Captain Falcon: (in pajamas) She's actually still up? She's starting this chapter at nearly 2:30 in the morning!

Samus: (in pajamas) She had a burst of inspiration and wanted to go for it.

Captain Falcon: How so?

Samus: (yawns) She finally figured out what to name this chapter.

Captain Falcon: … That's it?

Samus: That, and she also figured out how to connect two 'plot points' in this chapter. She says it'll be exciting.

Captain Falcon: It better. If I woke up at 2 in the morning for nothing, I'm going to…

Samus: … Well, seeing as no one else in the world is awake to do the disclaimer, I'll do it. Bijoukaiba claims no ownership of Nintendo, SSBM, or any of its related characters and their respective franchises.

Captain Falcon: Sorry to have kept everyone waiting!

Samus: Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 21: Revisited

Saturday could not come soon enough for Captain Falcon. Finally, at last, he was free from his room. For so long, he had wanted to get back into the action of fighting, to spend time with his friends, with Samus. He had to spend his time sleeping, reading, or watching television, and it grew rather boring within the first four hours. He often found himself at the window during the week, gazing outside. All the snow had melted, and the temperatures had perked up rather nicely from all the sunny weather they had been getting.

He stepped out of his 'prison cell' Saturday morning, looking around as if he were expecting to see some major changes in his surroundings. Yet everything appeared exactly as it had before.

Screw the boring hallways; there was only one thing on Captain Falcon's mind.

He went over to Room 12 and knocked on the door. It opened, revealing a prince who appeared delighted to see him.

"Captain! Good morning, it's nice to see you again!"

"Likewise," the racer replied.

"Thanks for your advice. Earlier in the week, I mean. I finally made out – " The prince blushed and corrected himself. "Made up with Link, and we're back to being friends."

"Well, that's good to hear. I know it's rather soon to ask, but I'd like you to do me a favor. It's an easy one, don't worry."

"Sure, anything," Marth complied.

The racer smirked. "Check your wardrobe. There should be swim trunks or a swimsuit of some type. I want you to help me gather everyone for a trip to the beach."

The waves grazed the shore peacefully. The beach was a serene place to be that morning.

And then bare feet raced across the hot sand to splash into the cold water. Whoops and loud laughter filled the air, the tops of several beach umbrellas reached up to the sky, and the beach became a loud, enjoyable gathering.

Ness, Popo, Nana, and the younger Link hit the water first thing. The first boy dove underwater briefly, then resurfaced.

"Ahhh, wow!" Ness marveled, brushing his wet bangs away from his face. "I haven't been to the beach since my family took that trip to Summers…"

"I've never been to the beach before," Nana commented, exchanging a look with Popo. "The only time I ever went swimming was in a heated pool."

"Same," her companion added.

Back on the shore, Luigi stretched out underneath an umbrella, resting on a green towel. Fox McCloud had taken up his company, reclining on an orange towel.

"I've missed the warm weather," the pilot commented to the plumber. "Sure, I'll probably go swimming later, but for right now, I just want a sun-powered warm nap."

"I'll-a say," Luigi agreed, glancing to his side.

A rather simple volleyball net had been set up, and eight people had gathered around.

"So, should-a I explain how to play, or-a you?" Mario asked the bounty hunter beside him.

"Eh, I explained baseball. How about Peach?" Captain Falcon replied, glancing over at the princess.

"Oh, well… I guess so," she replied. Zelda, Link, Roy, and Marth sat patiently, awaiting someone to explain the rules.

"All right, well… this game is typically played on a court… I mean, it can be a court with like a hard floor, but 'court' can also refer to the sand…"

"Put it this way," Samus stated. "There's two teams, and you have to hit the ball over the net. You get a point if the other team doesn't hit it back, and the ball hits the ground."

"Oh, okay," Zelda agreed with a nod.

"All right, then let's set up teams," Peach agreed. "Oh, but don't forget, you guys should put on some sunscreen."

She jogged away briefly, before returning with two bottles in her hands.

"You need to put this on your skin. It's a special lotion that prevents sunburn. Which, as you can probably tell, is a burn caused by overexposure to the sun. I can't tell you any special scientific reasons as to how this stuff works, but… think of it as a 'force-field' against the sun."

"Cool," Roy commented, slathering a blotch over his shoulder.

The princess of Hyrule squirted some of the lotion into her hand, and began to rub it on her arms and the exposed areas of her front.

She passed the bottle along to Link, who took a squirt and began lathering it over his torso.

"Hey, Marth," he passed the bottle to the prince. "Would you get my back for me? I'll do your back in exchange,"

"Oh, very well," Marth replied, fumbling with the bottle. He lathered the lotion in his hands to warm it up before applying it to Link's back. The prince lightly placed his hands against the Hero's back and began to rub.

"Your hands are soft," Link murmured low enough for only Marth to hear.

"Thanks?" Marth replied, trying to keep his emotions under control. It would have been a difficult task for anyone, running their hands over the back of someone they were in love with…

Of course, who should have gone walking by but Bowser and Ganondorf, looking for some solitude in the socializing atmosphere?

"Excuse me, guys, would you…" Bowser's voice trailed off and he shook his head. "Oh, never mind."

"What is it?" Link asked. He nearly snapped at them, particularly at the sight of Ganondorf.

"I was going to ask if this was where I could get some sunscreen, but I guess not… it only looks like sensual massages are given out here."

He snickered with Ganondorf.

Link folded his arms. "Haha, very funny. Why don't you just leave us alone? I know you prefer being nowhere near us. Why don't you go make-out somewhere?"

Ganondorf growled, balling a hand into a fist, until he caught sight of six other fighters glaring at him. In Hyrule, he could have just jumped forward and snapped their necks; however, in this strange world, his powers had been diminished somehow. Therefore, at an eight to one disadvantage, the Gerudo decided it was best to glare at them one more time before skulking off with the Koopa king.

Link turned around to look at Marth. "Here, I should probably get your sunscreen on now… you've turned a bright red color."

The prince fidgeted with the bottle, passing it to Link, who applied the lotion to his hands before running them down the prince's back and shoulders, his fingertips tickling his skin.

Link chuckled as Marth shivered. "Sorry… I should've warned you that the lotion would be cold."

"It's not the lotion," the prince mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Just rub the lotion," Marth spoke up. "You know, between your hands. That will… warm it up."

"Oh, okay."

"But you don't have to!" the prince stammered quickly, standing up. "I think I have enough lotion on."

Link wiped off the extra lotion on his swim trunks and also stood up.

"So, how shall we assign teams?" Zelda asked.

"Hmmm…" Captain Falcon folded his arms in thought. "How about you and I, with Mario and Samus… against Peach, Roy, Marth, and Link?"

"We can take ya!" Link taunted, ruffling Marth's hair affectionately with that statement.

"Wait, time-out!" Marth declared, blushing faintly. "I have to fix my hair!"

"That's-a not a very good – " Mario started to protest.

Marth jogged off, heading back towards the Suites. "… I have to go to the bathroom!!" he called over his shoulder.

"Then… go in the water…" Roy muttered. Everyone watched the prince, puzzled by his sudden retreat. "What's with him?"

"Here, I'll sit out for now," Samus stated. "That way, it'll be even."

She walked off the court, past Captain Falcon.

"Whatever you say," the racer remarked.

For a moment she appeared disgruntled about not having a proper seat, but finally sat down on the sand.

"Okay, Zelda, here's how you'll want to hit the ball," Captain Falcon stated, walking towards the princess.

Samus smiled as she watched the racer adjust the princess's arms, guiding her through a few motions as though she were hitting an invisible ball."

"Remember, let more of the force come from your legs, not your arms. Don't lace your fingers, either… if you get hit in the hands, it'll really hurt!"

Peach held up the volleyball. "Here, I'll serve first. If the other team returns the ball, I want one of you guys to try to hit it back."

The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom struck the ball, sending it sailing over the net in a graceful arch. Mario was ready on the other side, batting it back up over the net.

"It's coming to you, Link! Hit it!"

The Hylian hero raised his hands above his head and batted the ball back to the other team, barely missing the net.

"Heads-a up, Zelda!" Mario called.

Remembering how Captain Falcon showed her how to hit the ball, the Hylian princess returned the ball to the other side of the net.

"I did it!" Zelda exclaimed.

"Nice job!" Captain Falcon complimented. "Now let's pick up-the-pace!" He sped up his last few words as he dove to save the ball from crashing into the sand. Mario used the racer's assist to bat the ball back over the net.

"Try to spike it," Peach instructed Roy as she volleyed the ball back over the net. "You try to hit the ball down into the ground on the other side of the net."

Zelda had returned the volley and the ball was sailing towards Link now. He batted it up into the air, flying towards Roy.

"Like this?" the fiery-haired swordsman asked as he leapt up and practically punched the ball down to the other side.

However, the volleyball did not make contact with the sand; it struck Captain Falcon square in the face and he fell over backwards with a grunt.

"Oops."

"… Well, you've… got the arm motions down right…" Peach remarked.

Link, Mario, and Samus could only stare in shock as the Princess of Hyrule helped Captain Falcon sit up.

"Are you all right?" Zelda asked, noticing a small stream of blood trickle from his nose.

"Damn it, Roy! That hurt!" he got to his feet and started running after the young lord. It was a pretty humorous sight to watch the red-head being chased by the brunette. Samus couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"What'd I miss?" asked a voice behind her. Marth knelt down in the sand next to Samus.

"Volleyball game was cancelled. There was an injury which resulted in a game of chase instead." She smiled, turning to the prince. "So, I heard this morning they laid out new tiles in everyone's bathrooms."

"Huh? Oh, yes. They were a very pretty green color."

Samus smirked. "Marth… the first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and wash my face in the bathroom."

"Uh… wait, what?"

She folded her arms, the same smirk on her face. "You're a pretty bad liar, Marth." The bounty huntress stood up, holding out her hand to him. "Walk with me."

The prince took it and got to his feet. Releasing his hand, Samus walked next to the prince along the shore.

"What is it with you?" the bounty huntress asked. "I've never seen you act so strangely before. Why the sudden change?"

"Well, I have this friend who – "

Samus stopped suddenly, her hands on her hips. "Don't bother lying, Marth. Like I said, you're not very good at it."

The prince's eyes met hers, before lowering his gaze to the sand.

"Okay, fine. You won't tell anyone?"

"I swear I won't tell anyone." She resumed walking again with her confirmation. Marth picked up his pace to keep up with her.

"I… I think I'm in love with someone…" the prince admitted, blushing.

Samus stopped a few steps ahead of the prince, turning around abruptly to face him.

"You are?"

"Yes… but I don't know if this 'someone' loves me back… or if that person even would, given the circumstances…" Marth sighed.

"Well, I don't know what these circumstances are. I guess it would depend on whoever you have feelings for…" she let her voice trail off as she noticed Marth blushing a bit more than before, but he was frowning. "It's okay, I won't ask. But I suppose you have to really ask yourself if those 'circumstances' are really as serious as you think. That person might also have feelings for you too, but they keep them bottled up because… well, like I said, it depends on WHO you love, but the same circumstances might be keeping you from admitting your feelings. Maybe you and this person are afraid to admit you like each other because of social class – like how you're royalty and maybe the other person isn't, so you both can't help but feel like you shouldn't be together. Something like that."

"Actually, that's part of it…" Marth admitted shyly. "So… what do I do about it?"

Samus bit her lip. "I… I'm not sure." They started walking again.

The prince noticed her awkward gesture.

"Samus…" he addressed, looking her in the eyes. "Can I ask you something? As in, ask YOU something. And just like I was honest with you, you have to be honest with me."

She nodded, looking up at the horizon as she waited to take in the swordsman's question. She failed to notice the prince had stopped a few steps behind her.

"… Have you ever loved someone, Samus? I mean, anytime? At all?"

The bounty huntress froze suddenly in mid-step. It felt like someone had plunged an icy knife into her back.

The question had brought back their faces, his face in her memory.

"… Yes." Samus answered softly, much to the prince's surprise. "… But that was a long time ago."

Suddenly, she turned and ran past the prince, back towards the Suites.

"Samus?" Marth asked. He thought for a moment to run after her, but decided it might upset her further. The prince sighed, walking back to the beach to be with his friends.

"You're sure you're not in any pain?" Zelda asked.

Captain Falcon, who was now sitting on a beach chair with his head tilted forward, removed the bloodied tissue from his nose to speak with Zelda.

"Yeah. I stopped bleeding a while ago, I should be fine." He grinned. "You know, for a princess, you seem to prefer taking care of people, more than having them take care of you."

"As a princess, it is my duty to make sure the inhabitants of my kingdom are living as happily as possible. I would be so broken-hearted if anything bad were to befall my kingdom and its people…" her voice trailed off as she glanced over at Ganondorf, who had just crushed the 'hill' of sand Pichu had built.

Captain Falcon followed her gaze, frowned at the Gerudo, but smiled back at the princess.

"As long as they have a brave hero to protect their lands and a princess who's willing to put up a fight, I'm sure you won't have to worry about that. You care a lot about other people, don't you?"

Spotting Samus walking past, Captain Falcon smiled and commented loudly, "I like that in a lady!"

He expected her to laugh or shake her head at him. Much to Captain Falcon's surprise, she glared at him before running back to the Suites.

"Was it something I said?" he asked Zelda, who appeared equally surprised by Samus's cold reaction.

The racer collected his towel and got to his feet, following the huntress back to the building.

"Well, so much for a fun day at the beach," Samus muttered, pulling a simple tee shirt on over her head. Her reflection stared back at her from the mirror; however, the way it stared back seemed different.

You know what he said. You can't forget about him.

Samus frowned, straightening her shirt, focusing her eyes on her hands. A light knock came at the door.

"Hey, it's… me. Can we talk?"

She recognized the voice of her fellow bounty hunter from the other side.

"I… I don't know what I said or did to upset you… but I'm sorry," apologized the voice through the door.

Samus shook her head and opened the door.

"Always playing the gentleman, huh?"

Captain Falcon flashed a smile. "I try."

"No problem. I'd tell you more, but… it's hard to explain, and…" her eyes lowered to the floor. "… well, it sort of hurts to talk about it."

Concern showed in the Captain's eyes, but he did not speak.

"Well, it must nearly be noon!" Samus remarked, changing the subject. Her mood also changed, from sullen to sprightly. "I think some of our friends packed a picnic for us at the beach. It'd be rude to keep them waiting, so we better go get some lunch!"

The rest of the day went by normally after a sunny day at the beach. Ruby prepared a variety of seafood based dishes – seared ahi tuna, fried shrimp, crab cakes, and even a few samplings of calamari that could drive any connoisseur crazy – for their dinner that night, with chilled sodas, lemonade, and iced tea available for drinking.

Considering all the fun everyone had at the beach, it was no wonder why the fighters were also quick to sleep that night. Cozy under the covers, the different fighters drifted off to sleep, in the hopes of pleasant dreams and an equally exciting day to follow.

For Samus, this was not the case.

She found herself standing in the main hall of the Galactic Federation's headquarters, several years younger with shorter hair.

"Your performance on your exams were excellent," commented one of the officers seated before her. "Not many applicants find themselves in the position you're in right now."

"Thank you, sir." she replied.

"We have decided to accept you into the Federation Police. You will begin your service immediately. Commander Malkovich?"

A man roughly in his late twenties or early thirties rose, clad in the gray-blue uniform of the Federation. His chin was square, his build was fairly rugged, and his eyes held a cold look.

"Yes, sir?" he asked.

"We will be placing Samus Aran under your command."

Malkovich did not say anything, but gave a nod of confirmation. His eyes were now locked with Samus's. For a brief moment, she thought she saw a small smile cross his face, but her attention was drawn back to the chairmen when they addressed her.

"Remember that tomorrow morning, you are to report to your Commanding Officer, Miss Aran. For now, you are dismissed."

Samus jerked awake, startled by what she had just seen in her dream. For so long she had been working to push past those painful memories, to use them to grow stronger… and now she was being revisited by them in her dreams, her past haunting her. 'Papa' and 'Mama', Old Bird, and…

She closed her eyes and released a heavy sigh.

Marth was awakened abruptly by loud, powerful knocks hammering against his door.

Still half-asleep, he was also 'half-surprised' someone would want to see him so late at night. With a yawn, he opened the door, expecting one of his friends to be standing outside.

He certainly didn't expect a massive gloved hand to wrap itself around his body and yank him into the hall. Was it the same one he had seen during the Classic matches? Judging by the tight grip it held on his body, it certainly didn't want to engage in a fight for sport.

"Help!" Marth called at the top of his lungs. "Link! Captain Falcon! Luigi! Somebody, HELP ME!"

The gloved hand kept a firm grip on the squirming prince, hovering down the staircase.

"HELP ME!" Marth shouted again, as the hand hovered down the hallway of the second floor, heading towards the other staircase.

"PLEASE, ANYBODY! HELP ME!!" Marth cried out, thrashing madly in the grip of the hand. As though angered by his struggling, it gave him a firm squeeze. The prince released a heavy gasp, feeling his body crushed in the grip of the monstrous glove.

As he caught his breath, the hand adjusted its hold on the prince to cover his face with its index finger. Now he couldn't see where this thing was taking him, but Marth did hear the door open, the waves against the shore, and he could feel a cool breeze. He remained silent, fearfully wondering where the mysterious hand was taking him.

A few minutes later, he heard a door creak and slam shut again. The hand carried him further, until he heard another door open and close again. The prince was cruelly thrown to the ground with a grunt. He pulled himself onto his hands and knees, examining his surroundings.

He appeared to be in some kind of dark room, with blue light streaming in so he could see. There were two figures in front of him; at first he couldn't discern them, but once his eyes adjusted to the light, the sight was overwhelming.

Shiida. Elice.

They were both still alive. All this time… Master had said they were killed in an accident… had he been wrong all along?

"Sister… Shiida…" Marth's voice quivered with emotion.

"You failed!" someone or something was speaking to Marth. The voice sounded so familiar, but he couldn't quite place the voice.

"I… I'm sorry?" the prince asked. "I don't understand… what's going on?"

"It's just like I warned you…" much to the prince's horror, he watched as the large hand – was it the same one? – emerged from the shadows behind the two women he held dearly. It appeared to have another figure trapped in its grasp and it dropped the person to the ground viciously. Marth his heart leap into his throat.

"Link!" the prince gasped.

The Hylian was wheezing heavily on his knees with his arms bound behind his back, sporting small wounds all over his body. His favorite green tunic now had shreds torn from it.

"Link!!" Marth called again, trying to make his voice clearer. The other swordsman still did not respond. The prince attempted to move forward, when suddenly he was caught by what seemed to be the same gloved hand that had brought him to this mysterious room. So there were two giant hands?

"All it takes is a sword and…" Much to Marth's horror, the other hand that had thrown Link to the floor now held Falchion between its index finger and thumb like a toothpick. The tip of the blade was now poised underneath Link's chin.

"Please, stop! You don't know what you're doing!! This shouldn't be happening!" Marth begged, tears starting to pool in his eyes.

"We know," replied a second voice, seeming much louder. It almost seemed like the hand itself was speaking to him. "In fact, this should've happened a long time ago, but it's come to this."

The second voice certainly seemed calmer and more mature than the other one. The shouting made the first voice seem insane, crazy by comparison.

"What are you trying to say?" Marth asked, struggling to free himself. The hand's grip was firm though. It shifted a finger to hold Marth's head in place. Now his gaze was fixated on his injured friend – the one he secretly loved – and he couldn't look away.

"We shouldn't have to do this. We shouldn't have to do this," the voice restated. "And do you know why, Marth?"

A strangled sob escaped Marth as he heard Link groan, Falchion's tip prodding gently against the underside of his chin.

"No… no…" the prince whimpered.

"… YOU were supposed to kill him!" the other voice shrieked in rage.

Marth screamed Link's name, tears pouring down his face, as he watched the blade drag across Link's throat. Blood seeped heavily from the wounds, staining his green tunic – the darker the blood stains became, the paler the Hylian's face turned. Link collapsed forward in a puddle of blood, dead, and all Marth could do was weep, still screaming the name of his beloved.