*Author's notes will be posted below. Enjoy the story!*

From the start, Kirby wasn't normal. He was AB-002. One could argue he was an experiment not unsimilar to a clone, because he was developed in a birth cylinder. But he wasn't a clone, since his DNA was a mix of genes created similar to a creature made once before, but not entirely the same. The mistakes of the first experiment were hoped to be bred out this time, hence the reason to create a new project. The empire was in need of an heir, and He would not let His first experiment take over. He called this project "Rebel" for a reason.

AB-002 was not a robot, or a cyborg. He was a puffball, like the ones on distant planets. He had developed pink skin, for reasons unknown, and rosy cheeks. His eye color was yet to be determined, since they still hadn't opened. For a being designed to rule over monsters, he was actually adorable. The scientists who developed him worried he wouldn't be taken seriously, but His Creator said otherwise. And they believed Him.

This was the way all monsters were created in the empire. From common soldiers to higher statuses, all were made in birth cylinders. All except one: Him. He was a being brought to existence from hate and fear. One could say He was like a god, but He was evil, and all of His intentions were evil. He despised all love and happiness, as they weakened Him. The only weapon known to damage Him to the point of death was called the Star Rod- it was filled with so much love and happiness, that even a gentle tap on His shoulder could disable it entirely.

Unfortunately, nobody knew where the Star Rod was, but a legend told them that a hero would come one day bearing it. This hero would be one with the star's power, and the combination of their love would bring Him down effortlessly. This legend was the hope and motivation of the Galaxy Soldier Army, or the Empire's Rebellion, as He put it. For decades, the GSA fought Him to prevent the destruction of their beloved planets in the galaxy. They believed that if they could prevent His spread of evil, the hero would come in the end to stop the virus once and for all.

The hero was dubbed by the name "Hero of the Stars". Star Warriors, or GSA members that were especially gifted with the power of the stars above, and their children all were closely examined to see if they could be the awaited one. Years went by, and people began to lose hope: the legend was only just a legend…

AB-002 had just gained consciousness for the first time. Slowly, his eyes opened, revealing them deep blue, as dark as the bottom of the sea. His vision was still blurry, but he could make out that he was surrounded by blue liquid, and had wires on his chest that connected to machines far away.

His ears began to open too, and new sounds came to him, though they were muffled. The first thing he heard was a consistent slow beeping noise, and then, sounds completely new to him. He didn't understand them, but after looking around, realized they were coming from the two figures right outside his reach.

It was at this moment that AB-002 discovered he was in a tube, isolated from the rest of the room he happened to be in.

Before he could fully wrap his head around his situation and why he was in this particular tube, the liquid began to drain. He began to stress out for the first time, and heard the slow beeping gradually become faster. As the substance left his face, he felt his lungs begin to take in new air, and it stung with the first few inhales. This air was beneficial to his senses, though an alarm blaring from the outside was starting to hurt his eardrums. As the liquid continued to drain, wires and other supporters kept him from touching the bottom of the tube.

All these new senses were hard to take in at once, and they all overwhelmed him. He was greatly stressed, so the first instinct he had was to cry. He kicked his feet in frustration, though it wasn't much due to a lack of use to the already weak muscles, and his little paws curled into fists. He didn't know it, but everyone was staring at him with much concern- they had seen his one thousand protocols die within the first few minutes of breathing in oxygen, and were afraid he'd share the same unfortunate fate. Within a minute or two of pushing his muscles to their limits, he felt his senses leave him once again, and his consciousness slipped from the new world.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

AB-002 had woken up for the second time, and found he was back in his birth cylinder with the blue liquid all around him again. The only thing that different was the new tube he found went into his nose. His senses didn't stay underdeveloped, so he could see things and hear things fairly well now. He even heard one of the figures shout at the other. The one shouting almost looked like a dark shadow, and the poor figure that was being shouted at had on a white lab coat, and a pathetic look on its face.

"You idiot- you almost costed us another project! Do you know how much time and effort went into this one?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Sir!" The figure with the lab coat had a very soft voice, and stammered frequently. "I...I thought P-Project AB-002 w-was ready for o-oxygen intake."

The dark figure, definitely authoritative over the other, sighed. "You're lucky this one had more developed lungs, and could be recovered. If it develops further with a defect, do not expect to live."

"Y-yes...sir…" Lab Coat hung her head in fear and shame.

A moment passed between them, before the dominant figure realized the project was conscious again. "Tell me the status of the project." He ordered his servant.

"AB-002 seems to have recovered well from the...accident. The cannula will have him take in oxygen gradually, so it's not forced all at once. The oxygen tank will be activated in 12 hours."

"Good." He said without feeling. He gave one last glance at the being inside the tube, and then headed towards the exit. "I'll be taking my leave now. However, I'll be back in 24 hours to see AB-002 out of the tube, fully breathing without aid of the fluid." And with that, he left.

The next 12 hours were relatively uneventful for AB-002. There wasn't that much to explore in his tube, and the room around him wasn't very exciting either. The walls and floorboards were monotone in colors, and the only pieces of furniture in the room was the desk with a computer and other paper files, the desk chair to match, and a large file cabinet holding information unknown to the project. He was still held in place by the supporters in the tube, so his movement was limited. His voice was dried up and used, so he couldn't test that out. He spent most of his time sleeping, though he kept drifting in and out since he wasn't very tired.

Finally, things began to happen. The liquid wasn't drained, but the notorious oxygen began to fill his lungs through the tube connected to his nose. He hated the way it made his lungs feel, and he tried to pull it off. Unfortunately, it was adhered on with tape on the sides around his cheeks. He began to get frustrated again, but then he felt it- the supporters holding him in place letting him go. He could finally start to move on his own.

He kicked his feet around the liquid, and up towards the tube he went. He paddled his paws around too, and quickly began to develop his muscles, to a certain extent. He didn't try somersaults, but he was acting like a fetus in the womb. This was a good thing: it showed AB-002 was capable of movement, and no limbs were paralyzed or disabled by the looks of it.

His lungs stopped burning after some time too, as they were getting used to breathing in the oxygen.

Another 12 hours of free movement and oxygen intake passed, when the scientists in the lab declared AB-002 was ready to be taken out of the tube. The supporters held the project back in place yet again, but he didn't like it at all, since he was just getting used to the freedom. Suddenly, he heard it: that familiar alarm blaring, and the blue liquid draining once again. Nervous that history was about to repeat itself, he began to fuss, and cry out in protest. In all of his chaos, he didn't realize his lungs were ready to inhale and exhale the air outside of the tube, and did just that with little to no burning feeling.

He didn't stop crying, until finally the head scientist, previously known as Lab Coat, opened his tube, and detached the wires around him, then picked him up. He was taken to another adjacent room with white walls, white tiles for the flooring, and a board similar to an operating table. After being placed on the table, Lab Coat removed the tape from his cheeks, making him cry out in pain. She placed a balm oil over the irritated skin, and took his measurements. He was a bit on the smaller side, but healthy.

Once she was done, she left the room to quickly add the new data to the computer. AB-002 had a moment to himself, but being a helpless newborn, despised the loneliness. After all he'd been through in the last few days, he just wanted comfort, and to feel entirely safe. So he began to cry once again in self pity. No responses came from anyone, and that made him worry he was left alone to die. That fear thus prompted him to scream bloody murder that could easily bring permanent damage to his vocal cords.

It seemed to do the trick, because the next thing he knew, he was picked up by Lab Coat, and shushed gently. Relieved to not be alone anymore, his screams descended into small whimpers, and he gripped on the sides of the coat. They went back into the room, where papers were scattered all over the floor, and Lab Coat picked them up in a matter of time impressive for a person with one free arm. The last of the data was typed into the computer, when she heard faint footsteps in the hallway. That was Him, and He was coming back to check up on the project. Without hesitation, Lab Coat ran back into the white room, and placed AB-002 back on the table. When he began to whimper again, she hushed him and told him in a quiet voice, ¨Shh, don't make a sound, or we'll both get in trouble.¨

He walked in, and immediately the room dropped a few temperatures. ¨Where is the project?¨ He demanded in a calm tone. Lab Coat pointed at the table, where the project was staring at Him with curious eyes. He mused, and then searched a nearby drawer for a syringe. He filled it with a dark purple liquid, and injected it into the project's arm, making him scream. He got a stare from His Creator as a reward, and it made his blood run cold. ¨You will not shout in pain- you are My heir. Do it again, and you will be punished.¨ He told the project. He was well aware AB-002 was just a newborn, but He didn't care. The injection would make him into a monster, and would increase his pain endurance. With His job done, He left, hoping His project was ready to begin to go through His training.

The next year was spent with AB-002 fearing for his life and trying everything to please his Creator. More often than not, he wouldn't live up to His expectations, and thus be punished for it. Punishment varied depending on the day and the act committed. It could range from having food taken away, to being whipped across the back. He also had horrible nightmares. They usually portrayed him alone, as a failure and left to die. Because of this fear, he never tried to leave.

Even though he didn't try to leave, he was given a chance of escaping one day. It was another day he was about to be slashed across his little body, and monsters were observing their Creator in doing so. He had been starved the night before and had nightmares that prevented him from sleeping, so he was depleted of most of his energy. He already had open scars from a punishment session that occurred the other day, so this next set of slashes could likely kill him.

Lab Coat happened to be in the crowd of monsters watching. She never saw the project as her own, but she couldn't bear to see him in any more suffering than he was already going through. So she took a risk- she grabbed AB-002, and ran as far away from Him as she could before He would catch up to her. She placed the project in a spot in which he could hide, and told him, "I did all I could to help you. You're on your own from here, but I believe in you that you'll find a way out of this prison."

He eventually caught up to Lab Coat, and knocked her out unconscious. Prison guards took her away to be investigated later, and His search began to find His project. She hid him so well, He couldn't find him, and He became blind with rage. He figured AB-002 would show himself soon enough- he had no way of feeding himself. Satisfied with His plan, He walked out of the room and towards the prison to check on Lab Coat.

Now alone, AB-002 felt more scared than ever, but he refused to cry. He was famished, and wanted to fall asleep so badly, but he knew he could die if he did. So he stayed awake, and figured he might as well go search for an escape route. With the lack of energy he had, he couldn't walk, so he complied to crawl away.

Crawling to no specific place and no specific direction, AB-002 only hoped he could find an exit soon. His instincts pulled him in the direction furthest away from the rooms he knew, and he soon found himself in a wide, ominous hallway. It felt like eyes were staring at him from all directions, and it put him on edge. Swallowing his fears and focusing towards his goal, AB-002 went through the hallway. It was a dead end on the other end, and he soon realized all the doors were shut, with the knobs way out of his reach. Spiraling into panic, he looked around quickly, and tried to find anything that could help him. And then he saw it- a crack in the dead end wall, small enough to be overlooked, but big enough that smaller creatures could squeeze through with little to no struggle.

As quickly and quietly as he could, he passed through the hole, and found himself in a larger room than one would expect. It was about the size of an average living room, and had blue walls and a wood floor lightly coated with dust, especially around the corners. There was no furniture in the room, save for an old blanket that was tattered on the ends, and a pile of scrap metal and wood. It was no hotel suite for sure, but it was still better, since He wasn't here.

AB-002 took a breath in and out of relief, but couldn't relish this feeling for long, since he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He thought He had come back to torture him like never before, but he realized the footsteps didn't sound like His. His were slow and loud, but these were quick and softer. It could just be one of His servants coming to drag him back, so his first instinct told him to hide. But...where? He hid in the only place that he could- under the blanket. He drew in his breath, and prayed he wouldn't be caught.

A...familiar creature stepped in. He was a young adult puffball, navy blue of color. He had on silver shoulder pads, and matching navy cape behind him. On his face he wore a silver-tinted mask that brought out his intimidating yellow eyes. His name was Meta Knight but most people just called him "Sir".

Meta Knight was called back into this empire, to check and see if there were any other rebels that needed help leaving this place to become one with the Galaxy Soldier Army. The hidden room so happened to be the place in which he stayed to detect any nearby rebel in need. Nobody in the empire knew about this hidden room but him, so he was caught off guard when he saw a lump in the blankets. Regaining himself, he slowly crept to the pile, which he saw visibly shaking the closer he got to it. With one quick hand swipe, the blanket went flying to the other side of the room, revealing a small pink baby who was covered in scars and blood, and had a horrified look on his pale face.

AB-002 froze, unable to think quickly. He didn't know what to think of this man, but he wasn't going to let his guard down.

This man was different from His other servants, as he seemed…almost concerned. He gradually tried to come closer to the project, trying to coax him by saying, "Hey, it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you."

As much as he wanted to believe him, he figured it was a trap, so he kept backing up away from the man, until he was trapped in the corner.

Defeated, AB-002 wrapped his arms around him as a last sense of defense. But he realized the man wasn't coming any closer to him; in fact, there was a considerable amount of space between them, to the latter's surprise. Meta just looked at him with a soft expression. To further try to gain the baby's trust, he even took off his mask, and smiled."I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated, "I promise."

That seemed to do the trick, as AB-002 put his hands to his sides, and crawled into the man's now open arms. He let the stranger hold him close, and rock him with consolation he'd never experienced before. It was such an overwhelming feeling, that he didn't know how else to react than to cry. But this was crying that was kept inside him for a year that he couldn't ever let out, until now. In this pair of new arms, he felt an unfamiliar feeling surge through him that he wanted to become familiar.

As Meta Knight held the project in his arms, he began to think. He knew immediately that the two of them couldn't stay long in this base, as he knew instantly that this child was just like him- the new heir. This meant he could be easily tracked down by Him while in the base, so he needed to be sent out as quickly as possible. But how would he escape? Surely, he couldn't join the GSA: his status in the empire could put himself and others in danger. As Meta continued musing, he remembered the small starship he built himself to earn his title of "Rebel". It was simple enough to make, and the only thing he'd have to alter were the controls, and make them auto-pilot instead of manual, so the ship could fly safely throughout the galaxy.

The building of the ship took about a month to complete, and throughout that month, Meta Knight took care of AB-002. He tended to all of his wounds, made sure he was fed, and put him to bed every night in a makeshift crib that was hastily built, but stable. He read books to him from the GSA base's library, stargazed with him, and even hummed little bits of songs to him every once in awhile. The baby was extremely needy and clingy, so Meta never left his side. It just broke his heart, since no matter how much devotion he dedicated to him, he was always upset. Calming him down from nightmares was the worst- it would take so long to get the little one to stop crying. If Meta left for even a second to get supplies or materials for the ship, he'd find the poor baby shaking and often softly crying, sometimes even picking at the scabs around his previously slashed skin. After the he'd see the adult had come back, he'd sob and grab at the end of his cape until Meta finally picked him up and helped him feel safe again.

He didn't gain AB-002's full trust until the day before he was to be sent out in the starship. The night before, Meta Knight finished with the ship early, and took a minute to look out into the stars and ponder on his thoughts. A shooting star so happened to pass his way, and he figured it wouldn't hurt to make a wish. I wish that he would be happy...

The next morning, things weren't the same. For one, when Meta Knight walked over to the crib, the child wasn't crying from a nightmare he had the other night. He didn't even have a pouted lip, or any kind of upset look on his face. He just was staring at Meta with a blank expression, almost curious. This made him taken aback some, but still lifted the little one out of the crib, waiting for some kind of fussiness to come next. Instead, it seemed as if he was waiting for an answer to a question that was never asked. So Meta, unsure of what to do, offered him a warm smile that told the baby how much he was loved.

For the first time in his life, AB-002 smiled back. It was small at first, but grew wider and wider, until he finally let out his first fit of giggles. His dark blue eyes shifted into more of a sky blue, and tiny glistening stars covered his irises. He was the happiest baby in the universe at that moment, and would always stay like that for years to come. He was reborn, to a mere rebel monster so similar to him, yet different in special ways.

Meta Knight was surprised, but couldn't help but laugh with the little one in his arms. His eyes teared with joy that his wish came true. After seeing the stars settle in his eyes, the elder gasped, and knew immediately that this was the Herald of the Stars. But the Herald of the Stars was not the former baby he had cared for- it was the new revived baby, who laughed with unending happiness. This baby did not have a name. Meta looked up at the star-filled sky, to thank the stars for granting his wish, when he saw a name spelled out among the constellations. It stuck out, as it was the brightest thing in the sky.

"Kirby." Meto said aloud, making the baby giggle again, and paw at his mask to snuggle closer to him. He let Kirby do just that, and embraced him with content neither of them knew like ever before.

From that moment, they were father and son, whether they knew it or not.

Unfortunately, their time as a family didn't last long, as Meta Knight had to send Kirby away in his getaway starship. Kirby squealed as he was being put into the seat of the ship, but his excitement dropped when he saw the solemn look on his father's face. As he frowned, Meta explained to him what was going on in a soft voice.

"It's time for you to go, Kirby. You'll be safer this way- I hope we'll meet again."

He then injected a syringe into his boy's arm, and within seconds, eyelids drooped, limbs went limp, and he fell into a deep sleep that wouldn't be interrupted for a long time. The hood of the ship was closed shut, and the ship made its way through the empire's exit. It shot into a galaxy full of stars that watched it go by.

With a wavering tone, Meta whispered, "Farewell, Hero of the Stars…"

He then wiped away a single tear from his eye.

Oh my GOSH it's been so long and I'm so sorry- I swear I'm not dead! What happened was that I hit a really bad writer's block, and then every time I tried to break out of it, my school work piled up. Along with the neverending piles of work, I've also been really busy with theater and college applications/auditions, so by the time I could sit down and write more for my fics, I'd be too exhausted to do much. I'm really sorry- please don't be too mad at me ^^;

Awhile back, I originally wrote this one-shot for my creative writing class. (The only thing that was really different was the names- Kirby went by "Albus" and Meta Knight by "Meto"- and the fact that the two were humans) I meant to get this out a long time ago, but I couldn't find time: then I started to feel really bad for being inactive for so long that I finally pushed myself to edit it and post it here.

So what about No More Nightmares? Well, after being hit the hardest with the block, I'm happy to say it's now an active WIP! I'm only about 2 pages in, but with the way the ideas have been streaming along, I should have it done in a few weeks. I seriously appreciate your patience with me, and I hope you have a lovely rest of your day 3