Ah, the last part.
I'm glad I managed to do most of my writing in January when I was off otherwise I wouldn't have the chance to write this! It's been nice having the chance to do nothing but write and since I had the Kirby ideas in my head, I had to get them down even though I've definitely got other stories which I really should be working on. But you know, time and stuff. :)
You know that business about the eye in the wrong place by the way? Well, if you know your Kirby games, you'll know what I mean. Because you know, rated E for Everyone!
Thanks for all your reviews for this story and please keep reviewing in the future! And also: I like long reviews. I appreciate the thought put into them. :D
Wings Of Change: Part 6
What a nightmare, Meta Knight sighed to himself. This was one kind of battle in which he had not had much experience in. He decided to leave Kirby for the time being and instead caught up with Dedede and Escargoon who had been yelling at the Waddle Dees to lower the drawbridge as fast as humanely possible. Meta Knight coughed to get their attention. Both turned round and were utterly relieved to see that Kirby was not with the old Star Warrior. Escargoon wisely looked upwards just to make absolutely sure.
"Oh, Kirby's gone elsewhere, huh?" the king said, seeing Meta Knight perch on the end of his car, keeping his wings in full view this time. He did not appear to be intimidated by them. Considering the kind of monsters Dedede had seen and ordered, Meta Knight and Kirby were hardly going to register as frightening. Besides, it wasn't as if either Kirby or Meta Knight would have done anything to them. They did fight demonbeasts after all; it was their role in life. In this he was that bit more sensible than the Cappies proving that wonders never ceased. "I thought he were gonna be beat me up like one of them monsters. I honestly didn't think it would be that much of a problem. I was jus' bored an' wanted a bit of fun. But, uhh, I didn't reckon that that... thing would happen to me." Escargoon had filled him in on the details, reminding Dedede about the perils that such monsters could bring to one's self. For once he looked a little ashamed. "I, uhh, guess you had your reasons not to show your wings before now?"
"Indeed. I would have preferred to so in less, how we shall we say, frantic circumstances. It is also a matter of trust, sire, and that you were spying on us." Meta Knight glowered from underneath his mask. "Even if you were not acting unkindly, for I realise that there were mitigating circumstances, and that you do not care for this aspect of our appearance for which I am grateful for, the point still stands that you took the element of choice away from us with your idea of fun and that Kirby felt humiliated on the field today. He has been going through a lot recently and this was the last straw."
"I am really, really sorry for that," Dedede mumbled. He fumbled with his mittens and sighed, not looking Meta Knight directly in the eye. Escargoon looked at the king in shock: he actually sounded sincere!
"Sure, I thought he was an absolute pain when he got here," Dedede continued, now facing the Star Warrior, "but I kinda like the little fellow now. He knows I play pranks on him an' stuff but it ain't like what it used to be, I suppose what with him bein' older an' stuff. An' he's done stuff to me anyway so it's all good an' fair. Well... maybe I've done more to him I guess. I didn't realise he'd blow his top! But yeah, I guess he were angry an' I didn't want that. I'm... sorry, alright?"
Meta Knight blinked and showed no signs of emotion. Many years ago, Dedede had ordered Meta Knight on several occasions to destroy Kirby, thinking that the pink puffball was somehow a threat to his royal standing. Or maybe it was just because he took offence at this stranger flying in from nowhere, saving the day and lapping up Cappy Town's attention. Either way, Meta Knight would never have gone through with the king's orders. But now it had mellowed to a point where, if Dedede didn't exactly love Kirby, then he didn't really hate him anymore either. In fact, he really was rather friendly to Kirby on many occasions nowadays. Things had changed. Certainly, it was not the same reaction he had experienced way back on Rock Star. They were misguided to be sure… but not malicious.
"I shall accept that," Meta Knight acknowledged with his vast reserves of patience. "That is good."
Would there be more monsters in the future? With that creature about, yes, there would certainly be and no doubt, having seen Dedede's thoughts, the creature would use Dedede to bring more monsters into the fold, perhaps with a similar system to that of Nightmare Enterprises. Even so, Dedede's desire to own monsters was not really to do with trying to kill Kirby anymore but mainly to play about with him, perhaps humiliate him (which he certainly had accomplished today) and to be a general nuisance to his subjects just because he could. If only he could stop Dedede from doing that. Maybe take over the kingdom himself. A nice idea perhaps, but he could never go through with it considering the comfortable position he had in Dream Land, not to mention Kirby's admiration and respect.
"As it is," Meta Knight continued, "Kirby would have dealt with your foolishness in his usual amiable manner on any other day. But I think you chose very much the wrong day."
"Huh? Why's that?"
"It is a matter of personal discussion between myself and Kirby. Now, do you still have the box that the creature came in?"
Uh, sure thing, Meta Knight," Escargoon answered. "I hadn't even seen it myself until this morning being a busy, underpaid lackey as usual. Guess that means you shouldn't accept gifts from strangers, huh? You didn't think that it was even the least bit suspicious, sire?"
"It was free!" Dedede protested.
"And this is why a Star Warrior's work never ends," Meta Knight sighed. People like Dedede existed everywhere. If evil wasn't going to be downfall of a person, civilisation or whatever, it would be downright stupidity. "As it was, the creature was only testing us and used the opportunity to find out more about us. It could have done far much more. It used you as a channel to examine and observe us, to see what we are like in battle, to see our true selves, as it were. It is capable of being extremely deadly indeed. It can do far worse than possession. Yes…" He left that thought hanging in the air before examining the box in its entirety, checking for any signs, any clues. "Ah."
"Huh? What is it? Is it Nightmare Enterprises?" The king tried not to sound too interested or the knight would probably think suspiciously of him.
"It is not Nightmare Enterprises. But I think we have found out where all the new demonbeasts are coming from," Meta Knight grimaced. "I suspected as much; I remember reading about the legends of this entity a very long time ago. If only I had found this out sooner. I shall have to inform the GSA as soon as possible. I would you advise you to have no dealings with this being lest you wish to be possessed again or worse. These are hardly toys, sire. But for now… keep this safe for me. I shall pick it up later." He did not need to add or else.
The old Star Warrior took off into the skies once more and left his liege and the lackey behind.
Meta Knight flew onwards whilst searching for Kirby. I should have shown them a long time ago, he berated himself. All this would have been avoided. Or would there still have been trouble of a sort? Meta Knight would have been able to deal with any potential consequences, especially as he had the support of Kirby and his friends and even if that wasn't the case, Dedede wouldn't dream of treating him the same way as he did Kirby. Nobody messed with Meta Knight. Dedede really can be a fool at times. Is it any wonder we have always had a problem with demonbeasts when there are people like him around? I wonder if he has ever truly learned from his past experiences? I can see why Kirby gets frustrated…
Still, he couldn't let Kirby completely wail on the monarch; Dedede was not the first person to have been tricked several times by such a being and he certainly wouldn't be the last. The incident had been unfortunate, to be sure, but Kirby had to deal with any negative reactions and his own negative feelings.
In an ideal world, he shouldn't have had to. But where in the universe did such an ideal world exist?
"Kirby!" he called out several times as he flew. It was highly unlikely that his protégé would answer but Meta Knight tried anyway. On the way, he saw signs of Kirby's passage, sections of which the teen had vented his anger upon, getting his pent-up emotions out of his system, not knowing what to think or feel.
He wished that Kirby had opened up to him about what he was feeling. He sighed and wondered if it was a failure on his own part, for not making it clear enough that Kirby could talk to him about any problems whenever he wanted. Maybe it was the young Star Warrior's pride telling him that he ought to be able to deal with his personal issues himself; maybe he just didn't want to worry anyone with what he may have considered to be relatively trivial issues. Either way, the premature growth of his wings only added to his overpowering feeling of self-consciousness. He had no-one to talk to about this but Meta Knight and Meta Knight was… well… old.
Meta Knight had had the advantage of time as well; time with family and friends of the same species, time for love, time for coping with new changes, and time to prepare himself for being a Star Warrior. Time had not been on Kirby's side. Kirby had had little choice over what things had happened to him. Most things had been forced upon the young Star Warrior and he had to deal with them as best as he could no matter what.
It was all too much.
He heard a familiar voice making unfamiliar sounds.
The old knight found his protégé next to the river, his shivering, still-pained wings splayed on the ground. He kept his head down and vaguely kicked his feet above the rushing water. He moodily threw a stone into the river, making a loud splash. He hiccupped occasionally and wiped his streaming eyes. Everything just seemed to hurt so much inside and he felt even worse knowing that people would be fervently discussing his outburst and that it wouldn't be forgotten about for a long time if ever. It just wasn't the expected thing after all. He didn't bother turning around when he heard a soft footfall; he already knew who it would be.
He was still a young child but he had seen and been through far more than most adults.
"Will you now tell me how you're feeling?" Meta Knight asked gently as he sat down beside Kirby. Kirby turned away from Meta Knight, not wanting to show his face, not wanting to be further humiliated. He felt his heart twinge with guilt and sorrow, seeing Kirby like this. "It sounded as if you wanted to let it all out for a very long time, my friend."
"You're not gonna go away until I do, will you?" the pink puffball sniffled.
"Probably not. I would be failing in my care towards you."
"Your care?" Kirby scoffed. If he was going to be angry at everyone else then he might as well be angry at Meta Knight too. His wings began to twitch madly again, still sore from the attack, making his emotions all the more obvious. "You leave me to fight monsters on my own even when I'm getting battered or burnt or electrocuted or something! I've lost count of the amount of times I've been nearly killed! It's a wonder I haven't had more trying to find me when I'm asleep or just doing stuff in Cappy Town! And the more I fight, the more monsters want to see me dead!"
"You know I help you when it is in my power to do so," Meta Knight spoke, "as I did in that battle just before, although that battle was only a means to test us before it begins the real assault. You know I prepare you for your trials as best as I can in our training sessions. Many of the Star Warrior missions we go on are usually too much for one individual to cope with so I do help you in those circumstances. Yet you always excel yourself despite the harsh situations, even when things are at their most dire. You are a strong warrior and a kind-hearted individual and many regard you highly for your skill, courage and warmth. As do I."
The young Star Warrior tried not to show his spark of pride at the words; Meta Knight was obviously buttering him up. He was determined to show how miserable he was feeling, especially considering how misery loved company.
"Everyone just keeps using me to do stuff and then they blame me when things aren't going right! And if they're not doing that, then I'm still seen as a little kid. Don't be mean, Kirby!" he warbled. "I try to make them happy but nothing I do actually counts!
"You sound conflicted. You say people give you too much responsibility yet you also say that they treat you like a child. Which is it? And what is it you want?"
"They do both," Kirby muttered. "They've been doing that for years. It's stupid but that's what they do. I should be used to it by now, huh? Is there any point in me complaining? I just want them to stop expecting everything from me. Is that too much to ask for?"
"Then tell them that. They cannot read your mind. They don't know what you're thinking. There is little use in staying silent about it."
"It's kinda obvious what I'm thinking at times. You always know what I'm thinking."
"Evidently not always. But I know you better than everyone else. That's why you need to tell them what you're thinking and perhaps be a little more firm with them and say you are overburdened."
"They'll just say that I'm being mean and that I ought to help them out because I'm a Star Warrior. Apparently I haven't got enough to do. They just want me to do stuff for them all the time and I'm sick of it. I can't keep doing this. I'm just so tired of it all."
"If you tell them exactly how you're feeling and why, they will listen. Tell them that this is making you ill and you cannot take on any more jobs."
"Huh."
"Kirby..."
"I'm just sick of it all, alright? And they're only gonna be talking about me back in town about me yelling like that."
"Of course they will. But I believe you made your point to clear to them and they will make their apologies to you."
"Huh," Kirby muttered. "We'll see."
Kirby remained silent for some time before changing topics and bursting out: "I'm not apologising to Dedede either if that's what you're thinking!"
"I'm not expecting you to although you would have gone too far had I not stopped you and an apology would show a level of maturity. Yet I know it was done in a rare moment of anger that can be very well justified. And Dedede knows that he should not have done what he did. He said he is sorry for that."
"Yeah, right," Kirby scoffed. "He's never sorry for what he does to me. He finds it so much fun. He'd make me into a golf ball if he could. He's tried that before."
"Then perhaps you should talk to Dedede and ask him yourself for an explanation and apology."
"He should find me! He had no reason to do that to me whatsoever!" Kirby seethed, still feeling the need to vent rage. "He just thinks it funny to make fun of me. He always has done. He hates me! I never asked for this! Everyone thinks I'm a freak!"
"When have they said that?"
"I know they do!" Kirby insisted. "You saw how they looked when my wings were forced open! As if having a black hole for a stomach isn't enough! As if I'm not different enough! I'm completely out of place here and they know it! I'm a weird little puffball that sucks things up to defeat my opponents. Who else does that?"
"I'm sorry, Kirby. I'm afraid this is my fault. Perhaps if I had been more open with everyone from the beginning, this particular incident may have been avoided. And yes, there are hardly any individuals who have your Copy Ability powers and so do not use your method of battling but that is nothing to be ashamed of. Think of how many people you have helped with your skills."
Kirby mumbled something and kept his eyes on the flowing waters.
"You'll have to speak up."
"I said you could have been more open and that you could go into town more so that people don't keep bothering me for every little thing!" His cheeks still burned bright red with anger, almost comically so. "Do this, Kirby! Do that, Kirby! Suck it up, Kirby! The only reason people respect my ability to copy stuff is so that I can do things for them. I'm treated as a doormat and nobody cares about me."
"I care."
Kirby stopped yelling and Meta Knight sensed all the fight had gone out of him. He shivered a little, making his wings continue to shake. The teen tried to refrain from crying, thinking he would look even more like a child in his mentor's eyes, though he wasn't entirely successful in doing so. He felt ashamed that he was blubbing. Star Warriors did not blub. He tried wiping his tears away and whispered in a wobbly voice: "I w-wish I was like you."
Ah. Now we're getting to the crux of it. "In what way?" his mentor enquired.
"You always know what you're d-doing, you can do a lot of things that I can't e-even when I try. You're just…" Kirby paused, not entirely sure of what words to use. He gave up and attempted to move his wings. They seemed to move fine. They did not seem to hurt much now so he finally returned his wings to their other form and pulled his cape around tightly in a similar manner to his mentor. He still kept his eyes upon the river, unable to face his mentor like this, feeling shame at the very thought. "I don't know… M-maybe I just wish I was as strong or s-something. I just don't know..."
Meta Knight supposed this was not entirely unusual or unexpected. He had been teaching his protégé all manners of things over many years, helping him grow and mature not only as a Star Warrior, but as an individual. He always seemed to know what was going on despite never having much contact with the locals. He had fought in the original wars involving Star Warriors and demonbeasts and here he was today, the longest-serving Star Warrior, still guiding, still drawing upon his immense experience. He was the single-most respected authority within the GSA and rightfully so; were it not for his meticulous planning in building the Halberd and training Kirby, Nightmare may well have destroyed them all by now. He had seen the admiration in his student's eyes many times, more so as they had forged a closer relationship over the years, driven not by necessity but out of choice.
Despite his own contributions, he did not want Kirby to see himself as somehow lesser than himself, as someone who could not see his own worth, considering the services he performed, considering the trials he had been placed in and had successfully passed, considering what he too had had to endure over the years despite his young age.
"I would not wish you to be entirely like me," Meta Knight chose his words carefully.
Kirby sniffed. "Wh-what do you mean?"
How to explain? "You know yourself that I am not seen as someone you can get close to. I am not an especially open person; I never have been. For the most part, I prefer solitude and quiet. I am not normally one for frivolities. I do not show my emotions easily and as a result, I am often seen as cold. I do not get involved with most people much unless I have to. To most people, I am a closed book and cannot be figured out. I know I am not exactly the most approachable person around. Such traits are hardly the most endearing. You are very much the opposite of me in these regards and as such, a warm person whom people are happy to interact with. You are content with your way of being as I am with my own. You are content aren't you?"
"Wha—? Um, you mean like talking with people and playing and stuff? I… guess so."
"Then do not change on my account if you are happy. Although if there was one aspect of myself that I wish for you to also be, it would be to have more patience."
"I am patient!" Kirby protested sounding a little more like his usual self.
His mentor gave a shrug, humouring the teen. "I'll believe you. Others might not. Especially when it comes to food. Remember the cake incident? I remember the cake incident." The end result had been a cake towering higher than the mayor's house. Even so, he doubted anyone got a slice when Kirby clapped his eyes on the masterpiece. He had been on cloud nine that day. He saw a crack in Kirby's current mood and hoped that his anxiety and self-doubt was finally beginning to lift.
"Meta…" his young charge said, questioning. "You… you're always more open with me."
"That is… different. You are my charge and I have watched you grow up."
Meta Knight could pick out many fond memories regarding Kirby growing up. He had seen Kirby grow from infancy to the cusp of awkward adulthood. He had seen Kirby destroy more than one eldritch abomination in his short lifetime. He interacted with Kirby more than anyone else. He was more than his mentor nowadays. And while they had obvious differences, there were many ways in which they were oddly similar, reminding Meta Knight, sometimes painfully so, of when he was a youth. Of course it was different.
"Well… couldn't you be a little more… open or something to everyone else? It… it wouldn't be so bad. I'm not expecting parties or the like but… you know."
"I won't make any promises," his mentor stated, holding up a hand. "I do not wish to unfairly raise your expectations. But… for your sake, I can try."
Kirby wondered if that would actually happen. Meta Knight was set in his ways; he knew he wasn't likely to change after years, centuries even, of acting the way he always had been. Still, it was nice to hear it anyway; perhaps it would relieve him a little of his burdens, though what he wanted and needed more than anything else was just a simple break. Watch some TV, laze about, bake some biscuits and cake, whatever. Just relax.
The thought still occurred to him though, that if he was an ordinary citizen, he wouldn't have to go through any of this. He would be at home, safe and sound. He would be able to live his life in peace.
Wouldn't he?
"What if I were normal?"
Meta Knight gave an amused smile. "How would you define normal exactly?"
"Well…" the pink puffball hesitated. "Like… not having all these powers. If I was like the Cappies or something. You know… normal."
His mentor gave a light-hearted chuckle that made the young Star Warrior glance his way. "I hardly think you would be satisfied with that, my friend. You have an adventurous spirit and I think you would end up very frustrated if you were not able to live out adventures to the full. Even if you started off as 'normal', in the first place, I daresay you would only then look towards someone like a Star Warrior and feel jealousy at their skills and how they are able to solve crises on their own."
"Mmm..."
"And besides, what makes you think there are people not jealous of you with you being such a unique individual? People come to you precisely because they know you have the capability to accomplish what others have little hope of doing themselves. You can be considered lucky for having all these powers that make you who you are, that give you this strength and allow you to do things that others can only dream of."
True enough; he had more powers than any of the other Star Warriors. He likely hadn't even discovered them all yet. They had no idea why this should be. Call it destiny, call it fortune; it had just worked out this way. It would be irresponsible of him if he did not put them to good use; Kirby knew that and he could accept that. It was all a matter of finding the best way to deal with his role in life.
"But I realise that they may also be a burden, a burden that you have had to endure almost all your life. I gather that you've felt strapped for time to do anything other than help others out and dealing with their problems and that you have developed high expectations of yourself to make sure things go right. And because of those expectations, you feel guilt when you can't quite match up to that. And when that happens, you do feel quite strongly about it and it affects you deeply."
The young Star Warrior nodded as he played with a blade of grass between his feet. "I've just felt… frustrated a lot recently since there's been so much going on and, you know, growing wings really early. I've felt like this for ages but I thought I could, you know, sort it out. It didn't seem too difficult at first. But I didn't want to worry you because, well… I didn't think it would be that important. You've been busy and stuff and I didn't want to cause any problems. I thought that you'd want me to deal with it myself and be strong… I didn't want to worry you..." To his surprise, he felt Meta Knight's glove on his back, a solid, comforting presence.
"Kirby," he spoke gently, his eyes shining blue. "It is practically my job to worry about you. I worry about you while you're fighting, if you're in pain and if you're feeling sad. How can I not? I've been looking out for you for years. Still, I would be more worried if you did not come to me and tell me about these things. I care for you deeply."
Kirby regarded Meta Knight with surprise. "R-really?"
"Of course." Meta Knight looked at Kirby and yet seemed to be looking at something at a far distance that Kirby could not see. "Before you came along, I did not have anyone to care for truly for a very long time. I had fought in the wars, I was ready to give up my life for the cause of protecting others. Yet I survived while most of my companions perished. And Nightmare still existed. And I? What had I to show for my pains? Had I anyone to live for?"
Kirby didn't know what to say. It occurred to him that Meta Knight must have been very lonely for a long time even if he never said it out loud. He was a very private person still but maybe he didn't feel quite so lonely nowadays, surrounded by people and watching over Kirby.
"So... did I change that then?" Kirby asked, trying to understand. "Did I help?"
"You did, Kirby," said Meta Knight. "Very much. You're like a son to me."
Kirby's eyes widened. Meta Knight never said anything of such weight unless he absolutely meant it. That Meta Knight thought that way about him… it showed him he was not alone. He tried to speak but his throat seemed choked up.
"Do not try to be strong for my sake or anyone else's sake," he assured him. "We all have our bad days and times when we are feeling low. Staying silent doesn't mean being strong. You have to talk about these things. I want you to come to me in future for any issues you may have, alright?"
The young Star Warrior nodded. He felt an utter wave of relief, knowing that Meta Knight would always be there to care and watch out for him, whether in the shadows or by his side.
Then, before he could stop himself, before he could even think about what he was doing, he reached over to Meta Knight and pulled the warrior into a tight hug, feeling him start, hoping that he wouldn't mind. Unused to such displays of affection from anyone, Meta Knight's eyes turned pink at the first kind of warm contact he had in too many years. He briefly wondered if this would compromise their relationship of mentor and student. Then, feeling that it had been effectively compromised for years anyway and that it did not really matter, a little unsure of himself, Meta Knight tentatively returned the embrace. It was not something he would ever have considered doing normally but somehow... it felt right.
Kirby was the lighter and warmer part of himself. He found that the pink puffball had given his life shape and meaning. Hadn't he been occupied with the young Star Warrior ever since his arrival? He filled a part of himself which had remained empty for a long time, long after the wars had ended, with nothing else on the horizon but the desperate prospects of finding the new hope, one to defeat the evil presence that was Nightmare for good, one to head a new generation of Star Warriors.
"Thanks, Meta," Kirby mumbled.
Kirby had needed him but perhaps, Meta Knight thought with some amusement, he needed Kirby too.
Kirby woke up late the next morning and yawned heavily, too warm and comfortable to willingly get up. He and Meta Knight were due to go to the GSA headquarters later today and hold a conference on where the new demonbeasts were coming from. It was not Nightmare; it was a new aspect of the evil entity known as Dark Matter.
It would probably be down to the pink puffball to deliver the final blow to it at some point in the future. No-one else seemed to have his potential nor his skillset but that didn't mean that the inevitable battle would be easy. Far from it. But he knew that he would have Meta Knight's backing. He knew that the older Star Warriors would probably not see him as Meta Knight's equal just yet since his mentor had a vast number of years on him but he would get there eventually. He just needed to be patient and be accepting of himself.
He let his wings stretch out fully, enjoying the feel of them brushing against the bedsheets. He was almost fully used to their presence now even if it meant he made his bedsheets more tangled up than before. It would be great as well when he learned how to fly and fight at the same time; it would make him an even better Star Warrior. And he had managed to fly very well the other day hadn't he? It would take some time to learn, sure, but he would get there eventually. It must have taken Meta Knight some time to learn himself after all. He had to remind himself that his mentor wasn't always the accomplished person that he was now.
He decided that he would show his wings off later in town. He wasn't going to hide them: they were now an integral part of him. He liked the look of his wings, the feel of his wings. They were his wings; he was proud of them. And he could be proud of himself.
When he opened the door, he saw two large presents sitting just outside, one from the locals, the other from Dedede. Both contained cake topped with strawberries and a small, glittery card filled with many signatures from Cappies and Waddle Dees alike, and even an untidy scrawl from King Dedede.
Kirby smiled. Today was going to be a good day indeed.
Yep. I'm a sentimental soul. Stay in touch with your inner feelings, people. And thanks for reading; it's always appreciated. ^^
