Chapter 7: Things More Important Than Swimming

"I can't believe we brought it to the world," Roy mumbled with a tender look on his face and an arm around Peach.

"I'm so happy right now. This is the most wonderful moment of my life," Peach sobbed as she wiped away a tear. They leant a bit against each other and sighed in that typical way only doting parents could.

The bus, the object of their loving gazes, sure needed a parent's eyes to be called anything near beautiful. It was barely possible to look at the brightly colored mean of transport without sunglasses.

"We better make sure that people get started with their packing so that we can try our baby out," Peach cooed with a mother's affection.

"Why, yes, I very much agree," Roy concurred with a fatherly nod and let go of her. "The baby's first steps. Feels like only yesterday we brought him home."

Bower stepped in between them, smoke leaving his flaring nostrils as he gave Roy a burning glare.

"We got that dumb, ugly thing today," he growled, eyes bulging. "And it was that stupid shell over there," he went on and pointed at the Noki observing some clouds a short distance away. "Who brought the stupid bus here, not you."

Peach gasped and ran around Bowser's large frame to grab Roy's arm.

"Did you hear what he called our baby?"

Bowser leant in close to her face. "I'll tell Mario that you're playing house with Roy," he threatened and Peach gasped again. She did not like where the conversation was going and scowled at Bowser.

"Would you please go pack instead Bowser. Mario won't be upset over something he knows isn't true. It's just you putting too much into things as usual so save your breath."

"Now, now Mr… eh… Turtle, you really should calm down and think about how to treat a lady. A gentleman should never let his mood affect his manners," Roy cut in to aid Peach and put himself protectively in front of the princess. Bowser snorted while Peach stared at Roy in awe. He was acting like a true fairy tale prince and she had to admit that she had a fetish for those.

Link was standing some distance away, taking deep breaths. Zelda was probably getting her swimsuit and was thus not anywhere within sight and Link waited for her return with mixed emotions. He had already gotten everything he needed but he could not prepare himself enough for an attempt at charming the princess. Once Zelda came back he would try to casually offer her a seat next to him on the bus.

He sighed and let his fingers run through his hair. There really should not be a problem. Nothing to worry about. Just because he had something to lose. It was his duty as a man to make the first step, even though it felt unfair. He could not go on tiptoeing around Zelda like this. He had to be stronger than this. Braver.

Zelda paced back and forth while trying to make a decision. Her things lay neatly inside the bag on top of her bed but she did not feel like going. Should she ignore her anxiety? You should not purposely make yourself a loner and an outsider, it was better then to mask your uncertainness and live through it because it would pay off in the end. But no, she could not do it. Not this time. She sat down on the edge of her bed and buried her head in her hands. Just this once she wanted to stay at home and have some peace and quiet.

Link shifted his weight from one foot to the other as she stretched his neck to peek over the many heads that had crowded around the bus.

"I-a bet there will take a real-a brawl to get-a into the bus," Mario said to Link who unwillingly interrupted his spying.

"Yes, I think I'll just take it a bit easy and stay in the back."

Mario shook his head and smiled amusedly at Link. "And here-a I thought you'd be-a the first to join in."

"Don't feel like it right now."

Mario's smile widened as if he knew something Link did not. "Well, sure-a, but two empty seats next to-a each other will probably be hard to-a find if you're the last one in…"

A light seemed to be lit in Link's eyes at those words. If he was going to sit next to Zelda he needed two seats. It was just as logical as Goron eating rocks.

"When are we ready to go?" he asked the plumber.

"Anytime-a now."

"Okay, okay, now people. Bowser and Donkey Kong get over here," the director shouted to make his voice heard. "You'll board the bus first and sit in the back."

"Becauuuse…" Bowser said as he approached the poor Noki and with a snort let him get a taste of his hot breath.

"B-because…" the Noki stammered, being very reluctant to say anything. "Because you are… quite big."

Zelda perked up as she thought she heard a furious yell mixed with a frightened shriek, but she must surely have imagined it? Where was the sense of people screaming in the middle of the day all of a sudden?

Against all odds Bowser actually squeezed inside the bus, after giving the now grilled Noki the fright of his life and closely followed by Donkey Kong. The Smashers had been waiting restlessly behind, no one giving the Noki a thought, for the second they could rush forward and claim the honor of being the first person on the bus. A real brawl ensued as they all crawled, pushed or climbed to be the first one to sneak through the open door of honor (or the open door of two seats reserved).

Luigi had only been focusing on one thing. Mario always aimed for the top, so if he could beat Mario he would end up good. That conclusion he had made a long time ago and now was the time to once and for all prove that he had been thinking right. Not that he had ever managed in the past, but failure clings to he who does not try. Unfortunately, Luigi tripped and ended up flattened underneath the weight of the fighting Smashers. If he had trusted his own eyes in all of this chaos he could had sworn that it was a bomb that gave him the final blow. Defeated he crawled into the bus last of all.

The first empty seat Luigi reached he did not dare to take because Link was staring him down with the eyes of a furious beast the moment he glanced at the seat next to the Hylian. The nearest of the two empty seats left was on the other side of the aisle, three rows back. It was next to Captain Falcon who was busy staring out of the window. Luigi was not very pleased with this since Falcon appeared quite frightening to him with his height and muscular body, not to mention that he always looked so awfully bitter. However, the racer did not seem to mind that he sat down so Luigi did so, at the edge of the seat.

Link scanned the inside of the bus again. Still no sight of Zelda. He felt quite stupid for feeling disappointed by the thought that she would have chosen to sit next to someone else. Well, as long as it was not next to Marth he felt no need to complain or worry so he leant back and tried to relax, not managing fully.

The bus started rolling and Link's momentarily stilled worries were beginning to make him restless again. He would have liked to check exactly where Zelda had chosen to sit but there had to be some limits to how pathetic you were allowed to be. No, Zelda was surely sitting comfortably somewhere, perhaps next to Peach, eager to go swimming.

If he had known the truth he would know that she indeed was sitting comfortably, in the sofa back at the Smash Mansion.

Everyone was finally gone.

Marth kept his eyes locked on the closed door. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed with the same blue walls surrounding him, the same mahogany desk at the window, the same crammed bookcase in the corner and the same gloomy feeling in his heart. The thought of finally having some free space was, oh, so very tempting. Everyone was out and he would not have to be bothered by anyone if he left his room. It was not that he did not mind being alone that had gotten him fed up with the room. It was merely so that he would like to take in some new impressions.

Either way, he would not be tempted to go downstairs and enjoy the sunshine in the living room. Then would he not be a fool who refused to learn from past mistakes? It was better to stay away.

Stubbornly he looked away from the door to stare at the blue wall, but soon he was glancing at it again. His gaze seemed to be drawn to it and he hated it.

With a frown he took a random book from the bookcase and opened the door to go downstairs. He scratched his head, disappointed in himself for being weak-willed. When he reached the bottom floor he suddenly froze in his steps. Someone was resting on the sofa. He did not move, if he did she could notice him. He knew not how to save himself.

Uncertainly his gaze slid over Princess Zelda, who seemed too lost in the world her book invited her into to notice him. She was leaning her back against the armrest and a veil seemed to have fallen over her eyes, making the blue in them appear milder and deeper than ever before.

He swallowed and immediately she snapped out of her trance and jumped upright.

"Oh," she uttered quietly as her eyes widened. Marth, who had been standing still like a statue in a rather silly pose, straightened up and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me," he said and almost managed to conceal his embarrassment.

"No, there's no need. I was just a little bit surprised. I thought that everyone had left," she replied after only a brief pause.

He looked her over carefully. She held her book in a loose grip but her whole body was tense and she had not blinked once since she had noticed him. He had found her fascinating in the beginning, he could admit that much, but she appeared to be just as much of a liar as everyone else. Surprised, what that was she had answered? Bothered and on her guard would be more correct if he was to judge. He frowned and she gulped, her grip around the book tightening.

"I'll leave," he told her, but before he had time to walk away the princess swished past him and fled into the kitchen, hugging her book tightly against her chest. For a moment he remained where he was, then he hesitantly followed her.

When he entered she was sitting on a stool by the wall, still hugging the book, and at the sight of him she instantly looked away. She dared to shyly glance at him and noticed that he looked even bitterer than when he had found her occupying the sofa earlier.

"Why… so frightened?" he spoke softly and stretched out his hand towards her face. She stared down at her feet but did not move away from his touch.

"I'm worried I'll frighten you," she whispered and he froze in his movement, his hand inches away from her cheek.

"What?"

As he appeared to be completely petrified by her words, she in turn seemed to relax. Calmly she laid the book aside and looked up to meet his gaze.

"I believe that unnecessary words will scare you away and I don't wish to do that. I've been feeling… something, whenever you are near," she said serenely.

It was frightening, yet so seducing, the sound of her voice. Her eyes made all the walls he so carefully had built up to shut everyone out crumble to dust in an instant and he felt defeated. With a loud thump his hands collided with the wall behind her as he desperately searched for support to prevent himself from falling to his knees. He was leaning over her and he found that he did not have the strength to look away from her eyes. He wanted nothing else than to say that he had felt something too. He wanted to say it so badly, but for years now he had made sure to become a person that would never open up easily and that would not disappear simply because of one sentence passing her lips.

Inside Marth's eyes Zelda saw a pain so horrible that it made her heart skip a beat but now that she had taken one step there was no turning back. She needed this to be said.

"I think there's something very precious to be found, something worth the patience."

Unable to take anymore, finding himself powerless in front of this woman, he turned away and staggered back into the living room with his palm pressed against his forehead.

Zelda followed but remained in the doorway. Marth had taken place in the sofa and sternly grabbed his book that he had left on the table when following her. Trying to collect himself he opened the book and stared with all intensity he could master at the random page that happened to be before him. Zelda stayed where she was, fully aware of that his eyes were not moving along the text.

Marth frowned and seriously considered leaving. Anything but this. Still it felt like he would let something important slip out of his hands if he walked away now. He could sense that she would not bring up what she had said a second time. He made some room for the princess and she walked over to him and sat down, her back against the armrest again. Her feet were notably close to his thighs.

She did not speak. She simply picked up her book, found the spot where she had been interrupted and it did not take long till the veil was there again and she seemed to no longer be present.

Marth returned to his own book but the sight of her at the brink of his vision distracted him. Carefully, he peered over the top of the book to get a better look of her. She did not notice but he quickly scolded himself for doing something as impropriate as staring at a lady. He stubbornly tried to focus on the letters in the book, but as usual his eyes would not agree with his will and he found himself glancing at Zelda again. The same thing kept repeating itself until he subconsciously lowered the book and gazed at her without any tries to hide it.

Suddenly she looked up and their eyes met. He thought for a split second that he saw a hint of a smile but she quickly hid behind her book without as much as a word of that she had caught him staring at her.

They remained like that for what must have been a far too short eternity. The clock that showed that barely an hour had passed could not be doing anything else but lying. Zelda was lost in the story and did not show any sign of being about to wake up from it anytime soon. Marth had put his book on the table and watched her reading instead. None said a word and thus none of them knew that both felt more at peace than they had done in a long time.

Link resisted pulling his way too nice to pull hair once he at last had to accept that Zelda never had been on the bus and was hence not anywhere in sight when they finally reached their destination.

"I thought that we were going to the ocean," the small Eskimo girl Nana said timidly as she eyed the pool, a rather nice and luxurious pool, while grasping Popo's hand.

"This is much better," Peach said encouragingly.

"HOW COULD YOU FORGET ZELDA!" Link exclaimed, addressing the whole group and particularly the Noki.

"She told me she was fatigued," Peach told Link and rested the back of her hand against her forehead to really bring out the message of the words.

"Why did you not tell me?" Link said, putting emphasis on every word as he approached the princess that did not seem half as scared as everybody around her.

"I just thought that it was none of your business," Peach replied truthfully.

"That's not for you to decide," Link said with a frown and took advantage of his height to tower over the princess that was much shorter despite her very high heels.

"Neither for you and she chose to tell me not you."

That was a blow below the belt and Link's shoulders sagged as he took in her words. He had never enjoyed verbal fights and felt no meaning in being persistent. While muttering angrily to himself he trotted over to the Noki and complained on him that Zelda had been left at home.

Fox and Falco had not wasted a second to change into their swimming trunks. Falco jumped out of the changing room ready to dive in at once but was grabbed by Fox.

"It's hot, we're by a pool and all you can think of is swimming?"

"Geez, what else am I supposed to think about?"

"Chicks of course!"

"I don't think I'm ready for such a big step, and I have not found a suitable partner yet. Besides I enjoy the life as a bachelor."

"Not that kind of chicks," Fox snapped. "And do you think you're a hen or something?"

"No, I'm a guy," Falco replied with hurt pride.

"Yeah, yeah, enough already," Fox said impatiently and looked around to see if they were being overheard. "Now we'll just find the lucky victim for our charms."

"Samus is here."

"She's not in a bikini, she's still wearing her suit."

"Does that matter?"

"It's all that matters."

Falco could not see the reasoning of this since Fox had been hitting on Samus constantly as soon as he had found out she was a girl during the last competition. He was sure that she had not taken off her suit once nor encouraged Fox in any way so what was the difference?

"We're so lucky that Peach is here. It's like our prayers have been answered," Fox said blissfully and Falco raised an eyebrow at the tear in his eye.

"But she's with Mario."

"Do you see Mario around?"

"No, but-"

"Then, don't just stand there."

"Fox…"

Fox, who was already halfway over to Peach, turned around in annoyance and stomped back.

"What?"

"I'm not really confident with women."

"That's why we're doing this together. Come on, we're irresistible, we're like their cuddly pets but we have everything they want from a man," Fox explained and then leant in closer to whisper his plan in Falco's ear. "Now this is what we'll do…"

After going through the whole plan Falco pulled away in amazement.

"That's brilliant Fox! You're a genius!"

"I know, I know, now shut up and don't bother me with your silly thoughts again."

"Yes, Sir!"

Peach adjusted her bikini top and wondered where Mario had disappeared to. Her bikini was a soft pink with a turquoise brooch that worked as a clasp in the front and to give a smooth tan it missed shoulder straps.

When she noticed Fox and Falco heading her way she uneasily looked around, hoping that they were aiming for someone else. She would rather not make an acquaintance with someone who had drenched her arm in kisses upon first seeing her. That had been exactly what Fox had done when introducing himself and Mario hadn't been of any help either, fully ignoring Fox drooling all over her. It had been charming when Roy lightly kissed her hand, Marth had been standing in the background with folded arms, but Fox had been comparable to having a dog lick your arm. She shuddered and looked for an escape but it was too late.

"Hello," Fox greeted her with a voice dripping of honey.

"Hi," she said and smiled politely. Maybe she should give them a chance? Fox immediately grinned at Falco as if her smile had been confirming something.

"We just wanted to-" Falco began but Fox stepped in front of him and interrupted.

"We just wanted to thank you for organizing this wonderful trip. Everybody is having such a good time."

"We just got here," Peach said.

"And everybody is already having the time of their life. You've done a great job."

"Thanks, but Roy did a great deal too."

"Pah," Fox said and made an overly wide gesture as if to say such rubbish. "This is nothing the simple mind of a man can take care of this smoothly. No need to be humble with us."

"Fine. Please go and enjoy yourselves," Peach said and crossed her arms defensively.

"We bought you some chocolate," Fox tried to tempt her as he held out a heart-shaped box and waggled his eyebrows at her. He was clearly not going to enjoy himself elsewhere.

"It'll melt in this heat," Peach replied uneasily and fanned herself with her hand. If Mario found her accepting heart shaped chocolates it would look bad no matter how tasty they were. She grieved the loss of the sweet candy. "It's too hot," she emphasized.

"It's ice chocolate."

Just then Mario returned with two cones of ice-cream. He inspected the box of chocolate with the big pink ribbon tied around it that the grinning Fox held out to Peach.

"A present?" he said cheerfully.

"Yes," Peach answered hesitantly, unable to lie to him.

"Wow-a, everybody is such-a good friends-a. Thank-a you guys," Mario said and as soon as he had handed Peach her strawberry ice-cream he snatched the box from Fox.

"Don't mention it. Just hurry up and eat them before they melt," Fox said with a nervous grin. There was just something about Mario's smile that was creeping him out. He had been on quite good terms with Mario before so this dark aura was quite uncalled for if he was to speak.

Roy had bought a popsicle that he was contently licking while he walked around the pool to see if anyone was doing anything interesting.

Link, who finally had left the director alone, was sulking on a towel and watched Roy intensely as the red-head walked past him. Since he was being watched in such a bothering way Roy decided to walk over to Link and simply ask him why he was throwing unnerving looks his way.

"You want one to?" Roy asked with a nod towards the popsicle.

"Where's Marth?"

Roy looked around as if it was first now he noticed that his silent companion was not there with him as usual.

"I think I forgot him at home," Roy replied with a shrug and walked away.

Link felt his world crumble to pieces. This whole time his only comfort had been, well, at least she isn't with Marth. Now it turned out that she was alone in that big house with that flirty prince, far away from everybody else. He could just imagine how it would unravel from there.

Zelda crying on the floor because she had been forgotten and the evil prince sneaking up on her from behind, sensing that he could take advantage of the situation.

"Marth? Are you here too? I thought I was all alone."

The prince swept her up from the ground and backed over to the sofa where he sat down with her still in his arms.

"Don't be afraid anymore. I'm here for you and I'll never leave you."

Link could just see the scornful look directed at him before the evil Marth gently pushed Zelda away from his chest so that he could speak to her face.

"I'm not like that traitor of a hero that leaves you all alone. To think that anyone could sink that low! He's the worst."

"Yes, Link is the worst," Zelda sobbed before Marth began to lean in closer.

"NO!" Link cried and then realized that he had been a bit too lost in his own imagination. He rose and started to run back to the bus. If Marth dared to lay a finger on Zelda while he was gone he did not know what he would end up doing to the prince. What mattered most now however was to get back before he got a reason to try out the quite nasty punishments that kept replacing themselves in his thoughts. There was no way he would let that womanizing snob spend a second alone with Zelda.

"What are you doing?" the Noki cried when Link rushed past him and put himself behind the steering wheel of the bus. Link ignored him and inspected the many buttons in front of him.

"Well, I've taken a cab a few times so this shouldn't be that hard," he thought aloud and reached for the gear lever because he remembered that drivers used to do something with it. If only he could remember what.

"Stop!" the Noki cried when the bus rolled backwards, heading for the changing rooms.

People looked up in surprise when the bus collided with the left wall of the building. However, the surprise was not long-lasting for the veteran Smashers when they saw who the cause of it was. It was not so that Link usually was the one causing trouble, he just happened to be one of many of them that no one would raise an eyebrow at if found at the crime scene. The bus now had a big dent on its back.

"What are you up to?" Captain Falcon demanded as he forced the door open and scowled at Link.

"I-eh…"

Link embarrassedly stared back, letting go of the steering wheel and his ears pointing downwards. "I guess I got a little carried away," he said sheepishly.

"I know you can be quite passionate about things that come to your mind but for you to do something like this?" Captain Falcon sighed. He could have patience with a lot of things but why could people never learn to value their cars?

"It's just that Zelda was left behind and Marth's there with her and…"

"You're not?"

"Exactly," Link muttered.

"Okay, I think this baby still isn't ready to give in," Captain Falcon said with a confident grin when he pulled Link to the side and took his place behind the wheel. "You better hold on," he said as the engine roared and his fingers clenched the steering wheel. This was his true element.

"Pika! Pikachu, pika pika, chu!" Pikachu cried and pulled at Ganondorf's trunks as the bus set of as if shot from a cannon.

"Not now, rat!" Ganondorf spat and brushed him off his leg like a bothering fly.

As strange as it seemed, it appeared that no one paid the bus any attention after the crash, except for Pikachu.

Ugh, that Marth! Now he's getting a head start too! That means it has to be Link's turn the next time to get closer to the princess. I would actually be surprised if Marth managed to spend some time with Zelda if Link decides to stay in his current mood.

It was quite some time ago that I posted anything here and I am glad to be back. I'm for once in my life busy (which means I of course have to mention it) and sadly there's not much time for writing, especially in English! No hard feelings, eh?

I had the beginning of this chapter written months ago but it all disappeared when the computer crashed. This means you'll never read of the adorable scene of Roy sitting next to Peach on the bus. Although, if I am going to be honest, it was not all that adorable. I just think I mentioned them sitting together.