Woo! I'm finally getting a chapter out for my spring break! Nicely done, Blade! Finally...Even when I have a break from school, my schedule is hectic...damn...anyways, really sorry about how late this is coming out. It's been more than a month since I updated this story, and I seriously do not like that. I actually think I would update more during my school time since it's my "get-away" activity. But yeah. Anyways, thank you to all those who have read and those waiting so patiently for this to update. Again, really sorry about that. I'll try my best not to keep you waiting so much next time. I do have another story I want to work on so...there's that as well. On another note...answering a few reviews, hum hum dee dum...

Paradigm of Writing: Extremely glad that you were more than satisfied with that last chapter. Hope you like what's to come as well. Concerning the kiss...well, you'll be in for a surprise with what I have planned for this story...and I have decided Pit to be...seventeen. eighteen-ish. Marth's around twenty, twenty-one.

Ender2142: Well, I'm glad that you liked this story enough to binge-read it. :D Oh, and my favorite Vocaloids have to be the Kagamine Twins and Kaito.

Guest (chapter 1): ...well now...you might be a bit shocked...and, as I have said before, Pit is seventeen-eighteen-ish.

Guest (chapter 4): Thanks for reading! Glad you like it so far. :D

And...done with that! Anyways...

Last we left off, Marth just finished babysitting Pit for the first time. At the end of the day, he received a surprise kiss from Pit and permission from Link to visit as much as he wanted. So what's going to happen now? Now, I'll stop rambling since I'm sure you guys just want to dive right in, right? Hahahaha! ...Ha...right?

Passionfruit

After watching over Pit and despite what had happened on the first day, Marth began to visit almost on a daily basis, similarly to his bubble expeditions. He would speed-walk from his university to Pit's house, sometimes running to save time. Every time he knocked on the door of his desired location, Pit was always ready to let the college student in excitedly. They exchanged quick greetings before moving to the living room for any activities they felt like doing. Mostly Marth told Pit stories as he did the first day. Sometimes they broke that norm in favor of drawing, role-playing, or other indoor activities. Very rarely would Marth sit down and do some required work for his classes. Yet when he did, Pit didn't leave to do other things.

He stayed right by Marth's side throughout those secessions. Pit didn't mind that he had to wait for Marth to finish his work as he looked forward to what came afterwards. He remained as silent as possible, knowing better than to distract the college student during these uncommon moments. In the waiting tranquility Pit would either look at Marth biting his lips in concentration or stare at Marth's things with curiosity. Despite his desire to know what his new friend was doing, Pit always stilled his tongue. The college student rarely took long, and the two were back to spending time with each other. The aftermath of Marth's work usually had Pit bombarding him with more questions, mostly about the content of what he was doing. The blunette didn't mind answering those questions either, no matter how many besieged him. He happily answered all of them as if he was Pit's private tutor for the outside world.

Through Marth's influence, Pit began to learn more and more of the thing that terrified him. With each passing day the boy's fear lessoned bit by bit. Sometimes he managed to gather his courage and actually open the window in his bedroom to stick his head out, with Marth protectively encouraging him of course. Those moments lasted a few seconds before the boy reared back inside and slammed the window shut. He still refused to take a step outside, and Marth was perfectly fine with that. So long as the college student could spend time with the boy, he was fine with anything really. His request of Pit looking out the window was simply for the purpose of the boy getting some fresh air. Conditioning him for the moment Pit took his first step outside was an ulterior, but smaller motive. Better to take small steps than one huge footprint.

It soon became a tradition for the two to head up to Pit's room in the evening to blow bubbles. Most of the time, Marth simply watched the boy blow his translucent spheres. Being on the inside clearly possessed a better view than standing on the outside. Sometimes he took up the bubble wand to blow bubbles, to let Pit rest and entertain the boy. Pit delighted in seeing Marth blow bubbles. He always commented how extremely pretty the blunette's bubbles were. The college student always disagreed. As Pit's bubbles were to the Mona Lisa, Marth's bubbles, he saw, were to the Death of Your Eyes should such an ugly painting exist. Anybody else would not have been able to catch the difference between the bubbles blown. Not so Marth and Pit. The first time Marth disagreed with Pit on his bubble statement, the boy protested vehemently that what he said was right, that Marth's bubbles were much prettier. Seeing the younger male distressed like that the college student had no choice but to agree meekly. Their first fight, if you could call it that, made them silently agree to bury the topic. However both still refused to change his mind on whose bubbles were prettier, both convinced that the other blew the better orbs. They didn't mind at all though as their admiration of the other's bubbles only strengthened their bond.

Their day usually started ending with Link coming home and them eating dinner together. Marth steadily took on the role of the cook unless Link insisted on making the meal for that evening. Should one look in on the three at the table, it seemed as if they were a normal family having a nice meal together. The only thing missing when he came home and Pit jumped into his arms for a hug, Link had thought humorlessly one night, was a kiss from Marth like a good housewife. They were almost becoming a family. The college student always stayed with them until Pit's bedtime. When that time came, Pit always wanted both Link and Marth to tuck him in. However, Marth made sure that he avoided Pit's usual goodnight kiss. Whenever the boy asked for it, Marth would hurriedly kiss Pit's forehead before rushing out the door, Link wondering what could cause the college student's rush. After all, Marth would talk with Link for some time before heading home as the father bid the college student a farewell, demonstrating no real need for the rush. The first time Marth's strange action happened, Link gave him a look but didn't ask about it. While Pit was also curious, unlike his father, he actually asked the college student. The blunette honestly answered that Link probably wouldn't want to see that happening in front of him. Slight comprehension shone on the boy's face, and the matter was pursued no further, much to Marth's relief.

It was difficult to decide whether this change could be considered a positive one for Marth's life. It certainly looked like that with him becoming invested in and caring deeply for Pit, actually showing interest in something other than the blank wall in his living room for once. However he also began to neglect other things such as his lectures and work. And, he guiltily admitted to himself, his friends. He was reminded of one of the few important things in his life when his phone vibrated in his pocket one afternoon. The two males were laying in the living room on the floor with various papers scattered about.

Pit looked up from where he was drawing when the college student shifted to sit up. "Are you going to the bathroom?" he asked innocently. Marth quickly shook his head as he reached for his phone. Taking it out, the blunette saw that one of his friends had texted him. Seeing the name Roy on the screen made Marth started guiltily. Pit pushed himself off the ground to watch Marth quickly text back a reply. Then the college student stored away his phone again. He looked at the younger male, who returned the gaze with his own curiosity.

"I need to help my friend with something, so I'm going to be a bit late coming tomorrow, all right, Pit?" Marth said. His heart sank slightly when he saw a brief flash of sorrow in the boy's eyes. He hated whenever Pit looked so distressed, even if it was never Marth's intentions to make him feel so bad. The sad expression didn't fit the boy. He should never have to make a face like that, ever. "I'll come as soon as I can," Marth attempted to reassure his companion.

Pit only nodded numbly. The awkward silence stretched between them as Marth's mind raced for some other reassurance he could give to the boy. He became a part of Pit's life so quickly and naturally that it felt strange to Pit to know that Marth also had a life outside of this place. He knew that he shouldn't keep Marth from doing what he wanted but he loved the college student's companionship and attention to him for the past many days. The loneliness that always overtook him whenever his father left him at home had disappeared after Marth came into his life. Pit didn't want to feel that terrible isolation again.

"How about I tell you another story?" Marth asked, a smile on his face. He knew that the young boy always enjoyed listening to a story and hoped that this would take his mind off of his troubles. Pit's face perked up at that, nodding excitedly. He fell back onto the ground, his head resting in his hands as he looked at the college student eagerly. He already knew what kind of story he wanted to listen to.

"Can you tell me about your friends?" his eyes shone brightly at the question. Marth blinked once in surprise before composing himself with a smile. It made sense that Pit would be curious about his friends after he mentioned them. He crossed his legs as he leaned against the couch. The college student looked up at the ceiling in thought, his younger companion waiting for his answer patiently.

"Hmm…my friends…let's see…well, my first friend was Roy Pherae. We met in kindergarten where he was a new student. I was a bit different from the other students and I didn't like to interact with the other kids. Roy was the one who approached me because he wanted to know if this was my natural hair color," Marth rubbed a lock of his hair between thumb and forefinger. "And that's how we became friends."

"Isn't it rude to ask about those kinds of things though?" Pit wondered, his eyes wide.

"We were just kids then, so it was excusable."

"Oh…what's Roy like?"

"Hmm…Roy's a bit taller than me and has red, messy hair…" Marth paused, wondering what else he could say about Roy to paint Pit a complete picture. He never really thought about describing his friends before. He searched his mind for a proper portrayal that fitted his oldest friend. "And he's a cautious joker."

"Cautious?"

"He jokes around a lot with us but he's also careful to not offend or bully anybody. I think he was bullied when he moved away, so that's why he doesn't like it when we insult somebody with ill-will. He's a good guy."

"Do you have other friends besides Roy?"

"There's Ike Greil and Meta Knight. I met them after Roy moved away for a while. Ike's a lot bigger than me, blue hair, blue eyes, strong chin. He's really strong and doesn't use his head sometimes. When he does though, he could say some pretty meaningful things. Meta…he's the shortest one in our group. Nobody really knows how he looks like because he's always wearing this mask. He's the most responsible and serious one of my friends. And he was always on my case of finding something to do."

"What do you mean, finding something to do?" Pit tilted his head to the side.

Marth exhaled through his nose as he remembered the multiple times when Meta scolded him for not doing anything productive. Meta's lectures never really bothered him though, so that was a good thing. They still didn't bother him as Meta didn't scold him as much now. However it may be because of how Marth spent most of his time here now instead of hanging around the Warpcoin with his friends. He made a mental note to himself to apologize to his friends and tell them about Pit tomorrow.

"I've never really committed myself to doing anything, which can be a huge problem in the 'real world'," Marth explained. "A lot of people end up doing the same thing over and over again for the rest of their life. It's a bit difficult to do something you're passionate about but there are people who have found joy in doing what they end up doing. Apparently Meta wants me to actually find the thing that I would like doing for the rest of my life. He believes that if I can't find anything to be passionate about I wouldn't be able to live a healthy and happy life."

Pit blinked a few times, processing what the college student just said. A few minutes of thinking through Marth's clarification, he smiled brightly at the blunette, "That's really nice of him to worry about you like that." Marth looked at his young companion for a brief moment before returning the smile.

"That's true. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way," as he said that, Marth realized that he really did mean it. Sure, there were times when he wished that Meta would simply leave him to his whimsical lifestyle. For Ike and Roy, they were less adamant about it than Meta but they still attempted at certain points to find something for Marth, giving the blunette a bit more freedom. However Marth fully appreciated his friends' efforts to get him invested in something he would enjoy making a living out of. It showed him that they really did care about him and didn't want to see him waste his precious life away. He really needed to tell them about Pit, let them know that they no longer needed to worry about him.

Pit giggled in response, "Your friends sound really nice, Marth! I kind of want to meet them one day." Marth's smile faltered a bit when he caught Pit's wording. Kind of. Despite Pit's enthusiasm, if he was really given the choice to meet them now, Marth knew without a doubt that the boy would say no. The outside world still terrified the young brunette to no end with its hidden terrors lurking about. Truthfully, Marth still had no idea what was it about the outside that petrified Pit so much. The college student didn't want to ask the young boy directly as his innocent face would undoubtedly cloud with unspeakable terror. And Marth never, ever, not in a million years, would do anything that would hurt Pit so. If it wasn't clear before, Marth became very attached to the younger male very quickly.

Seeing how there was a now a lull in the conversation, Marth took the initiative for something new. "Now it's your turn to tell me a story, Pit."

The brunette straightened up in surprise. "But your stories are so much better, Marth. I don't know any good stories, and if I did, I couldn't tell them as well as you could."

"I'm sure you would do an amazing job. If you're not sure about how to start a story, it's always best to begin with what you know…" Marth crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side in thought. "Why don't we talk about your family? Could you tell me anything about Link or even your brother?"

Pit's eyes shone brightly at Marth's suggestion. "That's right! You've never met my brother before so I can tell you all about him!" The boy sat up in a flurry of excitement. Marth could help but widen his smile at Pit's gusto. Once Pit sat across from his companion, he started, "Big Brother looks almost like me, but he has black hair and red eyes. He doesn't live with us, but he tries to visit often. Whenever he doesn't, Dad says it's because he's busy with his business. But when he does come, it's really fun. He'd bring me gifts, like soap bottles and coloring books." The boy's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "But Big Brother always brings the little boxes that Dad carries around with the white sticks in them for him. Dad never let me touch them though."

"And you shouldn't. Smoking is dangerous to your health," Marth warned. He remembered how he had asked Link to be careful about smoking around Pit as he didn't want the effects of second-hand smoking to affect the boy. Link had reassured Marth that whenever he smoked, he made sure to do it outside. The man also noted to the college student that he didn't even allow his son to go near his cigarettes and had scolded the boy once for touching the box. Although the house sometimes reeked of a smoker's after-smell, Marth knew that Link could do little to prevent that. It was still better than Pit breathing in the toxic fumes.

However, Marth found it interesting that Pit's older brother always seemed to bring Link the cigarettes according to Pit. He would think that the older man could easily buy the same cigarettes from convenient stores and the like. So why should Pit's brother bring Link those cancer sticks? As Marth pondered that question, he almost missed Pit's own question.

"So why does Dad smoke?" Pit asked.

Marth paused, regretting the pickle he just put himself in by stating what every elementary school kid around here got constantly hammered with. He knew he had to be a bit careful in wording what he was going to say in order to make Pit understand. "Well…Link smokes because…it makes him feel good."

"But I thought you said it's bad for your health," Pit frowned.

"It is. But everything can be both good and bad. Like bubbles. You shouldn't drink the soap, right?"

"Yup!"

"Why?"

"Because it makes you sick."

…something about Pit's confidence in his answer made Marth wonder whether Pit actually did drink the soap, but he drove that thought away from his mind for the more pressing matter at hand. At least Pit seemed to have learned from his possible mistake. "But then when you use the soap to make bubbles, it makes you feel good, right?" Marth smiled. Pit nodded enthusiastically in answer. "So it's the same concept."

"Concept?"

"Idea. Same thing."

"…oh…" understanding dawned on Pit's face as he finally worked out the connections. He nodded to himself before saying, "I get it."

"Remember, although it can make you feel good, that doesn't mean that you can smoke, okay?"

"Okay, Marth!" Pit chirped.

"Good," Marth had to smile at the younger male's zeal. He never tired of it as it just looked so…right to see that eagerness on Pit's face. He hoped that nothing could mar its beauty despite how futile it would be to stop any possible damage. However, for now, the blunette could continue to protect that expression from such harm. "So tell me more about your brother."

"Oh, right! I think he's almost as tall as you, Marth. And he has this really cool picture on his back!"

"On his back? What picture is it?" the college student found himself guessing that what Pit spoke of was a tattoo. Although he rarely lumped a bad label on those with inky marks, the fact that Pit's older brother constantly gave Link the cigarettes and had a tattoo on his back didn't sit well with Marth. He started wondering whether Pit's older brother was a good person before dismissing that thought entirely. If the older of the siblings was a "bad" person, then Marth was quite sure that Link would not let him come in a twenty meter radius of his son. Besides, if Pit liked his older brother this much, how bad could he be?

Pit grabbed one of blank sheets of paper spewed about and proceeded to draw quickly. Marth smiled at that. Pit was already a great artist when they first drawing together. After a few lessons from Marth, his art clearly evolved with its minute details. When he was done in a matter of seconds, he held his drawing up for Marth to see. The blunette examined the picture for a brief moment before realizing that Pit's older brother had a set of tattooed wings on his back.

"I wanted the same thing on my back, but he wouldn't let me. He got me this shirt instead," Pit tugged on the garment. Marth had noticed that the shirt Pit wore had white wings on the back. And from what he'd seen of the young boy, that shirt was probably Pit's favorite. His suspicions on Pit's brother lessened when he saw how the mysterious family member actually discouraged Pit from getting a tattoo like his by getting him the next best thing, a shirt with the same marking on the back.

"Your brother sounds like a good person," Marth said truthfully.

Pit nodded vehemently, "He is. Big Brother tells me stories too. But his stories are scarier than yours."

"Are they now?" the college student raised a curious eyebrow at that. He had no idea that Pit's brother also told him stories. However, he remembered that fateful night where Pit told him how his brother warning about people breaking in through the window. Perhaps that was the source of Pit fearing the outside world? His brother telling him about the dangers of the world? It was a possibility coupled with the fact that Link didn't let Pit leave step foot outside the house. If Pit only knew about the outside world through the stories that his brother told him without any real exposure and experience, then it was obvious that the boy would be scared of the place. That didn't sit well with Marth. He looked at Pit seriously, "Are…they the reason why you're scared of going outside?

At the question, Pit sealed his lips. He nodded wordlessly, eyes flickering with memories.

"Do you still believe in his stories, Pit?"

"Well…" the brunette looked at the ground. "After what you told me…I'm not really sure which story is true…"

Ah, that made sense, Marth admitted. He understood that Pit wanted to believe that the outside world wasn't as bad as his brother made it out to be yet he only had what the older sibling told him to rely on. Now that Marth came into the picture with more positive stories, it was only obvious that Pit would begin to question what he should believe. Though it may not necessarily be a bad thing, the blunette knew he should do something to quell the brunette's conflicts. The sooner he did, the quicker he could dispel any unforeseen consequences of his storytelling.

"Listen, Pit…I'm sure that most of your brother's stories are real, but they don't say everything about the world. Just like the soap bubbles and smoking, the outside world can also be good and bad. Sometimes it's bad, and sometimes it's good. Everything is not solely good nor is everything entirely bad. So while you can fear going outside, you should know that it's not impossible and that some things outside have no need to be feared. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," the smaller male nodded. The college student smiled reassuringly.

"That's good to hear, Pit."

"Um...Marth?" Pit looked at the older male with eyes filled with fear. However, Marth also saw hints of hope in those cerulean hues. "If I wanted to, could I really go outside?"

The college student paused, wondering how he should approach this. After a brief moment of hesitation, he widened his smile and leaned over to embrace the smaller male. Then, on a sudden impulse, he kissed Pit's temple. Pit didn't react much to Marth's lips. Whether that was a good thing or bad, Marth honestly couldn't say. However, he could, and did, say to Pit, "Of course you can. However, if you do, you have to be careful, all right? It's also best if you ask your dad first and go with somebody."

"Okay, Marth. Thank you."

Marth felt the kid's own arms return the hug. Marth smiled to himself before breaking apart from his young friend. "Now why don't we continue drawing? I'm sure you want to finish that picture for your dad. He's going to be home soon."

…

"So you've been at Pit's house this whole time?" Roy asked his old friend curiously. The blunette in question nodded absentmindedly as he stared at the clock tower. Marth fidgeted in his chair, his promise to Pit knocking loudly in his mind. He barely noticed the look exchanged between Roy and Meta. The shorter of the two students leaned over and whispered something to the redhead. Roy nodded in turn of their quiet conversation.

Meta cleared his throat yet Marth still kept his eyes on the clock. "What's the kid like?" Meta asked.

"He's…a good kid," Marth replied.

"Yeah? You like him a lot?" Roy inquired, a slight grin tugging at his mouth.

"I do."

"Enough to forget about your friends?"

At that question Marth started guiltily. Roy was right; after finding out about Pit, he might have spent more time at the boy's house than with his friends, and that was saying something. He shouldn't really have done that, but he simply couldn't help it. Although he cared for his friends, he truly wanted to spend most of his earthly hours with Pit whenever possible. Marth made a gesture of apology. "I'm sorry, guys. It's just that…"

"Forget it. We understand," Roy laughed. "We're just glad you're not wasting your life away staring at the wall in your living room."

"That's true," Meta agreed. "It's nice to see you actually show a lot of interest in something for once."

His friends' sentiments about his recent activity made the blunette smile. His conversation with Pit concerning his friends rang true. He really couldn't have asked for better pals than these guys right here. Speaking of the guys here… "Where's Ike? It's not like him to be running this late," Marth looked around for some familiar sign of the bigger blunette.

A wary look crossed Roy's face as he looked at the empty spot at their table. "Yeah, right? I honestly have no idea. He's actually been pretty late in coming these days."

"Why?"

"We're not really sure," Meta answered. "Whenever we ask, he would just brush it off."

"That's…not like him-."

"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late," Ike's booming voice interrupted Marth's statement. The three friends at the table exchanged a quick look as the muscular student plopped down in the empty seat. Marth noticed how the blood slightly colored Ike's face along with the clear sweat shining his forehead. Although Ike was breathing deeply to indicate his run, his breath soon slowed to its normal rate. He unbuttoned his collar to let the gentle breeze cool him down. "Hey, you're here for once, Marth," Ike chuckled after seeing his long-lost friend.

"I could say the same to you," Marth smiled. "I heard that you've been late to these meetings."

"Better late than absent," Ike guffawed. "I…just had some stuff to do."

Marth leaned back in his chair, his unwavering eyes still on his bigger friend. Ike couldn't help but squirm under Marth's gaze. His earlier energy seemed to have disappear, replaced by a sense of nervousness. Both Roy and Meta hid a grin at the spectacle. Not a lot of people were able to make Ike squirm like that. However it seemed like Marth's simple gaze was more than enough. "You know, Ike…" said student flinched slightly at Marth's sly tone. "If you were here earlier, you would have known why I'm usually absent. But since I already told my story, why don't you tell us about your new girlfriend you've been spending so much time with?"

Stunned silence befell the group at once. Roy's mouth opened wordlessly while Meta's eyes widened in surprise. For Ike, he sputtered a bit at what Marth just revealed. "How did you know that?" the words were out of his mouth before he could recall them. The blood rushed to Ike's face again, this time not because of a long sprint.

"When did you get a girlfriend?! And how come we didn't know about this? Better yet, how come Marth knows about this?" Roy asked, pointing at said blunette. "He was barely here the past few days!" The three college students looked at their friend. Marth shrugged in response.

"Well…for one thing, Ike looks a bit nicer than usual. He isn't really one to put a priority on appearances."

"Gee, thanks," Ike grimaced. Marth only grinned.

"He could have been at a job interview," Meta pointed out.

The blunette inclined his head in acknowledgment. "True. However, from what you told me, he's been here pretty late the past days. A job interview doesn't require multiple days in a row. So that's out of the question. Also, if it was only a job interview, Ike would have no fear of hiding that fact from his friends. So there was no need of him to brush off your questions.

"It couldn't have been family troubles considering how cheerful he is now and he wouldn't be prepping a presentable appearance. Not to mention, when he first arrived, there was a slightly dazed look in his eyes. She must have been a pretty good kisser, but I don't think she was very shallow as she didn't wear that much lipstick."

"What the hell, Marth?! Have you been spying on me?" Ike asked indignantly. He was absolutely disturbed how his friend, who he hadn't seen for the longest time, suddenly knew everything there was to know about his new relationship. Marth chuckled at his friend's anxiety.

"Calm down, Ike. You just have a bit of lipstick on your mouth. I know there is absolutely no way you would wear lipstick."

In response to that, the muscular student grabbed a convenient napkin to wipe his mouth. Looking at the dirtied cloth, he grimly saw how there was a slight stain of pink there. Roy snickered at Ike's reaction despite the menacing glare the blunette gave the redhead.

Meta shook his head ruefully, "Sometimes I forget how smart you are, Marth." Said friend simply shrugged at that statement. Truthfully, it wasn't at all hard to figure out. He wondered if his other friends had those suspicions but simply didn't have enough evidence to solidly confirm it. He was in luck that Ike's girlfriend decided to wear lipstick today. If she hadn't, he might not have been able to really prove it. Well…other than the fact that there was the slightest hint of perfume hanging over his muscular friend, but Marth decided that he had embarrassed Ike enough. Due to his whimsical nature, people often forgot that Marth was actually pretty intelligent. He didn't flaunt his smarts around like some people, but should the need arise, he would prove to people that he was more than capable of making their heads spin. It usually resulted in chuckles and some newfound respect that quickly melted away once Marth cared less about the world again.

"None of our secrets are safe with Sherlock Marth around," Roy joked. He then turned to his flustered friend, "But damn, Ike. You got a girlfriend? Who is she? And when did this happen?"

At the question, Ike scratched his head as he looked anywhere but at his friends. Since the truth was out now, he might as well let his friends know the whole story. Or, most of the story. "…Her name's Zelda. I bumped into her some weeks back. After some talking and whatnot, we started dating. Simple. I was wondering when I should tell you, but I guess Marth solved that problem for me," the blunette chuckled ruefully. He shook his head at his friend. "Did you really have to ruin that surprise?"

"Yes," Marth sipped his water bottle.

"Figures. So what have you been up to? I think it's only fair to say it again since you already know what I've been doing but I have no idea where you've been."

"I finally know who the bubble blower is," Marth revealed to Ike. "His name's Pit, and I've been spending much of my time at his place." As he spoke, the sapphire orbs flickered over to the clock tower again. The hands suggested that perhaps he had stayed with his friends long enough. Marth found himself hoping that Pit was doing all right by himself. He felt guilt stab at his heart at the thought of Pit dealing with his returning isolation while the college student was having fun with his friends. The guilt quickly converted to fear and anxiety for the brunette's wellbeing. The blunette stood up suddenly, surprising his friends. "Sorry. I have to get going now."

"What? But I just got here!" Ike said, a hurt expression on his face.

Roy chuckled, "Well…if you weren't too busy smooching, maybe you would have gotten here sooner to catch up with Marth." Ike glared at the smaller student.

"Shut up, man," Ike retorted.

"She must have been a great kisser if you got a farewell present from her."

"I said, shut up."

While the two friends continued to batter each other, Meta looked at Marth with some curiosity. "Are you heading over to Pit's so soon?" Marth nodded in reply.

"He's usually at home alone. I promised him that I'll try to come as soon as I can."

"Ah, so it's a date!" Roy gasped a laugh on overhearing his friends' conversation. Marth glanced over to his other friends where he saw Ike trapping Roy in a headlock. Despite his hurry, Marth cracked a quick smile at his friends' antics. He didn't even notice the skirmish Ike and Roy got into while talking with Meta.

"If you want to put it that way, then yes."

"Haha, don't get too attached though, Marth. We'll see you around then," Roy waved his farewell despite the sticky situation he was in. "Oh yeah, and thanks for your help."

"Don't go around spreading any more secrets, all right?" Ike warned with a wide grin. He knuckled Roy's skull, earning a cry of pain.

"Let go of me already, dude!"

"Say uncle."

"Never!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Marth chuckled as he turned to leave.

Marth's friends watched him leave the Warpcoin, his quick legs making him disappear from their vision faster than normal. Meta lifted a curious brow when he saw how rushed Marth seemed to be. Although he was happy that his friend finally found something more productive to occupy his time, he worried whether perhaps Marth was obsessing over Pit a bit more than necessary. As soon as that thought crossed his mind though, Meta dismissed it immediately. No, there was nothing wrong with caring about another person to the point of spending every day at said person's house. After all that's known as…Meta paused his thoughts. He wondered if whatever he was thinking actually applied to Marth. It was possible that that was the truth behind the whole matter. If that was the case, the question then was whether Marth was aware of it himself. It's always easy for an outsider to see it but not the participants. However, it was also possible that Marth simply loved Pit as a younger brother. One thing was certain though…

"Marth himself seems a bit more cheery and talkative, doesn't he?" Meta brought up once said friend was out of earshot. Both Ike and Roy looked at Meta after the blunette finally relinquished his hold on the redhead, their own brows furrowing in remembrance.

"…you're right. He said a lot more here than he usually does on a normal basis," Roy muttered. "Maybe it has something to do with Pit?"

"Probably since he spends so much of his time with the guy. Makes me wonder what they do," Ike mused.

"Marth tells Pit a lot of stories," Roy told his friend. "He's younger than us, apparently."

"He is? Huh…"

"He's changing Marth for the better, that's for sure," Meta sighed in satisfaction.

"And aren't you happy that he is. Now you don't have to scold Marth for doing fucking nothing all the time," Ike smirked.

"Um…Marth isn't here?" asked a curious voice, shyly interrupting the conversation. The three students looked up to see Robin holding his computer bag with his headphones rested comfortably around his neck. The young albino shifted his eyes around the seats, noting how a blue head wasn't there despite his question. Roy shook his head in answer.

"You just missed him," the redhead replied. Robin's shoulders sagged as he let out a disappointed sigh. Roy frowned curiously at the obvious gesture of discontent, "Why? Did you need him for something?"

"Kind of…I needed to give him a message," Robin answered.

This caught all of their attention as it was extremely out of the norm. Who could possibly have wanted to give Marth a message? And through Robin at that? Usually in this age if somebody wanted to talk to another, they would either use the Nintennet or actually meet face-to-face, not through another person. But if it was through another person, it was usually through somebody that the receiver knew well. Marth and his friends barely knew Robin (though, knowing Marth, he was probably hiding his knowledge of the albino). Meta raised an eyebrow at the curious development.

"Why don't you just tell us? We can give it to him."

The gamer was already shaking his head even before the short student finished his suggestion. "I would like to…but Nadir wouldn't let me."

"Who the hell is Nadir?" it was Ike's turn to add his opinion to the conversation. His frown told Robin that he didn't like this shady business at all and that it wasn't a good idea to pull a stunt like this again. The outsider could only shrug apologetically. In all honesty, he didn't really want to go through with this either. However Nadir had been extremely persistent and, judging from his tone when he asked Robin to do this favor, vexed to tell Marth exactly what he thought about the blunette's actions.

"He's my teammate and...Pit's older brother."

Told you guys the troublesome Quartet would be back. And one of them's back with a girlfriend! Sweet! Congratulations, Ike! XD I'm all right with Zike, not a main advocate of it, but I'm putting it in mainly as tribute to a good friend of mine. Paradigm probably knows who I'm talking about XD. Anyways, we learn a bit more about Pit's older brother Nadir from Pit himself and Marth's own thoughts about the guy. Nice! Not to mention we see a bit more of Marth and Pit's growing relationship. It's so nice to see them getting along so nicely, huh? Haha...not for long...Anyways, questions!

1) Judging from Pit's description about his older brother and Marth's deductions, do you think Nadir is a good guy? Why or why not?

2) If you could describe it, what would you think the painting, Death of Your Eyes, would look like?

3) With all the questions that Pit's asking and everything he's learning, do you think he would be able to go outside soon enough? How do you think Link would react?

That's all for now. Thanks for reading for this chapter! Again, sorry for it being so late. Hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you guys next time.