Wings Of Change: Part 2

It had been nearly a year since that discussion and right now, Kirby was relaxing on the warm grass under the pleasant late afternoon sun. He yawned widely and let the conversation wash over him, listening vaguely to Tiff and Tuff. It was great seeing his friends again after they'd been away for so long doing their jobs. At times, he wished they were all young children again and didn't need to think of anything more than what games to play and what Dedede was up to. Of course, Dedede was trying to kill or humiliate him most of the time but most of his attempts were laughable and they did at least provide good training for the young Star Warrior.

Kirby selected another roll from the picnic spread and chewed thoughtfully. Oddly enough, he didn't seem to have his usual appetite. He hoped he wasn't coming down with something; he had felt out of sorts all day. Maybe it was down to that poisonous demonbeast he had fought only the day before; there were certainly more monsters about again. Perhaps it would be a good idea to go to bed early tonight.

He didn't really take part in the on-going conversation; there wasn't much he could contribute anyway. They were talking about love, relationships and weddings. It drove the point home to Kirby that while everyone had the chance to fall in and out of love and become intimate with someone, Kirby did not. Kirby simply didn't have the opportunity to engage with this kind of behaviour and while a lack of other members of his own species was not necessarily a barrier (as Meta Knight had informed him with unusual embarrassment), Kirby felt too uncomfortable with the idea of searching elsewhere. It would probably be seen as weird anyway. He was feeling increasingly left out and lonely with an ever-growing distance between himself and everyone else.

"I think it's so romantic that Honey and Spikehead are finally getting married," Tiff sighed longingly.

"Haven't you found a beau yet, dear?" Sir Ebrum enquired. "I'm sure there must be plenty of candidates!"

"Dad!" Tiff exclaimed as her brother sniggered. "I'm not even looking for anyone yet!"

"I bet Kine's still interested if you go and ask him," Tuff grinned.

"You know, if I do have a wedding, I won't be letting you go anywhere near it!" Tiff retorted hotly.

"We'd be invited to it though, wouldn't we?" Iroo asked.

"Of course. All of you would."

"I'd gate-crash the wedding and still give my best man's speech though," Tuff couldn't resist.

It would be quite spectacular, Kirby thought. Sir Ebrum and Lady Like would make sure of that – no expense would be spared for their offspring. It would be as grand as their own wedding. Although Kirby couldn't help but think that he would have to stop the wedding from being wrecked by a monster Dedede ordered or something. Then again, he couldn't order monsters now; the teleporter had long been deactivated. Still, knowing Dedede, he'd probably try and wreck it just for laughs. Admittedly though, Dedede wasn't as bad as he used to be. Still, he made a mental note to have his Warp Star with him for that happy event just in case.

There was an annoying prickling feeling on Kirby's back, slowly spreading outwards. He assumed it was a heat rash and ignored it.

"Oh, it still seems so strange to see you children all grown up!" Lady Like gushed. "My little darlings!"

"It does seem rather like yesterday since we saw you all toddling about in your baby clothes," Sir Ebrum opined. "Oh, the amount of washing we had to do when you had mushed-up food and all sorts on yourself! That does make me feel rather old now."

"Do you really have to embarrass us, Dad?" Tuff muttered as Honey giggled.

"Of course, son!" Sir Ebrum laughed. "That's one of the things parents simply must do! It's our way of getting back at you after years of bringing you up and having to put up with all sorts of troubles."

"That's what Mother always says," Spikehead agreed.

At least Meta doesn't embarrass me too much, Kirby thought, his mentor being the closest thing he had to a parent and father figure. It could be a lot worse. But I suppose everyone else can remind me of the embarrassing things I've done anyway. That time when Kirby threw himself into the candyfloss machine was a popular topic to remind him about. And, of course, the word 'poyo' would never be forgotten; it was practically legendary. He still had that wrote to him in his birthday cards; they remembered it as being adorable it seemed.

Kirby shifted uncomfortably; the prickling was getting worse, almost feeling like sharp needles. He suppressed a wince. Now it was beginning to burn quite badly yet despite his sudden heat, he felt shaky, almost cold. He felt really sick. Maybe he needed to see Doctor Yabui.

The young Star Warrior suddenly bolted upright. He knew what it was. He had to go. He didn't want his friends to see what was happening to him. He didn't want to spoil the happy occasion by alarming them in such a manner. He hoped he was mistaken.

"I've gotta get going!" he suddenly announced, trying not to show his increasing discomfort. "I've got a meeting with Meta Knight!"

"Huh? Now?" Tiff questioned. "What's it about?"

"Private stuff," Kirby mumbled.

"You haven't eaten as much as much as usual—" Fololo began.

"—Are you feeling OK?" Falala finished.

"Y-yeah," Kirby stammered, not feeling alright at all. He wished he hadn't eaten that last sandwich. "Sorry I've gotta leave like this; it kinda slipped my mind and I don't want to be late."

"He's working you too hard," Tiff said indignantly, knowing of Kirby's frequent training sessions and academic studies. "It isn't healthy."

It was becoming extremely painful now. Kirby took a sharp breath. "I know," he gasped. "I'll ask about it. See you all later!" Kirby then took off before he could be delayed any further.

Like that wasn't suspicious, Kirby berated himself. He was sure they'd ask what the matter was. But he was supposed to keep quiet about his wings if he could absolutely help it, at least until he was used to them.

This is way too early! the pink puffball panicked as he forced himself forwards. This shouldn't be for years! I'm not ready for this yet! Why is it happening now?

Kirby trembled and tried not to cry out loud as he took painful steps towards the castle. He felt his head spinning and his heart beating faster. He swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise up. He was a Star Warrior for goodness sake! He could deal with this!

The pain in his back burned like an intense fire. Kirby let out a yelp before he could even think about preventing it.

"Hey, Kirby, what was that?"

Through watering eyes, Kirby realised that Cappy Town's oldest resident and postie, Melman, who had just finished his last round, was staring right at him.

"You don't look so good," the ancient Cappy said. "You should see Yabui."

"Seeing Meta Knight," the pink puffball moaned. He fought to keep his dinner down. He thought being battered by monsters was bad enough but this was terrible!

He left Melman behind and dragged himself up hill, in too much pain to run. Each step was more arduous than the last. His entire being was in agony; he didn't know if he could continue. The points on his back where his wings would grow were white-hot with pain.

Finally, upon reaching the drawbridge, Kirby couldn't continue. He clutched his body, crying with pain, his vision blurred. A fragment of his mind unhelpfully noted that if a monster was to try and attack him at this point, he would be utterly screwed. He didn't even take much notice when he was picked up and hurried into the depths of the castle.

"We just found him like this on our patrol, sir," Kirby barely heard Sword saying. He and Blade struggled to hold onto the young Star Warrior wildly thrashing about, unable to control himself.

"Get him on the bed and hold him down," Meta Knight instantly ordered, "otherwise he might injure himself." He immediately headed towards the cupboard and searched for a poultice. "His wings are coming through. Be prepared for a long night everyone."

Kirby screamed like he was being murdered and violently threw himself this way and that, making Sword and Blade's job very difficult.

"It's a bit early for this isn't it?" Blade remarked. Both knights had been informed upon the subject of Kirby possibly gaining wings ahead of time since it was thought very likely that their assistance would be required during the event. "I thought it weren't gonna be for a long time."

"His battles have caused his wings to mature prematurely," Meta Knight explained. He placed the cooling poultice on the parts he knew would be the most agonising. "Though it just so happens that Kirby is also an early developer. He is already a seasoned warrior so his wings were always going to develop earlier than most of our species. I had hoped it would be later, Kirby, but it wasn't to be."

"Poor feller," Sword sympathised.

"Hurts so much…" Kirby moaned.

"I know," Meta Knight soothed. Kirby was going to be in for a rough time; the nubs hadn't even appeared yet. He would know when it happened. "I remember punching someone when it happened to me, quite hard if I recall correctly. They said they would allow it that once as they had to be very nice to me on that occasion." He remembered it like it was yesterday; it was one of the very few occasions in which he voluntarily allowed his precious mask to be removed by someone other than himself. "And then I kicked one in a rather delicate area but since I didn't like him anyway, I thought it was perfectly alright."

Kirby wanted to laugh but he started coughing badly instead. His mentor swiftly grabbed a bowl and not a moment too soon as Kirby threw up. Meta Knight calmly cleaned his protégé and gave him plenty of water to drink. He also gave Kirby a large, concentrated tablet to swallow and instructed his knaves to be ready in case Kirby was sick again. Meanwhile, he busied himself in preparing a soothing balm, waiting for when the first part of Kirby's wings would appear.

Even he winced when that moment came. Kirby screamed again, hurting his throat, and almost completely heaved Sword and Blade off him, forcing them to press down harder. The wing nubs had burst through. Meta Knight wiped away the hot blood. His eyes glowed with worry. His own experience had been far less demanding compared to this so far.

"How long will this take, sir?" Blade queried. The knights' arms were already feeling tired.

"At least 24 hours if not more," Meta Knight answered. "The first few hours are obviously the hardest. I can only hope it will be quick."

Kirby whimpered. His heart hammered loudly. He had never known such pain.

Meta Knight sat before Kirby and bade the young Star Warrior to focus on him. "Remember your training, Kirby," he murmured, his eyes shining golden. He aimed to keep as much eye contact with his student as possible, yellow gazing into blue. "Recite how the grading of monsters is decided."

Kirby shakily began with fire monsters and how their grading depended upon range and strength of flame, answering along the way a series of questions from his mentor. Hot Heads, for example, were only a grade one, as they produced minimal flame either as a flurry if a person was within range or a small fireball if they were at a distance. Flame Galboros DX however, were a grade five as they could shoot fireballs and lava bubbles as well as constantly trying to crush their opponent. The pink puffball gripped the bed underneath him and shuddered badly with the effort to control himself.

"Well done, Kirby," Meta Knight said gently, after the young Star Warrior went through a number of fire monsters. "At least when this is over, you won't need to endure it again."

"How about some more pain relief?" Blade suggested. "Surely that would help."

"For some reason, it has very little effect during this stage among our species," Meta Knight admitted, "and I administered some rather strong medicine in the hope that it would work even a little. I think it probable that the process of growing wings also blocks our ability to resist pain so that they may develop properly. If he was older, it would be less arduous. As is it, I can at least try and distract Kirby from the ordeal."

"Electric m-monsters," Kirby gasped. "Sp-Sparky, a g-grade one."

"Why is it a grade one?" Meta Knight questioned.

"S-small. S-small circular range of b-bolts. N-not really threatening."

"Good. Continue with this for a while longer."

Meta Knight checked Kirby's growth; it was only about five centimetres long. It was clear Kirby was struggling; he was much too young for this. Perhaps it would be better if he could place him under a kind of meditative trance. He had long employed meditation as a means of self-regulating the mind and performed it almost every night.

Meditation as a practice served to train the mind to become familiar with beneficial states of thought including: patience, compassion, concentration, perseverance and more. It was also an excellent method for inducing deep relaxation and preserving energy which made it an attractive discipline for those, like Kirby and Meta Knight, who regularly fought nightmarish beings. He considered it a highly important skill for all warriors to learn; a method in which to ease the mental battle scars that could easily plague the mind and soul. He made sure to perform this in order to reduce the likelihood of suffering nightmares as much as possible.

He had introduced Kirby to the concept a couple of years ago when he deemed him ready to have sufficient patience for it. Also, as Meta Knight had in his younger days, Kirby was having his sleep disturbed by nightmares, a consequence of his often ferocious battles and a common affliction of Star Warriors. He was only surprised that Kirby had managed to avoid such bad dreams for so long.

While he had constantly fidgeted about at first, finding himself bored and often distracted by thoughts of food and an itchy feeling he had never noticed otherwise, Kirby eventually found his personal path of tranquillity partially through imagining butterflies at the beginning of each session. He soon found it a welcome opportunity to rest after their often brutal and energetic sparring matches even though he had been laughed at by Tuff and Tokkori, calling him some kind of hippy.

Meta Knight motioned for Sword and Blade to ease up on Kirby and prepared himself.

"META KNIGHT! META KNIGHT! WHERE ARE YA? YOU OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!"

Meta Knight's eyes flashed with annoyance. Of all the distractions, they needed this one the least.

"The king's got a job for you, you lazy lout!" they heard Escargoon declare. "He needs your help immediately!"

Kirby cried out loud, his focus disturbed.

"Hey, is that lil' pink puffball with ya? What's he doin' there?"

Meta Knight thought quickly. He obviously could not let them enter the room, not with Kirby the way he was. Yet sadly, they knew Meta Knight was in there so Dedede and Escargoon could not be ignored.

"Sword, Blade, whatever it is the king wants, deal with it quickly then return here. Do not let them enter this room as you leave. Tell them I am busy training Kirby and if Dedede objects, remind him of the many monsters Kirby has vanquished."

"Yes, sir!"

Sword and Blade sprang up and grabbed their weapons. They left their lord's quarters and swiftly locked the door behind them in case King Dedede barged in. Meta Knight could quite easily hear his liege's objections.

"Sir Meta Knight has requested that we should deal with the matter instead," Sword stated. "He and Kirby are busy doing some very special training and are not to be disturbed."

"Request de-de-denied!" his Majesty yelled. "What could be more important than dealin' with my problem?"

"Come on, sire," Escargoon said wearily. "If we don't stop that monster from rampaging about, it might get into your treasure trove. And we know how important that is to you."

"MA TREASURE!" Dedede cried. "You two! Get up there this instance! I can't be a poor king; I'd be a laughin' stock!"

"I'm sure you're already one, sire," his long-suffering lackey muttered as the group dashed away.

More monsters. What is the king's problem? Meta Knight groaned. He doubted that they were simply wandering, random demonbeasts no matter what half-baked excuses Dedede tried to assure him with. These were surely coming from a new source but where exactly Meta Knight did not know. Nightmare Enterprises had been dissolved long ago though he could not rule out the possibility of it somehow having revived again.

Kirby began thrashing about again as soon as the pressure was lifted. He held himself as if it would make everything alright. Tears ran down his face. It broke Meta Knight's heart. As his mentor, it was not usually advised to become emotionally attached to the student but he had been training him for so long and watching him grow up, that he could not help those feelings, and he believed that their relationship was all the stronger for it, especially knowing that he had Kirby's respect and admiration. With that in mind, he couldn't bear seeing his young charge like this.

Meta Knight held Kirby firmly, helping him sit upright, and looked directly into his shining eyes.

"Kirby, I want you to relax," he spoke quietly. "I want you to imagine your pain disappearing. I want you to calm down and take deep breaths. Deeper. Remember when I said that a good practitioner should be able to do this anywhere?" He hadn't meant something this extreme of course, but the principle still stood. "I want you to clear your mind. Focus on the star within yourself. Let all your other thoughts go. In and out. In and out. That's it." Kirby's body continued to shudder but he tried to follow his mentor. His eyes seemed to glow more brightly. It was soothing. His mentor was always calm; Kirby endeavoured to be calm too.

"Butterflies," he mumbled.

"Butterflies," Meta Knight repeated, knowing exactly what Kirby meant.

The young Star Warrior felt his mentor touch his still-developing wings lightly for they were very sensitive. They felt strange, almost alien, an odd presence that would take a long time to get used to. They quivered badly as they continued to grow. He could barely move them and when he tried, he sent a spasm of pain running through his body.

"Don't move them until they are fully grown and healed," his mentor advised. "Now, I shall do this alongside you. I will hold you for a little while longer until you are ready. Let us relax…"

By the time Sword and Blade came back, they were quite relieved to find that Kirby was no longer screaming, just occasionally whimpering and breathing heavily. His eyes closed, he continued to recite monster grading in between deep breaths, though his words sounded somewhat dull and monotonous. They then realised what the pair were doing and exchanged knowing glances. Neither had any particular desire for the discipline despite their lord's endorsement of it though they knew it was something Kirby and Meta Knight undertook regularly.

"I trust you got the job done?" Meta Knight asked, not even opening his eyes.

"Yes, sir," Sword responded. "It was a bit of a struggle but we got there in the end."

"Didn't help with the king running about and squealing though," Blade complained.

"Good work, men," Meta Knight approved. "Hopefully there won't be any more monsters tonight."

"How is he?" Sword enquired, wandering over to the young Star Warrior. His wings had developed a little more though they were still quite small.

"He is coping well," Meta Knight answered, not entirely able to keep the mixture of worry and pride out of his voice. He examined the teen. His heart, though slowed down from earlier, was still racing and Meta Knight knew he wouldn't stay in his trance-like state for long, not if his wings suddenly experienced a surge in growth, and especially when they knitted themselves to transform into a cape. "Get some rest while you can," he added for the benefit of all.

Sword and Blade sat down and cleaned their weapons, knowing it was very unlikely they would get any shuteye when Kirby could be in agony again at any moment. Meta Knight made his knaves coffee and a hot chocolate for Kirby who needed the energy. Kirby managed to swallow the sweet drink but as much as he wanted to, he couldn't eat anything, feeling nauseous at the very thought.

For a long time, Kirby's new wings grew very slowly to the point that the young Star Warrior was able to distract himself with reading a favourite book. They stretched further from his body now and Meta Knight felt assured that they would be of the same type as his own. He wondered if it would be a good idea to try and convince Kirby to go to sleep. Then the surge happened.

"META! METAAAAAAAAAAA!"

As Meta Knight held Kirby tightly, he felt him burning up, his skin literally red-hot to the touch even through Meta Knight's gloves. He felt Kirby grip him hard and shuddering so badly he was practically vibrating, trying and failing to hold back his cries. Then, at that moment, they all heard a series of loud knocks; it did not sound like King Dedede or Escargoon again. When they did not respond, the knocking continued even louder. "We know you're in there!" a voice shouted. "Open up!" Sword and Blade looked uncertain.

"Let them in," Meta Knight grunted. "They can help."

Tiff and Tuff ran in as soon as the door was opened and gasped with shock upon the scene. Never had they heard Kirby sound so hurt, so agonised before.

"Get me some cold water and towels," Meta Knight commanded before they even had chance to speak, unable and unwilling to extract Kirby off himself.

They wasted no time in obeying and soon returned carrying as much possible. Meta Knight soaked the towels and pressed them against Kirby, taking care not to do so too firmly against his highly-sensitive wings, and wiped away fresh blood.

"Meta Knight," Tiff quavered. "What's going on? What's happening to Kirby?"

"No wonder he was acting weird today," Tuff whispered. "We heard from Melman he was looking ill. Kirby barely ate anything today and didn't really talk much either."

Tiff approached her friend cautiously and looked closely at his quivering appendages. "Are they… wings?"

Meta Knight would not have said this otherwise but if anybody had earned his trust, it was these two. "Let me explain."

In between moments of surges, which commanded their full attention, Meta Knight told the pair what he himself had explained to Kirby on a previous occasion. As he spoke, he remained attentive to his student.

"We wouldn't have been bothered by the fact that you or Kirby have wings," Tiff said. "I mean, yours look really striking, Meta Knight; they really suit you," now that the Star Warrior had his purple wings on display, giving him yet another enigmatic air.

"I apologise to you both—"

"Oh, there's no need for that!"

"—But some habits are hard to break and caution has always been my watchword."

"Don't worry, we understand," Tuff assured him. They knew that Meta Knight had good reasons for his secrets; they were quite used to his guarded nature. He hadn't even shown them his face without the mask in all this time; that privilege belonged to Kirby alone. "I'd be careful too where Dedede's concerned. Still, it must be cool being able to fly."

"I have not flown for a while but yes, it is, as you say, cool, to be able to fly."

"Is that how you always seemed to find us or catch up with us so quickly over the years?" Tiff marvelled.

Meta Knight chuckled. "At last the secret's out."

"Hear that, Kirby? No wonder Meta Knight always seemed to be one step behind us!" Tuff cajoled the young Star Warrior.

"Y-yeah…"

"You'll get through this, Kirby," Tiff said consolingly, sitting beside him. "You always do get through things, no matter how hard they are. You're a strong person."

Kirby's eyes blinked with overwhelming tiredness. "Thanks…"

He looks so vulnerable like this, Tiff thought sadly and again when Kirby's wings started to shoot outwards faster than she would have believed possible. A series of cracking noises could be heard as the cells expanded rapidly. Even with additional medicine, it was still a hard process to endure. Once or twice, Kirby was overwhelmed by the powerful sensations which then resulted in him being sick again.

The skin on Kirby's pulsating wings still looked very thin and they could see blood throbbing through the new veins. Even as they watched though, the muscles and skin gradually thickened until they could no longer see the vessels beneath. It was grossly fascinating.

"How is it they can turn into a cape?" Tuff wondered. He had to hold himself back from touching Kirby's wings; not only were they extremely delicate at the moment but even in normal circumstances, Meta Knight said it was gross misconduct for a person to touch the wings without express permission. "I always wondered why you never took yours off."

"I believe it protects our wings while not in use primarily," the old Star Warrior detailed, "and as a cape, it protects us from the elements. There is also less weight and drag in cape form which is better for when we are simply going about our day-to-day business and not flying. It may also be used for… courting purposes."

"What, like, it shows how stylish you are or something?" Tuff asked, ignoring Tiff's attempts to hush him up. "Do you flourish it in a dance or something like on TV or to make yourself look better than a rival? Do males and females get cape wings? Do you use your wings when you're really close to someone and you wanna make—?"

"To answer your questions," Meta Knight interrupted hurriedly, "yes, both sexes gain cape wings." He wished he hadn't mentioned that last point. "It is, how shall we say it, a similar procedure to how you may dress up smartly and present flowers to someone you love." He looked away from Tuff and checked his protégé, hiding his pink eyes. He had been reminded of his first disastrous courtship attempt. Tripping over your own cape never made a good impression. "As to how they can transform between wings and a cape, let us just chalk that down to the miracles of nature shall we?"

Tiff looked at Kirby. The idea of him courting made her feel rather… strange.

Kirby experienced another surge. He saw everyone crowd him but this time, he couldn't handle the pain and consequently blacked out.