Author's Note: I'm glad this is getting good reception. I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well!

As usual, I don't own Smash Brothers. I only own a copy of the game.

In Sane World Ch. 2

Now that Snake took the time to think about this request, it was somewhat odd. Why is it now that Lucario began to question what humans are in general? Needless to say, it would be an interesting sleepless night for the both of them.

"So, what do you want to know about my species, exactly?" Snake inquired.

Lucario decided to sit next to the mercenary while resisting the canine urge to lay on his friend's lap. "First off, I would like to ask about habits. Why is it that you hide in your cardboard box? I know that you use it for stealth purposes but it seems there is more to it than that." Can it be? Someone else who finally respects his box besides himself! Sure, the Pokemon was somewhat disrespectful to it at first but, now he is willing to learn about it! Of course, to normal people, an obsession with boxes is somewhat scary. Then again, wouldn't you admire the being that has saved your life countless times and will continue to do so until you die yourself? People can be so shallow-minded these days.

With a smile of pure mirth, Snake chuckled. He hadn't laughed like that in such a long time. Lucario twitched his pointy ears in confusion. Was his question that odd? He didn't seem to be laughing at him.

"What's so funny?" The bipedal jackal asked.

"Ah, it is nothing, my friend," Snake said while wiping a tear away from his eye. "Anyway, let me tell you story that might sum up an answer for your question. It all started about two weeks ago, while it was still fall…"

Flashback…

It was a crisp autumn noon. The younger smashers had no matches scheduled for that day so they decided to be what they truly are: children. They decided to play hide-and-seek within Smash Castle. A timeless activity that has rules simple enough for everyone to learn. It was a perfect children's game. During this time, Snake was walking around in his typical sneaking suit and bandana. He accidentally stumbled upon one of the kids (Toon Link) and decided to tag along with the game. Being a master of shadows, there was no way a bunch of little ones could find him! However, they proved to be more formidable than he once anticipated. Every round, Snake would somehow be caught by one of the children. It was aggravating yet exhilarating at the same time. He hadn't felt a rush like this in quite a while now. The anxiety that your enemy might know your position always kept the heart beating faster. After being found for the tenth time that early afternoon, Snake decided it was time to bring out his trump card of stealth: his trusty cardboard box. With this, he could easily camouflage with other everyday items. The kids will never know what hit them! At this point, Captain Falcon and Princess Peach got into the game. To them, a bunch of kids against a master of espionage wasn't exactly fair. The odds were starting to stack against Snake. With the number of hiders dwindling and the number of seekers increasing, it will only be a matter of time before they find him in the dining room. However, Snake still had a chance. He emerged from his hiding spot and began initiating his quickly formulated plan.

It has been 15 minutes and still no results. All the kids (and several adult smashers) could not find Snake at all. There were cardboard boxes placed all over the castle but none which held the mercenary. A couple held a tape recorder which had a recording of Snake snoring to fool others into thinking he was in that box. They even went as far as checking the air vents (courtesy of Olimar's pikmin). Where could he have gone? Concern began to etch itself upon the faces of the seekers. Ness decided that asking for Lucario's help would be the best course of action. Everyone followed behind the psychic boy wonder as he walked towards Lucario and Snake's room. He knocked softly on the mahogany door and it opened almost immediately.

"Can I help you?" asked the jackal in a neutral tone.

"Hello. Have you seen Snake anywhere?"

"Hmmm…" Lucario gave the request some thought before answering with a yes. Everyone began to lighten up.

"You really know where he is?" With a knowing smile, Lucario opened the door wider and beckoned everyone to come in ( the group at this point consisted of Ice Climbers, Ness, Lucas, Toon Link, Kirby, Captain Falcon, Peach, Olimar, and Ganondorf). At the center of the somewhat large room was a lone cardboard box. However, this one was different from the other boxes. This one held a forboding, almost ominous aura about it. With a gesture, Lucario told everyone to quiet down. As silence gripped the room, a low sound could be heard. It sounded very odd, almost like grumbling. Everyone traced the sound to the forbidden box at the center. Everyone wanted to lift it to see if Snake truly was in there or it was just a tape recorder of him snoring. However, everyone knows that disturbing Snake's box while he was in it was asking for punishment and a good yelling at. Who was willing to open Pandora's Box? Seeing that no one moved an inch towards the box, Lucario decided to end this childish game. He walked towards it seemingly without a care in the world and lifted the box gently. Everyone gasped at what was revealed. It was Snake, only he was asleep. But, he soon awoke with the intrusion of light.

"Zzzzzzz… Wha? What's going on?" Snake demanded.

"They found you." Lucario said with a somewhat pleasing tone. Snake stood up and looked towards the crowd in his room with a neutral expression. He saw that Ness was in front of everyone, as if he were leading them into victory. He walked in Ness's direction in an almost menacing fashion. He knelt down to his height, took off his baseball cap and ruffled his hair.

"Good job, kid. You knew where to look after all." Snake smiled at the boy who returned the expression. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some sleep to catch up with."

End Flashback

"I'm sure you remembered that day. It was quite fun to play with kids." Looking back on that day, the two unlikely friends lit up considerably.

"So the box is not just a hiding device to you. It holds good memories and protects you from danger in the most unorthodox way."

"Its something not many will understand."

"I don't think I will understand it any time soon, either."

"At least you're honest. I appreciate that very much. Not many people I meet are truly honest." Snake began to think back to his world. It was true. Everyone he had met so far had some sort of secret to hide from him. Hell, Snake hides his true identity to everyone he meets! It was an inescapable truth that Snake had accepted for quite some time. The jackal let out a yawn, breaking Snake's train of thought. He looked towards their digital clock which read "5:00 A.M."

"I think I'll go back to bed. Maybe we can continue this some other time?" Snake smiled at his canine friend. It seems to him that comfort and compassion followed Lucario wherever he went, despite appearances.

"Of course, brother." To Lucario's surprise, Snake pulled him into a hug. However, he returned the gesture.

"To me, you will always be my brother." Snake said. They stayed in that position for some time before returning to their respective sleeping positions.

Truly, it was the dawn of an evolving, beautiful friendship.