Author's Note: Okay, I know that most of you are ready to beat me like a piñata because I took so long to update. However, I will try to explain myself. You see, I had the chapter finished a few weeks ago...
Then my computer crashed. And everything on it was lost. Including that chapter. So I had to rewrite it on my new laptop. And I also had to spend a lot of time reinstalling games that were on my old computer, like Yume Nikki and Irisu Syndrome. I was constantly alternating between getting back lost data and writing this chapter, so it took a lot of time...
I'm sorry that it took so long, and I spent several nights up until past three trying to complete it, and I hope that the new chapter won't take as long to complete. I'm also sorry that this chapter might not be up to par with past chapters, as I was barely conscious sometimes while writing parts of it.
I'll shut up now, on to the main event.
Meta Knight glanced down at the pink child, his blue eyes filled with determination.
The older puff sighed. "Though I do appreciate your concern, I can take care of the situation by myself."
"But you don't have to, poyo!" Kirby argued. "Why do you always think you have to do everything alone?"
"Sir Meta Knight, please listen to reason." Sir Arthur said. "We are dealing with an as of now unknown enemy. There is no way to predict what they are capable of, though the ship is going at a snail's pace..."
Everyone glanced outside the window, watching the dilapidated Halberd slowly inch along the sky. A small trail of smoke came from it's back and it occasionally made a few mechanical noises. It looked like it could fall apart at any given moment.
"That's not true! I've seen Escargon go faster than that hunk a junk!" King Dedede laughed.
"The main point is, we don't know why it's here or who's behind the wheel." Sir Arthur clarified. "That's why we need to stop it altogether, and as a team."
"The entire GSA's involvement is unnecessary. Sir Arthur, you are far too busy at the moment anyway." Meta Knight said.
"I am never too busy for any of my soldiers. You should know that." The golden-clad puff frowned.
"You've always been such a stubborn man...The only ones that could talk any sense into you were Jecra and...her..."
Meta Knight felt a small hesitant tug on his cape. He turned to see Kirby with a small sad smile, traced with worry and concern. The child really was set on going with him.
"Very well then, since you seem so insistent..." The blue knight said quietly, finally giving in to the pink puff's wishes.
The pink puff gave an inward laugh of triumph, glad that his mentor was listening to reason. Even though the blue puff was a survivor of a brutal war, it was still dangerous for him to go alone in his current state. Meta Knight is strong, but strength always has limits.
"Sir, we will accompany you as well." Sword said, followed by Blade nodding.
"No, both of you are to remain here." Meta Knight disagreed,
"We pledged our allegiance to you. Where you go, we are to follow. We promised." Blade argued.
"But are you not tired? It has not been twelve hours since we escaped from that cave. Certainly you do not have the energy. You will stay here, that is an order." The knight tried to persuade them with little effect.
"We may be a little tired...but you're certainly worse off than us!" Sword defended. "We're going with you, nothing you say can change our minds."
"Sword, Blade..."
"Yes, sir?" They both asked in unison.
"I am leaving now, take care of yourselves."
Before either could speak, Meta Knight spread his wings and jumped from the windowsill. He flipped in the air, then flew towards the ragged battleship in the late afternoon sky.
"W-Wait for me, poyo!" Kirby yelled, then puffed up his smaller body to take flight.
"I can't believe that! He left us!" Sword and Blade gaped, watching their lord depart.
"What else would you expect?" Sir Arthur said quietly. "He's always wanted to do things alone...ever since..."
"Ever since what...?" The brothers asked, noticing the falter in the green puff's voice.
The veteran didn't answer, he only looked to the sky with worry for his pupil.
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Kirby flapped his small pink stubs harder, trying to keep pace with his far more aerodynamic mentor. The blue knight was already several feet ahead of him, and he was starting to wonder if the masked knight even knew that he had followed him.
The young Star Warrior was growing tired, exhausted even. He had never tried to sustain flight for this long, not without resting between. He couldn't give up, not now. But his arms felt so heavy...he felt dizzy. With one exhale, Kirby's body began to soundlessly fall.
Then the pink puff opened his eyes and could feel gloved hands under his arms. He turned around to see the masked face of his mentor.
"Kirby, why are you here?" The knight asked.
"I said I was going with you, poyo!"
"I am returning you to the castle. There is no need for you to assist me in any way, I can finish this alone."
"No! I'm not going back, poyo! Why are you trying so hard to make me leave?!" Kirby struggled, almost making the blue puff accidentally drop him.
"St-Stop, Kirby!" The pink puff's foot nearly kicked his side. "You can stay, but you must be quiet. This mission will require subtlety."
"Alright, poyo!" He said cheerfully, now content and still.
Meta Knight inwardly sighed, but began to fly towards their destination with the other Star Warrior in tow.
"Kirby, if I may ask, why is the Warp Star not with you?" Meta Knight thought aloud.
The little hero chuckled and rubbed the back of his head with a nervous smile. "I forgot it."
"..."
"..."
"...Just hold onto me tightly." Meta Knight said, after the disbelief finally subsided.
The two puffs managed to safely land on the Halberd's deck, seemingly undetected. Much to his disappointment, the blue knight noticed that the hijackers had managed to repair the cannon. Even more surprising, it didn't look ruined beyond imagination. This sparked a small feeling of curiosity in him.
"We do not have much time. I will try to be brief." Meta Knight began. "The Halberd will crash in it's current state. When, I am unsure. It could be half a day, an hour, minutes, even seconds. However, if we can make it to the captain's quarters where the control room is, we can safely land."
The puffs began to pry open a rusted door that lead to the inner parts of the ship.
"But...but what will we do if it starts to drop, poyo?" Kirby asked worriedly, fearing the answer.
"Then the ship will inevitably crash." Meta Knight responded. "However...with enough time, we can control where the Halberd will collide. If it comes to that, we will set the Halberd to crash into Orange Ocean, just as before. Then we will escape after the ship's destination is determined."
"Then let's go, poyo!" Kirby tried to race down the halls before his mentor stopped him.
"Kirby, this is a stealth mission. We cannot simply barrel down the hallways as we please. Drawing attention to ourselves will only waste precious time by alerting the grunts of the ship, who will then call for backup."
"But...there's nobody here, poyo." He pointed out.
Meta Knight glanced down the hallways, only to be surprised when he saw no one there. No grunts or workers, not a soul. It was entirely barren. He had never heard of a ship without a crew, only piquing his interest in the hijacker further. Was this person so confident in himself that he felt no need to hire reinforcements?
"This area seems safe, but proceed with caution." Meta Knight said after deeming the hallway deserted.
The two continued through the ship, both very silent and observant of their surroundings. The knight noticed how seriously Kirby was taking this task, and felt a bit of satisfaction. He was hardly a toddler when he arrived on Pop Star, his strength and capability as a Star Warrior had grown so much since then.
He had grown into an exceptional Star Warrior that Meta Knight was proud of.
Kirby peered from a corner to examine the next hallway. "Nothing's there, poyo."
"How strange...so far, we have encountered absolutely no one on this ship. Certainly there must be others aboard...though it is saving time by evading any unnecessary confrontation."
Kirby's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Sir Meta Knight...what if there isn't anyone else, poyo?"
"What are you suggesting? At least one person would be required to pilot the Halberd." The older Star Warrior raised an invisible eyebrow.
"There's nobody else...because it's flying itself! It's a ghost ship, poyo! It came to life because it's mad I sank it!" Kirby held his pink arms close and shivered.
Of course, Kirby was still a child after all. Prodigy Star Warrior or not.
Kirby stopped shaking when he felt a small pat on his head.
"Never change." Meta Knight said softly, with a hint of a chuckle.
The pink child tilted his head, not sure whether to be confused or to pout. Kirby decided on neither, but took a mental note on the difference from his mentor's regular behavior. The young Star Warrior had seen so many different sides of the usually isolated knight, it seemed since that fated day when he thwarted Meta Knight's invasion and sunk the Halberd.
It was the first time Kirby had seen his true face, in both a literal and metaphorical sense.
"Kirby, the captain's quarters is not too far." Meta Knight said, snapping the pink puff out of his thoughts. "There is no guarantee what we will face, are you ready?"
"Yeah, poyo!" Kirby confirmed.
"Then, let us proceed."
However, the moment Meta Knight opened the old rusted door, the two puffs were suddenly face-to-face with a cannon. Not just any cannon, but the very same one that had enough energy to knock someone off the ship in a single shot.
And it proceeded to do just that.
With a frightened yell, Kirby was flung across the clouds with Meta Knight taking a portion of the blast too. Both of them were falling fast, down towards the waves below.
With quick reflexes, Meta Knight grabbed Kirby and held him close. He transformed his cape into wings, then gently glided to one of the many islands scattered amongst Orange Ocean. He carefully let go of his student, then glanced at the escaping battleship above. The blue knight was very grateful that he had designed that particular cannon to be nonlethal, but now they had to concoct a new plan.
"Why did you take us here, poyo?! We need to go back!" Kirby cried.
He tried to puff up his little body to take flight, but found that he was too tired after such surprising experience. He sat down to catch his breath, while looking up towards his mentor for their next plan of action.
"Let's not be too hasty. That cannon, was certainly not there when the Halberd was under my ownership. To fire that cannon, it needs to be given a direct command from the controls in the captain's quarters. Are you aware of what this means?"
"They...they knew we were there, poyo..." Kirby realized. "But...but how do we get back on the ship?"
"That cliffside over the horizon..." Meta Knight pointed to the landmark in question. "The Halberd will eventually cross paths with it. When that time comes, we will fly onto the deck, avoiding the side with the active cannons. Then we will find an alternate route to the captain's quarters."
Before Meta Knight could react, the pink puff began to float into the air. The older Star Warrior followed suit, but slowed his pace so as not to leave Kirby behind. If the dilapidated ship wasn't an issue, their time taking flight would have been almost relaxing. With the sky bathed in the colors of red, yellow, and orange, and the clear ocean's waters shimmering below showing the reflections of the fluffy evening clouds above.
The two landed on the cliff with plenty of time to spare, the Halberd was a ways away from them. The Star Warriors both sat down to rest while they could before the enormous battleship passed them.
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However, Meta Knight quickly noticed that Kirby was being strangely quiet. It wasn't of the peaceful sort, but rather an uncomfortable heavy one. The pink puff looked strangely serious, with his lips turned into a frown and his arms almost crossed. His eyes didn't hold their normally cheerful glint either, looking rather dull instead.
But what disturbed Meta Knight the most...was how similar Kirby's face was to his own.
It was one of inner grief and silent suffering. The same expression the older Star Warrior wore everyday, the very same one that would always haunt him without rest. It bore those dreadful feelings that were permanently sewed into Meta Knight's heart.
Meta Knight didn't want that.
He doesn't want Kirby to be like him.
He wanted Kirby to be free of those horrid experiences, to have a carefree life and enjoy each day to the fullest. To not constantly live in the past, but to look towards the future.
Meta Knight drew in a breath, and with caution he turned towards his student.
"Kirby, is something wrong?"
The pink puff faced his mentor with slight surprise, somewhat startled at hearing Meta Knight's voice so suddenly. He prepared a fake smile, one that the other Star Warrior could easily see through. He spoke in a small faint voice, one almost inaudible.
"I'm fine, poyo."
"Now both of us know that is not the slightest bit true." Meta Knight replied. "What is troubling you? It's not like you to be so sullen."
Kirby paused, as if pondering over whether it would be safe to tell the blue knight. After a long drawn out silence, the puff finally answered.
"I-It's just..." His voice faltered. "Seeing this sunset, poyo...it reminds me of Marx..."
Meta Knight's eyes briefly flashed grey out of a twinge of sympathy. Though Kirby had been doing well as of late, the emotional scars were still there. It was something that he had hoped the young hero would never have to experience, losing a friend by your own hands.
The pink puff looked towards the orange-tinted clouds wistfully. "It makes me think of him, because he liked nighttime so much, poyo. He would get excited when the stars showed up, and sometimes we would stay up and look at them...we would tell stories...and laugh, poyo...but...that's all gone now..."
The pink puff's eyes watered, looking at the sun's reflection in the Orange Ocean with such a tearful face. He tried to be strong, he didn't want anyone, and especially Meta Knight, to see him cry again. But sometimes when it just became too much, Kirby would isolate himself from the others to grieve.
Kirby kept talking, almost against his own will. "A-And, I know...I know that what Marx did was bad...but...he didn't deserve this, poyo! H-He was so little...littler than me...I didn't mean to do it...but...but...there are so many people saying bad things about him still...they say such mean things, poyo...like how I shouldn't have ever been friends with him...and...and..."
The young Star Warrior buried his face in his little arm stubs, but he managed to hold the tears back and keep his voice from cracking. He hated it. He hated this awful feeling. Marx was a friend...he wasn't conniving or cruel, but the jester had seemed insane during his final moments...not like himself at all...
"You miss him terribly, don't you?" Meta Knight asked after giving the puff a moment to regain his composure.
"Am I not supposed to? It seems like everyone is telling me so, poyo...but..."
"Kirby, no one but you can answer that." The veteran Star Warrior replied, in a gentle but firm tone.
Kirby seemed to relax a little after that, giving the knight a little moment of satisfaction to know that he had helped ease his student's nerves. Unknown to him, Kirby's mind was about to go into overdrive.
The smaller puff looked at his red feet with sudden interest, not sure how to feel. It was true that he missed the little jester terribly, not a day went by where he didn't think about his lost friend. However, so many residents of Dreamland, even Pop Star, only spoke of Marx with voices dripping with hatred.
But it wasn't just Marx they spoke ill of, they also regarded Meta Knight with the same animosity.
Meta Knight, the same Star Warrior that had trained Kirby from the shadows. He told him of his powers and his lineage, and his eventual destiny to combat against Nightmare. Meta Knight had done nothing but try his best to give everything he had to offer to protect the innocent lives of the Gamble Galaxy, something he had been doing long before Kirby had ever arrived on Pop Star.
But now...it was as though none of that mattered to some of the citizens. They once practically worshipped the ground he walked on, presently he was regarded as a traitor that had weaseled his way out of exile from King Dedede.
Even Fumu held a small grudge towards him, and previously they had seemed to have a good amount of respect for another. Come to think of it, Fumu was the only other person Meta Knight spent an above average amount of time with, besides Kirby, Sword, and Blade.
Though Fumu still distrusted the knight, she didn't speak cruelly of him, and certainly not in his very presence as some others did without a care. Yet despite whatever harsh comments they directed towards him, the knight would remain calm and stoic as ever.
At least on the outside.
Certainly it must have hurt him somewhat, to have the people who admired him before suddenly turn on him. It was true that what Meta Knight had done was technically treason, planning an invasion over Dreamland. However, he had done so with only good intentions in mind.
Invasion...Marx.
"I want to control Pop Star!"
Those words still haunted the young Star Warrior, sometimes hearing that phrase being shouted continuously in his sleep. Those words, those few little words, were what ultimately changed the lives of Kirby and Marx permanently. Or to be precise, life. The jester had lost his life as an after effect of his wish.
It was as though Marx had turned into some sort of psychopath in that moment, despite his perfectly calm behavior earlier that day. But...Kirby couldn't exactly say he had been acting perfectly normal prior to the wish. The random disappearances at night, the odd times where Marx would burst into laughter for no reason at all...
Which brought up the horrible truth that Kirby had to bear. The promise he had kept.
Kirby swallowed. "S-Sir Meta Knight?"
The blue knight turned away from the clouds, attentive of the pink puff now that the silence was broken. Meta Knight looked at the boy before him to see that he was obviously in discomfort. He was still staring at his little red feet, that expression akin to his own had returned on the younger puff's face.
"Kirby...?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. Instead, the boy turned away from his mentor and started to pick at the grass around his feet.
"Kirby...is something wrong?" He asked, a hint of worry evident in his tone.
The pink puff played with his hands nervously. "I...I wanted to ask you something...but I'm afraid you'll get mad at me, poyo..."
"If you want to ask, then please do not be afraid. I would not become enraged over a simple question." Meta Knight replied simply.
"Really? You promise?" Kirby said in an unsure voice.
"I promise you. It would take far more to upset me."
"But...what if it does, poyo? What if you do get mad at me?" The young Star Warrior was still not convinced.
"Kirby, search your memory. Can you recall ever seeing me truly enraged before?"
The pink puff thought about it. He had only seen Meta Knight's eyes turn red less than five times. And in all those instances, the blue knight had seemed calm and in control of his actions. None of those times had those red eyes ever been focused on or intended for Kirby to see.
"But if you are still unsure..." Meta Knight spoke, breaking him from his thoughts. "If whatever questions you may have are discomforting in any way, I will simply not answer them. Does that sound fair?"
Kirby wouldn't meet his eyes, Meta Knight felt a small pain in his chest.
"I do not know why you came to believe I would be so easily angered by something so innocent as a question. However, it seems whatever is on your mind is distressing. Kirby...I have noticed. You may have been able to fool everyone else into thinking that you are well, but I can see the truth."
Kirby frowned, about to speak when they suddenly heard the approach of the Halberd. Both puffs immediately became attentive, and prepared to take action.
"We will continue this conversation later." Meta Knight said, before grabbing Kirby and taking flight.
With both speed and stealth, the blue knight flew onto the enormous battleship's deck. He avoided the repaired cannons, then managed to create a safe landing seemingly undetected. He released the young hero, then quickly devised a second plan.
"Our objective is the same, find the captain's quarters. However, with this attempt we must be more cautious. It is likely they will discover someone else is on board, and will try to eject us from the ship. We must be wary of every turn. However, once we are near the captain's quarters, we will find an alternate route inside the office."
"But...but how, poyo? The only way in is through the door, right?" Kirby asked, confused.
Meta Knight's eyes suddenly locked onto a nearby air vent.
Kirby and Meta Knight traversed the battleship for the second time, far more alert than before. The air vents were surprisingly spacious, but it was far more likely that the puffs were just small in size. They had not run into any traps yet, though it was a paranoid thought on any other occasion. However, in this situation it was an appropriate reaction.
Kirby peered out from one of the vents to check their location. They were near the room where they had been blasted by the cannon, which meant they didn't have too far to go.
The blue knight was prying open another shaft in the ducts, the sides of it covered in rust from the Halberd's time in the ocean. He struggled to finish the task, but the rust combined with his lack of sleep proved to hinder the completion of the action. It opened ever so slightly, but released a loud unpleasant sound of metal scraping against metal.
Kirby bit his lip nervously, worried for his mentor. "S-Sir Meta Knight? Are you-"
"Shh..." Meta Knight shushed him. "Listen."
The pink puff then heard it, the sound of small footsteps below. The Star Warriors crouched down, then lied on their stomachs to looked out from the bars of the nearby air vent. The owner of the footsteps sounded closer, and it also appeared that they were not alone.
Eventually, three TACs came into view, murmuring amongst themselves. They glanced around the area, their small cat-like ears twitching every few moments. The small thieves almost walked towards the vent the puffs were hiding in, but turned around once they were satisfied the room was unoccupied.
"I'm telling ya, there's no one else here but us!" One TAC yelled to another.
"But I heard something! It sounded like something was crawling around in the ceiling!"
"I know there isn't a brain crawling around in your head! It's all in your head! Say it!"
"What's in my head again?"
"Ugh! I'm surrounded by blasted idiots!"
The third TAC spoke up. "It could be those two from earlier trying to infiltrate the ship again."
"They both got hit with the cannon and got knocked into the sea! They're dead, you idiot! If the fall didn't kill them, then the sharks must have eaten em' by now."
"Or they could have drowned."
"Aye, as long as they're dead." The second TAC waved his hands in a dismissive manner.
"Don't be so sure." The third TAC interjected. "You know that one of them was Meta Knight, right? The veteran Star Warrior that fought in the war? The boss fought him in the past, I hear. And the other one was Kirby, the one who defeated the boss of the boss. So I would say the chances of them being dead are slim."
"Eh...I still say they got eaten by sharks."
"Suit yourself. But if the boss finds out they're alive, we'll be the ones in the shark."
"Well, quit yer yammering! Oh, the boss will kill us! Maybe even eat us! I wouldn't put it past the boss! I heard a rumor...that the boss used to kill and eat Demon Beasts!"
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"Uh, if the boss can eat a Demon Beast, imagine what'll happen to us!"
The TACs quickly scrambled around in a panic, then quickly separated into different directions. Once they had left, Kirby breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought for sure they would see us, poyo..." Kirby stood up, then noticed the color of Meta Knight's eyes.
His eyes were glowing green, signifying deep thought. Those TACs did say that 'the boss' had fought against Meta Knight in the past, so that must mean that the blue knight was aware of who they were. However, that wasn't the only thing that had caught the young Star Warriors attention.
They had also mentioned that the boss ate Demon Beast. So perhaps...it was possible...that this person was a puffball too?
But why would they be doing this if that was true? Weren't Star Warriors supposed to be righteous and fight for those who cannot? A vision of justice and a protector of the galaxy and peace? The only puffballs Kirby had ever seen were Meta Knight, and so recently the small handful that survived the war in the GSA.
Meta Knight never talked about the GSA, or the war very often. He only spoke of it if he had to most of the time, and even then he was very brief on the subject. Kirby had always been curious of his origins, his race, the Star Warriors that bravely fought for the freedom of the Gamble Galaxy.
As starved for knowledge as Kirby was, he wouldn't ask on the matter. Not after what happened the last time when he had gathered his courage and confronted his mentor, Kirby mentioned that name. Jecra. Those yellow eyes turned white...a color he wasn't accustomed to seeing associated with Meta Knight.
Besides, the young hero would find out soon enough. Because they were directly in front of the captain's quarter's air vent.
"Uh...um..." A TAC mumbled nervously. "Well, it would seem that...those two who tried to infiltrate the ship earlier...they...might still be alive..."
The TAC trembled, then swallowed nervously. The air was thick, tension was rising, and it was almost impossible to breathe. The small tapping of a hand on the desk could be heard, never breaking it's rhythm.
"Hmm...is that so?" A voice answered. "You honestly didn't expect them to be dead, did you?"
"W-Wha...? ...but...but..." The TAC was confused.
The person who owned the rough, yet eerily calm voice was heard standing up.
"It's been far too long..." Footsteps echoed.
"Um, sir...?" The TAC squeaked.
Suddenly, the air vent's bars were yanked off, the two Star Warriors tumbled in front of the perpetrator.
"...Hasn't it, Sir Meta Knight?"
"I should have known..." The blue Star Warrior frowned, eyes flashing red briefly. "Yamikage..."
The ninja didn't even look like himself. His garbs were torn, and the tears in the clothing revealed patches of deeply scarred skin. His hands now were larger and long claws now adorned them, and parts of his hair had broken free of the normally neat ponytail. The long light brown hair now more closely resembled tendrils that clung to the sides of his morphed face.
Even more alarming was seeing the ninja's mouth. It was filled with two rows of sharp gleaming teeth, teeth that looked far too big to fit into his mouth. As a result, his speech was altered, and his mouth couldn't be fully shut. Every few moments, his body would twitch or jerk in an unnerving manner.
This wasn't the Yamikage he had known. Something had gone horribly wrong...
Kirby shuddered, disturbed at the sight before him.
Meta Knight clenched his fists. "Yamikage...what happened to you...? You look like..."
"A demon?" The deformed ninja replied offhandedly. "I suppose that is not too far from the truth..."
Author's Note: Hahaha, you all thought it was going to be Gisela, didn't you? To be fair, Yamikage did mention that his clan ate Demon Beast in the past. Anyway, it seems that the ninja has undergone some sort of transformation, but why is he here? Revenge probably. And Kirby is still very traumatized over the loss of Marx, but really how could he not?
Next chapter, a good ol' showdown between Meta Knight and the transformed Yamikage.
Hopefully it won't take a century and a half to complete the next. But don't worry, I mostly know what I'm doing for the next.
LeerJustice, out.