bijoukaiba: We had quite a cliffhanger last time... I'll just get to the disclaimer here. My usual "introduction staff" probably won't be back for a while.

I claim no ownership of Super Smash Brothers Melee. All related characters and their respective franchises are property of Nintendo.

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Chapter 25: For a Friend

Joy sighed, lowering her eyes to the floor.

"I'm very sorry..."

Samus's heart was racing.

This wasn't happening... it couldn't end like this. Her parents had died, then the Chozo that raised her, and then Adam Malkovich. And then... the one time she had managed to try to save someone she cared about... it was still no good?

"He..."

Link's solemn voice interrupted the bounty huntress's thoughts.

"He's not... dead, is he?"

Joy swiftly straightened her posture.

"Oh! Oh, goodness, no!" she reassured.

The two blonds sighed in relief, Samus clasping a hand to her chest. Everyone in the hallway jumped, however, when a door slammed open.

"He's alive?" Marth gasped. He was smiling, but his face was slightly flushed and his eyes showed signs of redness.

"Yes," Joy confirmed.

"... Then... what happened to him?" the prince asked, now changing to a worried tone.

"According to medical standards, that information is supposed to be classified to only family and close friends. However, as far as the Battle Royale Suites is concerned, I am sure that would likely apply to the three of you," the nurse explained.

The three fighters waited for her to go on.

"Well, as Dr. Mario predicted, Captain Falcon fractured his right arm. A closed, distal fracture of the radius, to be precise - so he was correct in that aspect as well. He also cracked a rib, and sustained a minor pulmonary contusion, in addition to several other minor cuts and bruises."

Link and Marth appeared confused.

"Pulmonary contusion... he bruised a lung," Joy explained to the swordsman. "Oh, and the fracture of radius means he broke one of the bones in his arm. Good news is, there were no signs of internal bleeding. He bit his tongue pretty badly, but that's the reason why he spat out some blood during his fight, as we were told."

"It sounds painful..." Marth grimaced. "I wonder if he can even talk..."

Joy shook her head.

"That's... the bad news. Captain Falcon is still unconscious. We don't really know how bad the trauma to the back of his head was. He could possibly go blind, develop seizures... we don't know when... or even if he will wake up. He might remain comatose."

"... Can I still go in to see him?" the royal asked, a trace of pleading in his voice.

"A fighter actually injured in a match is to remain isolated until they are completely healed."

The three friends stared at her in shock.

"What?" Marth cried, his face paling. "But you just said... he might never get better!"

"I know, and I'm sorry! But as long as the doctor or I am in that room, nobody is allowed to enter. Marth, I understand you're upset - "

"Upset? Upset?" something inside of the prince seemed to snap. "It's my fault he's in there! And I can't apologize? Thanks for making me feel even guiltier!"

"I told you, I'm sorry! But Master and Crazy are - in a way - my bosses, and as such, I have to follow their policies!"

"Policies?" Samus asked. She folded her arms, seeming to take sides with the prince. "The - monsters - who wrote those policies are the ones who did this to Captain Falcon in the first place!"

Marth turned on his heel, slamming the door to his room behind him, much to the surprise of everyone in the hallway.

"Marth - Marth, wait!" Link knocked on the door.

The prince opened the door, allowing the Hylian in, but slammed it behind them.

"Marth!" Link called again, now inside Marth's room.

He watched the prince storm off to the opposite side of the room, unsure of what he would do next. It seemed Marth didn't know either, as all he could do was beat his fist against the wall with a frustrated scream.

"Marth..." Link's tone softened, placing his hands on the blunette's heaving shoulders.

Marth turned around suddenly, throwing his arms around Link and burying his face in the Hylian's chest. Poor Marth... he really was taking this harder than anybody else, wasn't he?

"No..." the prince whispered, slightly muffled. Link gently wrapped his arms around him.

"I can't keep doing this," Marth stated, his voice a little louder.

Much to Link's surprise, the prince gently pulled himself out of the embrace. Looking him in the eyes, Link could see no trace of tears.

"Look at me... every time something goes wrong, I just collapse into your arms. I can't keep expecting you to pick me up when things go wrong, Link," the royal explained.

"Oh," the Hero responded with a small frown, dropping his hands to his sides.

"Oh! N-no, no! It's not you, it's me," Marth assured, placing a hand on the Hylian's shoulder.

"But, you see, that's what I mean... whenever I've been faced with some sort of challenge, I always turn to someone for comfort. Back home, it was my sister or Shiida. Here, it's been you. I'm supposed to be the ruler of my kingdom... the hero of my people. What would they think of me, if they knew that if every time some sort of challenge came up, I needed help because I couldn't handle things on my own? Other kingdoms could see that as a weakness, and attack those very same people I wasn't strong enough to protect."

Come to think of it, Master and Crazy have toyed with Marth's emotions a lot, Link thought to himself.

"What are you going to do about it?" Link asked.

Marth seemed to ask himself the same question, his eyes shifting to the floor as though he'd find the answer at his feet. He sat down on the edge of his bed.

"I'm going to fight them," the prince declared. "Someone has to do it, and I want that someone to be me."

"Master Hand and Crazy Hand?" Link asked.

"Yes. What they did to Captain Falcon was just... unforgivable. They could have killed him! I'm not going to stand for that. I'm going to avenge his injuries by defeating them."

"Marth, listen to me. Your idea is very noble, but I also think it's a bit... rash. Master and Crazy hate you almost as much as Captain Falcon! They'd probably put you through the same torment - no, probably even more! If that's what they can do to one of our best fighters, I don't want to imagine the effects the same torture would have on you! What makes you think you can defeat them?"

"I'm fighting for a friend," Marth replied. "I have to have courage."

Link stood there silently, awestruck by his friend's courage, amazed at his nobility, and concerned for his safety.

"Then please, accept my help on one condition. The fight is yours, but I want to at least help you train. I want to make sure you'll be prepared for whatever the Hands try against you."

Now Marth seemed to be the one who was concerned, rising to his feet. "You say you're worried about my safety in the fight, but you're not worried about what would happen if Master and Crazy found out that you assisted me?"

"It's all right," Link reassured, placing a hand on Marth's shoulder. His other hand, he turned to show Marth the emblem of the Triforce that rested on it. He managed a smile. "It's for a friend. I think I've got the courage to handle it."

Marth took Link's hand, but shifted it into a handshake position. The prince smiled.

"I guess I've got myself a training partner, then."

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"Adam!" Samus cried out, running to his collapsed body. "Adam, no!"

She knelt beside his body, but suddenly froze in horror.

This was not Adam.

Commander Malkovich had dark hair and no marks on his face; this man had brown hair and a scar through his left eyebrow.

"Captain Falcon!"

She reached out a hand, trying to awaken him, when suddenly the white scenery around her vanished, along with her fellow bounty hunter. In great contrast, everything had faded to black, and Samus now found herself standing on the platform-like battlefield known as Final Destination.

The huntress watched the familiar scene in horror, unable to tear her eyes away - the bounty hunter delivering a Falcon Punch to Master Hand, Crazy Hand grabbing Captain Falcon's arm, and then the sickening snap of his arm breaking.

The sound of the bone cracking and Captain Falcon's blood-curdling cry of pain echoed through the air, amplified in Samus's ears. She fell to her knees, clasping her hands over her ears in an attempt to block out the sound.

"Stop it..." Samus pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. She peeked up at Crazy Hand and Falcon, reliving the torturous scene of the gigantic glove squeezing the racer's broken arm, and his agonizing shouts once again.

"Let him go!" she screamed, trying to find some method of ending the torture - Captain Falcon wasn't the only one being tormented by reliving the battle.

The leviathan hand paused its clenching, which gave Samus a flash of relief, but then she remembered all too well what came next. Crazy Hand drew himself back, curled back his wrist, and threw the racer to the -

"NO!" Samus shouted, sitting up in bed.

A small bead of sweat trickled down her temple as she clutched her sheets to her chest, panting, trying to reassure herself it had only been a dream.

That was the problem, though - it wasn't just a dream -it had actually happened, and now Captain Falcon was contained in the medical ward with a broken arm, possibly in a coma, after the events of the battle against the Hands.

I have to see him. Samus told herself. It was an odd feeling - part of her wanted to see her fellow bounty hunter to reassure herself that he was still alive. The other part just wanted to see him... like she missed him - longing, perhaps?

The blonde climbed out of bed and peered through the blinds. The sky had changed from black to violet blue, with lighter shades mingling on the horizon. A yawn escaped her as she slipped out of her pajamas into more casual attire - a green tank top and a pair of black shorts. As she left the room, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and closed the door behind her.

She crept down the hallway to the stairway, then made her way down to the third floor. Samus slunk across the wall, glancing over each of her shoulders every two seconds. At last she made it to the medical ward. She checked over her shoulder one last time before opening the door a crack. She could see the foot of a bed - perhaps where Captain Falcon was resting? - and there was an audible, steady beeping sound, but there was no sign of movement. Once again, Samus checked behind her, before cracking the door open further - enough to poke her head into the doorway. Much to Samus's relief, there was nobody in the room; however, she was also disappointed that the medical staff would leave their patient unattended.

She stepped into the room, looking around - the other beds were still untouched, and the counters were still spotless and organized. There was one bed, however, that had somebody resting in it, with an electrical device placed nearby - clearly responsible for the beeping noise. Much to her surprise, Samus realized she had been holding her breath in anticipation. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she stepped over to the bed and gazed down at the patient.

Captain Falcon was no longer clad in his traditional uniform and helmet; he had been switched to a simple white hospital gown. Bandages were wrapped around his forehead, and a good portion of his left arm; his right arm had been placed in a cast. One of the fingers on his right hand appeared to have some kind of clip-on probe clasped over it, and it was wired to the machine. There was a screen that displayed a wavy line and various numbers - perhaps this was an oximeter or some other kind of pulse monitor? The wires from the oximeter ran up through a small hole in the ceiling - so perhaps that meant Dr. Mario was monitoring his vitals from his room.

It seemed hard to believe Captain Falcon had actually been attacked; he looked too peaceful to be considered injured - like he was merely sleeping instead. It gave Samus a brief flicker of hope, but she shook it off quickly. Spotting a chair on wheels, she pulled it over to sit down at his left.

"At least you survived," Samus remarked, though she knew Captain Falcon wouldn't respond. "But who am I kidding? We don't want you to survive; we want you to live - like you did before all of this. Marth is worried sick about you, you know. He's probably still beating himself up about it, even though Master and Crazy are the only ones to blame. He might never forgive himself if you don't get better. And, of course, I want you to recover... because I..."

The huntress paused - did she really want to admit that? Not so much to the racer, but to herself? It wasn't like it was morally wrong, but... it just surprised her that she hadn't felt this way in a while.

Timidly, Samus reached out and gently let her hand rest in Captain Falcon's open palm.

"I miss you."

Perhaps on instinct, his thumb twitched, momentarily tapping against her fingers. The huntress couldn't help but smile briefly.

Then his four other fingers curled over her hand in a gentle grip, his thumb gently resting against her index finger. Her eyes widened as Captain Falcon shifted around in bed with a soft groan and the oximeter's numbers began to rise.

He was awakening.

Samus stood up suddenly, leaning over him in anticipation. Captain Falcon's eyes slowly opened - please, let him still be able to see! - blinking several times. The darkness faded into gray, forming several blurry but distinct shapes. Then the shapes started to take on color - a blonde-like yellow, green, and black. His vision finally focused, and he realized that Samus was gazing down at him.

"Sa... mus?" he asked slowly. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Captain. It's me," she confirmed, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Do you remember anything?"

"Just a lot of pain in my arm... then Crazy threw me to the ground... but I don't remember the rest of the - the match!" his eyes widened, suddenly more alert.

"Samus, what happ - " Captain Falcon started to sit up abruptly, but Samus placed a hand to his chest and gently forced him to lie back down.

"Easy, easy! You've been through a lot," Samus warned.

For the first time, Captain Falcon noticed the bandages covering his left arm, and the foreign sensation of something wrapped around his torso and forehead - more bandages, no doubt. He glanced over at the probe clipped on his finger, and then did a double take at the sight of the cast covering his right arm.

"Well..." he remarked at last, lifting his right arm to examine the cast. "... I guess THAT happened."

"Just... keep it down a little... I'm not supposed to be in here, but it's a bit of a long story."

"All right," Captain Falcon replied. "So, then... why are you here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," the blonde answered. "Because Marth's been worried about you."

And so was I.

Samus froze at the sound of footsteps in the hallway.

"It's Joy!" she gasped.

"Hide under the bed, quick!" Captain Falcon suggested.

Samus glared at him, her face red.

"Really? Did you really say that? If you weren't injured, I would have smacked you for that!"

"I said under the bed!" Captain Falcon hissed between gritted teeth, now a matching shade of red. "Not under the covers!"

Samus got down onto her hands and knees, and then onto her stomach, sliding under the bed. Captain Falcon helped her hide by pulling his sheets over the side of the bed where Samus would have been visible to Joy. His new cast, however, hindered his speed.

I haven't had this cast for twenty-four hours, but I already hate the damn thing!

Captain Falcon quickly faked being at rest as the nurse entered the room. She read over the readings of the oximeter as she placed a bottle of water on his bedside tray. Captain Falcon wiggled slightly, eliciting a startled gasp from the lady, then slowly opened his eyes. Hamming it up a little more, he faked a yawn.

"Nurse... Joy?" he asked wearily. "Where... am I?"

"The medical ward," she answered, clearly still in disbelief. "You've been unconscious for over twelve hours and... quite frankly, you're lucky to be alive."

"That long?" he asked. Come to think of it, Samus didn't exactly tell him how long he had been 'out'. His stomach gurgled. "Well, that would also explain why I'm kind of hungry..."

Joy adjusted the bedside tray in front of him.

"I'll try to bring you something to go with that bottle of water in a few minutes... you see, patients that have suffered head trauma are supposed to be kept on the clear liquid diet for a few hours,"

Captain Falcon frowned. "That doesn't mean I can only have water, does it?"

"No, not all. Along with water, you can have certain kinds of juice, clear soda and sports drinks, broth, gelatin, popsicles... I know it's not really spectacular, but it's just a safety measure - we don't want you throwing up after a head injury, after all. I'll ask Dr. Mario, but probably after lunch you'll be free to resume your regular diet."

"All right, I have another question - how long do I have to stay here?" Captain Falcon questioned.

Joy made a face, searching for an answer before she made her reply.

"Well, based on your talking ability and comprehension, I would presume your neurological functions are up to standard - that would certainly be a good sign that your head trauma wasn't as bad as feared. So I guess you'd be released as soon as your arm heals."

"Hold on - just because my arm is in a cast, I'm confined to the medical ward?"

Joy appeared uncomfortable. "Yes, and... there's a little more bad news. According to the policies here, you're not supposed to have guests over - "

The racer's face paled. "What? You mean to tell me that I have to sit in here alone all day until my arm heals?"

"I can get you a TV, video games, and as long as we're not busy with other patients or errands at the time, I'm sure Dr. Mario and I would be willing to give you our company."

The bounty hunter placed a hand - the one not hampered with a cast - to his face with an exasperated sigh.

"Captain, I'm sorry - it's just the policies here; a fighter injured in a match is to remain secluded in the medical ward. I would be more than willing to relay messages between you and your friends, and I'm sure Dr. Mario wouldn't mind helping out too."

So that's why Samus said she wasn't supposed to be in here.

Joy gently patted his shoulder.

"I'll go see about getting you some broth and gelatin," she said softly.

After the nurse left the room, Samus slid out from underneath the bed.

"You ever notice how uncomfortable breathing is when you're flat on your stomach on the ground?" she asked, smoothing out her green tank top.

"I've noticed my breathing has been a little more uncomfortable by itself," Captain Falcon replied, clutching his water bottle in his left hand and trying to unscrew the cap with the fingertips of his right hand to no avail. "I don't suppose that was also a result of my fight?"

"Right. You bruised a lung, but fortunately it wasn't anything serious," Samus confirmed. She shook her head at the other bounty hunter and took the water bottle from him, unscrewing the cap.

"Thanks," he said. He took a few sips then wiped his mouth. "I'm not really much of a lefty."

He set the bottle down on the tray, brows furrowed in a familiar expression of thought.

"All right, tell me," Samus took a seat on the foot of his bed. "What's on your mind?"

"It's going to be awfully lonely the next few weeks... but I can see why Master and Crazy did it."

"Go on," the huntress said. Now that she knew Master and Crazy weren't to be trusted - especially since Captain Falcon had been the one to prove it - she was willing to listen to his theories. Curious, even.

"Think about it. We're all here to fight, but can't be hurt. I don't quite know what the actual purpose of the fighting is for, but the fact that we can't be hurt allows them to gain our trust," the racer frowned. "And it worked."

"The new fighters thing bothered me too. Why did we keep 'unlocking' them, like characters in a video game? The fact that there was conveniently the exact same number of fighters as rooms suggests that they knew how many of us would be here - like it was planned. Also, why were we sent here to fight first, and other fighters had to be unlocked? It seems like a way to stall for time. But what would Master and Crazy have to stall for time for?"

"It sometimes bothered me, but I never really stopped to think about it like that," Samus pondered. "You have a point."

"Going back to not being hurt, they just wanted us to come to trust them, so they could manipulate us as they pleased. And when someone started feeling doubtful, well... that was why they had their policy on injuries implemented," Captain Falcon explained. "If someone got hurt in a fight, they would be shut off from the other fighters. Regardless of whether they knew about the policy or not, they would have dismissed it - because nobody could be hurt in a fight. That is, unless someone started getting suspicious and sticking their nose where it didn't belong... then Master and Crazy would have to set an example for everyone else... and then keep that fighter locked away so they couldn't start a riot among the others."

Captain Falcon's eyes moved to his cast. He shook his head. "Figures I'd end up as their guinea pig. Hey, at least their policy on keeping other fighters away from me failed."

"They probably didn't take one thing into account," Samus noted with a smile. "A lot of us wound up becoming friends."

"Speaking of which, I wonder why Marth didn't show up."

"What do you mean?" Samus inquired.

"I just thought he might have attempted to sneak in to visit me as well. I mean, he braved a blizzard to save Ness... sneaking into a room across the hall should've been no problem for him. Then again, he might still be asleep. But you said it yourself, Marth has been worried about me, so I thought for sure..." he glanced over at her. "You weren't worried about me, were you?"

"Of course I was. Everyone was," Samus stated, her tone suddenly shifting. She seemed nervous, as though she was defending herself. "Nobody expected you to get attacked."

Captain Falcon sat up, moving the tray aside.

"Samus?"

"Especially not Marth... it really shocked him. I had to end the match for you. Marth panicked and couldn't move. There's no telling what would've happened if he didn't... if I hadn't..." Samus suddenly seemed a lot more withdrawn. "I couldn't... I couldn't let the match end that way."

Her eyes were on her hands now, unable to look at the racer.

"You could've died... I just couldn't let that happen."

Much to her surprise, she found herself drawn into a gentle embrace.

"And you didn't," Captain Falcon assured. His left hand moved up her back, the tips of her ponytail grazing against his fingertips.

The gesture had surprised Samus - had she ever been held like this before? It was comforting. She let her head rest against Falcon's shoulder, closing her eyes.

The tender scene lasted only a few moments; Samus opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway yet again.

"That's probably your breakfast," she stated, pulling out of the embrace.

"All right. Looks like you better hide again. After that, you might want to sneak out for a while. Maybe see if you can smuggle a few more guests in here for me," Captain Falcon grinned.

"I'll see what I can do," Samus said with a smile, before returning to her hiding place under the bed. Seconds later, Nurse Joy stepped into the room.

"All right, Captain Falcon... I've got a bowl of chicken broth for you, a glass of apple juice, and some strawberry gelatin," she listed, carrying a tray over. She adjusted Falcon's bedside tray to place the food in front of him. "It took a little longer than I expected because the gelatin wasn't pre-made, so I had to prepare some for you."

"All right," the racer replied nonchalantly, taking a sip of juice.

Joy tilted her head; the bounty hunter in bed suddenly seemed calmer - happier, even.

"Can you handle your spoon with your left hand?" she asked. "I wouldn't want you to pour hot soup on yourself, or make a mess with the gelatin."

Captain Falcon tested his grasp on the spoon that came with his food. Granted, it felt awkward to hold it with his non-dominant hand, but he was still able to lift a spoonful of broth to his mouth.

"It feels a little weird, but I should be fine. Say, will Dr. Mario coming by later?" Captain Falcon asked.

Glancing up at a clock on the wall, Joy answered, "Yes, I believe he'll be coming in at eight, then at twelve... pretty much, every four hours."

"Every four hours, starting at eight," Captain Falcon repeated, in a voice that was exaggeratedly loud.

"That's right. You probably want to eat your breakfast now, so I'll let you be for now."

"More like drink my breakfast," the racer joked. Joy couldn't help but smile as she left.

He lifted another spoonful of broth to his mouth as Samus reemerged.

"I still need to get some breakfast too," she remarked, stepping towards the door. "How about I come back with a friend or two after lunch?"

"That sounds great. Oh, and Samus?"

She turned around, glancing back at him. Captain Falcon smiled.

"Thank you."

She smiled back, before sneaking out of the medical ward.

After she left, he resumed eating - albeit awkwardly - but feeling much more positive than he had several minutes ago.

Maybe the next few weeks wouldn't be so lonely after all.

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bijoukaiba: Awww, I loved how this chapter ended on a sweeter note, considering all the drama we've had in the past few chapters.

I want to apologize to you guys for taking so long to update this. The story was actually coming along pretty smoothly through February.

If you didn't hear about it on my deviantART page, I had a seizure near the end of February, and wound up in the hospital for a few days. It also seemed to have an effect on my memory, because my grades also dropped, and I've even had some problems remembering elements I wanted to incorporate in "Swordplay". So I spent a lot of March and April worrying about studying and trying to save my grades. Good news was, I passed all my classes - they weren't spectacular grades, but passing ones nonetheless.

Now that I'm on summer break, I could spend May fixing up Chapter 25 (and starting 26) for you guys. It's taken 3 weeks, but I hope you liked it.