NOTES: Guess I should apologize for not making my old deadline last weekend, but there simply wasn't enough time to finish another chapter, due to the massive amount of homework I've received. I DO however want to thank all my reviewers, because this story, amazingly, is very close to 100 reviews! That's a major accomplishment for me, as I honestly didn't expect this story would get much praise when I first started. So guys, thanks again! Oh, and sorry to disappoint you guys, but again I've postponed the fight to next chapter. BUT, I still think you guys will like this chapter, as something big does happen…well what are you waiting for? Read the chapter and find out!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Super Smash Brothers Melee, Metroid Fusion, Star Fox: Assault, or the Legend of Zelda games. These franchises belong to Nintendo, HAL Laboratories owns part of SSBM, and Namco owns part of Star Fox: Assault. Oh, and guess I should also say I don't own anything related to Metroid Prime or Metroid Prime 2: Echoes since I used the visors from those two games. They belong to Nintendo and Retro Studios. I really don't have time to complain if I want to get this thing out on time!

Chapter 17: Confessions of the Heart

Samus nimbly jumped over the impact waves created by Kirby's sword cutter attack, giving her the perfect opening to launch her charged power beam shot. She set it off, but the pink puffball dodged the ball of energy. Recovering, he ran straight at the bounty hunter, flames circulating around his body. Samus, smirking inside her helmet at the little guy's daring attempt, rolled into Morph Ball form and dropped a few bombs. This stopped Kirby's attack, and did some damage as well. Samus changed back into her combat form, but was blown back a bit due to the gusty winds of Whispy Woods. After the winds died down, she managed to regain her footing, but was surprised to find her opponent nowhere in sight.

While switching to her scan visor, she noticed on the upper right of the viewscreen that she only had one stock left, and about 103.35 percent damage. Due to the computer stored inside her viewscreen, the bounty hunter was able to upload and receive details about the current stage she was on, her damage and ammo counters, stock counter, match clock, and other statistics before any match. But since she and Kirby were in a two-stock match with no time limit however, there was no time counter on the center-bottom of her viewscreen. She continued to use her scan visor, still searching for the pink star-warrior.

'He can't just disappear from the stage, so he's gotta be around here somewhere…'

Her answer came in the sound of air being shattered, by what appeared to be a falling pink brick plummeting to the ground above her. The danger meter on the right side of the screen went to the max, alarms sounding with the seconds to impact counting down next to the meter.

Quickly switching back to her combat visor, she barely managed to avoid the falling stone, the impact sending minor shockwaves in all directions. Knowing that it takes about six seconds for him to transform back into his normal form, Samus charged another power beam shot. Just as she finished, Kirby started to transform back into his original pink puffball-like body. She fired, knowing he wouldn't be able to avoid the shot while recovering. Her prediction turned out to be accurate, as Kirby was hit by the blast of energy, sending him off the stage in a daze.

For a moment she almost felt sorry for the little guy while watching him disappear in a bright yellow explosion, but she knew that he really didn't feel any pain. Neither did she in matches, due to the damage counter system's implication for Super Smash Bros. matches everywhere. Her Power Suit, now called her Fusion Suit, also provides some added protection during matches.

"Game!" came the announcer's booming voice, along with mounds of applause and cheers from the off-camera audience. Smash Bros. Inc. had decided to broadcast all matches on networks across the universe, which earned the company even more money. The well-known explosions that occurred whenever a Smasher was knocked out was more of a dramatic thing used for the benefit of the networks, as it made the fights look more epic to the viewers and live audiences watching the matches.

On a floating platform made of light, Kirby reappeared on the stage, still slightly shaken by the impact of Samus' shot, but otherwise fine. He came up to the bounty hunter, smiling while extending his rounded hand. She gladly took it in a firm grip, returning a smile beneath her light green visor as she shook it, while the crowd continued to cheer. Then, Kirby walked off towards a floating platform that awaited the two Smashers, waving to the audience as he did so.

Samus followed in his footsteps, waving her orange, spiked right arm at the audience as she made her way towards the platform, which would transport both her and Kirby back to the nearby town of Green Greens, where her ship awaited. She stopped for a second however, as a sudden chill ran down her spine, immobilizing her for a moment.

'That's odd. Someone as hardened to fear as I am hardly ever gets the chills. Something's wrong; I can feel it.'

The thunderous waves of the Japes River beneath Donkey Kong's cabin continued to roar in fury, as both Donkey Kong's paper fan and Marth's steel blade met at the same time. The impact created shockwaves around the two fighters, while the audience continued to cheer in excitement. Both pressed against each other in an attempt to break the lock, but it seemed as though the two weapons were bound to each other like glue. They continued to struggle, neither Smasher taking the eyes off the other.

Marth was surprised, however, that this could even be possible because of D.K's amazing brute strength, plus the fact that normally Marth's sword would have cut any normal piece of folded paper in half, but the fans used in Smash Bros. battles were made of a special fabric, unable to be broken by even the strongest of weapons.

'Huh, guess those workout sessions I've been doing have paid off…' thought the Altean prince as he continued to fight with all his strength.

"Only 30 more seconds of the match to go, folks! And it looks like the match is going to be a tie, with Donkey Kong at one K.O., as well as Marth! The computers say that each Smasher is tied at 150 percent damage! Now how often do you see that?" yelled the announcer at the top of his lungs, the fans cheering and supporting their favorite Smasher.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Marth saw a glimmer of metal near DK's feet. He knew what it was automatically, and formulated a strategy inside of his mind.

Some surplus strength remained in him to his astonishment, as he started to push DK slowly backwards towards the object.

The crowd continued yelling and pointing about something, but DK paid no heed to them. He was too focused on forcing Marth back that he didn't even bother trying to make out what they were all saying. He never knew what hit him as he stepped on a shard of metal, which propelled him into the air and off the stage, just as the timer sounded.

"And time! Apparently that last K.O. was within the legal time limit, so Marth of Altea wins the match!" screamed the commentator while the fans got on their feet and cheered, chanting the swordsman's name.

Sighing with relief, Marth sheathed his sword, while the fans continued to cheer.

'Thank the gods that I planted that Motion-Sensor Bomb earlier in the match…' he thought.

D.K. abruptly reappeared on the stage, appearing no worse for wear. While waving to the audience, he made his way towards Marth, who also was waving, and extended his humongous hand. Nodding, the Altean Prince shook his hand firmly. This was a sign of respect, as most Smashers did this custom to acknowledge each other on a splendid battle.

Releasing each other's hands, they both turned away from the audience and cameras, and watched the setting sun behind the trees of Jungle Japes. Marth had to admit, the sight was truly remarkable, as it reflected how beautiful the DK isles were. He then made a mental note to visit it again with Samus, the next chance he got.

He then thought about his new girlfriend, and wondered how she had fared in her fight. It had happened on the last day of training, he had actually asked her out. To his surprise, she had said yes, and they snuck out of the Mansion and went to the nearby town for an hour, in which they had a great time. Even though she was more than capable of taking care of herself, he still silently prayed for her safety. But his thoughts were interrupted however, as he felt a shiver speed down his spine.

'Something's wrong; I sense an evil presence about to make its move. Shivers like these only occur when evil is about to strike. I wonder if everything's okay at the other matches…'

Link continued to watch Mario out of the corner of his eye as he finished preparing his bombs for their match. Apparently it was starting in 20 minutes, and fans were pouring in by the thousands. Making sure his bomb bag was securely fastened to the back of his belt; he closed his bomb-making kit and put it in his assigned locker, which also contained some backup weapons and accessories. Like in the locker rooms of Smash Mansion, each Smasher was assigned a locker in the locker room, although they didn't use them often thanks to the locker rooms inside the mansion.

Mario, also finished preparing, shut his locker with ferocity as he walked out of the room, heading in the direction of the ready room. Both Smashers were supposed to enter the enormous stage of the stadium from there. Link sighed in relief as the mustached plumber left, while gently shutting his own locker. He didn't like the vibes that had been emulating from the Mushroom Kingdom hero when he had been preparing for their battle. What concerned him the most was the fact that he only felt those kinds of vibes whenever there was an evil presence nearby. Suddenly, he felt a shiver run down his spine, as though the room temperature had suddenly dropped below zero.

'There's something wrong here. There's an evil force, making those sensitive to it feel like the room around them has dropped in temperature. Not everyone can sense it, but I feel something's definitely wrong here. I'd better be on my guard.'

"Link, are you ready yet?" said a voice as a familiar feminine figure walked into the room.

Breaking from his thoughts, he turned to Zelda, smiling as his longtime friend entered the room. Since she didn't have a match today, she had decided to come with him, and he was glad to have her company.

"Yeah, guess I am. I thought you'd be in the VIP stands with Luigi, Peach, and Roy right now?"

"Well, Peach and Luigi are there now, and Roy's heading there too, but he's concerned. I just came back out in the hallway and saw Peach running down it, with Luigi struggling to catch up. Roy was just staring after them, a disbelieving look on his face. I tried to talk to him, but all he said was that he had to protect Peach, no matter how she felt. Then he ran off after them before I could get another word out of him. Very odd…"

"Hmm…hey Zel, have you noticed Mario's strange behavior lately? I mean, what's wrong with him?"

Zelda nodded, walking towards him. "Yeah, he seems…different, like he's a completely different person than his usual kind and gentle self. I got a feeling as he walked by me, like the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees."

"So you can feel it too. That chilling feeling…"

"Yeah. I sense dark energy surrounding him, like he's possessed or something. Link, please be careful. I don't want anything happening to you!"

Link smirked as he heard this, shaking his head.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine! Remember, we can't physically hurt each other because of the damage counter system."

He then gained a serious look on his face, a look the former princess of Hyrule was all too familiar with.

"It's you I'm worried about. Who knows what evil could be lurking here, especially when we have Ganondorf to worry about."

She stared at his handsome face, kind of shocked that he actually said that. Of course she had expected him to say something like that, but it was just his tone that surprised her. She just couldn't figure out whether it was just general concern, or something more.

"Link, I'll be okay. Remember in that alternate future when Ganondorf ruled Hyrule and you were sealed away for seven years, I was trained by Impa as a Sheikan and conducted guerilla assaults on his operations. I still have that training, and I can protect myself if needed. Plus, you gave me Din's Fire, Farore's Wind, and Naryu's Love because you didn't need them any longer. So please, just focus on your match and win!"

Link felt incredibly stupid at that point, as he had forgotten that she was a Smasher and a fellow fighter too, and was more than capable to ward off attackers.

"Sorry Zel, it's just that…"

Link couldn't finish his sentence for some reason. He knew what he wanted to say, but he just couldn't say it for some reason. It was as if some invisible force was constricting his voice.

He was surprised to see Zelda get closer to him, a smile on her lips. Link just couldn't help but stare into her eyes.

"You care about me, right?" Zelda said, slowly getting closer to Link, still smiling.

He just nodded; feeling like the room was closing in on him. He continued staring into her eyes, and somehow took comfort in them.

'Goddesses, what's wrong with me? I've never been this nervous around her before…'

Before he knew it, she was mere inches away from his face, the smile still on her face. Link couldn't help but smile back, studying every detail of her face.

'I can't believe this is actually happening…'

Both of them closed their eyes, their lips were mere inches away…when the intercom sounded.

"Would Link and Mario please report to the main arena for their match please?"

Both of them stopped and reopened their eyes, looking at one another. Even though they didn't look it, the two Hylians were cursing time right now. It felt like ages to the two until Link broke the silence.

"Well, guess I gotta go…" he muttered, signs of disappointment in his voice. As like a blind impulse, Zelda grabbed his arm, pulling him back to her. Surprised, Link stumbled as he was spun around, and landed his lips right on Zelda's. The two opened their eyes in surprise at first, but closed them as they kissed passionately, wrapping their arms around one another.

To both of the Hylians, it seemed like time had stopped, and nothing but each other seemed to matter. But, time continued on, and only a few seconds had gone by before the intercom came to life again.

"Would Link please report to the main arena for his match against Mario? If he isn't there within ten minutes, Mario will win the match by default."

They broke apart, each gasping for breath. They continued to stare into each other's eyes, smiles creeping on both their lips. It took her effort, but Zelda managed to whisper the words Link needed to hear.

"Go…"

Still smiling, he nodded and, quickly making a last minute inspection of his equipment, turned around and sprinted out of the locker room, rushing towards the ready room.

Zelda just stared after her hero, happiness filling her heart as she watched him go, for she finally knew how much he actually cared about her.

There, I finally got them together! Yay! I was planning this for a long time, but still didn't quite know how to do it. I did try to satisfy you action fans in the first part of the chapter, but again I just couldn't fit the fight into this chapter without making it the length of a whole novel. But I feel you guys'll be happy that I finally got the main couple together. The next chapter should be out next weekend, as I have the whole plot set out. Check out my profile for progress. Well, thanks like always for reading, and please review!

AUTHOR'S EDIT 3/13: Added a small explanation of how Samus and Marth had gotten together, as I forgot to include the fact that they were going out. Kudos to Royal Kenya for pointing that out to me, thanks a bunch!