Captain Falcon: Welcome to the twentieth chapter of Swordplay! We're bringing this to you from the University of Florida!
Samus: (looks around) That explains all the orange and blue…
Captain Falcon: College is very new for us all… the authoress hopes she can maintain her goal of completing Swordplay before 2010. (psst… that means in 3 months!)
Samus: Well, maybe the fans won't be too upset if she doesn't meet her goal. She's writing two original novels and has studying to be done as well, you know.
Captain Falcon: I've heard that she still intends to try her best, and that's all that matters.
Samus: Time to go to our special guest for disclaimer!
Young Link: bijoukaiba doesn't own SSBM, Nintendo, or any of its related characters and their franchises.
Captain Falcon: I wish we could've gotten Tim Tebow or Albert and Alberta to do the disclaimer….
Samus: Well, I wish we could finish this story. Moving on!
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Chapter 20: Fight, Forgive, and Forget
After Nana had been lectured to by Joy and Zelda, she finally understood why she had started feeling so strangely. Although she didn't explain why she had changed, she did apologize to Popo. Touched, he forgave her and also apologized to her for acting so rudely Friday night. He politely offered to speak to Ness or Young Link about sharing a room with them, so she could have her own private space. Nana wasn't sure how to react, but he reassured her it was okay. Ness gave Popo the 'okay' to room with him, and Master and Joy were willing to let him switch out so Nana could have her own room. One conflict had been resolved; the other had not.
Monday morning arrived, creating a beautiful sunrise over the forest and shoreline of the Battle Royale Suites. The natural surroundings outside the building were peaceful and serene; inside, it was the opposite.
With a breakfast tray of bacon, fried eggs, and an orange, Link sat down roughly at a table with Captain Falcon and Samus.
"Hey, are you all right?" Samus asked, surprised by her friend's rough behavior.
"Peachy," Link muttered, fumbling with the peel on his orange.
The bounty hunters exchanged a look.
"Honestly, Link, is something bothering you? I remember Saturday morning, the side of your face seemed a little red…" Captain Falcon noted.
"My face… and everything… is… fine…" the Hylian seethed, dragging his knife through his eggs. The scratching sound indicated he was slicing into the plate.
Captain Falcon appeared ready to speak again, but Samus put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.
Link popped a bite of eggs into his mouth, chewed silently, swallowed, and bit through half of a strip of bacon in a single chomp.
Captain Falcon leaned back in his chair silently, then turned to Samus.
"So… I hear that there'll be some new Event Matches announced today," he commented.
"Really?" Samus asked, cringing slightly as she heard Link's knife digging into his plate again.
Captain Falcon took a sip of orange juice, wiped his mouth, and nodded. "I overheard Master and Crazy talking about it. Apparently, we get matches 26-30 announced."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Captain, but isn't it rude to eavesdrop on other people?" Master asked, standing right behind the racer.
Captain Falcon glanced over his shoulder at the fighting coordinator.
"Absolutely. It angers me to no end when people listen in on conversations they didn't have any part in," Link grumbled.
Master looked oddly at Samus.
"What's with him?" he asked. The bounty huntress shrugged.
Captain Falcon's mood shifted briefly, raising a hand in a waving gesture. "Hey, Marth! There you are! Maybe you know why Link's so – "
He was cut off by Link standing up abruptly, carrying his half-eaten breakfast on his tray.
"… I've lost my appetite. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to prepare my equipment for the Event Matches today."
"But you hardly – " Samus was ignored by Link, walking up to return his tray. He happened to walk past Marth on the way up; their eyes met briefly, but Link turned away quickly. Marth lowered his eyes to the food on his tray, and sat silently by himself at a table in the corner.
"What's with him?" Master asked again. "Eh, why do I care? We're going to be starting the matches in a few minutes. No need to worry about some stupid soap opera."
The man who always wore a glove on his right hand strode past, leaving two confused and concerned bounty hunters sitting together.
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Breakfast over and done with, the fighters now gathered in the ground floor of the towering building where matches were always held.
"…. Match 29 is a special fight, for Link and Zelda. And Match 30 is an All-Star fight, where we'll be needing…" Master paused, glancing around the room.
"Brother?" Crazy asked.
"… Where's Marth? We need him here. He has to learn how to fight in these matches…"
"Just talk to him later. Let somebody else fight in the matches, or get someone else to explain. Master, I want to fight in the twenty-ninth event match… if Zelda doesn't mind," Link stated.
The princess, surprised by Link's grouchy mood – she couldn't believe he was still acting this way after the weekend had passed – still agreed. The two of them stepped into the elevator to transport them to the arena. Fox waved to his girlfriend; she waved back as the doors closed. Link frowned, staring at the floor. For a brief moment, he almost wished Marth had been there to wish him luck…
No. He didn't need Marth! Both he and the prince had decided to stop spending time together.
I don't need him.
Link closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, as the virtual arena began to take form around Zelda and himself.
Back on the ground floor, Crazy pushed a small button on the remote he kept hidden in his pocket, like he always had when a new fighter was "surprisingly" introduced.
Link opened his eyes, finding Hyrule Temple had formed around him. He could see Zelda starting to run towards him from across the temple grounds, when she halted suddenly with a surprised – horrified, rather – look on her face. The Hylian hero was confused by her progress, but it was soon made clear why. Link's eyes widened, and a surprised gasp escaped his lips. He almost dropped the Master Sword from his grip.
With a low grunt, Ganondorf lowered himself from the higher platform of the temple.
Link shook off his surprise. He couldn't be scared now. This was only a simulation. Ganondorf couldn't hurt him here. Or could he? Maybe the wizard's dark powers were too strong to be contained by the technology that prevented everyone from being injured during fights?
Ganondorf suddenly flew across the temple grounds, extending his foot in a kicking motion, as purple flames magically spurted from the attack. The blow caught Link in the stomach, knocking him backwards.
That was, ironically, a good thing; he couldn't be hurt after all. Link tightened his grip on the Master Sword and charged at his archenemy, as Zelda struck the Gerudo in the back with a Din's Fire attack.
"Way to go, Zelda!" Fox cheered.
"Now get 'im, Link!" Roy added.
Captain Falcon folded his arms, leaning from one side to another.
"Is it just me, or did that seem like a poor attempt to copy my Falcon Kick technique?" he asked.
"It's probably just you," Samus remarked, until she watched the man attempt to use a charged punch technique that released more purple flames (fortunately, Link rolled out of the way to dodge, and Zelda was nowhere in range). "Huh. Then again, I could be wrong. What's got you so fidgety, anyway?"
"I'm… going to go take a walk. If I'm not back by the time the fight's over, let me know how it went," The racer did not turn to face Samus. "… There's something I feel like I have to resolve."
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Marth lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He had no idea what to do… but he had to do something, anything, to get Link off his mind. The thought of him seemed to create the sensation of pins and needles stinging his hand. He closed his eyes as the memory came back. His vision became watery, as the ceiling appeared blurred.
Don't do it. Not again…
The prince shot up, startled by a knock on his door. He wiped frantically at his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but fell quiet. The knocking resumed. He had a bad feeling he knew who it was… of course, he could be wrong… but he really didn't want to take that risk…
"Marth… I know you're in there."
Captain Falcon was probably ranked near the bottom of the list of people Marth wanted to see right now. But… he wasn't at the very bottom like a certain Hylian hero.
The prince wiped at his eyes once more as he stood up. He opened the door, finding the bounty hunter waiting for him.
"Do you mind if I come in?"
"I'd prefer to be alone, thank you very much."
"In that case, I'm definitely coming in," the bounty hunter retorted, stepping inside the prince's room.
Marth frowned, but didn't protest. The prince sat on the edge of his bed; the racer took a seat in the chair in Marth's room.
"I wanted to talk to you," Captain Falcon remarked.
Marth was silent.
"About Link," the racer added.
The swordsman gripped the cover sheet of his bed tightly.
"Marth… you can't keep quiet forever."
He frowned, turning his head to stare at the wall.
"I can try."
"No, you can't. I told Ness to do, and not try. Well, I'm telling you what has to be done. You have to get over whatever happened between you and Link," Captain Falcon folded his arms, leaning back into the chair. "And I'm not leaving until you tell me what happened. You don't have to go into any minor details. I just want to know what happened."
"We had a fight," Marth stated simply. "And we decided we shouldn't spend time together for a while."
"I could tell you had a fight," the bounty hunter argued. "All right, let me put it this way… what caused your fight?"
"Look, I answered – "
"Not leaving!"
"… Fine. There's a long story behind this, but… I went to check on Link to see if he was done speaking with Zelda in his room, when I practically heard him shout that he didn't like me. When I confronted him about it, he got angry at me for eavesdropping. He said that I had gotten the wrong idea about our relationship, and I just got so angry about him saying that the time we had been spending together was such a mistake, I… I slapped him across the face."
That would explain the red mark on the side of Link's face from Saturday… Captain Falcon concluded.
"Well, you know what you have to do, right?" the bounty hunter asked.
The swordsman shook his head.
"You have to apologize."
"What?!" Marth asked incredulously. "Me? After what he said about me? After everything we had been through?"
"You know, sometimes it feels like you're not the one to blame. But when you really think about it, you know that you have to have played a part in creating a conflict. You can't have a one-sided war. But the fastest way to create peace is to be the one to admit you were wrong. You may even find the other side admitting to their own faults. Trust me, I know," Captain Falcon philosophized. "How else would I have smoothed out my relationship with Samus?"
Marth lowered his eyes, then glanced up at the bounty hunter. "I just need to think about it."
"I don't think there's really much to think about. I believe this was just a big misunderstanding. I don't know exactly what Link said, but I find it hard to believe he would say he flat-out dislikes you. He's not that type of person, and besides… he's way too fond of you to hurt your feelings like that."
Marth watched silently as the bounty hunter stood up.
"I'll leave now, just as I promised. I won't tell anyone, especially Link, about our conversation. Give my advice some thought."
Captain Falcon gave Marth a gentle pat on the back, then left his room.
Marth collapsed backwards against his bed, folding his hands together.
He's way too fond of you to hurt your feelings like that.
But how fond?
Reflecting on the past months, how could a physical fight have brought them closer together, yet a verbal dispute could drive them to opposite ends of the Earth?
The illogical manner of it all… not only logic, but something else inside Marth made him think… no, he wanted to think it was indeed a misunderstanding. Maybe he had heard the words wrong – the door had been closed, after all. Maybe Link had said "I don't light Mars"? Absolutely not, where was the logic in that? As Marth pondered all the different things that sounded like what Link had said, the more he started to think maybe it was a misunderstanding and Link didn't mean it.
The meaning.
They had been sharing a room that night, under completely unusual circumstances. Maybe Zelda had asked Link if they were involved in a romantic relationship… so of course Link would've told her no!
Link just didn't 'like' him as more than a friend! He had truly overreacted for nothing!
Marth sat up with a smile, finally realizing his problems were over.
Slowly, however, he became upset again, as realization hit him. Now he had to apologize. When could he talk to Link? Would his fellow swordsman even be willing to talk? What would he say?
The prince stood up by the foot of his bed.
"Listen, Link. I wanted to talk to you," he stated out loud.
He walked over to the head of his bed, faced the direction he had previously been standing in, and folded his arms as he did his best Link impersonation.
"Oh, really? About what?"
Marth paced back to where he had been standing before.
"I… I wanted to apologize to you about what happened Saturday," Marth replied to himself.
He walked back over to the head of the bed to do his Link impersonation again.
"Huh? And why this sudden change?"
Marth strode back to the foot of his bed, and turned to face the imaginary Link he was talking to.
"Because…"
He wanted to say, 'Because I realized you meant you don't like me as more than a friend.', but something stopped the prince.
The idea lingered in his head.
You don't like me as more than a friend.
It wasn't the only thing on his mind.
Marth remembered waking up in the medical ward, with Link by his side – the first person he saw and spoke to at the Battle Royale Suites.
He remembered their tour of Onett, and how Link practically saved his life from that speeding car.
He remembered how Link came to comfort him after finding out his loved ones – Shiida and Elice – had been killed in an accident.
Marth remembered having a team battle together, and being so excited he had hugged Link immediately afterwards.
He remembered the incredible battle he had shared with Link, then going out to dinner and watching the shooting stars (and falling asleep) with him.
He remembered the enjoyable weekend they spent together before they had both fallen ill.
Marth remembered the dinner they had together as they observed Roy and Zelda's date, and grabbing onto Link in fear during that horror movie.
He remembered… the kiss they had shared in the snow…
He remembered the concern Link had shown when he thought he might never see him again after running away to rescue Ness.
Marth remembered celebrating Ness's first victory with Link.
He remembered waking up in Link's arms after Popo and Nana had their fight.
He remembered how painful his own argument with Link had been, and how miserable he had been afterwards… and still was.
He remembered the good and bad times he had spent with Link. His closest friend.
But most of all, Marth realized he had been in denial this whole time. The months had passed, good and bad times had passed… and just now, he realized why he held all these memories so dearly.
To think, some stupid fight almost tore them away. Almost, but it hadn't succeeded. All because Marth realized why he held those times with Link so close to his heart.
A tear slid down Marth's cheek.
"Because I love you."
A few more tears escaped the prince; he didn't bother to wipe them away. How could he have been so stupid?
Captain Falcon was right; he had to – needed to apologize. For everything that had happened. Perhaps admitting it was his fault would bring back the old Link – the happier one that he had been friends with.
Marth didn't care if he would be forgiven or not; if he truly loved Link, all he wanted was for him to be happy.
And if his feelings were unrequited…?
He would cross that bridge when he came to it. The prince wiped his eyes, feeling much stronger than before.
His mind was made up. He would go apologize to Link, and – if he hadn't fought yet – wish him good luck for his match. It was a very simple strategy, yes; but it was better to start rebuilding their relationship slowly.
Marth checked his reflection in the mirror. His eyes didn't appear watery, a good thing, but they were still a bit red. Deciding to let it be, he smoothed out his tunic and brushed through his hair a few times with his fingers to neaten it. Satisfied, he opened the door, ready to find Link and apologize.
Ironically, he didn't have to look very far; further down the hallway, he spotted the swordsman talking to a large man Marth did not recognize.
Having learned his lesson, Marth normally wouldn't have been listening in on their conversation. However, the strange man gave off a dark vibe that sent chills down Marth's spine.
"Now, let me understand. You say everyone is a fighter here? Even those pathetic pink sponges?"
Link stared back at his enemy. "Yes, except for the people who take care of feeding us and managing entertainment. No, Kirby and Jigglypuff aren't pathetic; they've won a few matches. Everyone here has won at least a few fights."
The dark man seemed highly amused. "And so, you wish to call a truce until we return home to Hyrule?"
The Hylian made an uncertain face, but he nodded.
Much to Marth's horror, Ganondorf spat in Link's face and shoved him roughly into the wall.
"How's that for your answer?"
"You monster!" Marth ran forward and shoved the dark man aside.
Link appeared rather surprised that of all people who had come to his defense, it was the young man he hadn't spoken to for nearly three days.
Ganondorf hardly budged except for a few steps to catch his balance after stumbling.
"He offers to make peace with you, and that is how you respond? You… bastard!"
"Ganondorf," he stated, turning to face the prince. "And one should never ask me for peace. As a matter of fact, in Hyrule, it is foolish to make any attempt to confront me at all."
Marth and Ganondorf stood there silently, staring each other down, when without warning the Gerudo threw his fist forward. He caught Marth in the face, toppling the prince backward with a mighty punch.
Link caught the prince, unconscious with blood streaming from his nose.
Ganondorf threw another punch forward, but it was caught in a goldenrod-gloved hand.
"I was just coming up to my room to cool off before lunch. I didn't expect a fight to break out."
Captain Falcon!
"Break it up, both of you!" Master snapped. He stepped around the Hylian and the prince, sneering at the sight of blood on Marth's face, before separating the Gerudo from the bounty hunter.
"Ganondorf, you must understand as a new fighter here that you are not to fight outside of matches. However, Captain Falcon, you should know better."
"I didn't even throw a punch!" the bounty hunter protested.
"Because you are new, Ganondorf, I will let this incident go. Captain Falcon, you will be confined to your room for the rest of the day."
"Excuse me?! He just freaking tried to kill Marth! And you're going to let that slide? If there's someone I want to punch right now, it's certainly not Ganondorf!"
Master's eyes narrowed.
"Your sentence has been extended to Saturday for threatening an official of the Battle Royale Suites. You can continue to talk, Captain, but I would highly suggest you shut your mouth this instant."
The bounty hunter threw a fiery glare at the man, before walking off and slamming the door to his room. The walls seemed to shake from the force.
"Come downstairs, Ganondorf, and I'll show you to the dining room."
Master walked off with the Gerudo behind him, without even bothering to offer any help for the prince in the Hylian's arms.
Link frowned at the backs of the two men, then looked down at Marth. His nose was still bleeding a fair bit. He scooped the prince into his arms and elbowed the automatic-door switch into the medical ward.
Dr. Mario and Nurse Joy were out; likely, they were getting lunch or Joy was assigning Ganondorf to his room.
Link placed the prince onto one of the beds, propping his head up with a pillow. The Hylian shuffled through a jar of cotton balls, grabbing a handful. He also went and retrieved a box of tissues. Holding one of the cotton balls with a tissue, he gently applied pressure against Marth's nose, hoping to help stop the bleeding. The cotton ball, and the tissue shortly after, started to turn a deep red. Link used a tissue to pick up another cotton ball and held it against the prince's nose, wadding up the bloody one that had been there previously.
About five cotton balls later, Marth's bleeding had almost completely ceased. Link gathered the bloody materials and disposed of them. Seeing a red bag, he associated the color with blood and dropped them in there.
On the note of blood, Link checked his hands. There were traces of red smears on his fingers. Grimacing, he washed them off with soap and water. After drying his hands, he turned to leave… but glanced back at the prince.
He still felt bad about what had happened. He was slightly miffed that Marth had overheard his conversation with Ganondorf, but on the other hand, he might have been the one passed out with a bloody nose – or even worse – if Marth hadn't stepped in.
He returned to sit by the prince's side, now wiping away smeared blood from Marth's face. Around his mouth, down his cheek, a few spots on his lips…
With his face cleaned, Link placed the tissue aside. He let a bare finger graze the side of the prince's face.
Sure, he had been upset at Marth before – when he wanted to back down out of a fight, or when he went to go look for Ness alone, for example. But for some reason, being this close to him made him forget anything negative, especially considering everything that had just happened fifteen or twenty minutes ago.
The prince stirred; Link pulled his hand back. Marth opened his eyes and turned his head toward Link.
"Oh… hi," Marth whispered.
"… Hi," Link replied softly.
"… I always seem to end up in the medical ward, don't I?" Marth asked, as he forced himself to sit up.
Link smirked, but didn't reply.
"You're okay, right? That man… Ganondorf? He didn't hurt you, did –"
"Why did you do something like that? If Captain Falcon and Master hadn't come along, there's no telling what would've happened to you!"
"I could say the very same thing to you!" Marth protested. "If I hadn't stepped in, there's no telling what Ganondorf would've done to – "
In a twist of fate, Marth was silenced by a slap across the face.
"That's the thing! You got off lucky with a bloody nose! You don't know what Ganondorf is capable of, so there's no telling what he would've done to you!" the Hylian clutched the prince's shoulders. "After I fought him, the first thing I worried about was what he could do to my friends… to you!"
Link faced the prince, frustrated. There was a red spot on Marth's cheek from where he had been struck. Maybe that had been a bad idea, to strike someone of royal descent… Marth still had a look of shock on his face from being slapped. He was probably going to be in for one hell of a retaliation. Sure enough, Marth moved suddenly. Link flinched, expecting a surprise hit.
Indeed, it was a surprising move; Marth threw his arms around Link's neck and collapsed against him, his forehead on the Hylian's shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Marth whispered against Link's collarbone. "I'm sorry for everything. I shouldn't have been listening to your conversation with Zelda. I shouldn't have hit you. I shouldn't have gotten involved in your talk with Ganondorf. I'm so sorry."
Link was still in a bit of shock from the impact. He shifted a bit to embrace Marth, wrapping his arms around the slender prince's torso.
"It's… it's not your fault. Maybe I should've kept my voice lower when I was talking to Zelda, since I wanted to speak with her privately. And maybe I should've been more careful with what I said to you that morning." He pulled Marth a little closer. "I'm sorry too. I deserved to get slapped for what I said to you."
Marth pulled back from Link a little bit. "It's okay," he said with a smile. "We're even now."
"Goddesses, I'm sorry about that too!" Link exclaimed. He placed his hand gently over the red spot on the side of Marth's face. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Marth's entire face turned redder. "No, it's fine. Really."
Link didn't speak, but nodded. Before he could remove his hand from the side of Marth's face, the prince reached up and held it there.
"Link…" Marth looked up into the Hero's eyes. "What am I to you?"
The Hylian appeared to think for a moment, then smiled. "You're the best friend I have here. I think you are one of the most… amazing persons I have ever met, Marth." He used his free hand to brush some of the prince's bangs away from his eyes. "What am I to you?"
Marth was silent. He already knew that Link thought of him as his closest friend. Why did he hesitate to say so? Maybe he just needed to find the wording. Or maybe… there was something he didn't want to say. There was only one way to know, Marth decided as he felt his heart hammering inside him. He had to tell him now.
"You're wonderful, Link. And I say this because…" Marth took a deep breath as he felt his heart leap into his throat.
"Let-a me tell you, I have-a never tasted a finer-a Panini," Dr. Mario commented to Nurse Joy.
Marth and Link quickly slipped out of each other's arms before they had actually been spotted.
"Hello, guys," Joy commented, surprised at the sight of Marth in bed and Link seated nearby. "I noticed you hadn't been getting along over the weekend. We didn't have a serious fight, did we?"
"Not at all," Marth replied. He exchanged a look with Link. "As a matter of fact, we made out and we're friends again."
"You mean you made up," Joy corrected, trying to stifle a laugh. "Well, I'm just glad to see you two spending time together again."
"I just had a bit of a headache… and Marth had a nosebleed, so while we took care of ourselves here, we started talking about what went wrong," Link stated, even though he had lied on his part.
Still, the medical duo seemed convinced, and let them leave.
Standing out in the hallway alone together, Link asked, "So… what were you going to say before?"
"Hmm?"
"You said I was wonderful, and you were about to say why," Link commented.
The Hylian had such a handsome smile; it made Marth's insides melt away, like his courage. "Because you're my best friend, too."
Link placed a hand against Marth's back. "You're probably tired of eating alone. How about I save a seat for you at dinner?"
"I'd love that, thank you," the prince replied as calmly as he could.
"Great! I'm going to head down and see what's happening with the Event Matches. Wanna come?" Link asked.
"No thanks," Marth shook his head. "A lot has happened this afternoon, so I really want to just nap it off."
The Hylian gave a small wave of his hand, before heading downstairs. Marth went back into his room, closing his door behind him. He kicked off his boots and reclined upon his bed. He glanced to his side, where his green tunic was easily visible in the closet. Just seeing the color green gave him chills now.
Stupid cowardice. Damn shyness.
Now he knew he was in love with Link.
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Captain Falcon: Well. That's certainly something. (glances at Samus) Why can't we have a scene like that?
Samus: Because I'm not going to fall in love with you, that's why.
Captain Falcon: (muttering under his breath) Yeah, right. (now in an angrier tone) Damn it! I really hate Master… not to mention Ganondorf!
Samus: Oh, that's why you left and why I didn't get any screen time after that?
Captain Falcon: Yes, because I probably stopped Ganondorf from killing Marth and Master goes and punishes me.
Samus: What? He can't treat you like that!
Captain Falcon: Oh? Since when do you care?
Samus: … Well… because… (blushing slightly)
Captain Falcon: (laughs) Well?
Samus: Caring about someone is not the same as loving them, so shut up!
Captain Falcon: (quiets down) True. Speaking of caring, please give the authoress a round of applause. She actually wrote the part where 'breakfast was finished and Link was preparing to fight' through to the part where Marth first saw Ganondorf this morning. And when I say this morning, I mean from 12:30 am to 4:41 am.
Samus: I do admire someone who puts in that much effort. I think she's also been working to finish this chapter for the past four hours, too!
Captain Falcon: (nods) Yes, bijoukaiba says she's puts so much work into her stories because she's inspired by all the effort I put into everything.
Samus: … right. Anyway, we hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter of Swordplay.
Captain Falcon: Remember, we've only got about 10 chapters to go!