked like Robin was listening to somebody or something on his headphones in an effort to make up his mind. After what seemed like ages, the gamer finally shook his head resolutely, "Sorry. I don't know who it is."

Marth's shoulders sagged at the answer. His own troubled look was mirrored by Robin, who looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't. The blunette simply nodded his thanks before standing up and heading back to his friends. The gamer watched him with a puzzled look for a while before turning back to his laptop.

Ike, Roy, and Meta gazed at Marth curiously as he sat down in his seat. The blunette barely noticed, his eyes staring at his coffee cup in disappointment. Meta coughed loudly though Marth didn't stir. Both Ike and Roy looked at the shorter student. Meta gestured to their whimsical friend to signal the question that needed to be asked. After a few moments of silent eye exchanges, the vote was for Ike to ask.

The muscular student cleared his throat before slapping his friend on the back. Marth gave a slight squeak of surprise at the unexpected blow. "Hey, Marth. What's up?" Ike asked. The blunette looked up from his coffee to see a round of worried expressions. Like all questions about his well-being, Marth just shrugged in answer.

"Nothing much."

"What were you talking about with the nerd?" Ike questioned. Roy threw his hands up in the air.

"Dude, come on!"

Ike just smirked at his friend before turning his attention back to the friend in question. "I don't think it's 'nothing much', Marth. These couple of days you've been a bit more off than usual. What's the matter? Girl problems?"

"What? No," Marth frowned. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"You have a hot cousin though. Wasn't her name Lasoona or something?" Roy furrowed his brow in an attempt to remember Marth's nearly identical cousin.

"It's Lucina, Roy," Meta sighed. "But honestly, Marth. I think you have something on your mind, and as your friends I think we have a right to know what it is."

Marth hesitated, his eyes dropping to the coffee that now stood cold in front of him. He tilted it side-to-side, not nearly enough that it spilt over the edges. He wondered whether he should tell his friends about the bubbles and their maker that have been troubling him for the last few days. He wasn't sure what they would think about his mania over such trivial things. Yet he couldn't help himself. Marth wanted to know. He needed to know. Maybe his friends might have ideas on how to approach the problem.

"On 64th Avenue, somebody's been blowing bubbles every evening," Marth finally revealed. Ike raised a confused eyebrow at that. When it seemed like his friend hesitated to say anymore, he gestured with his hand for him to continue:

"So…?"

"So…I want to know who that person is."

His friends waited expectantly. When Marth only returned their blank stares, Roy finally asked, "That's it?" Much to his dismay, Marth shrugged in response. He leaned back in his chair, "It might as well be a girl problem…"

"You wouldn't go to a nerd with girl problems, Roy."

"Would you stop?! Oh, never mind."

Meta lifted up his mask to rub his eyes before returning it to its proper place. "Was that the reason why you went to Robin? To find out who the bubble blower was?" he inquired. Of all the things he was thinking Marth would say, wondering about the identity of a mysterious bubble blower was not one of them. Then again, he should have known not to expect the norm with Marth. Just having his mind on bubbles was enough to set him apart from everybody else. When Marth nodded, Meta just sighed in response. At least, he thought wearily to himself, his quirky friend had found something to occupy his mind for the time being even if it was something useless. He wondered how long Marth's sudden fascination with soap spheres would last. He guessed to himself that it'd take a day before Marth returned to his old self. "I'm guessing he didn't know."

Marth shook his head in confirmation.

"Did you actually try to knock on the door and ask who it was?"

"I called out to them the first night, but then they left quickly. I didn't want to risk it again."

"Wait a minute. The first night? Again? How long have you been thinking about these bubbles?" Meta asked in obvious shock.

Marth shrugged, "Since the last seven days or so. Why?" His friends exchanged identical looks of surprise, their jaws open and their eyes wide.

"I never thought I'll see the day…" Roy murmured. "Something's finally held Marth's interest for more than three days!"

"Break out the champagne! We're celebrating tonight!" Ike snickered. He gave Roy a mocking high-five. "Aren't you happy for him, Meta? Your wish finally came true!"

"Why are you so interested in that?" Meta had to know. Granted Marth could be an extreme enigma at the worst of times, but surely he must have a decent reason why those bubbles ensnared him so. From what he could remember the last time he saw actual bubbles (and that was a long time ago), Meta knew they were soothing to a certain extent. Did they have that kind of effect on Marth?

Much to his dismay, Marth shrugged again. Meta shook his head in slight frustration. This was going to be a cycle of questions and shrugs, he just knew it. Better quit while he was ahead.

"So you don't know who's been blowing those bubbles?" Ike asked. Marth nodded. "But you want to know." Marth nodded. "Then just go up to the door and knock. It's not going to hurt anybody." His friends stared at him, Roy and Meta in shock while Marth more in consideration.

"Geez, Ike! You can't just waltz up to a house and do that! It's creepy as fuck! Even if he does do that, what's he going to say?" Roy exclaimed. He waved his hands above him, his voice going in a higher octave than normal. "'Hey there! I was just wondering, who's been blowing those bubbles that I've been watching for the past six days? I really want to know!' It's going to come off as stalker-status, man."

"Well, what do you propose he should do? Just continue waiting and watching until some miracle pulls off and he magically learns who blew those bubbles? That's even crazier!"

"Better that than letting the person know they were being watched the whole time." Roy shook his head towards Marth, "Please, dude. Don't listen to Ike. He's just being stupid."

"I am not!" Ike retorted. "I'm just trying to help. After all, you won't know unless you try. And it's better to try than not try at all."

Meta stared at his friend, "…those are some of the wisest words I've heard from you…"

"…I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult," Ike muttered. The masked student shrugged in response.

"Take it as you will. But enough about that. What are you going to do about the bubbles then, Marth?" Meta asked the blunette. Marth kept silent throughout the whole banter. When he was finally addressed, he was tempted to shrug again but something stopped him. Instead, he shook his head in response.

"I don't know…I'll come up with something."

"…those bubbles really have an effect on you, huh, Marth?"

"I guess so…well, it's almost time again. I'll see you guys around," Marth said as he stood up, grabbing his coffee cup.

"Going to see the bubbles? Maybe I should come along too," Ike joked.

"No!" the word exploded from Marth as he glowered at his friend. The other three students jolted in surprise at the sudden raw anger their friend abruptly displayed. Marth himself was shocked that he shouted at his friend so aggressively. He usually didn't give into his emotions like that, and it was strange that he would be angry with Ike. Why would he be when Ike was just making a lighthearted comment like that? The young man lowered his gaze in embarrassment, "Er-sorry about that…"

Ike stared for a few more seconds before an awkward grin crossed his face. "Naw, it's cool, man. I get it. It's a private thing," he waved away Marth's apology. "You better get on it before you miss them." The muscular student turned back to his coffee and sipped the lukewarm beverage.

Marth stood awkwardly, wondering whether he should stay to apologize more or simply leave now. He looked to Meta and Roy for guidance, but the two friends had nothing helpful to offer. After a tense silence, Ike looked back up with a look that asked "what the hell are you still doing here? Go on!" After another moment of hesitation, Marth nodded silently.

Picking up his cup, Marth waved good-bye to his friends, "I'll see you guys tomorrow then…"

"Looking forward to it," Meta said earnestly.

"Let us know if you find anything," Ike snickered. Roy joined in and even Marth cracked a smile as he left the Warpcoin. By now he could simply walk to the house without paying much attention to the streets. The route had snuck into his routine so comfortably, it seemed like he had done this every day of his life. Marth finished off his coffee despite its temperature matching the environment the cup protected it from. He crumpled the cup and tossed it away in a slight detour. Then he was back on route. As he walked, his mind floated back to his incident with his friends. He wondered again why he had gotten so worked up over Ike saying he would tag along. For some reason it just really bothered him. Perhaps, Marth thought to himself, it was because he felt like even though the bubbles were in public view they still belonged to him somehow. He wasn't the one who made them, but the serenity they brought seemed to be directed at him. There was really no other explanation for it. Thinking back, the young man felt guilt stabbing at him for lashing out at his joking friend. Though Ike understood and forgave him for it, Marth still believed that he should make it up to him as another apology. Ike was one of his oldest friends, and he wanted to bridge any rifts that came between them, no matter how small. He made a mental note to do something for him in the future.

Marth soon arrived at his destination almost at the same time like the past few days.

Although he usually waited away from the general area of the house, for some reason, Marth just felt like it was time to get a bit closer to the house. His mind went back to the conversation he had with his friends, the possible explanation for that feeling. Maybe he should knock today? Or shouldn't he? Marth wasn't really sure. There was something about asking the stranger directly that prevented him from doing so. He considered that option for a few more seconds before finally making his decision. Standing near the door seemed like an all right comprise, so he stood a few feet from the door, making sure that the window was still in his line of sight. He looked upwards to where the bubbles would be floating out of for the evening. The college student shivered in the freezing wind that suddenly bypassed him. It told him that winter was soon coming, the change would be so unexpected that he best be prepared for it. Marth shook that thought away, certain that he could deal with anything that came his way. His eyes were locked onto his target of the window. When the streetlights began to glow, the lights brightened the room, revealing the shadow to Marth. He held his breath in expectation.

"What are you doing here, kid?" asked a rough voice. Marth was so enraptured with the thought of seeing the bubbles that were to come that he jumped two feet in the air at the abrupt interruption of silence. After composing himself he turned around to see the homeowner he recognized previous nights ago holding onto a paper bag of groceries. His blue eyes glared daggers at Marth as his hand went upwards to hold the cigarette dangling from his mouth. He inhaled a bit before removing the cigarette, exhaling a smoky cloud. All the while, his eyes continued to scowl at Marth. Marth only stared back, mind racing for any possible explanation of why he was standing in front of the man's home. This situation would be slightly difficult for him to explain though…

And thus concludes It Killed the Cat, Chapter 2 of BitPB! Yeah! Hope you guys liked this one. I tried to balance the humor in here. Not sure if it worked, but I sure was laughing. Haha! Haha...ha...ha...ha...questions!

1) Who do you think the blue-eyed man is and what relationship does he have with the bubble blower, if any at all?

2) Have you guys ever been overly obsessed with anything? If so, what is it, if you are comfortable with sharing? (For me, it's a lot of things: Kingdom Hearts, Pokémon, Vocaloid, Super Smash Bros. to name a few...)

3) Do you think Ike should stop calling Robin a nerd and do you think Roy should continue to tell Ike to stop? XD Why or why not?

Thanks for reading and see you guys in the next chapter!