Author's Note: So. Hey. I had this idea the other day. I thought this over. And I thought it would be fun. So I'll try this out.

Have a good day. :D

PS: I have rewritten this chapter, as of june 2015, mostly changing some sentences and descriptions, so the future events are more aligned with the beginning, and also to give a mood more faithful to the story. Have a good read!

Time was unforgiving for his species. Doomed to roam around for endless ages, to watch as worlds rise and fall, to keep silent when darkness comes… Nightmare was gone, or so people said, and he knew he should have been happy about it. After all, he had fought for so long, survived endless ordeals, waiting for the Dark Lord's downfall… waiting… and now? He felt empty. It was the only way he could describe it. Why? He kept silent about it all, as he was doomed to. And still he watched.

Popstar had been a good choice at first; here he had been able to wait for the right time and make himself a home. He had been able to be something else… a simple guard that had no past, that had arrived here a long time ago with two armored teens he had called his subordinates, a man of unknown species that had taken the role of Captain of the royal guard. They lived in a tensed calm for a few years… until he arrived. Kirby had been the greatest surprise. He wasn't supposed to be there, not so soon. It wasn't as it had been said. It wasn't as he had said. And yet, today, more than a dozen years after Nightmare's fall, he found no reason to complain about this change of plan. It was quite the opposite. Things couldn't have gone better.

Now that there were no more demon-beasts on the market, Dreamland was the most silent place on this star. People went on with their lives, and so did he… Or so he made it seem. Summer was eternal, here in this southern country in the middle of the sea. Everyday, the sun would pound down on his lonely form as he wandered the streets, the woods and the roads. There were times, however, when he wasn't alone. Kirby had grown so fast in the last dozen years… For a lack of school in this town, Fumu had taken up on his education, and every day he would receive lessons of all kinds, and such since five years or so. For the past years as well, Bun had taken a liking to hanging out with Sword and Blade, and the rumors were going on about him thinking about becoming a knight. As far as he was concerned, Sword and Blade were his apprentices still, and whether they took in their own trainee or not was their choice alone. Besides, with Kirby growing in shape and mind, the young Star Warrior was something else he had to think about. With even more strength and energy to spend, he had been pestering him for a few months now about a personal training. He didn't know why he kept pushing the demand back.

This day was particularly hot. Since he had left his perch on the balcony at dawn, the sun had been beating on his head, in his tired eyes, everywhere he walked. It made him slower, and reminded him of the number of nights he had spent, awake, standing on the balcony of his apartment… How many nights… It had been going on for years, now… ever since…

"Sir Meta Knight?"

The heat made his mind foggy, almost absent. Fresh sea waves washed up to his feet and soaked them in their cold embrace, the only thing that reminded him that time was still passing by. Cape held tightly around his round body, he turned his amber gaze to his left. A few meters away from him, there were Sword and Blade.

"Sir," Blade started as he and his brother saluted him briefly.

He nodded as greetings, and his eyes traveled on each of them for a short moment. For the last years, Sword and Blade had taken an habit of showing their faces in public, something Meta Knight himself had encouraged them to do. Ever since they had revealed the Halberd, the villagers had been trusting them more and more, and Meta Knight found that showing that they trusted them back was very important. Showing their faces was the least they could do. But himself, he would never. That was a complete different sort of trust.

"Have you finished already?" he asked them, his voice soft and tired.

"Yes Sir," Sword answered. "We… actually finished the patrol an hour ago. We took Bun to a small training session after. There was nothing unusual, as always."

"The king has been pretty quiet lately," Blade added, scratching his chin. "He even gave up on chasing Kirby out the castle. It's pretty weird."

Meta Knight chuckled, turning back to look at the sea, eyes half-closed.

"I don't mind the quietness, for a change. How did Bun do this time?"

"Pretty good," Sword said, nodding in synch with his brother. "He's got a lot of energy to spend."

"He just needs to get better with a sword," Blade said. "He's a good dodger, though."

"Heh, can't argue with that," his brother chuckled. "You should have seen him, Sir, he's a fast little kid. You'd be proud!"

The elder knight softly nodded his head, and his apprentices knew there was a small smile behind that metal mask.

"I'll watch next time you train. I just… needed to get out, today."

"Do you… feel better?" Blade cautiously asked him, arching his eyebrows worriedly.

He shook his head, holding his cape tighter.

"Don't worry about me. How about you two go back? I would guess you remember that you promised your best cooking tonight."

At that, Blade snickered and rubbed his gloves together, making his brother laugh.

"It's already in the oven! Gotta warm up for three hours, it should be ready for dinner in about thirty minutes."

"Then I'll join you in thirty minutes. You can go."

They both saluted their leader, called "Sir!", then turned around and left, leaving a smiling knight on the beach. Just talking lightly with them like this warmed up his darkened heart… How much they had grown, these kids… Before going back to the castle, however, he turned around as well and headed for town. There were nice benches in the central square where he would be able to think. The air was getting fresh, making it much more comfortable and bearable.

In the castle at this same moment, Bun was heading back to his home for dinner, tired and covered in dirt. He should definitely find another way to dodge other than rolling on the ground. Not only would his aching muscles be happy, his mother would be overjoyed that he did, that's for sure. However, as he turned a corner and walked past the doors to the throne room, he heard a sudden ruckus that made him jump. The young man stopped dead in his tracks and spun toward the closed doors. He could even hear the king yell.

"Idiots! Don't drop that, it's all we have left! You'd better hope none of them are broken, you fools!"

Bun was surprised, for even though the king would get angry easily, it was rare that he would throw threats like that.

"Now, now, Your Majesty, I'm sure they're all okay! Actually, I'm fairly surprised you kept that after what happened last time…"

"What do you want me to do, throw them in the river while I could still put them to good use? You don't waste demon maker like that!"

"It is called Grand Esker Demon Best Formula, thank you…"

"It don't matter! Now all of you get that mess cleaned!"

Bun's heart skipped a beat, or maybe three. Demon maker? Escargon had made some more? Before he could think more about this, he heard footsteps coming toward the door. Without hesitating, he ran up to the end of the hallway, where he hid behind the corner and poked his head back in. The doors opened, and a group of six Waddle Dees came out, carrying a large box on top of their head. He could only see the tops of at least a dozen of glass bottles, filled to the brim with a dark magenta liquid. They headed down the opposite side of the hallway, and soon Escargon came out as well, followed by Dedede. They all disappeared down the corridor. Taking in a deep breath, Bun ran all the way toward the knights' apartments. They had to know.

In the village, Kirby came out of Kawasaki's restaurant, holding his belly and licking his lips. The chef came out after him, a large smile on his goofy face.

"Come back tomorrow!" he called to the puffball. "I'm going to test my new recipe!"

"You bet I'll be there!" Kirby said as he waved to the optimistic chef. "Thanks for the meals, you're getting better!"

He walked ahead almost aimlessly for a moment, thinking back to his great meals and the taste still present in his mouth. With age, he was more aware of the art of tasting what he ate, but still he didn't understand how the villagers couldn't eat Kawasaki's cooking. It wasn't that bad, he just needed to understand how to use spices to add taste. At least the meals looked good, and that was enough to make him hungry. Absentmindedly, he made his way to the central square, less populated at this hour. The children's laughter died down when they were called in for dinner, and now he could relax more. As he was heading toward the tree in the center, he stopped when he noticed his favourite bench was occupied. Meta Knight was there, staring up at the sky. His eyes were a soft, shiny green, and he had learned that this color meant he wasn't aware of his surroundings. Sometimes, when Kirby walked out of the castle back to his home, he would see the warrior perched atop his balcony, staring in the distance with those eyes. One time, he had remained there all day… Was it really all that he did of his days? Staring at nothing? Confused, Kirby made his way to the bench and casually sat down, not only trying to get his attention, but also to calm his full stomach. Meta Knight didn't make a single move. Kirby stopped himself from snickering and simply waved a hand in front of his face.

"Siiiiiir Meta Kniiiiiiiiight…"

His mentor blinked, turning his eyes back to their usual golden hue, then turned his head toward him.

"Oh, Kirby," he said. "Forgive me, I didn't notice you. You've grown subtle over the years."

"Says the one who always appears out of nowhere."

A faint yet honest chuckle came from under that mask of his, and he looked back straight forward, into the street ahead. Kirby did the same and simply followed his gaze. There was a moment of silence between them. Nothing awkward. It was never awkward between them, Kirby thought. His mentor's presence was calming, and he found, over time, that whenever Kirby went to bed after talking to him in the evening like this, he would sleep better. He couldn't explain it.

"I trained yesterday," Kirby said. "It's been a while since I've actually used a sword without inhaling it beforehand…"

"Did it go well?"

"Uh… well… It depends what you mean by 'well'. I guess I should start putting a little more effort in my training…"

"Mmh… You know, Kirby. You've been asking me for training for a while, now."

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I've been thinking about it. I'll let you know when I decide. Don't forget, we have time. Besides, if I train you, I'll have to make a specific schedule to fill in your needs. As a Star Warrior, you won't have the same training as Bun, for example, or even Sword and Blade. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course!"

Kirby was ecstatic. Finally, his mentor was putting serious thoughts into his training! He couldn't wait until he was given an answer! And yet, when he turned to look at the knight, he felt something strange. His mentor's eyes were closed, and in the silence of the plaza and the quietness of the breeze, he heard his breathing, slightly raucous… The knight coughed a bit, bringing a hand to his visor when he did. Kirby looked at him worriedly, feeling something pinching at his heart when he heard that coughing.

"Are you sick?" he asked him kindly.

Meta Knight shook his head and sighed, breathing deeply.

"Don't worry," he said softly, looking at him with glowing and reassuring golden eyes. "Just a small cold. I'll be fine tomorrow. You should go back home now, it is getting late. I have to go myself."

They both stood up, and Kirby waved at him as he left, wrapping his cape around him as always. As he watched the blue elder disappear down the road, Kirby suddenly felt tired. Very tired. Rubbing his eyes, the young warrior was confused. Where did this tiredness come from? Deciding it would be better to go back home as the knight had said, he turned and walked down the streets. The village had fairly grown during the past years. After Nightmare destroyed most of it, it had been rebuilt first exactly as it was, then the cappies decided to expand it, to welcome newcomers from other countries, now that Dreamland was even more on the map than before.

As he approached his dome-like home, far on the hills near the sea, he stopped right in front, blinking his eyes and listening. He had forgotten that Tokkori wasn't alone today. And here he had thought he would be able to directly go to bed. Sighing, he opened the door and was greeted by the sight of the little bird, Rick and Kine, who was in a giant bowl of water near the window, all watching TV. They all turned to him and the hamster saluted him with a wave.

"Hi Kirby! Wanna watch the show with us?"

Kirby turned his gaze to the screen, where there was a strange show of sorts that looked like a quiz. Over the years, the TV system had gotten all around the planet, so now they didn't have to listen to Dedede each and every time they opened the machine. The puffball silently shook his head and strolled to his bed, where he let himself fall down, shooing Tokkori away from his pillow. The little bird quickly flew off to the end of the bed, shouting:

"Hey! I was sitting there!"

"This is my bed, Tokkori. If I want to sleep in it, I'll sleep in it."

"Pff! I preferred when you were small and dumb and slept in the tree!" the annoying bird scoffed before turning back to the screen.

Kine swam up to the edge of the bowl and poked his large face out.

"Are you okay, Kirby? You seem a little off."

Kirby shook his head, waving his hand, and hid his face in the pillow, almost already ready to fall asleep. He didn't know why he was so tired. He didn't feel exhausted, he just wanted to sleep, as if he hadn't closed his eyes for days. However, ten minutes had barely passed that there were frantic knocks at the door, waking him up from his semi-sleep. The door opened without anyone standing up to get it and Fumu ran in, taking in at first how many people there were in here, then seeing Kirby hidden in his covers.

"There you are!" she said as she came closer. "We need your help at the castle, Kirby!"

He sat up, rubbing his eyes, suppressing a yawn. He stood up and followed her without too much question outside. Fumu had grown a lot as well over the years, and every time he set his eyes on her, he saw a beautiful mix of her mother's features and her father's.

"What's wrong?" he asked her as they quickly made their way on the road up the hill.

"Bun saw Dedede with a box filled with demon-maker serum. We gotta find that box before he uses it. Hoping he hasn't used it yet…"

Kirby gasped. He remembered perfectly what that demon-maker serum had done, and what it was first supposed to do. What it would have done on Dyna Blade's poor chick… He didn't dare think about it. They both ran up the hill, heart pounding, and once they were at the castle, the Waddle Dees on the ramparts watched them cross the bridge without moving until they disappeared in through the main doors. In the entrance hall, they saw only Bun, waiting near the steps. He perked up when he saw them.

"There you are. Sword and Blade are already looking."

"You don't know where they took the box?" Kirby asked, only to have Bun shake his head.

"I just know some Waddle Dees took it, but it's no use interrogating them."

"If we split up, we could easily find it, I'm sure," Fumu told them.

Still tired, Kirby found it hard to focus on all this blabbering about a box. There were no demon-beasts left; why would Dedede make more if he knew there was nothing for him to conquer? The Star Warriors had a grip on Dreamland, so no matter what he did, he would be stopped. Wouldn't he…? Kirby decided to head to the basement, while the others scouted other branches of the castle. At least there was nobody in the basement, and he would be able to look around in peace. He left almost immediately, trying to remember where the door to the basement was. He never really went there, mainly because he had nothing to do there. The smell didn't help either.

Kirby finally found that old, wooden door and opened it to look down. It was like a dark pit of complete blackness down there. Sighing, he walked up to a torch on the wall of the corridor and came back with it, lighting the long set of stairs descending in the basement. In complete silence, he arrived downstairs and looked around. He knew the way ahead led to both the dungeon and the cellar. Maybe the box was hidden in the dungeon… Sighing, he walked ahead, holding the torch in front of him to light his path. It had been so long since Dedede had done anything… It was like he didn't take it seriously anymore. He soon arrived in front of the large, gloomy room. In the air lingered a putrid smell that made him cringe, like some small animals all stuck in the same room and rotting all together. Kirby almost choked, but took a deep breath outside and went in, staying focused on his task. It wasn't hard. He just had to look for a box.

He looked everywhere in the cells, but there was absolutely nothing. Once he came out of the room, he took in a deep breath, then headed on toward the cellar. It was mostly the Cabinet Minister that came here the most. He didn't know whether or not the king drank any wine of sorts, but Kirby knew he himself wasn't a big fan of it. He had tried it once, and he swore to himself it would be last time. The cellar wasn't that wide a room; it was mainly occupied by huge wine barrels and mossy pillars. Kirby looked around, moving his torch with his eyes, and soon saw it; it wasn't that well hidden. The box was there, simply hidden between two barrels. Satisfied, he picked up the box and held it on his head with his free hand, before leaving the basement. The others should be happy now. The knights would know what to do with that box, surely.

A small smile on his face, he left the cellar, with a box of exactly eleven bottles of serum.