Author's note: Hey, hey, hey! I've noticed Marx is getting a bit OOC, if that's possible. Well, maybe. I can't really tell…

Anyway, I'm glad to finish this chapter. It seems my predictions were right, 5 or 6 chapters to escape the time gap! Yeah! Kay, please review (or not).

And the title is from Kaze Ni Naru (become the wind). It's the credits song from my fave movie (The Cat Returns). I just used the translated lyrics! (83)-o Nova hopes you enjoy!

5

Soon I'll be by Your Side All the Time

The darkness was intimidating to the point where my teeth were clattering and I accidentally bit my lip. It began to bleed badly so I licked it. I found this didn't help much and only made me more uncomfortable. Though, it tasted rather salty with just a touch of tanginess. After silently punishing myself for being so disgusting, I looked back to the darkness shrouding the stairs. It seemed to move like water and I felt as though I would die if I entered.

"Marx, it would help if you just went in. You're wasting time you idiot."

I spun around and glared at Grill. "I know! I'm just concentrating so I don't have a panic attack when we go in," my eyes suddenly felt wet and my vision was blurred, "but now…now I'm making Dee suffer longer! I'm so sorry! I don't wanna hurt you! NO!" I stepped on the first stair and shook my head. It was still scary.

Grill's hand hit my back, sending me flying. "Hurry up!" her voice became warped as we stumbled into the darkness. It swallowed the two of us whole and we were teleported to a small room-like area (I call it room-like because it had no real dimensions).

I studied the place closely. It reminded me of the first level, but with a different feel to it. My eyes darted toward a large looming shadow that was somehow darker than the sea of black around it. I squinted as it took form as a circle and not just a blob. A golden rim outlined the circle and a cat face of the same colour filled the inside. A light shone behind the robotic clock and the mechanisms surrounding its face came into view. I stared at its closed eyes until they opened, turning out to be just a lighter shade than mine.

"Wow, that's amazing…" Grill mouthed, "It looks like something out of a fantasy book! And it's so huge!"

My body became stuck in place. This was probably the worst moment in my life, next to being killed by Kirby. I shut my eyes and began to mumble nonsense in an attempt to calm my nerves.

"MARX," its thoughts reached my mind in a booming voice. I jumped and let out a shriek of terror.

"Hey, calm down!" Grill grabbed me as I started to panic. I kicked and struggled but she wouldn't let me go, "I don't think Nova hates you, but you have to stand still to find out!"

I stopped and looked up at Nova. It blinked and focused on me. "MARX," it repeated, "I DIDN'T HAVE TO."

"Have to..?" my voice an angry whisper. It seemed like Nova wasn't mad at me. Did it forgive me? I was impatient and broke free from Grill's grip, as she still held me, "What do you mean?"

Its eyes closed and it seemed cheerful. "I WAS NOT FORCED TO GRANT YOUR WISH, I CHOSE…AND THEREFORE MY WISH FOR YOU IS NOT TO BLAME YOURSELF FOR WHAT HAS COME OF ME. THAT IS ALL I WANT YOU TO DO FOR ME."

"What?" I felt like fainting from the relief that washed over me, but something was a bit off, "Why would you let me rule Pop Star after all I've done? I'm a horrible person! You shouldn't forgive me! You shouldn't—"

"THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE YOU SHALL AFFECT. IN ORDER FOR YOU TO MEET THERE WAS A PATH YOU HAD TO FOLLOW. MY CHOICE WAS TO EITHER HELP YOU AND OTHERS OR DO NOTHING, SO I CHOSE THE FORMER. AT THIS MOMENT, I CANNOT FORGIVE YOU. THAT IS BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO FORGIVE."

That made a bit more sense in mind that Nova was trying to help others. There was still something missing, but I supposed it didn't matter. That was when I remembered what I was here for. "Nova, can you get Grill and I home?"

Nova seemed pleased that I asked this. "YES, BUT FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I KNEW YOUR PLAN WOULD FAIL, AS I CAN SEE INTO THE PAST AND THE FUTURE. IF I FORESAW IT SUCCEEDING I WOULD NEVER HAVE GRANTED YOUR WISH. I HOPE THAT HELPS ANY DOUBTS YOU HAD."

"How did you know..?" I asked under my breath, laughing after saying so, "Well thanks, so can you help us?"

There was a long silence where only the soft whrrrr of Nova's machine parts could be heard. Its eyes shone for a second before dimming again. "DONE."

Grill and I looked at each other. "What? Nothing happ—EEK!" Grill's body began to disintegrate. I jumped onto her only to disappear too.

"AARGH, I can't open it!"

"No, you close your eyes and put your paw in the thingy!"

"Thingy? Okay…oh, this is so wonderful!"

"I made the dolls myself."

"AWWW! That's so SWEET!"

The embrace was warm and full of love. Tears came to my eyes because I felt as though I lived up to her expectations. I knew she loved me and finally felt good enough to live among everyone else. I never wanted it to end, the way she held my body close to hers. It was such a joyous feeling one can't describe. I knew then that's where I would stay, in her arms. I wouldn't leave her and if this happened I would return. We can't be separated…

I opened my eyes and yawned in Grill's face, as she was on top of me. She picked up her broom and hit me with it a few times. I yelped in pain and she laughed at my reaction. After she was a few yards away I remembered my dream. Or a memory, whatever it was. Wasn't that from Dee's birthday? Yes, that was it. I gave her a music box and she was overjoyed. The hug she gave me, it was like her usual hugs but there was something different about it. What was that?

"Marx, stop being stupid and get over here! We finally made it! We're home!" Grill cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to me, "Marx, are you listening to me? You can see your girlfriend now!"

The blood drained from my face and I collapsed without a word. "Dee...but we didn't get to thank Nova…Thank you Nova…"

Grill ran over to my side. "Hey, I'm sure it won't mind. It just wants you to be happy, right? So come on Marx! Let's go to Dreamland!" she tugged me up and along by my hat.

"We're already in Dreamland," I murmured, "It's called 'Whispy Woods' with the ruler by the same name. He's a tree." Grill looked at me as if I lost all sanity. A smirk spread over my face, as I was happy to shock her (whether it was with my knowledge or the fact that this sounded crazy).

"Okay, where's the main village, city or whatever?" she asked. I squinted at the trees, trying to remember. That was when something inside my brain switched on and I began to walk in the direction I felt was right. Grill followed me without question.

We walked for a long distance before exiting the woods. I was surprised Grill didn't question my skills. She actually praised me once we got out and gave me a noogie. This sudden kindness frightened me and I decided that it would be best to just go along with her. After travelling a bit more we arrived at the village (Pupu village I think..?). No one seemed t notice us, which I was grateful for. I hated being unnecessarily crowded.

We wandered through the buildings for a while and didn't see anyone we knew. I had been trying to remember where Kawasaki's restaurant was since we arrived when it finally hit me.

"Grill!" I shouted while biting into her hand, "we have to turn around! I wanna visit my girlfriend at work!" she opened her mouth to respond but I didn't give her a chance. Instead I dragged her with me back through one of the alleyways. I remembered this one was where Dee was almost mugged and I saved her. It seemed like everything here brought back memories.

"Hey, you're stronger than you put on, aren't you? I mean you act all small and frail, but you can drag me around and easily break through windows. That's messed up, no offence." Grill tripped mid-way down the street where Kawasaki's place was situated, "Ow, can you slow down though?"

I smiled cutely, hoping to charm her into forgiving me. "Sorry, we're almost there anyway!" I strolled the rest of the way, as Grill suggested. We reached the front doors of the restaurant and I shoved them open. It was pretty empty, as usual. Chef Kawasaki was calmly handing out dishes at the front counter and I couldn't see Dee anywhere. I walked up to Kawasaki and scowled at him.

"Why hello there!" he greeted, waving happily, "What would you—Marx?"

"So this is Chef Kawasaki…" Grill mumbled, "He sounds like a complete idiot. A nice idiot, but an idiot nonetheless."

I stuck my tongue out at her then turned back to Kawasaki. "Hey, hey, hey! I'm back and this is…Grill. Can you get Dee for me please? Please, please, please, please?"

"Why did you put a pause in front of my name..?" Grill asked in a deadly voice. Kawasaki and I ignored her entirely.

"I thought you were dead!" he crossed his arms and studied me carefully, "well anyway, Dee has a day off today."

"Doh!" I spun around and began to walk out, followed once again by a puzzled Grill, "Thanks Kawasaki!"

We raced past a few pedestrians and shops before finally arriving on the street Dee's house was. I noticed that I was breathing heavily and was exhausted, but I ignored this and kept walking. It was only a small distance until Dee and I were reunited. Only a small…

"Marx, you should take a rest. You're going to faint if you aren't careful," Grill was about to say something else, then she paused, "Wait, why the hell am I worried about you?"

"Just hurry!" I ran ahead and Grill sighed before coming along. I fell into Dee's door with a loud bang. Nothing happened until Grill reached for the doorknob and turned it. I fell inside with another loud bang.

"You're so dumb," she sighed after entering. I stood and began to look around as well. No one was home, obviously, and everything was just like it was before I left. Dee's bed was still in the back of the large round room, right next to the bathroom door. The 'kitchen' was still clean with the table set neatly next to it. I remembered when Nikki came and sat there with us. Ugh, bad memories.

I went over to the bed and sat on it. It still felt like a bed (big surprise there). At this point I realized I didn't have a bath or a shower for a few days now (or brush my teeth or any hygienic things like that). It probably didn't matter seeing as I was pretty much 'dead' during this period.

The door knob started to jiggle and a little Waddle Dee who was even unnaturally small for her kind walked in. She held three or five paper bags full of groceries. Upon laying her chocolate brown eyes on us she dropped the bags and fell to the ground, sobbing and screaming.

"Oh no! I'm hallucinating! I'm so sorry! It's getting to me, I'm going insane!" she tried to pick up the bags but just dropped them again, "This isn't really happening…I'm alone…it isn't REAL!"

I sat next to her and smiled innocently. "Marx is very happy to see Dee. He traveled all the way from the darkest pits of hell to see her. Can Dee cook him something to eat now? Marx is very hungry."

She touched my face in every place and patted my head. "Marx didn't break his promise! Dee is so happy she's going to cry even more!" she did as she said and tackled me with her arms spread wide. I closed my eyes and got comfortable just when she let go, "Marx, I have to tell you something very important and serious now, so be quiet, okay?"

I nodded as she took a deep breath. "Okay Marx, in all seriousness…OMIGOD YOU MUST BE THE CUTEST THING THAT'S EVER WALKED THE EARTH! OMIGOD, OMIGOD, OMIGOD!" she squealed and grabbed me again. I wasn't really sure how to react to this, so I just sat there and let her cuddle me. I noticed Grill was staring at us as if we were a freak show.

"Okay, now that we've gotten that fact established," I sighed once Dee let go of me, "this random witch here is Grill. She helped me get here and she's a very nice person. And Grill, this is Dee. She's my best friend…and girlfriend…I think…"

"What he means is that we don't go by those titles. We just call each other friends, since we aren't really that romantically involved…well, we are but, um, it's complicated." Dee stood up and dusted herself off before hugging Grill, "Thank you. I hope we can be friends!"

"Um, I'm speechless. Do you two really get along this well?" Grill asked. She sounded shocked, which was to be expected.

I giggled. "Not really. We argue a lot and sometimes Dee finds me annoying, but more or less I suppose."

Dee suddenly tackled me again. "OMIGOD! YOU'RE SO CUTE WHEN YOU LAUGH! I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!" she let go and took a deep breath, "Sorry, I'm going to act this way towards everything you do for a while. Just until I get used to your cuteness, alright?"

"He isn't that cute…" Grill stated in a flat voice. Dee just laughed and let go of me.

"Maybe not to you, but I admire everything he does and always will," she kissed my forehead and went over to the kitchen, "I'll make some peanut butter cookies for you both. You must be starving."

Grill walked over to me and sat. "So your girlfriend is a Waddle Dee. She's completely normal and you're a freak. Well that's…"

"Hey! I'm not a—well, yeah I guess I am a freak," I got up and went over to see how Dee was doing. She acknowledged my presence by waving her wooden spoon at me. I snuggled into her side lovingly and she glomped me, saying how adorable I was. To tell the truth I wanted everything to stay this way forever. I knew it needed to change, but I really loved this. It made me happy. It really did.

"Grill seems nice. She's so cute too!"

I laughed at Dee for saying that. "Yeah, I guess. I'm happy to be home though."

We were sitting in Dee's house (of course) and she was getting the bed ready for herself. I told her I would sleep on the floor until we got another bed. She agreed with this, though reluctantly.

"Marx," Dee mumbled, "I want to tell you everything that's happened since you left, so I'll do that tomorrow. Is that alright?"

I nodded. "Oh yeah, that's just great. I have to tell you something too, though it's probably not what you want to hear right now."

She stopped fluffing her pillow and stared at me. "Okay…wait," she dropped the pillow and bear hugged me enthusiastically, "YOU'RE SO CUTE! EEEEEK!"

I sighed and closed my eyes, snuggling into her once again. She just squeezed me tight until I felt as though I might explode. This really wasn't a good feeling, take my word for it. But somehow I enjoyed this moment, as before, because I knew she would accept me no matter what happened. She would always love me, even if I didn't feel the same.

And in return I would always be by her side.

Author's note: I'm worried Dee is a bit of a Mary-Sue. That is, she isn't perfect though. And she isn't exactly an OC. She's like an under-developed character that I've done a bunch of work on. Um, so just tell me what you think. I could always make Marx pair up with an actual canon character if she's a Mary-Sue…like Grill (in spite of myself). Nerr, I think Nikki was a Mary-Sue though! I did that on purpose too! XD

Oh, Marx's dream is from Dissimulation BTW. I reworded some of it since it was a memory.

Heehee, please review, flames shall be ignored (and frowned upon!).

(83)-o