A/N: Here it is, the final chapter! With the problem being revealed in the previous chapter, this one focuses on the suspect and the outcome. Please enjoy this last chapter of the fic! And a very long one at that…

Thanks go to Byoshi for beta reading the chapter!

-- Chapter 5: Falling into place --

When he knocked on the door, he was expecting the eager greeting from Crazy Hand, just like any other day. He did not expect the silence as he waited by the door. The seconds stretched to minutes, and Marth began to worry.

He opened the door slowly, poking his head round the gap. The sight made him burst into the room without a second thought.

"What happened?" Marth exclaimed immediately, stomping up to Lucario, who was on his haunches next to Crazy's limp body. Marth stopped directly in front of him, one hand on his hip expectantly.

Lucario shook his head, dazed. "I don't know," he began. "He just suddenly fell down."

Marth sighed tiredly. "Master-sama asked me to tell Crazy-sama the leaving ceremony is to start soon, but there's no point in me talking to him when he's out cold." He frowned seriously, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. "He better not have been poisoned."

The air became chilly when from the prince's left, Ganondorf laughed derisively. "How do you suggest hands eat? I don't see a mouth on any part of their body."

"Then what could have happened to him?" Marth questioned, cocking his head slightly. Lucas, who hid in Ganondorf's shadow, gave a shrug.

"He could just be sleeping. He was spinning around the table earlier and he did explain a lot to us," Lucas reasoned. He looked back to Crazy, who hadn't even twitched. "He may just be tired."

"That's true," Lucario said quietly, moving a steady paw to one of Crazy Hand's fingers. "He could just be playing dead." He gave a relieved smile as the hand twitched upon his paw's touch.

"He's not a very good player then, is he?" Ganondorf mused, crossing his arms reproachfully as Crazy's laughter broke out. "Making us worry like that…Come on, Crazy, get up. The game's up." He made to help Lucario rouse him, but they weren't surprised to hear Crazy's protests.

"It's still midnight. You can pick the flowers yourself," the hand grumbled tiredly. The few moments of trying to get him to stand up didn't prove to be helpful, since he soon fell asleep properly.

"What information did you find out?" Marth asked curiously to Ganondorf, who had given up trying to lift Crazy onto his fingers and was now sitting down on the carpet.

"What were you saying about the leaving ceremony? Is it that close already?" Ganondorf put both of his hands behind his head, watching Marth shift uncomfortably.

"Unless we figure something out soon, we're not going to be here much longer," he murmured grimly. "No one else is even trying and time is running short. We wasted our time trying to get this plan of Samus' to work."

Lucario groaned. "The plan wouldn't have taken so long if Master Hand felt like cooperating." He pounded the ground with a fist irritably. "And now, everything's just…going to go."

Lucas walked over to the Pokemon and patted his shoulder consolingly. He felt it relax slightly, but the aura of worry was still evident. "There's still time. As long as we can get that person to take back his words, then I'm sure they'd be able to persuade Master Hand to stop acting so rashly."

Marth grinned. "So we find the suspect, persuade them, then it's up to them?" He brushed his fringe out of his eyes unhurriedly, regardless of the situation. "So? What clues do we have?"

Ganondorf tilted his head slightly. "We were talking to Crazy. We didn't get a lot of information that wasn't gibberish. All that we know is that it's a bloke."

Lucario rolled his eyes. "We found out a lot more than that. It's a Smasher, and he spoke to the Hands about villains being too good or something like that." Lucario didn't notice Marth's gaping mouth as he proceeded. "Then there's this unreasonable twist saying good and evil should be separated."

Lucas glanced up at the hand painting on the far end of the wall. He could understand where the pair of them were coming from, but why did it have to turn out like this? Why couldn't everyone just get along where they were without striving for power or revenge? Why did everything have to turn round to keep the sides apart?

"Was it about that?" Marth gradually backed away. "Was it about that?" he asked again, shaking his head in shock.

"Marth…?" Ganondorf narrowed his eyes, watching him beadily as the prince continued to walk backwards.

"No," Marth whispered, lifting a hand to his temple. "If I had known it would come to this, I would never have made that appointment." His wide eyes met everyone's in turn, but they all stared back at him blankly.

"What are you--" Lucario started, but he stopped abruptly. "Don't tell me you were the one."

Marth didn't have to reply; nor did he have the time to. Ganondorf had gotten up in a flash, grabbed hold of his cloak and pinned him against the wall, face inches from his. The prince could feel anger bubble in the Gerudo before him and rise into his glistening eyes. The hand on the cloak's clasp was shaking slightly, the elbow digging into his side mercilessly.

"So it was you who thought I was stalking Jigglypuff?" Ganondorf snarled. His face was contorted with rage, but it looked as though he wasn't waiting for an answer. "I don't like her, so stop spreading such absurd rumours!"

Marth couldn't help but crack a smile. "It wasn't just me who noticed. It doesn't take a genius to work it out."

Ganondorf still kept a firm gaze on him as he loosened his grip reluctantly.

"Do you think that by taking my words back, things will go back to normal?" the prince directed to Lucario and Lucas, both suddenly defensive.

Lucario shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to give it a try. With it being so close to the ceremony, there's no choice but to leap straight into it." He stood up.

"I guess we should give it our all," Ganondorf commented, his eyes still on Marth. "Especially you. You made this whole mess."

The Altean looked down hesitantly. "I didn't mean it. I was just concerned with how villains were…I didn't think it would come to this." He gave a slight gasp as Lucas tugged on his cloak.

"We know." The boy beamed up at the prince, eyes shimmering and his hand closed round the bundle of cloth. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine."

Ganondorf strode past the two, making his way to the door. He opened it, turning back to everyone in the room. "We better get a move on then," he said sourly before turning on his heel and disappearing from view.

"You should both go." Lucario jerked to Crazy Hand still on the floor, smiling very slightly. "I'll wake him up."

Marth nodded once, before breaking into a run out of the office, Lucas still clinging to his cape. The boy soon lost his breath and couldn't hold on, subsequently letting go. He watched the prince continue running to the hall and push past Ganondorf, before retracing his steps down the corridor to where Lucario and Crazy were.

"Master-sama!" Marth shouted as he entered the hall. Or, what was left of it. It had been chaos at the time, trying to find everyone and shifting bits of ceiling to get a clearer view through the immense dust. Glass from the chandeliers were scattered hazardously across the debris, inviting someone to cut themselves on it.

But now, the majority of the mess had been swept to one side. To the far left, Marth spotted the hand with the other Smashers look up slightly. Now that Master had sorted through the mess, it looked like no one was hurt. There was still a vast amount of rubble scattered across the floor, so it took Marth some time to clamber over the bits of ceiling and glass to where Master stood.

"I see Crazy's not with you," the hand pointed out once Marth had reached him, panting. His fingers floated centimetres from the remains of the ceiling, occasionally brushing it lightly.

Marth noticed the flat tone, as if he was speaking only because he had to. "Is it true?" he burst out, successfully getting the attention of the Smashers around him.

Sonic shushed the plumbers he was previously bragging to and brought a hand to his ear. Samus, sat on a broken beam in between Falcon and Snake, raised her head slightly at Marth's voice. Even Dedede, one of the noisiest voices in the Mansion, had heard the prince and covered the mouth nearest to him hurriedly, as if his mouth was there. The victim happened to be Pit.

"Is it true?" he repeated, aware everyone was listening. He knew he had to continue, even if this was the case. "The reason why the Mansion's closing?"

He tried to ignore the hushed whispers around him ('There they go again' and 'When can we go home?', mainly) as he gazed into the central knuckle of Master Hand guiltily. He had no idea where his eyes were, but he had assumed a long time ago that that was the best place to look. It was the place that was nearest to his eye level.

The hand merely swayed, as if it was in water. Marth was afraid he wouldn't answer, but then he said, "Yes Marth, it's true." The hand turned away from the Altean to face the main Smashers grouped together. "We thought it was better for everyone."

Snake got up shakily, resting a hand on Samus' shoulder for support. Impressively, she didn't snap at his amiable gesture but instead narrowed her eyes at Master Hand. "Just what is this about, Master?" the mercenary directed to his back.

"I told you not to delve into the problem," he muttered sadly, fingers skimming the floor rubble again.

"But the Mansion's problem is our problem as much as yours!" a voice boomed from the other end of the room. Ganondorf stuck his elbows out as he trudged up the mess confidently, not using his hands at all for the extra effort, something Marth had to do when he clambered over the ruins. Marth noticed a small movement at the door once Ganondorf was on the same platform as them.

Master Hand looked away. "As the leaders, we decided the fate of the Mansion and its residents right from the beginning. Closing it down is the best thing to do." He winced as he heard the Gerudo roar.

"No! Closing it down shouldn't be something only you get to decide! It's our right too!" Ganondorf glowered at every Smasher, whose eyes were transfixed by the drama. "Don't you all think this Mansion's ours? Don't you think choosing our fate should be our right?"

Blank expressions stared back at Ganondorf's fierce expression. The silence stretched as each Smasher pondered his words; was returning home without a complaint the right thing to do?

"I think it's our right," one voice spoke up. Snake grinned sheepishly as each face turned to him, waiting for him to explain himself. "I mean, I love it here."

Right here, Snake wanted to add. Next to Samus, with his hand still on her shoulder.

"I want to know the reason at least," Captain Falcon demanded. "There has to be a valid reason, right? And I'm sure most of you feel the same way as I do when I say this, but I had no idea what Marth was talking about earlier on."

Marth looked away. Perhaps it was better like that, not knowing what the source of the problem was.

There were very slight nods in the crowd, but they soon stopped as the large form of Crazy Hand soured over them frantically. The Smashers below watched the hand make several wild circles and sharp swerves before losing altitude.

"Here we are: Highwayman's Cave!" Crazy firmly placed his fingertips on the rubble and lowered his wrist to let his two passengers off. Lucas slid off the side, before looking back at Lucario still sat on Crazy.

"…Never again," he murmured, a paw rubbing the side of his head to ease the growing headache. Crazy laughed, Lucario sliding off as the hand raised his fingers like a horse.

"You don't have to worry now – you won't be seeing me ever again," he replied through his laughter, sounding a bit too casual. Lucario's mouth dropped open in shock. Crazy's words hit him like a hammer.

"I-I…n-no, we have to see each other…" Lucario stammered, but the hand couldn't hear him as he continued to laugh hysterically. The banging of his side against the floor rung in Lucario's ears ominously, even though the lack of a roof made the thumping echo less than it seemed.

Master Hand was relieved about his brother's intrusion, and lay down with his fingers spread out and palm facing upwards. "We need to send you home. Who's first?"

It was not only Lucas who shook his head when Red stepped forward from the crowd. Lucario's ears flopped in sadness and Samus' look hardened. Beside her, Snake gritted his teeth and even Ganondorf had to look away.

Was this really happening?

"I'll go," the Pokemon trainer said bravely, but his voice wavered with clear hesitance. He approached the hand cautiously, all eyes on him. As he got nearer, he began to wonder: What was he supposed to do?

As if the hand had read his mind, he folded his index finger into his palm, telling the teenager wordlessly to step on there. Red understood and by using the hand's thumb as a place to grab onto, he lifted himself into Master Hand's palm.

The Smashers watched the whole ordeal, waiting with baited breath for what would happen next. Then they saw it: the hand's fingers closed round Red's body, squeezing him out like a rag. Several mouths opened in horror, others gazed on with either worry or excitement.

Soon after it began, Master Hand relaxed and spread out his fingers easily, leaving an empty spot where Red was seconds ago. As casually as he would say it was his birthday next week, Master said, "Next."

Dedede stood up this time. "Is it that simple? Then it's nothing to be afraid of." The king laughed nervously, the hand holding his mallet shaking.

"Over here then, my pet vulture." Crazy got himself into the same position as his brother, trying to keep as still as possible when the penguin clambered onto him. His fingers twitched slightly.

Then, he too disappeared in a similar fashion to Red.

By now, people knew what they had to do. The Smashers who weren't already standing got up, either giving last hugs to their friends or talking about where they were supposed to go.

"There's no 'pattern', I'm telling you!" Bowser roared at the blue puffball by his feet. It was all of a sudden noticeable how different their height was.

"Yes, there is. Good people go to Master, the bad go to Crazy." Meta Knight glanced round at the queues now for the two hands, where the line for the older brother was much longer. "The question is, where do we lie?"

Lucas shook his head upon hearing the two squabble. He watched the lines of Smashers waiting to go back to their home world for a little bit longer, before turning to Lucario for some comfort. However the Pokemon's eyes were misty with mixed emotions.

"Going back. It's something we can't stop now," he muttered, his ears still hanging loosely by the side of his face. His sombre gaze shifted slightly towards the boy.

"B-but why? Why does it have to turn out like this?" He could feel the stinging of tears in his eyes, brimming at the eyelids and threatening to fall. He clenched his fists in rage. This was what the hands were doing them, crushing everything they had, everything they ever would have. The future of the Mansion was going to crumble with them, like a crisp lead in a clenched fist.

Lucas glanced up when he heard Lucario's feet scuff the floor. The Pokemon's eyes were still filled with sadness, but there was a sense of determination as he made his way towards Master Hand's queue. He was stopped midway by Lucas, who had wrapped his arms around just one of his, hanging there desperately.

"Please, Lucario," he begged. The tears which he had been trying to hold back rolled down his cheeks, some of the salty water catching onto the Pokemon's fur. "We can't leave now. We just can't."

Lucario looked away hastily, as if looking at the boy any longer would set him off too. Without a word, he prised his arm free and continued his way to the other Smashers without a backwards glance.

The blonde wiped his tears with the back of his hand, but it didn't make much of a difference. He stared at his hands, as if they would be able to change everything for him.

Lucario didn't care about the Mansion anymore. Samus seemed to find enough comfort knowing she could visit Falcon at any time she wanted. Marth had already given up hope of trying to set right his mistake, knowing Master Hand would never listen. Snake decided that staying with Samus in their last few moments was enough for him. And Ganondorf had suddenly lost his passionate self.

Everything had slipped away. Each member of their group had decided returning home was the best thing to do in the end.

Lucas flinched as he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. "I love this Mansion," Ganondorf mused above him. Lucas kept his downcast eyes on his hands, still pondering. "Remember down in that corner? That was where you cried when you lost your first Smash match."

Lucas forced a smile as followed the Gerudo's gaze. "Yeah. Ike was the only one who comforted me, saying there's always next time." He looked past the hands, past the destruction into his own memories, back when the ceiling was still intact and the room bustled with never-ending activity. "Remember when Olimar tried to sneak into the kitchens to get seconds for his Pikmin?"

"Yeah, he was kicked out. No one knows who does all the cooking here."

Many had assumed the cooking was done by either the Alloys or the hands themselves. Others that were keener to solve this mystery had tried to sneak a peek in their own various ways. None were successful.

"Do you remember one lunchtime, when Fox had no idea what he was doing and managed to drown R.O.B. in coke?" Ganondorf asked next, snapping Lucas out of his thoughts of the mysteries of Smash Mansion that will never be revealed.

"I remember," he said distractedly, watching Ness disappear from sight in Master Hand's grasp.

Ganondorf's eyebrows furrowed, lifting his hand off Lucas' shoulder. He thought he was going to leave him, but was stunned when Ganondorf pulled him into a hug. He didn't mind the coldness of the chest plate, nor the hardness of the metal. Tears streaming down more rapidly than before, he gripped onto Ganondorf's sides as if it was the only thing he could do. Hold onto everything he could reach.

The warlock brought a hand onto the boy's head. He had never felt this strong connection with anyone back in Gerudo Valley. The tribe there were all women, and that was a curse and a blessing for Ganondorf. But Lucas had somehow become his responsibility, someone who needed a parental figure. He could have been that parent. He closed his eyes, patting the boy's head and holding his back reassuringly.

After a long time, Lucas whispered, "Will you miss her?"

"Yeah," was his reply. He didn't even need to see Jigglypuff in Master Hand's palm to know she was going. He could see it all in his head: her wide eyes, her perfect curl. "I never said I loved her."

Ganondorf could feel the boy try to hug him tighter, round the waist rather than simply at his sides. "I'm sure she knew," he said convincingly. "You'll meet her again."

Deciding enough was enough, Lucas gave up on trying to embrace Ganondorf fully and backed away. Ganondorf's arms hung at his sides again. The two exchanged grim smiles, their eyes as miserable as the other's. Somehow, there was a connection between them that wasn't there a few days ago. If they had gotten to know each other earlier, they could have known more about their past, their fears, their aspirations…

"Come along, buttercups!" Crazy Hand's voice rang out. "Everyone else has gone home from the party!" The two turned round to see Crazy's words were true; the hall was near empty, silent and with little activity. The only ones in the previously crowded hall were the four of them.

"So, the time's come?" Ganondorf thought aloud, directed at no one in particular. His head was raised in thought, his chin set on Crazy Hand. Lucas stared up at him in disbelief.

"You're not going to do anything about it? What'll become of the Mansion if we don't stay with it?" The boy tugged the Gerudo's cape slightly to check he was still there.

His broad figure moved slowly away from Lucas, taking a metallic step towards the waiting hands. "I'm sure the Mansion will still be here if we ever want to visit again." He tilted his head back to Lucas, offering a weak smile. "It'll be safe."

Lucas clenched his fists again, furious. "How come you don't care anymore? Didn't you want to stay here, with everyone else?" He took a step backwards, eyes wide. "We mustn't leave. You mustn't leave!"

Ganondorf's smile faded instantly as he heard Lucas' words. He was stubborn – just like how he was at that age. "Come on, we'll meet each other again. Everyone will, and this Mansion won't be in a ruin like how you think it'll be."

"…Promise?"

"Promise," the Gerudo swore, offering his right hand. Lucas looked at it for a few moments, before deciding to take it. Ganondorf grinned, bringing that same hand round onto the boy's small shoulder and leading him to Master and Crazy.

When he was near enough, he decided to let Lucas go. The boy looked up at the warlock, his eyes still watery. Beneath that intimidating exterior, there was someone else under there, someone he could have called his replacement father.

But his real dad was at home, waiting for him.

"I'll…see you soon." Lucas' eyes brimmed once again. Whether they were of loneliness or something else, he couldn't tell. Ganondorf gave a firm nod, and together, they clambered up the two hands.

They saw each other one last time, returning the other's smile. And like the other Smashers, they faded into darkness and disappeared from the Mansion. They felt no pain, only the numbing of their fingers and mind. Familiarity came rushing back to them, washing away strange, bizarre thoughts of a Mansion that had once stood. A powerful wind whistled in welcome as their feet hit their respective homelands.

The agony of separation and loss...it disappeared.

And in the same way, all hope of meeting again disappeared, when every memory of the Mansion and its residents were erased.

-- End --

A/N: Waaaaah! I actually felt depressed whilst writing this and after it, but it seemed like such an awesome idea at the time. Guess this is my punishment for doing such a horrible finale.

But still, what do you think? I would love to hear in a review!

And, just as a reminder, I'll be moving to the Star Fox section momentarily. And Sonic –shudders- I'll be back soon, I promise!