Disclaimer: I don't own Super Smash Brothers or any of the characters in the series.
Author's Note: I just want to say that this story is a dedication to a friend of mine. As a tribute to the years of friendship we'd had, I'd tried to mimic his writing style in this fanfic. Without him, I wouldn't have had the motivation to pursue my desire to write or draw. Rest in Peace, my friend.
x-x-x-x-x
…Don't cry…don't cry…
His tiny hands clenched into fists as his body quivered. Biting his lip, he tried to contain the tears that were threatening to spill.
…P-please…don't… cry…
It was bad enough that people viewed him as a wimp and a scaredy-cat…
…No…!
He choked back a sob, but the tears fell.
…Why…? Why am I such a crybaby?
His body shook as he began to sob.
It's bad enough when people tease me and push me around! Why don't they leave me alone? I've never done anything to them…
Thinking back to an earlier time in the day, he'd recalled Wolf ruining his victory from the match they'd had; he'd been so happy to have won against the humanoid canine, only to have his win be proven to have been a fluke…
…I'd only won because of that bomb-omb that walked into him because he was charging an attack to send me off the stage…
Seeing that in the recorded replay, the boy had been crushed; his high spirits had been dashed in that instant, scattered and lost…
Sometime after that, Bowser thought it'd be funny to trip him…and after he'd gotten up and looked hurt, the giant Koopa had "playfully" slapped him on the back, sending him to the floor once again.
He'd laughed at me, calling me a pushover…telling me that I was too soft, and that any bruises I'd gotten would heal…
After that, the other kids wanted him to play a game of 'Tag', to which he'd quickly declined.
I…I wanted to play with them, but…they would've made me 'It' on the first round like they always do…and the stuff they said when I told them I didn't want to play…
Sure, they'd been joking – trying to persuade him to join them with taunts and teasing words – but the words stung, even if they hadn't been meant to hurt him. He'd nearly burst into tears then, but he had quickly covered his sorrow with a look of anger before going back to his room and locking the door. He had stayed in there for the rest of the day, not even coming out when one of the adults knocked on the door to tell him it was dinner time.
…It's just not fair…
It wasn't his fault that he was so emotional; as a victim of trauma, he couldn't help it. His mother died to protect him, his older twin brother was slain by his own hand – however unintentional it had been – and he was the chosen hero of his world. He'd been through so much, and he was still so young…but nobody seemed to remember or care…except for Peach, and sometimes Kirby.
I just…I wish that someone would understand me…
~x~x~x~
-…Urgh…-
Pain coursed through my body as I felt myself slowly regaining consciousness. My left hand twitched before slowly reaching for my right shoulder, and I tried to sit up.
- Oww…! -
I decided to stay on the floor for a bit as my other senses eventually returned to me. When I opened my eyes, my vision was a blur. I blinked wearily, hoping that my eyes were not permanently damaged in some way. My vision slowly and steadily cleared, revealing that I was in an unfamiliar room. It was dark, save for the small amount of moonlight shining through the window and a small portion of light coming from underneath the door on the opposite side of the room.
- …Where am I…? -
As I began to rub my aching shoulder, I realized that someone was…sobbing?
I felt my heart break; I always disliked it when anyone was sad. With my limited perception from the floor of this room, I knew that I would have to stand up to cheer this person up. Taking in a deep breath, I forced myself to get to my feet, biting back the urge to cry out. When I was certain that I was able to stay on my feet and not fall, I looked for the source of sorrow.
I blinked a bit, mostly in confusion; before me was a large bed, a small blonde boy sitting atop it – sobbing quietly, his small frame shaking as he cried – and for some reason, I could 'see' energy surrounding him.
- …Is that…his aura…? -
I paused. How did I know what an 'aura' was, anyway? Shaking my head, I decided that I could try to cheer him up.
"…H-hey, um…"
My throat burned as I spoke, my voice soft and raspy, and I thought that he had not heard me at first…
But the boy looked up, sniffling and trying to locate me.
"…Who's there?"
I took a shaky step forward, giving him a warm smile.
"…Um…Why are you…so sad…?"
He must have spotted me, as I noticed his eyes lock onto my frame as I spoke again.
"…Maybe…I can help…"
He blinked, almost in disbelief…
"…Ness? Is that you?"
I blinked in confusion, tilting my head slightly; that name was familiar, but it did not feel like my own.
- …I am not 'Ness'…Am I? Is that my name? -
But the boy started to cry again, much to my dismay.
"Th-those things you said to me earlier…just because I didn't p-play Tag with you g-guys…"
I frowned.
- …This 'Ness', along with other children, said nasty things to him? How could they…? -
I slowly walked up to him, reaching out with my left hand and rubbed his back. He seemed to flinch at my touch, pulling away a bit.
"D-don't touch me…those words hurt, y-you know…"
I felt upset; I would never say hurtful words to anyone, and this poor boy seemed to be certain that I had done so. I inched closer to him, but made no motion to touch him again.
"…Is there…a way that…I can make it up…to you…?"
It hurt to speak, but I had no desire to let this poor child suffer. If I had somehow hurt his feelings, I was determined to redeem myself.
I did not expect him to shove me away; in fact, due to my weakened state, I fell back further than I should have. As I landed hard on my back, the pain returned with a fierce intensity, forcing an agonized wail from my lips.
He looked at me, horrified, rushing over and kneeling at my side.
"Ness! I'm so sorry!"
"…I…I guess…I deserved that…"
He shook his head, wringing his hands.
"No, you didn't…I…I'm so sorry…I didn't…I didn't mean to…"
I blinked. At first, he had been mad at me for something that I had no recollection of, and now he was concerned about me…?
I found myself chuckling at this, but it was cut short by a coughing fit. His eyes widened, obviously frightened.
"…Ness? I…I didn't use any PSI in that push, did I?"
- …'PSI'? -
For some reason, that sounded familiar to me, but I found myself shaking my head slowly.
"No, you did not…"
I forced myself to sit up, grimacing as the pain lingered. The boy covered his mouth, looking upset.
"…Ness, if…if I accidentally hurt you…"
By now, I found myself wondering if I really was this 'Ness'; the name was so familiar, but somehow, it did not feel right to accept it. I shrugged my left shoulder, hoping that the boy did not notice my half-gesture.
"I…I will live…but…could you…tell me why you were…so sad before?"
He frowned at my attempt to change the subject, but sighed.
"Well…other than those hurtful things you guys said earlier…"
He sniffled a bit, and I prayed that he would not start crying again.
"…I…Well…Do you mind if I show you through Telepathy?"
- …He has Telepathy? So he is a psychic, then… -
Blinking, I recalled what some psychics with telepathic abilities did to share with others; they lightly touched foreheads if their power was weak, or just sent the message with pure willpower if their ability was strong. I gave a small smile, nodding.
"Sure."
As I had expected, he leaned his head forward a bit, and I lightly touched my forehead with his, allowing him to show me what had caused his sorrow.
The first memory started off happy; he had beaten someone in a test of strength, but was crushed when his opponent pointed out that his victory was pure luck.
The second memory was upsetting; someone who was bigger than him had tripped him, and then had knocked him down. It had been done purposely, and the bully had felt no guilt.
The third memory was painful; other children were teasing and taunting him, saying hurtful things. Though they had not meant any of those things that had been said, it still seemed to sting…
The final memory nearly made me cry; he had been here, in his room, feeling hurt and alone. The boy's memories of his past had resurfaced, adding more to his suffering. The death of his mother, the death of his twin brother, and the fact that the fate of his world had been on his shoulders while he was still so young made it all worse. People were picking on him because they saw him as a weaker being, they saw him as 'prey'…
…But I had finally learned his name; he was Lucas, a psychic boy who had suffered trauma, so much sorrow…
We pulled away, and he was sniffling again.
I reached out with my left hand again, rubbing his back gently and hoping that he would not shove me again. Again, he surprised me; he had wrapped his arms around my middle, pushing his face into my chest and sobbing. Even though my chest was now burning in agony, I bit my lip, allowing him to cry and continuing to rub his back.
"It will be…okay, Lucas…Everything…will be okay…"
As his sobs began to slow down, I glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand. It was almost one in the morning, and I was certain that Lucas was exhausted by now. An idea popped into my mind, and I hoped that I could pull it off.
"…H-hey…Lucas…would you…like for me to sing to you?"
He pulled away from my chest slightly, looking up at me with curiosity.
"…You...You would sing to me, Ness?"
I nodded.
"If…you really want me to, I will."
- …And hopefully my voice will not die halfway through the song… -
He seemed to consider it for a moment.
"If…you don't mind…"
I smiled.
"I do not mind at all…"
I motioned towards his bed, and he eagerly got underneath the covers. I got onto my knees, staying at his side as I thought of a song. A certain one came to mind, and I took a deep, painful breath.
"You would not believe your eyes,
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep…
'Cause they fill the open air,
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude, but I'd just stand and…stare…
I'd like to make myself believe,
That planet Earth…turns…slowly…
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,
'Cause everything is never as it seems…
'Cause I get a thousand hugs,
From ten thousand lightning bugs,
As they try to teach me how to dance…
A foxtrot above my head,
A sock hop beneath my bed,
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread…
I'd like to make myself believe,
That planet Earth…turns…slowly…
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,
'Cause everything is never as it seems…
(…When I fall asleep…)
Leave my door open just a crack…
(…Please take me away from here…)
'Cause I feel like such an insomniac…
(…Please take me away from here…)
Why do I tire of counting sheep?
(…Please take me away from here…)
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep?"
By now, my throat was on fire as I tried to maintain a soft singing voice without rasping, and Lucas was almost asleep. I smiled at him as he looked at me with a dozing gaze, taking another deep, painful breath.
"To ten million fireflies,
I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes,
I got misty eyes as they said farewell.
(…They said farewell…)
But I'll know where several are,
If my dreams get real bizarre,
'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar…
I'd like to make myself believe,
That planet Earth…turns…slowly…
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,
'Cause everything is never as it seems…
(…When I fall asleep…)
I'd like to make myself believe,
That planet Earth…turns…slowly…
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,
'Cause everything is never as it seems…
(…When I fall asleep…)"
Lucas was now asleep, and my throat was burning even more than before, so I allowed my voice to slowly change back to its quieter, raspy state.
"…I'd like to make myself believe…
…That planet Earth…turns…slowly…
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams…"
I looked at the sleeping boy, a weak smile tugging at my lips.
- …Goodnight, Lucas… -
~x~x~x~
Author's Note: Depending on how many people like this concept, I might continue it. Also, I don't own the song Fireflies; that was written and is copyrighted by the band Owl City.