Been a while! Hope everyone's...
...
...
SETTLING IT IN SMASH!
XD
I don't have money for it...so I'm hoping I'll get it for Christmas. At least I still have the 3DS version to tide me over!
Oh! And by the way, I didn't say this in the last chapter, but Dark Mind is from Kirby and the Amazing Mirror. I didn't think about it when I posted that chapter, my bad!
Well, let's begin!
Important Info:
1) Meta Knight is based on the anime Hoshi no Kaabii, where he's more of a father/teacher figure to Kirby
2) Lucario is female and Greninja is male.
Disclaimer: Why would I own it? No seriously. Why? I just love playing the thing! And writing about it.
The Test of Time
Sum: "You still have it." Marth smiled fondly at the photo.
~ ~ ~ Us ~ ~ ~
It was by chance that Marth found it.
Ike had once again left his stuff in his room, leaving Marth to clean them up and return them. Though, the emperor wondered why as Ike would just forget them once more. He placed the belt and pouches on top of his desk, allowing him both hands to move the mattress underneath his bed. Marth hoped Master Hand would arrive soon so he and Ike and Meta Knight could request a room to share one more. The space was big enough for the extra mattress, but Ike's belongings remained in his designated room otherwise Marth's would become overcrowded.
As the Emperor of Akaneia straightened he noticed one pouch hadn't been button closed. He frowned, hoping that it didn't contain Ike's room key. If it had, Marth wanted to assure it was still there otherwise the Emperor of Akaneia would need to search for the slim piece of metal. He pushed the cover up more, expecting to find the key or an empty pouch.
He found something far more pleasant.
He pulled out a small folded piece of paper, but upon holding it Marth realized it was too thick to be paper. Curiosity gnawed at him, and the emperor decided it couldn't hurt, so he deftly unfolded it.
"You still have it." Marth smiled fondly at the photo.
Aside from the creases the picture was still in decent condition, with only one corner curling and another where the back and front were peeling away from each other.
The image of him and Ike and Meta Knight pulled at Marth, letting fond memories surface. Nights on the roof top, training, birthday presents, corn maze, chess, and many others he cherished. The emperor was too lost in memories to recognize that his door had reopened.
"Oh, hey!" Ike called out. "That's where...oh." The vanguard walked over to his fellow swordsman. He smiled. "It's still in pretty good condition."
The Emperor of Akaneia held it out to its owner. "Yes it is."
Ike gently took it. "Where's yours?"
"Framed and sitting on my nightstand." Marth chuckled. "I had to call it a special type of painting in order for the framer to stop pestering me with questions I couldn't answer."
The native of Crimea nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I said something along the same lines. Only Soren and Ranulf know it's a photograph...or at least that's what it's called." He winced. "I couldn't tell them how a camera worked very well…especially since we don't have them."
Marth had grabbed the other's belt and offered it to him. With the utmost care Ike refolded the photo and placed it back into the pouch.
"Do you think Meta Knight framed his?" Ike questioned as he slipped the belt on.
The Emperor of Akaneia hummed. "I would believe so."
The vanguard scoffed at himself for doubting their knight. "Well, let's get going."
The native of Crimea escaped first, letting Marth close and lock the door. The two strolled down the hallway in comfortable silence.
Then, "Hey Marth."
"Hmmm?"
"How about we get a new picture of the three of us?"
The Emperor of Akaneia smiled, brightly. "I see no reason not to. We'll have to secure a camera of course."
"That should be easy enough, once Master Hand arrives. Hey, we need to ask him about a larger room too." The vanguard added. "...do you think he could put some extra magic on the photo?"
"What kind of magic?" The emperor questioned.
Ike unconsciously gripped the pouch containing the item. "I don't want it to wear out. Maybe he could do the same with our new photo?"
"That's a good question. If he can I would like to have the same." The slender swordsman agreed, with a ghost of a smile. "I suppose we should start making a list of questions for him."
The two laughed, before Ike suddenly brought up an old memory from the last tournament. "Hey, we should show him this," the vanguard proclaimed.
The emperor smiled, "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. I believe he's free for the rest of the day."
~ ~ ~ Us ~ ~ ~
Meta Knight sighed. Only three days since his arrival and he was already accustom to the new layout. But being familiar with the new mansion and tournament did not shed the loneliness he felt in his room. The knight sighed, bookmarked the page, and set it on his nightstand, not focusing on the words at all. The puffball wrapped his cape around him, feeling a small amount of comfort from it. Meta Knight hopped off of his bed and the moment his feet touched the ground there was a knock at his door. "Who is there?"
"Hey, it's us!"
The Star Warrior smiled, eyes blue. "The door is unlocked."
The two swordsmen wandered in, Marth giving a polite greeting and Ike immediately inviting himself to the bed. The Emperor or Akaneia frowned and chide the other. "Ike, you're being incredibly impolite..."
"Sorry," Ike replied with a rueful smile. Meta Knight nodded at him, ushering the emperor towards the bed as well.
"May I inquire as to the sudden visit?" He hopped onto the bed, settling down on the opposite edge so he was able to face the his two friends.
Ike's smile lit the room as he handed the Star Warrior photograph. His eyes changed to blue and the two swordsmen exchanged pleased looks. "This brings back memories." Meta Knight smiled. "...It appears that you were the only one to experience a dramatic change."
Ike shrugged. "Well, it has been almost three years for me."
The Star Warrior frowned, a well of sadness bubbling inside of him. "Six years."
"It's been about..." the emperor trailed off, mentally counting. "...eight months, for me." Marth's eyes lingered on the photo.
"Hey, what's the matter with you two?" Ike gently prodded his two friends.
"Ah...nothing."
Meta Knight shook his head.
The vanguard raised an eyebrow, giving them a disbelieving look. The native of Crimea crossed his arms, "It's not 'nothing'. You looked like you lost someone." He looked at the puffball. "And your eyes were gray for a few seconds."
Marth looked away. "...It's just...I feel like I missed a large portion of your life, both of your lives!...that I wasn't there...to help or support you…"
Ike glanced at the puffball. "You too?"
"...yes...I do share his feelings..." Meta Knight gave a soft smile at the vanguard. "I have six years of memories, not shared with Emperor Marth and yourself."
The native of Crimea ran a hand through his hair. "Well...this is...awkward." He finished lamely. Ike glanced at the photo. "This wasn't supposed to be depressing…"
The Star Warrior nodded. "We know, and you are right. Now, I believe you mentioned obtaining a new photograph?" At the other's nod, he continued. "I believe it would be a nice addition to our previous one."
Marth nodded. "I hope Master Hand arrives soon."
The Star Warrior gently handed the photo back to its rightful owner. "I concur. I have grown accustom to the presence of others."
"Hey, when was the last time you ever had a room to yourself then?" The native of Crimea questioned, once his keepsake was back in the pouch. "I mean, you've shared a room with Sword and Blade ever since meeting them right? And then you had us during the tournament..."
"Yes, that is true." The Popstar resident replied, pulling his cape around him, "I would estimate between nine and ten years ago."
"Huh..." The vanguard breathed. "I would've guessed longer." He shrugged at their questioning looks.
"How much longer do you think we have until Master Hand arrives?" The Emperor of Akaneia asked.
"I overheard Mario saying something about an official date."
Marth looked over at the vanguard. "An official date?"
"Yeah," Ike threw a pillow onto Marth's legs. "Something about October…" He grabbed the Star Warrior and set him on his stomach as he laid down.
"That's nearly two weeks away..." The emperor said. He glanced down at Ike, gave a teasing grin and flicked the native of Crimea in the head.
"Hey!" Ike waved at the hand. "Who's being impolite now?"
They laughed, Meta Knight bouncing as he was sitting on the vanguard's stomach.
Ike sighed, watching as Marth leaned over and grabbed a book off of Meta Knight's stand. Content, he listened to the two converse about the hardback.
"Hey, why don't you read it out loud?" He suggested.
The emperor laughed, "Really? You want to listen to me read a whole book?"
"We could take turns, if you want..." The native of Crimea smiled softly. "Besides, I think it would be a great memory."
He saw the Popstar resident glance up, before nodding. "I agree."
Marth opened the book. "We'll be rereading the first chapter or so."
"It is of little consequences." The puffball replied. The vanguard settled down to the Emperor of Akaneia's voice.
Time for new memories.
The 9-10 years comes from three things. One being the 6 years between Brawl and 3DS, two being from the year during Brawl (You, Me, and Him), and three being 2 years from the Kirby Right Back At Ya! Anime where its air date was about 2 years. So yeah…
There we go! The photograph Marth found is actually explained a little in 'You, Me, and Him'.
What!? Yes! 'You, Me, and Him' has been updated! OMG!
So...yeah.
Hopefully you guys are having fun with the Wii U version! I'll go ahead and continue playing my 3DS version. No HD version for me just yet...
*Sigh* Well, guess I'm off to play online for a while.
Moving on!
Have a good weekend! And Happy (Early) Thanksgiving!
ZGD is out!