Theme: 17. Blood
Pairing: SnakexSamus
Summary: The sight of blood never fazed or startled her...except his.
Rating: T for swearing and blood

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The feelings Samus developed for the mercenary were so different from what she had ever known in her life. All she ever knew was to stay indifferent and distant. Now with Snake, she experienced smiling, warmth and friendship...which was something she hadn't known since before the SA-X incident. The memory of the man named Adam and the computer she named after him...it was on the edge of her mind now.

Adam was her past. Snake was now her present and quite possibly her future.

But if there was one thing she, Samus Aran, had never felt before in her life...something she had never been trained for or experienced...

...it was fear for someone else.

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"You're getting better at this," Snake said in his usual gruff tone.

Samus nodded. Snake had been teaching her how to shoot some of his weapons, some of which she hated and others she enjoyed. The shooting arena had a lot of dummies that were busted up or burned to a crisp after every training lesson.

"I think I'm done for now, Snake. Thank you."

"Alright. I'm proud of you, Samus. Learning to use these things takes a lot of courage. Not everyone wants to use one and those who don't end up making a mis-"

"Snake?" Samus looked up and saw her boyfriend keeled over in pain. An arrow was sticking out of his back and making him bleed fast. Pit, Fox, Falco and Toon Link rushed over immediately.

"What are all of you waiting for?! Someone get Doctor Mario!" Samus snapped. She looked furious, but her lower lip was trembling.

"I'll go!" Fox darted off to the exit. Samus narrowed her eyes and stared at the two bow wielders.

"Which one of you idiots beefed?"

"Th-that's..." Toon Link stammered.

"Pit, isn't this arrow yours?" Falco asked.

"Snake grunted in pain and took Samus' hand. When she felt the squeeze, relief fluttered through her chest. "Snake, just hold on. The doctor should be here soon."

"S-Samus...I'm getting...dizzy..."

"I'm so sorry, Snake!!" Pit suddenly burst out. "I was trying to practise getting the curve in my arrow better, but it spun out of control! I'm sorry!" The angel's normally cold eyes were filled with fear this time. Samus wondered if her own eyes mirrored Pit's.

She was trying to be strong, but Snake was bleeding way too much.

"Mama-mia! That's quite a bad arrow injury!" Doctor Mario had finally arrived.

"Samus, you look so pale..." Falco's voice seemed far away.

"Samus?" She could hardly hear them anymore. Darkness closed in and the huntress slid to the floor.

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The first thing she heard was annoying giggling. Then a voice...it sounded male...speak up. She still saw darkness, but only because she refused to open her eyes.

Damnit! She really did faint! That Peach was sure to be gossiping about it right now.

"Doctor Mario, will Samus be okay?"

That had to be Zelda's voice.

"Yes, Princess, all she-a needs is some rest and-a space. She will-a be relieved when-a she hears that the arrow wound on-a Snake wasn't fatal. They-a should be awake at-a the same time."

Relief flooded through Samus like a tide coming in. She pretended to be asleep a while longer until she heard everyone leave. Once she was sure she was alone, the huntress opened her eyes and looked around.

Obviously she was in the hospital wing. The lights were dim and the curtain around her bed was drawn closed. She sat up and a cloth fell off her forehead.

"Oh...it must have been for regulating my temperature," she realized.

Sighing, Samus turned the cloth over and put it on the side table. Curiosity got the better of her and she drew one of the curtains aside.

Snake lay in the other hospital bed behind the curtain. He was sound asleep, making soft snoring sounds. Samus noted, with a blush on her face, that he was bare chested with a large gauze band-aid rwrapped around his body. There was no visible blood, much to Samus's relief.

"Damn you, Pit, for making me so scared that I fainted from it. You touch him again and I'll kill you."

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This is the last of the themes I had written on paper. I'm going to be working on more themes in between classes at school and at home, when I'm not playing games or doing homework.

I think Samus had too much relief used here. Any suggestions for improvement?

Yes, that is a reference to Metroid Fusion. Samus knew a man named Adam and it's shown she held respect for this man. What their relationship was, though, is an utter mystery, so I made it look like they had a little fling before he died.

Five themes down already! Twenty left!

Up next: 4. Dark

Pairing: LucasxNana