Prologue: ?

Morning breaks rapidly, light streaming in through the curtainless windows, and I arise from the bed in Duster's spare room. A cursory glance outside reveals the sun to be in the middle of the sky, hanging over a vast crowd. Damn! I must've overslept.

This could be catastrophic. I hastily roll out of bed, falling like a sack of bricks onto the carpet. I pick myself up, brushing myself off, feeling altogether foolish.

But Duster comes in with a jovial smile. "G'morning! I trust you slept well?"

"Yeah, fine, thanks..." I rub my head. "When's Porky's speech?"

"Couple minutes, m'chap! You're just in time!"

After hastily throwing on some shoes, I follow Duster to the town square, where Porky looms in royal purple robes. His eyes gleam with inner malevolence, and I feel my very spirit incensing at the sight. Who does he think he is? A god? He stands flanked by armoured guards on a podium, his arms spread wide, wallowing in the cheering and applause of the Tazmily townsfolk. I shove through the people, attempting to make my way to the front of the crowd; he has to see me. He can't do anything to me in front of all these people, or his illusion is shattered. I need him to know I escaped him.

Maybe I'm just seeking vengeance. Maybe I shouldn't be so reckless. But, days, weeks, months of imprisonment... I want to mess with him. Give me that. Just give me that.

"G'day, people of Tazmily!"

"G'day!" The villagers call back, delighted with themselves.

"As you all know, these are dark times," Porky says, smiling indulgently. "The Dead Alive are swarming us, and Onett's arms of power are reaching over our fields. Give me a hiss for Onett, everyone!"

The crowd hisses and boos. I push past one lady who waves her hat in the air. What is this, a pantomime?

"But as you know, Tazmily is getting stronger!" Porky raises his arms. "Thanks to my help and my money, we will be saved from the darkness!"

The crowd cheers, celebrating wildly.

"Excuse me," I shove through some more people. "Sorry - make way-"

"Hey!" a man exclaims. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Sorry sir," I swoop and dodge about flailing arms. "It's important."

Porky dramatically lowers his voice. "Now, some of you know about my secret weapon!"

"Oooooooh!" The crowd looks amongst itself with excitement.

"But that's not all I have for you. Today, I present a great and noble offer!"

I barge past a woman, listening closely. I'm certain that I know exactly what this offer is going to be.

"I offer you hope!" Porky puts his hands together, performing a mighty twirl. "For the women, the children, the cowardly who do not wish to fight, I bring you sanctuary!"

I grit my teeth. More cheering and clapping breaks out amongst the crowd as I finally reach the front. I was right. I knew it.

"Sanctuary in New Porky City," Porky continues, oblivious to my presence, "Where houses are free, where there are rivers of gold; pools of bread and honey. I invite all who wish to seek refuge, all who wish for safety from the oncoming war and the Dead Alive. Nothing shall come at a cost. It will be pure luxury! And when the war is over, you can come home to your loved ones. For I know how it is to have someone I love… sadly, they are so, so far away..."

Porky looks down, feigning sadness. As if he's ever felt a single grain of love in his life. I feel a subliminal anger building inside of me. Love is beautiful, not to be tarnished with his evil name.

"All who wish to enter my paradise, you may come to me after this speech is over," Porky says, looking up again. "We will leave with immediate effect!"

There's another round of applause, and he begins to bow.

As his head comes down, he finally notices me. It's obvious by the way his eyes narrow with unease. I grin, suddenly feeling malicious.

"That's not all!" Porky shouts, addressing the crowd that has begun to disperse. "I have a special guest with me today!" He gives me a sumptuous wink. "Come on up, why don't you?"

I raise my eyebrows. Of all of the outcomes, that was the one I expected the least. I reason that I might as well follow whatever he is doing, so I rise to the stage.

"It's mister Anonymous!" Duster cheers from the back, and a lot of people shush him.

"This is… Let's call him…" Porky feigns thought. "Cruciatus in culo!"

The crowd laughs.

"And this," I gesture towards Porky's massive head. "His real name is not Porky. It's corruptor, saevus!"

The crowd laughs again. Two can play at that game.

"Well," Porky says loudly. "At least I haven't got big eyes!"

"You know what they say about big eyes!"

The villagers whoop and cheer, some of them wolf-whistling. I catch an older lady giggling with her friend. Porky smiles begrudgingly.

"Big spectacles!"

More cheering. I'm beginning to think their celebrations are regardless of what he says. I turn to face him, tired of the bantering.

"Why have you called me up here, mister Minch?"

"Well," Porky tugs joyfully on his robes. "You were the first volunteer to come to New Pork City, of course!"

"Yes, yes I was!" I lie, curious to see where he's going.

"After all," he grins, a touch of malice coming into his voice. "We are such good friends, aren't we?"

"Indeed we are. We get on like a house on fire."

"In which I am the fire, and he is the house!" Porky laughs, but the crowd only looks confused this time. Porky claps his hands together. trying to ignore this. "Anyway, that concludes this week's speech. A reminder, come to me if you are interested in my sanctuary! It is open to all. Thank you for your time!"

With resounding applause, Porky steps off of the podium, swirling his purple robes over his body as he walks. I follow with tentative footsteps, but as soon as we're out of sight, he grabs me by the shoulders, throwing me to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Since I escaped your lovely prison, I had to find civilization, didn't I?" I maintain my composure, despite now being covered in mud. "These people spoke wonders of your speeches, Porky. I couldn't miss it for the world."

"Is that right?" Porky snarls. "Well, that was very unwise of you."

"Was it?" I feign innocence, fully aware of the revolver he keeps in his right pocket. "Whyever would that be?"

"Because you know what I can do! You should be hiding from me. Why aren't you hiding?"

"Because," I say, smiling. "People only hide from things they are afraid of."

"Why are you not afraid? I could kill you here and now!"

"Good luck," I laugh. "I can make quite the exclamation. When these dear villagers find my dead body, I'm sure they'll be quick to throw you into their joil."

"Then I'll kill you in the dead of night when nobody is there to stop me. When nobody can hear you scream!"

"Good luck with that," I say cheerily, turning back towards the village.

"Coming here was suicide!" Porky shouts, losing all composure. "Suicide!"

"I know. And yet, I do not find myself caring."

"You - you fool!"

"A fool? I'm the fool that's going to save these people from your plan. You cannot do a single thing to stop me."

"Get out of here. GET OUT!"

"As you wish!" I mock-bow, waving, sauntering off into the crowd. I suppose if I have to act formally all the time at work, I'm allowed to be dramatic now and again, aren't I?

.

.

.

~~o00o~~

Chapter 18: Day Terrors

(Lucas)

~~o00o~~

.

.

.

Saturday morning blasts by. Ness and I eat breakfast with our friends, we spend the morning completing any homework we have left to do, and then it's lunch and we're suddenly halfway through the day. That's the thing with weekends. I think they tend to go by much quicker, without our educational obligations.

Time spent with Ness always passes fast.

Altogether, I'm glad for an empty morning. After last night's horror… I shiver once again, thinking of that awful feeling of floating through Ness's subconscious, doomed to watch him suffer through endless halls, chased by a creature from his worst nightmares. It hurt more than anything to see him so far beyond my help; as a result, I've been more affectionate than usual this morning. I've been holding his hand, resting my head on his shoulder. It makes me feel a little bit better.

It took me nine hours to figure out the whole thing was some kind of fabricated dream. Nine hours! How slow have I gotten? I know, inside, that I caused Ness a lot of pain by not finding a resolution sooner. I doomed him to abject horror, to torture by the hand of the elusive Dreamlord. He watched his family die before his very eyes. He ran, he had to stay strong, and I was so powerless to help him.

I wish I could figure out who's doing this to us. I wish I could figure out who this Dreamlord is, why we're so important to him. I just need a clue. Any plans 'not to worry about all of this' are out of the window now, now that we're in such imminent danger. I think it's important that we keep well-informed, and most of all, I just want my Ness to be okay.

I just want him to be happy.

Because I can tell he's feeling off. He keeps slipping into these blank moments when he won't answer any of my questions, when he won't focus on where he's going, walking into a wall. Or worst of all, when he just stops, staring around like a lost puppy. I'm not sure what's going on inside his mind, but I know I have to be there for him. Even more so, because yesterday, he told me how he prefers guys to girls. That must be messing with his mind, quite a lot. If other people knew, well, this awful, awful society wouldn't accept him anymore. That is why I will keep his secret - he's entrusted me with this - and I will hold it closely, locking it between us. I have no issue if he is into guys. But by my reckoning, he's confused at the moment; he doesn't know exactly what he feels. And I need to help him through that.

Being open is hard. I shudder to think of all of my secrets that Ness doesn't know. The things he can't know. Ever.

Lest everything ends.

Ness and I walk down the main corridor, not going anywhere in particular. We should be working on the business plan, but something about it just makes me feel claustrophobic and panicky. I need direct instructions, in order to complete a task. I have no idea how to navigate thoughts, propositions, and the world of the abstract. I physically cannot 'create a business plan'. I can have ideas, but what do I write? What specifics should I consider? How should I present it? It's such a vague concept to me. I don't know what goes where, and I don't know anything at all of what I'm supposed to do.

My breathing quickens just thinking about it, so I push it to the back of my mind. Procrastinating, yet again. We wander into the games room, where Toon Link and Villager are speaking in low tones, and Red is in his element, playing solo pool. Villager looks up brightly as we wander in.

"Hey!"

"Hey." I smile, pleased to see them.

"Hey," Ness echoes softly. We descend onto a couch, falling into one another's arms, and the others sit opposite. Honestly, it's a random thought, but I've always felt like there's distinct chemistry between Toon Link and Villager. They bounce off one another, building each other up, in all the best of ways. Obviously, Villager and Red are the closest, best friends, as they went to primary school together - Anville, I think they're from? But Toon Link and Villager, they're good for each other, I think.

"What's gonna be going on this afternoon, then?" Toon Link leans back, lazily stretching an arm over Villager's shoulder.

"Dunno, Lucas and I have some books to read," Ness says. Yes - he's right. We do need to examine those strange books on magic. Perhaps they'll explain a thing or two, that would certainly be a welcome surprise.

Even if deep down I know it's a longshot.

There's more that Ness and I need to do. We still need to figure out if we're going to partake in the Robin Hood production. And we should work on the business plan… I shiver slightly. For goodness' sake, it's just a piece of schoolwork. I need to stop being stupid and pull myself together.

"We should do something as a group," Villager suggests. "Y'know, to try to shake off all the weird stuff that's been happening."

"Yeah, that'd be awesome, the books can wait," Ness says keenly. "But what can we do?"

"Pool," Red says. "All afternoon. All evening. Nothing else. Ever."

"No, I don't think we should do that." Toon Link pats him on the back. "I do value my sanity, after all."

But before any other suggestions can be made, Pit wanders into the room, looking gloomy. I'd sort of forgotten about what happened to Dark Pit, what with the dream, and all the other chaos that's taken over our lives. The mood drastically shifts as Pit slumps down, squeezing in next to me.

"Hey," I whisper.

"Hey," Pit replies, trying and failing to sound jaunty.

"How are you doing?" Villager asks softly, doing a much better job at expressing kindness than me.

Pit shrugs. "Badly."

"That's understandable," Red says.

"Look - they will find Dark Pit," Toon Link promises, not one for beating around the bush. "No doubt they're digging through everything right now, and any second now, the news will come that they've got him."

"I don't think so." Pit shrugs again, looking bleak.

"Pit." Villager comes over, sitting on the floor beside our couch. "It's okay to be anxious about it. It was a tragic occurrence."

"It wasn't a tragedy." Pit merely stares at the ground. "It was ordinary."

"Huh?" Villager frowns, furrowing his brow. "I don't really see how there was anything ordinary about that-"

"People die all the time." Pit covers his face. "He was just another one."

"We don't know if he's dead," Ness says.

"I do." He laughs emptily. "I feel it." He puts a hand to his heart. "In here."

We're all quiet.

Pit speaks up again. "Those passages - do you think there are other entrances to them?"

"Yeah," I say cautiously. "We've been in them quite a few times. There are a lot. Why?"

"Well." Pit rubs his cheek. "I was just thinking, the very least I can do is get his - his body."

"Pit," Villager begins warningly, but he's cut off by Red.

"He deserved better."

"He didn't deserve better." Pit smiles emptily. "Nobody deserves anything. But he is owed better. Better than being buried under a load of rubble."

"I don't think he's buried under a load of rubble," Toon Link says, frowning. "Whatever that thing was in the lit-up room dragged him inside."

"...That's not much better."

We're silent. I'm not sure what to say - it's all a mess. A big damn mess. We met Dark Pit on Tuesday. Three days later, he might be dead. With everything going on around me, I can't help but believe that it's my fault that all of this is happening to everyone. I can't help but think, if it weren't for me, they wouldn't have gotten the invitation.

Does that make me a murderer? I slump against Ness's chest. I don't want to be a murderer. But I save the emotion. He might still be alive. He might be alright. I have to believe that. Ness snakes an arm around me, and I feel somewhat safer, somewhat reassured.

"It's my goddamn fault, as well." Pit says, burying his face in his hands.

"Hey," Villager says sternly. "It's not your fault at all."

"It is! Why can't you see that? It was me, me that wanted us to follow the invitation, me that didn't listen to any of you-"

"Blaming yourself does no good," I say. "It was as much him wanting to go down there as you-"

"So you're saying he deserved to die!?"

"No! I didn't say that at all!"

"Sorry." A tear rolls down Pit's sallow cheek. "It's, it's just, I've not just lost my twin brother. I've lost my best friend, and, and… I don't know what to do with myself anymore."

There's a horrible pause, and Toon Link stares at the floor. "You two were really close."

"Inseparable," Villager agrees.

"I know." Pit says, gritting his teeth. "You know, that's not exactly helping."

"Sorry," Toon Link says, his voice shrinking. "I didn't mean-"

"Screw this." Pit stands. "Screw everything!"

Just like that, he runs, sprinting out of the room as fast as he can.

"Poor guy," Villager murmurs.

I stand, feeling some extent of responsibility upon my shoulders. In all the facets of my imagination, I never thought I'd be here, feeling guilty because someone murdered my friend's twin brother. Frowning, I catch the stray word in my head.

Murdered.

"I should follow," I say.

Ness nods, so I run, following after Pit's clattering footsteps. I trail him along the main hall - good, he seems to be going to the dormitories, at least. I'm worried about him. Maybe if Dark Pit turns out okay, then he'll be better, but I have a feeling just like he does. I have a feeling that Dark Pit has been finished off. I don't want to confirm that - I don't want to believe it, but it's true.

Pit kicks open his dormitory door, slamming it shut behind him. I wait a little bit before knocking, receiving no response. I crack the door open just a little.

"Can I come in?"

There's no response, but I take a step inside anyway.

Pit lies face down in his bed. Another bed - evidently untouched for a couple of days - contains matching covers, and a pair of dark grey pyjamas folded neatly on the pillow. Whilst that side of the room is neat and tidy, Pit's side is a mess, white shirts and books scattering the musty carpet. Even the walls themselves are wild and busy, sprawled in pastel swirls on Pit's side, but coated in brooding darkness on the other. Where the walls meet, there hangs an impressive painting of what looks like a family - two young twin boys, and a father and mother, smiling - and suddenly, I find myself choking back a sob.

Pit doesn't move, so I close the door behind me, sitting next to his shaking self.

I take a deep breath.

"I feel it too."

There's silence, before Pit turns his head. "Feel what?"

"I feel that he's gone."

Pit slumps down against his pillow. "At least I'm not going mad."

"It's okay, it's okay to be upset," I mumble, as Pit curls up.

"I know."

"Look, uh." I glance around the room. "There's space in my dorm, if, if you don't want to sleep in here. Ness wouldn't mind sharing a bed with me."

"Really?" Pit stares up at me, gratitude written all over his features. "Thank you so much. I'd really appreciate that. This room is… weird, now."

"Yeah." I look over at Dark Pit's unmade bed.

"I feel like you get it," he continues. "You and Ness are so close, you know how it would feel to lose someone, something so..."

He trails off.

"I lost my twin brother a few years ago," I say.

"Oh," Pit says, "That's terrible. I'm, I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," I try to smile. "I'm over it now, I guess. But losing Ness would be hell, you're right."

Pit grimaces wryly. "This is hell."

"You don't deserve hell."

Pit is quiet. I experimentally pat his back, and he flinches.

"Sorry - I - physical contact, I don't really-"

"That's okay," I say. "Sorry."

Pit breathes in. "Lucas, thank you."

"...Thank you?" I'm bewildered. "For what?"

"I've known you for just four days, and you're in here caring for me. You saved my life, down in those passages. And, you're right. I think Dark Pit would want me to live on, for him, right? To create a bit of mayhem…"

"It's - it's alright." I blush. "Mother taught me to be kind to everyone-"

"I think she'd be proud of you, Lucas." Pit smiles. "Ness is very lucky to have you as a boyfriend."

"Oh, uh, we're not-"

"Hm? Could've fooled me. All the hand-holding and cuddling."

"We're just affectionate," I reason, finding myself unable to explain this any further. "It's just how it's always been."

"Sure." Pit laughs softly. "But, yeah. Dark Pit wouldn't want me getting too down about all of this, would he?"

"It's okay to grieve," I say.

"I guess so."

There's a resolute pause. I almost wish I'd asked Ness to come up here with me, but perhaps his lack of tact wouldn't have been the best in this situation. Pit curls back up into his ball again, still tremoring, so I stand.

"Look, I'll be in the Games Room with the others. I'm... here for you, alright? Take a sick day off tomorrow. You need time."

Pit pulls the covers back over himself, giving a muffled Thank You as I walk out of the room. It's a terrible business, but I shove it to the back of my mind and thoughts of the golden egg and the business plan come rolling back to me - there's much to be worried about without being dragged down by something that, unfortunately, cannot be undone or changed.

I come up with a brief plan. The magic books, that's what we're going to do next. We're going to check them, to see if there's anything about magic dream-eggs or dream-sharing. A goal set firmly in mind, I walk back into the games room, expecting to find Ness and the others, but - oh great - it's Bowser.

I try to turn, but Bowser notices me right away. "PIPSQUEAK! I've been looking for you for DAYS!"

I wince, inwardly curling in on myself. I guess it was inevitable that I'd be found eventually, but this isn't what I need. Not now.

"Is there a problem, Professor?" I try to keep my voice polite.

"Yes. Yes, there is a BIG problem."

"And what's that, Professor?"

"YOU AND YOUR FRIEND SKIPPED MY LESSON!"

"Ness was sick," I lie.

"He should've thrown up on the person in FRONT of him, then!" Bowser roars, grabbing me suddenly by the scruff of the neck. And so, I'm carried unceremoniously to Bowser's charred office, dropped on a stiff wooden bench, made to look upwards at Bowser's towering form.

This was inevitable. I resign myself to it. Whatever he's going to do, I don't care. Honestly, I hope Bowser is the villain we're looking for. He's so easy to hate. But, sadly, Bowser isn't smart enough, not by any stretch of the imagination.

He seems to be fiddling around in a cupboard, which unnerves me. What's he getting? I can't imagine it to be anything good. I think back to the occurrence - it had been right for us to leave. Ness was hurting. Whatever's going to happen to me now, I know I don't deserve it, because I did the right thing. I fix Bowser with a steely gaze.

He turns around, holding a particularly wicked-looking cane, and my resolve crumbles as soon as it was formed. I'm made to stand against the wall, and Bowser readies the weapon.

.

.

.

.

.

Several strikes later, I stagger out of Bowser's office in absolute agony. I can only imagine how Toon Link feels every time he breaks the rules and is caught out. He must have the sorest rear in all of Onett.

Ness is going to be fussing over me like mad. Part of me doesn't mind that, but the other part feels guilty for the amount of energy he'll put into it. My mind slips away slightly as I try to ground myself, but it hurts so much. Even the wounds on my feet feel like nothing now, compared to this. Bowser is harsh. Vicious. My eyes sting with tears, but I will not cry. I will never give Bowser that satisfaction.

I find Ness and the others in our lounge - they must've emigrated there when catching sight of Bowser. I stagger inwards, and I make a giant fool of myself by instantly collapsing onto Ness.

"Sorry," I squeak, trying to scramble into a position that doesn't involve sitting down, but Ness catches me off-guard and tickles me - I laugh myself onto the floor, curling up to protect myself like a giant hedgehog. I'm glad everyone is in a cheery mood. To an extent, I was kind of worried that everyone would still be gloomy. I worry faintly if I'm selfish for thinking that - everything that's happened with Dark Pit is absolutely sad, but I don't like dwelling on sad things. I don't want to sit in big sad silences with my friends, and if my days are numbered, like the grave's existence suggests, I'd quite like to have a good time.

Dammit, Ness is right, I am a big sap really.

"C'mon Lucas, sit up here," Ness laughs.

"I can't," I answer honestly.

Ness laughs again. "Why's that, then?"

"Uh..." I wince.

Ness's face grows with worry. Great, of course, I have sucked the happiness out of the room.

"Lucas, did something happen?"

"Bowser caught me," I say, getting it over with. Ness would only have found out later.

"What did he do to you?" Ness says, standing up abruptly.

"Well-"

"That's it!" Ness folds his arms, putting two and two together, stamping his foot on the dusty floor. "I'm going to go and beat him up right now!" But I rise quickly, sitting Ness back down.

"That's a really bad idea Ness, come on, it happens to Toon Link most days. I'm fine, I really am, I'll be able to sit down soon enough-"

"But-"

"You gotta chill, Ness. I'll be okay." I lie down on his chest, and it's actually kind of comfortable, while also serving as a way to make sure Ness doesn't go and start a fight he can't win.

"Fine," Ness grumbles.

"At last," Red sighs. "Well, now that Lucas's posterior problems are resolved, I must start working hard on my business plan for Wario."

"I have to do a design page for Trades," Villager says. Toon Link groans with sympathy.

"I have to go and learn Little John's lines for theatre."

Ness looks at me. "Looks like it's business time, Lucas."

My stomach sinks at Ness's words. I still have no idea what to do, or where to go with it. So far, Ness has done all the work, which I feel bad about, but something about this stupid business plan is making me feel so unbelievably tense today. However, Ness and I take our leave, and we begin heading upstairs to our dormitory. It's to my relief that we run into Headmaster Hand.

"Ness, Lucas! Just the people I'd been looking for!"

"Can we help?" I give a faint smile.

"No, not at all - I just thought you'd be glad to know that your old dormitory has been repaired since the fire. You can move back in tonight."

"Excellent," Ness says. "Thank you."

We move along, a little spring in our steps. Our temporary top floor dorm was nice, but there's a certain charm about our old room that I miss. Unfortunately, Ness shoots down my idea to move all our stuff now, instead deciding that we need to work right away.

We stumble across a rather nice room, tucked away in an obscure corridor, covered in a variety of paintings that look like they're from former students. Even one of my paintings of a desert is here, to my surprise. It's nice though, and there are plenty of tables and chairs, and as a bonus, no other students. We lay the business plan out on a table, sit down, and stare at it.

And we stare at it some more.

And some more.

"I have no idea what to do," Ness admits after a while. "We've done the designing of the shop, and what we're going to sell… I have no idea what else to write."

A faint feeling of nausea rises in me as I look at it. I'm tempted to panic, because this is worth 50% of our grade - and I don't know what I'm doing, at all! If I fail, Father won't be proud of me, and I won't get into a good university. I need at least a pass in everything for that, and then I won't be able to study science, and I'll end up being sad and miserable and-

"I..." I stare back down at the paper in front of me. "I feel like we're supposed to do something to do with money…"

"Screw this." Ness closes it. "We can just copy Red's, c'mon."

But when we find Red in the library, he doesn't have much of an idea of what we're supposed to do. Why did Wario have to be so vague? He could've given us a framework, he could've given us anything that might have actually helped, but no, no of course it has to be difficult. Frustration balls up inside me like a welt, so big and overwhelming that without thinking, I grab the business plan, and with a cry, I savagely tear it in half.

"Lucas!" Ness gasps.

I suddenly realise what I've done, and I panic - what the hell? What's wrong with me? I throw down the halves of the plan onto the ground, stunned into oblivion by my actions. My heart pounds like a hammer in my chest, and Ness, far from angry, takes me into his arms. The hugs ease the tension. He's warm, he smells safe. Like home.

"I'm sorry," I gasp for breath. "I don't know what came over me - I didn't know - I don't know what to do! I, I got so frustrated, and-"

"Come on." Ness rubs my back. "I've got an idea."

Leaving the remains of the business plan on the floor, Ness takes me by the hand, leading us towards… Rosalina's office? What are we doing here? I wipe my eyes with a handkerchief, hoping that my troubled visage isn't too troubled.

Ness knocks on the door, and Rosalina swings it open.

"Hello boys, what can I do for you?"

"It's about our lessons," Ness says.

"Come in, come in..." We enter the room, and Rosalina shuts the door behind us. "Please take a seat?"

"Erm." I blush with a tremulous gulp. "I can't really sit down at the moment."

"Hm? Whyever not?"

"Bowser caned him," Ness reveals. I cover my face.

"That monster, I swear..." Rosalina's expression darkens. "I'm going to have words with him. But what's up? What's this about lessons?"

"Lucas needs to switch lessons," Ness says, standing next to me. "And so do I."

"What?" I blanch, suddenly alarmed. "No - no, it's fine! I can do it, I can finish the work-"

"It's Business," Ness continues. "Wario has repeatedly hurt him, and he's made the work impossible, it's making Lucas sad and I don't want that... so we need to change subjects as soon as possible!"

Rosalina shushes him, and Ness breathes more calmly. Rosalina looks over at me, and I pray my cheeks aren't too red - I don't know why I've become such a fragile thing lately. A little bit of shame creeps into my mind. That level of stress over just a mildly strenuous task? Am I that weak? Claus wouldn't cry. Claus would've finished the business plan off early, he'd have handed it in already, complete. He'd have put together what's going on with Future Human, he'd have all the answers… but he's not here. He's not around anymore. I'm the one who is. I can't help but think some mistake was made somewhere, that the universe got it wrong, that I was the one who was meant to disappear.

I run my arm, even tenser than before. I still don't even know where Claus went - why he had to leave us - hadn't I been good enough for him to want to stay? Nausea builds back up in my throat. All this feeling today leads me to think that I might be ill again, which would be just what I need.

"Lucas? Did you hear me?" Rosalina clears her throat, and I snap to attention.

"Sorry, no."

"I was saying that I can try my best to sort this out with the headmaster. But which subject would you take instead?"

"Music," Ness says instantly. "Definitely music."

"Yeah," I agree. "You too, though, Ness? Your father-"

"I don't care what my Father wants," Ness says stubbornly. "It's like Tracy said - the more I disobey him, the more annoyed he gets."

I frown. "Isn't that a bad thing?"

"I want to show him…" Ness has a kind of expression that I haven't seen in a while; one of purpose, confidence. "I don't know. I just… yeah."

I'm not sure I understand him, but nevertheless, I turn back to Rosalina. "Can we do that, then?"

"Almost definitely," Rosalina smiles. "By the way, speaking of your Father, Ness…"

"Yeah?" Ness shifts nervously beside me.

"Does he ever mention Ryu?"

"No, I don't think so, why?"

"I went to school with them both." Rosalina smiles. "Ryu and your Father were close, but things fell apart for some reason. I'm not sure exactly why. I was just curious, that's all."

"Ryu mentioned Father in our very first history lesson, didn't he?" Ness looks at me. "He said I looked like him."

I don't remember, but I nod anyway. "Yeah."

"Those were the days..." Rosalina stares at the ceiling, lost in nostalgia. "Ah, your Father was a decent man back then."

"Yeah, right," Ness says.

"It's true! I don't know what happened, I don't know what turned him rotten, but back in the day, him, Ryu and I were a bit of a threesome..."

Ness and I exchange a glance that means our minds definitely went to the same place, and we burst out laughing, which brings Rosalina out of her trance.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes. Everything's fine." Ness forms a straight face, becoming silent with comedic speed. "So, um, yeah, what was Father like when he was, you know, nice?"

"Ah," Rosalina smiles. "He would always cheek us; he'd tease us, but you know, it's like friends do? He had a little bit of an ego, but I think we all did, really. Don't tell Ryu I said this - but Ryu's hair was so long, down to his shoulders, and he even had a phase of wearing only black-"

"A phase of only wearing black," Ness repeats, trying not to laugh.

"Those were good times… but I won't keep you any longer. I'm sure you were up to something important, before coming in here."

"Yeah, business homework," Ness beams. "But we don't need to worry about that anymore!"

I smile, feeling a remarkably intense wave of relief. I don't think I'd quite grasped how much I hated Business. I wish I could drop English too, but sadly, it's mandatory. But now, no more business plan, no more Wario - ah, yes! This is amazing news. And Music, I love playing the piano in Orchestra! I feel like I'm overreacting a little, but this really is a perfect solution.

Yet, doubt creeps in. Father. Father wouldn't be proud of me studying Music. But having said that, I like to think Claus would've been musical. Claus always liked to sing and dance - he sang, secretly, when he didn't think anyone could hear him. And Claus would've hated Business! Too boring for him. So, logically, shouldn't Father approve?

Although, business was my plan to escape from the debt. All of the debt that's piled up thanks to Porky - but then again! Wario never was going to teach us well enough for that to work. Besides, I can play the piano for money.! Having justified all of this in my mind, Ness and I happily leave Rosalina's office.

"Okay, that's kind of awesome," I grin goofily at him. I can't stop smiling! Ness sees my smile, and he grins too, grabbing my hand.

"C'mon, best buddy Lucas, let's go and see what everyone's up to!" He starts running alarmingly fast, but since I'm still faster than him, I quickly catch up. I don't think running in the halls is allowed, but I feel so free, all of a sudden.

We manage to almost run directly into Toon Link, who seems to be pacing the halls, practising his lines.

"AH!" Toon Link drops his script. "Hey, watch it! Oh, it's you two-"

"Hey!" Ness waves rapidly.

"Hey!" Toon Link laughs. "What's got you all energetic, then? Finally confessed your undying love for each another?"

"No - shut up - we quit business forever; we're doing music now!" Ness grins giddily.

"Aw, cool!" Toon Link gasps. "You might be in my class! About time I wasn't all alone."

"What are the lessons like?" I ask pragmatically.

"Not bad." Toon Link shrugs. "You show up, you learn some music theory, and then you work on a song. Sebastian Tute is the teacher. He's just as weird as in Orchestra."

"How's Villager?" Ness asks jauntily, which leaves Toon Link blushing, for some reason.

"He's fine - why do you ask?"

Ness cackles, and I scratch my head in confusion.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," Toon Link groans. "Ness, you idiot, why did you have to ask that?"

"It's a perfectly innocent question, isn't it?" Ness says.

"You know full well it isn't!"

"Erm..." I look between the two of them. "Am I missing something?"

"Dammit, Ness." Toon Link covers his face.

A sudden tension hangs in the air and Ness hangs his head. "Sorry."

"What's happening?" I ask again, wondering if I've gone invisible.

"It's just sorta sensitive, okay?" Toon Link looks down at the floor. "Don't bring it up in front of others. Not cool."

I look between the pair, utterly confused - what's so weird about such a question?

"I still don't understand," I say. Toon Link sighs.

"Come on. We'll go somewhere where we won't be heard."

We end up in Toon Link's dorm. Everywhere else is jam-packed with the weekend crowds cramming in their homework, desperately asking each other for answers. I'm glad we didn't get much homework to do this week, and my mind drifts slightly to the egg - we definitely need to investigate that egg - plus we still need to check out the books, for goodness' sake.

Toon Link turns to me.

"So, uh. Basically. Lucas. I like Villager. You know… as more than a friend."

My eyes widen in astonishment. I had not been expecting that, not one bit.

"Oh! That's cool!" I exclaim, hugging him. "So you're into guys too? Like Ness?"

"I think so?" Toon Link frowns. "But sometimes girls - I think? It changes. I honestly have no idea. But, yeah, heh, Villager…"

"Why? Why him?" I ask, curiosity overtaking me.

"That's a good question," Ness says, still looking a little sheepish.

"Well," Toon Link laughs nervously. "It's just. One of those things. He's so down to earth, he sorta cancels me out, y'know? But in a good way, and he's so cute and adorable and funny, and..."

A rosy blush settles on his cheeks.

"And you're okay with that?" I question nervously. I hope he is. There's nothing wrong with it after all, but judging by Ness's reaction, it takes a lot of personal growth to understand it.

"Yeah," Toon Link says. "It took some time, but I don't mind liking boys. I think it's… fine, yeah."

I poke Ness. "You should take a leaf out of his book."

"I disagree," Ness snickers. "'Liking boys' makes him sound like a paedophile."

"Guys, then." Toon link rolls his eyes. "Whatever. And he's right, you know."

"It's not that simple." Ness flushes. "There are… other factors."

"Do you think Villager feels the same?" I query, going back to Toon Link.

"Pfff." Toon Link shrugs. "I dunno. Probably not. I don't know why he would."

"I wouldn't say that," I reason. "You're cool. Though, Zelda…"

"...Yeah," Toon Link confirms miserably. "Zelda."

"Well." Ness smiles apologetically. "He might have moved on four years ago, like he said he did."

"But she's a girl. If he was into girls…"

"He could be into both," I say, and Toon Link shrugs.

"One can only dream."

There's a contented pause, and I smile shyly.

"I don't really talk about relationships much."

"We should talk about relationships more!" Toon Link says, slinging a stray arm around me. "C'mon Lucas, have you got a crush?"

"Erm." I blush almost as much as Toon Link did. "I don't think - I've never really thought about it before…"

It's true. I've never really considered crushes and all of that madness. I've been aware of other people having them, but I don't really know if I've ever had a crush of my own. I'm not sure what they're supposed to feel like. I can acknowledge that people are pretty, Ness for example, but I don't know. I really don't know! It's kind of scary, but also exciting at the same time, to think about romance. I think it's safest just to see where things end up taking me.

"What about sexuality, then?" Toon Link presses. "I mean, you don't seem very straight-"

"I don't know," I say again, feeling another blush creep up my cheeks, mixed with the weird compulsion to laugh. "I've not really thought about that either!"

Toon Link grins, and Ness bundles us both into a hug. I'm glad Ness is in an affectionate mood, because so am I suddenly, and the three of us sort of flop about.

"So, you told Lucas-?" Toon Link asks Ness quietly, but I still overhear.

"Yes, I told him I'm not the straightest tool in the shed."

"That's brave of you."

"Yeah, Ness." I nod in agreement, trying not to sound too patronising. "That's really brave. It sounded like a scary thing to say… I'm proud."

"You guys, c'mon-" Ness blushes once again.

I laugh.

A comfortable quiet forms, until Toon Link breaks it. "I wish Inkling was here. I wonder what she'd say about us? All her friends turning out queer?"

"I bet she'd be into girls," Ness says, and Toon Link chortles.

But I frown. "I don't know what she'd say… I miss her."

"I asked my sister if they go to the same school," Ness says. "I haven't got a reply yet."

I think back. Inkling… we haven't seen her since primary school, and that was six years ago. I wonder if she still remembers us? We'd always have a good time - she was definitely the leader of our little group...

~~o00o~~

"Come on!" Inkling cheers as we run into the playground. "It's break time! Let's play spies!"

Spies was a game we invented. The 'hider' has the pinecone, and they hide it somewhere on the playground. The other players, the spies, must find and retrieve the pinecone without getting caught. The winner is the hider if they tag the spies, or the spy that manages to get the pinecone.

"Umm..." Toon Link smiles nervously. "That'd be really, really fun - but what - what if we're told off by a teacher again?"

"Don't worry!" Inkling pats the small blonde on the head. "There's no teacher on duty today!"

And she's right, whoever it is on the rota must not have shown up. I peer into the neighbouring woodland, looking for good pinecones, and I notice… hm. Is that someone there, watching? But before I can do anything, the figure in the forest dashes away. Unshaken, I turn back to the others and we ready ourselves to play the game.

~~o00o~~

"She'll be okay," I say. "She was stronger than all of us combined."

"Yeah…" Toon Link chuckles faintly. "You got that right."

But thinking about Inkling, that funny feeling starts to come back. The one I got in the caves, the one I felt sitting by Pit's bedside. The one that filled me with dread.

The one that that told me Dark Pit had died.

A/N

I intended to do a lot more in this chapter than actually happened. But that's okay! Next chapter will have all that instead. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring, the next chapter might actually unfold the plot somewhat, rather than focusing on e mo tio ns…

Sorry it's kinda late too, real life has been really, really quite crazy. We, in the UK, are now on lockdown, meaning we can't leave the house (and I'm kinda getting lonely waaaa)

Thank you for reading!

~ ReadyforTeddy