Extra Chapter

A/N Warning: This chapter is the shippiest and features mild adult themes. It's also not integral to the main story...it's sort of a bonus chapter, which is why I placed it after the epilogue.

Meta Knight stood in the courtyard of Dedede's castle. He had recovered enough to walk around, and the second he was physically able to he escaped the confines of his room. There was nothing he disliked more than feeling helpless, and for a long time after his injury a throng of Waddle Dees made absolutely sure he didn't go anywhere. When Dr. Yabui finally relaxed his orders, Meta Knight began to walk. It would be a while before he could exert himself strongly in the form of training or flying, but at least he wasn't confined to bed anymore. The Star Warrior took it slow; he walked up and down the halls outside of his room and visited the rooms of his friends. Blade was even worse off then he was, and lamented being glued to bed and unable to do anything.

"Can't eat, can't go to the bathroom, can't even breathe on my own! I'm followed everywhere by a bunch of nurses." Blade pouted, sitting up in a bed propped with many pillows. Sword sat next to him, having never left his side since they first landed back in Dreamland. He snickered.

"At least you're still breathing" Sword remarked.

Blade folded his arms, looking out the window. "Eh...you're right. Could be worse."

Meta Knight nodded silently, eyes tinting pink. Having been in a similar predicament until recently, he understood Blade's frustration.

After visiting his wounded comrade, Meta Knight stepped outside. He walked through the grass, cape wrapped around him as he walked until stopping under a large tree. The veteran leaned against the tree carefully, casting his cold yellow gaze forward. In time, he saw a small golden-armored being walk towards him. Pale blue eyes looked up at Meta Knight, the creature lifting her arm to wave at him briefly. Meta Knight waved back. He felt a brief pang of sorrow watching Shieldmaiden walk towards him; he knew that she would fly if she could, and that her wound still prevented it. He hoped the damage wasn't permanent.

As Shieldmaiden walked closer to Meta Knight, his eyes flashed. His heartbeat began to quicken as she neared, finding her cyan eyes both equally pleasing and painful to look at. Since their adventure together, his feelings had only grown; yet, he still did everything in his power to conceal them. He respected her as a friend and a fellow Galaxy Soldier. Just because she was a female, particularly one he had an attraction to, didn't mean that their relationship should change. He wanted to remain neutral.

Shieldmaiden walked up to him, dipping the upper portion of her body in a light bow. "Greetings, Sir."

Meta Knight lowered his gaze, clearing his throat. He could feel the butterflies begin to form in his stomach and grimaced, a light blush grazing his blue cheeks. His yellow eyes glowed steadily behind his expressionless mask, revealing nothing.

"Greetings" Meta Knight replied, his deep voice level.

"Shall we?" Shieldmaiden asked. She held a small basket in her left hand, the top stuffed with a red and white checkered blanket. The two had agreed to a picnic a few days beforehand, and had waited until the day with the perfect weather. Meta Knight gave a light nod in response, turning to face away from her.

"Come" he said. "I know the perfect spot."

Meta Knight allowed Shieldmaiden to walk first before beginning to move. As he eased into a walk, falling in step beside her, he took the picnic basket from Shieldmaiden's hand. Always chivalrous, he hated the idea of her having to be the one carrying their food.

"Allow me" he said politely as he removed the basket from her hand.

"Why, thank you!" Shieldmaiden said, appreciative of the gesture. Meta Knight said nothing, dipping his head slightly in response.

The two Star Warriors walked through the grass. Though both were wounded and stuck on the ground, neither minded the walk – it simply made their enjoyable trip last longer. Meta Knight walked quietly in step with her, both of them silent except for the light rustle of their armor as they moved. He felt a myriad of emotions, each fleeting thought pulling him in a different direction. He remained quiet, lost in his own head.

Shieldmaiden smiled underneath her helmet. She knew that Meta Knight wasn't a big talker, and figured she'd speak first.

"Lovely weather today, isn't it?"

"Indeed, it is" Meta Knight replied after a short pause.

"I'm glad we got the opportunity to...get away for a bit" she said, chuckling lightly.

Meta Knight inhaled deeply as he thought of what to say in response, feeling as if a weight rested on his tongue. What did she mean by that? Did she mean that she was glad to get away from Dedede's castle, or that she was glad that they could be alone together? He squeezed his eyes shut for a second before blinking rapidly, knocking himself out of it. He felt silly for ruminating on such things.

"Um, ah...yes, me too" he replied, after realizing he hadn't responded for a few seconds.

"The Waddle Dee nurses wouldn't even let me move my entire right side where the hurt wing was for two weeks! Ridiculous! I'm fine" Shieldmaiden ranted. She then went to stretch, lifting both arms in the air with her wings naturally lowering behind her, when her right ring twitched. She let out a small cry in pain and folded her wings tightly against her in response and straightened back up, all in the span of a second, trying to save face.

Meta Knight winced. He could tell that she was independent and had a strong sense of pride, and that hearing that she needed to be careful was the last thing she needed after weeks of Waddle Dees babying her. Still, if what just happened was any indication, than Dr. Yabui had the right idea. He chose his next words cautiously.

"Dr. Yabui does have your best interest at heart..."

Shieldmaiden rolled her eyes slightly, sighing. "Yeah, he does..." Her eyes lifted upwards towards her wing, which still had an ugly bulge where the spear impaled her. "It won't be forever."

The two continued to chat as they walked together, crossing through the beautiful meadows on the outskirts of the castle. In time, they reached Meta Knight's spot. The top of a small hill overlooked a wide, empty field, the top of the hill sheltered by a large tree. The spot allowed them a perfect spot to both gaze out into the meadow and have shade from the sun.

Shieldmaiden put a gloved hand to her face. "Wow...you're right. This really is perfect."

Meta Knight smiled underneath his mask. He had quite a few select 'spots' both inside and outside of the castle, where there were few visitors. They were his favorite places to be alone, to think. However, for some reason, he felt compelled to share this spot with her. Perhaps it was because when she first brought up the idea of a picnic, he knew that the spot would be both sheltered from the sun and far away enough from the castle to spare them any interruptions by Dedede.

In time, the two reached the spot. Meta Knight set the basket down, reaching into it to withdraw the blanket. He held the blanket in the air and waved it flat, gently lowering it down against the grass. He then began to withdraw various food items from the basket. Shieldmaiden had packed quite a bit into the deceptively small basket; fruits, salads, sandwiches, and bottled water. Meta Knight felt around in the basket before feeling the silver metal on the top of his glove clink against hard glass. Brow raised, he slowly withdrew the bottle and was surprised to see it was red wine. He held the bottle in his hands and looked to Shieldmaiden, eyes wide.

Shieldmaiden's smirk was hidden. "I wasn't sure if you drank, Sir, but figured I would bring it along as an option."

Meta Knight said nothing, slowly setting the wine bottle down. He partook in alcohol rarely, far less than the younger Sword and Blade. The idea of introducing something to his body that dulled focus, that could lead to embarrassing situations beyond one's control, was not typically something he went for. Still, as the red bottle leaned against the basket, the thought was tempting. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy a glass now and then, particularly wine, and red happened to be his favorite.

The two reached out for the food spread out on the picnic blanket. Meta Knight sat with his back towards the tree, while Shieldmaiden sat closer to the basket. He chose a piece of fruit to eat first, an apple. Lifting his mask just enough to allow himself to eat with one hand, the Star Warrior took a bite out of the fruit. He felt strangely self-conscious, eating in an almost dainty manner.

Shieldmaiden, feeling more at ease, reached for one of the salads with a fork. One gloved hand lowered the portion of her armor that served as both a breastplate and mouth guard, revealing the lower half of her face. Meta Knight watched her eat out of the corner of his eye.

The two chatted idly as they ate, mostly about everything that happened and how Dreamland and its citizens were coming along. Meta Knight allowed Shieldmaiden to do most of the talking , feeling increasingly awkward despite enjoying the picnic and her company. He again eyed the wine bottle; perhaps a glass would soothe his nerves.

Meta Knight and Shieldmaiden finished their respective appetizers and moved on to their meal, each having a sandwich as the main course. Afterwards, Meta Knight reached for the bottle of wine. Shieldmaiden's eyes tinted pink, barely suppressing a giggle. The Galaxy Soldier Army's men were notorious for their alcohol-induced adventures, with many old masters seeming to have as many embarrassing bar stories as they did tales of past battles. She knew he couldn't resist.

Meta Knight opened the wine with an opener, holding a glass in his hand. He then reached a second glass to pour them both drinks, handing the first full glass to her. Shieldmaiden looked him in the eyes, smirk visible with the section of armor covering her mouth pulled down, before sipping the drink. Meta Knight noticed the way she looked at him and quickly looked away, feeling anxiety well up within him. He lifted his mask slightly, taking a polite sip of his own.

In time the two both drained their glasses, conversing politely as they did so. Meta Knight felt the wine begin to hit him; he suddenly felt light, airy. His nagging anxiety began to melt away, the Star Warrior feeling more comfortable and at ease. Shieldmaiden grinned, herself feeling far less inhibited than the stoic male even when sober. She watched his body language curiously, noticing that as the wine hit him he seemed to talk more.

Inevitably, the two began to talk about what they had both recently endured. Meta Knight told Shieldmaiden about how Dr. Yabui had kept him nearly bedridden for weeks on end. Shieldmaiden stroked her chin as he talked. Her eyes dimmed.

"At least you were alive and able to fight again that day", she murmured. "It got really ugly when we were getting that second piece of the relic...in the water..."

Meta Knight looked away. He took another slow drink of wine, appearing to down a good deal more this time than the polite sips he had been taken previously. Shieldmaiden frowned; it was obvious even without any emotion shown that the knight was still clearly shaken by the incident.

"Sorry" she added quickly, swirling the liquid around in her own glass.

"That's alright." Meta Knight replied in a low voice. His yellow eyes slowly lifted to meet hers. "You did save me, after all. I'm still deeply thankful for that."

"No worries!" Shieldmaiden said, the lowered armor allowing him to glimpse a light blush forming on her cheeks. "You saved me first, when I crash-landed here."

Meta Knight nodded, drinking a bit more wine. "All of us did." he said, the wine loosening his tongue and causing his usually carefully-chosen words to devolve into a ramble. "You were too heavy with your armor on, so Sword and Blade carried all of your gear while I took you to the castle."

Shieldmaiden nearly dropped her wine. "You what?!"

Meta Knight's eyes widened as he realized what he said. Despite the need for it to be done at the time, there was no way he could make the fact that he carried around her nude and unconscious body sound any less terrible. He quickly set his wine down and wrapped himself up in his cape, looking off into the distance. Both grew silent, each awkward second seeming to stretch out forever.

"Um..." Meta Knight shifted. "We had no choice. You were too heavy with armor on."

Shieldmaiden gazed down into her glass, wings lowering until they draped behind her. "That does make sense. I was wondering why I woke up like that...unarmored, in a strange place...it wasn't fun, but I understand why. Thank you."

Meta Knight nodded, cheeks burning. He cursed himself. Why did he bring that up? This is why he didn't drink often.

"You're welcome" he replied.

Shieldmaiden looked up after a few more quiet seconds. "It was a similar situation to when we retrieved the relic and you needed air. I didn't want to remove your armor, but there was no other way to give you mouth-to-mouth."

Meta Knight cringed at the memory. He didn't like to be seen without his mask on even under normal circumstances, and she had to see him half-drowned and passed out. He couldn't have imagined how awful he looked. A gloved hand slipped under his mask to rub his reddened cheeks self-consciously.

Shieldmaiden polished off her second wine glass and sat on the checkered blanket, swaying slightly in place. The wine had hit her a bit harder than him, perhaps because she was a bit smaller and lighter.

"If it makes you feel any better, Sir... I wasn't expecting what I saw under your mask. It doesn't even make sense why you wear it so often. You're...well, if you don't mind me saying, Sir, you're rather handsome."

Meta Knight nearly choked on his mouthful of wine. He then noisily swallowed it, the lump of liquid being forced down his throat. He looked down to the point where his yellow eyes weren't visible through the opening of his mask, gloved hand pounding the lower part of it where his chest was. That last gulp of wine settled wrong. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, and hadn't felt so embarrassed since he was a teenager. Still...the idea that she found him handsome, that the object of his attraction apparently felt that way upon seeing him, tickled him.

Shieldmaiden put a hand to her mouth at his reaction, her own face reddening. The stupid wine had let her tongue slip. "Oh, sorry! That was rude of me to say. I didn't mean to...uh..."

"No, it's quite alright" Meta Knight managed to say, wrapping up in his cape. He looked downwards, blush hidden. "Am I?"

Shieldmaiden felt her mouth run dry. Though she had been the one running her mouth all day, it was now she who was at a loss for words. She looked away, eyes closing under the rim of her armor.

"Ah...yes."

Meta Knight felt his heart hammer. He looked to her, finding her blushing admission shocking. All of this time he had been harboring feelings, and now the object of his secret desire was the one calling him attractive? He couldn't believe it. He turned his head away, still feeling deeply awkward. Her words echoed in his head, the Star Warrior's admission compelling him to make one of his own. He gulped reflexively and worked his jaw, feeling his voice try to run away from him.

"You are, as well."

He watched her out of the corner of his eye, feeling to shy to look at her directly. She put a hand to her mouth upon hearing him, white wings folding over her face to hide her until she looked like a ball of white feathers.

"Um...thank you." she managed to say after a few seconds, voice muffled from her wings. She had no idea this would happen.

Meta Knight reached for the wine, hand shaking slightly as he poured himself a third glass. He had felt better prepared for life-and-death battles than situations involving women like this. Drunk and flustered, the Star Warrior lifted his mask to quietly sip from his glass. He could sense a tension in the air, hanging thickly over them both, though neither had said anything after their previous exchange. They had both admitted they'd found each other attractive, the alcohol working as an impromptu truth serum, yet neither seemed to know what to say next.

Shieldmaiden scooched closer to him on the picnic blanket with her glass held out, indicating that she wished for more wine. Meta Knight eyed her warily, noticing that she was swaying slightly; their drinking had apparently hit her harder than him. He held the glass while it was still in her hand to steady it, reaching for the bottle and pouring more of the drink for her. To his surprise, Shieldmaiden did not back away after having received her wine. She leaned in closer than what was necessary to receive her drink, causing the older male to flinch. His heart pounded against his chest as she leaned in, his stomach tightening. Their eyes locked; in a fluid but gentle motion, Shieldmaiden leaned forward and kissed him on the mask.

Meta Knight felt his heart nearly stop, heart beating so fast he could hear it in his earholes. A deep blush spread across his hidden cheeks, a pleasant tingle racing through his body. He gulped after a few seconds, looking at Shieldmaiden. The female had eased back while still holding her wine glass, face red, slightly turned away. Feeling emboldened by both her actions and his own inebriation Meta Knight leaned forward, lifting his mask until it rested on the top of his head as if it were a hat. Eyes glowing fiercely, he leaned in until he was only an inch from her face. After a brief pause, he moved in and locked lips with her in a gentle kiss. He then pulled away after a moment, mouth open and panting slightly. Her lips were every bit as soft as he imagined. He leaned in to kiss her again, gloved hand snaking up her free arm.

"Hey, guys!"

"Fumu!" Meta Knight shouted, mask snapping back against his face and one arm wheeling as both Star Warriors scrambled apart. Shieldmaiden quickly snapped her mouthpiece up, hiding her own blushing face, and tossed the cup of freshly-poured wine into the nearby grass so that the young ones wouldn't see what she was drinking. A few meters away, Fumu and Kirby walked by.

"Fumu. Uh. Hi!" Shieldmaiden said, voice cracking as she quickly stuffed the empty wine bottle into the basket. "We were just finishing up a picnic!"

"Poyoyii!" Kirby said, eyes growing wide. He walked over to the picnic basket and stared at the scene. He didn't notice how Meta Knight sat with his back to everyone, or how Shieldmaiden awkwardly held the basket; all he had eyes for was the unused leftover salad, fruits, and other assorted spare foods.

Fumu put her hands on her hips. "Kirby..."

Shieldmaiden waved an arm, brain still foggy. "Oh no, it's okay. He can eat the rest if he wants to! Just...not what's in the basket." she added. She knew there was very little wine left but Kirby was light, small, and far too young to have even the slightest taste of alcohol.

"Poyo! Poyo, poyuu?" Kirby jumped for joy. He then turned to look at Fumu, eyes growing large and pleading.

Fumu sighed. She rubbed her temple with one hand, exasperated; she could never say no when he made that face.

"Well, they did say it was okay" the girl grumbled, face breaking into a grin. "Fine."

"Poyo!" Kirby cried. He then picked up the food with one arm at a time, everything even remotely edible on the picnic blanket disappearing into his gullet within seconds. He even ate Meta Knight's leftover apple core.

"Well, that was fun" Shieldmaiden said, a gloved hand self consciously rubbing the back of her head as she looked at the children. "We're going to pack up and head back."

She waved to Kirby and Fumu. "It was nice seeing you guys!"

"You too!" Fumu responded, waving back before gesturing to her small friend. "Come on, Kirby."

"Poy" Kirby replied with a nod. He turned to wave at Shieldmaiden and Meta Knight, who quietly packed up what little remained of the picnic. "Poyo, Poyoyii!"

Meta Knight turned, yellow expressionless eyes boring into Kirby. He gave a polite nod to him and Fumu as he slipped the rumpled blanket off of the grass.

"Farewell."

Fumu and Kirby then proceeded on their walk, crossing through the meadow to head towards a lake. For the first time in minutes, Meta Knight and Shieldmaiden looked at each other directly. Both of them appeared to stare blankly, their true expressions hidden behind their armor. Shieldmaiden gently took the blanket from Meta Knight's hands and stuffed it into the basket.

"I think it's time to call it and go back to the castle" She said.

Meta Knight waved an arm. "You go on ahead. I'll see you later."

Shieldmaiden nodded, standing to her feet with the basket in one arm. She looked at him, the knight sitting on the grass while wrapped up in his cape and gazing silently out into the meadow. She then dipped her head to him politely and turned to leave.

As she walked down the hill, she overheard a deep voice call out.

"Kawasaki's tomorrow? At 6?"

Shieldmaiden's smile was hidden. "Sure."

Kirby walked back to his house alone. The sun was setting in Dreamland, crickets beginning to chirp in the grass. A cool evening breeze stirred the young boy as he walked slowly, admiring the sunset and the refreshing drop in temperature after a rather hot day. He had a lot of fun hanging out with Fumu, the two of them spending most of the day fishing. Even better, he got a free snack from the Star Warrior's picnic. Fumu even took him to the melon fields. Kirby patted his stomach; having eaten fish, a picnic's leftovers, and a bunch of melons, he was the closest to 'full' such a creature could possibly be. He sighed contentedly. When he was full, he got sleepy.

Kirby opened the door to his little home, swiping his green and yellow spotted night cap from a coat hanger. He hopped into bed and cuddled up against the blankets, face burying into his pillow. The warm orange glow of his house, lit by the setting sun's rays filtering through his window, began to darken to blue. He felt deeply comfortable, swaddled up in blankets like an infant. The relic was gone. Dark Matter was gone. He and the others had a new friend. Everything was good, as it should be.

Kirby's eyes slowly blinked, going fuzzy. They opened once more before slowly shutting for good, the little one drifting off into a peaceful sleep.