A/N: I was thinking I should make this the last chapter but no. Enjoy this chapter! :3

Chapter 9: The Fight and After Fight

"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 fight was itching to start, but nobody made a move yet. The Smashers had their eyes on the teen with gray hair and a dark cloak.

"Mikoru. . . I won't let you have your way anymore!" Miru said, positioning the arrow at Mikoru's head.

Mikoru recognized his voice as he clasped his hands together. "Oh, Miru! It's you. So, you're not that blue little bird anymore. . ." Mikoru chuckled. "But who cares. I don't know who you guys are, but I made a trade with Ganondorf and Bowser. The one who started this was them."

"At the end of the day, you exposed her!"

"I merely gave them the motive to find her." Mikoru pointed his sword straight toward the Smashers. "Kill them all!"

Mercenaries roared their battle cries, charging at the Smashers with their weapons.

"Brace yourselves, everyone!" Zelda said, preparing her magic in her hands.

Pit watched the brawling below them, losing sight of Mikoru. Clashes of weapons echoed in the forest. Somebody was hitting, somebody was shooting, somebody was slicing. A full battle, not knowing who was losing or winning.

Pit lowered his bow as he scratched his hair. "Um. . . Ike. . .?"

"What is it?"

"I can't find that Mikoru guy."

"Look harder," Ike said.

"There are so many people fighting each other. Ah, Mario! Watch out for that uppercut! But anyway, you should take Makato back into the Halberd. Right now would be a good chance."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Ike looked over to Makato. "Let's get to the Halberd. Right now, it's the safest option."

Makato answered with a nod, unfamiliar with the Halberd. Ike lifted her feet off the branch, and carried her, hopping onto another tree after tree.

Pit glanced back at the two, staring at Ike's back. "That Ike. . . his timing was good I oughta say. . ."

(oOoOoOo)

"My Lord! They're stronger than they appear. . ." One of the mercenaries held onto his bloody arm as he limped over to him.

Mikoru held unto his sword, but never swung it. He watched in silence, and then his eyes perked up at the trees. That was when he caught a glimpse of pink fading away from his sight, as the tree rustled one by one.

"It seems I've underestimated them. Whether we win or lose doesn't matter to you guys. What matters most is getting my hands on Makato. Keep at it." Mikoru ordered.

"Yes, my Lord." As the mercenary continued to hold onto his arm, he watched him fade out, leaving a trail of the smoke of chilling fog behind.

"Damn, this guy's like Jack Frost. . . he's so cold. . ."

(oOoOoOo)

Halberd

"This is the Halberd?" Makato asked, holding onto Ike's neck.

"Yeah. Pretty big, isn't it?" Right at the entry of Maple Forest where Ganondorf and Bowser were there. Tied up to the motorcycle that Wario personally did.

"Serves those jerks right. . ." Ike gave a stink eye to the two villains, setting the potion princess down on her feet.

It was quiet here in the Halberd while being surrounded by nothing but trees. And from the distance, they could only hear the battle.

Makato stared at her hands as a reference for her thoughts. 'His hands. . .' Makato murmured. "His hands. . . were so cold. . . colder than before. . ."

". . .What was that?"

"Oh. Sorry, don't mind me." She blushed and turned herself away from his gaze. She didn't forget the kiss, but never addressed it. It was bound to be awkward at one point in time.

Ike picked up his sword and swung it over his shoulder. "I'll be back. For now, just stay inside and hide in a room." Ike said.

"Be careful out there, Ike." Makato held her hands toward her chest.

Ike nodded and took a step away from Makato. The moment he did, a smoggy cloud formed right in front of Ike, bending, shaping itself into a human.

Mikoru appeared from the chilling smoke and let out a sigh. "So, this is where you ran off, Makato Dear. Hahaha. . . what an ugly looking ship this is. . ."

"M-Mikoru. . ." Makato froze in fear, taking a few steps back.

"What the?" Ike sweatdropped at the unknown teleportation but still pointed his sword at the dark mage.

Mikoru lowered his eyelids toward Ike, who stood at the path across from Makato.

"One after the other." Mikoru cocked his head to the side, as he lifted his sword, pointing the blade at Ike. "You're in my way. Step aside, if you want to live."

"Bruh, she said no. What part of no do you not understand?" Ike said. "Oh, I get it. You're those 'Yuki, Yuki?' types, huh?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mikoru smirked at his answer. "You got jokes don't you, homeless fighter?"

"Homeless fighter?! That's a new one! I'll add that into my dictionary!" Ike turned his head to Makato with veins popping all over his head.

"Stay in a room while I beat your ex."

"Y-yes. . ." Her feet moved on their own before her brain had a chance to think.

"Let's make this a quick dance." Mikoru walked up to Ike, slowly changing the pace into a sprint.

"We'll see by the end of this who'll have two left feet- -wow, Roy's right. I can be a bit cheesy." Ike scoffed to himself, also changing his pace into a full-on sprint.

"I guess he won the fucking bet!" Ike shouted, slamming his sword straight at his. The power of fire and ice clashed and fused, creating a gust of heavy winds.

"Don't underestimate me!" Mikoru held his stance and swung a kick for his legs. Ike jumped back from the attack and charged again with another swing. A block followed by a counter from Mikoru, and then a quick dodge from Ike. The patterns kept repeating, but none of them gave up, coming up with new ways than the last attack.

(oOoOoOo)

Smash Mansion

Master Hand, Crazy Hand, and the rest of the Smashers were outside in their front yard.

"How should we get to the Maple Forest?" Lucario asked.

"Isn't that place super far?" Red asked.

"WE HAVE THE SMASH CANNON." Master Hand said.

"Oh, yea! That piece of junk." Ness nodded.

"IT NEEDS CLEANING! GOTTA SWEEP, SWEEP, SWEEP OUT THE SPIDERS!" Crazy Hand said.

"Ew! Spiders!" Peach shook her head.

"No way I'm cleaning that!" Ness said.

"Maybe. . . Kirby can turn into a vacuum and clean the cannon?" Lucas suggested. Everyone turned their attention to Kirby.

"Do I look like a fucking vacuum to you?! Clean your shit!" Kirby barked.

"Uh, okay then. What about your weird blue squirrel turtle?" Toon Link pointed at the blue animal.

"Great idea! Squirtle can use water gun! Isn't that right?" Red smiled over to his blue Pokemon.

Squirtle stared back at his owner. "Squir- -Fuck that you puta! Amigo, no soy tu esclavo hombre! Ve a chuparte un burrito por la garganta!"

The Smashers around Red were left speechless from its language.

Red sweatdropped. "Uh. . . Squirtle? Nobody understood what you said! I know I got you in the Brazil area but please! Cooperate with us! Use water-gun!"

"Si!" Squirtle pulled out a water toy gun and squirted at the cannon. There wasn't an excuse for nobody to facepalm themselves at this moment.

"Not that kind of water gun! Ugh, whatever! At least it's clean." Red adjusted his hat.

"NOW THAT IT'S CLEAN, EVERYONE HOP ON IN." Master Hand pointed his index finger toward the cannon.

"Is it safe?" Peach questioned.

"WE'LL SEE."

"Are all of us fitting at the same time?" Lucario asked.

"OF COURSE NOT! SKINNY FIRST, FATTIES LAST!" Crazy Hand said.

(oOoOoOo)

Halberd

Ike broke through Mikoru's patterns and defense, lifting his sword in the air for his ultimate move. "Great aether!"

The waves of destruction took Mikoru by surprise, every swing felt like his last breath for Mikoru, taking it all in.

"Ngh!" The final flaming swing sent Mikoru flying toward the edge of the ship. His demonic sword still gripped in his palms. Ike landed back on his feet, lowering his sword.

'Did I kill him?' Ike thought. He waited for a reaction from the dark mage. He laid there, still for a while.

The mercenary couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. 'Easy money. Let's goooooo.'

Just when Ike was celebrating in his mind, Ike spotted his legs twitching.

'Say sike right now.'

Mikoru rose from the ground like a zombie, cracking his neck from side to side. Ike could have sworn there were bruises and blood all over his body. The only thing that was damaged was his black cloak, showing parts of his undershirt.

"I'll have to admit, that was such a fancy move you've got there." Mikoru looked at his arm, seeing the glimmering bits of ice coating his whole arm. "Unfortunately for you, I have this thin magic ice barrier naked to the eye of any normal person. Great against fire attacks such as yours. The power of ice. . . is amazing. . . Hehehe."

"We'll see how long that ice barrier would last against my Ragnell." Ike charged up to Mikoru and swung his sword straight at him. Mikoru countered.

"Tralgrallath, make ice into steel! Freeze them all!" Mikoru lashed out, creating a 180-degree swing of ice shards exploding from the tip of his sword. Ike took cover with his sword, dodging the ice crystals with his Ragnell.

"Ngh!" Ike felt the shocking pain of ice shards crashing into his ankles. That attack alone coated Ike's feet with ice. It soon began to coat his legs, while leaving him glued to the ground. The temperature from his toes dropped like a weight.

'I can't feel my legs. . .! What kind of ice is this?' Ike let out a breath of frustration, as the ice kept creeping up his kneecaps and to his thighs. The mercenary tried stabbing the ice; not a single crack chipped off.

Mikoru watched Ike, struggling to break the ice, as he lowered his demonic sword. "Once you're fully coated in Tralgrallath's steel ice, you'll be dead." Mikoru took his time walking up to him.

"Damn you. . ." Ike cursed.

"I'm letting you live for a couple of minutes. Consider yourself lucky." His dark eyes darted toward the main ship of the Halberd, passing Ike along the way.

'Shit! I can't move! Makato!'

(oOoOoOo)

Maple Forest

The battle of the mercenaries ended with the Smashers being victorious, knocking each of them out. The Smashers gathered around, sweat dripping from head to toe.

"We should check back at the Halberd," Mario said, fanning himself with his head.

"Yeah! Ike's there with Makato." Pit said.

"We can go home. I'm kinda liking the aesthetics of this place." Roy complimented. "Smells like honey."

"Weird. Such a beautiful place. . . for something so horrible." Marth said.

"Fucking Ganondorf! How dare he! Wait till I-!"

Miru checked the mercenaries' faces on the ground. "We didn't see Mikoru anywhere. . ."

"Where could he have gone? Did he escape?" Samus asked.

"No. Impossible," Miru said. "Princess Makato is still here. That greedy bastard won't leave. . . without her."

The Smashers took glances amongst each other, and then they heard a sharp echo from the direction of the Halberd.

(oOoOoOo)

Inside Halberd

Many rooms lead to different places. All different from the next. Mikoru brushed the rusty wall with his hands. Every step echoed into his ears, being the only sound. He furrowed his eyebrows. Irritated. Searching for Makato would take days, making a week no less.

He knew her magic and her scent. Tracking her down shouldn't take that long. As long as he's within the radius.

"She's making this harder for me. I'm tired of playing hide-and-seek." Mikoru then stopped in front of a room. He closed his eyes, feeling a presence from the many rooms he passed. It had to be this one.

Impatient, he sliced the door open, as small demons devoured the door like butter. His dark eyes caught large boxes, metal pipes, and other things scattered all over the place. A storage room, but messy.

He took in a whiff of the place and let it out. "Makato. Come out." His eyes targeted the corner of the storage room with boxes stacked all over the place.

No response. Mikoru aimed his sword toward the corner. "Tralgrallath, freeze." From that command, his sword glowed an icy blue. He started walking, poking each piece of junk with his sword. The touch of his blade made anything freeze.

Makato curled herself into a tight ball, pretending not to hear his voice. Hoping his footsteps would stop. She held her composure as much as she could. But it only weakened as the chilling aura came closer and closer.

'Ike, please be okay!' She cried inside.

The footsteps stopped. Makato lifted her head, seeing the box shelter she made still in one piece. It was still cold. But there weren't any footsteps.

'Is he gone. . . or?' She grew curious.

Makato thought about Ike, now having an urge to check on him. Uncurling herself, she brought herself to her feet. Her heart started racing. It was still cold. . .

She had to check. A little peek.

Makato lowered her back and tiptoed her way to her wall of boxes. Looking through the crack. . .

A black eye appeared.

". . .!" A gasp escaped from her lips, and she did her best to seal it up immediately.

"Are you done? Already? Hehehe. . .!" The boxes were sent flying, while also freezing up. Makato flinched at his presence. Twice more insane than he was in the forest.

"Makato. My Dear, Dear. . . Dear, Makato." Mikoru threw his sword to the side and walked toward her with open arms. Makato was driven back to the corner, without anything to protect herself. Just her and him. No, just her and this monster.

Instead of a hug, he went straight for her wrist, gripping it with all of his might.

"Ah!" Makato screamed out in agony. Even from her cries, he never let go, squeezing her wrist like a stress ball.

"This is your punishment for running away from me. Why can't you just. . . surrender?"

A kick landed on his stomach, making Mikoru loosen his grip on her wrist. "Cute. You, trying to fight?"

"Mikoru. . . I'm not going to marry you! No. . . it's not right. Not what you've done! Not what you've told me. . .!" Makato trembled from the pain on her wrist.

The sight she was in made Mikoru lick his lips, closing the space between them. He released her wrist, seeing a light shade of purple from her cream skin.

"Now. . . we're alone. I want to mess you up so bad. . . You never gave me the chance to feel your insides. . . That bastard Miru, always in the way."

His hand went for her legs, sliding them up toward her thighs under her nightgown. Makato let out a gasp, pushing down her skirt as much as she could from showing him her undergarments.

"You're sick!" She cried out.

Mikoru then slammed her lips against hers. She muffled him to pull out, shaking her head as much as she could. Unexpectedly, Mikoru parted from the kiss and glared at her. A drastic change in emotion made Makato's heart drop. Anger was visible all around his face.

"Who touched your lips?" Mikoru growled. "Why would you let another man. . . touch you?"

"W-what?" Makato blushed from his question. "No. . . it's not like that. . .!"

"How could you betray me, Makato Dear? You deserve punishment." Mikoru then went for her skirt, forcing a slight tear in the process.

"No! Stop it!"

"Detroit. . . Smash!" A powerful blow sent to his jaw sent Mikoru crashing against the metal wall. Captain Falcon cracked his knuckles and grinned at Makato.

"Are you okay, Makato?" Captain Falcon approached her.

She nodded. "Thank you. . . Captain Falcon." She glanced down at her left wrist, seeing purple ringing around like a thick bracelet.

More Smashers filled up the room the two were in.

"Princess!" Miru ran up to Makato and embraced her. "I'm so glad you're okay! Did he hurt you?"

"He's in here. . ." Makato looked toward the left where Mikoru crashed.

Miru followed her eyes and checked the same area. A bunch of boxes and junk, but there wasn't a sign of him.

"The chills. . . I don't feel it. I think he escaped." Miru said.

"MAKATO IS SAFE." Master Hand said. "MISSION COMPLETE."

"Hey, Master Hand? How did you get here so quick?" Roy wondered.

"THE SMASH CANNON THAT CAN TAKE YOU TO ANY DESTINATION."

"Makato! I'm so happy to see you!" Peach ran up to Makato, glomping her.

"Peach. . ." Makato cracked a small smile, putting her arms around her.

"So Master Hand. What about Ganon and Bowser?" Marth asked. "They caused this whole thing."

"PUFUFUFU! I MAKE SURE THEY'RE BURIED IN DEBT FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES!" Crazy Hand said.

"Don't we all love being in debt?" Ike said.

"As long it's not us! Am I right?!" Roy said.

"YEAH!" Everyone cheered.

(oOoOoOo)

Smash Mansion

7:00 P.M

They got back on the Halberd and headed back to the Smash Mansion. Dinner was served soon after with the night being stable and steady.

Makato rested in her bed, after drinking a potion of healing. Healing to her physical and mental state. Reflecting on everything that happened today. The Maple Forest, Mikoru, Ike. . . and. . .

Makato placed her finger on her lips. "So. . . warm. . ." Makato blushed and shook her head. "No. I need to sleep." She walked up to her door for the lights. With her hands on the switch, a knock made its way to her door.

"Hello?" Makato opened the door.

"Hey, Makato. . ."

"I-Ike. . .!"

Ike showed a thumbs up with a straight look on his face. "It'sa me, Ike- -I will never do that again."

A smile formed on her lips. She moved away from the door, letting Ike enter her room. Once she closed the door, she turned around, seeing the mercenary staring straight at her.

"I heard you were frozen from Mikoru's attack. . ." Makato started the conversation. "Are you ok?"

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry about that. Zelda was able to get me out of that ice. . ." Ike said. "I wasn't able to protect you. I'm sorry. What happened was my fault."

"No. It wasn't." Makato shook her head. "If it weren't for you fighting Mikoru. I. . . I don't know what would happen to me. So, thank you."

Ike watched her body language before letting out a sigh. "Well, enough about me. I didn't come here to talk about the fight." Ike said, walking toward her. She backed up slowly, now finding her back against the wall.

"W-what?" Makato stuttered. She felt her cheeks heating up like a kettle, just waiting to blow out the steam.

"Should I remind you?" Ike smirked, leaning in.

(oOoOoOo)

Pit's Room

"I'm telling you! I saw Ike making a move on Makato!" Pit explained, laying on his bed. "In the Maple Forest! He was all like, 'I'll be there for you', and then MUAH! Like I saw it! I didn't want to interrupt, that'd be weird. . ."

"What?!" Roy exclaimed, clenching his fist. "That bastard! How dare he make a move before me!"

"I can't believe the Princess allowed him. . . that pervert." Miru glared at the floor.

"Aww!" Peach gleamed. "I wonder if she likes him?"

"Ike, always making the first move. . ." Marth sighed, shaking his head.

"Who knows. . ." Samus crossed her arms.

"We'll see what happens," Zelda said. "Then again, I think I saw him heading to her room."

The group of Smashers paused for a second, processing the information.

"What?! Oh, hell no! We need to stop him!" Roy raised his fist in the air. The Smashers then watched him leave the room in a flash.

"Let them be!" Peach ran after Roy.

(oOoOoOo)

Makato's Room

"I can't do this." Her hands were against his chest before Ike could touch her lips. Makato frowned, with her eyes straight toward her feet. "I'm sorry, Ike, but I think we're better off as friends. We barely know each other. I don't want you or anybody else to get involved. Now that he knows you. . ."

Without looking up, she felt his chest leave her hands. "You're right. I didn't mean to jump to conclusions." Not a hint of anger in his words.

Makato looked up at him seeing his blunt expression once more. A few seconds later, Ike stretched his hand out toward the princess. "Anyway, as you said, we're better off as friends. At least we'll get to know each other better."

"Yes. . . Great friends." Makato reached for his hand, shaking it.

"Who knows. . . It's only a matter of time." Ike smirked. "Friends. Sure. We'll take it from there."

From his words, she couldn't stop herself from blushing.

A/N: Plz, comment if you like this chapter. \(^_^)/