A/N: Hey, so it's been a few years! Sorry for the super long wait; college happened, and then I studied abroad in Japan for five weeks. And now college is happening again. I really should be doing homework right now, but...eh. Please forgive me. QAQ

Well, it's been a while since I've worked on this story, so hopefully I can still keep everyone mostly in-character; please do let me know if there are any problems regarding that in this chapter. I appreciate all of the feedback. Speaking of feedback, a couple of you have been wondering where Roy is in this story. Uh... So, this is taking place before the DLC characters arrive. Including Roy. I'll explain what's going on in one or two chapters (if I remember the story map correctly; I have a long chapter list saved on my laptop). Also, I apologize in advance for a few curse words later in the chapter.

Oh, and also - yay for new Smash! :D

That was a long Author's Note. Sorry. Well, I spent a lot of time on this chapter, so I hope what I want to convey here comes out right. I hope you enjoy!

* Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Bros. or its characters.

As summer began to draw to a close, the scorching hot temperatures began to fall back in favor of cooler ones, and the colors of the leaves began to change. Gradually, trees allowed their leaves to detach themselves from the branches and float down to the ground. The younger Smashers liked to gather these leaves into a large, multicolored pile, only to scatter them about once more when they jumped into it, emitting cheerful and innocent laughter as they did so. Some of the older and more mature Smashers chose not to participate in what some referred to as "such childish games"; instead, they just chose to admire the beauty of nature.

Now, on the first day of September, after the end of their training session, Marth and Lucina were doing just that.

"The leaves are quite beautiful this year," Marth commented as he looked around.

A red leaf fluttered down from a tree. Lucina caught it in between the thumb and index finger of her left hand. "They are lovely," she said, turning the leaf over.

Marth gazed up at the sky. "You know, I remember my first tournament. I was more inexperienced back then, and that made everything feel more stressful. Sometimes, when I felt like everything was too much, I would come here and watch the leaves fall." He turned his head towards Lucina. "Even now, I still find it to be calming. I hope it helps you as well."

Lucina's fingers pressed harder into the leaf, creating a soft crunching sound.

For the past week, ever since the introduction of the leaked fighters, something about her had just seemed...off. Somehow, he felt as if there was something besides the pressure of the upcoming tournament eating at her. He watched her for a moment, gathered his words, then spoke again. "If there's ever anything that's bothering you, you can always talk to me."

She loosened her grip on the leaf and let it fall to the ground, then sighed.

His lips came together in a straight line; he sat down, then motioned for her to do the same. She plopped down across from him and met his eyes with hers."Marth, how do you...how do you feel about Dark Pit?"

Marth winced. "Dark Pit? Er..." He put a hand on his shoulder and rolled it back and forth to relieve some tension. "Well, he seems like a worthy opponent."

"He does indeed." She folded her hands and placed them in her lap, then looked down. "It's just that..." Her eyebrows slanted together, her face reddened, and her head shot up. "He has the most unpleasant demeanor of anyone I've ever met! He's rude, arrogant, and overall a complete and utter—"

"Pardon me for interrupting, but," Marth interjected, "I agree that he's not the most...friendly of people." He sighed. "I've seen the way he interacts with you. I don't know what he wants, and I am not by any means condoning his behavior, but his demeanor could very well be nothing more than a front."

For a moment, the two of them sat in silence, feeling the crisp autumn air caress their faces. The sun was starting to set, turning the once blue sky into a mixture of lavender and orange.

A front? Could it be possible that I've misjudged him? Lucina wasn't sure. The redness on her face faded into a lighter shade.

After a while, Marth stood up. "Try not to let him get to you." He smiled and glanced over to a spot far away, where Toon Link, Ness, and Villager were pelting each other with leaves. "Enjoy your free time while you can. If there's any other way I can help you relax before the tournament begins, please don't hesitate to ask."

12:45 a.m.

Another sleepless night this week.

Rays from the crescent moon outside shone in through the window onto Lucina's face. She lay flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. Everything seemed to be keeping her awake tonight: the start of the tournament next month, how her family might be doing back home, even the gentle snoring of Robin in the other bed.

And then there was Dark Pit.

Try not to let him get to you.

She groaned and climbed out of bed. Trying to rest at this point is futile.

Still dressed in her pajamas, she made her way over to the door and exited the room. From there, she proceeded to tiptoe through the dark hallway and down the staircase. The mahogany wood felt slightly cool underneath her bare feet, and the chill from the air conditioning reminded her that it was still technically summer. It was almost nice, being unable to sleep at this hour; everything was so quiet and peaceful...

...Almost.

The sound of someone moving around in the kitchen caused Lucina to stop a few steps away from the second floor. For a moment, her breathing halted. Aside from herself, who could possibly be awake? Maybe it was Yoshi or Kirby; Peach had shared stories about how the pair used to sometimes go on late-night refrigerator raids.

Hesitantly, she walked down the last few steps and towards the kitchen. When she reached the entrance, her whole body tensed up as she was met with the sound of the microwave closing, and the glare of the one person she'd hoped wouldn't be there.

"...Dark Pit."

"What are you doing here?" Dark Pit murmured as he set a mug of steaming liquid on the counter.

Her breath hitched for a moment. "I...could ask you the same question." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a white, crumpled-up piece of paper next to the dark angel's feet, along with an open envelope. A letter?

He said nothing.

She sighed. "I just...can't sleep."

Noticing her interest in the crumpled letter, he opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. He curled his fingers around the handle of the cup and brought it to his lips. "...That makes two of us." He took a sip of the liquid.

She returned her attention to the letter. "If you don't mind me asking, about—"

Slam!

He slammed the cup down on the counter, sending droplets of hot milk flying into the air. "I'm the original Pit, dammit!"

Lucina flinched. "...Pardon?"

His knuckles turned colorless as he squeezed the handle. "I'm stronger than him." A shaky breath. "I'm better than him." Another breath. He loosened his grip on the handle. "I'm not a worthless clone."

Stunned and unsure of how to respond, she made her way over to one of the tables and picked up a chair. She then proceeded to place it near the counter before sitting down.

After taking a moment to regain his composure, Dark Pit exhaled and spoke again. "Before the Hands revealed the leaked fighters last week, they told us about the hate mail. They said there were a lot of complaints over what fans called 'clone characters'. People like me—" He looked her in the eye. "—and people like you."

Lucina's brow furrowed. "I don't understand. Do they say such things because Marth and I fight alike?"

Dark Pit snorted. "Isn't it obvious? I watched your introduction fight."

"You watched my introduction fight?"

"Yeah. Pitstain practically begged me to so I could see what this tournament was about," he said before taking another sip of his drink. "Master Hand still hasn't told you what the fans think of you? Unbelievable." He walked over to the same table Lucina had grabbed her chair from, grabbed his own, placed it in front of her, and sat down.

As Dark Pit drank, Lucina could hardly process what he'd said. Was it truly possible for people to hate fighters over something as trivial as similarity to others?

After a while, she peeked at the crumpled letter once more. "Um... Excuse me, but—if you don't mind—could I—"

"Knock yourself out," Dark Pit said.

With some hesitation, she walked over, picked up the letter, and sat back down. When she unfolded it, what she saw made her blood turn to lava.

"To: Dark Pit

You're a fucking waste of a character slot!

From: anonymous"

Lucina stared in disbelief at the text.

"That's one of the nicer ones," Dark Pit murmured as Lucina folded the paper and set it aside.

It was like her ability to speak had been snatched from her. Even though she could barely see in the dark, she could see the pain in his eyes.

"I told myself this whole situation was stupid and that I shouldn't let them get to me," Dark Pit continued. "But some of the things people have said are...really harsh."

With her hands folded in her lap, Lucina's eyebrows slanted downwards. She inhaled. "Is the reason you've been hostile towards me because, since we are both so-called 'clones', you are...ashamed to be like me?"

"No."

"Then, what you just said—"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You want to know why? Marth's supposed to be one of the best here. You look like him and fight like him. Hell, you might even be as good as him."

Her eyes widened slightly. "What reason do you have to believe I'm on the same level as the Hero King?" A moistness formed in the corners of her eyes. "I'm not—"

"Be quiet and listen," Dark Pit snapped. After a few seconds of silence, he continued. "The letters—they're hurtful. However, if we're both clones, then we're better than they say we are. You know what that means?"

Lucina dug her fingers into the fabric of her pajama shirt.

"It means you're one of the toughest fighters standing in my way to victory."

The slight wetness in her eyes became more prevalent. Before she knew it, thin tears were dripping down her face and onto her hands. This doesn't make sense. Why am I crying? Gods...

Dark Pit, who wasn't well-versed in dealing with crying people, frowned and watched her for a moment before averting his eyes and holding out his drink towards her.

With surprise written all over her face, she looked at the drink, then took it from his hand. The cup felt lukewarm against her flesh. She peered into it; there was still about a quarter left.

Dark Pit stood up and started to move his chair back to its original location. After he placed it in its spot around the table, he sauntered over to the entrance, paused, and turned to face Lucina. "Warm milk is supposed to help you sleep; you'll need plenty of that if you're aiming to beat me." He turned towards the entrance and began leaving. "Don't expect these pep talks or whatever to become a habit."

Well, it took three-ish years, but I finally did it. I wrote chapter 10. Again, it's been quite a while since I've worked with these characters and this story, so if they seem out of character in any way, please let me know. I'm also a little iffy about the ending of this chapter, so I would love some feedback on that. Also, look forward to a nice fight scene in the next chapter? :)

~AwesomeDuskAngel