Wings of fortitude.

CHAPTER 1: Windy Weather

Story synopsis: Nearly 10 years had passed since the downfall of Nightmare. Cappy town had settled into a somewhat ordinary fashion, with a certain pink puff learning the ropes around what it means to grow up. Kirby had always been absent-minded to a degree, carefree, and playful to top it off. However, when an unexpected change flings Kirby into maturity and causes the Cappy's, as well as everyone else's perspective of the pink hero to diminish. There is only one knight who can be there to comfort this winged pink puff now. And yet, it seems that lingering evil still breathes down Kirby's back. When will he get a break? (Based on subsequential events set years in the future to the finale of Kirby: Right back at ya!)

It was a rather cold morning Kirby had noticed. Winds blew rougher than usual while the clouds above threatened to swirl in disagreement with each other. It was clear to the puff on this particular morning that a storm would not be very far off as the day progressed. Or at least that was what he'd assumed due to the windy current banging on his window glass during his waking moments. Kirby mumbled a 'Good Morning' to himself before slowly slumping up from his sheets and warm blankets. The pink puff fumbled his way across the room and to the cabinets in his small house in search of something to quench his pitless hunger. He's soon settled with a handful of apples he'd previously picked from Whispy a few days ago. How the apples hadn't been eaten over that time they'd lingered in the cabinets for was beyond Kirby. However, he did notice that recently he hadn't been inhaling as much as he normally would. His lungs were normally like a vacuum while his stomach a bottomless pit, and yet despite that fact he simply hadn't felt the constant need for food as usual. Kirby however, had simply shrugged the feeling aside several times. Perhaps it was due to his growth? It had been 10 years since he'd first landed on Dreamland after all, and it was most plausible that his appetite wouldn't stay the same forever.

"Hmm... Time sure does fly." Kirby breathed to himself as he sat at his small table, taking a bite of one of the few apples he'd grabbed. His gaze seemed to meet his window glass which the wind outside continued to patter away at. The Star Warrior wondered why it was that the wind was so harsh. Yesterday had been such a lovely calm day. He'd got some good training done, and after Fumu had been so nice as to take him to lunch. In contrast, though, Kirby could feel that with the sort of weather outside, today would not be as good of a day. He hoped that would change as he'd finish off his breakfast and open the door to the outside, pushing past the strong breeze that attempted to keep the door shut. It didn't seem that it would change sadly as it really was windy today. Kirby couldn't recall ever seeing an incoming storm so strong. Well, he assumed he'd faced such things during the defeat of Nightmare, however, he couldn't remember what had happened at all during his childhood. It was all very fuzzy in his mind, and he simply tried his best to not think about it...

"Oh wow, It's really windy." The puff stated plainly to himself while closing the door behind him, Kirby slowly progressed through the brisk wind. He was on his way to the Library in Cappy town, as he regularly took lessons with Fumu to learn how to speak and write. Kirby had become quite fluent in English over the years, however, his writing was still in need of dire attention. He was going on 17 in a few months for crying out loud. He should know how to write by now! He may only be at the start of the middle of his teen years, but that was no excuse! He did have a life after all. Although now that Kirby thought about it, he wasn't very sure what his life consisted of these days. He normally spent his days playing or training, as well as protecting the Cappies from lurking monsters that still managed to appear even after all this time. Kirby wondered where all these recent monsters had been coming from, as it couldn't be possible that they were coming from Nightmare since he was long gone. Kirby hoped that was the case anyways.

As the puff continued his track down to Cappy village, he'd noticed just how far he lived from the town. It took him more often than not, a half hour or so to get to town if he walked while enjoying the scenery, as he normally did. However, the scenery today was not one to gaze at, as flower petals were blowing off the flower themselves, while leaves even separated from trees. No animals were out to play with, and there definitely weren't any sun rays to warm his skin on a day such as this. Kirby really didn't like this weather. It was horrible if anything, however, he also didn't quite appreciate having to walk so far to get to the town. Perhaps he would inquire to Fumu if he could move his house closer. He was sure that she or the other Cappies wouldn't mind, as Kirby had gotten very close with many of the Cappies. He'd saved them all from monsters countless of times, and he was sure they wouldn't mind such a small request.

Kirby was much too lost in his own thoughts to notice the wind had picked up slightly, and before the pink puff could realise what was to happen, a sudden burst of wind current pushed from behind him. The wind had apparently switched direction. Instead of it pushing heavily against the puff, it sped fast from behind him, flinging him up into the air from its pressure. "Ahhh!" Kirby yelped, immediately attempting to float to stabilise himself. He sucked in a mouthful of air, trying desperately to float down to the ground. However, he didn't last very long, as there was a small twitching feeling on the puff's back, it didn't particularly hurt at that given moment, however, it did cause him to exhale and fall down towards the ground. With a swift smack and a face full of dirt, Kirby groaned to himself as he lay on the ground, worried that standing up would cause the wind to uplift him yet again.

"W-What on Planet Popstar was that?" Kirby murmured in confusion. He was sure that he was capable of floating down as he normally would in any situation. It was odd but he had this indescribable feeling not to try and float again. It was like if he did try, he'd only fall flat on his face again. Well, it was an understandable thought though, as the wind was strong, and floating through it really wasn't the smartest of ideas. It would be better to stay low and out of the way of the crushing pressure Kirby thought. So pushing the weird twitching feeling he'd gotten aside, deciding that it would be better not to linger on. He slowly, yet surely fumbled his way across the ground and towards the town. He would be late for sure and would get an earful from Fumu he bet. Kirby could now say proudly that he really didn't like bad weather...

Something was definitely off. Fumu noticed. It was nearly 1 pm, and Kirby was nowhere to be seen at the Library. Her lessons with the puff started at 10 am, and somehow 3 hours had flown out the window on this very windy day. Fumu simply couldn't understand what it was that had kept Kirby from coming. He was always very on time to an event, err... Most of the time. In all honestly, Fumu couldn't help but sigh. She liked to think Kirby was good at time management, but no matter which way she looked at it, he could get distracted so easily, and usually did things according to his own schedule, which wasn't usually very full. Kirby always had been carefree. Especially when he'd first crash-landed on Dreamland. He was a baby after all according to Sir Meta Knight, and Fumu knew to trust the veteran's words. She only wished Kirby would grow up a little more than what he had...

"He's just the same kid who came here all those years ago..." She mumbled to herself, rather annoyed. She wasn't that same 12-year-old all those years ago who had time to spare for the small pink puff. She was 22 now, going on 23. She didn't have time to be wasting while Kirby took his sweet time getting to these lessons. If he really had no desire to go she'd cancel them altogether. She, after all, had better things to do. Having gone down the road of accountancy for her family, Fumu found that she was always filling out paperwork, especially when it involved King Dedede... It was clear to the women that the blue Penguin was in no way ever going to step down as King at this current rate sadly. And although he could no longer purchase monsters as he had 10 years ago, that did no in the slightest way mean that he would not cause financial trouble, as he was a glutton after all. Much like Kirby in that sense.

Yet another 10 minutes passed and there was no Star Warrior to be seen. Fumu groaned to herself, having wasted her precious time for the sake of Kirby. Sure, Fumu did care for the puff, as she'd be lying if she said she hated him, although, she couldn't help but get impatient with Kirby. Perhaps it was because of his immaturity. She was an adult now, and she typically was expected to talk and socialise with other adults, perhaps even have a go at having her own family. That topic was interesting though now that she thought about it. Many times had Fumu hoped of having a family, yet a certain puff seemed to ensure that such a thing didn't happen. Instead of a friend, Kirby was more like a small child she had to babysit... Oh, how she wished that just once she could go a whole day without dealing with Kirby's seemingly endless array of problems. He's still battling monsters constantly, which was odd. She wondered where they came from, however before Fumu could let another word cross her mind, the library door flung open, revealing a very dirty Kirby.

"I-I'm... here Fumu..." The puff groaned aloud as he stumbled through the door, nearly head to toe in dust and dirt. What on Planet Popstar had the little pink devil done to get so dirty!? Fumu immediately rushed towards the child in hopes of sparing the clean carpet from his dusty wrath, sacrificing her cleaned hands by picking up the puff before he could track dirt everywhere. Her immediate response was a shout, coming off a little more stern than she had hoped. After her current train of thought, Fumu just couldn't help but be annoyed with Kirby.

"What on Planet Popstar have you done now!? You're so dirty!" The shout came as a shock to the pink teen, struggling to get free of the women's grip. The way she was holding him wasn't very gentle, in all honesty, it was rather rough. Just what had he done to deserve such treatment? He'd come only slightly later than usual, so her manhandling really was not called for... Although it wasn't exactly her grip that seemed to hurt, it was something else... However, Kirby was in no mindset to think of such things, instead, fumbling for an excuse to his appearance.

"Ah! F-Fumu! Let me go! I'm sorry ok!? I j-just had a hard time getting through the wind outside. I had to crawl the whole way here o-ok!? I'm t-tired so please put me down!" He tried to be polite during his shouts and struggles. Fumu didn't seem to believe him though, even if what he'd said was the truth, she couldn't let this one slip past as many other excuses had before. After what felt like an eternity, Fumu did let go of Kirby, who fell to the ground in a rather tired manner. Geez... He'd gone through the effort to come all the way here despite the weather, and he got treated so meanly... By Fumu of all people!? What was her deal? Maybe she was just annoyed because Bun had ruined her paperwork again from one of his so-called 'experiments'... Kirby hoped that he was simply the first person she'd seen since then, and was lashing out not exactly at him, but to him in replacement of who should be Bun getting this scolding.

"Whatever! I'm not letting that one slide, Kirby! You're 3 hours late! I have things to do you know! How could you take this long? You could of at least rung to let me know!" As the women continued to fume off at the puff, Kirby struggled to get up from the ground. His body ached more than it should, he noticed, although he assumed it was due to his fight with the wind pressure, which was apparently 3 hours long. Surely he hadn't taken that long. It didn't feel that way at all! She had to be over-exaggerating... Right?

"S-Sorry Fumu..." The puff mumbled quietly. He hadn't meant to upset his friend by being late. Especially when there hadn't been much he could have done to quicken the time it had taken. He had thought to fly several times, but Kirby had continued to have the lingering thought to not do so. He didn't know why he had that feeling, but he listened to it. Perhaps Meta Knight would know, as the old knight seemed to have knowledge of just about everything. Kirby was about to continue his apology, but Fumu had dropped something on the ground. It was a towel. Quickly grabbing the given linen, Kirby cleaned his face, trying to rub off as much dust from his pink skin as possible. He looked up at Fumu slowly, who towered over him, giving him a rather distasteful look. The puff couldn't help but feel a little disheartened by the way she was treating him, as she'd never done such a thing before. He really did hope he had caught her on a wrong day. Surely she would be fine tomorrow...

"Oh, Kirby..." Fumu gave a sigh that Kirby could here quite clearly, only feeling more sombre at her reaction to his apology. He could definitely say that this was not what he had expected this morning... It seemed that his day seemed to worsen along with the weather, as Kirby had noticed that it was now raining outside. He knew that a storm would come, and he most likely should have stayed home, however, he didn't want to let Fumu down. He cared about his lessons and wanted to get better at writing. But... It was hard to want to do anything at this specific moment. Especially with the odd pain, the puff had felt yet again. He thought that today couldn't get worse, as he hadn't had a bad day in a very long time... Boy did Fumu prove him wrong, as her next words shocked the puff much more than it should have. "You know... If you keep this up, I'll just stop giving you these lessons..." Kirby's eyes widened at her statement. "I'm an adult now, I have been for several years. I can't just keep doing this for you. I want my own life. I want to be able to g..." Her voice faded in Kirby's mind. She... She didn't mean that right?

"Y-You..." Kirby muttered quietly to himself. Fumu hadn't heard him, instead, continuing to rant on about why she didn't have time for Kirby's lessons. The puff couldn't understand why Fumu was being like this. He... He hadn't done anything bad. Had he? He'd always tried to be his very best. Always fighting to protect the town, and always trying to be friends with everyone. He continued to train to get stronger, and even tried to be a little more mature. If he had been trying so hard to be a better puff, then... Why was this what he was receiving in exchange? The only time he ever saw Fumu was during his lessons with her. She was always so busy, and he really did cherish that time they spent together. She was one of his best friends. He didn't want her to fade away... But, with those words. It seemed there was no denying it. But she had changed.

"...nd so please, Kirby. Can't you just fly off and let me work in peace for once? I just don't have time anymore." Kirby managed to zone back into her final sentence, which wasn't at all something he'd wanted to hear at this given moment. She didn't have time for him. Her work was more important. That is what she implied, if not flatly said. But... Fumu was one of the only people he had left. He wanted to keep doing his lessons... His minds flicked through her sentence over and over again, until it settled on a certain phrase. 'Just fly off,' Kirby wasn't sure why these words in particular stuck out to him, but they definitely hit him hard. Fly. He could fly. Right? But earlier, it wasn't the wind that had stopped him from floating down to the ground. There was a feeling again. It was coming back like before. A small shiver gently ran across the puff back. It was almost as if the shiver was a beacon of sudden realisation that had hit him.

He... Couldn't float.

Stress suddenly came in a big wave. It washed over the puff, who jerked forwards and leapt into the air, disregarding everyone around him. Fumu was startled by Kirby's sudden action, wondering what he was trying to do. "Kirby?" She questioned. However, the puff didn't listen. He gave a large inhale in an attempt to float up as he usually would and flapped his small pink nubs, but realised that the more he attempted to float, the more intense the shiver down his back became. He felt that if he tried any longer, it would start to sting. He was barely even two meters off the ground!? How could he be putting so much effort into such a simple task!? Kirby flailed in the air a while longer, before exhaling and dropping down onto the carpet with a plonk. His breathing wavered, unsure what it was he'd just experienced. He couldn't float. He couldn't float. He couldn't... However, before his mind could continue its repeat of that phrase, Kirby was snapped from his thoughts when Fumu, looking more concerned rather than annoyed like before, and had placed a hand on his small shoulder. "Kirby... Are you ok? Were you just trying to float? Why? And why did you fall?" Her questions were too overwhelming at this moment, and Kirby pushed her hand away in reflex.

"No!" He shouted out the first word that had come to mind. He really didn't mean to shout, having startled Fumu and many other Cappies in the room, however, there really wasn't anything else Kirby felt he could do. He couldn't float. He couldn't... It was too much to take in. He'd been able to perform such an ability ever since landing on Dreamland. It was a part of him, and more so a pure trait that described him. He was known for his rather amusing floating abilities, and he himself cherished being able to float high about the trees, and into the sky, despite how tiring it was. Why now? Why couldn't he do it? It just didn't make sense. Fumu was about to reach out to Kirby again, however, the puff had jerked forwards once more, this time turning swiftly around and tailing out the front door into the much-worsened weather. Fumu had tried to stop the Star Warrior but her attempt was in vain, as he was long gone within a matter of seconds. Kirby could hear Fumu's shouts as he ran but ignored them all.

"KIRBY!?... Kirby! ... Kir ... by! ..." Fumu's words vanished behind the puff. The rain, which was much stronger than before, shoved Kirby forwards in an uproar. Kirby was at this point, barely capable of keeping his footing. Too much was going through his mind, and he didn't at all know where to go. Could he go see Bun? Surely, but... He would be working... He wouldn't have time either... Dedede? Definitely not. He wouldn't at all care and would probably tease the pink puff. He couldn't go see any Cappies, as none would understand. What about Meta Knight? The idea was almost very plausible, however, Kirby resorted to the thought of not wanting to disturb his mentor. Who could he turn to... There was no one. Where would he even go? Back home? It was his only choice. Kirby desperately wanted someone at this moment, but he was alone. He had to deal with this himself. It was just like how Meta would push him to his limits in training. He... could get over this. It's like training. Very...real and disheartening training.

It was among Kirby's many jumbled thoughts, that he'd made the same mistake of not focusing on the area around him. The winds and rain picked up their pace immensely, and a strong gust blew past the pink blur. This one was much stronger than the one from this morning and sent Kirby much higher into the sky to his surprise. "Ahhhh!" He shouted as he was uplifted. It was an all too familiar feeling from this morning. The wind blew rapidly and sped past Kirby, who was more or less not processing what he was seeing. Everything was happening too fast, and despite his sudden epiphany from earlier, he did still try to float his way to safety. He flailed his arms and took an inhale, which did not treat him nicely in return. Instead, causing the warning pain he'd received several times that day, to spike. The pain shot out much more than it previously had, and Kirby exhaled in pain, struggling to keep him breathing firm.

"F-float..." He mumbled to himself through breaths. The wind was pushing him left and right, and as he felt the altitude around him heighten, being well above surface level, it was then at that moment that the wind stopped. It was suddenly as if it was never there, to begin with. The was a moment of stillness, and Kirby barely managed to process the thought, that he was most likely, around 300 meters above the ground. The ground would not take kindly to his presence when he landed. If he could even manage that. Gravity soon played its role, and Kirby was sent hurtling towards the ground below. He attempted to flail his arms, wanting to save himself from the impact which would most likely hurt him severely, but he didn't have the strength, to will to try. The puff let his arms fall limb. He looked towards the grass below, rapidly coming closer, and accepted that there was nothing he could do to stop his fall. The thought of going headfirst into the ground below terrifies the puff, and he hadn't even hit the ground before he'd lost consciousness.

The unconscious pink body continued to fall towards the surface, unaware of bright yellow eyes that had been gazing from afar. The eye's shifted to a sudden white before two demon-like wings had extended from somewhere, and at an unimaginable speed, had flown out towards the falling figure. The rain beat against the midnight coloured blur, who swooped down and retrieved the child before he could make an impact with the ground. A handful of worlds mumbled from the figure before they disappeared into the heavy rain, towards Castle Dedede.

Authors notes

Ah, hehe. I bet this definitely wasn't at all what you expected from me. OP is my forte with writing after all. But you know, I thought, "Let's have a change of scenery!" And I debated a FF fanfic, then an AT fanfic, then a DS fanfic, and I finally settled on Kirby of all things. As you can see, I've decided to be very unoriginal, and do the whole "Kirby grows his wings" theme which is very common I feel, but oh well because I'm going to give you people a whole new taste of this topic! Just watch! It'll totally be awesome. Hopefully. I don't want this to be really long-running story, hopefully, it will end around 40 - 50k words, but we shall see how it goes. Anyway, leave a review please because reading them brings me joy qwq Ok that's all. Cya!