A/N: Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy this next chapter~! 3 I like the comments you guys gave so thanks! I enjoyed typing this chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Makato, Miru, and Mikoru.
Chapter 8: The Search & Drive
Halberd
8:40 A.M
The journey to Maple Forest on the Halberd was going to be a long ride. The time was used for sleeping, snacking, and hoping to get to Maple Forest on time.
Pit tapped on Meta Knight's shoulder. "Do you have a bathroom here?"
Meta Knight glanced up at the angel while steering the ship. "Uh. . . I forgot to install one?"
"W-what?! Where am I supposed to pee?! The sky?!"
"We have buckets." Meta Knight also gave the option.
Pit looked at the masked puffball and sighed in defeat. "Fuck it. I'll just pee in the sky. Like most birds would."
After Pit took his pee break, it had to go somewhere. The thin light liquid landed with a light splash on a little girl's strawberry ice cream on their way out of the ice cream store with her mom.
The girl licked her ice cream and frowned at the strange flavor. "Huh? That's weird, my ice cream tastes salty. It was sweet five seconds ago but now. . ."
Her mom patted her on the shoulder. "Sweetie, ice cream was made with rock salt. It's supposed to taste salty. It's not like someone peed in the sky."
"You're right, mommy." The little girl continued licking her strawberry ice cream without knowing the truth.
"Yo, Meta Knight," Ike called out, walking up to him.
"What? I'm trying to fly this ship."
"I was wondering, do you have a game room or something?"
"No, but I do have a movie room."
"Nice. . . finally something useful this ship can do." Ike grinned, walking away.
(oOoOoOo)
Ganondorf and Bowser continued their ride with Makato tied up in her sidecar. The terrain changed from a desert into a forest area with a smooth ride.
"We are almost there," Ganondorf smirked, seeing a few trees.
"Do you think the Smashers will know about this?" Bowser questioned.
"By the time they find out, we'll be getting our gold."
"Gold. . . huh? So, it's money that they want," Makato spoke to herself in a soft tone. 'Mikoru, was it you? You. . . you never stop! You never give up! When will you stop?' Tears formed beneath her eyes.
"So, Ganondorf, what are you going to do with the gold?" Bowser asked.
"I'm going to cash it in and buy the SSBB mansion," Ganondorf said. "I'll kick everyone out and make Kirby my bitch, since he can cook."
"First of all, you're crazy, second, fuck you, and third, don't you think I would want to buy off the SSBB mansion myself?"
"Don't be so sure. Depending on my mood, I might give you less than one crate of gold."
Bowser growled. "Hmph! Fucking pig. . ."
"So, you don't want money, eh?"
"Yes, I do!"
Later in the ride, a song popped up in Ganondorf's head.
"I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it's fantastic-"
"Seriously?! That fucking song?! You better stop! And you're not even on key!" Bowser said, putting Ganondorf to a mute.
"Just stop. . ." Makato even agreed with Bowser, looking at the trees.
"None of you know what true music is. Fine. I'll sing a different song." Ganondorf cleared his throat, preparing his vocal cords. "It's a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse-"
"REALLY?!" Bowser interrupted. "YOU'RE SINGING THAT WITHOUT ME?! I LOVE THAT SONG!"
Makato's head dropped to her chest from Bowser's response.
"Ready? And a one, and a two, and three, and a four-"
"IT'S THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE! COME INSIDE IT'S FUN INSIDE! IT'S THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE, COME INSIDE IT'S FUN INSIDE. M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!" Bowser and Ganondorf sang in their raspy voice
Makato curled her lips up and sighed. "This. . . is torture."
(oOoOoOo)
Halberd
Everyone snacked on Meta Knight's homemade pork dumplings fresh from the steam pot.
"Mmm. . . muy bien!" Roy said, picking up another dumpling.
"Kirby taught me. . . how to make them." Meta Knight said slightly embarrassed.
"Cute," Marth said.
"There's nothing cute about that."
Ike stared at his dumpling. "Remember what Kirby said Makato would be a burden?"
"Do you think he's right about it?" Marth asked, sitting beside him.
"It's been a couple of days. . . Of course not," Ike said. "That's what I want to believe. Makato's not a burden just because of her family or her ex or whatever. We all have our flaws and shit that we carry into the Smash Mansion. I'll let her know that none of that will matter as long as she's under the same roof as us."
"The Princess would be happy to hear such words," Miru said.
"You and your cheesy-ass. Bet." Roy stared directly at Ike. A mini spark of lightning flashed between their eyes as they ate pork dumplings.
"Aren't you hungry, Meta Knight?" Pit asked.
"Or is it because you don't want us to see your face?" Captain Falcon said.
"Both."
"I bet you look cute and adorable like Kirby!" Pit said.
"If Meta Knight's here with us," Samus spoke. "Then who's steering the Halberd?"
The Smashers turned their heads to Meta Knight and that was when red exclamation marks popped on top of their heads. Altitude began to drop, and that was when the Halberd crashed dramatically into the depths of an abandoned factory.
It took time for everyone to recover from the crash, and Ike was the first to wake up in this situation.
Cold and rusty were the pipes. Everything was covered in dust and webs.
"Shit, we don't have time for crashing. . ." Ike said.
Soon everyone started to wake up, getting in the sight of the abandoned factory.
Meta Knight flew out of the Halberd, also checking the situation of the slanted ship and the opened hole from the ceiling.
"We need to find a solution fast out of here," Miru said.
The Smashers explored the factory and a way to get the ship out of the factory. After minutes of finding a solution, Falco called out to the Smashers and gathered them up.
"Hey, look what I found." Falco pointed to a case filled with liquid nitrogen engines.
"I don't get it, so. . ." Mario said, scratching his cheek.
"We can use these to boost ourselves out of here!" Fox said.
"Not to mention, it'll be the long distance of a ride and we'll probably get to Maple Forest in time." Captain Falcon said.
"Well, all of these riders agree with each other, so I don't see the problem," Marth said, shrugging.
Meta Knight nodded. "Get as many as you can fit in your hands. I'll install them in the engine immediately."
"Yes, Sir!"
(oOoOoOo)
9:30 A.M
Maple Forest
By the time Makato woke up, green was everywhere. Large trees row upon row. The grass was all perfectly aligned with one another. Flowers sparkled in their groups with fireflies glowing in broad daylight. Maple Forest. The scent of maple gave off the name. There was this odd sense of peace surrounding the whole area. As if everything would be alright.
Makato blinked a couple of times. Peaceful for the forest, but not for Makato anytime soon. She was going to be traded for gold bars. Either by some stranger or someone, she knew very well.
"It's time." Ganondorf looked down upon the potion princess. Makato struggled with the ropes, but no use trying to figure out the knots.
"Where is the guy?" Bowser asked right next to Ganondorf.
Ganondorf grabbed Makato and swung her over his broad shoulder.
"No. . .! Please!" Makato pleaded, struggling with her shoulders. Ganondorf was unbothered with her struggle, only gaining some annoyance.
They started walking on the visible dirt trail while passing some butterflies. "Whoever it was. . . they shouldn't be far."
Deep into the forest, they headed, looking for the anonymous poster. As they walked deeper and deeper, the sounds of murmuring came into their ears. Laughter and sailor talking. Inside they dived in and showed an unpleasant view of a bunch of muscular men with weapons of their own. A dirty band of mercenaries. There were many of them to trap Bowser and Ganondorf.
Ganondorf and Bowser came to a stop. Makato tried turning her head to see who the group of people were.
"This must be it," Bowser said.
"Hmmph." Ganondorf lifted Makato off his shoulders and dropped her to the ground. She coughed from the rough and unexpected landing, curling herself into a ball to ease the pain.
The chatting died down from the men as they split themselves apart, forming a path to someone greater than them.
"Where's my gold? Or the deal's off." Ganondorf demanded.
When the path was visible, the teen stood up from the boulder. His hair was luscious and gray with curls peaking toward the ends. His clothes were more of a dark knight-mage as his only choice of clothing was a black cloak covering the rest of his outfit, leaving his dark boots open for everyone to see. He peeked up, brushed his bangs to the side, and took a step forward. Just one step.
Ganondorf observed his actions, glaring directly at his black lifeless eyes.
He answered back with an unpleasant smirk, motioning him with his hand. "Come closer."
"Tch." Ganondorf picked up Makato's body with one of his arms and obeyed his instructions. Bowser silently followed.
Just when Makato recovered from the fall, she did her best to peek.
A rush of despair drove into her heart. It continued to pounce and punch and kick at the sight of him. Him. Her eyes widened with fear from both pupils, dilating into nothingness. Makato couldn't stop her lips from shaking. Any word she spilled out would sound like gibberish.
Ganondorf set her down on the ground instead of a drop as if the anonymous poster dared him to do that again. He was way shorter than Ganondorf's monstrous height but still presented himself to be prideful in his shortness.
"Hmph. Well played." He crossed his arms, staring straight up at Ganondorf. "I didn't expect my. . . sweet. . . dear Makato. . . would end up in the hands of such rubbish monsters. If you dare drop her again, I would have burned the gold. . . and your corpses along too."
There wasn't a need for Ganondorf to snap. Not until he knew who he was dealing with. In his eyes, hurting Makato was a knife to his throat.
"Heh, whatever. Just give me my five crates of gold bars and I'll be on my way." Ganondorf said.
"What are your names? I would like to thank the two of you for bringing her to me." He said, showing a. . . smile.
"Ganondorf."
"Bowser."
"Good to know. I'm Mikoru. I hope we don't see each other again in the future. . . It's better that way." He snapped his fingers. Five of the men carried the crates and left them to the side they were standing. The brilliant golden color shined through every crack, and there wasn't a need for a check.
"Let's go, Bowser." Ganondorf carried three of the crates, while Bowser carried two of them. Makato turned to Ganondorf and Bowser, shaking her head in a swift motion.
"Nn. . .o." Makato let out a croak from her swelling throat. "D-don't. . . leave me. . . No. . .! Not. . . him. . .!"
"What's wrong with me?"
The way he talked was almost teasing.
Mikoru kneeled at her level, untying the rope that bound her arms. He stared at her ocean eyes with his dark ones. She froze, feeling the touch of his cold hand, stroking up and down her bare leg.
"No. . . Mikoru. . . I told you. . . many times. . ." Words began to form from her tongue, gaining a bit of courage. "I can't- -I don't want to be with you. . .!"
"I've searched everywhere for you when you left Niho." Mikoru frowned, but that expression disappeared as he began grinning from ear to ear. "Words can't express my happiness, Makato Dear. We can finally get married! And your potions. . . your magic. . . your body. . . will all be mine. We'll be ruling over Niho. Together as one."
Mikoru's hand slowly caressed her cheek, as tears splattered upon it. "Your tears, your pain. . . a turn on at most, but soon it will turn into. . . love." He leaned in, licking the trail of her tear right toward the bottom corner of her eye. His other hand inside her nightgown snaked its way toward her waist.
Makato let out a frightened gasp shaking her head from his touches. ". . .Stop it. . .! No. . . no. . .!"
Mikoru glanced up at the blue sky and released her immediately, with a jump step back. A sharp blue arrow that could have pierced him through his forehead under his gray bangs if it weren't for his dodge.
"Lord Mikoru!" The muscular mercenaries were in position with their weapons ready, staring up at the trees.
"That arrow is distracting our reunion. . ." Mikoru stretched forth his hand, summoning a wide, demonic longsword. "Find whoever did that and kill them off."
"Lord Mikoru, Princess Makato has vanished!"
"What?!" Mikoru tightened the grip of his sword. "Find her now! I want her now! Search this whole damn forest!"
"Yes, Lord Mikoru!" Before the band of mercenaries, the Smashers made it easier for them, arriving at the scene. Mikoru furrowed his eyebrows at the sight of humans, animals on their legs, and more.
By the time Makato realized it, she was on top of a thick branch of one of the trees. Pit set her down with a wide grin.
"I'm so happy to see you, Makato!" Pit smiled.
"Pit. . .?" Makato was bewildered at the sight of his angelic appearance. She looked down, seeing many other Smashers confronting Mikoru and his men.
She felt her feet tumbling back on the thick branch but soon felt a strong, sturdy wall landing on her back.
"Watch your step." A deep voice spoke behind her.
Makato peeked back, seeing two large hands on each of her shoulders. She carefully turned around, seeing dark blue eyes and dark blue spikey hair.
"I-Ike. . .?"
"I'll be right beside you," Pit said to Ike before flying away from the current tree he was in. Makato was left with Ike on the lone thick branch that somehow held their weight.
She couldn't control her tears as they poured out like waterfalls.
"Are. . . you okay?" Ike asked. Seeing her nightgown and nothing but feet made him furious on the inside. He had to keep his cool. His priority was to make sure Makato was ok. 'Ganondorf's a dead piece of pork.'
Makato sniffled her nose and rubbed her tears away with her palms. "How did you guys. . . find me? I'm just. . . so happy right now. Thank you all. . . I thought you all would think. . . I disappeared. But then. . . you all came to save me."
With the little distance between them, Ike took a step, pulling her in toward his chest. He then brushed her messy long locks that perked from her hair. "Like I said that night. . . I'll be there for you."
Makato smiled and stared down at the ground, flustered. "All I can say is. . . thank you-"
Ike pivoted her chin up to wear their eyes met as he leaned in. Her sentence was interrupted with his lips placed against her own. Warm yet surprising, as blood rushed up to her cheeks. Makato couldn't let but lean back, but it only made the mercenary pull her in.
"More nonsense. . . More lowlives trying to take away what belongs to me. . ." Mikoru couldn't help but chuckle out his frustrations. "So, this is where the fun begins. . ."
A/N: Plz comment if you like this chapter! :3
