From the Stars

by kentuckyfriedsushi

Summary:

On a fateful spring night, a knight found an infant that had descended from the sky above. He vowed to raise it as his own.

Notes:

can't stop thinking about metadad. i'll update this as i come up with ideas. the characters are all human but i kept their designs mostly up to interpretation.

Chapter 1: Mask

"Welcome back Sir Meta Knight! Did the meeting with the king go well?"

 

Sailor Dee stood outside the door to one of the Halberd's many rooms. He spoke with his typical chipper energy, but his appearance told another story. Dee's bright orange hair was messy and unkempt, and the hat atop it was askew. The blue and white uniform was full of wrinkles and covered with stains of various kinds. There were visible bags under the poor boy's eyes as well.

 

Meta Knight took a second to take his ragged appearance before responding with, "As well as it could've. I see you've been occupied with Kirby."

 

Sailor Dee laughed weakly. "He sure is a handful. Little guy really missed you a lot!"

 

"I apologize for suddenly entrusting you with him, but I just couldn't bring him with me," Meta said. It wasn't that Dedede hated children, quite the opposite actually. But he just couldn't bring an infant to an important meeting with the monarch of Dream Land. Especially one like Kirby.

 

The masked knight lightly pat Sailor Dee's head. "Still, thank you for looking after Kirby. Please take a break. You deserve it."

 

Dee nodded his head and stepped away from the door. With a quick "thank you" and salute, he then left for his quarters.

 

Now it was just Meta Knight standing in front of the door. He slowly opened the door and entered quietly.

 

The room was like nothing else on the Halberd. The walls were painted a pastel pink with little stars and clouds scattered across them. A drawer packed with clothes and other supplies was placed near the door. To the right of the room was a large wooden box full of a variety of toys, and next to it was the nightstand. On top sat a fancy lamp shaped like the moon-a gift from the king. In the top-left corner of the room was a small rocking chair. Lastly, in the middle of the room was a large white crib where Kirby laid.

 

Immediately Meta noticed how clean the room was. He was expecting it to be a cluttered mess, but it looked like Sailor Dee took his time cleaning up. After all, Meta Knight wanted everything on his ship to be neat and organized.

 

Kirby suddenly started babbling excitedly, realizing that Meta was finally back. He walked towards the crib and stared down at the baby warmly.

 

The infant was adorned with light pink hair, and his eyes were a dazzling blue. Meta swore he could see the stars in them. He was about the average size for a baby his age despite how much he ate. It was no surprise that all of the Meta-Knights aboard the Halberd thought he was the most precious thing ever.

 

"Did you miss me?"

Kirby's pudgy little arms reached out to Meta Knight, and he picked him up gently. Holding the baby in his arms, Meta walked towards the rocking chair and sat down.

 

It had now been 3 months since that fateful night. Sometimes Meta Knight still couldn't believe that he was now raising a baby. A child of Void, just like him. They were scattered across the universe yet fate decided to bring Kirby to him on Planet Popstar.

 

Meta then realized something. Kirby had never seen him without his mask. He still wore it every single day. No one could see what he really looked like. Nobody at all.

 

But Kirby too?

 

The knight took a deep breath. It really didn't seem right that his adoptive son had no idea what he truly looked like. And so, Meta Knight made a decision.

 

With one hand still carefully holding the baby, Meta pushed his mask to the side of his face. His face was now clearly visible to Kirby. Holding him with two hands again, Meta looked at Kirby, anticipating his reaction.

 

Kirby looked confused, and his eyes scanned Meta's face.

 

Suddenly, his face scrunched up, and he began to cry.

 

Meta Knight started to panic. Why was he now upset? He tried to soothe Kirby, but he just kept bawling. 

 

Then it dawned on him.

 

His mask.

 

Meta's heart sank as he hastily put the mask back on. The knight began to whisper to Kirby.

 

"Hey, look! I'm right here! It's ok!"

 

Kirby opened his tear filled eyes to see that familiar face and started to calm down. His tiny hands touched the cool metal, and he stopped crying. The baby let out a high pitched giggle, happy that his dad was back.

 

Meta gave a sigh of relief and nuzzled the infant close to him. Perhaps he would have to wait before taking off his mask again. 

 

They stayed in the chair for a while before Meta Knight stood up with Kirby in his arms.

 

"Why don't we go see what's in the cafeteria?"

 

The baby babbled in response, and Meta took that as a yes. The two started to head towards the cafeteria to get some food, and Meta Knight swore for a second he heard Kirby say "Papa".

Chapter 2: Quarters

One of Kirby's favorite things to do was explore every inch of the Halberd. The massive airship was full of rooms with cool stuff inside. Unfortunately, he either couldn't reach any of the doors or they were locked, so Kirby simply stuck with aimlessly roaming the halls.

 

He happily waltzed along while singing his favorite tune. The little 3-year old was usually supervised by either his father or the other members of the Meta-Knights, but he managed to sneak away from Axe Knight and Sailor Dee this time. The two got into an argument; Kirby had no idea what they were talking about. He just saw the perfect opportunity to escape.

 

Kirby kept walking until he saw a door he'd never seen before. It had a fancy plaque with the words "Captain's Quarters" engraved on it. Underneath was a piece of paper. There was something written on it.

 

" Please do not disturb unless it's an emergency.

 

      -M.K."

 

Unfortunately, Kirby had no idea what it meant. He was still learning how to read, and his curiosity was simply piqued. 

 

The child took a deep breath and lept towards the door's handle. He reached towards it with his left hand and grabbed it.

 

Success!

 

The door swung open, and Kirby spent no time hopping down and entering.

 

He quietly snuck inside and carefully closed the door behind him. It was the most spacious room he'd ever seen. To the left of the room was a fancy writing desk, and to the right was a large bookshelf. On the desk were large stacks of papers.

 

But what caught Kirby's eye was the massive bed in the top middle of the room. 

 

His dad was on it sleeping!

 

Earlier this morning, he had told Kirby that he was very busy and couldn't play today. Axe and Sailor Dee said that he most likely would be back this evening, but Kirby just missed him so much. He didn't hate those two; they were very nice to him. It was just that Kirby loved his dad so much.

 

And here he was, casually taking a nap. Kirby waddled over to the bed and climbed on it. He decided to have a closer look at Meta Knight.

 

He wasn't wearing his signature armor-not even his mask. In fact, they were on the floor next to the bed. He simply had on a black tank top and grey sweatpants. Kirby couldn't see his large bat wings on his back; they were probably tucked away underneath his shirt.

 

Meta Knight was lying on his back with his arms over his chest. All that could be heard in the room were light snores.

 

For a brief moment, Kirby considered waking him up so they could play, but his dad just looked so peaceful. It would be horrible to bother him, and Kirby didn't like seeing his dad upset.

 

So he simply watched. Meta's chest slowly rose and fell with every breath. His face was relaxed with strands of dark blue hair in his face. It was making Kirby feel sleepy as well, so he decided to join him.

 

The child crept towards his sleeping father and gently lifted his strong arms. He crawled onto his chest and snuggled close. 

 

Meta's arms instinctively wrapped around his son, making him smile. Kirby suddenly heard a deep rumbling, and it was coming from his dad. 

 

Was he purring? 

 

Kirby had no idea he could do that, but he then felt himself start to do it too! It was an incredibly pleasant feeling along with the strong rhythm of Meta's heartbeat in his ears.  Letting his eyes close, the boy fell asleep in the strong arms of his father.

"Look, he couldn't have gone far. You know those stubby little arms couldn't reach any of the doors," Axe Knight said, walking behind Sailor Dee. The two had been searching Kirby for almost half an hour.

 

"That's not the problem, Axe! Kirby could've gotten on one of the elevators! What if he's in the boiler room? Or the main engine?" Sailor Dee was frantically checking every single door, practically hyperventilating. 

 

"Besides, this is your fault!"

 

"My fault!?" Axe spat. "You were the one who was all like, 'Nooo! Don't teach Kirby one of your stupid party tricks! He's only two years old!'".

 

"Three years old. He's three. And you were definitely going to try to juggle your axes with your eyes closed!"

 

"Why would you assume that just because I was holding three of them-" Axe Knight was abruptly cut off when Sailor Dee put a hand over his mouth.

 

"Quiet!" he hissed.

 

The two of them had reached his quarters. Axe yanked Dee's hand off his mouth, and walked towards the door to open it.

 

"WAIT!" Dee loudly whispered.

 

"What?"

 

Sailor Dee pointed to the piece of paper on the wall. 

 

"We're not supposed to bother Sir Meta Knight!"

 

Axe only looked at him in annoyance.

 

"Unless it's an emergency. Are you saying the captain's son going missing isn't one?"

 

Dee tried to form a response but found himself at a loss for words. He then sighed in defeat.

 

"Alright then. We're so dead…"

 

Axe simply ignored that last sentence and opened the door. He was about to shout out the captain's name until he saw him asleep in his bed with Kirby in his arms. Sailor Dee followed from behind and soon saw the two of them as well. 

 

"H-how did he get in?" Sailor Dee stammered. 

 

Axe simply shrugged. They simply stood there for a few minutes until Axe broke the silence.

 

"Should we leave them alone?"

 

Dee nodded, and the two slowly exited the room. They walked a fair distance away from the captain's quarters.

 

Sailor Dee sighed, "We're going to be in so much trouble when they wake up."

 

"What do we do then?"

 

"We'll just have to wait for our punishment. Let's go to the deck."

Meta Knight slowly stirred awake, feeling something pressed near his chest. He opened his eyes only to find Kirby happily napping in his arms.

 

Meta was absolutely bewildered. How did find his room and get in? Weren't Axe and Sailor Dee supposed to keep an eye on them? And was he purring ?

 

He lightly tapped Kirby on the back and whispered, "Kirby?"

 

The boy opened his eyes to find his father staring at him. He sheepishly smiled and said hi.

 

"Er…hi," Meta Knight awkwardly said.

 

Kirby then realized what he had done and frowned.

 

"Sorry Papa…"

 

Meta shook his head. "It's ok, I'm not mad." 

 

Axe and Sailor Dee on the other hand…

 

He set Kirby down next to him and began to stretch. His wings slowly unfurled, and Kirby looked in awe. He never got tired of seeing them.

 

Meta got off his bed and reached for his outfit and mask. He started to put it on over what he was currently wearing. 

 

"Kirby, can you please tell me how you got in here and what Axe and Dee were doing?"

 

"Ok!"

 

Kirby then began explaining everything as best as he could. As Meta listened carefully, he thought about how fast Kirby was growing. To think he could now open doors by himself! 

 

It brought him both pride and worry. He was now going to have to be extra careful making sure Kirby didn't endanger himself. 

 

Once Kirby finished his story, Meta Knight thanked him. They both exited his quarters and began walking towards one of the elevators. He was going to have to find those two and punish them appropriately, but first he needed some coffee. And Kirby was probably hungry as well.

 

The two then stepped onto a metal elevator leading to the deck of the ship. They rode in silence for a minute until Kirby turned to his father and asked,"What are you gonna do to Axe and Dee?"

 

"...punish them."

 

"How?"

 

"I'm still thinking about it."

 

Notes:

and axe knight and sailor dee were forced to scrub all the bathrooms for two weeks.

Thank you so much for all of the support! I apologize for not replying to any comments, but I've just been overwhelmed. I read all of them though. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Morning

Notes:

Kirby is around 5 or 6 here.

Nope…

 

Not that one…

 

…And here!

 

Kirby found the door to the captain's quarters. A.K.A Dad's room. He slowly opened the door inside. It was very dim inside, but Kirby managed to make his way to the bed where Dad was sleeping.

 

He looked like a big lump curled up in the dark blue sheets. A big lump that snored a bit. Meta Knight was sleeping on his side facing the left of the room. Kirby simply stared for a few seconds before proceeding to wake him up.

 

First, he softly poked his Dad's face.

 

…Nothing. Time for Plan B.

 

Crawling onto the bed, Kirby began shaking his shoulders and loudly whispering his name.

 

"Dad? Daaaad…"

 

Meta Knight let out a small groan. It's working!

 

Meanwhile, Meta was slowly pulled away from whatever dream he was having by some rough jostling. He was confused as to what was going on until he heard an all too familiar voice.

 

Kirby was awake.

 

He opened one eye to quickly glance at the clock on the wall.

 

6:56.

 

Meta closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Kirby, it's 6 in the morning. Go back to sleep."

 

"But I'm not tired!"

 

"Well I still am," Meta Knight grumbled. He then tried to fall back asleep until…

 

Two little hands began tickling him! Now it was on.

 

Meta suddenly rose up and scooped Kirby up in his arms. He placed a hand on the boy's head and began lightly ruffling it. The other started tickling his belly. Kirby started giggling loudly.

 

"Dad! Stop!"

 

His dad let out a hearty laugh. "Isn't this what you wanted?"

 

Kirby could only respond with more laughter as Meta continued his attack. They stayed that way for a good minute until both were laying down panting.

 

Kirby sat up and stared down at his dad. "Hey! You're awake now!" He gleamed with pride. 

 

Meta looked at Kirby tiredly. He wasn't wrong.

 

"Alright. You win," he sighed. The knight slowly rose up and yawned loudly. He got off the bed and started his daily stretches.

 

Kirby looked curiously before deciding to join him. He stood a fair distance from his father and began mimicking him. Meta noticed this and smiled warmly.

 

After their morning stretches, Kirby grabbed Meta Knight's hand and led him to the door. Meta let out a small giggle as he reached for his mask and put it on.

 

"Are you that excited for breakfast?"

 

"Trident said he was gonna make omelettes today!"

 

Ah, that explains it. But Meta had to admit that Trident Knight's cooking was excellent. Far better than his. Just one problem.

 

"I don't think Trident's awake right now Kirby."

 

Kirby paused to think. "...Then we'll just wake him up!"

 

Meta Knight could only shake his head. He was in the mood for a mushroom and bell pepper omelette though. 

 

"Just don't be super rough, ok?"

 

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Sorry for the shorter chapters.

EDIT: wow i messed up and post 2 duplicate chapters! so sorry about that.

Chapter 4: Protect

If there was one thing Kirby loved, it was sunny days in Dream Land. The sky would be a beautiful light blue, and life would be teeming around every corner. From the butterflies fluttering about to the birds singing their favorite melodies, he loved seeing it all.

 

And what was even better than that? Relaxing in Dream Land with Dad of course!

 

Kirby held his father's hand tightly as he led him to their destination for today. One of the boy's favorite pastimes was looking at some of the books that Meta Knight owned. On a typical Sunday afternoon, he found a large book detailing special locations in Dream Land. One that caught his eye was a massive forest. Kirby still had trouble reading complex paragraphs, but he was able to decipher two very important things: it was full of animals to play with and had the largest and most delicious apples on Planet Popstar.

 

Naturally, Kirby begged for Meta to take him there. His father eventually complied, and now the two were walking on the dirt path to the fabled "Whispy Woods".

 

"Kirby, maybe I should be leading the way," Meta Knight said.

 

He simply shook his head. "I know where to go! The book told me!" Kirby was confident in his abilities even though he still had trouble reading. He wanted to show his dad how brave and smart he was!

 

…But perhaps his father was right. They'd been walking for about half an hour now with no sign of the woods.

 

The child started to turn towards him and ask for help.

 

And then, time seemed to freeze.

 

In the blink of an eye, Kirby went from holding Meta Knight's hand to suddenly being brought closely to his side. The knight's left arm was securely wrapped around him. Kirby then noticed the absence of his father's cape. In its place were his large wings now flared up. 

 

It almost gave Kirby whiplash because of how sudden it was. He was just about to ask his father what was going on when he saw it.

 

In front of the two was a creature never seen before. It looked somewhat humanoid but hunched over like a feral animal. Its body looked amorphous and almost like gas. The monster was pitch black all over, and it had one large red eye whose glare pierced directly into Kirby's soul.

 

And in his father's hand was Galaxia.

 

Kirby knew of the blade's existence. His father told him the story of its creation once. It was a legendary sword forged by an ancient race, and only Meta Knight could wield its power. Kirby had never seen the blade in person though. It was purposefully kept hidden from him; Meta said it was too dangerous to have around his son.

 

But now here it was, being pointed directly at the beast. Kirby couldn't believe his eyes. 

 

It was a gorgeous gold color with a bright red ruby on the hilt. The blade was serrated with three points on each side. Kirby couldn't describe it, but he could feel the immense power emanating from Galaxia just by looking at it.

 

Suddenly, Meta Knight lept several feet back with Kirby in one arm. When the two landed back on the ground, he quickly but carefully pushed Kirby back.

 

"Stay right there," he whispered, not keeping his eye off the creature. 

 

Kirby could only obey as his father suddenly dashed towards the monster. His blade was aimed directly at it. Once he got close enough, Meta Knight began quickly slashing the creature without mercy. Galaxia was tearing through its skin, but it seemed somewhat unfazed.

 

The monster let out a guttural growl and lunged its head towards Meta Knight's. Meta swiftly ducked and bashed the hilt of his sword right in the jaw.

 

The beast stumbled onto the dirt. It struggled to get back up while Meta carefully observed his foe. Once it regained its stance, the knight thrusted Galaxia towards the monster's chest.

 

It tried to retaliate by swiping at him with its claws, but Meta effortlessly dodged it by launching himself in the air. The monster let out a loud screech as it uncannily extended a tendril towards the airborne knight. He weaved to the side and suddenly dove down. With Galaxia's tip aimed directly at its head, Meta Knight lunged the blade directly into its head.

 

The creature could only writhe and shriek in pain as he drove the sword deeper into it. When Meta finally yanked Galaxia out, it collapsed on the ground, motionless. Meta Knight simply stared as it began to dissolve into nothingness. It looked like the monster's body was turning into smoke as more of it faded away.

 

Once it completely disappeared, Kirby slowly walked over to his father's side. He turned to look at his face. 

 

Because the mask obscured most of his face, it was sometimes difficult to tell what Meta was feeling. The only indicator was his bright yellow eyes, and right now they burned with an anger Kirby had never seen before. Meta Knight would sometimes get cross with him or his crew, but that was nothing compared to this. This wasn't him when Kirby was bothering him during paperwork or when Axe Knight was doing something stupid in front of them. This was pure, unadulterated rage. 

 

Kirby felt a shiver down his spine.

 

"Dad?"

 

Meta Knight suddenly turned towards his son. His glare instantly softened as he hugged Kirby tightly. His wings enveloped the two of them into a cocoon of safety. 

 

They stayed like that for a minute until Kirby broke the silence with a question.

 

"What was that thing?"

 

"A creature from the darkness," Meta responded.

 

"Why did it want to hurt us?"

 

"Because inflicting pain is all it knows."

 

Meta Knight's wings soon opened again as he stood up with Kirby still securely in his arms. He took to the air, and the two began to head back to the Halberd. It seemed that going to Whispy Woods would have to wait, but Kirby didn't care. The events of today were burned forever into his mind. He saw a side of his father he had never seen before.

 

As he held on tightly to Meta Knight, Kirby felt a strange warmth in his right palm.

Notes:

This is my first time writing action scenes. Once again, thanks for reading!

Chapter 5: Discovery

"Can you pass me one of the cookies please?" Bandana Dee asked.

 

The boy was wearing his everyday clothes along with his favorite blue bandana. He looked a little similar to Sailor Dee except his hair was a darker red, and Sailor Dee was slightly taller. Bandana also had freckles across his face.

 

Kirby happily nodded and handed his best friend one. The two children were having a picnic by themselves as it was the perfect weather to do so. Kirby had brought a basket full of goodies that Trident helped him prepare. All was well except…

 

Kirby just couldn't stop thinking about that day.

 

It was when a terrifying creature attacked him and his father on their trip to Whispy Woods. He saw a side to Meta Knight he'd never seen before, and his right hand kept feeling funny ever since the incident. 

 

Sometimes it would stop feeling warm; usually that was when he was super relaxed or just sleeping. However, Kirby noticed it felt the hottest when he was in contact with certain objects. There would also be this weird fluttery feeling in his chest.

 

Unfortunately, Kirby had no idea what to do. His first thought was telling his dad of course, but he also didn't want to burden him while he was dealing with tons of work. There had been more reports of monsters appearing in Dream Land, and Meta Knight was dedicated to defending their home.

 

So he decided to tell Bandana first.

 

"Hey Bandana?"

 

He turned around to face Kirby. "What's up?"

 

"Do you remember that story I told you about the monster? The one my dad defeated. Dark…Monster was it?"

 

"Dark Matter. It was a minion of Dark Matter," said Bandana Dee. He was now staring at the ground, and his body started trembling. Kirby could feel his friend's breathing become uneven, and his heart filled with guilt. It was something Bandana never liked to bring up for some reason.

 

"I'm really sorry for bringing it up, Bandana," Kirby said. "It's about what happened afterwards. Or what's been happening."

 

Bandana stopped shaking and lifted his head up curiously. "What's been happening?"

 

Kirby held his right hand out to Bandana. "My hand's been feeling funny for some reason."

 

Bandana Dee gently held it with both hands and began investigating it. "When does it start feeling funny?"

 

Kirby paused to think for a moment. "When I get excited or scared about something? Or when I hold some things. I also get this weird feeling in my chest. Kinda like the whole 'butterflies in your stomach' thing."

 

"What are some things that cause it?"

 

"Ice cubes, one of Dad's sewing needles or training swords, hammers…"

 

Bandana's face suddenly perked up. 

 

"There should be an ice pack in the basket, right? Try holding it right now."

 

Kirby walked over to the basket and dug inside for the ice pack. Once he found it, he grabbed it and walked over to Bandana Dee, who was now standing.

 

"Well? Does your hand feel funny?"

 

Kirby could feel the coldness emanating from the ice pack, but he could also feel that warmth in his hand. Suddenly, a strange urge started to ring in his head. It was telling him to 'take in the ice pack'. His chest was fluttering as well. It was beginning to overwhelm Kirby, so he decided to give in and brought the ice pack close to his chest.

 

There was a brief flash of light, and then all was normal. Or seemed normal.

 

Kirby looked around to see if anything changed, but he then noticed Bandana's face. His friend's eyes were wide with shock like he had seen a ghost.

 

"What's wrong Bandana?" Kirby asked.

 

Bandana pointed a trembling finger right at him. "Y-you changed…"

 

Huh?

 

Kirby suddenly remembered there was a river nearby and ran towards it. He lowered his head close enough to the water to see his reaction. What he saw was unbelievable. 

 

His hair had changed color! It was now a light blue, and he was also wearing something on his head. It looked like a crown adorned with what seemed to be icicles? There was a blue star-shaped gem in the middle as well. Kirby's skin had a slight blue tinge too.

 

Naturally, he began freaking out.

 

"What happened to me!?" The boy shrieked. He ran around in a frenzy until he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. It was Bandana Dee, and he shivered as soon as he touched him.

 

"Geez, you're freezing now! But you gotta calm down."

 

Kirby took a deep breath, but his breath was actually visible like it was winter! Bandana lurched back in shock.

 

"Cold! Coldcoldcoldcold…" he whimpered.

 

Kirby's eyes widened. He exhaled again and watched it in amazement. The boy grabbed some strands of grass and blew on them. 

 

Ice formed on every strand until all of it was completely encased. Kirby was soon holding a chuck of ice with grass in it. 

 

"Wow!"

 

He had superpowers!

 

"Bandana! This is amazing!" Kirby ran over to his friend to hug him, but he swiftly dodged him, making Kirby stumble onto the ground.

 

Kirby chuckled sheepishly. "Right, sorry. But this is amazing! I wonder if I can do this with other things?"

 

Bandana simply sighed and shook his head. "Can you try turning back to normal first?"

 

Kirby stood up and began focusing. If telling himself to take in the ice pack worked, maybe telling himself to let it out would work. He closed his eyes and began shouting "Let it out" internally. 

 

There was another brief flash, and Kirby opened his eyes to find the ice pack in his hands again. Startled by the sudden coldness, he dropped it on the ground. Bandana picked it up and put it back in the basket.

 

"Well, you're back to normal now. But what exactly was that, Kirby?"

 

Kirby merely shrugged.

 

Bandana gave him that look of "I should've known", but eventually a smile crept on his face.

 

"That was so cool! Uh...no pun intended."

 

Kirby and Bandana burst into giggles. Once their laughter died down, the kids sat back down and resumed their picnic. Kirby was happily enjoying a turkey sandwich when Bandana said, "I think you should tell your dad about this."

 

He almost choked on his sandwich. Shoot.

 

Notes:

Here's Bandana Dee's debut! Him and Kirby are besties. Thank you for all of the support! It means so much to me.

Chapter 6: Ability

It was a perfect afternoon for Meta Knight to read in his room. Laying down on his bed, he was about to turn to the next page when suddenly…

 

SLAM!

 

The door swung open as 10 little Kirbies barged into the room! They hopped onto the bed and began to swarm their poor dad. 

 

Several just wanted affection and nuzzled up to him while a few yelled that they were hungry. One Kirby curled up in Meta Knight's lap and just began sleeping. 

 

Meta Knight was beginning to feel overwhelmed by his ten sons as they kept harassing him. His book was dropped in the chaos, and the knight had no way of reaching it.

 

"...Dad?"

 

The Kirbies just wouldn't leave him alone! He tried his best to shake them off, but they latched on tightly. This was how he was going to die. Not in combat, but by being smothered by 10 little pink haired children.

 

"...Dad! Wake up!"

 

Meta Knight opened his eyes only to find a familiar face staring at him. The boy looked puzzled.

 

"Dad? Are you ok?"

 

It took a moment for him to realize that he had been dreaming. There was still only one Kirby to his relief.

 

"Sorry Kirby," he sighed. "Had a weird dream."

 

Kirby tilted his head. "What was it about?"

 

Meta Knight smiled and lightly ruffled Kirby's hair. "There were ten of you."

 

"That sounds fun!" Kirby giggled.

 

"Maybe for you, but one Kirby is already enough for me," Meta chuckled. He sat up and stretched his arms.

 

"Anyways, is something wrong Kirby?"

 

Kirby's expression suddenly became serious. "There's something I need to show you."

 

Meta curiously looked at him. What could he be talking about? Did Kirby have a crush already? What if he was unsure about himself? 

 

The knight gently put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Kirby, just know that I will support you know matter what."

 

The child beamed at his father. "Ok!" He then casually pulled out one of Meta Knight's wooden swords from behind his back. They were used for training by the other Meta-Knights, but Kirby would sometimes use them as toys. 

 

Meta Knight raised an eyebrow. How was a sword related to this?

 

Kirby then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was a brief flash of light, and then Kirby transformed!

 

He was no longer wearing his normal attire. Instead, Kirby had on a green tunic and green shorts. A pointy green hat was now on his head as well. But most amazingly, the wooden sword has disappeared and was replaced with an actual blade! The hilt was blue with a yellow stone in the middle.

 

Meta Knight's eyes widened in shock. It took him several seconds to process what just happened. But when he did, the knight realized something. Kirby was growing up so fast.

 

He snapped out of his trance and took a deep breath.

 

"Kirby…it seems like it's time."

 

Kirby tilted his head. "Time for what?"

 

"Time for me to teach you…the Copy Ability."

 

Meta Knight got off the bed and walked towards Kirby. He pointed to the sword in Kirby's hand.

 

"But first…can you revert back to your normal self?"

 

The boy nodded, and in a second the green tunic and hat were replaced with an ordinary pink sweater and red shorts. The sword had also turned back into wood.

 

Meta Knight let out a hum of satisfaction. "Good. You know how to get rid of an ability as well."

 

Kirby frowned. "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier Dad. I just didn't want to make you worry even more."

 

Meta Knight softly pat his head. "Kirby, you know that you are the most important person to me. Please never hesitate to come to me for help."

 

"Thank you Dad," Kirby said. "But what do I do now?"

 

Meta had to think for a moment. It was clear that Kirby had control of the Copy Ability, but could he use it effectively? It wouldn't hurt to teach him some self-defense and even a bit about themselves.

 

"I'll teach you how to efficiently use the Copy Ability and what exactly it is. With all of the incidents recently, you need to learn how to protect yourself in case I'm not around."

 

Kirby began hopping around excitedly. "When do we start?"

 

The knight smiled gently. "Tomorrow morning at Whispy Woods."

 

The child threw himself at his father and snuggled close to him. Meta Knight wrapped his arms around Kirby. Admittedly, it was exciting that Kirby was developing powers like his own. He had the potential to be an incredibly strong fighter, but should he be burdened with the immense pressure? If there was one thing Meta Knight didn't want, it was for his son to suffer through the same childhood as him.

 

I just want him to be happy.

 

And Meta Knight would make sure he was.

Notes:

Sorry for the wait! I had trouble motivating myself for this chapter but finally 100%ing Planet Robobot helped. It's hands down my favorite Kirby game. Thank you for all the support!

Chapter 7: Father's Day

Notes:

This was written for Father's Day. Kirby is younger here than he is in the previous chapter.

 It was an average Saturday morning in the Halberd's recreation room. The Meta-Knights always went here after morning duties, and sometimes Kirby would hang out as well. Today was no different. 

 

Sailor Dee sat on the maroon couch reading today's issue of The Daily Dee. Sometimes he would read the news on what was happening in Dream Land, but usually he would just read the funnies and do the daily puzzles. He was good at crossword puzzles and sudoku in particular. 

 

Trident Knight was sitting to the right of Sailor Dee intensely watching a game of flagball. He usually maintained a cool and aloof persona around the crew, but it was a different story with flagball. He liked to yell at the TV, much to the annoyance of anyone else unlucky to be in the room as well. 

 

Axe Knight and Mace Knight were currently playing a match of checkers with Kirby spectating. Kirby didn't know the rules of checkers, so he had no idea what was going on. However, Mace seemed to have more pieces on the board than Axe. Maybe he was winning? It was just entertaining to see them focusing on the game.

 

And lastly, Javelin Knight was just…there. He was different from the rest of the knights in that he was actually an android created by Meta Knight and Captain Vul. Javelin was a master of long range combat, but the concept of recreation simply wasn't in his programming. The knight just did as he was commanded.

 

All was quiet in the rec room until Sailor Dee spoke up.

 

"I just realized that it's Father's Day tomorrow."

 

Trident Knight scoffed. "Of course. That's why we have tomorrow off. So we can spend the day with our families."

 

"Well, I guess I should visit my folks back at Castle Dedede," Sailor Dee said.

 

"My old man bought us tickets for tomorrow's flagball game," Axe bragged.

 

Trident turned to him in shock. "WHAT!? A ticket for one person is around 1000 G!"

 

Axe only smiled smugly at Trident. "Sorry Trid. What will you be doing for your pops, hmm?"

 

Trident bashfully faced the floor. "Cooking his favorite food for dinner. Chicken pot pie."

 

"Awww! You're so sweet Trident!" gushed Sailor Dee. His face only became redder.

 

"S-shut up…"

 

"I'm just gonna bring over some flowers and a card," Mace said. "Wonder what Captain Vul and Sir Meta Knight are planning?"

 

"Doesn't Captain Vul have a wife and kids?" asked Axe.

 

"I think he has grandchildren as well," responded Sailor Dee.

 

"And for Sir Meta Knight…"

 

All of the Meta-Knights turned towards Kirby, who was now drawing with some crayons. He looked up to see everyone staring at him to his confusion.

 

"Kirby, do you know what Father's Day is?" asked Sailor Dee.

 

"Uh-uh."

The crew looked at each other. Surely Sir Meta Knight would've told his own son about it!

 

Axe Knight then decided to speak up. "It's a holiday dedicated to all the dads in the world!"

 

Kirby's eyes suddenly widened in curiosity. "Like my papa?"

 

"You betcha! You can give him a nice gift. I'm sure he'd love it."

 

The child stood up and began hopping excitedly. "I wanna get a present for Papa right now!"

 

Sailor Dee walked over to Kirby and put a hand on his shoulder. "How about we go shopping together? I need to get something for my father too."

 

Kirby nodded his head.

 

"Hey! I'm coming too!" Axe Knight shouted.

 

"Ditto," said Mace Knight.

 

Trident Knight was quiet for a few seconds before saying he'd go as well.

 

"Alright then! Let's go before all the stores get too busy," Sailor Dee said.

 

Kirby and all of the Meta-Knights then left the rec room and headed to the bridge of the ship. Meta Knight was busy at Castle Dedede, so they could just ask Captain Vul to fly towards Green Greens. There was a small town that had shops of all kinds. Surely they'd find something there.

 

Javelin Knight, who didn't follow the rest of the knights, was now all alone. He let out a single beep.

---

                      

  The next day…

All of the crew already left to be with their families (except for Javelin of course), and the Halberd was securely docked in the hangar back at base. It was going to be a rather uneventful day, so Meta Knight decided he would spend the day with Kirby.

 

In hindsight, he should've told Kirby about Father's Day much earlier. No doubt the kid would want to do something nice for his father, but Meta Knight was also incredibly busy. Luckily, today was the perfect day for both of them.

 

Meta asked Kirby what he wanted to do today, and he said he wanted to go to the beach. After a quick breakfast and shower, the two were ready to go when Kirby suddenly ran to one of the base's empty rooms. Meta curiously looked until Kirby barged out with a large blue bag in his hands.

 

"What's that Kirby?"

 

Kirby pushed the bag in his hands. "Papa's Day! For you!"

 

Meta Knight blinked in surprise. "How did you know?"

 

"The others helped!"

 

The knight realized he meant the other Meta-Knights. He honestly didn't expect them to tell Kirby about Father's Day, let alone help him shop for gifts. But the thought of it made Meta warmly smile.

 

"Thank you Kirby."

 

He began to peek into the bag when Kirby very lightly slapped his hands.

 

"Not yet!"

Meta Knight gently laughed. "Alright Kirby. I trust you'll tell me when to?"

 

The boy nodded eagerly.

 

"Alright then! Let's head to Orange Ocean."

 

Meta Knight kneeled down so Kirby could securely wrap his arms around him. With one arm holding the bag and the other holding Kirby, Meta Knight flew out of the base and to Orange Ocean.

 

---

At the beach, Kirby ran all over the sandy shores. He would curiously dip his feet in the cold saltwater before jolting back in shock. The way the waves would go back and forth was endlessly entertaining. However, Kirby's favorite thing to do was collect seashells. 

 

He tirelessly hunted for the biggest and shiniest ones to add to his collection. Meta would follow Kirby around and help him look for shells and protect him from crabs. Those claws could really hurt.

 

It was now sunset which was how Orange Ocean got its name. During the day, it looked like any other ocean. But when the sun started to go down, the color shifted to a gorgeous, warm orange. Kirby once said it looked like the ocean was orange juice.

 

The two were sitting on the coast, gazing at the lovely sunset. Meta had the bag in his hands and was going to open it after Kirby graciously gave him permission. The child was staring at him in anticipation. 

 

The first item picked up was a bouquet of various flowers. A bit of the top actually peeked out of the bag, but Meta pretended not to notice for Kirby's sake. The flowers had such a lovely fragrance. 

 

"Sailor Dee picked that one!"

 

Meta turns towards Kirby. "He did?"

 

"Yeah! Everyone picked out something."

 

Meta hummed. "I see." The next item to be grabbed was a large red tomato. On the front of it was the letter "M". A Maxim Tomato! They were incredibly rare because of their sweetness and healing properties. This definitely cost a lot.

 

"That's Mace's!"

 

The third item was a small card. A gift card to be exact. A gift card to one of Meta's favorite cafes. He tried to keep his large sweet tooth a secret, but it looked like someone found out. 

 

"Trident's!"

 

Ah. Trident Knight was definitely a prudent one, but Meta didn't really care. He would definitely go to that cafe someday and get his favorite parfait. It was so good that he'd sometimes bring some back to the Halberd's kitchen for a stealthy midnight snack. 

 

Next was…another mask? It looked just like his and felt like it. Judging by the sheen, this was made out of high quality metal too!

 

"Axe went to a…I forgot what the guy was called."

 

"A blacksmith?"

 

"Yeah! He got that made just for you!"

 

Meta Knight couldn't help but smile. Axe definitely looked up to him a lot. Even though he was reckless at times, Meta really saw Axe as a valuable member of the team.

 

Next to the mask was a big white lollipop with a red swirl in the center. A little yellow star was plastered on top as well. This was an Invincibility Candy.

 

"Javelin gave it after we went to Green Greens."

 

That surprised Meta quite a bit. He assumed that Javelin was just a mindless machine, but it seemed even he cared about his creator greatly. 

 

Last was a cardboard box. Meta opened it to find a white coffee mug. He curiously turned it around to find something written on the front.

 

World's Best Dad.

 

Meta had seen these mugs before. He always thought they were silly and a waste of time. That was before he found Kirby. Now, it felt like an honor to receive this mug. 

 

"I picked that!" Kirby yelled.

 

Meta could feel tears forming in his eyes. Kirby really did love him. In fact, the Meta-Knights did as well. It was obvious that this was not just from Kirby. This was from everyone.

 

"Papa? Are you ok?"

 

The knight turned to see his son looking at him worriedly. He put the mug back in the bag and took off his mask to wipe the tears from his eyes.

 

"I'm fine Kirby. Thank you so much." And the rest of the crew as well.

 

The boy threw himself into Meta's arms and tightly hugged him.

 

"Happy Papa's Day! I love you Papa!"

 

Meta Knight lovingly wrapped his arms around his son and lightly kissed his forehead.

 

"I love you too Kirby."

Notes:

Sorry for posting this so late! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

I'd love to talk more about this AU and Kirby in general so feel free to send asks to my Tumblr: kentuckyfriedsushi.tumblr.com

Chapter 8: Identity

Notes:

Now with chapter titles! I'll eventually give the other chapters titles as well.

"Did you know that bats have thumbs on their wings?" Kirby asked. He laid on Meta Knight's bed with a huge book in front of him. It was an encyclopedia on many different kinds of animals that he pulled from the bookshelf. When he was bored, Kirby liked to hang out in Meta Knight's room. Sometimes he would have conversations with his father while he worked at his desk, and other times the two would just enjoy each other's company in silence. (As long as Kirby didn't distract him.)

 

"Is that so?" Meta responded. The knight was looking at blueprints Captain Vul had given him. They were for some kind of robot in development. The co-captain was very passionate about the crew's arsenal and never squandered an opportunity to show his latest masterpiece. 

 

Kirby looked up at Meta Knight and stared at his wings. "Does that mean you have four thumbs?"

 

He stayed silent for a moment before responding with "Guess so." It was best not to think about it too much. Kirby was tempted to walk over and touch them, but Meta probably wouldn't like it very much. That and they looked very sharp.

 

Dad really is weird , Kirby thought. Disregarding the whole 4 thumbs thing, he was very unique from everyone else in Dream Land. First of all, he had wings. The only other friends Kirby knew that had wings were Coo and Pitch - actual birds. The Waddle Dees didn't have wings, and neither did their king. They could also turn into a cape! Or did the cape turn into wings?

 

The second thing was that he wasn't born in Planet Popstar. All Meta Knight said was that he traveled all over the galaxy before settling in Dream Land. Kirby assumed he was born the same way he was in that they were both "formed from the stars"...whatever that meant. However, Bandana said that wasn't where babies came from though he didn't know where babies came from either. Did that only apply to him and his father?

 

While Kirby was pondering all of this, another thought popped in his head. What kind of name was Meta Knight? Was Meta his first name and Knight his last? Or did he lack a last name like Kirby did? Who named him that, and what was their deal? Kirby turned towards his father.

 

"Hey Dad?"

 

Meta Knight turned to face him while taking a sip of coffee. "Yes Kirby?"

 

"Why is your name Meta Knight?"

 

The knight stayed silent for a moment before setting his mug on the desk. "Meta Knight is a title given to me."

 

"A title?"

 

"Yes. Like King Dedede."

 

Kirby quickly realized something. "So…what is your actual name?"

 

Meta didn't say anything for what seemed like forever. The silence was almost suffocating to Kirby. Did I upset him?

 

He opened his mouth to speak when Meta suddenly stood up and walked towards the bed. Sitting down next to Kirby, Meta Knight took a deep breath and took off his mask.

 

"Kirby," he whispered. "Can you promise to tell absolutely no one?"

 

The boy felt his heart skip a beat. Was it really that serious? Nevertheless, he would always support his dad. He held out a pinky to Meta Knight.

 

"Pinky promise!"

 

Meta let out a small laugh and wrapped his pinky around Kirby's. "Thank you."

 

Meta Knight moved his head close to the side of Kirby's and whispered in his ear. Kirby had to take a moment to process it, but he eventually spoke.

 

"Is that really it?"

 

Meta nodded.

 

"Cool!" Kirby looked back at the encyclopedia still in front of him and started to aimlessly turn the pages. He didn't know why his dad wanted his name to be a secret, but it seemed like it was none of his concern. As Kirby skimmed through the book, he heard Meta let out what seemed to be a sigh of relief. Kirby suddenly stopped at a page.

 

"Cool! A lobster!"

 

"So THAT'S what he based it off?"

Notes:

This is based on a headcanon/theory of mine regarding Meta Knight. What do you think Meta Knight's name is? I also decided to keep Kirby's animal friends animals. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 9: Night

It was dark as the night in Meta Knight's room, save for the dim light of the lamp on his nightstand. He sat on his bed with one of his favorite fantasy novels in hand. As of now, the knight did not plan on sleeping anytime soon.

Meta Knight could be easily described as a night owl (or bat). It was rare for him to go to bed at a reasonable time, and he would often go days without sleep. Coffee seemed to give him all the energy he needed anyways. The surge of Dark Matter attacks didn't help either.

However, Meta didn't care about his lack of rest. Dream Land needed to be protected, and if it meant sacrificing sleep, then so be it. He always woke up in the middle of the night to feed or change Kirby anyways. It was second nature at this point.

Suddenly, he heard a light knocking on the door.

"Yes?"

The door opened with a tiny creak , revealing a trembling Kirby.

Meta gazed sadly at the child. "What's wrong Kirby?"

"I had a bad dream," he sniffled.

Meta got off the bed and walked up to Kirby. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kirby nodded weakly and followed Meta to the bed. They both sat on the edge, and Meta began soothingly rubbing his son's back. 

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" Meta asked.

"You were attacked by a monster…I tried to help you, but you…you…".

Kirby suddenly broke down in tears and tightly hugged Meta. Meta wrapped his arms around him in response and continued rubbing his back.

"It's ok Kirby. I'm right here. Everything is okay. We're safe," he softly whispered. His heart shattered at the sight of Kirby so distressed. It sent his parental instincts into overdrive. Meta Knight never wanted to see his son so unhappy.

The knight and his child stayed close for a while until Kirby slowly stopped crying. He pulled away from Meta and looked up at him.

"Can I stay?"

For a while, Meta didn't know what to say. Kirby never slept in his room before, but it was obvious he needed love and affection. Badly.

"Of course."

Kirby hugged Meta again and thanked him. The boy crawled to the right of the bed and laid down. Meta tucked him in and returned to his side of the bed. He was about to resume reading when…

"Are you gonna sleep?"

He briefly paused before responding. "No. I'll be here reading. Hopefully the lamp isn't too bright for you, but I can make it dimmer if you want."

Kirby grabbed his left arm. "Sleep! Or I won't."

"Kirby, you need to sleep," Meta sighed. It's very important for children your age to get lots of it."

"But you need sleep too Papa!" Kirby loudly whispered. "You'll get very sick."

Meta just stared at his novel. Kirby wasn't wrong, and he was starting to feel sleepy. It was also clear that Kirby wanted affection from him.

He placed the book on the nightstand and turned off the lamp. The room was enveloped in darkness as Meta laid down on his side to face Kirby. He could somewhat see him as his eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. Kirby smiled and lightly patted his father's head. Meta softly laughed and scooted a bit closer to Kirby.

"Kirby, I want you to understand that it's ok to be scared at times," Meta said. "Fear is a necessary part of life."

"Why?" Kirby asked.

"Fear is what keeps us safe. Without it, we would recklessly rush into danger all the time. It's essential for survival."

"Why do we have dreams?"

Meta had to think about that for a moment. "It's hard to say. Some people think it helps our brains organize and process memories. Others think dreams allow us to solve problems in our lives. There's no exact answer to why."

Kirby looked puzzled. "But aren't we supposed to know everything?"

The knight lightly chuckled and rubbed Kirby's head. "There are things out there that we just don't know. Like how the universe came to be."

"Or where babies come from!"

"...Right. Let's go to sleep."

Meta started to close his eyes when he felt something warm come close to his chest. He opened them to find Kirby nuzzling close to him. Meta rolled on his back and opened his arms. The child happily crawled onto his chest and pressed his head right where his heart was. Meta's arms securely wrapped around his son.

Meta Knight warmly gazed at Kirby for a while until the boy suddenly murmured to him.

"Goodnight Papa…"

He gently kissed Kirby's forehead and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight Kirby."

---

The birds' morning songs were the first thing Meta heard as he woke up. Kirby was still sound asleep in his arms. 

He noticed how much better he felt after sleeping. It was refreshing after days of little to no rest. Kirby was indeed correct that even adults like him needed sleep.

That being said…it was about time to get up, wasn't it?

Meta lightly tapped Kirby's back.

"Kirby…wake up."

A little grunt was all he got as Kirby held onto him tighter. 

"Kirby…"

Once again, he squeezed tighter. Meta tried to pry him off, but Kirby's grip was surprisingly strong. For a toddler he was rather powerful, but it could've been chalked up to their kin. 

After several futile attempts of getting Kirby off him, Meta Knight gave up. Besides, it was only Sunday. They could afford to sleep in a little. Meta shut his eyes once again and fell back asleep. 

As he was resuming his slumber, his large wings emerged from his back and carefully cocooned both him and Kirby. It was no different than a bat holding its pup.

Kirby briefly opened his eyes to see Meta's wings blanketed over him. He curiously traced his fingers over the membrane of the right one, and it twitched in response. Kirby quietly giggled and went back to sleep in the safest place he could be.

Notes:

Decided to add a little angst this time. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 10: Resolve

Notes:

Warning for some mild gore at the start.

Meta Knight was usually on patrol for 9 hours a day, but it always seemed like an eternity to Kirby. He knew that it was very important for his father to protect their home. However, Meta would often spend days away from home. Kirby noticed that whenever he did return, his breathing would be shallow and he’d often limp. Yet Meta would insist on continuing patrol the next day regardless of his condition.

 

It was so painful for Kirby to see his father like this. He desperately wished he could do something no matter how miniscule. Maybe he even could fight by his father’s side! After all, he had the copy ability, and Meta had been teaching him how to use it as self defense. 

 

I just want him to be happy again.

 

Kirby’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the familiar sound of footsteps echoing across the Halberd’s bridge. His face lit up as he prepared to greet his father with the biggest hug possible. Captain Vul, Sailor Dee, and Axe Knight were also with him.

 

“That sounds like Sir Meta Knight!” Axe Knight eagerly shouted. 

 

“You hear that Kirby?” Sailor Dee said. “Your father’s finally back!” 

 

Vul stayed silent for some reason, but that didn’t matter to Kirby. Dad was back at last! He was ready to leap into his father’s arms until Meta walked into the room.

 

His mask had large gashes in it, and pieces of his armor were torn off, revealing torn clothing and various cuts. The knight’s breathing was uneven, and he looked like he was struggling to even stand. His wings pathetically drooped and had small punctures in them. Meta had his right hand over his abdomen as if he was covering something.

 

Kirby’s bright mood had instantly damped as he looked at his father in horror. This was the absolute worst he had seen him.

 

“H-hello K-kirby,” Meta wheezed. He let out a harsh cough.

 

“Dad? Are you ok?”

 

“Y-yes. Your f-father just fought something very…”

 

The knight suddenly collapsed. Kirby ran over in shock and started to lightly shake him.

 

“Dad!?”

 

The other three also rushed over and began to examine his body. They moved him onto his back, and Captain Vul pulled his right hand away from the area he was covering.

 

“Just as I thought.”

There was a large, ugly cut across his stomach. Blood oozed from the wound and began dripping onto the floor. Kirby covered his mouth with both hands in sheer shock. The horrible sight almost made him vomit. Just how long was Meta hiding this?

 

Sailor Dee quickly hugged Kirby and tried to avert his gaze from the horrible sight.

 

“Captain! What do we do?” asked Axe Knight.

 

“He needs first aid obviously.”

 

“But I’m not sure we have enough supplies here.”

 

“To Castle Dedede. The king has plenty of resources and medics.”

 

The ongoing conversation droned in Kirby’s ears. All of his focus was on his wounded father whose eyes were closed shut under the mask. He desperately wanted to curl up to his side and maybe wake him and tell him that everything will be ok and that he should stop working so much…

 

But he couldn’t do anything. 

 

Kirby buried his face into Sailor Dee’s shoulder and began bawling his eyes out. He could feel a hand gently rub his back. Sailor Dee held the boy tightly as the Halberd soared to Castle Dedede.

---

 

It was eerily quiet in the dark hallways of Castle Dedede. Kirby was sitting on one of the benches with Sailor Dee by his side. He had refused to leave Kirby’s side even at Castle Dedede. The Meta-Knights had opted to scout for monsters in the injured knight’s place, and Captain Vul was outside smoking. The castle’s many medics were busy taking care of Meta Knight, and even the king went inside with them to watch over him. 

 

Needless to say, Kirby was absolutely exhausted from everything that had happened today. He felt like he had no more tears to shed. Bandana recently visited in an attempt to cheer his best friend up. While Kirby appreciated the effort, he just wanted to see that his father was alive. 

 

A few more minutes of silence passed until King Dedede and a few of his medics approached the two. Kirby slowly looked up to meet the king’s gaze. He looked very serious which was rare for someone as lax and easygoing as him.

 

“Your dad’s gonna be just fine, kid. He just pushed himself a lil’ too hard.”

 

The boy let out a shaky sigh of relief, and Sailor Dee gently grabbed his hand.

 

One of the medics spoke up. “You may visit him if you wish. In fact, I think he wants to see you.”

 

Kirby stood up and walked towards the group. “Please take me to him.”

 

As the four of them left for Meta Knight’s room, Sailor Dee lowered his head tiredly. 

 

“Sir…”

 

---

 

During their walk, King Dedede broke the silence.

 

“Kid.”

 

Kirby turned his head towards the king.

 

“Just wanna let you know that your dad loves you very much. Whenever he’s with me, he’ll constantly talk about ya.”

 

The boy sheepishly smiled. “Really?”

 

“Yup. He’ll always talk about how big you’re gettin’, that ‘copy ability thing’ you got, and how proud you make ‘im. You’re practically his world, kiddo.”

 

Kirby felt his heart warm at that statement. He really had the best dad in the world. But his smile slowly faded as he realized something.

 

“I wish I could help him. I feel useless just standing and watching.”

 

The king put a large hand on his shoulder.

 

“You’re not useless. You’re doing enough kid.”

 

“How?”

 

“Just by being there for him.”

 

Kirby was confused by that statement. Just by being there? How? His train of thought was suddenly stopped by one of the nurses saying, “Alright. We’re here. Please be careful. He’s still recovering.”

 

The group looked at Kirby expectantly. The king gestured for him to go inside, and Kirby nervously entered the room alone. He heard the door shut and looked at his father who was laying on a large bed. This must’ve been one of the castle’s many guest rooms.

 

Meta Knight wasn’t wearing his mask, and he had bandages covering his arms and stomach. His eyes looked at Kirby wearily, but he still maintained a small smile.

 

“Kirby…”

 

Kirby walked towards the bed and sat on the chair to the left of the bed. He tried to resist the urge to tackle-hug his dad, but all Kirby could do was put a hand over his. His eyes began to water again as he began to speak.

 

“I’m so sorry…”

 

Meta sighed and combed a hand through his hair. “Don’t apologize. I just got careless.”

 

The boy leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. “You shouldn’t do this alone. You know the others can help too.” I can help too.

 

Meta Knight looked down ashamedly. This wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t shrug off that one wound from the Dark Matter creature and got it treated much earlier. It just opened more and more until he had to try to stop it himself.  He was lucky it didn’t get infected at all and that his race had much faster regeneration that others in Dream Land, but it still hurt to see his son this distressed.

 

“I’m sorry for making you see me like this, Kirby.” Meta kept stroking Kirby’s head as he quietly wept. The boy suddenly stood up and walked to the right of the bed. He carefully made his way to the knight’s side and curled up right next to him. He could feel Meta wrap his arm around him and laid his head on his chest.

 

The two sat like this in silence for a while. Kirby focused on listening to Meta’s heart beat. It was proof that he was alive and healthy. They were both here, and everything was ok. Kirby could feel himself being lulled to sleep by the sounds of Meta’s heart and his breathing. This was no different than when he was a toddler peacefully cuddling with his father on a lazy Sunday. As he drifted closer and closer to sleeping, Kirby felt something inside of him. It was a tiny spark when he first saw the injured Meta, but now it ignited into a fiery ambition. A burning desire to fight . To always be by his father’s side and helping him fight off Dark Matter and its abominations.

 

Meta was falling asleep as well and leaned closer to Kirby. “I love you so much,” he quietly whispered.

“I love you too, Dad.” And I promise I will fight with you.

Notes:

This was a request by CyberneticFire. Thank you so much for the support! I'm currently taking requests/suggestions, so if you have one, please send it via ask on my Tumblr blog.

 

kentuckyfriedsushi.tumblr.com

Please read the rules on the pinned post before submitting a request. Thank you!

Chapter 11: Purring

---

"Papa? What's that funny noise in your chest?"

 

Meta lifted his head from his book and looked confusedly at Kirby. "Funny noise?"

 

"Yeah!" Kirby said. "It sounds like a buncha bees are inside you. I can do it too."

 

He then attempted to replicate it, but all he could do was let out a low hum. Letting out a huff of frustration, he crawled closer to Meta on the couch. Meta was still confused for a second when the realization hit him.

 

"You mean purring?"

 

Kirby's face lit up as if he had an epiphany. "Yes! Purring like a kitty cat!" He giggled at the mental image of him and his father with little cat ears and tails. Maybe they could be cat buddies with Nago! Nago was a large, fluffy calico cat and good friend of Kirby. He would purr loudly when Kirby pet him, but Kirby somehow forgot about that. He felt a little silly now, but the idea of his papa purring was more important. 

 

"How can we do it?"

 

Meta put a hand on his chest. "I assume the same way cats do. Most likely a certain movement in the larynx or vocal chords."

 

"Why do we purr?" Kirby asked.

 

"That…I don't know. It could be a sign of happiness or contentment, but cats could also use it to communicate. There's no concrete answer."

 

"Is it another one of those 'things we just don't know'?" Kirby sighed. He hated how mysterious and vague life could be at times. Meta laughed and patted his head.

 

"I suppose so."

 

Kirby's mind then trailed to a brilliant plan. "How do I make you purr?"

 

The knight tilted his head. "What?"

 

"I wanna hear you purr!" The boy started to gently stroke Meta's hair like he was petting Nago. Maybe that would work!

 

But Meta just stared at Kirby. He looked amused at his attempts to make him purr. It was so endearing that his son was excited over something as mundane as purring. So endearing that he in fact…

 

Started to purr.

 

Kirby lightly jumped as he heard the sudden rumbling in Meta's chest. He quickly started laughing and nuzzled his father happily. Suddenly, he could feel himself purring!

 

"It tickles!" He giggled. The two were now huddled together, purring in harmony. This was pure bliss to Kirby and Meta Knight as well. He felt oddly soothed by not only his purring, but Kirby's. Maybe that was a reason why cats purred. To calm and heal each other. It was certainly working.

 

Kirby happily listened to the deep purrs emanating from Meta. It seemed that was one way to make his father and himself purr. Cuddles! Cuddles made everything better. The louding purring from his chest proved it.

 

A brilliant idea popped into his head. "We should see Nago! He's a kitty who purrs too."

 

The knight held his son closer and chuckled. "Is that so? Are you saying we're cats?"

 

Kirby shrugged. "Why not? We're just missing the ears and tails!"

 

Meta playfully pinched Kirby's cheek. "And the whiskers." The child laughed and started mirroring his father. "I can say 'meow' too!"

 

Kirby suddenly started meowing happily. Meta Knight shook his head, but he still had a big smile on his face. "You try it!" Kirby shouted. Meta hesitated for a moment, but the boy's eager look got to him. He sighed.

 

"Meow."

Notes:

Requested by an anonymous user on tumblr. Thank you so much! Looks like Kirby and Meta Knight are secretly cats. Who knew?

Chapter 12: Legend

For once, Meta actually wanted to sleep. His eyelids were getting heavy, and he had to stifle any yawn that threatened to come out. But Kirby was still awake after five consecutive bedtime stories and begging him for more.

 

“Pleeeaaasssee?” he whined. Meta was just about to say no, but then Kirby brought out his most powerful weapon-the puppy dog eyes. Those huge, blue orbs stared right into his soul, and poor Meta just couldn’t bring himself to say no. Oh dear, he was even using the crocodile tears. 

 

“Alright. Just one more,” the knight sighed. “But that’s it.”

 

Kirby’s expression instantaneously changed to one of pure glee as he buried himself deeper in the soft pink sheets. There was something about Meta Knight’s bedtime stories that he loved. Maybe it was his voice? It was so soothing, and it was honestly a surprise that Kirby was still awake.

 

Meta started skimming through the pages of his old storybook, looking for the perfect one. This book was one he had since he was about the same age as Kirby, and it was still in mint condition even after thousands of years. He liked to take good care of his books after all. That was why his library was always off-limits; even Kirby wasn’t allowed to rummage through it without thorough supervision. After all, many of those books weren’t ones that you could easily purchase at a bookstore, and who knows how expensive they would even be?

 

Finally, Meta settled on a story. This was one he’d never read to Kirby, but it was one of his personal favorites. What made it so special was that it wasn’t just some fable or myth; it was actually a part of ancient history. 

 

“This is the story of the strongest warrior in the galaxy.”

 

---

Among the people of Void, there was a prodigy. As a young child, he showed immense potential in the art of combat. Extremely proficient in swordfighting, he became a protector of his home planet. The prodigy killed any beast that dared to harm his home and protected the innocents.  The royals recognized his strength, and he was promoted to the highest honor one could receive.

 

He was given the title Galacta Knight.

 

“Galacta Knight? He’s like you?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

Galacta Knight was often described as an angel from the heavens. His wings were feathered like the dove’s and a majestic lavender hue. The armor that adorned him was a holy white and gold, and he wore a marble white mask crowned with two yellow horns. The cross-shaped visor revealed a pair of piercing red eyes. In his hands were a lance and shield.

 

“He looks so cool. His hair is pink too!”

 

“Looks more magenta to me…”

 

Tales of the warrior’s accomplishments traveled through the galaxy, and word eventually made its way to the people of the planet Halcandra. They were masters of magic and science, and they invented many incredible relics. A ship capable of traveling through dimensions. A crown hosting incredible power. A rod that can make dreams come alive. Clockwork stars capable of granting any wish. These were just some of their creations.

 

We now call them the ancients.

 

The ancients sought out Galacta Knight, for they needed his help. They were gathering four of the galaxy’s most powerful to destroy an evil being. The god of darkness and pure chaos.

 

Void Termina.

 

The only way to defeat Void Termina was with the power of positivity, love, and friendship. So the four chosen heroes went on many adventures, and they eventually became the truest of friends. Their bonds were strong enough to create the sacred spears of heart. Using this mighty weapon, the four heroes of yore were able to seal away Void Termina for eternity. 

 

Galacta Knight was crowned the Aeon Hero.

 

Even after the dark god’s demise, the four still remained close and resumed fighting evil together. Galacta Knight in particular, grew stronger and stronger every passing second. He was able to slay the deadliest beasts with a single swing of his lance. Even gods feared his wrath, and the ancients became paranoid about the potential destruction he could cause. At any rate, Galacta Knight could destroy several planets without a passing glance. He truly was the strongest in the galaxy.

 

So the ancients made a decision.

 

They knew they had no chance of defeating the knight, so he was to be sealed away forever. Even the three that had been with Galacta Knight through thick and thin agreed to this. So the mages of Halcandra used their sorcery and the wish-granting abilities of a clockwork star to imprison the hero in an unbreakable crystal. Fated to drift endlessly through time and space. 

 

Though he has long since become a fleeting memory, Galacta Knight remains trapped in the crystal to this day…

 

---

 

Kirby stared at Meta Knight sadly. “Is that really true? Is Galacta still stuck?”

 

Meta nodded solemnly. “Some say that the bravest will occasionally summon him for a duel to steal the title of strongest in the galaxy, but none have ever won.”

 

The child stayed silent for a while, but he eventually asked Meta something.

 

“Do you know what Galacta was like?”

 

“Personally? No. He was sealed away millennia before I was born.”

 

Meta noticed Kirby looking down and attempted to lay a hand on his shoulder for comfort, but Kirby instantly shouted.

 

“That’s not fair!”

 

The sudden outburst made him recoil in shock; he had never heard his son this furious. “What do you mean?” he asked. Kirby turned to look at him with eyes filled with anger.

 

“Galacta was said to be capable of destroying planets, but did he ever actually destroy one? He was still a hero! Those ancients were probably wrong about him!”

 

For a while, Meta didn’t say anything. He was admittedly impressed by Kirby’s keen observation, but now wasn’t the time for mere compliments.

 

“That could have been so, but it’s in the distant past now,” he said. “There’s simply no way of knowing.”

 

“What about the other three heroes? They’re his best friends! Galacta must miss them a lot! He should be able to see them again.”

 

The knight slowly shook his head. “The other three perished ages ago.”

 

Kirby’s heart shattered at that statement. How terrible it must be to outlive everyone you care about! No one should ever experience that. He put his hands on Meta’s shoulders.

 

“How do we save him?”

 

Meta stared at him in confusion. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

 

Kirby only held on tighter. “Sure it is! Maybe we can find one of those stars that can grant wishes and wish for him to be free!”

 

“Kirby, summoning a Nova isn’t easy. It requires one to gather magical energy from various planets, and who knows how many are still out there?”

 

He pried Kirby off of him and tucked him back into bed. “To be honest, I once thought the same thing you did,” he said while soothingly stroking the child’s hair.

 

Kirby looked up at him tiredly. “Really?”

 

Meta nodded in response. “And I was told the exact same thing. I’m sorry for dampening your mood, Kirby.”

 

“It’s ok,” he murmured. “I still liked the story.”

 

The knight smiled and kissed Kirby’s forehead. “You’re a very compassionate soul. Goodnight, Kirby.”

 

“Goodnight, Dad.”

 

As Meta Knight left the bedroom, Kirby’s mind started to race with thoughts about Galacta Knight. He pictured the hero finally being released from his crystalline prison and being given a new life. Maybe he could live in Dream Land and make friends with everyone! Days spent napping, eating, and playing instead of fighting. Wouldn’t that be nice?

 

As Kirby started to delve into the realms of sleep, he softly whispered something.

 

“Don’t worry Galacta. I promise I’ll help you.”

 

---

 

Kirby opened his eyes to find himself in a completely alien world. He looked up at the sky; it was a mural of different hues, ranging from a deep blue to bright red. In the distance, Kirby could see what looked like a planet. Well, it looked more like a star with patches of stone covering it. Almost like it was dead. The ground he walked on was composed of nothing more than platforms shaped like hexagons. Kirby didn’t know how he was even standing on them! 

 

He carefully took a step onto a platform in front of him. To his amazement, dozens of them converged to create a bridge for him to cross. Wasting no time, Kirby began to march forwards. It was several minutes before he could see a faint shape ahead of him. It vaguely looked like a diamond, and it shined eerily. Kirby kept walking towards it until he could clearly see what it was, and he felt his heart momentarily stop.

 

It was a bright pink crystal much larger than him, and inside of it was Galacta Knight.

He looked no different than the illustrations in Meta Knight’s book. His magenta hair went past his shoulders all the way down to his knees. On his back were a majestic pair of feathered wings, and the gold and white armor complimented the aesthetic of a mighty angel. Gripped tightly in his hands were a lance the same color as his hair and a shield with a golden star forged in the middle. Galacta Knight’s face was covered by a pure white mask, and two intimidating horns sprouted from the top of it. The only thing that was missing were those fierce red eyes; all the mask’s visor showed was pitch black.

 

Kirby didn’t know what to do. Was it destiny for the two of them to meet? No. This had to be a dream…right?

 

But here he was, standing right in front of this living legend. Kirby took a deep breath and began to speak.

 

“Galacta Knight? I don’t know if you can hear me, but my name is Kirby! I’m from Planet Popstar. I just want to say that I don’t believe in the ancients. They said you were a monster, but I think you’re still a hero! You don’t deserve to be stuck here forever. In fact, you should come live with me in Dream Land! Even though all of you friends may be gone, you can make new friends there! I know lots of cool people to show you. Like my animal buddies, Bandana, the king, or even my dad! Oh right! My dad’s a knight just like you, and he even wears a mask too! We can play together and eat lots of yummy food.”

 

Kirby walked closer to the crystal and gently placed a hand on it. Right where Galacta’s chest was.

 

“I will help set you free, Galacta.”

 

Suddenly, a large crack formed right where Kirby’s hand was.

 

---

Blue eyes shot wide open as the boy’s body fumbled around. He turned his head rapidly only to find himself back in his bedroom.

 

So it was just a dream , Kirby thought. He let out a sigh of relief, but Kirby also couldn’t help but still feel pity for Galacta Knight. He was still sealed away, but maybe that dream was a sign of things to come. Kirby would just have to summon one of those clockwork stars, no worries!

 

Kirby’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud growl coming from his stomach. Sunlight was creeping through the windows-a sure sign that it was morning. And morning meant breakfast, so Kirby quickly hopped out of bed and made his way to the base’s kitchen.

Notes:

I've wanted to add Galacta to this collection for a while, but does this count? Once again, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Reminder that I'm currently taking suggestions for new chapters. Feel free to send me an ask on Tumblr!
kentuckyfriedsushi.tumblr.com

Chapter 13: Recovery

Notes:

Spoiler warning for the end of Planet Robobot.

It was over.

 

The infernal machine known as Star Dream had been finally destroyed by Kirby and his Robobot drilling straight into it. The chilling screams it let out at its demise still rang in Meta Knight’s ears, and the starry sky was cluttered with its mechanical remains. He restlessly scoured the vastness of space to look for Kirby. Even though the Halberd had one of its wings shot down by Star Dream, the rest of the crew assured him that they would take care of it and that he should prioritize saving his son.

 

Speaking of which…

 

Meta could see a large pink figure not too far away. That had to be the Robobot. And there was Kirby, unconscious in the cockpit. He was still wearing those goggles as well.  Meta Knight was just about to dash right towards them when he saw something incredible. The Robobot slowly picked up Kirby with its right arm and threw him towards Meta! 

 

Meta wasted no time securing the boy in his arms, and he started to check him for any injuries. Miraculously, Kirby seemed relatively unscathed. Just exhausted after that grueling battle. The knight wasted no time embracing Kirby; he was overjoyed that he was alive. He eventually looked up at the lonely mecha and warmly smiled.

 

“Thank you,” Meta Knight whispered.

 

The two started to head back to Popstar, but Meta Knight swore he saw the Robobot shed what seemed to be tears. Perhaps it was more than just a mindless machine.

 

Meta decided to slowly descend to Dream Land to make sure they wouldn’t burn up in the atmosphere. As he carefully made his way down, Meta Knight noticed the landscape rapidly changing. The massive legs of the Access Ark faded away, and any signs of Haltmann’s colonization of the planet disappeared along with it. It was strange how all of it just disappeared into nothingness, but Meta just assumed that it had to do with Star Dream’s magical properties. Dream Land quickly regained its natural beauty, and it was almost like nothing had ever happened. Well, almost. 

 

The king’s castle was still a pile of rubble much to Meta’s dismay. He ultimately regretted not going straight to the destroyed castle when the invaders first attacked. Maybe if Meta had recovered the king instead of foolishly attacking the Ark with the Halberd, he wouldn’t have been captured by the company and turned into a cyborg. But he could faintly see several shapes emerging from the mess. It was the king and several of the Dees! Thank goodness he was alright. After observing his surroundings, Dedede noticed the airborne knight and gave a confident thumbs up. Meta Knight nodded in response and resumed finding a spot to land.

 

He finally found the perfect field after a few minutes. There was even a tree giving them much needed shade. Meta slowly landed on the soft ground and gently placed Kirby on the grass. A few seconds later, Meta Knight unceremoniously flopped down right next to him. His body was so sore from the mechanization and having to fly all the way back down to Popstar. Needless to say, Meta really needed a break. So did Kirby.

 

After a good minute of just lying down, Meta could hear Kirby stirring awake. He turned his head to see that an orange and red butterfly had landed on his head. As soon as Kirby began to move, the butterfly fluttered away. His bright blue eyes slowly opened, and Kirby let out a small groan.

 

“Ugh…”

 

The child sat up and looked around only to notice his father right next to him. Meta Knight was immediately thrown into a tackle hug.

 

“Dad!” Kirby cried joyfully. He happily nuzzled close to him, but Meta only responded with a pained grunt.

 

“Kirby…please get off of me. It hurts.”

 

Kirby immediately obeyed and laid back down. “Sorry,” he giggled. The two stayed there for a good while, processing everything that had just happened.

 

Meta let out a low sigh. “I’m so sorry for what I did, Kirby.” The guilt of harming his son as Mecha Knight was rapidly eating at him from the inside. He was only able to repress it because taking down Star Dream was top priority. It wouldn’t surprise him if Kirby didn’t forgive him; it was his fault for carelessly going headfirst into danger.

 

“It wasn’t your fault.”

 

The knight turned his head towards the boy in surprise. “But Kirby…”

 

“The company did it. Please don’t blame yourself,” Kirby said. Meta could only stare at Kirby; he really had endless compassion.

 

“Hey! There’s Susie!” Kirby said while pointing to something in the air. Meta Knight looked up and saw the pink-haired secretary in her signature mecha. She seemed to quickly check on Planet Popstar’s condition and flew off into space without a single word. Meta honestly didn’t want to bother going after her. Yes, she did unwillingly turn him into a heartless cyborg, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt that she learned her lesson and wouldn’t continue colonizing planets. That and flying right now would be an absolute pain.

 

“I wonder what her deal with Haltmann was,” Kirby said. “She said that she wanted to steal Star Dream and teach him a lesson.”

 

Meta Knight had an idea. “I believe that she was someone close to Haltmann, but the machine must have done something to him. Ancient computers like it were notorious for slowly making the user’s physical and mental health deteriorate over time. Perhaps the president’s memories of her were affected.”

 

“Maybe he was her dad! They did kinda look alike. But then that would mean…”

 

Meta nodded grimmly. “She’s lost her father for good. He was definitely destroyed along with Star Dream.” Was this her punishment for all of the things she had done? If so, it was certainly a harsh one. No one deserved to lose their loved ones in such a cruel and unusual way.

 

“This may sound weird, but I kinda feel sorry for her,” Kirby said. That didn’t surprise Meta Knight at all. Kirby was such a forgiving person, but Meta wasn’t sure he felt the same way.

 

“Man, that was some crazy adventure!” Kirby sighed. 

 

“Tell me about it.”

 

And that’s what Kirby did. “So everything was all metal right? Well, turns out even poor Whispy Woods was made a robot! I hope he’s ok now. There were all these streets with people in cars! I almost got run over a few times. And then I went into a casino with these HUGE balls that you use on a table. Like the one in the rec room. The dice was massive as well! I fought this weird machine that projected holograms of different creatures! Some of them looked kinda familiar. And underwater were these robot whales! Ugh, but the desert was so HOT. I hated it! That city with all the neon was kinda cool though. Luckily, Bandana was there to give me a quick snack when I needed it. He’s the best! Oh yeah, did I mention that Dedede got cloned somehow?”

 

That caught Meta Knight off guard. “Seriously?”

 

“Yeah! Susie said she acquired his DNA. I dunno how though. It was weird because the clone was all purple and got smaller and smaller as I fought it. The three littlest ones drove this big cannon with lasers and flamethrowers and bombs! Kinda scary, but I still beat it.”

 

“She must have gotten a sample of his hair or blood,” Meta said.

 

“Or his spit!” Kirby suggested.

 

“That’s gross, Kirby!” Meta Knight scoffed. “But I wouldn’t be surprised.”

 

The two of them had a good laugh as Kirby continued his story. As Meta diligently listened, he recalled his last thoughts before passing out and being controlled by Susie.

 

Kirby can do this. I have faith in him.

 

And right he was. Kirby had once again come out on top and saved the day. Meta Knight’s heart swelled with pride; he never should have doubted his son’s strength.

 

Once Kirby was finally done recalling his journey, he immediately asked Meta what they would have for dinner. Meta didn’t even notice how famished he was until he brought it up. Mecha Knight wasn’t really given any semblance of nourishment, unless you counted recharging it like a battery. It made him ill just thinking about it.

 

“How about steak?”

Notes:

Something a bit different! I never wrote anything about the actual canon of the games before. This was a request from an anon on Tumblr. This was a unique one to write, so thank you so much for the suggestion! Planet Robobot is hands down my favorite Kirby game of all time. Hope you enjoy!

kentuckyfriedsushi.tumblr.com <- Send requests via ask!

Chapter 14: Vulnerable

The halls of the base were as dark as ever, but Kirby had zero problem traversing through this labyrinth. He knew the place from top to bottom at this point, even though he was only four years old. It was rather impressive.

 

As for what Kirby was doing in the middle of the night? He simply wanted a midnight snack. It wasn’t uncommon for him to wake up suddenly feeling peckish. A stealthy trip to the kitchen would fix that. Kirby made sure to walk slowly and carefully; it would be bad if he accidentally woke up any of the sleeping crew members. Captain Vul in particular was very cranky if his beauty sleep was interrupted.

 

Kirby eventually found himself not too far from his father’s room: a sign that he was close! Now he just had to quietly tip toe past his snoozing dad. All was going smoothly, until Kirby heard something…strange. He could hear what seemed to be the thrashing of sheets and yelling.  

 

From his father’s room.

 

Kirby immediately walked back to the door and quietly entered. As much as he loved food, helping his dad was a priority. There was little to no light inside unlike Kirby’s room, which had a cute little night light to protect him. It was incredibly hard for him to see, but the boy somehow managed to fumble his way to where the nightstand was. Kirby first turned on the lamp to give the room some much needed light. When he did, the first thing he saw was Meta Knight clearly suffering from a nightmare.

 

He was constantly twisting and turning, and the bedsheets seemed to have been kicked off the bed at some point. Kirby could clearly see sweat drenching his body; it was honestly pretty gross. But that was nothing compared to the sounds he was making. They ranged from low murmurs to hasty whispers to just straight up screams . This was the first time Kirby had seen his father so… vulnerable.

 

He could feel his heart break at the sight.

 

However, Kirby had no idea what to do. He clearly didn’t want to get too close to him, or he’d risk accidentally getting hit. Maybe he could try calling his name? But would Meta even be able to hear him? Tears started to form in Kirby’s eyes; he was utterly distraught at his inability to help his father. 

 

No, now was not the time for crying!

 

Kirby quickly wiped his eyes clean and made a choice. He’d have to get on the bed. Kirby jumped on and cautiously approached Meta Knight. He made sure to keep his distance, but he also had to shake him awake. A little hand reached his shoulder, constantly trembling. Taking a deep breath, Kirby put his hand on the shoulder and started shaking. He didn’t want to be too rough, but being too gentle would do nothing. 

 

Meta Knight suddenly shot awake with a gut-wrenching scream. His wings had also flared out. Fortunately, Kirby was unharmed. It startled Kirby so much that he instantly leaped out of the bed and back onto the floor. Every breath that Meta took was shallow, and he was visibly shaking in utter fear. His head was lowered, and he eventually curled himself up in a fetal position. Meta’s wings weakly lowered until they were touching the bed.

 

Kirby was stunned. He certainly wasn’t expecting that reaction, but at least he was now awake! The problem now was what to do next. Meta Knight just stayed in that exact position; he probably wasn’t even aware of Kirby’s presence. 

 

So Kirby just sat on the floor patiently, waiting for his father to slowly return to reality.

 

It seemed like forever, but Meta finally calmed down. His breathing slowed down, and he stopped shaking. Once Meta raised his head, he noticed that the lamp was on somehow. He was just about to turn it back off when he noticed Kirby staring at him. 

 

“Kirby?” he whispered. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I heard you crying,” he responded. “You were having a bad dream.”

 

Meta Knight looked down in shame. Of all the people to see him like this, why Kirby? Kirby practically idolized him, and this would surely damage his perception of him.

 

“I’m so sorry you had to see me like this,” he muttered. “This… pathetic. ”

 

Kirby frowned at that statement. Pathetic? His father was not pathetic! He was one of the strongest and bravest people he knew. Why would he ever say that? Just because he had a bad dream? Kirby was sure everyone had those. He suddenly remembered something his father told him when he was in a similar situation.

 

“Don’t say that,” Kirby said.

 

Meta Knight turned to look at him. “What?”

 

“Fear is a part of life. It keeps us safe. It’s ok to be scared. That’s what you said, right?”

 

The knight was struck with silence upon hearing that. That’s right. He said that to Kirby when he had a nightmare about a few weeks ago. Kirby sure had a good memory or at least for things he considered important. (Such as dinner time or when Meta Knight ever made a promise to get a treat for him. So mostly food.) It flattered Meta that Kirby considered his words that important. He weakly laughed in response.

 

“You’re right,” he said. “How hypocritical of me.”

 

The boy tilted his head. “What about hippos?”

 

That got a laugh out of Meta, but Kirby was just happy to see him in a better mood.

 

“No,” he chuckled. “Hypocritical.” He decided to spell it out for Kirby.

 

Kirby slowly sounded it out. “What does that mean?”

 

“It’s when someone does something that they claim they’re against. They may say they have a certain belief but not actually believe in it. That’s being a hypocrite.”

 

The child took a while to process it. “Like when Vul says not to smoke?”

 

Meta once again laughed. “Yeah.”

 

“I learned a new word!” Kirby said proudly. He got a gentle headpat in response.

 

“Indeed you did.”

 

Kirby then climbed on the bed and sat close to his father. Meta draped an arm around him.

 

“Can you sleep again?” Kirby asked.

 

Meta Knight let out a sad sigh. “I don’t think so. At least not for a good while.”

 

That made Kirby a bit sad. His dad needed sleep, but there was nothing he could do right now. Well, he could at least stay by his side. That was something. He was also a bit curious about what Meta was dreaming about. He always seemed like he had no fears, but whatever he was dreaming about must have been REALLY bad. That quickly killed Kirby’s curiosity. He’d rather not know what made him practically scream in his sleep. Besides, his father probably didn’t want to think about that right now. So Kirby decided not to ask.

 

“By the way,” Meta asked. “What were you doing this late at night?”

 

Oh right! Kirby was supposed to get a midnight snack, but his father’s nightmare made him completely forget about it. Now he was starting to feel hungry again.

 

“Midnight snack,” Kirby answered sheepishly. 

 

“Figures.” Meta suddenly got off the bed. “Mind if I join you?”

 

A huge smile formed on Kirby’s face. “Really?”

 

“Sure. Just don’t tell anyone else please.”

 

He happily nodded and jumped off the bed. Meta turned off the lamp and held Kirby’s hand. They walked out of the captain’s quarters and went to the kitchen. It was conveniently close to Meta’s room. Meta Knight turned on the lights in the kitchen.

Once they reached the fridge, Meta opened it and started to get several items out of it: whipped cream, chocolate chips, and chocolate syrup? And then he went to the freezer and got out a large tub of vanilla ice cream! Just what was he going to make?

 

He got two bowls and scooped three generous scoops in each one. After intricately topping the two desserts, he walked to the kitchen counter and placed them down. Kirby quickly sat down and gazed at the masterpiece in front of him. Three scoops of vanilla ice cream were covered in a heaping of whipped cream. The chocolate syrup gracefully coated the sundae, and little chocolate chips were sprinkled on top. Kirby immediately dug in.

 

Meta Knight quickly joined him, and the two ate in silence. Kirby thought about how you’re not supposed to have sugar before sleeping. Oh well! If his dad wasn’t going to be sleeping any time soon, neither would Kirby. Besides, this sundae was too good to refuse.

 

Kirby eventually finished his treat after a few minutes. Impressive, considering most of what Kirby ate was usually gone in about thirty seconds. He wanted to savor every last bite of the sundae. 

 

“Thank you Papa!” he said.

 

“You’re welcome Kirby,” Meta Knight said. He was close to finishing his ice cream as well.

 

“What’s your favorite dessert?” Kirby asked. He himself couldn’t answer that because he loved every sweet in existence. Though strawberry shortcake in particular…

 

The knight finished his treat and answered Kirby’s question. “Parfaits. There’s one in particular I love.”

 

“What kind?”

 

“It’s at Waddle Dee Cafe. It’s full of chocolate.” He was almost drooling just thinking about it.

 

“Ah, keep this between us Kirby,” Meta muttered bashfully. Kirby wrapped a pinky around his. A pinky promise was basically Kirby’s way of saying “I’ll keep this secret to the grave.” After several minutes of idle chatter, the two decided to head back to bed. Meta Knight held Kirby in his arms as they walked back to the captain’s quarters. They were completely unaware of Trident Knight stealthily listening to their whole conversation.

 

“Hey Kirby?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Thank you.”

Notes:

Request for an anon on tumblr. Thank you for the request! Basically a role reversal of an earlier chapter. This one also has a few references to other chapters. Thank you for reading!

kentuckyfriedsushi.tumblr.com <- Send requests here!

P.S. Kirby's Dream Buffet looks super cute! It probably won't happen, but it'd be amazing if Meta Knight was a playable character. He has a massive sweet tooth after all.

Chapter 15: Growth

It was extremely important that Kirby got to see the beauty of nature. Meta Knight thought that staying cooped up in the base or the Halberd wasn’t ideal for a baby’s development. He needed to see the world! So Meta decided he would take Kirby to discover the vastness of his surroundings and maybe even gain a newfound appreciation for this planet they lived on.

 

And what no better place to start than the castle’s royal garden! It was small compared to something like Whispy Woods or Orange Ocean, but the variety of flora and fauna made up for it. Dedede had everything from roses to daisies to even some rare species native to completely different planets. Who knew he had a thing for flowers? 

 

And that wasn’t mentioning the many kinds of animals that thrived here. There of course were the pollinators such as bumblebees and butterflies. Kirby in particular loved butterflies. (Yet he was deathly afraid of caterpillars.) In the trees of the garden lived birds and even squirrels.

 

 The other good thing about the royal garden was that it was relatively safe for Kirby. Whispy Woods had some rather territorial animals, so they’d have to go there when Kirby was a little older. The biggest threat that Meta could think of were the bees, but even they were very docile as long as Kirby didn’t pester them. 

 

Meta Knight securely held the baby in his arms as they observed every different type of flower. He would always tell Kirby the name of each one, and Kirby attempted to say it each time. However, Kirby didn’t really know how to speak yet, so it just came out as babble. That didn’t matter to Meta though; he was just happy that Kirby was having fun.

 

The knight and the infant were now sitting near the large fountain in the middle of the garden. They were having a quick lunch break. Meta ate his sandwich while keeping an eye on Kirby; he already finished his yogurt. 

 

That was one thing Meta noticed about Kirby; his appetite was endless. He could eat an entire can of baby food and still not be satisfied. The other Meta-Knights were concerned about this, but Meta knew that it was perfectly normal. Voidborn simply ate more, especially when they were young. However, that meant that Kirby would try to eat ANYTHING.

 

Meta constantly found himself removing objects from Kirby's mouth. The baby would chew on his gloves, his mask, and his cape a lot. It was pretty gross having your clothes drooled on. The worst was when Meta found Kirby with a lightbulb in his mouth. He had no idea where Kirby found it, but it was quickly taken away. Thankfully, Kirby didn't choke. Apparently this was merely how babies explore. Meta didn't want to think about what would happen if Kirby found Galaxia. That would be disastrous. 

 

With his meal finished, Meta picked up Kirby and held him in his lap. The baby cooed happily as he raised a tiny little arm in the air. Was he trying to grab the sky? Or something to put in his mouth? It looked cute either way. 

 

All was normal until a lone butterfly suddenly landed on Kirby's hand. He instantly stopped moving, and even Meta was surprised by this. The butterfly's wings were red-and-orange, and its body was pure black. Meta had no idea why this little butterfly decided to rest here; it probably thought Kirby was a strange looking flower. 

 

"Look," he softly whispered to Kirby. "A butterfly."

 

"Ba…fi!" His language was definitely improving. The butterfly stayed in his hand.

 

As he observed the two, Meta realized something. Kirby and even him to an extent were a bit like butterflies. Kirby was a little caterpillar that ate lots and lots, and he'd eventually grow into a strong young man. There were Voidborn that had butterfly wings after all. 

 

That reminded Meta Knight. What kind of wings would Kirby get? Would they be feathered ones? Maybe he'd grow butterfly wings; that would sure make him happy. Or maybe he'd have a unique kind of wings. Meta rarely saw Voidborn with dragonfly wings. Hopefully Kirby wouldn't grow wings like his.

 

Either way, he was happy seeing Kirby experience the wonders of life. This child deserved a good life. Meta wasn't given that privilege. This moment was one that would be fondly remembered. 

 

…And then Kirby shoved the butterfly in his mouth.

 

It took a second for Meta to process what just happened, but he very quickly started to panic.

 

"Kirby! Spit it out!"

 

Kirby immediately released it. He stuck his tongue out in utter disgust. Turns out butterflies don't taste good.

 

The butterfly was thankfully unscathed, and it immediately fluttered away. Meta felt pretty bad for the poor thing. He looked down disappointedly at Kirby.

 

"How many times have I told you about putting things in your mouth?"

 

The infant just giggled and leaned close to his father. Meta sighed and hugged him tightly. It was hard for one to stay mad at Kirby for too long. This was overall a very fun day for the two of them.

 

The butterfly probably felt otherwise.

Notes:

Something short and sweet. Thank you for reading!

kentuckyfriedsushi.tumblr.com <- Send requests here!

Chapter 16: Language

“Papa! Papa!”

 

Meta Knight raised his head and saw Kirby eagerly walking towards him. He smiled warmly and took a sip of his coffee when…

 

“Fuck!”

 

Meta promptly spit out his drink. Kirby stared at the knight in confusion as he let out a few coughs. After regaining his breath and cleaning himself up, Meta turned to face Kirby. He wasn’t giving him the death glare; he just had a stoic expression on his face.

 

“Kirby? Where did you learn that word?” he asked gently. 

 

He knew that Kirby was innocently parroting someone and had no idea what it really meant. But the real question was who he learned it from. Meta had been extra careful to keep his language clean around Kirby; he normally had the mouth of a sailor. (Ironically, he never heard Sailor Dee curse.) Perhaps someone thought it would be hilarious to teach Kirby a swear word. Just to spite Meta Knight.

 

No. No one in the crew was THAT stupid…right?

 

“Gramps!” Kirby answered. 

 

Gramps? Ah, that meant Captain Vul. That was his nickname for the old man.

 

“I see,” Meta said. “Thank you for telling me.” He’d make sure to have a long talk with Vul about this.

 

Kirby frowned shamefully at Meta. “Bad word?”

 

“Yes. Very bad word.”

 

The child lowered his head in guilt. “Sorry…”

 

Meta Knight softly rubbed Kirby’s head. “It’s ok Kirby. Just don’t say it again.”

 

---

“Vul? May I speak with you?”

 

The captain was doing some maintenance on the Halberd’s reactor. “Yes, my lord?”

 

He turned around to see Meta Knight and Kirby in the room. Meta in particular was looking rather displeased. That wasn’t good.

 

“Do you mind explaining how Kirby managed to learn how to swear?”

 

Vul didn’t know what to say. How did the little brat manage to get close enough to hear him? He always made sure to shoo him away. Was he really that loud?

 

“I don’t know, Lord Meta Knight. Probably because he keeps sneaking in and being a little nuisance.”

 

Meta scowled. “Don’t you remember when I said that we all needed to watch our language regardless of Kirby’s presence?”

 

He said that the day Kirby was brought onto the Halberd. It was Vul’s fault for not listening. With a weary sigh, the captain decided to apologize.

 

“My apologies, Lord Meta Knight. And Kirby as well.” Kirby just smiled and yelled out “Gramps!” Ugh, was he still calling him that? Damn Axe Knight for giving him that brilliant idea. 

 

“My lord, may I ask what word Kirby used?”

 

“THAT one,” Meta said. Vul instantly knew what that meant.

 

“Oh shi-”

 

Meta gave him the death glare.

 

“...sh kebab.”

Notes:

A request for an anon on Tumblr. Thank you so much! Fun fact: Meta canonically swears.

kentuckyfriedsushi.tumblr.com <- Send requests here.

Chapter 17: Reflect

Dream Land had become much more peaceful ever since the destruction of 0² and Dark Matter. It was possible thanks to Kirby and his friends. Meta still felt a twinge of guilt that he wasn’t able to assist his son on his harrowing journey, but the amount of pride he had for him was endless. To think he once believed that Kirby wasn’t strong enough!

 

There were no more attacks from Dark Matter, so Meta Knight had no problem letting Kirby play on his own while he read. Anyone on Planet Popstar knew better than to harm Kirby lest they incur the wrath of the Meta Knightmare. (Not to mention the child’s own strength.)  Kirby had wandered into Whispy Woods; he was most likely going to hang out with his animal friends. Now Meta could catch up on this book! He’d been putting it off for months, and it was driving him absolutely nuts.

 

So Meta continued to read while Kirby had fun in the forest. After a couple of hours, Meta Knight had made good progress on his book. Just two more chapters to go.  And with perfect timing too, because he could hear Kirby coming back.

The knight looked up to see the two Kirbys running towards him and resumed his novel.

 

Wait…TWO?

 

He jolted his head back up to see if he was just seeing things, but there were two Kirbys in front of him. The real Kirby was still here, but now he was holding the hand of a copy of him! Well, it wasn’t an exact copy at further glance.

 

This Kirby had dark gray hair instead of the real one’s iconic pink locks, and he was wearing a black version of Kirby’s outfit. Even his skin looked rather gray compared to Kirby. It was like this one came straight out of an old-timey photograph. 

 

How peculiar , thought Meta Knight.

 

However, Kirby seemed completely unfazed by this and just stayed close to the other one. He smiled excitedly at his father.

 

“Dad!” he exclaimed. “I made a new friend!”

 

Meta stayed silent for a few seconds before letting out a small sigh. Kirby sure loved making friends with practically everyone. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing.

 

“That’s wonderful, Kirby,” Meta said. He looked at the gray Kirby. “What’s your name, young one?”

 

“Shadow Kirby,” the boy responded. He looked rather nervous unlike pink Kirby. Must be shy , Meta thought. That certainly didn’t describe the real Kirby.

 

“Shadow!” Kirby said. “Meet Dad!” Shadow meekly stretched his arm out for a handshake. Meta gently took his.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

The timid boy started to relax more. That was good.

 

“Dad, can we play Lift Up?” Kirby sweetly asked. Shadow looked at him in confusion.

 

Lift Up was a little game that Kirby loved to play with Meta Knight. It was basically Meta doing as many pushups as he could while Kirby sat on his back. He easily did it when Kirby was a toddler, but he was now 9 years old! And that wasn’t even mentioning the other 9 year old with him. Needless to say, Meta was rather unsure.

 

“Kirby…I’m not sure I can…” Meta was about to continue when Kirby unleashed the puppy-dog eyes. And then Shadow joined him! Oh, how could he possibly say no?

 

“Are you not strong enough?” Kirby innocently whimpered.

 

That was what did it. Meta Knight suddenly dropped on the ground and got into a prone position. The two boys cheered and quickly climbed on his back. They were indeed heavy, but Meta couldn’t back down now. He had to prove himself!

 

“I’ll count!” Kirby yelled.

 

And so, Meta started his push ups while the boys laughed and cheered.

 

---

86 pushups later, Meta Knight was absolutely exhausted. He would reach the hundreds without breaking a sweat when Kirby was much smaller and lighter, but this was too much weight!

 

“Alright,” he grunted. “That’s enough.” The kids jumped off his back, and Meta immediately flopped face down on the ground. Maybe I can just lie here for a few hours…or days , Meta thought. 

 

“Dad!” Kirby whined. “Get up!” Looks like he wasn’t done.

 

Meta slowly sat up and saw that the sun was now setting. It was getting late.

 

“I think it’s about time to get back home,” he said while getting back up on his feet. Kirby let out a little whimper but quickly obliged. He was ready for dinner. And Shadow was most likely hungry as well. Speaking of Shadow…

 

“Shadow, do you need us to take you home?” Meta curiously asked. He had no idea where on Popstar he lived, but he was certainly not leaving this child all alone.

 

 Shadow looked up at the sky and whistled. 

 

Suddenly, a Warp Star zoomed right in front of him. Kirby stared in awe.

 

“Wow! You have a Warp Star too?”

 

The boy happily nodded and pointed up at the clouds. “I live up there.”

 

Meta looked intrigued. “You live in the clouds?”

 

Shadow shook his head. “The Mirror World. Bye!”

 

Mirror World ?

 

Meta Knight had never heard of such a place, but it sounded a little familiar as well. Something about “a magical mirror high in the skies”. He swore he read about this somewhere. Perhaps Meta would investigate this place one day. But now, he was happy simply saying goodbye to this new friend of Kirby.

 

“Bye Shadow!” Kirby eagerly waved to his friend as he left for the skies. Meta waved to Shadow as well. As mysterious as this look-alike was, Shadow Kirby was just as sweet as the normal Kirby.

Notes:

This was a request from Crisartix1 on Tumblr. Thank you for the request! Another prompt based on the games, this time Kirby and the Amazing Mirror. I've never played this one, so forgive me if it's a bit inaccurate. I have one more request to do, and then I'll stop taking requests for a while. Don't worry, I just want to take a small break! Feel free to send asks on Tumblr about this series. I'd love to answer! Thanks again for reading!

P.S How the HELL do you write exponents in Google Docs? I literally had to copy and paste Zero Two's name from the wiki.

Chapter 18: Origin

Notes:

CW for brief mentions of alcohol.

Kirby’s positive attitude was absolutely infectious, and today was no exception. Meta Knight and Kirby were heading to Castle Dedede for the big feast tonight to celebrate the summer solstice. It honestly might’ve been an excuse to eat and drink lots, but that wasn’t why Kirby was excited. He was excited because they were going to have a sleepover! Meta suggested this because he really didn’t want to go back home in the dead of the night, and Kirby would definitely love to hang out with Bandana. 

 

So the two packed some things and left for the castle in the late afternoon. The feast wouldn’t start for about an hour. Kirby excitedly listed everything they would do tonight while carrying his stuff: all of the dishes to eat, what games to play, and all of the late-night stories to tell. Meta was mostly thinking about the drinks and desserts the King would have. Even though it took lots and lots of drinking, it was still very possible for him to get tipsy. So Meta would make sure to moderate how much alcohol he’d consume. He didn’t want a repeat of THAT time. 

 

Meta was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice Kirby trying to get his attention until he felt him tug on his arm. He looked down to see the boy looking at him mildly annoyed.

 

“I’m sorry, Kirby,” he chuckled. “Did you need something?”

 

“I wanted to ask you something.” Kirby suddenly looked rather serious. This concerned Meta.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Are you really my dad?” Kirby asked.

 

Meta stayed silent for a few seconds. What prompted Kirby to ask such a thing?

 

“Of course I am,” he finally answered. “Why do you ask?”

 

Kirby looked down rather sadly. “Well, every other kid has a mom and dad. And I only have you. Where is Mom?”

 

Meta bit his lip under the mask. He knew Kirby would ask this one day, but why now? “Kirby, you don’t have a mother, and not every kid has a mother and a father. Some have two mothers or two fathers. And of course, there are those with only one parent like you.”

 

“But aren’t those kids adopted? Am I adopted? What if I’m like Bandana-”

 

Meta Knight suddenly bent down to meet Kirby’s eyes and put his hands on his shoulders gently. “Kirby, that is definitely NOT the case. I just want you to know that.” It took a while, but Kirby eventually nodded his head.

 

“Ok.”

 

Meta let go of him and stood back up. “Now let’s get going. The castle’s just ahead.” They walked the rest of the way in silence. Meta knew Kirby wasn’t satisfied with his answer, but he didn’t want to tell him the truth just yet. Still…when was the right time?

---

The solemn mood of the rest of the trip immediately disappeared upon entering the castle. The king’s jovial temperament could easily lift any spirits up. Once Meta and Kirby met him and Bandana in the throne room, he scooped them up in a bear hug. Even Meta Knight, who typically wasn’t one for affection, couldn’t help but smile. Bandana was also extremely enthusiastic to see his long time friend, and the two children played together while the food was being prepared.

 

 And then there was the actual feast.

 

An immense variety of dishes had been prepared: soups, salads, bread, meats, and platters of fruit. Meta couldn’t help but wonder where on Popstar they got all of the ingredients possible to make this, but that certainly didn’t matter to Kirby and Dedede. They just gorged on as much food as they could and even got into a bit of an eating contest. Meta would constantly remind Kirby to control himself, but he ultimately knew it was pointless. Voidborn naturally ate large amounts of food anyways, and thank goodness it wasn’t another one of those “Gourmet Races”. How those two did it without becoming incredibly sick was a mystery for the ages.

 

Meta Knight always enjoyed a good drink, and tonight was no exception. His personal favorite was gourmet wine, but he liked ale as well. Tonight, he made sure to have only a small amount of alcohol (or his kind’s equivalent to that). Even Dedede didn’t drink as much as usual, but that was most likely because of Kirby and Bandana. 

 

Combined with the cheerful music constantly playing, this feast was certainly one to be remembered.

 

Now it was nighttime, and the four retreated to the king’s massive bedroom. Kirby and Bandana constructed a blanket fort out of some spare chairs and sheets for them to hang out under. Even the ever so serious Meta couldn’t help but join in on the fun. After playing several board games, the kids decided it was story time. 

 

They always did this during a sleepover. Each person would tell a random tale of their choice, and it would continue until it was time to sleep. Sometimes it was just a retelling of past events, but there was also the occasional ghost story. 

 

Kirby decided to go first by recounting the time he accidentally fell down a deep pit and ended up collecting tons of treasures.

 

“When I entered the hallway, this huge guy with a face made out of rocks attacked! His name was…er…”

 

“Wham Bam Rock,” Meta said nonchalantly. He remembered being surprised seeing Kirby come back to the base nonchalantly holding a backpack full of prized rarities. And then he was absolutely shocked when Kirby proceeded to tell him how he got them.

 

“Right!” Kirby said. “Thanks Dad. I used my Bomb ability blow him into pieces! When I went back to where I landed, the Warp Star was there waiting for me. So I got on and rode back to the surface with all of the cool things I found! The end.”

 

Bandana clapped happily for Kirby. “Amazing! Did you ever find out how much all of that treasure was worth?”

 

Kirby put a hand on his chin to think for a bit. “Let me think…oh yeah!”

 

“9,999,990 G.”

 

“Wow!”

“WHAT!?”

 

Bandana was impressed, but Dedede was in absolute shock. That was more money than the cost of the castle!

 

“What did you do with the money, Kirby?” Bandana asked.

 

“I was going to buy myself lots of food…” Kirby suddenly turned towards Meta and pouted.

 

“But Dad made me put it all in the bank instead.”

 

Meta smugly grinned under his mask. “Oh, you’ll thank me when you’re older. Trust me.”

 

“META!” Dedede shouted. “How could you!?”

 

The knight simply ignored the king. 

 

With Kirby’s story done, it was now someone else’s turn.

 

“Alright! Who’s next?” Kirby said eagerly.

 

Bandana looked like he was having trouble coming up with one, and Dedede was still recovering from Kirby’s. So with those two out of commission…

 

“I’ll go.”

 

Meta Knight had put his hand up. Kirby couldn’t contain his excitement.

 

“YAY!” He absolutely loved it when his father told him stories. Bandana was equally as excited; this was the first time he was going to hear a story from Meta Knight. The king was still wistfully thinking about all of that gold.

 

“What’s it gonna be about?” Kirby asked.

 

“The day you were born.”

 

Dedede immediately snapped out of his brief depression upon hearing that. It had been a sensitive topic for so long, and NOW he was just bringing it up? Maybe he’s just had a bit too much to drink. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.

 

“Are you sure about this, Meta?”

 

He only nodded. “I’ve been silent for so long, and tonight is the right time.”

 

Kirby was speechless. Was this because he asked his father about his parents earlier today? He certainly hoped that wasn’t the case.

 

Bandana on the other hand, was just excited to hear the story and encouraged Meta.

 

Meta took a deep breath and began his story.

 

“It all started one night…”

---

In the vast plains of Dream Land, one knight stared up at the night sky above. It was around midnight, so he could see every star scattered across the sky. Even though Meta was on the lookout for any potential threats, he couldn’t help but take a moment to stargaze. There was something about space that fascinated him.

 

He remembered soaring through the vastness of space and the pure silence. It may have been eerie to some, but Meta found it oddly soothing. Perhaps he was just too used to the constant cacophony of destruction and screams.

 

The stars were another thing that interested Meta Knight. One thing he liked to do while stargazing was map out every constellation he knew of. He read astronomy books of many cultures across the galaxy and could easily find a specific constellation. Stars were also the supposed origin of life. Every living thing was made out of stardust, and that was especially true for Voidborn. The composition of their bodies had more stardust than any other organism. Perhaps that explained Meta’s connection to space?

 

Meta was just about to return to work when something in the sky caught his eye. It was a bright glimmer that started moving .

 

A comet ?

 

No, that couldn’t be the case because it looked like it was going to land on the surface of the planet. Meta immediately stood up. If this was a meteorite, it could cause massive destruction. He had to destroy it immediately. In an instant, Meta Knight was in the air and dashing towards the meteor at the speed of light.

 

The falling meteor was getting closer and closer to the ground, and Meta had to stop himself. It was too late for him to do anything. He backed up a fair distance and prepared for the meteorite’s impact.

 

Once it hit the ground, there was a bright flash…and that was it.

 

No shockwave, no explosion, no ear-piercing noise, nothing .

 

Meta was absolutely perplexed. Did it just rapidly disintegrate into dust? What if it was an extraterrestrial object or even an alien? He had to investigate this right away.

 

The meteor had landed quite a distance away from Meta Knight, so he let out his wings and glided to it. Meta was cautious and flew slowly at first. This could be a hostile creature that would immediately attack, and he always wanted to be on guard. His right hand tightly held the sheathed Galaxia.

 

As he got closer and closer, Meta started to hear a faint noise. It was getting louder as well. The sound was high pitched and piercing. Yet it sounded oddly familiar to Meta Knight. It sounded like…

 

An infant crying .

 

Upon realizing this, the knight made a mad dash for the site of impact. It can’t be , he thought. There’s absolutely no way. The chances of this being what he thought it was were astronomically low.

 

But when he reached his destination, he found something unbelievable.

 

A newborn. Swaddled in a pure white cloth and just laying there on the grass.

 

The baby had light pink hair. Its eyes were closed tight, so Meta couldn’t see what color they were. However, he had a slight idea of what they looked like.

 

Meta Knight felt a lump form in his throat. Anyone else would assume that this infant was carelessly abandoned by its parents, but he knew exactly what this was. This was a fellow Voidborn.

 

And this Voidborn was all alone, cold, and most likely starving. All it could do was cry helplessly. Meta quickly found himself wrapping his arms securely around the baby and holding it close to his chest. He still couldn’t quite process this. The birth of a Voidborn was extremely scarce, especially in this current age. And it was even rarer for it to land on the exact planet that Meta was on.

 

But here he was, with an infant of Void in his arms. It was almost like destiny brought these two together.

 

Meta shortly realized that now wasn’t the time for disbelief. This newborn needed care BADLY. He needed to get to a hospital or at least the equivalent to one. One place immediately came to mind.

 

Castle Dedede. Sometimes Waddle Dees were born there, so the king definitely had medics specialized in taking care of babies. After a brief examination of the infant, Meta secured it in his arms and took to the skies. He was not going to let this infant perish.

---

Once he made it to the castle, Meta Knight made his way to the door into the throne room. He still had the baby in hand, but it was hidden in his cape wrapped around his body. Its cries were muffled through the fabric. As usual, there were two Waddle Dees on guard. They knew exactly who he was though and immediately opened the door for him.

 

King Dedede was indeed on his throne and conversing with two Waddle Dees. The Waddle Dees were each holding what appeared to be different colored drapes. Dedede must’ve been redecorating the castle, but that wasn’t important right now. Meta got closer to the three figures, but the king paid no attention to him.

 

“Show me that red one again.”

 

“Sire,” Meta Knight said sternly.

 

“Not now, Meta Knight. Now how about the white one?”

 

“Sire, it’s imperative.” Meta was slowly growing more irritated with the king.

 

“In a minute. Now why don’t you two-”

 

“SIRE! PLEASE!” he snapped.

 

Dedede quickly shut up and looked at him in shock. Even the two Waddle Dees turned around to look at the knight. This was the first time the knight had yelled at his king like that. He was known for always being calm and collected through every shenanigan of his, but now he sounded so emotional. So desperate . Something was clearly wrong.

 

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Meta slowly unfurled the cape around himself and revealed the newborn in his arms.

 

The king leaned forward in his throne to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. The Dees let out little gasps upon seeing the tiny infant. Dedede was stunned for a brief moment, but he soon snapped out of it and quickly turned to the two Dees.

 

“You two,” he ordered. “Go to the maternity ward and get a nurse ASAP. Make sure that they bring formula as well. And then get some rest. We’ll discuss refurbishing another time.”

 

The two Dees placed the drapes aside and gave their king a diligent salute. They quickly exited the throne room, leaving only the king, the knight, and the baby.

 

Dedede quickly broke the silence. “Where did you find it?”

 

“Outside. Around Cookie Country. I assume that his parents simply abandoned him there without a second thought.”

 

“I see.” The king just stared at the baby sadly. The poor thing was still crying, and every wail distressed Meta Knight more and more. He didn’t know how much more he could take. His body was trembling, and it felt like he was about to simply break down into tears.

 

The door suddenly opened. Dedede and Meta turned around to see a nurse holding a bottle and several towels in their hands.

 

“Where is the newborn?” They asked. Meta walked up to the nurse and showed them the baby. The nurse put the towels aside and inspected him closely.

 

“You poor thing,” they muttered. “Sir, please sit down.”

 

Meta was confused by this but simply did as told. The Waddle Dee gently guided his arms until the baby had his back against Meta’s thighs and his head near his knees. The knight quickly realized what was going on. He wanted to tell the nurse that this wasn’t his child, but he couldn’t muster up the energy to do so. So he just listened to them.

 

The nurse calmly told him how to hold the bottle and bring it to the infant’s mouth. Soon the baby was dutifully drinking the formula. Meta felt every nerve and muscle in his body relax at the sight. All of the stress and pain he was feeling not too long ago washed away at the sight of the infant in his arms. Everything was fine now. This baby was going to be ok. He could feel tears slowly form in his eyes, but no one could see that because of the mask.

 

Once the newborn was done with the bottle, the two stood back up. The nurse smiled warmly at Meta Knight holding him in his arms.

 

“I think you’re going to be a great parent,” they said. 

 

Meta felt his cheeks flush red at this statement. “Er…well…”

 

However, the nurse just ignored his stammering and got closer to the baby. “I need to do a quick checkup on this baby and dress him properly. I hope you don’t mind me taking him for a moment.”

 

The knight felt his hold on the child tighten for a brief moment, but he eventually handed him to the nurse. They held the baby gently and smiled.

 

“Thank you. It won’t be too long now.”

 

With that, the nurse Waddle Dee left the throne room with the infant in their arms. All was quiet now. 

 

Meta Knight stared blankly at the closed door until he felt a big hand on his shoulder. It was King Dedede.

 

Meta took a shaky breath. “Sire,” he exhaled. “I deeply apologize for yelling at you earlier.”

 

The king shook his head. “Nah, I should be the one saying sorry. It was obvious that the lil guy was important to ya.”

 

“Sire…” Meta didn’t know what to say. Everything was just happening too fast. And that wasn’t even mentioning what he was going to do with this baby. 

 

After a while, the nurse returned with a newly clothed infant. Meta Knight quickly took him in his arms. He looked up at the nurse gratefully.

 

“Thank you.”

 

They happily nodded and went back to the maternity ward. Meta looked at the sleeping newborn until Dedede asked him something.

 

“So what do ya want to do with ‘im?”

 

He paused for a moment. “Well, I was going to ask if you could raise him, Your Majesty.”

 

King Dedede let out a long sigh. “I’m so sorry Meta, but I can’t.” Meta bit his lip. He was expecting the king to say that.

 

“I got a whole kingdom to take care of. We could give him to the orphanage. How’s that sound, Meta?”

 

Meta Knight felt a familiar feeling in his throat. Did he really want to simply leave this baby to the orphanage? It wasn’t guaranteed that he’d find himself a family that would take care of him. The more he thought about parting ways with the child in his hands, the more his heart pounded out of his chest. It was too much for him, and he suddenly blurted out:

 

“I shall raise him!”

 

The king’s eyebrows raised. “Hey, Meta. You sure about this? You’re not obliged to take care of this kid just ‘cuz you found ‘im.”

 

“No,” Meta said. “I WANT to take care of him. No matter what.” He held the baby closer to his chest. Meta knew he had absolutely zero experience in parenting, and he knew the rest of the Meta-Knights certainly didn’t. But the knight realized that he had slowly formed a definite connection with this baby. This little newborn slowly creeped its way into its heart. There was no turning back now, but Meta was oddly fine with that. Yes, he now had a son of his own. Just thinking about it made his heart flutter in excitement.

 

Dedede let out a hearty laugh. “If you say so, but I got confidence in ya.” He let out a sharp whistle with one of his hands, and ten Waddle Dees suddenly marched into the room.

 

“I need you guys to find a spare room and put one of the extra carriages in there. Add some blankets and pillows as well. And maybe a chair as well. Dismissed.”

 

The Waddle Dees saluted in unison and started their mission. Each one congratulated Meta Knight on the new child of his as they left. He could feel himself blushing again.

 

“Sire,” he said. “You didn’t have to do this.”

 

“Don’t worry ‘bout it!” The king responded. “You better just stay the night here. I’m sure your crew wouldn’t mind.”

 

Meta laughed softly. He was absolutely exhausted. “Thank you very much. Just remind me to give Vul a call.” The co-captain could easily relay to the rest of the crew that Lord Meta Knight was just going to stay at Castle Dedede for the night. Perhaps Meta should hide the fact that he just adopted a kid all of sudden. The Meta-Knights would instantly freak out and rush for the castle. That would be too much of a hassle for now.

 

"Ya know," Dedede suddenly said. "I'm glad you decided on raising him."

 

"Why is that, sire?"

 

"Because I know you're hiding something about that baby."

 

Meta's heart skipped a beat when he heard that.

 

"You said that the parents abandoned him in Cookie Country, yeah? But why wouldn't they just leave the baby at an orphanage? Doesn't make any sense to me. It's almost like there's something else to it."

 

The knight exhaled. He was right. King Dedede could be surprisingly sharp when he needed to. "You are indeed correct. This infant in fact..."

 

"Is one of my kin."

 

Dedede just gave Meta a little wink. "Don't worry! It's our little secret."

 

Meta Knight smiled back in response. The king really was a trustworthy man.

 

The knight looked down at the baby. The little infant had just woken up from his little nap and opened his eyes to stare at Meta. They were a brilliant sapphire blue. Meta could see the entire universe in them. He brought a gloved index finger close to the newborn’s body, and tiny hands wrapped around it. At that moment, a foreign feeling stirred deep in Meta Knight’s heart. But it didn’t terrify him. This baby was born from the stars-just like him. And he would raise this child as one of his own. Meta promised that. 

 

“Well!” Dedede exclaimed “Thought of a name yet, Papa Knight?”

 

Oh. Seems like the thought completely slipped his mind.

 

“No, not yet. And please don’t ever call me that ever again, Your Highness.”

 

The king just scratched his head.

 

“How about…Meta Jr.!”

 

“No. Too generic.”

 

“Meta the Second!”

 

“Not that one.”

 

“Twinkle?”

 

“No.”

 

“Popopo?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“I got it! Dedede Jr.!”

 

“With all due respect, absolutely not.”

---

“It wasn’t until I got back to the Halberd that I decided to name you Kirby.”

 

“Why Kirby?” the boy asked.

 

“It’s an ancient word. Meaning ‘courageous soul’.”

 

The four stayed silent for almost an entire minute. Suddenly, small sniffles were heard in the room. Everyone looked towards Bandana Dee, who was now crying. Kirby and Dedede immediately rushed to his side to comfort him.

 

Meta could feel his heart shatter into microscopic pieces. He completely forgot about the possibility that Bandana wouldn’t be comfortable hearing this. It was his fault for being so inconsiderate.

 

“I’m so sorry,” he uttered. “I should’ve known better, Bandana.”

 

The weeping child shook his head. He wiped his eyes and answered Meta Knight.

 

“No,” Bandana sniffled. “I absolutely loved your story!”

 

“What?”

 

“It was so beautiful, Sir Meta Knight! You truly are an amazing father!”

 

The knight didn’t know what to say, but he was flattered deeply by Bandana’s statement. A warm smile crept on his lips.

 

Once Bandana Dee finally calmed down, Dedede helped him stand up.

 

“Now that you’re feeling better, why don’t ya help me with something?”

 

He nodded eagerly. “Of course, Great King!”

 

The king laughed and gave him a gentle pat on the head, and the two exited the bedroom. Kirby and Meta Knight were all alone now.

 

Half a minute of awkward silence passed. They simply sat idly.

 

“Dad?”

 

Meta looked at his son. 

 

“I’m sorry about earlier today,” Kirby said. 

 

“No, I’m sorry. I withheld the truth from you for so long.”

 

Kirby crept towards him and hugged tightly. Meta quickly hugged back.

 

“I’m glad that you’re my father.”

 

“And I’m glad that you’re my son.”

 

Bandana and Dedede quickly returned with plates in their hands. They set them down on the floor to reveal stacks of chocolate chip cookies. The wonderful aroma of the freshly baked treats pleasantly filled the bedroom. King Dedede reached into his coat and pulled out four cups and a whole pitcher of milk. How he managed to fit all of that in there was simply unexplainable.

 

“Cookies!” Kirby squealed. Even Meta found himself staring at the sweets happily. He was wondering why there was no dessert at the feast!

 

“Let’s dig in!” The king exclaimed. 

 

Everyone poured themselves a glass of milk and took a couple of cookies. Meta moved his mask to the side so he could enjoy them as well. He graciously dipped a cookie in milk and took a bite. Warm, chewy, and full of chocolate-just the way he liked them. A hum of satisfaction came out.

 

“Knew you’d like ‘em,” Dedede snickered. “Anyways, I’ve got a story to share.”

 

The boys were excited for another story, and Meta just continued eating. If it was a story from Dedede, it was probably just going to be him gloating about the past. Most likely something about a big monster he whacked with his hammer. Wouldn’t be the first time.

 

“This one’s about a party I had during the winter.”

 

Meta paused. He wasn’t talking about-

 

“Something hilarious your father did.”

 

His heart sank. He WAS.

 

“Sire!” Meta begged. “Anything but that!” The kids looked at him in amazement. This was the first time Meta sounded so panicked. It had to be good.

 

The king just laughed louder. “Oh yes. Figures the next story should be a bit more lighthearted.”

 

Kirby and Bandana just encouraged the king to go on. Meta groaned in embarrassment. Dedede wasn’t really wrong, but did it have to be THAT night?

 

Meta Knight let out a dejected sigh. “Very well.”

 

Cheers rang out from Bandana and Kirby, and Dedede sat up. 

 

“Alright! You guys are gonna love this one.”

 

All Meta did was give the king a glare that screamed “I’m SO going to kill you after this.”

 

But King Dedede just responded with a smug look that said “Yeah, doubt it.”

 

Much to Meta Knight’s chagrin, he was right. Meta truly appreciated this family he found himself a part of. Even though Kirby was his only son, he couldn’t help but also see Bandana as one as well. And the king definitely fit the role of a parental figure. The Meta-Knights were also like a family to Meta. Needless to say, he wasn’t alone thanks to Kirby entering his life. Meta Knight couldn’t be any more grateful.

 

“So it started when Meta decided to have some drinks…”

Notes:

This was a request for an anon on Tumblr who made an earlier request. Needless to say, this is probably my biggest chapter yet. I wanted to write about Kirby's origins ever since I started this series. But now I'm going to take a break from writing for a while. Don't worry, I have a couple of ideas jotted down for when I feel like returning. Feel free to ask me stuff on my Tumblr though! I'd love to talk about Kirby and any of my other interests. As always, thank you so much for all of the support. Have an amazing day!

Chapter 19: Unexpected

It all started when Meta Knight heard faint sniffling. He was patrolling in Whispy Woods as usual. The sound immediately alerted him, and he was quick on his feet. Meta assumed it was a lost Waddle Dee as the forest could be rather overwhelming. 

 

However, what he did find was completely unexpected.

 

It was a Voidborn child! He looked very similar to Kirby with the exact same eye color, but instead of bubblegum pink hair, this boy had hair as yellow as a lemon. He was wearing a shirt that was a lighter shade of yellow and brown overalls. His shoes were a bright orange. And he was just standing there, bawling his eyes out.

 

Meta Knight was absolutely perplexed. Since when did another Voidborn land on Planet Popstar? How did he never sense its arrival? And how had he survived this long without any guardian!? It just didn’t make any sense!

 

But Meta’s questions would have to come later; comforting this poor child was priority. He bent down to his eye level and put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Young one, what is the matter?” 

 

The boy wiped his eyes and looked up at the knight. He really did look like Kirby.

 

“They left me behind…They don’t wanna play with me anymore!”

 

Meta raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

 

The child tried to answer him, but it was hard to understand him through his tears. Some kind of laboratory? Where exactly did this kid come from?

 

The knight then sighed and started softly rubbing his head. “Follow me. You can stay with me tonight.”

 

The boy instantly latched onto him like a leech. Meta just continued soothing him, but then the kid asked him something.

 

“Can I call you Dad?”

 

Meta froze still. Dad? Did this kid now see him as a father? Even though they’ve only known each other for about five minutes? It was really tempting Meta Knight to just adopt the child. After all, he technically had no parents, and whoever was raising him before didn’t seem to be coming back anytime soon. Kirby would probably love to have a little brother!

 

Meta Knight let out another sigh. And to think I never considered being a parent for thousands of years, he thought.

 

“Sure. Now let’s go home.”

---

Kirby just stared in awe when Meta Knight told him about the random child he just adopted. Meta anticipated this exact reaction, but he couldn’t think of a better way to tell him. Luckily, Kirby was more than eager to be a big brother.

 

After recovering from the initial shock, he happily ran up to his new sibling and hugged him tightly. The yellow-haired boy flinched at first, but it didn’t take long for Kirby’s infectious positivity to seep into him. Meta smiled at the sight of his two sons.

 

“Kirby,” he said. “Why don’t you give your new brother a name?” It turned out this poor child was never even given a name! To be honest, Meta Knight couldn’t come up with a good name, so he decided to let Kirby do the honors. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea.

 

Kirby’s face scrunched in concentration as he thought long and hard about the child’s new name. His eyes lit up as he yelled out his magnum opus of names to give:

 

“Keeby!”

 

The knight blinked. That was it? Keeby? It certainly wasn’t a very creative one. He just replaced the middle of his own name!

 

“Uh, Kirby? How about something a bit more…original?”

 

But Kirby just kept yelling “Keeby!”. He sure was determined about this name. Eventually, the other boy started yelling “Keeby” as well. Meta Knight couldn’t say anything. 

 

Well, if that’s what he wants…

 

“Very well! Keeby, welcome to the family.”

 

The two boys cheered and tightly hugged Meta. He happily wrapped his arms around his two sons. Kirby and Keeby , he thought. 

 

I will raise them well.

Notes:

Someone anonymous on Tumblr requested this one, and I felt kinda bad for just ignoring it. I don't think I'm quite ready to take requests again. There's a few chapters I want to do first. This is just something short and silly. Also, it should be stated that this is not canon to this fic at all. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 20: Pretend

"You'll never rescue the prince, Meta Knightmare!" Trident Wizard cackled. 

 

The prince in question was right behind him in an oversized bird cage. His bright blue eyes watered as he gripped onto the iron bars in desperation. Far away on the other side of the massive dungeon was his savior: the one and only Meta Knight!

 

Meta Knight glared angrily at the haughty sorcerer. He stepped forward, ready to take on whatever Trident Wizard would throw at him.

 

Trident Wizard suddenly raised his hands in the air.

 

"Very well! Come, my two servants!"

 

Axe and Mace emerged from the random stack of cardboard boxes to the side. They were holding cheap plastic versions of their respective weapons.

 

"Come at us!" The axe wielder shouted.

 

Meta Knight wasted no time charging forward and striked first. Axe Knight blocked the hit with his trademark axe. The knight leaped back in retaliation. Mace Knight took a big swing at Meta's head, but the knight slid right underneath his legs! Then, the knight emerged from behind and struck him from behind!

 

Meta gently hit his back with the wooden sword in his hands.

 

Mace Knight let out a pained scream and collapsed onto the floor.

 

"NO!" screamed Axe Knight. He stared menacingly at Meta Knight.

 

"I will avenge you, brother!"

 

Axe Knight slammed his axe at Meta Knight, but he swiftly dodged it. The axe hit the stone floor and cracked it. Unfortunately for Axe Knight, it was now stuck. He tried to pull it out but couldn't. Meta Knight quickly took the opportunity to strike back!

 

 Axe was lightly bonked on the head by the sword.

 

Axe Knight fell to the ground as well. The two were both defeated.

 

Axe and Mace quietly sneaked out of the training room.

 

"Argh! You two are useless!" Trident Wizard yelled while stomping his right foot. He quickly cleared his throat and stood straight.

 

"Whatever. You surely won't make it past the lava pit!"

 

With a snap of his fingers, the ground started shaking. Meta Knight quickly backed up.

 

Sailor Dee quickly stumbled into the center of the room holding a large orange blanket. He spread it out on the floor and quickly jogged back to his corner and got several gray pillows. He hastily threw them onto the blanket and awkwardly went back behind his stack of boxes.

 

A massive pool of lava emerged from the floor! Large slabs of rock floated atop. Meta Knight took a deep breath and leaped onto the closest rock.

 

He could feel the oppressive heat of the lava. The knight carefully looked around his surroundings; which rock was closest to him?

 

There! That one on the right.

 

With a stylish front flip, Meta Knight smoothly landed on the platform. He could faintly hear the prince cheer him on. A few well timed hops later, Meta Knight found himself on the last rock before he'd be on the other side. Suddenly, the knight lost his footing and almost fell straight into the lava!

 

The prince let out a gasp.

 

But Meta Knight was quick to pull himself back up. Once he was safe again, he jumped out of the lava pit.

 

"Drats!" Trident Wizard hissed. He took out his fabled scepter.

 

"Now for my most powerful weapon…I summon thee, Great Ice Dragon!"

 

Sailor Dee once again walked into the frame. This time, he was holding a giant plush. It was a cyan reptilian creature with a white belly. On its back were short blue spikes, and it had adorable beady black eyes. The toy was so big that it obscured almost all of Sailor's body, who let out his best impression of a dragon roar.

 

The gargantuan beast let out a mighty bellow, but Meta Knight just took out his sword.

 

"Freeze him in his tracks!" Trident Wizard ordered.

 

Right on command, the dragon exhaled his icy breath straight at the knight. He narrowly avoided it, and a large mass of ice formed on the ground. 

 

The dragon snarled and lunged its jaws at Meta Knight. It failed to capture him in its maw as he quickly backflipped away. Right when Ice Dragon lifted his head up, the knight charged straight for his now exposed chest!

 

The blade pierced right through its scaly hide, and Ice Dragon unleashed a pained roar when Meta Knight pulled the blade out.

 

Sailor Dee dramatically stumbled around whilst holding the plush. Soon, he unceremoniously dropped it, and it flopped pathetically onto its side. Sailor then awkwardly exited the room.

 

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Trident Wizard shrieked. Meta Knight just walked towards the two. 

 

In a hurry, Trident Wizard took out some green powder and threw it on the ground but not before saying-

 

"Until next time, Meta Knightmare!"

 

WHOOSH! In a fantastic explosion of smoke, Trident Knight had vanished. Now it was just the prince and Meta Knight.

 

The prince smiled joyfully at the knight as he was freed from his prison. Once the door of his cage was open, he slowly walked towards his hero. The knight took off his mask in front of him: a very rare occurrence. 

 

"You saved me!" Kirby said. 

 

Meta smiled and got down on one knee. He took the boy's hand and gently kissed it.

 

Kirby giggled as it tickled him. Meta was just about to stand back up when Kirby gestured for him to stop. Meta stopped and confusedly looked at him.

 

Suddenly, Kirby gave him a kiss on the cheek.

 

Meta was stunned at first, but he eventually found himself purring in response. He let out a warm chuckle and scooped the boy into his arms. Kirby squealed in delight and tightly held on.

 

"Was that fun?" Meta asked while he put his mask back on.

 

"Yeah!"

 

"Good. Now let's get something to eat."

 

The two were walking out of the room when Kirby suddenly yelled "STOP!"

 

Meta suddenly halted in his tracks. "What is it, Kirby?"

 

Kirby pointed down at the orange blanket on the floor.

 

"Lava!"

 

Meta softly laughed. "Right. Of course." He transformed his cape into wings and carefully hovered over the "lava pit" with Kirby in his arms. Admittedly, he could've just done that in the first place, but where was the fun in that?

 

As they left for the cafeteria, the other four watched them. They thoroughly insisted to Meta Knight that they would clean up the training room.

 

"You think that was a good job?" Sailor Dee asked.

 

"Definitely," Axe replied.

 

"I agree," Mace said. "But Trident, don't you think you overdid it a little with your acting?"

 

Trident scoffed. "What do you mean, 'overdid it'? I was simply roleplaying."

 

"Yeah, but you got REALLY passionate there," Sailor Dee said. "Have you ever considered going into theatre?"

 

Trident bashfully looked aside. "No…"

 

The four Meta-Knights had a good laugh and went back to the training room.

 

Needless to say, the mission was a success.

 

Notes:

I'm so sorry I haven't been writing. I was planning on returning to this series much sooner, but health issues suddenly got in the way. I have some muscle pain in my back currently, but I just really wanted to get a chapter out. I'm not ready to take requests just yet, but I will eventually. Thank you so much for reading!

Chapter 21: Eavesdropping

Carrying this crate full of food was really proving to be a test of strength for Sailor Dee. He really would've appreciated any help from the crew, but none of the other Meta-Knights were anywhere to be found. It didn't help that the base's hallways seemed like they went on forever.

 

Whatever. The kitchen wasn't any farther now.

 

As Sailor kept walking, he noticed a small group crowded outside one of the doors. Was that Axe, Mace, and Trident? And he was pretty sure that was Kirby's nursery.

 

So THIS is where they've been! 

 

Sailor scowled and picked up the pace. Once he got close to Axe, who was near the edge of the door, he put down the crate. 

 

"You know, I really could use a hand-"

 

Axe quickly put his hand over Sailor's mouth and pushed him away from the rest.

 

"Not so loud!" he hissed.

 

Sailor yanked Axe's hand away. "What are you three doing?" 

 

He glanced over him to see Mace and Trident pressing their heads against the door. 

 

Axe Knight started to snicker. "You have to listen to this!"

 

The two walked back to the nursery door. Mace and Trident still had their ears pressed close to the door, and they had the biggest smiles on their faces. Sailor reluctantly put his ear on it, and he began to hear something.

 

"Wheeeere's Daddy?"

 

It was a very playful tone, but it was a voice that was all too familiar. 

 

That was Sir Meta Knight.

 

Sailor almost couldn't believe it. 

 

"Peekaboo!"

 

Some giggles could also be heard. 

 

No wonder these three are doing this, Sailor Dee thought. Sir Meta Knight always had an aura emanating pure stoicism. Even at his happiest, he showed little to no emotion. He was a cool and collected knight. A cold-hearted protector.

 

"Coochy coo!"

 

This was just weird. The higher pitch of voice certainly wasn't helping.

 

But then Sailor realized something. 

 

Sir Meta Knight was really embracing being a father. He remembered when the captain first took in Kirby. Every time someone referred to him as Kirby's father, he flinched. Sir Meta Knight kept insisting he was "just his guardian", but Sailor Dee knew he wasn't being honest with himself. It was clear he loved this baby with all his heart, so why did he insist on being so aloof?

 

Hearing Sir Meta Knight call himself "Daddy" made Sailor's heart melt. He really was a sweetheart deep down.

 

"Who's my widdle star? You are!"

 

But if he found out…

 

Sailor Dee quietly stood back up and took the crate. 

 

"Have fun getting caught," he murmured while leaving for the kitchen. Axe just rolled his eyes and went back to eavesdropping with the other two.

 

Once Sailor finally reached his destination, he quickly put the crate down next to the pantry. His arms were killing him, but Sailor knew he wasn't done yet. With a heavy sigh, he reached inside and picked up a jar of peanut butter. He was just about to open the pantry door when…

 

"WHAT ARE YOU THREE DOING HERE!?" 

 

It was soon followed with a chorus of shrieks.

 

"Yep," Sailor Dee sighed. "There it is."

Notes:

Something silly. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 22: Anomaly

Notes:

Just a warning that this chapter is much darker than previous ones and may upset some readers. Contains mild violence/attempted violence.

There was just something about Kirby that brought many different kinds of people to him. His best friends ranged from Bandana Waddle Dee to the literal animals that were Rick, Kine, and Koo. Perhaps it was his constant radiation of positivity? He was happy to be friends with practically everyone in Dream Land. However, Meta Knight was glad that Kirby was able to socialize with others. It was certainly better than being socially awkward like him, and all of Kirby’s friends were good people. 

 

Today, Kirby was going to introduce Meta to a new friend of his. Meta Knight was always happy to see Kirby making friends, and he liked it when Kirby introduced them to him. Kirby seemed to really trust him.

 

He held Meta’s hand as he led the way to the grassy fields where they were going to meet up with Kirby’s new friend. All that Meta knew about this friend was that their name was Gooey. A strange name, but Meta Knight didn’t want to be too judgemental. 

 

Kirby suddenly picked up the pace as a small figure could be seen in the distance. He called out to them.

 

“Gooey! Gooey! Over here!”

 

As they got closer, Meta Knight could see Gooey more clearly. They looked like a young child, not unlike Kirby. This child had dark blue hair, but their face was rather…odd.

 

Gooey’s eyes had weirdly small pupils, and they made them look constantly surprised. But what was most strange was the abnormally long tongue that hung out of their mouth. It reminded Meta Knight of a chameleon or a certain species of dino-like creatures he once encountered in a different part of the galaxy.

 

Kirby let go of Meta’s hand and walked to Gooey’s side.

 

“Gooey, this is my papa!”

 

Meta Knight raised his right hand towards Gooey. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Gooey. My name is Meta Knight, but you may simply call me Meta.”

 

For a moment, Gooey just stared at Meta Knight. Did this child not know what a handshake was? 

 

Suddenly, Gooey’s tongue lathered all over Meta’s hand! 

 

… Charming, Meta thought.

 

Kirby quickly untangled the tongue away from the knight’s. “Gooey, no! You’re supposed to shake hands!”

 

“Uuu?” The child squeaked.

 

“Like this!” Kirby then took Gooey’s hand and put it in Meta’s. Meta slowly shaked it. While he did, he couldn’t help but notice a rather peculiar presence emanating from Kirby’s new friend. Something about it was unnervingly familiar, but Meta couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It almost reminded him of Kirby’s natural aura as a Voidborn, but this child obviously wasn’t one. 

 

Not to mention how…squishy Gooey felt. It was almost like holding gelatin. Just what were they?

 

Once the two stopped their handshake, Kirby walked back to Meta Knight.

 

“Sorry about that, Papa,” he said. “He doesn’t know how to speak yet.”

 

Meta patted his head. “It’s alright. Gooey here just seems to be a bit different.” And there isn’t anything wrong with that , he constantly told himself. There was no need to let his paranoia get the best of him.

 

“So!” Kirby exclaimed. “We’re gonna fish today!”

 

Gooey started hopping around excitedly, and Meta Knight took out two fishing rods from his cape. Kirby insisted on bringing them to him along with food for lunch later.

 

There was a large lake that Kirby and Meta Knight would visit sometimes, and fishing was no exception. Meta always thought it was the perfect activity for Kirby to learn about patience while also being very relaxing. Besides, he wanted to keep an eye on Gooey. There was still something about the child that bothered him.

 

The three sat close to the lake’s shore. Meta handed Kirby his fishing rod and held out his to Gooey.

 

“Gooey, why don’t you take mine?” he patiently asked.

 

Gooey tilted his head and stared at the bizarre object in front of him. Kirby moved his hand towards the fishing rod, and he gently grabbed it.

 

“Ah?” Gooey still looked confused. Meta couldn’t help but frown. How sheltered was Gooey and what were his parents doing? If he even had any.

 

“It’s ok!” Kirby said. “I’ll teach you, Gooey.” He put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Watch me!”

 

The boy did exactly what his father told him to do. 

 

Keep your feet planted on the ground…

 

Tightly hold on…

 

Raise the rod above your head…

 

And bring the lure forwards with a quick sweep of the arms!

 

WHOOSH! The lure flew into the lake's dark blue water. Meta Knight felt immense pride in his soul.

 

"Well done!"

 

Kirby's eyes shone with glee. He turned to Gooey.

 

"Now you try!"

 

Gooey looked at the rod in his hands and towards the lake. 

 

He then proceeded to throw it into the water.

 

"Oh!" Kirby cried as he stepped forward. However, Meta quickly stopped him by flying into the body of water. He soon emerged sopping wet but with the fishing rod in his hands.

 

Meta Knight fluttered back to shore and handed Gooey his fishing rod.

 

"Sorry about that," Kirby murmured. 

 

"No worries. I'll help you, Gooey."

 

He gently took Gooey’s hands and placed them on the fishing rod. The two cast the fishing rod together, and Gooey and Kirby were now patiently waiting. During this, Meta Knight couldn’t help but notice how “alien” Gooey felt. His body was very squishy (fitting considering his name). But the presence the child constantly radiated could only be described as…unknown. It filled Meta with an unexplainable dread, and he didn’t like it one bit. How did Kirby not detect this? Or was he just too compassionate to care?

 

Meta Knight’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Kirby frantically yelling.

 

“I got something!” The boy eagerly spun the handle and fought to claim his catch. After a few minutes of struggling, Kirby finally yanked the rod out of the water. 

 

On the lure was a little gray fish!

 

“Yippee!” Kirby squealed. Meta Knight let out a hearty chuckle and warmly rubbed his son’s head.

 

“Good job!”

 

Gooey curiously eyed the fish dangling from the rod. Kirby proudly brought it closer for him to investigate.

 

“Check it out, Gooey!” he giggled. “My first fish!”

 

The blue-haired child stared at the fish for a while. It was almost like this was the first time he’d ever seen such a creature.

 

…And then he promptly clamped his mouth onto the fish.

 

Meta immediately attempted to yank the fish out of Gooey’s mouth.

 

“No! Let it go!” This was awfully familiar to him. No wonder Kirby was good friends with this child.

 

But it was too late, and Gooey happily chewed on the fish. He quickly spat out its skeleton in a rather morbid fashion.

 

Meta Knight was prepared to soothe a crying Kirby, but the boy was instead laughing.

 

“Gooey!” he chuckled. “Are you hungry?” He turned towards Meta expectantly.

 

“Can we have lunch now?” Kirby asked.

 

Dumbfounded, Meta didn’t respond. He was now focusing on the skeletal remains of the fish on the ground. All of the meat was picked clean . Everything was consumed by Gooey.

 

It was like…

 

Like…

 

A black hole obliterating all matter in its path.

 

A ravenous force relentlessly assimilating every living creature.

 

An alien presence hellbent on controlling every part of the galaxy.

 

Something shrouding everything into eternal darkness.

 

Darkness.

 

Dark Matter.

 

That was it.

 

This child was made from Dark Matter.

 

The same thing that brought entire civilizations to ruin.

 

The same thing that claimed the lives of millions of innocent beings.

 

That claimed the lives of-

 

“Papa? Are you okay?”

 

He quickly turned to Kirby, who was staring at him worriedly.

 

Meta Knight could feel his breath hitch and his hands tremble. How foolish he was for not noticing earlier! This abomination was right in front of him the entire time, and Meta did nothing. 

He swore to destroy every last one of Dark Matter’s spawns until it was no more.

 

How long would it be before it would transform into a wretched monster and threaten to harm those in Dream Land?

 

In Planet Popstar?

 

In the universe?

 

To Kirby?

 

I have to destroy this thing, Meta Knight thought. But he couldn’t just do it in front of Kirby. He took a deep breath and took out a picnic basket from his cape.

 

“Kirby?” he softly asked. “Why don’t you set up lunch while I have a quick talk with Gooey?”

 

I can’t rouse any suspicion. Kirby would never forgive him, not even till the end of time and space itself.

 

Meta quickly took the Dark Matter’s hand and took it far away from Kirby. They kept walking until the lake was far from visible, and the knight immediately let go of its hand. He had its back turned towards it and carefully took Galaxia in its hands.

 

A swift strike was all it would take. It was made out of Dark Matter, so it would dissipate into nothingness and not leave a trace of its existence behind. Kirby would never have to know. Meta could just tell him that Gooey had to go somewhere very far away. And that he would never return.

 

Never cause any pain and suffering to him and his father.

 

It was that easy.

 

…So why was Meta hesitating?

 

Galaxia couldn’t stop shaking in his grasp, and his heart was racing. Sweat was running down his forehead. Meta Knight then dared to look back at the creature behind him.

 

And he saw a child innocently staring at him. A pink-haired, no, BLUE-haired child.

 

A child.

 

That was Dark Matter, he kept reminding himself. Meta finally turned around and gritted his teeth.

 

Galaxia was slowly pulled from its sheath…

 

Meta Knight closed his eyes…

 

And…

 

And…

 

SLAM!

 

Galaxia was firmly planted into the ground. Meta collapsed to his knees and hyperventilated. He remained like this for a good minute until he felt something soft on his shoulder. Meta turned to see the child Gooey looking right at him.

 

“Uee?” he vocalized. Gooey looked as unaware as usual.

 

Finally, Meta Knight turned around and firmly put his hands on Gooey’s shoulders. He lowered himself to meet the boy’s gaze.

 

“Gooey…” His voice was soft yet stifled with shallow breaths. Meta could feel tears slowly form in his eyes, but he kept his eyes on Gooey’s.

 

“Listen to me very carefully.”

 

Gooey let out a little coo.

 

“Your heart is full of kindness. Love. Warmth.”

 

Just like Kirby’s .

 

“Please never succumb to hatred. Appreciate the life you have here and…”

 

“And…”

 

“Please be good to Kirby.”

 

Meta could feel himself crying, but Gooey didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he affectionately licked his mask. Drool coated the shiny metal, and Meta Knight graciously wiped it off with his cape. The knight couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at this.

 

“Ah!” Gooey cried with a sweet smile on his face. 

 

Meta Knight sighed heavily and hugged Gooey. His body was oddly squishy, but it was very warm. It reminded him of hugging Kirby. Gooey let out a happy little gurgle. Despite it all, Gooey was just a child. Just like Kirby.

 

He eventually stood back up and pat Gooey’s head.

 

“Why don’t you meet back up with Kirby? I’ll be back in a while.”

 

The child nodded in response and quickly ran back to the lake where Kirby was surely waiting.

 

Meta Knight watched Gooey for a little before turning around to retrieve Galaxia. It was still stuck in the dirt. He effortlessly pulled it out and put it back in its sheath. Suddenly, it struck him and Meta put a hand over his mouth.

 

You just tried to kill a child.

 

He wanted to vomit.

 

A child that was friends with Kirby.

 

Meta firmly closed his eyes shut.

 

Your own son.

 

“DAMNIT!” he cried. What a pathetic excuse for a father. How could he even attempt such an atrocious thing?

 

I don’t deserve to be Kirby’s father. I should just fly away from Popstar and never return. Dedede can watch over him. Surely, he’d be a better parent than him.

 

But then Meta sighed.

 

No. I can’t run away. The king needs me. The Meta-Knights need me.

 

He needs me.

 

After taking a moment to regain himself, Meta Knight spread out his wings and flew back to the lake. The kids were probably wondering what was taking so long.

 

He could soon see Kirby and Gooey happily sitting with the picnic basket. Kirby had a sandwich in his hands while Gooey munched on an apple. Kirby was quick to notice Meta’s presence and excitedly waved to him.

 

When Meta Knight landed on the soft grass, Kirby skipped towards him and handed him a cup of chocolate pudding. The knight couldn't resist and quickly started chowing down after opening it.

 

“What did you and Gooey talk about?” he asked.

 

Meta gave Gooey a gentle look. Gooey smiled back at him.

 

“Just about how much of a good friend you are.”

Notes:

So here's something different. I was very hesitant about posting this one because it might upset some people. If you guys don't like it, I'll delete this chapter. The next few chapters will definitely be a lot more lighthearted than this one, but please let me know what you think about this one. I want to know if readers would be fine with more serious chapters like this one. Thank you once again for reading.

Chapter 23: Heat

106° F.

 

106° F.

 

Even in the middle of summer, this sheer heat was absolutely appalling. The air conditioning of the base had been on for hours, but it honestly didn't feel any cooler. Meta was just laying down on his bed. Not even reading sounded ideal. Luckily Dream Land was at peace right now, and putting on a full suit of armor right now sounded like a nightmare.

 

He believed this type of weather should be illegal. But alas, one cannot arrest the Sun.

 

Atleast Kirby had found something to pass the time. More specifically, he discovered the magic of talking in front of an electric fan and now couldn't stop.

 

"Heeey Daaad. I'm aaaa roooobooot." 

 

“I know.”

 

“Cooooomeee oooooveeeerr heeeeerrreeeee aaaaand beeee oooooneee toooooo.”

 

“No thank you.”

 

Kirby let out a pathetic little whine. “Whyyyyy nooooot?” He leaned closer to the fan.

 

"Not too close," Meta muttered. "You'll get hurt."

 

"I'm fiiiineeee."

 

Meta Knight sat up and stretched his wings. He lightly flapped them, creating a bit of a breeze.

 

Meta hummed. That felt nice.

 

His wings continued to flap for a minute. The knight had closed his eyes in relaxation and even started to purr a little. The AC had been blasting for many hours as well as the fan, but only now was he starting to feel cooler? Meta mentally shrugged it off.

 

He eventually opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of a certain pink-haired child sitting right in front of him. Meta stopped flapping his wings.

 

Kirby frowned. “Why did you stop?”

 

Meta Knight raised an eyebrow. “Kirby, the electric fan’s right there.”

 

“Do it again!”

 

“Is the fan no different?”

 

The boy poked his left wing. “Wings are cooler!”

 

Meta playfully rolled his eyes. Can’t argue with that.

 

So Meta Knight kept using his wings as a makeshift fan. Kirby smiled contentedly as the cool air hit his face. It was worth it just to see him happy.

 

But after several minutes, Meta stopped again. His wings were starting to hurt, but Kirby started to yank on them.

 

“Keep going!” he demanded.

 

“Kirby,” Meta groaned. “My wings are getting sore. I can’t do this forever.”

 

Kirby pouted and put a hand on his chin. He stayed deep in thought for a few seconds, but then his face quickly lit up. It appeared he had an epiphany. Kirby leaped up and ran to the door.

 

“Wait there!” he said before quickly rushing out of the room.

 

Meta Knight cheekily smiled. “Wasn’t planning to,” he laughed. The knight flopped back down on the bed and sighed. His mind started to wander to the beach. That’s where most families go during summer, right? Kirby would probably enjoy going to Orange Ocean; they had fun there that one Father’s Day. Maybe the other Meta-Knights could come as well! Or Dedede and Bandana if they had the free time. The idea of laying down in the shade with a nice drink in hand pleased Meta.

 

Perhaps I should discuss it with Kir-

 

Right on queue, Kirby was back in the room!

 

…With a particular crown of ice on his head.

 

Meta immediately sat up. 

 

“Kirby.”

 

“Dad?”

 

“Please don’t freeze my room solid.”

 

“I wasn’t going to!”

 

Meta slowly backed away.

 

Kirby huffed. “I’m not gonna do anything!” He crawled on the bed and situated himself on Meta’s lap.

 

“There! Don’t you feel cooler?” he asked.

 

Meta Knight had no idea how to respond. It was obvious Kirby was just trying to help, and he was definitely making the room feel less sweltering. It wasn’t the most ideal usage of the Copy Ability, but it sure was working. That and he certainly had no right to protest.

 

“Yes,” he answered. Meta would give his son a head pat, but he’d rather not have his hand frozen solid.

 

“Thank you, Kirby.” 

 

The two sat in silence, enjoying the gracious coldness the Ice ability gave. Meta could slowly feel himself starting to fall asleep. His eyes closed and he drifted away to sleep-

 

“ACHOO!”

 

An immense rush of sheer cold flushed over Meta Knight’s face. He snapped awake, but all he could see was pure white. A familiar voice was heard shrieking “DAD!”. Almost immediately, Meta felt two warm hands brush away whatever was obscuring his face. Kirby, now back to his normal self, looked horrified and had snow coating his hands. A brief glance to the side revealed a lone ice pack on the floor.

 

“Dad!” Kirby cried. “Are you okay!?” The poor child looked like he was on the brink of crying.

 

“I-I’m fine,” Meta shivered. “Don’t worry.” It honestly felt like he was pelted in the face by a giant snowball which probably wasn’t too far off from what actually happened. He felt his heart break seeing Kirby so ashamed of himself for a simple accident.

 

“Don’t cry Kirby,” he cooed. “It wasn’t your…fault…” His words trailed off as he slowly noticed the large crystal of ice behind Kirby planted on his bed.

 

Kirby turned around to see the crystal. Neither said a word and just stared at the icy formation. To think something like this was formed from a simple sneeze! Meta shuddered thinking about what Kirby could do at full power. He could probably turn the entire base into a skating rink.

 

Kirby suddenly broke the silence. “I’m sorry for ruining your bed,” he murmured. 

 

Meta soothingly rubbed his head. “It’s alright. It’s just ice. It’ll melt.” Eventually. And he’d probably have to buy new bedsheets. No doubt these ones will be soaking wet.

 

Kirby was still looking down; Meta Knight frowned as well. He never liked seeing Kirby’s mood dampened like this. He had to do something! Meta’s gaze then focused on a specific object in the room, and he smiled.

---

“Heeeeeey Kiiiiiirrrrrbyyyyy?” Meta Knight asked. He was sitting in front of the electric fan like Kirby was earlier. Kirby himself was happily sitting in his lap.

 

“Yeeeeeeaaaaahhhh Daaaaaaaaaad?” Kirby giggled. It greatly amused him hearing his father’s voice like this. Even the Meta Knightmare wasn’t immune to the powers of the electric fan.

 

“Wouuuuuld yooooouuuu waaaaaaant toooooo gooooo tooooo the beeeeaaaaach neeeeeext weeeeeeek?”

 

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!”

 

The knight hummed in satisfaction as Kirby leaned affectionately into him. Looks like the two had plans for next week. He couldn’t wait.

Notes:

And now for some fluff to wash down the angst from last chapter. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 24: Dreams

Notes:

Spoiler warning for Kirby's Adventure/Nightmare in Dream Land? lol

Kirby wasn’t able to appreciate the sheer beauty of the Fountain of Dreams until now. During the Nightmare incident, he was too focused on getting the last piece of the Star Rod from Dedede. And then Nightmare was released from the fountain. After a grueling battle on the Moon, Kirby just wanted to go straight back home and sleep. 

 

But now he couldn’t stop gazing at the eternal starry sky as he held on tightly to Meta Knight. Every star was much more visible than before. He felt like he could just reach out and grab one, but Kirby didn’t want to fall off Meta. 

 

Meta Knight told him stories about the Fountain of Dreams before. It is where every pleasant dream in Dream Land was created. Every planet had one, but apparently Planet Popstars’ is the most powerful and even Dream Land’s namesake. Kirby remembered his father once promising him a trip one night. The child had a rather nasty dream, and he sought out Meta for comfort. While the knight cradled him on his chest, he told Kirby about the Fountain of Dreams.

 

“One day, we will visit it for the most pleasant of dreams.”

 

Unfortunately, Nightmare’s gradual infection of the fountain postponed that for several years. Kirby understood that Meta just wanted to protect him; what he didn’t understand was eventually going along with Dedede’s plan to shatter the Star Rod and scatter its pieces across Dream Land. He never wanted to fight his father, but he had to in order to recover everyone’s dreams. It was fortunate that all their duel did was break Meta’s mask. Yet he insisted on instantly fleeing and dropping the sixth piece. 

 

In fact, Meta Knight’s actions in general perplexed Kirby during the incident. The day Kirby found out about what King Dedede had done, he expected his father to stop him and recover the Star Rod. But no, Meta had a piece himself! And then he would hand Kirby Invincibility Candy one minute and send the Meta-Knights after him the next. Luckily, Meta’s crew were a hardy bunch and are now working hard as usual. However, it still hurt to fight the ones he practically considered his older siblings.

 

But that couldn’t compare to fighting his own father.

 

Kirby recalled their fateful encounter in Orange Ocean.

---

“Dad!” Kirby yelled. “Why are you doing this?”

 

The knight kept his back turned on him.

 

“...Dad?”

 

“Take the sword.”

 

Kirby stared at the sword planted on the ground. It wasn’t one of the wooden ones used for training. This sword was genuine metal.

 

“What?” Kirby asked.

 

“Get it!” Meta suddenly shouted.

 

The boy took a deep breath and reluctantly took the blade. His clothes quickly changed to that iconic green tunic.

 

Meta Knight finally turned around. His eyes were completely absent of their usual warmth and love. All he had was the determined gaze of a warrior. This wasn’t the father Kirby knew and loved.

 

This was the King’s loyal servant.

 

The two swordsmen charged forward.

---

“We’re here.”

 

Meta’s voice snapped Kirby out of his thoughts. The knight was now on the ground and looked at Kirby curiously.

 

“Kirby?”

 

The boy hopped off his back. 

 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Just thinking.”

 

The knight let out a low hum and started walking forward. Kirby quickly trailed behind, but he couldn't help but take in everything that was around him.

 

Palm trees were scattered across the path to the fountain. Their leaves were soft pastel colors unlike any normal palm tree. The very ground Kirby and Meta Knight walked on was peculiar as well. It looked like they were walking on water, but the floor was remarkably solid. The reflection of the stars above almost made it seem like the two were stepping on space itself. Kirby could feel himself relax already, and they hadn’t even reached the actual fountain yet!

 

He was so immersed in the beauty of the spring that he completely ignored whatever Meta just told him.

 

“Kirby,” he said sternly.

 

The boy quickly turned to face his father. He sheepishly held his hands together.

 

Meta’s face instantly softened and he softly rubbed Kirby’s head.

 

“I take it you’re enjoying this?” he chuckled.

 

Kirby nodded. “I was too busy repairing the Star Rod, and then there was Nightmare.”

 

Meta Knight sighed and moved his hand away from Kirby’s hair. He gazed down at the ground. Kirby reached out and touched his mask.

 

“Dad? What’s wrong?”

 

Meta’s bright yellow eyes met Kirby’s radiant blues. 

 

“Kirby. I’m sorry about what I did.”

 

The boy looked at him confusedly. “What?”

 

“When the king entrusted me with a piece of the Star Rod, I felt that I had no choice but to listen to him. If the Star Rod stayed broken, Nightmare would never harm you. But then I saw you go after the shards yourself. I lacked the courage to stop you right away, so I decided to test you.”

 

“Is that why you gave me Invincibility Candy?” Kirby asked. “And made the others fight me?”

 

Meta Knight nodded. “I was impressed with how far you made it, but I’m forever loyal to the king.”

 

“So we had to duel.”

 

“Yes. But then you defeated me, and that’s when I knew you could defeat Nightmare.”

 

The knight suddenly wrapped his arms around Kirby.

 

“I’m so proud of you, my little star.”

 

Kirby happily cuddled Meta. “Thanks, Dad. But I hope I never have to fight you ever again.”

 

“Me too.”

 

Meta Knight lifted Kirby up and cradled him close to his chest. 

 

“The fountain’s not too far now.”

---

Sure enough, the Fountain of Dreams was only a few steps away. It looked just as otherworldly as it did last time Kirby was here. The marble structure of the fountain was perfectly polished, and the Star Rod was still on top. All that could be heard was the gentle sound of water flowing through the spring.

 

It was so beautiful; Kirby could already feel himself being lured to sleep. Meta gently lowered him to the ground.

 

“This is where all of Dream Land’s dreams are created,” he said. “The water that comes out of the fountain transforms into a mist that drifts all over the land.”

 

The knight walked to the edge of the fountain and bent down. He reached into his cape and pulled out something. A few seconds later, he walked back to Kirby with a tiny bowl in his hands. Inside the bowl was a shimmering liquid.

 

“However, drinking the water directly will give one the most pleasant dreams they’ve ever experienced,” he explained. “I wanted you to give you this opportunity.”

 

Meta handed the bowl to Kirby, and the boy took it.

 

Kirby just stared at the bowl. He frowned.

 

“I saw Dedede swim in the fountain,” he muttered.

 

Meta Knight nodded. “The water in that bowl is definitely not the same water that Dedede was in. Besides, I’m sure he bathes regularly.”

 

“Can you drink some with me?” Kirby asked.

 

“Very well.” Meta quickly pulled out a bowl identical to the one Kirby held and scooped some water out of the fountain. The two sat down with their water in hand. Kirby moved his bowl towards Meta Knight.

 

“Cheers?”

 

Meta smiled and brought his bowl to Kirby’s. “Cheers.”

 

Kirby and Meta Knight drank simultaneously. The water tasted like typical freshwater, but it also seemed much “cleaner”. It definitely didn’t reek of Dedede. 

 

Once they finished their drinks, the two laid down. Meta even removed his mask and cast it aside. The boy and knight both lied on their sides and faced each other. Kirby scooted closer to Meta Knight, and he felt a wing blanket over him. Meta smiled warmly at Kirby.

 

Kirby could feel his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and he failed to stifle a yawn. 

 

“Sweet dreams,” he whispered.

 

As he closed his eyes and started to dive into the world of dreams, Kirby felt something soft lightly press against his forehead.

 

“Rest well, my little star.”

---

Kirby opened his eyes to find himself in a pale orange room. He had no idea what he was standing on, but that didn’t matter once he saw what laid in front of him.

 

It was a giant cake! The yellow spongy cake spiraled into a mountain and was drizzled with pink frosting. A heap of whipped cream and strawberries sat on top.

 

Kirby’s eyes sparkled with utter amazement, and he heard his tummy grumble. Not wasting any time, he sprinted towards the cake. The child decided to race all the way to the top with a strategy in mind: start from the top and eat all the way to the bottom.

 

Once he reached the peak, Kirby started scarfing down the delectable treat. The whipped cream’s vanilla flavor complimented the sweet juiciness of the berries perfectly. The sponge cake itself had the perfect amount of sponginess. Truly, this was the best cake Kirby had ever eaten.

 

Unfortunately, nothing ever lasts forever, and the cake was quickly decimated. All that remained was a very satisfied Kirby with whipped cream and crumbs coating his face. He felt like his tummy was about to burst! 

 

The boy was just about to close his eyes when he heard something.

 

“Kirby…”

 

He looked up and saw a silhouette slowly descend to the ground. On it was a very familiar pair of bat wings.

 

“Dad!”

 

The knight gracefully landed in front of him. Kirby stood up and threw himself at his father. Meta’s wings wrapped around the two of them. This was a cocoon full of love and warmth and Kirby’s favorite place to be. He started to purr, and Meta Knight happily reciprocated.

 

Soon, Meta’s wings flared out as he pulled Kirby closer to him.

 

“How about a flight through the skies?” he asked.

 

Kirby nodded excitedly, and the two were off.

 

The orange colors of the sky strangely melted into a light blue. Clouds miraculously formed all over the atmosphere. Kirby curiously looked down and saw Dream Land below him!

 

Everyone below was as tiny as ants, but he could faintly see some of his friends.

 

Bandana Waddle Dee was next to King Dedede, who was lazily lounging around. Kirby shouted his name to get his attention, but it didn’t look like they were able to hear him. He just kept looking for more of his buddies. Rick and Coo were sitting near a pond with Kine inside it. Not too far away was Gooey looking at some flowers. They all seemed happy.

 

Suddenly, Meta Knight rose further into the sky. The sky turned as dark as the night, and the clouds were replaced with twinkling stars. Kirby felt much lighter now, and Meta suddenly let him go! But instead of plummeting down, he lazily floated around. The boy looked at his father. The knight’s body was strangely glowing.

 

“Dad?” Kirby nervously asked.

 

Meta slowly closed his eyes, and he transformed! The membrane of his wings now looked like the cosmos, and his armor was even shinier. His eyes looked like they housed the entire universe. He flew closer to Kirby and kissed his forehead.

 

Kirby could feel his heart fill with warmth, but then he noticed his father slowly fading away into specks of light.

 

“Dad!” he cried. “Don’t leave me!”

 

Meta Knight embraced him and soothingly stroked his hair. The world around them was slowly crumbling apart. Kirby couldn’t stop the tears flowing from his eyes.

 

“ Don’t worry, Kirby. I will always be with you. ”

---

The first thing Kirby felt when he woke up was warm air tickling his face. He opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of Meta Knight’s sleeping face. Meta looked so relaxed. Soon, he began to stir. His eyes slowly opened to meet Kirby’s. The knight smiled warmly at his son.

 

“Hiya,” Kirby chuckled. He sat up and stretched. Meta rose as well.

 

“Did you have pleasant dreams?” Meta asked.

 

“Uh huh!” Kirby said. “What about you?”

 

Meta Knight’s smile suddenly faded, and he let out a heavy sigh.

 

Then he started to cry.

 

Kirby rushed closer to him and carefully wiped the tears off Meta’s face.

 

“You had a bad dream!?”

 

Meta shook his head.

 

“No. In fact, it was the most pleasant dream I’ve ever had.”

 

He lowered his head.

 

“But it was just a dream. And one that will never come true.”

 

Kirby frowned. Just what exactly did he dream about? 

 

“Well, I dreamed that I was eating a giant cake,” he muttered.

 

Meta heartily laughed and playfully ruffled his hair.

 

“Why am I not surprised?” he giggled. Kirby smiled. At least Meta was in a better mood now. 

 

Kirby put a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t know that your dream will never come true. I can help you though.”

 

The knight smiled. “Thank you. Besides, I already have everything.”

 

Kirby tilted his head, and Meta Knight gently tapped the boy’s nose.

 

“Right here.”

 

Meta stood up and opened his arms.

 

“Shall we head back?”

 

The boy jumped into Meta’s arms and nodded. Then, Meta Knight took off to the stars above. As Kirby relaxed, he couldn’t help but think about his own dream. What exactly was that last part? It was surreal seeing his dad disappear in front of his eyes, but those words kept ringing in his head.

 

I will always be with you.

 

He smiled and placed his head close to Meta’s heart. I know you will.

 

While Meta Knight soared back to Dream Land, he thought about his own dream.

---

Meta Knight was sitting on a large couch. Snuggled close to him were three little children. They were Voidborn just like him and Kirby. The biggest one had yellow hair, the middle one had red hair, and the youngest one had green hair. 

 

They looked at the old knight in awe as he told them a heart-pounding story about one of him and Kirby’s adventures.

 

Speaking of Kirby, the young man was sitting on the chair near the couch. He would make little comments during Meta’s story, usually about things from his perspective.

 

This was the ideal life.  

Notes:

And with that, requests are open again! Like last time, please check the pinned post on my Tumblr blog before sending a request. Please use the askbox for sending requests.
Thank you for reading!

kentuckyfriedsushi.tumblr.com

Chapter 25: Tend

Notes:

CW for injuries/mild gore and parent being overprotective/possessive.

Meta was reading when Kirby suddenly rushed into his bedroom crying. His loud sniffles and sobs immediately got the knight’s attention, and he rushed over to the child.

 

“What’s wrong?” Meta asked.

 

Kirby held out his right thumb which had a tiny little scratch on it.

 

“I was drawing on some paper,” he  whimpered. “And then it hurt.”

 

Meta rubbed Kirby’s hand soothingly. 

 

“It’s just a paper cut,” he cooed. “First, let’s go to the bathroom and wash your hands.” Kirby took his hand as they walked to the nearest bathroom. 

 

Inside, Meta and Kirby walked over to the sink. The knight turned on the warm water and brought Kirby’s hands under it. He then lathered them with soap, and soon Kirby was diligently washing his hands.

 

After about twenty seconds, Kirby dried himself while Meta turned off the sink. The two made their way back to the captain’s quarters.

 

Once Meta Knight and Kirby returned, the knight walked over to his closet and pulled out a first aid kit. Kirby curiously eyed it; it seemed Meta was prepared for any kind of situation.

 

When Meta returned to Kirby, he opened the kit and grabbed a disinfectant wipe.

 

“This will sting for just a moment,” he softly said.

 

Meta Knight carefully wiped the cut, and Kirby squeaked in pain.

 

“I know, I know,” Meta whispered as he continued his treatment. Once the cut was thoroughly disinfected, Meta Knight tossed the wipe away and took out a bandage. He covered the wound, but Meta felt there was something missing. 

 

He let out a low hum. What else could he do? It then struck him.

 

Meta Knight leaned closely to Kirby’s bandaged thumb and kissed it. There.

 

“Better?” he asked.

 

Kirby smiled and nodded his head. “Thanks, Papa!”  Then he skipped out of the bedroom. Meta smiled and returned to his bed. It was impossible that a mere kiss could make the pain go away, but Meta Knight somehow believed it made everything better. 

 

An hour later, Kirby returned proudly holding a heart-shaped drawing of him and his father. It was lovingly covered in glitter and stickers; Meta wasted no time framing it on his wall.

---

It was a quiet day in Dream Land. Meta Knight was laying down on the soft grass while Kirby was frolicking in the flowers. Nothing to worry about here. There was no Dark Matter, and Nightmare had been destroyed long ago. Everything was nice and quiet.

 

So quiet in fact that Meta was just about to close his eyes and rest when…

 

An ear-piercing screech rang across the plains! 

 

Kirby!

 

Meta Knight’s eyes shot wide open, and he jolted up. Galaxia was unsheathed as he restlessly looked for his son.

 

There!

 

He was on the ground clutching his left arm. In front of him was a Scarfy! Meta loathed these things. They looked cute and innocent at first, but their faces would suddenly transform into those of hideous demons when provoked. It didn’t help that Scarfies were very territorial creatures. The Scarfy near Kirby definitely looked as aggressive as ever; Kirby must have gotten too close to one.

 

Meta sprinted to Kirby’s side and swiftly swung Galaxia at the monster. It lunged back and hissed at him. The Scarfy then fled. Meta Knight felt pure rage bubble inside of him. There was this urge to chase this demon to the ends of the earth and then tear its disgusting hide to shreds. It was a primal feeling radiating in his mind- the urge to kill. He barely suppressed a growl from escaping his lips.

 

However, Kirby needed him. He reluctantly let the Scarfy go and examined Kirby’s left arm. Four large puncture wounds marked it: two on the top and two on the bottom. Blood slowly seeped out of them. Kirby’s skin was an irritated red, and his face was caked with tears.

 

Seeing this horrifying sight in front of him, Meta felt his heart skip a beat. His breath became uneven.

 

He should’ve been keeping a closer eye on him.

 

They should’ve never come here.

 

It’s his fault.

 

It’s not safe.

 

Not safe.

 

The pupils in Meta’s eyes suddenly constricted. He instinctively brought Kirby close to him and unleashed his wings. Only one thought raced in his mind-to go back to home.

 

To safety.

 

“Not safe,” he constantly muttered. His eyes were intently focused and empty at the same time.

 

Meta could faintly hear Kirby speaking, but he didn’t register it at all. All he could focus on was escaping. Back to the Halberd. To the captain’s quarters. It was like he was in a trance of some kind, and nothing could stop Meta Knight now.

 

The knight launched himself off the ground with Kirby securely in his arms.

---

Kirby didn’t mind having to go home early. He just got bitten by a Scarfy, so it made sense. What really worried him was how strange his father was acting. It started when he looked at his injury. Meta looked utterly distraught when he saw what that Scarfy did to him. Not to mention how infuriated he looked when the creature fled. Kirby saw him tightly clench Galaxia, and he swore he heard his father growl like a bear protecting its cubs.

 

And then something snapped in Meta Knight.

 

He immediately pulled Kirby in his grasp; it actually startled him. Kirby tried to get his attention, but the knight didn’t respond at all. All he constantly murmured was “Not safe”. His eyes looked off as well. They looked completely glazed over and devoid of any comprehensible emotion. It was honestly unnerving.

 

The flight back home was eerily quiet. All that could be heard was the howling of the wind and Meta's constant mantra of "Not safe". 

 

It didn't take long before they were back home. Meta refused to let go of Kirby as he hurried to his bedroom. The rest of the crew attempted to greet him, but he just ignored all of them. Not a single word. Once they reached the captain’s quarters, Meta firmly shut the door and locked it. He swiftly got the first aid kid out of the closet and wasted no time tending to Kirby’s wound. Despite how odd Meta was acting, he was as careful as he could be. The knight gently cleaned the bites on Kirby’s arm and generously wrapped it in bandages.

 

Kirby certainly felt much better afterwards. He was about to head towards the bedroom door, but Meta suddenly picked him up and placed him on his bed. Before Kirby could even respond, he was swaddled in a soft blanket. Meta Knight meticulously placed pillows around him, creating a makeshift nest. Then, he cradled the boy to his chest. His wings emerged from the cape and wrapped around them.

 

Kirby looked up at his father concerned.

 

“Dad?”

 

But Meta Knight just buried his nose in his soft locks. He nuzzled the top of his head lovingly, and a familiar deep rumbling resonated in his chest. He didn’t plan on letting go now.

 

Kirby just sighed and leaned close to Meta’s heart. Admittedly, he didn’t mind this extra affection from his father. Hearing him purr was slowly lulling him to sleep. Maybe he could take a quick nap. Meta would surely feel better by the time he awoke. Kirby let out a tiny yawn and closed his eyes.

---

Knock knock.

 

Kirby opened his eyes. He was still being held by Meta, but something was different. His gentle purring had stopped, and now he was growling. The knight was holding Kirby much tighter than before. Kirby curiously scanned his father’s face.

 

Meta Knight stared intensely at the door. He looked as fierce as a lion stalking its prey. It was terrifying.

 

A muffled voice came from the other side of the door.

 

“Sir? Is everything alright in there?” It was Sailor Dee.

 

Kirby was just about to respond, but Meta suddenly hissed. The boy turned to him in shock. This was not his father.

 

“Sir Meta Knight. Please open the door. It’s been three hours.”

 

Three hours?

 

Kirby took a deep breath.

 

“Dad,” he insisted. “Please listen to Sailor.”

 

But Meta just ignored him. Instead, he let go of Kirby and advanced to the edge of the bed. Kirby tried to reach out to him, but Meta’s wings suddenly flared out. The sudden movement startled Kirby too much to move.

 

Meta Knight let out a feral hiss.

 

Another voice was then heard from outside.

 

“Lemme open it.” Captain Vul!

 

A quick jangling of keys later, Kirby could hear the door open. And Meta was not happy.

 

He flapped his wings menacingly and relentlessly growled at whoever was in front of him. Kirby tried to peek from behind; he could see not only Captain Vul and Sailor but the entirety of the crew. All of them save for Vul looked at the knight in horror. The co-captain just looked unimpressed.

 

Then he stepped closer to the berserk knight.

 

Kirby suddenly felt a rush of dread. 

 

Dad has Galaxia in hand.

 

“Vul!” he shouted. “Don’t!”

 

But then he suddenly slapped Meta Knight.

 

Everyone gasped in shock. Even with the metal mask on, the slap clearly affected him. Galaxia even fell out of his grasp and clattered onto the ground. Meta stood still for what seemed like an eternity. Kirby jumped off the bed and ran up to his father. Vul looked as serious as ever, but he was also trembling a bit.

 

Finally, Meta Knight stirred. He slowly brought a gloved hand to where Vul hit him and looked around the room. All of the crew and Kirby were staring at him. Kirby could finally look into his eyes, and he looked so confused. 

 

Meta turned to Kirby.

 

“Kirby?” he rasped.

 

Kirby frowned at him and didn’t say anything.

 

The knight started hyperventilating, and then he ran away. All of the Meta-Knights immediately moved out of his way as he exited the room.

 

Kirby was about to run after him, but Vul tightly grabbed his shoulders. He tried to struggle out of the co-captain’s grasp.

 

“Don’t,” Vul grumbled. “I’ll take care of it.”

 

“But-”

 

“You stay here, kid.” Captain Vul let go of him and left the bedroom. The other knights followed him except for Sailor Dee. He walked up to the boy and soothingly rubbed his shoulders.

 

“Why don’t we have dinner?”

 

Kirby just nodded silently.

---

It didn't take long for Captain Vul to find Meta Knight. He was on the rooftop of the base staring at the ocean below. Vul considered just quietly walking up to him, but then he loudly cleared his throat.

 

Meta immediately turned around and made eye contact with Vul. He was worried the knight was going to fly off again, but Meta just went back to looking at the sea. Vul sighed in relief and walked closer to him. He was now standing to the left of him.

 

The two stayed silent for a good minute. Vul focused on the sound of the waves crashing from far away. He had a general idea about what on Popstar was Meta Knight’s problem, but it was hard to articulate the right words. Vul had no more time to waste.

 

“So,” he huffed. “You mind explaining yourself back there?”

 

Meta sighed. 

 

“It was when Kirby and I were in the fields. He got bitten by a Scarfy. When I saw him in pain, something…happened.”

 

“You turned into a wild animal?” Vul snarked.

 

“...Pretty much. I remember suddenly wanting to kill that Scarfy. When I looked at Kirby’s arm, all I could think about was danger. Only one thing kept repeating in my mind: to get to safety. If I kept him in my room, nothing could ever hurt him. Never let him go.”

 

Captain Vul hummed.

 

“All I wanted was to protect Kirby, but I ended up hurting him instead. This keeps happening! I’m such a terrible father!” Meta’s voice suddenly raised.

 

“I’ve constantly had to fight him! I always make him worry because of my blunders! I keep hiding everything from my own son! And I even tried to kill-”

 

“My lord!” Vul yelled. Meta became silent.

 

“Listen,” he sighed. “Take this from someone who has both kids and grandkids.”

 

Meta Knight looked at the elder.

 

“It sucks seeing ‘em hurt. You want nothing bad to ever happen to yer kids. But you gotta realize that stuff will happen. They’ll trip. They’ll have their hearts broken by their crush. They’ll cry. But it’s a part of life. You can’t smother ‘em forever, my lord.”

 

Meta said nothing.

 

“And you can’t keep beating yourself up everytime something bad happens. Lord Meta Knight, you’re not a terrible father. In fact, I think that kid is extremely lucky to have ya. It’s clear he loves you, and you love him.”

 

Captain Vul gently put a hand on Meta Knight’s shoulder.

 

“Don’t dwell on your mistakes forever. Move on and learn from them.”

 

The knight shakily sighed and hugged Vul. The co-captain could hear Meta Knight quietly thank him. Vul was honestly taken aback by this; Meta Knight was never affectionate with anyone that wasn’t named Kirby. However, he welcomed it. He gently rubbed Meta’s back.

 

Vul eventually pulled away and playfully ribbed Meta.

 

“You’ve got some apologizin’ to do.”

 

Meta weakly laughed and walked away. For a brief moment, Captain Vul considered following him back inside. But he decided to keep gazing at the setting sky instead.

---

An hour had passed since Meta Knight ran away. Sailor Dee insisted on Kirby eating dinner; he was rather hungry. But Kirby wanted to eat alone in Meta’s room. Sailor was reluctant to leave him alone, but he respected Kirby’s privacy and left after giving him his meal.

 

Kirby simply ate his sandwich in silence. He couldn’t stop thinking about what just happened. His father, the normally cool and collected knight, acted completely feral. Was this because of the Scarfy biting him? It did hurt a lot, but Kirby didn’t feel like he was in grave danger. He dreaded that his whole mess was his fault.

 

The child’s eyes wandered to something on the wall. It was a drawing that Meta had framed. More specifically, it was from when Kirby got a paper cut. He recalled that day; his father carefully tended to his wounds and then kissed it. Somehow, the kiss made the pain completely go away. Kirby couldn’t help but smile. 

 

All of a sudden, the door opened. It was Meta Knight!

 

Kirby quickly set his plate aside and walked over to him.

 

“I-”

 

“Kirby,” Meta interrupted. “First, I need you to know that what happened today was in no way your fault. Please don’t feel guilty, ok?”

 

The boy stayed quiet and then nodded.

 

“Second, I want to apologize for my behavior. It was extremely wrong of me to keep you trapped in my room and attack my own crew. I am sincerely sorry for hurting you, and I can only ask for your forgiveness.”

 

The knight took off his mask and bent down to Kirby. His eyes were no longer lifeless like before. They were full of sadness and remorse. Kirby ran a hand through his father’s hair.

 

“I forgive you, Dad,” he said. “And you didn’t really hurt me. I was just really scared.”

 

Meta closed his eyes and hummed. “Thank you.”

 

He soon stood back up and looked at Kirby’s bandaged arm.

 

“Is your arm feeling better?” he asked.

 

In all honesty, Kirby completely forgot about it. Today was just a sheer roller coaster of events, and him getting injured seemed like nothing now. But it did feel much better than before! There was no denying that Meta Knight was an expert at first aid. Kirby even suspected that Sailor Dee put a slice of Maxim Tomato in his sandwich; they did have incredible healing properties after all. He silently reminded himself to thank Sailor later.

 

Yet, there was something missing to Kirby. He looked back at the drawing and back at Meta.

 

“Yeah!” he responded. “There’s just one thing.” The boy smiled cheekily at that last comment.

 

Meta inquisitively tilted his head. “And what’s that?”

 

“You forgot to kiss it,” Kirby giggled.

 

The knight first blinked in surprise, but he warmly chuckled.

 

Then, Meta Knight took Kirby’s arm and sweetly kissed it.

 

“Better?”

 

“Much better.”

Notes:

This is for ghurtle on Tumblr. They requested a chapter about Kirby getting injured and Meta's response to it. Thank you very much for your submission!

Aaaand the angst train is back. I like writing more emotional stuff, but it's not for everyone. But thank you for reading anyways!

kentuckyfriedsushi.tumblr.com <- Send me requests through the askbox! Please read the pinned post before submitting one.

Chapter 26: Wings

Castle Square was busier than ever this weekend. The streets were bustling with Waddle Dees at every market stand and store. Meta knew he probably should’ve arrived here earlier in the morning, but he wasn’t exactly a morning person even with coffee in his system. At least Kirby was here to help. He was given the important role of holding the shopping list.

 

“What’s next on the list, Kirby?” he asked while carrying a bag full of food.

 

“Let’s see here…clothes?”

 

Meta Knight nodded. Fall was approaching very soon, and they needed to prepare for the cooler weather. That and he always liked seeing his son in different outfits; Kirby was very fashionable. Unfortunately, he didn’t exactly feel the same way.

 

“Do we have to?” he whined. 

 

“Yes. It’s going to get colder.”

 

“But it’s boooooring. And embarrassing.”

 

Meta turned around. “Embarrassing? I give you privacy.”

 

Kirby shook his head grumpily. “I mean after I’ve changed! You’re always like ‘AWWW, IT LOOKS SOOOO CUTE ON YOU!’ with that funny voice!”

 

Whatever tirade Kirby was about to go on was swiftly ignored when Meta heard a peculiar clatter. He turned his head to where the noise was coming from. It was on the rooftop of the bakery. A Waddle Dee on top was stumbling and then suddenly fell!

 

Meta Knight’s wings immediately arose, and he dashed straight to the rooftop! The bag of groceries were gracefully cast aside.

 

Screams of horror echoed across the streets as the Waddle Dee plummeted toward their certain doom, but Meta flawlessly caught them in his arms! He could hear Kirby cheer for him as the Waddle Dee was safely lowered to the ground.

 

Once the knight landed, he carefully let go of the Waddle Dee. The poor Dee remained stunned for a good minute. Their whole body trembled in utter shock. All of a sudden, they scurried inside the bakery.

 

Meta sighed. You can’t expect everyone to be grateful.

 

Luckily, he had a son who was always there for them. Kirby threw his arms around his father and tightly squeezed him.

 

“That was awesome, Dad!” he cheered while hopping up and down. “You’re a hero!”

 

Meta couldn’t help but blush, but his happiness quickly faded away when he heard murmurs and whispers.

 

Several Waddle Dees that had witnessed the scene didn’t appear to share the same sentiment as Kirby. They looked at the knight in disgust, and a few even started to recoil back. Meta could vaguely distinguish some of their comments.

 

“Did you see those things that came out of him?”

 

“Truly abhorrent.”

 

“Like a demon.”

 

Ah, now he understood. No matter what planet Meta was on, it seemed that he could never escape it. His wings’ appearance alway managed to get a reaction out of some people. Even somewhere as pleasant as Dream Land wasn’t immune to this, much to his dismay. But Meta Knight was very used to it at this point. He’d heard the same comments for thousands of years; why let them get to him now?

 

Meta took Kirby’s hand and beckoned to him, but he had other plans. Kirby freed himself and faced the various bystanders.

 

“How dare you!” Kirby yelled. His sudden shift in tone surprised Meta.

 

“Kirby? It’s ok. Just ignore them-”

 

“My dad just saved that person’s life! If it wasn’t for him, they would be a splatter on the ground!”

 

“Kirby, please-”

 

“Why are you all being so mean!?”

 

An older Waddle Dee pointed at Meta. He was a short man with graying hairs and a mustache.

 

“Boy, do you not see those wings on his back?” he spat.

 

Kirby looked back at Meta bewilderedly. “What about them?”

 

“Those are the wings of a monster!” a middle-aged woman cried out.

 

The boy’s clenched fists shaked in anger. Meta was just about to attempt calming him down, but Kirby then erupted.

 

“MY DAD IS NOT A MONSTER! HE IS A KNIGHT! SO JUST GO AWAY!”

 

Silence filled the square. After an uncomfortable amount of time, the Waddle Dees started to walk away and resume their business. Meta Knight slowly walked towards Kirby. 

 

“Kirby?”

 

Kirby looked at Meta in horror and began sobbing.

 

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to cause trouble! Please-”

 

Meta softly rubbed his head. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’m not mad at you.”

 

He continued to soothe Kirby until the child’s sobs faded into quiet sniffles. Kirby wiped his eyes and tiredly looked up at the knight.

 

“Let’s go to the clothes store,” he uttered.

 

“Actually,” Meta said while picking the grocery bag back up. “Let’s go home.”

 

Kirby nodded and took his father’s hand. The two started to walk back home. 

 

“WAIT!”

 

Meta Knight and Kirby turned around only to see a portly Waddle Dee hustle towards them. With him was the Waddle Dee that Meta had rescued. The unfamiliar Dee looked twice as old as the one that fell off the rooftop. He was wearing a particular set of beige clothes and had a white apron on over it. In fact, the other Waddle Dee had a familiar outfit on. 

 

Once the two Waddle Dees caught up to them, the older one pointed at Meta.

 

"You!" he huffed. "You're the one who saved my boy, right?"

 

Meta blinked. "Yes?"

 

He suddenly got on his knees and took the knight’s hand.

 

“Thank you! Thank you so much! My son’s alive ‘cause of you! You’re incredible, good sir!”

 

Meta Knight didn’t know what to say. Kirby on the other hand, looked elated. He eagerly smiled at Meta.

 

The Waddle Dee eventually stood back up. 

 

“Sir, how could we ever repay you?” he asked.

 

“It’s fine,” Meta stammered. “You don’t have to do anything.”

 

“Please! I insist!”

 

The younger Waddle Dee then walked up to his father and whispered something in his ear. The elder Dee’s face suddenly lit up.

 

“Excellent!”

---

“Theseh are sho good!” Kirby said with a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie.

 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Meta chided. He reached into the box and pulled out a Snickerdoodle cookie.

 

“But yes, these are delicious.”

 

The family that owned the bakery generously gave them a huge box packed to the brim with cookies. They even said that Meta and Kirby had a lifetime discount every time they visited their bakery from now on! Meta Knight kept insisting that the gift was unnecessary, but Kirby more than happily accepted it. That and Meta’s sweet tooth ultimately got the better of him. So now the two of them were sitting on Meta’s bed with a boxful of cookies. 

 

Kirby swallowed his cookie and sighed. “I still don’t understand why those Waddle Dees said those mean things about you.”

 

Meta stared at the treat in his hand. He’d conjured up a few possible reasons why in his many years of living.

 

“My wings are often associated with demons,” he explained. “Devils and whatnot.”

 

“But they’re bat wings!”

 

“Bats are often seen as a bad omen as well.”

 

“Bats are friends though!”

 

Meta shook his head. “Not to some people. To them they’re just blood sucking pests that carry diseases.”

 

“That’s not fair!” Kirby grumbled. “They’re just stupid.”

 

The knight continued to gaze at his cookie. Ultimately, there was nothing he could do about others’ perception of him. He was born with these wings, and he will have them for all of his existence. Though speaking of wings…

 

“You know,” he chuckled. “I knew some who were jealous of my wings.”

 

Kirby tilted his head. “Really?”

 

“Yup. Those with feathered wings to be specific.”

 

“Feathers like birds?” Kirby asked. “Like Coo and Pitch?”

 

The knight nodded. “Indeed. Apparently preening is an absolute pain.”

 

“What’s preening?”

 

“It’s how birds groom themselves,” Meta responded. “They use their beaks to straighten their feathers and clean them.”

 

“Oh!” Kirby exclaimed. “So when Coo and Pitch do this…”

 

The boy then lowered his head near his chest and moved it up and down. He folded an arm close to his face.

 

“...they’re preening?”

 

“Precisely.”

 

“I even see the two of them preen each other sometimes,” Kirby said.

 

“Some feathers are hard to reach,” Meta snickered. “But it’s rather hard to get them when your neck isn’t super flexible and your arms can only reach so far. Fortunately, I don’t have to deal with that.”

 

Kirby laughed. “You’re lucky to have your wings, Dad! I want them when I grow up.”

 

That last comment caught Meta Knight off guard. He knew Kirby idolized him, but growing bat wings? They didn’t really suit him in his opinion. However, there was no way of truly knowing.

 

“Maybe you will,” he said.

 

Kirby crawled closer to Meta and curiously inspected his wings.

 

“How do you clean them?” he asked.

 

Meta hummed. “Usually I just wipe them with a wet towel. Why do you ask?”

 

Kirby smiled excitedly at his father.

---

The boy gently rubbed the left membrane with a damp towel. “How’s that?”

 

“Good,” Meta purred. “Just like that.” He really didn’t know how to respond when Kirby told him that he would clean his wings for him. Kirby just looked so enthusiastic about it though, so Meta Knight decided to humor him. What he didn’t expect was for him to practically be a natural at it.

 

Grooming his wings wasn’t difficult at all for Meta, but he never felt anything more from it. However, Kirby’s delicate massaging was soothing. There was just something different about having a loved one take care of him like this. He couldn’t help but twitch his wings in happiness whenever Kirby hit the sweet spot.

 

So Meta Knight just relaxed himself and let Kirby go to work. Kirby was even generous enough to polish the barbs! He briefly considered painting them like nails, but Meta politely declined. Maybe another time.

 

“You know,” Kirby chimed. “These parts of your wings are called the fingers and thumbs. So technically you have two pairs of hands.”

 

“Is that so?” Meta said.

 

“Uh huh! And you know what that means?”

 

“...What?”

 

“You can give twice as many high fives!” Kirby beamed.

 

Meta laughed warmly; Kirby’s outlook on life was truly charming.

 

After some more grooming, Kirby finally hopped off the bed.

 

“Done!”

 

He grabbed a large hand mirror that was on the floor and raised it up to Meta.

 

“Well?” he eagerly asked.

 

Meta Knight was impressed. His wings had never been filthy, but they looked absolutely stunning here. The membrane on each one glowed with health, and the barbs shined brightly. This was the best his wings had looked in centuries! Kirby truly had a knack for this.

 

“You did a fantastic job!” he lauded. “Thank you, Kirby.”

 

Kirby happily held his right hand out.

 

“High five!” the boy shouted.

 

Meta had a brilliant idea; he took his right wing and playfully slapped Kirby’s hand. Kirby giggled and climbed back on the bed. He curled up to Meta’s side and purred. Meta instinctively blanketed his wing around him.

 

“Today wasn’t so bad!” Kirby chirped. “We got free cookies, and we didn’t have to go clothes shopping.”

 

Meta ruffled his hair. “Oh, we’re definitely going tomorrow.”

 

Kirby pouted.

 

“Do we have to?” he whined.

 

“Yes, Kirby.”

 

“Can you promise not to be super embarrassing?” Kirby groaned.

 

Meta grinned and lightly pinched his cheek.

 

“I’ll try my best,” he snickered.

 

No matter what others thought about his appearance, Meta Knight would keep fighting. It was fortunate that he had the perfect family to support him no matter what.

Notes:

CyberneticFire on Tumblr requested a chapter where Meta Knight gets judged for his wings or has them cleaned/groomed. So naturally, I decided to combine them into one. Thank you for your request! I love writing both angst and fluff. This was a lot of fun.
Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 27: New World

Notes:

Kirby and the Forgotten Land spoilers ahead!

The first thing Meta Knight heard upon waking up was the singing of birds. He tiredly opened his eyes, only to find himself all tangled up in a tree. Leaves decorated his armor, and there were branches poking his wings. Meta immediately shook himself off the tree and landed back on the ground. He then started to analyze his surroundings.

 

The first thing that was obvious to him was that this was not Dream Land. These weren’t the oh so familiar plains. No, this was a metropolitan city! Power lines ran across the streets, and massive skyscrapers towered above. It was obvious that an advanced civilization had made their home here.

 

However, it appeared that such civilization was no more.

 

All of the man-made structures were worn down with age. Rust coated the metal of the power lines while plants and moss burst out of the stone structures. Even the skyscrapers above weren’t safe from the infestation of flora. And of course, there were no intelligent life forms to be found anywhere. The streets were hauntingly empty.

 

Meta was all alone.

 

He tried to trace his memory back. Right, he was having an early morning flight. Kirby and the Meta-Knights were fast asleep back at the base. No need to worry about them for now. What happened next? Something in the sky! It was some sort of vortex that started pulling in blocks and trees. The vortex vaguely reminded him of the dimensional rifts that appeared during the quest to repair the Lor Starcutter. Meta tried to escape right away, but a Star Block smacked him right in the face. He was knocked out cold and sucked into the rift.

 

And here he was.

 

The first thing that rang in his mind was that he had to find a way back to Popstar, but was there anyone out there that could possibly help him? He had to try either way. Kirby was probably worried sick about him.

 

Meta Knight took one step forward, and then something happened. His head suddenly started to ache. This pain was no ordinary migraine; it was like something was trying to probe inside of Meta. He felt like his mind was being pried open. Meta’s breathing became shallow. 

 

He’s experienced this feeling before.

 

His eyes squeezed shut as images from the past flashed in his head.

 

A sword made of yarn flying into his hand.

 

No.

 

Wires and machinery embedding into his skin.

 

NO.

 

A shard of a dark artifact slithering its way into his heart.

 

“NO!”

 

Meta Knight let out a primal roar and focused all of his mental energy on expelling his attacker. Sheer willpower pushed back the invader. Not again. Not this time. Get out. 

 

I will NOT be controlled.

 

Then all was quiet. Meta no longer felt the assaulter in his head. He still felt like he was in control. The knight let out a sigh of relief; he certainly did not plan on getting brainwashed/possessed this time. Three times was plenty, thank you.

 

After taking a deep breath, Meta unfurled his wings. No point in staying here anymore; he had to find a way back home. He launched himself into the sky and started heading north.

---

As expected, there were no signs of a thriving civilization anywhere. Just empty buildings with various animals roaming around. In particular, Meta noticed these cute orange and red canine-like creatures. He initially approached a pair of them carefully to see if they were docile, but their sudden snarls and barks once he was spotted told him everything he needed. Meta Knight left them alone in a flash. 

 

He was no stranger to abandoned societies. With his many centuries of exploring different planets, it was inevitable that Meta would stumble across the remains of a fallen race. But this new world was different. Usually, buildings would just be piles of rubble and smolder. Bodies littered every corner; the stench was always unbearable. Here, there were no corpses, no destruction, nothing. Just empty houses and skyscrapers still standing strong with extra vegetation. It was as if the people of this world just disappeared in a flash. 

 

Most peculiar indeed.

 

After scouring a little through the city, Meta discovered a bridge that was lifted up. He could see more land behind it, but there was no way he would be able to lower the bridge. Good thing he had wings. Meta Knight flew past the bridge and headed towards the other half of the city.

---

It was pretty much the same past the bridge. More abandoned structures and buildings, nothing special. Only when Meta Knight flew a bit further did he find something different.

 

It was a rural little village! Instead of concrete and metal, the buildings were made of wood, clay, and bricks. The village was composed of quaint houses and simple shops. Most interesting however, was that there were Waddle Dees living here.

 

Meta was shocked. When did these Waddle Dees stumble into this world? How long have they been here to be able to establish an entire community? There weren’t any reports of missing Waddle Dees at all back in Dream Land. Unless they were sucked into the vortex very recently?

 

It baffled Meta Knight, but he had no time for speculation. He needed to find a way back to Popstar. The rest of the crew must’ve been looking everywhere for him; it had been several hours since he woke up in the new world. Kirby missed him for sure.

 

The thought of Kirby searching desperately for him was all that motivated Meta Knight to keep moving forward. He didn’t even interact with the Waddle Dees in the village.

---

Meta Knight spent several days exploring everything the forgotten land had to offer. The knight desperately looked for anything that could help him return to Dream Land. What he did find was utterly fascinating.

 

On the first day, after leaving the town of Waddle Dees, he found some sprawling plains. Most notably, there was a mall here of all things! Meta decided to go inside to hunt for supplies. He was starting to feel famished; the knight wasn’t necessarily able to have breakfast after being thrown into the new world.

 

All Meta expected to find was expired foods and maybe some canned goods if he was lucky. To his delight, what he assumed was a food court had tons of fresh meals! There didn’t seem to be any beings that could efficiently operate all of the machinery. Unless the beasts that resided here made this food themselves?

 

Whatever. Meta Knight wasn’t about to complain. He happily indulged in a nice breakfast. Or was it lunchtime now? Not that his meal even fit the quota for either breakfast or lunch. The knight picked a slice of strawberry shortcake, a big bowl of soft serve ice cream, a bucket of popcorn, and a cup of coffee. Good thing no one was here to judge his questionable dietary decisions. This food was absolutely splendid! It tasted like any ordinary food one would find at the mall. 

 

As Meta took a sip of coffee, his mind started to wander back to home. Kirby would be utterly jealous of him right now. The boy could eat this mall’s entire stock of food! Ah, that reminded him of when the two would go to Waddle Mall on certain weekends. Kirby always looked forward to having lunch with his father in the food court. He specifically loved getting a giant pretzel with mustard to dip it in. Unfortunately, he also tended to be a messy eater. Meta Knight would often find himself wiping mustard and salt off Kirby’s little face, but seeing him happy made it all worth it.

 

He sighed. Suddenly, Meta didn’t feel like eating anymore. He stood up and placed the rest of his meal in his cape. It wasn’t wise to waste food.

 

On the second day, Meta Knight flew to a tropical beach. The ocean’s waters were a beautiful blue. It looked so inviting to take a dip in and cool off, but he couldn’t waste anymore time.

 

Something interesting about this area was the concrete jungle that infested the coasts. Maybe it was flooded after the residents disappeared? Very strange.

 

But nothing was stranger than what he met that evening. Or who in fact.

 

It was Whispy Woods, but it also wasn’t. This tree still had that classic face composed of two holes for eyes, one hole for a mouth, and a single branch as its nose. However, it looked more like a palm tree than an oak tree. And were those coconuts instead of apples? Meta wondered if the Whispy back in Dream Land knew this one. He’d have to ask him once he got back home.

 

On the third day, Meta found himself in an amusement park. Given the previous structures he came across, a place like this was inevitable. After all, entertainment was a key part of any society. Dream Land was no different; there was that amusement park Magolor built as a sign of forgiveness for betraying him, Kirby, Bandana, and the king. Meta Knight and Dedede were initially hesitant about Magolor, but the kids ended up loving the place. The alien was still on thin ice though.

 

This park had everything one would expect from an amusement park. The rides ranged from simple carousels and ferris wheels to complex, sprawling roller coasters. There was even one of those haunted houses! It was full of darkness and neon lights at the same time. Cardboard cutouts of cartoon aliens would pop out for a cheap scare. The knight was startled more than once.

 

And again, Meta kept thinking about Kirby. Kirby loved Magolor’s theme park. He begged Meta Knight to join him and Bandana on opening day. Meta reluctantly obliged, but it turned out to be loads of fun. Magolor sure knew how to make a good amusement park. Though did he have to charge that much gold for souvenirs?

 

Meta sat on one of the park’s benches and sighed again. His son was definitely distraught about his disappearance. Suddenly, a duck and its babies waddled near him. He started to watch them. The mama duck turned towards its babies and began grooming them. The little ducklings happily chirped and snuggled closer to their mother. Meta felt a lump form in his throat, and he shed some tears.

 

On the fourth day, the knight came across a wintry landscape. The buildings here looked more old fashioned than any of the previous ones. They were fashioned out of bricks and cobble. Snow caked every corner of the streets, and cute little snow sculptures of those dogs were scattered all over the place. Unsurprisingly, this area was freezing cold. Even Meta’s armor wasn’t enough to protect himself from the oppressive weather. He had to get to shelter if he didn’t want to succumb to hypothermia. Meta Knight eventually found a little room tucked behind a secret walkway. It had a fireplace ready to use and a couch for Meta to sleep on. The first thing Meta did was heat up the room using the fireplace. It didn’t take long for a nice fire to crackle. Then he sat down on a chair near a wooden table and was just about to pull out some leftover food from his cape when he noticed something on the floor.

 

A bottle of wine! And it definitely aged well. There we go.

 

Meta Knight grabbed the bottle and placed it on the table. A wine glass sat conveniently on it, waiting for him to use it. The knight poured himself a generous amount of wine and took a sip.

Ah, much better. Night slowly creeped close as Meta continued to drink. He continued to reminisce about life back in Dream Land. It had been, what, four days now? Everyone surely had to notice his disappearance at this point. And what about those Waddle Dees from before? What were their families doing? What was his family doing?

 

The worst possible thought suddenly popped into his head- what if he was never able to return home? Meta started to breathe shakily. Was he really going to leave them all behind?

 

King Dedede?

 

Captain Vul?

 

Sailor Dee?

 

Axe, Mace, Trident, and Javelin?

 

Kirby?

 

The knight broke down into ugly sobs. This was it. He really was never going to see his son ever again. The light of his life. His little star. And Kirby would never know what happened to him. He stumbled onto the couch and laid down. Wrapping himself in his cape for warmth, Meta Knight closed his weeping eyes. The ambient flickers of the fire eventually lulled him to sleep.

---

“Wah! Help me! Please!”

 

Meta’s eyes shot open. He threw himself off the couch and pulled out Galaxia. There was no denying it; that was the voice of a Waddle Dee.

 

He flew out of the hole in his room and followed the voice. There was something flying in the distance. Meta slowly got closer to it. It was a little black bird holding a cage much bigger than its body. And in the cage was a Waddle Dee. Suddenly, he could see more of these birds holding imprisoned Waddle Dees.

 

His heart sank. These Waddle Dees were most likely the ones from that village. Something obviously happened after Meta Knight left.

 

The black birds appeared to be heading towards a specific location. They were flying into a giant cathedral! Meta wasted no time following them. Once he reached the outside of the cathedral, he fluttered up to one of its open windows and peered inside. 

 

The knight couldn’t believe who it was.

 

It was King Dedede! When did he stumble into the new world? He stood in the middle of the cathedral focusing on one of the birds that just flew inside with a caged Dee. The king stared at the shivering Waddle Dee, who constantly pleaded for Dedede to release him.

 

“Take it away!” he bellowed.

 

The black bird flew away at command; it traveled farther away as the Waddle Dee cried for help. Meta Knight tightly gripped the edge of the window. Just what was His Majesty doing? Dedede would never treat his beloved subjects this way! Something was clearly wrong. Meta then stumbled accidentally and caused a rock to fall down.

 

The king was immediately alerted by the sound of it hitting the ground, and he turned to the source of the noise. The king and the knight made eye contact.

 

At that moment, Meta Knight knew exactly what happened.

 

Dedede’s eyes were no longer a bright blue but a piercing red that drove into Meta’s soul. His face was devoid of his jovial personality; all the king expressed was concentrated anger. The king’s wardrobe had changed too. The trademark robe now had a leopard print of all things, and bright red feathers stuck out of the collar. Two stripes of war paint were smeared under his eyes. Meta Knight could feel that alien presence again- the same one that tried to take control of him.

 

It seemed Dedede wasn’t able to fight back.

 

The knight left without a single word.

---

The knight had no idea what to do now. Should he keep trying to find a way out? It all seemed hopeless at this point. Nothing led him in the right direction. Planet Popstar was all but a dream now.

 

But something inside of Meta told him to go back. Back to the village of Waddle Dees. Maybe there were some that managed to avoid getting captured. He could help them build a new town from scratch. He could find a new home there. After all, the home he once knew was now lost forever.

 

So Meta Knight flew back to the Waddle Dees’ town. It only took him two days, but he eventually made it.

 

Upon reaching where he last saw the village, Meta expected to find destroyed buildings and panicked Dees. He hid himself in a tree to avoid being spotted by potential enemies. But instead, there was an entirely different town in its place! This town was much more developed than the previous one. There was now a café, a movie theater, a post office, some unique shops, a game parlor, a fishing pond, and most importantly, a colosseum! That immediately piqued Meta Knight’s interest. And Waddles Dees happily roamed the paths!

 

But what happened here? Didn’t those birds capture the Waddle Dees? Was someone freeing them?

 

Meta Knight’s answer sat right in the town’s main plaza.

 

Kirby!

 

And Bandana Dee! And some strange turquoise furred child with giant rodent-like ears and a bushy tail.

 

Meta swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He desperately wanted to fly up to Kirby and hug him tightly. And maybe not let go of him for a couple of hours. Or days. Or months. Or years. Or ever, in fact.

 

But he just couldn’t. Meta had abandoned his son for almost an entire week. He had no idea how to approach Kirby without making it extremely awkward! The knight looked back up at the colosseum.

 

It was obvious that Kirby and his friends had been working hard to save all of the captured Waddle Dees. They’ve made it so far, but the road up head was only going to get more and more challenging.

 

Someone had to test Kirby’s strength.

 

Meta Knight soared right towards the colosseum. He could hear Waddle Dees and possibly Kirby gasp in awe as he landed on one of the pillars. The knight looked up and met his son’s eyes.

 

I’ll be waiting, Kirby.

---

The crowd of Waddle Dees roared in applause as Meta waited on the railing up top.

 

He could hear the colosseum gate open. Familiar footsteps made their way to the center of the arena. The sword that Meta Knight had planted on the ground was swiftly pulled out.

 

The knight turned around to face the challenger before him. His cape effortlessly transformed into wings. He pointed Galaxia towards his opponent.

 

The pink-haired boy got into a fighting stance. His eyes burned with determination.

 

Meta Knight flew towards Kirby. Show me how far you’ve come, Kirby.

 

Two swords clashed, and the duel began.

Notes:

An anon on Tumblr requested a chapter based on Kirby and the Forgotten Land. This one's a bit different than other chapters, but I think it turned out alright. Man, now some of the lore implications from this game are making me emotional.
Thank you for reading! Enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 28: Fashion

Notes:

Today, I was finally able to preorder a Meta Knight Nendoroid. Wahoo!

As Meta Knight promised, Kirby would have to go clothes shopping with him this Monday. After what happened yesterday, it was best to listen to Meta and oblige. The knight deserved a bit of a break.

 

However, Kirby was not going to let his contempt be unseen or unheard.

 

He had a constant pout the entirety of the trip to the department store and constantly reminded his father not to be embarrassing as usual. Meta promised he wouldn’t, but who knew how long that promise would hold? Kirby just had to wait for the inevitable cooing and adoration. The only flicker of hope Kirby had was the tiny possibility that they would get ice cream afterwards.

 

It only got worse when they entered the store.

 

Right away, Meta had to restrain himself from taking a sweater from the mannequin that he thought would look cute on Kirby. The boy secretly wished he attempted to; maybe security would kick them out! But nope, the boredom ensued.

 

Despite it being a rather large department store, Kirby couldn’t find anything that he particularly liked. Every single item of boy’s clothing seemed the same to him. Denim jeans, solid color shirts, solid color sweaters. Rinse and repeat. Meta Knight would constantly pick something out and ask him “How about this one?”, but he would just shake his head. 

 

“Kirby,” Meta sighed. “You have to pick something.”

 

“But I don’t like anything here,” he whined. “It’s all the same.”

 

The knight hummed. “Alright, I have an idea. Why don’t you pick out some clothes by yourself? Then meet me in the changing room. How does that sound?”

 

“Ok,” Kirby muttered. He didn’t think it would really make a difference, but there was nothing wrong with trying. At least his father wouldn’t be embarrassing him.

 

“Very well,” Meta said. “If you need me, I’ll either be in the men’s section or the changing room. Remember to not talk to strangers unless it’s an employee. Do you remember what their uniform looks like?”

 

Kirby nodded.

 

“Excellent! See you in a bit.”

 

And with that, Meta Knight was off. Kirby couldn’t help but sigh in relief. As much as he loved his father, it was refreshing to be alone for once. Didn’t help the fact that he still couldn’t find anything. The boy’s section was just painfully dull. Kirby would sometimes find a shirt with a unique design, but it was always just plain ugly to him.

 

It had been 10 minutes, and all Kirby had picked out were two pairs of denim jeans. This clearly wasn’t enough to satisfy Meta Knight. But where else could he find anything to wear? Maybe the girl’s section had something that looked nice?

 

Wait.

 

What would his father think if he found him looking in there? Meta was a knight, and he never wore anything remotely feminine. All of the Meta-Knights were like this as well. Even someone as sensitive as Sailor Dee didn’t like to wear skirts or dresses. (Then again, was that really relevant to what someone wore?) Meta Knight was as manly as manly could get and always talked about the importance of “chivalry”. Kirby didn’t quite understand what that was, but he was sure it didn’t involve wearing “girly stuff”.

 

He looked around the department store and saw a small section with racks of various items. On the wall near it was a sign that read “Clearance: 50% Off”. Kirby had no idea what the sign meant, but maybe he could find something there.

 

Kirby walked to the clearance section and started looking. Something immediately caught his eye: a little red skirt. The boy curiously pulled it off the rack. The skirt was about knee length and pleated. It was a relatively simple skirt, but Kirby thought it looked absolutely adorable. Just how cute would it look on him?

 

Wait. Meta Knight surely wouldn’t be happy to see him with this.

 

Oh, but it just looked so nice!

 

Kirby immersed himself deep in thought. “Hmmm…”

---

Kirby sneaked into the changing room. As expected, Meta Knight was waiting outside the stalls with whatever he picked out. Meta immediately noticed him.

 

“Ah!” he exclaimed. “I see you were able to find something. A lot of things, in fact!.”

 

“Yeah,” Kirby nervously laughed. He held a massive pile of sweaters and jeans. Buried discreetly in the mass of clothes was the red skirt. The boy inched closer to one of the stalls and quickly shut the door tight.

 

Kirby sighed in relief.

 

“Let me know if you need any help, ok?” came Meta Knight’s voice from outside.

 

“Okay!”

 

He immediately plopped the pile of clothes onto the floor and dug out the skirt. Perfect! Now to try it on. Once he slipped on the skirt, Kirby looked into the stall’s mirror.

 

He felt his heart flutter. This skirt looked absolutely amazing on him! The bright red matched his shoes and complimented his pastel pink shirt. Kirby could get used to wearing more stuff like this!

 

…If it wasn’t for his father.

 

The boy frowned. It seemed he just had to hide it from Meta Knight until they got home. Then he could put the skirt in his closet and never have to wear it in front of him! Kirby put his shorts back on and hid the skirt back in the hoard of other clothes.

 

When he exited the stall, Meta Knight walked up to him. He looked rather concerned.

 

“That was rather quick,” he murmured. “Did you really try everything out?”

 

Kirby sweated. “Well…after I put on one sweater, it fit so well that putting on the others didn’t seem necessary! After all, they’re all the same size. And the jeans as well. So let’s get outta here Dad!”

 

Meta raised an eyebrow. “Very well.” He moved his arms towards Kirby’s mountain of clothes.

 

“Why don’t I carry that for you?”

 

Kirby yanked the pile back. “Nope! I’m fine!” he stammered. 

 

The knight was now staring at him sternly. “Kirby? Are you hiding something from me?”

 

“N-no…”

 

Meta furrowed his eyebrows. “Please don’t lie to me.”

 

“I’m not!” Kirby cried. “There’s nothing else in here!”

 

Meta Knight sighed and took the pile of clothes from Kirby.

 

“NOOOOO!”

 

It only took a second for Meta to find the skirt and pull it out of the hoard. He held it out in front of him and stared at it. Kirby buried his hands in his face and whimpered.

 

“Kirby,” Meta whispered. “Did you pick this out?”

 

The boy shakily nodded his head. “I’m so sorry Dad, but I just liked it so much. Nothing else here looked interesting.” He solemnly anticipated the inevitable lecture from Meta about how unmanly and not “knight-like” his fashion sense was.

 

“It looks nice.”

 

“...What?”

 

“I can see why you picked it out,” Meta chuckled.

 

Kirby sniffled. “You aren’t mad at me?”

 

Meta frowned. “Absolutely not. Just because I don’t wear more feminine articles of clothing, it doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to. Kirby, you can wear whatever you want. I’m sorry if I made you feel that you couldn’t.”

 

The child’s eyes started to water. “Thank you, Dad.”

 

“Just one problem.”

 

Kirby raised an eyebrow. “What?”

 

“This is a summer skirt. You need clothes for the colder weather. Why don’t we look at the girl’s section for more appropriate clothes? You can still buy this one though.”

 

He warmly hugged his father. “Thank you, Dad.”

---

Kirby looked into the stall mirror. He now wore a light orange sweater with red leaves adorning it. The sweater was softly knitted out of wool. His long skirt was dark black, and Kirby had long gray stockings underneath. The boy smiled. For the first time ever, he found himself actually enjoying shopping for clothes! 

 

Kirby exited the stall and showed his outfit to his father.

 

“Well?” he asked eagerly.

 

Meta was silent for a second, but he suddenly brought his gloved hands to the sides of the metal mask.

 

“You look…SO. CUTE!!!!!” he squealed. Meta was so loud that employees started to stare at the two. Kirby’s cheeks flushed a bright red.

 

“DAD!”

Notes:

This was a request by shybeardinosaur on Tumblr. Thank you for this cute little prompt and apologies this took a while. I noticed how their prompt tied in really well with a previous chapter, so I decided to take the opportunity to connect them together!

Also, I've decided to add notes at the beginning. They'll be little anecdotes about my mundane life. I always enjoy reading similar comments from my favorite mangakas and decided to try it out myself. I hope they're not too distracting to readers.

Thank you for your support and have a wonderful day~

Chapter 29: Birthday

Notes:

My birthday is actually on the 22nd of this month. (This chapter was uploaded on September 7th.) It's so surreal that I'll be twenty years old in only 15 days.

“Kirby?”

 

Zzzz…mmm? 

 

“Kirby…”

 

Let me sleep please…

 

“Kirby, wake up.”

 

Just five more minutes. No, hours.

 

“Your pancakes are going to get cold.”

 

Wait…pancakes?

 

Kirby’s eyes shot open. He quickly sat up on his bed. Meta Knight was close to his side holding a plastic tray. On the tray was a delectable stack of pancakes with a glass of orange juice. The pancakes were drizzled with syrup, and it looked like they had chocolate chips in them! That was Kirby’s favorite.

 

Meta smiled warmly at him and handed him the tray. “Happy birthday, my little star.”

 

The boy said “Thank you!” and wasted no time cutting into the cakes with his fork and knife. Once he got himself a big bite, Kirby was just about to stuff it in his mouth.

 

“I made these by the way.”

 

Kirby immediately paused. He concernedly looked at the piece of pancakes on his fork. These looked far too edible to be made by Meta.

 

“All by yourself?” Kirby asked.

 

“Well,” Meta chuckled. “I had a little help from the crew.”

 

Kirby smirked. “A little?”

 

“Okay, maybe a lot of help.”

 

Kirby giggled and took a bite. No doubt that these were absolutely delicious. The pancakes were as fluffy as clouds and perfectly sweetened by the maple syrup. The chocolate chips inside were nice and gooey, just like a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. Kirby hummed in pure delight.

 

“Ish vewy good, Dad,” he mumbled while chewing.

 

“What have I said about talking while eating?” Meta sighed. “But I’m glad you like them.”

 

Kirby continued to eat his breakfast. While he did so, Meta Knight talked about their plans for the day. King Dedede was going to throw the party at his castle as usual. All of his friends would be there such as Bandana Dee, the animal buddies, Gooey, and Adeline. Even Elfilin was coming all the way from the New World! It was very exciting to hear that his newest friend was going to be there as well. Kirby wondered if the other members of the Beast Pack would come too.

 

And of course, his father and the rest of the Meta-Knights were invited; this was going to be a wonderful party.

 

“The party will start around 5 p.m., so make sure to shower later this afternoon. How does that sound?” Meta asked.

 

The boy finished the last bite of his breakfast and nodded. Meta took the used tray from him. 

 

“Oh!” the knight exclaimed. “Almost forgot.”

 

He put down the tray and reached into his cape. Pulled out of it was a small black box. Meta gave it to Kirby.

 

“Here you go.”

 

Kirby gently opened the box. His eyes sparkled.

 

Inside was a gold chain necklace! The pendant in the center was a cute heart shape, and shiny pink crystal filled it. He studied the necklace in awe. This was a truly gorgeous piece of jewelry.

 

“The gem inside is pink tourmaline,” Meta Knight said. “Do you like it?”

 

Kirby jumped off his bed and hugged the knight tightly.

 

“I love it! Thank you so much, Dad.”

 

Meta softly rubbed Kirby’s back. “You’re very welcome, Kirby.”

 

This birthday was going to be amazing.

Notes:

This was a request for an anon on Tumblr. They wanted to see a chapter about either Kirby or Meta's birthday. I decided on Kirby since it's his 30th anniversary this year. Maybe I'll do another chapter for Meta when the old fart turns 30. Now I want pancakes...
Thank you for reading!

Chapter 30: Blank

Notes:

I solved today's Wordle in only two guesses.

CW for mentions of head trauma and depictions of memory loss.

The doctor closely examined the unconscious Meta Knight. Meta’s mask had been removed, revealing a nasty bruise on his forehead. Kirby sat in one of the chairs in the room and constantly twiddled his thumbs.

 

“So you say he was fighting some sort of monster?” the doctor asked while placing an ice pack on Meta’s head.

 

“Yes,” Kirby responded. “It threw a bunch of big rocks at him, and one hit him right on the head. He even had his mask on but still passed out.” In any other scenario, Kirby would be boasting about how he dealt the final blow on the enemy, but now was not the time or place.

 

Doctor Dee picked up the knight’s mask; it had a large dent in it. “And is this creature still around?”

 

Kirby shook his head. “I got rid of it after Dad got knocked out.”

 

A pained groan suddenly came out of Meta. The two turned towards the knight as he slowly stirred back to life. Kirby rushed over to his side and put his little hands around Meta’s right.

 

Meta opened his bleary eyes and looked around his surroundings. He looked at the doctor.

 

“What happened?”

 

“You were battling something when a large stone hit your head, rendering you unconscious,” Doctor Dee responded. “How are you feeling?”

 

Meta placed a palm on his bruised forehead. “My head really hurts.”

 

Kirby squeezed his father’s hand tighter. “I was so scared, Dad! But I’m glad you’re okay now.”

 

Meta Knight’s eyes then widened at Kirby’s statement. “Dad? I have a son?”

 

Kirby frowned at him. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

 

The doctor walked closer to the bed. “Sir. Tell me your name.”

 

“My name?” Meta remained silent for a good while. He continued to rub his head.

 

“I…”

 

“I don’t remember.”

---

Kirby and Meta Knight walked in the entrance of the Meta-Knights’ base. He initially wanted to hold Meta’s hand, but the knight said he wasn’t comfortable doing so. There was something about that statement that broke Kirby’s heart. However, all he could do was follow Doctor Dee’s advice. The doctor’s words still rang in his head.

---

“I’m afraid your father has amnesia.”

 

“Amnesia?” Kirby asked. “Like he doesn’t remember anything?”

 

The doctor nodded. “More specifically, he has retrograde amnesia.”

 

The two stood in a hallway away from Meta Knight’s room. The knight was currently being supervised by a nurse.

 

“Usually, retrograde amnesia only affects very recent memories. Meta Knight seems to have lost almost all of his memory here. From the fact that you are his adopted son to his own name. I’ve truly never seen anything like it.”

 

“So how do we make him remember?” Kirby asked.

 

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” the doctor sighed. “It’s not like that episode of House W.D. where the patient’s memory miraculously returns in the end. In fact, it’s possible that Meta Knight’s memories may never return at all.”

 

Kirby’s eyes widened in horror. “You mean my dad is really gone?”

 

The doctor put a hand on Kirby’s shoulder. “There may be a chance to bring him back. However, it will most certainly take months or even years before your father truly recovers. Try showing him things to remind him of the past. Like your current residence or maybe his room. Try not to overwhelm him. That’s all I can tell you.”

---

Kirby heeded the doctor’s words. Meta refused to put on his mask of all things, so Kirby called Captain Vul and quickly informed him of the situation. He and the rest of the crew left the base out of respect for the captain’s privacy, so it was just the two of them. The knight was currently looking at the docked Halberd.

 

“That’s a rather large aircraft,” Meta muttered.

 

“It’s called the Halberd,” Kirby said. “Does that sound familiar to you?”

 

He shook his head. Kirby sighed and walked him to the captain’s quarters. They entered the room, and Kirby began to point to various objects.

 

“What about this desk? Or maybe the bed? Or how about…”

 

He walked over to the bookcase and pulled out a random book. Kirby only bothered to quickly glance at the title; it was something about rings. Not that it really mattered to Kirby. He handed the book to Meta Knight.

 

“Here.”

 

Meta closely examined the book and opened it. He appeared to skim through several pages before shutting it again. The knight looked at Kirby.

 

“I don’t know anything about this book…uh…” His words trailed off as he looked at the boy puzzledly.

 

“Kirby.”

 

“Yes. Kirby.”

 

Kirby took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s try somewhere else.” He guided Meta Knight out of the room towards the exit.

---

All afternoon was just Kirby attempting to show Meta Knight things from their life in Dream Land and him failing to recall a single thing. Kirby tried almost everything: the pond where they liked to fish, Whispy Woods and his forest, Orange Ocean, Castle Dedede (albeit only areas with no one around), and even the Fountain of Dreams. Meta Knight was given a small sample of the fountain’s water, but it turned out he wasn’t even able to dream at all. This truly was unlike any other case of amnesia.

 

It was now sunset, and Meta Knight hadn’t remembered anything at all. The only thing that could’ve been considered progress was that he eventually responded to being called Meta Knight, but that was it. The two were sitting on the sandy shores of Orange Ocean. Kirby specifically waited for the sun to start setting before they arrived here. He knew that the knight always enjoyed watching the sun set with Kirby.

 

And yet, there was nothing. 

 

Meta turned towards Kirby. “I’m really sorry, but I just can’t seem to remember anything. It’s like my mind is full of blanks.”

 

“Are you sure Da-, Meta Knight?” Kirby asked. He absolutely hated having to call his own father by his name, but Meta still had trouble processing the fact that he even had a son. It was really starting to break Kirby.

 

“Yes,” the knight responded. “Nothing here is familiar.”

 

Suddenly, Kirby started sniffling.

 

Meta turned towards Kirby, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

 

The boy’s sniffles quickly transformed into ugly sobbing. It made Meta Knight recoil a bit in shock. 

 

“I want my dad back!” Kirby bawled. “I wish that stupid monster never hurt you! I don’t want to lose him! I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life!”

 

All Meta could do was stare helplessly as Kirby continued to cry. Seeing this young child so distressed, distressed about HIM. His breathing started to hitch. There was something about his loud crying that emotionally shook him to the core. It was…

 

Reminding him of something . 

---

Meta Knight’s eyes opened to the sound of high pitched wailing. He quickly shifted in his bed and turned on the nightstand’s lamp. The room was given a modest amount of light. Meta’s attention then turned to the little crib close by the bed. The wailing was coming from it.

 

He got off the bed and walked over to the crib. Inside was a tiny pink-haired newborn. His face was flushed red from crying. Meta gently picked up the infant and cradled him close. He had just fed him an hour ago, and it didn’t seem like he needed to be changed. The infant just wanted to be comforted, so Meta soothingly rocked him and whispered ancient words of love. The baby slowly stopped crying and opened his eyes. He stared at the knight holding him.

 

This was the second day since Meta Knight had found the baby and decided to adopt him. The baby’s room was slowly being prepared by him and the rest of the Meta-Knights, so Meta opted to have him reside in his bedroom for now. It was exhausting having to constantly wake up and check on the crying infant, but this was the price he had to pay for choosing to raise this child.

 

He remembered Vul callously remarking that he would quickly regret his decision and end up leaving the baby in an orphanage. Meta was absolutely appalled by the co-captain’s words and constantly denied it, but a small part of him believed Vul deep down. Just how long would it be before he just gave up and abandoned this infant? 

 

But then he remembered how he found the baby.

 

That’s right. This was no ordinary newborn. This newborn was literally formed in the infinite ocean of space and dropped down on Planet Popstar for him to find. A Voidborn just like him.

 

And the first Voidborn to be born in thousands of years.

 

Meta Knight thought he was the last one and that he would remain that way for the rest of his existence. It truly had been a painfully existence, knowing that he was ultimately all alone no matter what.

 

However, he was now here holding one of his own in his arms. Someone had to raise this child, and no one else in Dream Land was aware of the existence of Voidborn or how to raise them. Only Meta knew about what they both were and the culture left behind. The knight suddenly had a revelation.

 

“Raising this child is my duty.”

 

He decided to take on this role. Meta Knight vowed to raise this baby to the best of his ability and teach him the ways of Voidborn.

 

The ways that were forgotten long ago, only kept by him. The life that was taken away from him so long ago.

 

Thinking about Voidborn culture, a brilliant idea formed in Meta’s head. He lowered his head and gently planted a kiss on the newborn’s forehead.

 

“Kirby,” he whispered. “That will be your name from this night forward. It means ‘courageous soul’.”

 

Kirby started cooing at Meta Knight, and Meta snuggled the baby closer to him. Now, this baby was truly his. There was no turning back now.

 

And Meta Knight didn’t mind one bit.

---

The knight stayed frozen. A single shimmering tear came out of his right eye and fell into the sands. He looked back at the crying child.

 

“Kirby?”

 

Kirby stopped crying and faced Meta Knight. “Dad?” he hiccuped.

 

Meta Knight opened his arms towards Kirby. “Kirby…my little star.”

 

And at those words, Kirby tackled his father into a hug and began crying again. Only now, he was happier than ever before.

 

“Dad!” he cried. “You remember!”

 

Meta held his son tighter. “Of course. I would never leave you behind. You are everything to me.” As they continued their embrace, Meta could slowly feel himself recall his life. The Meta-Knights, King Dedede, the Waddle Dees…he even remembered his life before landing on Planet Popstar. The blanks were slowly being filled in.

 

It truly was a miracle that Meta Knight was able to recover from his amnesia so quickly and so easily. Doctor Dee would easily be baffled upon hearing of this. This amnesia was nothing like anything the doctor had seen before.

 

However, Kirby couldn’t be any more happy that his dad was back.

Notes:

An anon requested a prompt where Meta gets amnesia and Kirby tries to help him regain his memories. I found this one rather difficult because amnesia is very different than depicted in media and not easy to recover from. However, I then realized that this is a fanfiction about a fantasy series of video games for all ages, so there was no need to be tethered to reality. Thank you for your request Anon, and thank you for reading!

Chapter 31: Halloween

Notes:

Exactly six trick-or-treaters showed up this year. An impressive record compared to the usual zero.

CW: Mild mentions of trypophobia

Whispy’s forest was as quiet as usual. The ambience consisted of the chirping of birds, gentle winds, and the crunching of fallen leaves being stepped on. Kirby and Meta Knight were walking down the path back home. The two were returning from an extravagant Halloween party held at Castle Dedede. 

 

It had been a very enjoyable night for all. Kirby decided to dress up as the classic bedsheet ghost this year, and he even managed to convince his father to join in the fun. Meta himself decided to go all out as a vampire. The Dimensional Cape was temporarily changed into a menacing red cloak, and the knight donned a very snazzy white dress shirt and black pants. Lastly, Meta wore a pair of fake fangs, but he still insisted on wearing his mask at all times. His natural bat wings turned out to be perfect for his costume as well.

 

They weren’t the only ones dressed up; Dedede and Bandana also had costumes. Bandana Dee decided to be a pirate this year with an eyepatch,a hook on his left hand, and even a cute little stuffed parrot perched on his shoulder. Dedede was the same as he was every year: Frankendee! Or technically Frankendee's monster since Frankendee was the name of the doctor, as Meta Knight corrected him every year much to the king's annoyance. But it was his fault for always forgetting, and Meta refused to let such a mistake slide as a connoisseur of literature. 

 

As the two continued heading home, Kirby looked into his pumpkin bucket full of treats gathered from trick or treating on the way to the castle. He inquisitively peeked into the bucket and duh into its contents.

 

"Kirby, wait until we get home to start eating your candy," Meta said. "You know better than to litter."

 

"I know," he responded. "I just wanna peek at what's inside."

 

The boy suddenly groaned when he pulled out a small little packet of candy corn.

 

Meta Knight raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

 

Kirby held out the packet to Meta Knight and grumbled. "Candy corn…"

 

"You don't like candy corn?"

 

"No one does!"

 

Meta couldn't help but smirk at that comment. He wasn't fond of it either. Candy corn was nothing compared to chocolate.

 

"I'm sure someone in the crew enjoys it," he said. "Maybe you can try asking?"

 

The sky slowly darkened as they walked. Meta eventually pulled out a lantern from his cloak and lit it up. The lantern's faint glow illuminated the deep woods. The night was carefully creeping to them, and Kirby was quick to notice. 

 

His gait became more cautious, and his hands clutching the bucket trembled. An owl let out an eerie hoot in the distance, but it didn’t sound like Coo at all. The wind’s breezes seemed colder than usual as well. Kirby shivered and brought his candy bucket closer to his chest.

 

Suddenly, there was a harsh SNAP ! Kirby shrieked and clung to his father’s leg. Meta was quick to soothe his son by softly rubbing his back.

 

“There now,” he cooed. “It was just a branch.”

 

Kirby sniffled and let go. He frowned. “Why can’t I always be brave like you?”

 

Meta Knight shook his head. “You’re a very courageous child, Kirby. And you know that everyone has fears. Including myself.”

 

“What are your fears?” Kirby asked.

 

“Losing you. I always worry about your safety.”

 

“I worry about you too,” the boy said. “But don’t you have any normal fears?”

 

The knight curiously tilted his head. “What do you mean by ‘normal’?”

 

“Things that people are always scared of. Like spiders or snakes.”

 

Meta Knight sighed. There was one fear he had in particular, but it was rather embarrassing. However, if it would help comfort Kirby…

 

“Holes.”

 

Kirby looked puzzled. “Holes? Like you’re scared of falling in one?”

 

Meta shook his head. “It’s more like…” He sighed. How do I explain it?

 

“It’s like patterns of holes. Clusters of holes or bumps. Certain objects that have lots of them.”

 

The boy put a finger to his chin. “Like a beehive?”

 

“Correct,” Meta answered. “Though I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m scared of those-”

 

“Or those pods in lotus flowers? The ones with buncha holes in them.”

 

Meta Knight shuddered. He didn’t like looking at those at all. The worst instance he could think of was when he was visiting a certain planet. The inhabitants were plagued with these nasty insects that infamously left tiny little punctures in their skin. The bodies of those unfortunate victims littered with those disgusting clusters were forever burnt into his mind. He even had a few nightmares about it.

 

“C-can we please stop talking about this?” he quivered.

 

Kirby let out a bashful giggle. “Sorry, Dad. It’s kinda weird that you’re scared of something like that, but I feel kinda better now. Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Meta chuckled. “The base is not too far away now.”

 

The little ghost held the vampire’s hand as they traversed through the woods. No matter how dark or cold it would be, Meta Knight would always be by his son’s side. Kirby squeezed his hand and smiled.

 

Halloween was never too terrifying with him around.

 

“Ok, but what about Swiss cheese? Does that scare you?”

 

Meta Knight cringed. “I thought we agreed not to continue this!”

Notes:

I deeply apologize for the long hiatus. I will explain the situation further in a future chapter, but please enjoy this one for Halloween. And I will complete the remaining requests very soon.
Happy Halloween!

Chapter 32: Exist

Notes:

This time of the year is perfect for drinking sparkling apple cider.

Kirby Star Allies spoilers ahead.

Perhaps it was a father’s intuition or simply common sense, but Meta Knight knew Kirby was troubled. He couldn’t blame him though.

 

 It had only been a few hours since Void Termina and Hyness’ cult had been defeated. King Dedede would usually host a massive party to commemorate defeating yet another threat to Dream Land, but he and Bandana were currently busy repairing the castle. However, they still insisted on Kirby and Meta Knight staying the night, as both of them were obviously too exhausted to return home.

 

Meta sat in the throne room, watching Dedede and a crew of Waddle Dees work on the throne room that the king himself destroyed. The Jamba Hearts sure made the host do…interesting things. According to Kirby and Bandana, not only did he have a massive horde of food out of sheer gluttony, Dedede even, in their words, “turned into a beefed up monster”. Meta Knight dreaded to think about what those cursed objects could’ve done to him. He sighed and took another sip of his tea.

 

That reminded him. Where was Kirby?

 

The boy had been rather silent during their return to Planet Popstar and disappeared off to somewhere in the castle. Meta Knight always made sure to give Kirby time alone when he wanted it, but was it really alright for him to isolate himself now? After that ? 

 

The knight set his cup on the floor and walked out of the throne room. It didn’t take long for him to find Kirby. He was in the royal garden and sat on the edge of the fountain. Meta Knight took a deep breath and walked closer.

 

“Mind if I sit down with you?”

 

Kirby turned to him. He just let out a soft “mhm”, and Meta sat close to him. He desperately wanted to wrap his arms around Kirby and shower him with kisses, but it was obvious that now was not the time. So the two just sat and gazed at the starry sky above. It was tranquil out here, and Meta Knight almost forgot about everything that happened today. But Kirby then spoke up.

 

“Should I be here?” he asked. Meta looked at him. “We’re always allowed in the garden,” he said. “And you know not to damage the plants here.”

 

Kirby shook his head. “No. I mean ‘here’.”

 

“Should I be allowed to exist?”

 

Meta felt his eyes water. How could Kirby say such a thing? Let alone think it? It wasn't acceptable at all.

 

"Of course you do."

 

"But you saw it!" Kirby shouted. "It looked like me AND Dark Matter! I'm the same as THAT!" He lowered his head and curled into a fetal position. "I don't deserve to have friends. Especially Bandana." Kirby began sniffling.

 

The knight took off his mask and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

 

"Kirby," he whispered. "Look at me."

 

Kirby looked up at him. His face was smeared with tears.

 

"You are more than that. Much more."

 

"What do you mean?" Kirby whimpered.

 

"We and Dark Matter are both born from Void. But unlike Dark Matter, you and I are free. Dark Matter was only capable of feeling hate and resentment. It defined its entire existence, but Voidborn are described as beings of positivity. Yes, we feel negative emotions at times too, but the love and friendship of those around us makes us strong. You can choose to be kind. Remember that."

 

The boy scooted closer to Meta Knight. Meta kept his hand on Kirby's shoulder. "I remember first learning about what I was at a very young age, and I had the same sentiments as you. How could we and the enemy be cut from the same cloth? But Void is the origin of all life. It created the spark for the very first lifeforms, and they evolved into the ones that are here today. The flowers in this garden, the birds that fly around, the residents of the castle-they are all formed from Void in a way. Voidborn and Dark Matter are different. They are always created straight from Void. Yet only you and I change and grow like other lifeforms."

 

"Maybe that's what it means to be 'positive beings'?" Kirby said. "It isn't just being happy all of the time. You have moments that make you sad, scared, or angry, but your friends and family will help you no matter what. Then you learn from that pain to help them when they feel sad."

 

Meta Knight smiled and ruffled Kirby's hair. "That's my boy!" he beamed. "You're so smart!"

 

Kirby huffed and turned away. "I'm not that smart," he grumbled.

 

"Yes you are!" Meta exclaimed. "You are the smartest, bravest, cutest, and most talented."

 

The boy's cheeks started to turn red. "No…and I'm not cute anymore!"

 

The knight smirked. "Wrong. You were the cutest little baby in existence back then, and you're still the cutest now. Cuter than any other baby."

 

"You're just saying that 'cause you're my dad." A small smile had formed on Kirby's face in spite of his tone.

 

"Nuh uh!" Meta Knight responded. "I am 100% factual about this. No bias whatsoever."

 

"Stop being silly, Dad."

 

The knight grinned and pulled Kirby into his arms. Kirby let out a small yelp.

 

"Ah! Dad!"

 

"Am I not allowed to wuv my precious widdle boy?" He cooed while nuzzling his cheek against Kirby's hair. 

 

"Ugh!" Kirby groaned. But he was still smiling.

 

"How horrible it would be if I couldn't!" the knight moaned dramatically. "Why, just thinking about it makes me want to shower you with affection!"

 

Suddenly, Meta Knight began to plant big kisses all over Kirby's face. He made every single smooch as over the top as possible. Kirby wiggled in his grasp.

 

"Dad!" he whined with a big smile on his face. He could feel himself being tickled by his father peppering him with kisses.

 

"Let Papa love you!" Meta shouted. "Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!"

 

Then, the knight accidentally stumbled backwards into the fountain with Kirby still in his arms! The two made a huge splash. Meta quickly sat up and made sure Kirby wasn't submerged in the water.

 

"Kirby!" he gasped. "Are you alright?"

 

"I'm fine!" he answered. "Just wet."

 

Meta hopped out of the fountain while holding Kirby. He sat down on the grass and let go of Kirby. Both of them shuddered. 

 

"Sorry about that." Meta Knight bashfully looked down.

 

"It's okay," Kirby sighed. "Besides, there's nobody around that saw that."

 

Meta chuckled. He knew one of the royal gardeners would've been hysterical if they saw what just happened. Luckily, it was just the two of them out here.

 

"Dad?"

 

The knight looked at Kirby.

 

"Thank you for helping me." The child softly smiled at his father.

 

"Of course, Kirby. Now let's get back inside and take a warm bath. That fountain's water was freezing!" 

 

The two of them stood up, and Kirby put his hand in Meta Knight's. He gave it a gentle squeeze as they headed back inside. As they walked to the castle's bathhouse, Meta thought about Kirby's words.

 

"Your friends and family will help you no matter what."

 

Yes…The people he's met here in Dream Land. They were all here for them. Meta Knight really wasn't alone anymore. And neither was Kirby. He was never more happy to be alive.

Notes:

This was an anonymous request that took way too long. Thank you for reading as always!

Chapter 33: Lullaby

Notes:

I now have every achievement in Touhou Mystia's Izakaya. My next goal is every achievement in Stardew Valley.

The sound of quiet footsteps echoed throughout the halls. Meta Knight was heading towards the base’s kitchen to put away some groceries after a late night run to the supermarket. He and the rest of the crew planned on making a special breakfast for the kids tomorrow morning.

 

Shadow Kirby had come from the Mirror World to have a slumber party with Kirby. Apparently, the two of them had wanted to do this for a while, but they needed to have Meta’s permission first. After weeks of stalling, Kirby finally waltzed up to the knight and asked him as politely as he could.

 

And Meta Knight immediately said yes! (Much to Kirby’s surprise.)

 

Because the truth was that Meta Knight adored Shadow. He saw him as a second son and wanted nothing more for the child to be happy like Kirby. The only concern he had was of the Mirror World. Even before the Dimension Mirror incident, Shadow considered himself the guardian of his world. He said it was his duty to protect his home, and Meta Knight had immense respect for the boy. So was it really ok for him to leave it for certain amounts of time? Despite that, Shadow insisted that spending some time in their world wasn’t harmful, and he seemed to want to stay in Dream Land forever.

 

Considering who else lived in the Mirror Lands, Meta Knight couldn’t blame him one bit.

 

But Shadow’s time here was ultimately temporary, and he would go back home tomorrow afternoon. So before that time came, Meta Knight wanted to make sure his time here was one to remember. It was the least he could do.

 

He walked near the door to Kirby’s room and heard a faint voice.

 

“I’’ll wait for you in the dark.”

 

Was Kirby singing? No, this sounded nothing like him. It was Shadow. Meta crept closer to the door and pressed an ear to it.

 

“When all of the world is in slumber.

 

My love, by the grave, by the moonlight,

 

As the shadows hide us from here.”

 

The singing then stopped. Meta could feel himself smiling. Shadow had a nice singing voice. As much as it pained him to say it, it was leagues better than Kirby’s. But what was Shadow doing awake? It wouldn’t hurt to check on the boys. He opened the door and entered the room.

 

“Shadow?” he whispered. “Is everything ok?”

 

The grey-haired child was sitting up on Kirby’s bed. Kirby himself was still sleeping, snuggled close to his side.

 

Shadow nodded and turned back to Kirby. “He had a really bad dream. Something about a ‘Void’.”

 

Meta Knight sighed. It looked like Kirby was still scarred from that day, but he couldn’t help it.

 

“So I decided to sing him one of my favorite lullabies,” Shadow said.

 

Meta walked up to the bed and gently stroked Kirby’s hair. “You’re a very kind child, Shadow.”

 

Shadow looked down at Kirby and smiled. “Well, he’s my friend, and friends help each other.” His smile suddenly transformed into a frown.

 

“I wish I could’ve been there to help,” he whispered.

 

Meta Knight looked down. It really was a shame that Shadow couldn’t be with Kirby during the Jamba Heart crisis. But maybe it was also for the best.

 

He moved his hand from Kirby’s hair to Shadow’s shoulder. “But you’re here for him now. That’s what matters.”

 

The boy smiled and nodded.

 

“By the way,” Meta said. “You have a very lovely singing voice.”

 

A blush formed on Shadow’s cheeks. “Thank you…”

 

“That was an interesting song too.”

 

“I’ve known it since I was very little. Someone sang it to me a long time ago,” Shadow said.

 

The knight’s eyebrows lifted slightly. By “someone”, could he possibly be referring to…?

 

Perhaps it was better not to ask.

 

Shadow leaned forward and stared at the bag still in Meta Knight’s hands. “What’s that?”

 

Meta snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Shadow. “It’s a surprise,” he responded.

 

“Really?” Shadow giggled. “Those look like groceries.”

 

Meta Knight grinned and ruffled his hair. “You’ll see in the morning. Now get some rest. It’s awfully late.”

 

The boy yawned and sank back in the covers. He moved himself close to the asleep Kirby.

 

As Meta Knight opened the door to leave, Shadow said one last thing.

 

“Goodnight, Meta Knight.”

 

“Goodnight, Shadow.” Then, he gently shut the bedroom door.

 

Notes:

A request for straycris on Tumblr. I had never listened to the song referenced in this chapter before writing this. It's a nice song. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 34: Bullies

Notes:

My family is currently fostering 8 cats in our patio.

Patrol was usually very mundane in Dream Land. If there was any trouble stirring, Meta Knight would make sure to resolve the problem as soon as possible. It was mostly petty squabbles between villagers and the very rare Dark Matter attack. If Meta had to be frank, it was much easier to solve problems with Galaxia than it was with communication. But he was the protector of Dream Land, and that meant having to deal with every resident’s issues.

 

Today was thankfully looking to be a peaceful day. He was currently situated in Whispy Woods; the forest was so familiar to him after years of roaming it. The knight took a deep breath and sipped from his canteen. The sun was going to set soon. He should do a quick scan of the area for any lost Waddle Dees. Meta Knight flapped above the trees and soared across the sea of green. His ears weren’t picking up the voices of any hikers.

 

“Just leave me alone already!”

 

Meta immediately cocked his head toward the source of the cry. There was no mistaking it- that was Kirby! The knight dashed towards the commotion. Once he reached it, Meta Knight perched himself on the branch of a nearby tree.

 

Kirby was indeed here in Whispy Woods, and he wasn’t alone. Three juveniles faced him; they weren’t Waddle Dees though. These were Cappies! Cappies looked like mushrooms with their red caps decorated with white spots. However, this was actually a farce. The truth was that their capes were fake, and Cappies were actually bald creatures. It was strange, but their real appearance reminded Meta Knight of clay figures he once saw in a distant world. Unlike Waddle Dees, Cappies made their home in Whispy Woods. Meta didn’t interact with them much since they preferred to stay in the forest.

 

So what were these three doing with Kirby?

 

The tallest one spoke. “Not until you give us that basket of apples!”

 

Meta looked at the basket in Kirby’s hands. It was full of glistening, red apples. They were no doubt from Whispy the tree, but Whispy tended to be very stingy with his apples.

 

“No!” he shouted. “Do you know how nicely I had to ask that tree for them?”

 

“And that’s exactly why we want ‘em!” the shortest Cappy responded.

 

That’s what was happening. Just another petty squabble.

 

…But why was Meta gripping Galaxia so tightly?

 

In fact, the sword was shaking in his hands. The knight glared at the three Cappies. How dare these PUNKS mess with his son? It was absolutely unacceptable! He ought to swoop down there and sl-

 

Wait. He couldn’t just do that!

 

Ok, he thought. Breathe. Deeeep breath.

 

Meta Knight loosened his grip on Galaxia and closed his eyes. Violence wasn’t going to solve anything here. He knew better than that. Just repress those “feral dad” instincts and think this through. But these Cappies weren’t going to be waiting forever.

 

So Meta made a choice.

 

His wings morphed into the cape, and he vanished with a quick swoop. In a millisecond, he warped right behind Kirby without making a single sound. Kirby didn’t immediately notice his presence, but the Cappies in front of him sure did. Their expressions instantaneously transformed into ones of utter terror. They stared at the menacing knight before them. Kirby quickly noticed their sudden shift in attitude and turned around to see Meta Knight right behind him.

 

“Dad?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”

 

“D-dad?” the tallest Cappy stammered.

 

“I was patrolling around here when I saw you here,” the knight said. “Who are these three?”

 

Kirby turned to the three Cappies. “They’re…”

 

“FRIENDS!” one of the Cappies blurted out. “We’re friends of his! Riiiight?” The three grinned at Kirby expectantly.

 

Meta Knight scowled under his mask. They were full of it, and he knew it. However, Kirby didn’t say anything for a while. He eventually sighed and looked at Meta.

 

“Yeah,” he muttered. “Friends.”

 

The knight frowned. Of course Kirby would go with it. He was one to avoid conflict as much as possible, even if it meant letting himself be used by others. Luckily, Meta knew better.

 

And he wasn’t going to let this slide at all.

 

Meta Knight rested his hand on Kirby’s shoulder. “It’s getting late, Kirby. Why don’t you head back home?”

 

“What about you?” Kirby asked.

 

“Don’t worry about me,” he responded. “I just want to have a little talk with your ‘friends’ here.” Meta Knight warmly smiled at Kirby. “And don’t forget those apples you’re holding!”

 

The boy nodded and whistled for his Warp Star. His trusty “steed” appeared at his side in a flash. As Kirby hopped onto the star, he looked back at Meta Knight and the Cappies. Meta gave him a little wink.

 

And with that, Kirby was off. The knight waited until the speck in the sky got too small for him to see. Once Kirby was far away, he turned back to the Cappies. His smile quickly faded away, and a deathly scowl replaced it.

 

“Now,” he growled. “As for you three.”

 

The Cappies’ shaking intensified.

 

“I know what REALLY happened. I saw you three antagonizing Kirby.”

 

The Cappies huddled closer to each other.

 

“Don’t you have anything to say for yourselves?”

 

The shortest Cappy suddenly spoke up. “W-we didn’t know you were his father! I-t was an honest mistake!”

 

Meta leaned close to the Cappy’s face. “And what if I wasn’t? Would it suddenly be okay to harass him?”

 

The Cappy was speechless. Any words that would’ve come out of his mouth were just pathetic stutters.

 

Meta Knight backed up and stared at the boys with his signature glare.

 

“What enjoyment do you three get out of tormenting people? Especially those smaller than you? In fact, I bet this isn’t the first time you’ve done this. What would your parents think about this? Learning that their child is just spending their days bullying others. I’m sure they’d be absolutely ashamed.”

 

“PLEASE DON’T KILL US MR. KNIGHT! WE’LL DO ANYTHING FOR YOU, JUST DON’T-”

 

“SILENCE!” Meta Knight bellowed. The Cappies immediately shut up.

 

“Listen to me now. You three will go home and tell your parents about what you’ve been doing. Hopefully, you will be properly disciplined. And if I ever see any of you harassing anyone else, let alone my son…”

 

Meta Knight got close to their faces.

 

“I will rip those little caps off your heads for good,” he snarled. “Understand?”

 

The Cappies rapidly nodded their heads.

 

“Now, begone!” Meta Knight shouted.

 

They wasted no time sprinting deeper into the forest. It wasn’t long until Meta couldn’t see their shapes anymore. He then sighed.

 

Perhaps I could’ve handled that better.

 

Was intimidation really the answer here? The knight swore he wouldn’t let his emotions get to him, but how else could he explain what he just did. Well, at least there was no blood shed. That’s an achievement. Right?

 

…He should just go back home now.

Notes:

This was a request for megacandy420 on Tumblr. I'll be perfectly honest here. I am rather clueless when it comes to handling situations like this, so maybe don't do what Meta Knight does here in real life? Ah well, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter either way.

Chapter 35: Christmas

Notes:

Every Christmas since 2020 just hasn't been the same. But it's still nice to relax.

“Dad! Can we go outside with the new sleds?”

 

“Now hold on a minute, I think I see one more present under the tree.”

 

“Huh? That big red box over there?”

 

“Yup. Why don’t you bring it over here?”

 

“Let’s see…oh! This is for you, Grandpa Meta!”

 

“From all of us to you. Merry Christmas, Dad.”

---

“Dad! Wake up!”

 

The knight’s eyes opened, only to be greeted Kirby right in his face.

 

“That dream again…”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It’s nothing,” Meta Knight mumbled. “What is it?”

 

“Santa brought us presents!”

 

Santa? Right. It was Christmas Day. How ironic that Meta Knight would almost forget about it completely. He and the king had been working all month to make sure everything would go right. The last thing anyone needed this holiday season was an intergalactic threat attacking Planet Popstar. Luckily, every eldritch horror was considerate enough to give Dream Land a break. But if they did decide to attack, Kirby and everyone else would teach them a lesson.

 

But all poor Meta Knight wanted right now was to stay in bed.

 

Kirby began to jostle his arm. “Dad…”

 

Meta sighed and checked the alarm clock on the nightstand. 8 o’clock. That was usually when they would open presents, but maybe this year could be an exception.

 

“Later,” the knight uttered.

 

“No way!” Kirby pouted. The boy crawled onto Meta’s back and started poking him. “It’s Christmas!” 

 

This happened every Christmas. Kirby would wake up, go into Meta’s bedroom, and proceed to pester his father awake. Yet for some reason, Meta Knight was really tired this year. Maybe it was because of everything that happened throughout the year? Or the fact that he was up until 4 a.m. last night? He wondered how the king was faring right now. May Bandana Dee have mercy on his soul. That being said, every Christmas didn’t have to be the same. Right?

 

“Kirby,” he yawned. “You can open your presents without me.”

 

Kirby paused. “Really?”

 

“Mm-hmm.”

 

There was a brief moment of silence. Surely Kirby would leave him alone right now. Any other kid would consider that a privilege.

 

But then Kirby continued to poke him.

 

“Dad!” he whined. “Come on!”

 

Meta groaned. This kid could never be satisfied. Besides, it wasn’t like the presents were going anywhere.

 

“I don’t wanna do it all alone!”

 

Meta Knight paused. That’s right. It was just him and Kirby here. The rest of the crew was with their loved ones like every other year. While the afternoon and evening would be much livelier at Castle Dedede, it did feel much emptier at base this morning.

 

“By the way,” Kirby said. “What were you even doing last night?”

 

The knight looked away. “...It’s a secret.”

 

Kirby crossed his arms. “Tell me.”

 

“Can’t do that.”

 

The child stared at him. “You saw Santa!”

 

Meta smiled. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

 

Kirby creeped closer to his face. “Really!? What was he like? Did he get me what I wanted this year? Tell me!”

 

“I told you,” Meta Knight chuckled. “It’s a secret!” He suddenly lurched towards Kirby and wrapped him in his arms. Then, Meta started to tickle him. Kirby squealed with laughter and squirmed in his grasp.

 

“Dad!” he giggled.

 

Meta eventually stopped his tickle attack and lowered his arms. “Alright, alright. Can I have my morning coffee first though?”

 

Kirby’s eyes lit up. “Yay!” he cheered. “I’ll make it for you!” 

 

Then, he sprinted out of the bedroom.

 

Meta Knight sighed with a weary smile. He never really cared for this time of year before. In fact, he was first introduced to Christmas the year he arrived on Planet Popstar. That was so long ago now. While he would make sure to assist Dedede and give gifts to him and the rest of the Meta-Knights, it wasn’t something he was ever particularly enthusiastic about. But seeing Kirby smile every time he opened a present and receiving the warmest of hugs? That was now something the knight looked forward to every year. 

 

Hold on. Did Kirby just say he was going to make the coffee himself?

 

Meta Knight’s smile vanished. “Kirby! Wait!” he shouted while running out of his room.

 

This was going to be a fun Christmas indeed.

Notes:

Happy Holidays everyone! This is rather short, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. Stay warm!

Chapter 36: Irony

Notes:

CW: Mild violence ahead.

Meta Knight quickly ducked to avoid the massive plume of fire aimed at him. With a flick of his cape, the knight was at a more reasonable distance away from his attacker. He breathed and met the foe’s eyes.

 

“Kirby! Snap out of it!”

 

Meta had no idea what supernatural force had attacked his dear son, but it was clear this wasn’t normal. The two of them were just having a lovely normal walk when Kirby suddenly stopped in his tracks. His abrupt stillness was incredibly uncanny. But when Meta Knight was about to put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, Kirby lurched back. He delivered a devastating kick right to Meta Knight’s middle. 

 

The crushing pain made him stumble onto his back. Meta clutched his abdomen and exhaled shallow wheezes. He weakly looked up at Kirby in sheer disbelief, desperately trying to find an answer to why he would do such a thing. Meta Knight searched his son’s eyes.

 

But there was nothing. Kirby’s eyes were absent of any emotion. No remorse, no fear, no love. The gleaming smile that was on his face just a few seconds ago was gone and had been replaced with the coldest of stares. This wasn’t the Kirby Meta knew; this was an empty shell of him.

 

A void of his son.

 

Meta Knight tried to say something, but he was interrupted by a flying blade darting towards him. Meta unsheathed Galaxia and slashed it without a second thought. The blade shattered into tiny pieces. The knight took the chance to look at Kirby once again, but now he was donning the signature headgear of his Cutter ability. However, even his headgear wasn’t safe now. No more were those cute little beady eyes on top of it.

 

Kirby then took his headgear and threw it on the ground. In its place materialized a golden tiara. His pink hair transformed into a vibrant red with orange flames sprouting from the back of it. The child took a deep breath.

 

And that’s where Meta Knight was now.

 

His mind raced as he constantly avoided Kirby’s onslaught of attacks. What could have possibly done this to Kirby? The way he was suddenly attacking someone close to him reminded Meta of one of Void Termina’s abilities. It could release bursts of energy to disorient the senses of its foes, making them attack each other. But Void Termina had been destroyed! What if it was the Haltmann Works Company again? But Kirby didn’t have any mechanical limbs or armor. Besides, didn’t that secretary swear to never mechanize planets again?

 

Then Meta Knight remembered. He had been taken control of and forced to fight Kirby several times already. Clearly the solution had to lie in there. Meanwhile, Kirby, now wielding the Stone ability, swung a powerful Stone Uppercut to the knight’s head which he swiftly dodged by ascending to the skies. Kirby shedded the rocky helmet and replaced it with a familiar feathered headdress in response. He launched himself off the ground, chasing after Meta Knight. Meta constantly weaved his way through the air, dodging as many feathers that Kirby threw at him as he could. One narrowly scraped his arm; he hissed at the stinging pain.

 

But he had to focus. Whenever he was being controlled, Kirby would beat him in combat to make him break free from such prison. But his heart couldn’t stop aching at the sheer thought of raising his blade at Kirby. Meta could take a thousand hits from Kirby, but how would Kirby be able to handle him at full power?

 

There had to be another way. Perhaps this was some sort of divine punishment. For constantly leaving himself at the mercy of their enemies. For hurting Kirby.

 

Meta Knight suddenly had an idea.

 

He brought himself back down to the ground. Kirby quickly did the same and eventually stood before him. Meta Knight stared at Kirby. Kirby’s empty eyes gazed back at the knight. Meta took a deep breath and took off his mask.

 

He suddenly sprinted towards Kirby. Kirby tried to position himself to attack, but Meta Knight’s arms tightly wrapped around his. The boy’s body was tightly held by Meta, but he made no effort to struggle at all. Kirby was as still as a statue. This didn’t matter to Meta Knight though. He continued to squeeze Kirby close to him.

 

“Kirby,” he gasped. “I’m so sorry.”

 

Kirby said nothing.

 

“I know I’ve told you this over and over, but I won’t stop until you truly understand.” Meta Knight felt himself begin to tremble. “What I did to you was something I can never forgive myself for. Forcing you to fight me. I was such an idiot for thinking that way. All I wanted was for you to be safe, and I failed miserably. So I understand.”

 

Kirby remained silent.

 

“I get how furious you are. You probably hate my guts. And if you decide to never forgive me, that’s fine. But…”

 

Meta Knight then slowly pulled himself a bit away from Kirby. His face was several inches away from the child’s. He moved his hands to delicately cup Kirby’s cheeks. Hot tears streamed down his face.

 

“Please just know that I will always love you. No matter what.”

 

He placed a kiss on Kirby’s forehead and brought their foreheads together. For what seemed like forever, the two of them just stayed there. Neither bothered to move one bit. Meta Knight didn’t care though. He could stay like this for as long as it took. A single prayer lingered in his mind, that Kirby would come back. He’d probably begin bawling in his arms, but Meta would just embrace him as usual. Softly whisper comforting words to him until there were no more tears to shed. Maybe after this they could go back home and have some ice cream together. That would be-

 

Meta Knight suddenly felt something thrust itself into his chest. He let out a strangled gasp at the immense pain that shook through his body. His eyes briefly glanced down to see a silver blade dug straight into his chest. Blood coated it.

 

“Kirby…”

 

The blade was suddenly yanked out.

---

Meta found himself stumbling in the infinite darkness, desperately reaching for something, someone . His left hand slammed into something solid. He paused and slowly began to feel it. The surface’s familiar wooden texture quickly registered in his mind. He kept his hand on the nightstand for a second before reaching for the lamp on it and turning it on. Light illuminated the bedroom. Meta Knight looked down at his body on the soft mattress; he put his right hand on his chest. There was no cold metal, nor was there any of his warm blood. Just the softness of his pajama shirt.

 

Meta groaned. Yet another nightmare. Nightmare himself has been gone for how long now? The knight just couldn’t catch a break. Yet it somewhat reassured him that the horrific event of his own child stabbing him in the chest was nothing more than a dream.

 

But it could become a reality one day. Even worse, it could be him stabbing Kirby.

 

Kirby . Meta Knight looked at the bedroom door. How desperately he wanted to run into Kirby’s room right now and never let him leave his grasp. But Kirby was fast asleep right now, and there weren’t many things he disliked more than being rudely woken up for no reason.

 

He turned away from the door and stared at the ceiling. That despair he felt when Kirby suddenly attacked him…did Kirby feel this way when he was brainwashed? Meta once believed that he couldn’t imagine the pain of having to fight someone you love. Perhaps that dream was meant to show him that. It showed him what will happen if he lets his guard down again.

 

Meta Knight’s eyebrows furrowed. He sat up and got off his bed. Meta walked towards his closet and began searching for his armor. Once he grabbed every piece, he quickly adorned himself. Meta then looked at Galaxia on its mount. He took the blade and left the bedroom.

 

Meta silently marched out and headed outside. He won’t let anyone take control of him ever again. And he won’t let anyone control Kirby ever. It was clear what he had to do. He had to remove all of the vulnerabilities in his mind and soul. Harden himself so he can become an untouchable force and eventually make all his enemies pay greatly for their mistakes.

 

It was the least he could do for the one he cared about the most.

Notes:

This was a request for someone on Tumblr. It's also the last request I'll be taking for this fic. Thank you to everyone who sent in one!

Chapter 37: Alarm

King Dedede took the white pawn and placed it on the square in front of a black pawn.

 

"So now, I can capture your pawn! It's called an en passant."

 

The Waddle Dee sitting across from him looked in awe. "Wow! That's so cool, Great King!"

 

Dedede chuckled. "It's a pretty rare move though. Don't see it happen a lot."

 

"Oh! What other kinds of rare moves are there in chess?" the Waddle Dee asked.

 

"Hmm…there's castling. Wanna see that?"

 

Before the Waddle Dee could answer, another Waddle Dee barged into the throne room. In their hands was a telephone!

 

"Great King! It's from Sir Meta Knight!"

 

Dedede's eyebrows lifted. Meta Knight?

 

"What's he callin' for?" said Dedede.

 

"He says it's an emergency!" the Waddle Dee replied. 

 

The monarch felt his heart sink. This was bad. Did Meta Knight get seriously injured? Was something attacking Pop Star? Endless possibilities raced through Dedede's mind.

 

"Don't just stand there then!" he yelled. "Hand me that phone!"

 

The Waddle Dee quickly approached King Dedede, and he immediately yanked the phone out of their hands.

 

"Meta Knight? Meta Knight! You there?"

 

All he could hear was static.

 

"META!"

 

"Sire?" The knight's voice suddenly rang through. "Sire, can you hear me?" He sounded a bit out of breath and almost like he was in tears. Dedede gripped the phone tighter. 

 

"Meta, what's going on?" he asked.

 

"It's…"

 

The king felt his throat tighten. This was bad. He'd have to issue an evacuation. It always hurt seeing his Waddle Dees so terrified, but he needed to keep them safe. Not to mention rallying troops to take on whatever this mystery threat was. Hopefully the rest of Meta's crew is alright. They could put up a decent fight.

 

Then Meta spoke once again.

 

"It's amazing!"

 

Dedede blinked. "Huh!?"

 

"Kirby just took his first steps!" Meta Knight said. "He's actually standing up and walking around!"

 

Dedede's mouth remained agape.

 

"Isn't this so exciting? I was wondering when it would happen, but he started walking while I was playing with him! Oh, you should've seen how cute he looked when he finally got himself to stand up! I'm so proud of Kirby. Kids grow up so fast, don't they? Now I'm wondering what his first words might be! What if it's 'papa'? Or maybe…"

 

As Meta Knight continued to ramble on and on about Kirby, the Waddle Dee Dedede was teaching chess to spoke.

 

"Uh, Great King?" they stuttered. "Is everything alright?"

 

Their words snapped the king out of his initial shock. After a brief pause, he covered the phone's speakers with a hand and turned to the Waddle Dee.

 

"Yeah," he grumbled. "Just a false alarm." Dedede sighed internally. This was going to become a habit, wasn't it?

Notes:

Just something short. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 38: Reliable

Kirby gazed at the ceiling. The bedroom was only lit by the little night light plugged into the wall. Its warm yellow glow often blessed Kirby with warmth and security as he slept. But even it couldn’t help Kirby now.

 

Meta Knight was gone.

 

To be more specific, he was on “an expedition through all of Popstar” with Captain Vul, whatever that meant. Vul himself described it as a “business trip”, whatever that also meant. Meta reassured Kirby that it would only be for a week before he left, but a week was far too long for Kirby. A week was seven days, and a day was 24 hours. That was too many hours for his father to be gone! It was only the first day of this “business expedition”, but Kirby found himself unable to sleep. All that raced through his mind was his father. What if he never came back? What if he left him behind? What if he replaced him ?

 

Kirby’s thoughts were interrupted by sudden muffled noises echoing through the halls. He couldn’t discern what exactly they were. Only the vaguest hints of people talking and faint music. He hopped off his bed and walked to the door. Opening it, he peeked his head out into the empty halls of the base. Kirby looked around until he noticed one of the doors far across the left side was open. Bright flashing lights escaped and illuminated the otherwise dark atmosphere. Kirby then realized this had to be one of the Meta-Knight’s rooms.

 

Kirby tiptoed his way to the open door. The noises from earlier became much clearer and louder than before as he got closer and closer. Once he finally reached the door, Kirby walked into the room. From what little light there was, all Kirby could discern was one of the small beds typical to these types of rooms and a small desk to the side. But most noticeable was the source of the faint light itself-a large TV. A small group of silhouettes crowded in front of it, quietly watching the screen. Kirby crept around to see the TV but not enough to alert its audience.

 

On the screen was…something. Kirby could only discern people, but everything was wrong. The scene suddenly flashed to one of the people writhing in pain and screaming. Harsh, dissonant orchestral strings blared through the TV’s small speakers. The person was being hurt by something, but Kirby couldn’t tell what exactly it was. A monster? Another person? Blending with the other person’s screams were alien sounds. They were disgusting hisses and shrieks. The person kept screaming and screaming, and some shots even showed blood . 

 

Kirby’s eyes widened in horror at the sight in front of him. His body trembled as weak whimpers escaped his mouth. Tears formed in his eyes, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away.

 

Suddenly, Kirby turned around and sprinted out of the room. He ran as far as his legs could take him, as far away from the TV as possible. But Kirby then tripped and fell to the ground. 

 

He felt his face lightly hit the floor. A mild pain seeped through his body, but all Kirby did was curl up and weep. This was truly the worst night of his life. Meta Knight had left him all alone. He thought he loved him. He promised Kirby that he would protect him no matter what.

 

“Kirby?”

 

A soft voice made Kirby look behind to see Sailor Dee standing before him. Sailor took a few steps closer and bent down to him.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

 

Kirby sniffled and wiped his face. “The…the TV.”

 

Sailor turned towards the illuminated room. He sighed and shook his head. “I knew that it’d be too loud,” he muttered. “And they forgot to close the door too.”

 

“I’m so sorry about that, Kirby. You didn’t need to see that,” Sailor whispered to Kirby. He softly rubbed the child’s back. Kirby eventually got back up on his feet. “What was that?” he asked.

 

“The guys wanted to watch a scary movie on Trident’s fancy new TV that he bought,” Sailor responded. “He plugged it in his room and wanted to show it off I guess. I bet he only got the idea cause Sir Meta Knight is away. I doubt he’d allow the crew to do something like that-especially with you around.”

 

“It’s a movie for grown ups?” Kirby asked.

 

“Err..yes.”

 

Sailor Dee took a hold of Kirby's hand. "Let's go to my dorm. It's farther away from those three." Kirby nodded and followed Sailor's lead.

 

As they headed to Sailor's room, Kirby spoke up.

 

"But won't you miss the movie?"

 

Sailor shook his head. "I've seen it before. And I can't leave you alone, Kirby." He squeezed Kirby's hand a little tighter as he finished his sentence. 

 

Once they got to the right door, Sailor opened it and walked Kirby in. He reached for the light switch on the wall and flicked it on. Kirby curiously scanned everything he could. There was the most basic looking of beds. Its dull gray sheets greatly contrasted the bright pink of Kirby's. Sailor had a small wooden desk that wasn't too different from the one in his father's room. On top was a white lamp, and pens and papers were scattered across the service. 

 

And that was practically it. (Other than a trash bin in the corner.) 

 

"It's…"

 

"Pretty basic, huh?" Sailor sighed. "All of the bedrooms look like this. The others have decorated their rooms a little though."

 

"Why haven't you?" Kirby asked.

 

"I don't think I should."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because I'm not like them."

 

"How?"

 

Sailor looked at the floor. "I'm not a fighter nor am I a leader. I'm just a sailor that doesn't stand out. All I do is scrub the floors and organize supplies. And relay info to the captain on some occasions. I'm nothing compared to them."

 

"I don't think so," Kirby said.

 

Sailor looked at Kirby in surprise. "What?"

 

"You're amazing! You keep everything nice and clean even though our home is so big. And Papa says he trusts you."

 

Sailor Dee blinked. "He did?"

 

Kirby nodded. "He told me that you're very…uh…ruh-lie-able."

 

"You mean reliable?" Sailor chuckled.

 

"Uh-huh! Papa said he can always count on you. He likes you, Sailor."

 

Sailor found himself speechless. But then a bright smile crept on his face.

 

"That's right. Sir Meta Knight entrusted me to watch over you when he was gone. I remember when you were just a baby and he had to leave for a mission. He needed one of us to stay behind and take care of you. Of course I was picked. I wasn't one of the knights. But I made sure you were fed, changed, and in bed by the time they got back. And at midnight, Sir Meta Knight returned with them. When he saw you fast asleep in that crib, I swear I could see the most genuine smile behind his mask. He loves you so much, Kirby."

 

Kirby frowned. "But why did he leave? He doesn't care! I'm all alone-"

 

Kirby suddenly felt Sailor wrap his arms around his body.

 

"Kirby," Sailor said. "Your father does care. Believe me, he hates leaving you here while on duty. He always tells us how worried he is about you. You are everything to him. And he's protecting you and everyone else from danger."

 

Kirby slowly closed his eyes. Sailor wasn't wrong. And he remembered how his dad always showered him in hugs and kisses after a long day. Meta Knight was out there, fighting for him. Besides, he wasn't actually alone.

 

"Thank you, Sailor."

 

Sailor Dee lightly patted his back. "Of course, Kirby. And thank you."

 

The boy tilted his head. "For what?"

 

"Reminding me why I joined the Meta-Knights. Now let's get you back to bed."

 

Kirby inched closer to the Waddle Dee. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

 

"Of course you can."

 

Sailor brought Kirby over to his bed and walked back to the light switch. He then paused. "Do you want me to get your nightlight for you?"

 

Kirby shook his head. "I'm ok."

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"Because you're here with me," Kirby responded. He gently patted the empty side of the bed. Sailor smiled as he flicked the light off. He crept into the bed, close to Kirby.

---

“Sailor?” Kirby asked.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Why did you join Papa’s crew?”

 

Sailor’s once half-open eyes lit back up. “Well…it’s a long story. But in short, he saved my life one day, and I wanted to show my gratitude.”

 

“What’s that?” Kirby whispered.

 

“It’s how thankful I am for him. I’m sure you have lots of gratitude for your father, Kirby?”

 

Kirby happily nodded. “My papa’s the best!” He paused for a very brief moment. And when his eyes suddenly beamed…

 

“Do you see him as your papa too?”

 

For several seconds, Sailor was too stunned to say anything. He could even feel his cheeks burn bright red when Kirby said that. Sir Meta Knight… a father figure? It was true that he looked up to the knight immensely. If he had to be honest, Meta Knight was a more competent leader than the king himself. And that day when he caught him after falling…

 

“Yeah. I guess I do.”

 

Kirby held Sailor’s hands. “That means you’re my big bro!”

 

Sailor squeezed them tighter. “If that’s the case, then it’s an honor to be your elder sibling. Goodnight, Kirby.” As he closed his eyes, Sailor started to think about Meta Knight. The truth was that he valued Sailor greatly. After all, who was always entrusted to watch over Kirby when he was away? Perhaps he should give himself more credit.

 

“Night night, Sailor.”

 

As Sailor started to fall asleep, he remembered something. He’d need to have a talk with the Meta-Knights tomorrow. They owed Kirby a big apology. And Sir Meta Knight when he eventually returned. But that could wait. That could wait.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! As always, comments and feedback are always appreciated. (Even if I rarely reply to them ^^;)