Chris the Janitor was known for being a nice reasonable guy, hard working and friendly. He was patient and understanding, somewhat odd if not a bit quirky. And most of all, he was known for being quite calm and relaxed.

That Chris was quickly disappearing.

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The Waddle Dee was still tied to his chair with that light over his head. He was exhausted, his cheek hurt, and he had been forced to deal with an idiot for what seemed like ages. And on top of it all, Chris really needed to take a visit to the restroom.

Falspar wasn't even attentive anymore. The green puff sat on a stool next to the captive janitor, reading a comic book he had somehow acquired. He occasionally asked a question relating to The Broken Village. Chris wouldn't tell him anything, and he would get his cheek pinched without the red haired puff even looking up as he did so. This had been going on for a while.

Only now the janitor was close to cracking. He felt like he was about to burst in two different ways.

"We-We've been here for hours!" Chris yelled. "Are you going to keep this up until one of us dies?!"

"Huh…?" Falspar looked up from his comic book. "Oh, yeah. About that. See, I was gonna let you go about three hours ago…but I lost the key. So we're locked in. Might as well continue what I was doing."

Chris's eye twitched manically. That was it. Perhaps it was the constant exposure to this moron, or the fact that he was quickly losing his sanity. But something in him was igniting. It was a roaring rampage, something was telling him to give in. A little voice was telling him that if he confessed everything now, he would make it out of this alive, and not have an embarrassing accident.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Chris screamed so loud, it knocked Falspar off of his seat. "I CONFESS! THE BROKEN VILLAGE IS-"

Suddenly, the Waddle Dee was cut off short when another voice was heard outside of the door.

"But Your Majesty! I don't want to use my head!" It sounded like… Escargon?

Before anyone could react, the door was torn off the hinges and flew across the room. There in the doorway stood King Dedede, who had brandished Escargon as a batting ram.

"What have you done to my janitor?!" Dedede bellowed, tossing the poor snail aside to point an accusatory finger at Falspar.

"I knew somethin' was fishy when those windows didn't get washed! Chris has never abandoned his work post! And I find you in here harassing my janitor! Just look at what you done to him!"

The penguin rushed to Chris, then quickly untied him. He picked up the Waddle Dee, Chris's eyes wide either from the king's sudden entrance, or from being traumatized by being the green puff's captive.

"Chris, speak to me! …How do ya feel?"

"Like I seriously have to use the bathroom!" He squeaked.

King Dedede quickly placed the Waddle Dee down. The moment Chris was released, he bolted down the halls so fast you could almost see speed lines.

The king of Dreamland wordlessly turned towards Falspar with arms crossed and a deep frown.

Falspar grinned sheepishly. "Uh…there's an explanation for all of this-Oh! Wait, what are you doing?"

King Dedede had picked up Falspar, hoisting him above his head.

"Oh, um where are you taking me? …Why are you going towards that window? Wait, no! NO! Not the fountain! Anything but the fountain! My awesome hairstyle will be ruined! Ruined! NOOOOO!"

*sploosh*

"My haaaiiir!" The green puff whined.

"Falspar, you kidnapped the janitor?!" Dragato had appeared, much to Falspar's irritation.
"This is an entirely new level of ignorance, even for you!"

"Hey! I was doing my job!" The green puff argued. "I'm supposed to get as much information on The Broken Village as possible, and I almost had it! Uhh…my…my hair…"

The green puff sobbed loudly, attracting attention from a few passing Waddle Dees. It was times like this that Dragato was embarrassed to even know who the red haired man was, and that would be about ninety-five percent of the time.

Dragato heard a soft clinking noise. He looked up from his shamed posture to see Meta Knight, Sword, and Blade approaching. The first thing he noticed was how exhausted the blue knight appeared to be. Even with the mask on, the puffball was obviously sleep deprived.

And Dragato remembered the last time Meta Knight had lost sleep over a period of several days…

Meta Knight glanced towards the still sobbing Falspar, then to the light purple puff.

"Do I dare ask?"

Dragato gave him a quick run down of the events that conspired while he was absent.

"Gracious, Falspar!" The blue knight exclaimed. "You abducted Chris? Of all the things…"

"On the list of things that are not okay to do, that was really not okay to do!" Sword gaped, while Blade nodded in agreement.

Falspar groaned. "And I got thrown out the window by a giant penguin! And the water ruined my hairstyle! Do you know how much effort it takes to look this gorgeous?!"

"Oh, if only you would extend that effort into a desire for knowledge." Dragato remarked.

"Well, I guess that means I'll just have to use your hair care products as compensation for my loss…"

"I should think not! I'm surprised that you even know what the word 'compensation' means!" The ginger haired puff declared.

"Falspar, just what were you hoping to accomplish by holding Chris against his will?" Meta Knight inquired, feeling quite irked at the green puff.

"Look, that place, The Broken Village, obviously has something to do with Nightmare." Falspar explained in a surprisingly serious tone.

The red haired puff sighed. "I just…maybe if I could know where it is…then maybe it could give me an answer on what happened to Beta and-"

Dragato froze. "Falspar…we've talked about this. We know what happened to Beta. He was a traitor."

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"No! You don't have any proof that he was! " The green puff yelled. "I won't believe it unless I have solid proof!"

The pony tailed puff gritted his teeth, something he rarely ever did. "Falspar…his inventions were used by Nightmare close to the end of the war…he betrayed us and went to the more favorable side in his interest. Nightmare used him for a while, then most likely disposed of him when he was no longer needed…"

Falspar was uncharacteristically silent. His head was hung low, he clenched his fists.

Dragato's eyes softened. He spoke in a calmer, more sensitive voice. "Falspar…I know that it's hard to accept the truth…but you need to stop living in denial. I don't want to watch you get hurt when you find the truth out there yourself…"

"Oh, I need to stop living in denial?" The green puff spat. "What about you? You're still holding onto the small hope that she is still out there somewhere waiting for you. And you know that isn't true! So why is my case so different?!"

Dragato flinched. "…Shut up. Just shut up…"

The purple puff slowly trudged inside the castle, dragging his feet as he walked. Falspar shook all over in anger and grief. It wasn't fair! Dragato always treated him like this. Dragato was always right, and he was always in the wrong.

Beta couldn't have been a traitor. He just couldn't have! Falspar knew him since both of them were pufflets! Dragato didn't know him like he did. He refused to believe that his best friend was a cold heartless traitor.

Falspar turned towards Meta Knight, then asked in a small weak voice. "Meta Knight…you don't think Beta was a traitor…do you?"

Meta Knight couldn't answer that. The truth was, he didn't know what to believe. Like Dragato said, Beta's inventions were used by Nightmare's forces, and the black puff did disappear. But…Beta also had shown a clear and apparent dislike of Nightmare. Though it could have been a ruse on his part.

Instead, the blue knight chose to say silent.

The green puff frowned. "Fine…I'll get the proof myself! You'll see!"

Falspar stood up, then bolted away from Meta Knight. Hurt was clear in his voice.

"Sir Meta Knight…who is Beta?" Sword asked cautiously.

The blue puff simply shook his head. "There is no need to explain. It was in the past."

Sword and Blade didn't like that answer, but remained quiet as they entered the castle with their lord.

Meta Knight and his knaves encountered Dragato on their way to Sir Arthur. The purple puff seemed a bit more composed, but he was still quite visibly tense.

"Sir Meta Knight, I am terribly sorry that you had to witness that outburst."

"It's alright. I suppose none of us have truly let go of the past…" Meta Knight responded.

Dragato played with his hands nervously. "So…have you been sleeping well?"

"…What would cause you to inquire about such a thing?" The masked knight asked.

"Oh, nothing." The purple puff replied quickly. "But you should get some rest sometime. It could…ah, start affecting your health…"

Meta Knight frowned. "There is no reason for concern. I am well rested and quite healthy, certainly healthy enough to obtain a mission."

"Very well then." Dragato said, even though he knew very well that what the blue puff said wasn't true.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I must speak with Arthur. Sword, Blade, please wait here."

Meta Knight disappeared behind the door to his room, leaving the two knaves with Dragato.

"I know he has not been sleeping well at all." The ginger haired puff spoke. "It's obvious that he is close to his limit."

"We know." Blade said. "But we don't know what's causing this in the first place."

Suddenly Nonsurat and a calmer Falspar approached the two knaves.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Falspar asked.

"Falspar, certainly you noticed Sir Meta Knight's odd behavior." The purple puff said.

"He hasn't been acting weird to me. He seems like regular old Meta Knight."

"Well, Falspar. Do you remember what happened back in the GSA? When you-know-who lost sleep for several days? You remember the incident, correct?"

Falspar's unmasked face suddenly grew pale. He slowly turned towards the knaves.

"…How long has he been like this?"

"We don't know. It's been severe the past few days." Sword and Blade answered together.

"Oh no…" Nonsurat muttered. "It's happening again."

"What? What's happening again?" Sword asked, bewildered.

"…This has happened before?" Blade tilted his head.

Dragato tensed. "Has he shown any signs of Schizophrenia?"

"…No?" They both answered, somewhat with unease.

"Okay, good. This is good." Falspar nodded, hand resting under his mouth. "This means he hasn't gone clock tower yet."

Sword and Blade were getting increasingly uncomfortable with each passing second. Those three obviously knew something, but weren't telling them.

"Can you please tell us what's going on?" Blade asked.

"Sorry, but…we need to go! Right guys?!" Falspar yelled, suddenly grabbing Dragato and Nonsurat, then dragging them away.

"Blade…I'm starting to get a really bad feeling about this." The green knight said after a beat.

-

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"So, Sir Meta Knight." Sir Arthur smiled. "How has your journey been faring?"

"To be honest, Sir Arthur, I feel no difference." Meta Knight responded.

"I was afraid of that. I was hoping a little travel would help." The other puff sighed. "You need to take better care of yourself. That's something about you that hasn't changed."

"Sir Arthur, I am not ill. I am in perfect condition."

"Both of us know that's a lie, Meta Knight. I know you. You're the kind that bottles everything up, then stuffs it somewhere where you hope it won't be found." The green puff looked at him in the eyes. "But that isn't healthy at all. You'll drive yourself to the brink of insanity at this rate."

Sir Arthur frowned when he received no response from the blue knight. "At any rate, we received some news from an unlikely source."

"What sort of information?" The masked puff asked, perplexed.

"I mentioned the rumors of The Broken Village. How it had maddening effects on those that wander too far into it's barrier. We haven't found it's location, but we found something interesting. Perhaps it's not even related, but a Waddle Dee named Armin spoke of an odd cave that can apparently affect others' minds."

"Kirby mentioned a similar cave. Perhaps they are one and the same."

"I believe they are. I want to send someone to investigate, but with your condition-"

"I am in acceptable condition to go. With all due respect, nothing you can say will persuade me otherwise." Meta Knight declared, his gloved hand on the doorknob.

"Sir Meta Knight…that's the door to the closet."

"…I was aware of that."

Sir Arthur put his palm to his forehead. "I suppose I can't stop you. I know how you get. You're stubborn, tenacious. And though there were times those traits were certainly admirable, this really isn't one of those times. This could actually be dangerous."

"I am willing to face any risks." Meta Knight bowed. "I will be taking my leave."

The blue knight exited the room, then faced his knaves. "Sword, Blade, come. We are departing."

Sir Arthur sadly watched as his pupil left, feeling helpless to stop him. Meta Knight was a stubborn man, that much was true. But it hurt him dearly to know that he couldn't do anything for his student during his time of need.

The masked puff was obviously suffering, and the golden-clad knight had a few theories on the source of his inner turmoil. Meta Knight was like family to him, all of the GSA was family to him. Because they were all he had left. Sir Arthur couldn't bear to lose another close to him…

"So…you let him go?" Dragato asked, approaching Sir Arthur.

"You know that I can't stop him. He's determined, stubborn. He's always been that way."

"Yeah, but you know as well as I do that he's already boarded the train to Cuckoo Town." Falspar interjected.

"Just what is he trying to prove?" Nonsurat asked.

"I don't know. I just don't know." Sir Arthur shook his head.

-

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The nights at HQ were always too quiet.

Or at least to Jecra.

He probably had the most silent roommate in the entire GSA history. They would return from supper, Meta Knight would usually read a book, and Jecra would try to find ways to entertain himself. It was so monotonous to the blonde.

The blue knight was evasive, a loner so to speak. Jecra was what one would call a social butterfly. He loved interacting with others and having connections, he enjoyed being around people. But his roommate was the direct opposite.

He had tried making light conversation, but the knight would only give short replies. He tried taking Garlude's advice on being patient, but it was proving to be more difficult than previously thought. Meta Knight showed no signs of opening up.

The blue puff was currently sitting on his bed, reading a book from the nearby shelf. He paid no mind to the blonde man lying on the floor, not even glancing up from his novel. Only when Jecra neared closer to his personal space did the knight show a reaction.

"And what, pray tell, are you doing?" The blue knight questioned.

"Uh…" Jecra glanced at the book in his roommate's hands. "Just looking at what you're reading."

Meta Knight asked no further questions and returned to his novel. The blonde pouted and scooted a little closer, much to the blue puffball's bafflement.

"Can I help you?" He asked in a flat tone.

"Do you ever…do anything?" The man asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You've been sitting here, reading that book for the past hour. In fact, I'm starting to think you haven't even breathed at all. A little creepy, but not as bad as all of this silence!" Jecra exclaimed.

The blonde looked at Meta Knight to see that he had returned to his novel once again.

"Stop ignoring meee!" He whined. "You never talk, and any time I try to talk to you, all I get is the silent treatment or a short answer! I'm really trying here, but you're not giving me anything to work with!"

Meta Knight stared at the blonde, showing no emotion in his yellow eyes. His face was still hidden by that mask, so Jecra couldn't tell if there was an expression of annoyance on his blue face. The blue puff just seemed so distant, and that made the blonde sad despite his efforts.

Jecra finally just lied down on his stomach on the floor. He looked up at the blue knight with big sad eyes.

"Meta Knight…do you hate me?"

"No, of course not."

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Jecra's eyes widened in shock. He had honestly expected silence or the confirmation that the knight disliked him. The bluntness was what awed him most, the puff hadn't even paused to think or show any hesitance.

The blonde dared to ask another question to the normally solemn knight.

"Meta Knight…when we slew that Demon Beast, you said that you misjudged me…what did you mean by that?"

To his surprise, Meta Knight set his novel to the side.

"Many join the Galaxy Soldier Army for varying reasons. Some fight for those who cannot, and others fight for glory and fame. Those that choose to fight only to bring attention to themselves often find the reward is not worth the cost. By the time they hit this realization, it is too late for them."

"So…you thought that I was one of them?"

The knight remained silent as ever, but it was a different kind of silence than before.

Instead of being upset, Jecra smiled. "Do you remember when I asked you what made you want to fight? Well, this is my reason."

Jecra turned towards his own bed and reached under his pillow. He held a photograph in his hands which he presented to Meta Knight with a smile.

The blue knight gazed at the photograph. The picture showed a humanoid woman quite similar in appearance to Jecra. Her hair was a fiery orange-red, and her eyes an amber color. In her arms was an infant, the spitting image of Jecra.

"This is my wife and son. They're the entire reason I went to the GSA. Because I want them to have a safer future. I miss them so much…but knowing that I can give them a better life by being here just makes it feel like all this madness is worth it."

Meta Knight turned towards Jecra. "Sir Arthur usually discourages those with families to become part of the GSA, but your reason is noble. …You are kindhearted, but I ask of you to remember that such a trait is not to be taken advantage of."

"That was a promise I made when I became part of this army. I don't plan to back out now." Jecra smiled. "I'm doing this for the people I care for most, they're my whole world. But what about you? Who did you leave behind to fight?"

"…"

Jecra decided to change the subject. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'll respect your privacy. But just so we're clear…you don't hate me, right?"

"As previously stated, no." The blue puff replied, Jecra could have almost swore that he heard a bit of amusement in his tone.

"Just making sure." Jecra grinned.

Meta Knight was about to return to his book, glad to have had a change of subject. Suddenly, he felt Jecra sidle a bit closer to him, much to Meta Knight's discomfort.

"So…" The blonde whistled. "Whaddya think of that cute pink puff, Letty?"

-

"Sir Meta Knight, are you really sure about this?" Sword asked, frowning.

"For the twelfth time, yes. I am quite sure." Meta Knight replied.

In front of the three knights was a hole that lead to a vast underground cavern. The very same that Kirby had ventured into. All around the entrance were signs of warning, advising to step away from this dangerous place.

However, the knight was determined. He wanted to prove himself worthy to Sir Arthur, and also that he wasn't losing his mind. Though the latter was becoming more and more apparent, he at least wanted to keep the charade up.

He didn't tell Kirby what he was about to do, as he knew that the mere mention of the place would remind Kirby of the loss of his friend. Meta Knight didn't want to put him through that again, especially since it seemed that the pink Star Warrior had been recovering as of late.

Meta Knight silently wished that it was just him doing this mission, as his knaves had become more and more suspicious of his behavior in the past few days, and rightfully so. Even he was aware of his quickly depleting rationality.

But he had to keep up the act. He wasn't the type to have others worry about him and be coddled. Meta Knight didn't want sympathy, he just wanted the issue to be buried and forgotten. Just like everything else he had left behind.

Another reason he didn't want Sword and Blade to tag along was because of the cavern's dangers. If this place did indeed have some form of connection to The Broken Village, it was no doubt dangerous. The blue puff didn't want to put his knaves at such a risk. But of course, they still wouldn't take no for an answer.

The Broken Village still intrigued Meta Knight, and he wanted to explore it's land. It's effects on the minds of others were frightening, and one would think the knight would want to avoid such a hate-filled, maddening place.

But what did he have to lose?

He was already partly insane. His guilty conscience made sure of that.

Author's Note: Well then, I said that things would be picking up, and we've already got our first unexpected reveal- Beta might have been a traitor. Falspar doesn't believe it, but it obviously has damaged him emotionally. My readers, you will soon find that every survivor of the GSA has something from the past that they can't let go of.

And it seems that Meta Knight and Jecra are finally starting to bond. Meta Knight may not be the friendliest character, but there's a little more emotion to him than most realize. I don't know why, but that 'No, of corse not.' just seemed very powerful to me. It's a short response, but it has a lot of meaning to it.

Next chapter: My readers, you get to see the effects of what happens when a concious-riddled blue puffball goes without a good night's sleep for a long period of time. It would seem that Meta Knight's sanity is going to take a severe hit next chapter, but to what extent? You'll have to wait and see.

Leer Justice, out.