Ok, I didn't want to say anything in the beginning, out of fear of jinxing it, but I think I can now. In reference to what sippurp123 said about quick updates: that should be pretty consistent! My method of writing this story, by way of scheduling, is a system I thought I could work with, and that seems to be the case!
So I should be able to keep updating every other day!
And hey, thanks for reviewing you guys!
Samus actually got some sleep after that. She woke up at 8, feeling better. She got up, showered, threw on a Zero Suit, and went to the the Transfer Room to see if she would be fighting at any point in the day.
She only had one match at 9, the beginning of the day's brawls. She figured she would just use her morning to try to warm up for the fight. She walked to the computer and put in the Training Room with a Sandbag. She put it on stand by, walked to the transporters and sent herself to the room.
She did some basic stretching, the attacked the Sandbag with a few acrobatic combos. She decided to stop after only 20 minutes, since she would spend most of the fight in her Power Suit, as opposed to just her Zero Suit.
She entered the voice command for leaving the room. Upon reappearing in the transporter, she saw a certain princess dressed in pink.
"Hi Samus." Peach said, worry in her eyes.
"Hello Princess." Samus greeted.
"Is everything ok?" Peach asked. "You had your brawl yesterday, then nobody saw you at all after. Luigi said you were really upset and practically ran to your room."
"Everything's fine. No need to worry." Samus said, walking to the door, but Peach got in her way.
"I'm going to anyway." She said. "Does winning a fight really mean that much to you?"
"Please move." Samus said, eager to get away from the conversation.
"No." Peach said, not budging.
Samus was slightly taken aback. Nobody ever tried so hard to get her to say something. It seemed like Peach wasn't afraid of her at all.
"Princess, I don't wa-"
"Peach."
Samus stared at her, confused. "What?"
"I want you to call me Peach." She said, arms folded.
Samus shook her head. "You know I don't feel comfortable with that."
"I don't care."
Samus looked at the princess with disbelief. Peach wasn't budging. "Why is it so important what I call you?"
"Because friends don't have fancy titles for each other." Peach said, her stare locked in place.
Samus folded her arms in annoyance. "You're really forcing this you know."
"No I'm not. You're just pushing back with everything you've got. But for whatever reason it's becoming harder and harder for you to fight."
"That's ridiculous and completely untrue." Samus shook her head.
"Then why are you still here?" Peach asked. "Samus, you're much stronger than me. If you wanted to leave, you would have."
Samus didn't know what to say.
"I like talking to you. I want you to feel the same." Peach said.
"Why?" Samus asked, still trying to maintain her tough exterior.
"Because we're friends."
"How can you even say that?" Samus said, voice rising. "We spent one day, no, one half of a day, talking and you think we're friends? For all you know, we don't have anything in common. Why would you call me your friend?"
"Because that's not what friendship is." Peach said, calm as ever. "Friendship isn't about having something in common or spending a lot of time with each other. It's about enjoying spending your time with another person. Even if you just sit and relax in silence, as long as you like being with that person, you're friends." Peach looked directly into Samus' eyes. "I enjoyed spending time with you and the others yesterday. I know you did too."
"That's insane. How could you know that?"
"Because when you had the chance to escape, you didn't take it." Peach shot.
"What? When?"
"After lunch you could've left, never spoken to any of us again. We wouldn't have pressed it. But you came back to watch Zelda's fight. I know you had fun yesterday. You aren't someone to stay somewhere that's making you uncomfortable. Am I wrong?"
"Well, no, you're not exactly wrong."
"Then why are you still in this room?" Peach asked. "You aren't uncomfortable and you aren't fighting back very strongly."
Samus didn't know what to say. For the cheery, bubbly princess she always seems to be, Peach knows what to say to get what she wants. She's rather confusing. Then again, Peach was probably thinking the same about her.
"Ok." Samus gave in. "Ok, you're right."
"I'm right?" Peach asked, a small smile starting to show.
"I did enjoy spending time with all of you."
Peach's smile became full. "I'm happy to hear it! Would you care to again, today?"
"I have a brawl in a bit, at 9." Samus told her.
"After! We can have breakfast together! I don't have any matches until the afternoon." She said.
Samus stared at her for a few seconds, then a small laugh escaped her lips. "Sure. Breakfast sounds nice."
"Great! I'll gather the girls!" Peach said, turning around. Then she stopped. "Do you think we should get anybody else?"
Samus thought for a second. "How about Pit?" She suggested.
"Great! He's a total sweetie!" That was the Peach that Samus knew. "See? You're making plans with your friends! It's not that bad. Let's go, I'll walk to your room with you." Peach waved her arm for Samus to follow her.
Samus stood still for a moment, the impact of the conversation really hitting her. How had Peach done that? In a mere conversation the princess had figured her out. Samus eventually picked up her feet and walked with Peach.
"So do you want to talk about your brawl yesterday?" Peach asked.
Samus smiled. "You couldn't figure that out?"
Peach laughed. "It's hard enough figuring you out!"
Samus went back to a serious face. "But no, I really don't."
Peach quieted down after hearing her tone. "Ok."
The two had reached Samus' room. Samus opened her door. "I'll see you at breakfast, Peach."
Peach smiled at that. "See you then! And just so you know, I'm here to talk if you need it!" She gave a small wave, and then walked back down the hallway.
Samus closed her door and walked to her bed. Here to talk if you need it. Pit and Red had said the same thing last night. Are these people just really friendly, or do they really consider her a friend?
Adam said the same thing back in Federation training.
Samus felt strong. She missed this. The feeling of other people fighting for her. The feelings of belonging and closeness. She wouldn't let herself succumb to it yet. But she liked that it was there.
Samus stood up and focused her energy on materializing her Power Suit. With her armor on, she walked to her dresser and grabbed her helmet. She made her way for the Transporter Room.
Samus stepped out of the shower. She felt refreshed, in more ways than one. She had won her brawl, and a part of her was really looking forward to breakfast. She put on her Zero Suit and as she was closing her closet, a knock came at the door. Samus opened it and saw Peach and Nana smiling at her.
"Hi Samus!" Nana said.
"Hey there." Samus said with a small smile.
"Ready for breakfast?" Peach asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Samus said, looking back into her room for a second.
Peach grabbed Samus' arm and pulled her out into the hall. "Great! Let's go!"
The dining room wasn't as busy as it had been during lunch. Captain Falcon was eating with Fox and Falco, occasionally getting the two to laugh. Lucario and Snake were eating at a table, probably because neither expected the other to make conversation.
At their table, Samus saw Zelda and Link talking. The three went over and sat down with them.
"Hi Samus." Zelda greeted with a warm smile.
"Hello Princess." Samus said.
"Hey Sam." Link said, nodding. Samus nodded in response.
Peach began laughing. "I never thought of you with that name!"
Samus shrugged. Link laughed. "Hope that's ok. Speaking of names, what's up with her calling you Princess, Zel?"
"Shut up." Zelda said, with a smirk. "She wants to call me that, nothing wrong with it."
Samus was a bit surprised. This was a different side of Zelda, not the regal woman she knew. She was much more casual with Link it seemed. It made Samus smile, seeing a real person behind the crown.
"Of course your majesty." Link said, grinning.
Zelda just shook her head. "You're a dork."
Link kept smiling at her. "Yeah, that sounds like me."
Peach laughed at the two. "You guys are so cute!"
Nana smiled. "Hey, how about we all go get food?"
After getting their meals, the 5 returned to the table. Peach was talking to Samus and Nana, while Link was telling Zelda about a conversation he had with Ike, after Zelda's brawl yesterday.
"Pit had a brawl at 10, so he had an early breakfast." Peach told them.
"That's too bad…" Nana said, visibly sad that the angel wouldn't be joining them.
Samus took a sip of her orange juice. "There's always next time."
The two others looked at her with smiles and bright eyes. Nana because she might get to talk to Pit, Peach because Samus said there would be a next time.
They turned to Link and Zelda's conversation. "He said he wasn't happy that Marth lost. But, he conceded that you deserved to win, seeing how well you fought."
"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or not." Zelda replied.
"That doesn't really sound like Ike." Samus commented.
Peach nodded. "Yeah, he seemed really upset after the fight."
Link shrugged and took a bite of his pancakes. "I guess some people are different when they're alone."
"Sounds like it." Nana said.
Samus thought about what Link had said. There was a lot of truth to that. Peach was very different from what Samus assumed her to be. There was a very serious side that came out. Zelda too, she changed when Link came over. By herself, she held herself very well. When he came, she became a teenage girl. Pit was much more serious last night when they had spoken.
"I guess you're right." Samus said.
"That's not to say one side is more real than the other." Link said, then took a drink of his milk. He put the empty glass on the table. "Just that a person can be more than meets the eye. Zel, are you going to eat your bacon?"
Link had said it so casually, and nobody else seemed to think much of it, but it got Samus' head spinning. Was she the same? Did people think she was more than meets the eye? Even the other people she knew…
"Paws off, hero." Zelda said, swatting his hand away.
"Fine. Samus?" Link said.
His voice got Samus out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Can I have your bacon?" He asked again.
"Quit poaching people's food!" Nana yelled at him.
"No, it's ok, here you go." Samus reassured.
"Score!" Link said, devouring the three strips. He stood up and did a little stretching. "Anyway, I have to go now. Marth wants to have a little sword fight to see where he needs improvement. So we'll be hogging the back yard."
"Bye Link!" Peach and Nana said in unison. Samus' mouth was full, so she gave a small wave.
"See you guys." Link said, with a smile. He bent over and gave Zelda a kiss on the head. Zelda smiled up at him, then he left.
"You guys are very sweet." Peach said, smiling at Zelda.
"Thank you." Zelda said, blushing slightly.
"What do you guys think of that?" Samus blurted out, suddenly. The three others looked at her confused.
"Think about what?" Nana asked.
"A person being more than meets the eye." She clarified.
The other three stopped to think for a moment.
"It makes sense." Peach said.
"Yeah, nobody is exactly the same as you think they are when you first met them." Nana added.
"I agree." Zelda said. Samus noticed how much more formal she was acting. "People don't necessarily change all the time. You just see more sides to them. Why do you ask?"
"Yeah, what do you think about it?" Nana asked.
"I was thinking the same thing." Samus told them. The people she met here were different than what she assumed, and she was probably different from what they assumed of her. When Peach got Samus to talk more, she felt stronger. She felt happy. Like something that had been missing had been brought back.
Maybe she could show more of herself to them.
In future chapters I'll be referring to Metroid mythology a bit, but I like to think that I'll be general enough that you can understand it without playing any Metroid games.