A/N: Welcome new people and people who have been following this since the start! Thank you all SO MUCH for sticking around until now! And no, you're not dreaming. First off, sorry that it's been over two years since the last update…I've had a few full-time jobs, I had apparently lost my first draft (which I dug up about two weeks ago) and had to…watch the episode to remember what happened XD

This is a super great update for a number of reasons. One, I found out a few days ago that Ivyna J Spyder has posted on the KRR (in November 2014, but small details). If you don't know who she is, shame on you and why are you reading this fic. (she's only the pioneer of the Hoshi no Kaabii subs) If you're a regular of KRR, please stick your head around there as I'm sure she would appreciate any moral support and anyone who is still interested in the rest of the subs!

Secondly, this update technically isn't Free Hours for Three. It's Free Hours for Four. Who's the fourth member you ask? I'll give you a clue: make sure you watch episode 60 first :) That's right – this is going to be the only four-parter update! And it took a long time to work with, especially since a lot of the episode is pretty self-explanatory anyway.

Anyway, enough prattling from me. Sink your teeth into this loyal fans and hope you enjoy!

/\/\/\/\ Episode 26: Loyalty! Sword and Blade /\/\/\/\

When a soldier's down, a soldier's down. There was little sense in helping them out and burying them – the fight had to go on, or else the casualties would just keep increasing. And it was only when night fell that the wounded were tended for and the dead were taken care of.

That was the logic of Meta Knight. He had seen many wounded, many on the brink of death and, if their injuries were fortunate enough, they may well have survived the wait. But that wasn't how things worked. Soldiers died all the time, soldiers were forgotten right until the moment their bodies were dug up or there was no reply on the register. Those who put their lives on the line were put to one side for the sake of the ultimate goal.

And, as Sword carried him on his back, he could tell from the touch that he wasn't going to be left out until nightfall.

Unlike those vast numbers that weren't saved on time, as his limp form bounced uncomfortably on the green armour, he wondered if paralysis was a more bitter end than death. His eyes weren't open wide, but with the little vision it provided, he could see, hear, but not affect. The world was still active, although to him it felt slowed down and distant. Much like upon waking up, the dream from the night before slips away progressively. He wanted to hold onto Sword tighter, just to know that he was still physically in this world. He wanted to see Blade, just to know he was still nearby. But even thinking was a struggle, his mind was jumbled and struggled to think beyond his own eyes.

He was taken to Parm and Memu's living room. Sword stood over him as he tried to pull the fang out.

It's no use, he wanted to tell him. No matter how hard he thought, his words didn't reach Sword.

He couldn't see Fumu, but he could hear her concern. He wanted to comfort her, tell her not to worry for his sake. The war had brought horrors worse than this – by far, he should have anticipated this at the very least and should have said something in advance. But one thing led to another, it was hard to think exactly when he should have told her. Had Chilidog been on his tail the whole time? That couldn't be right, but he couldn't remember.

Had he taught Kirby enough to pass the baton? Could Kirby continue on without him? He couldn't think beyond today – retrieving memories didn't feel as natural as it should be. It was like feeling for air in the dark, knowing what to look for but failing to even work out which direction to look.

There was the rush of footsteps. The sound of armour and swords clunking against the metal.

Sword? Blade?

But they were gone. He disliked the feeling of dejection that it left behind, the slow, creeping desperation that lingered at the back of his mind. He was a liability. So weak he couldn't even tell his subordinates to stay beside him. For the first time in a long while, he was afraid. Not of his state, but if his subordinates were to fall facing Chilidog…no, if they didn't return like so many of his past comrades, the thought of waiting endlessly gnawed at his insides. Uncertain of where they were, what they were doing, why they went to such lengths.

He wouldn't, couldn't, sit still like this. But at the end of the day, his body simply refused to move.

Chilidog, with fangs as large as its claws and eyes as fiery as its mane, was hardly a demon beast of discretion. Even the slightest movement could be heard from the other side of the corridor – the roars bounced off the walls, its claws scratching the stone in a way that made spines shiver.

Sword knew that the demon beast was just round the corner without having to look. He gripped his weapon tighter as he tried to determine the distance. Was it just round the corner? Further down the corridor?

He felt less confident without Blade around. He felt even more disheartened when he brought his mind to Meta Knight. Lying there on the sofa, gaze distant but not entirely disconnected from the world, hovering between life and death by a thread. Neither he nor Blade had said anything to the others, but they both knew that their lord would die if things were left as they were. Puffballs had a long life span, but it didn't change the fact his remaining energy would eventually run dry.

Sword bit down on his lower lip, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. His lord needed them, yet the last words he could manage was an order to protect Kirby. Right until the end, he made sure to tie up all the loose ends.

"You idiot," Sword murmured to his chest. It was selfish, but neither of them could abandon their lord like that. They swore to serve him that day – to meet their death after he did was inexcusable. Had he forgotten about their oath? Did their promise mean so little to him?

Chilidog gave a mighty roar, and that instantly gave away his location.

Sword turned around the corner and just as he thought, Chilidog was quite a ways down the corridor but as clear as day. The jewel set on its forehead glistened, and the same glazed look was in Sword's eyes. This was the creature that was responsible for injuring his master. This was the creature who had been following Meta Knight the entire time, and had proclaimed itself the victor.

He couldn't stand for it.

Blood rushed to his head as his legs moved of their own accord. His mouth gasped for as much energy as he could, consequently forgetting that the waterworks were far from being sorted. His emotions went wild as he was overcome by rage and pain, the burning desire to punish the very beast in front of him. Tears blurred his vision, but it was his frustration that made him focus.

He aimed for the jewel set in the beast's forehead, but Chilidog was too fast.

The demon beast wacked Sword out of the way mid-air with a swift blow before Sword could even get close. The knave could feel the grip on his weapon weaken from the impact, but he made sure to keep a firm grip on it as he landed on the tiles with a crash. He couldn't afford to be bested, not when his lord depended on him.

Sword struggled onto two feet, but he looked up too late only to see Chilidog prepare a fireball. He watched the fireball expel from the beast's mouth and, in a brief moment of awe, over his head.

"Aah!" He felt the breaking sections of the wall before they actually hit him. He was in no position to run, but he tried to brace himself all the same. He raised his sword high so that none of the rocks would land on his head and give him a concussion.

He heard Chilidog roar its raspy cry, and with skilled dexterity, it soared over his head and clambered into the hole that it had created. It didn't look back as it slinked into the castle vents, and then it was gone.

As far as Blade Knight was concerned, the events around Chilidog were one that he wouldn't forget. He had been incredibly worried about Meta Knight and never wanted to be put through such an ordeal ever again, but he was relieved all the same that Chilidog will never be in a position to haunt any of them.

He had thought it odd that Sword had kept quiet during their trek back to the castle. Kirby trailed behind slightly, singing as he swung Galaxia like a musician's baton. Save for that, despite there being three of them, there was no conversation whatsoever.

It was only when they had reunited with Meta Knight that Sword finally said what was on his mind.

"Sword, Blade. It's good to see you're both safe," Meta Knight greeted as they entered the Cabinet Minister's office.

The fang that had paralysed him had now vanished, and the puffball was sat on the sofa with a plate of biscuits set before him. Undoubtedly Memu had thought he needed his strength up, but Meta Knight was never the sort to eat in front of others anyway. Kirby gave a chirpy greeting in response before heading off to the balcony. There was the sudden burst of exclamation from the balcony, which Blade could only assume the whole family had been out there.

"It's a relief that you're on the move again," Blade returned as he helped himself to the seat next to Meta Knight. "I was worried that we might have to do some other dangerous task other than kill Chilidog to get that fang out, but thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case." Blade smiled deviously as he nudged his boss with an elbow. Normally Meta Knight would not have appreciated such a childish gesture, but with everything considered, Blade didn't think he'd mind. "Speaking of thanks, do you have something to say to us?"

Meta Knight laughed lightly, and in the past few hours of absolute helplessness, it felt good. "Naturally. You did well, both of you. I'm very proud of you and I'll be in your debt for a long time to come." He looked at each knight in turn fondly. "Sword?"

The green-clad knight had his arms folded across his chest, and seemed like he was making no move to settle down on the sofa with the others. "Don't you dare do that again, sir."

Blade blinked. "You're being unreasonable, Sword. It's not like any of us knew that he was going to get paralysed." He almost directed the statement at Meta Knight, but decided against it in case it spurred Sword's growing temper even more.

Unfortunately, Blade's comment simply went amiss.

"Don't go deciding the future is more important than yourself. We know our mission is to guide Kirby to greatness, but he needs you there with him. Do you think he's strong enough to fight Nightmare? Do you think that any of us are?" Sword's voice progressively got louder, and he unfolded his arms only to point an accusing finger at the puffball. "I'm sorry, but your last order was completely unreasonable!"

Meta Knight sighed. He didn't have the energy for this. "I said what I thought was right. I didn't want to put you in danger too."

Sword huffed and made the point that it could be heard through the helmet. "Sir, we lost the war. There's only us left in the fight, and every soldier counts for tomorrow. Everyone was worried about you, and we weren't going to leave you behind!"

"Poyo?"

Much like a child forced to do something he didn't want to do, Kirby swayed from side to side beside Blade, clutching onto Galaxia close to his chest. Out on the balcony, Fumu and Bun peered round the curtains and there was a strange silence as everyone looked at Kirby save for Kirby himself.

Meta Knight held out a hand. "You did well. I trust he was useful?"

"Poyo!" Kirby said cheerfully as he handed over the sword.

"I'm sorry if my subordinates have worried you just now. We were having a bit of a disagreement, but it's nothing that should concern you." He sheathed Galaxia out of harm's way, gesturing to the biscuits with his free hand as he did so. Much to anyone's surprise, Kirby walked up to the plate and picked up one. "Blade, sorry to task you with something when you've just returned, but do you mind if I could ask you to help the Waddle Dees with repairs? I'm particularly concerned about the fountain in the courtyard."

Blade didn't need to be told twice. Not only was the fountain the courtyard difficult to replicate, but it also served as an entrance to the Halberd below. There was a lot of complicated wiring which he and Sword had put in place to ensure that they could sneak in and out heavy equipment at night to build the battleship. If the fountain disguising the entrance had been destroyed by Chilidog, they needed to make sure that their biggest secret wouldn't be discovered now.

"Of course. Let's go, Sword." The shorter knight pushed himself off the sofa, taking a biscuit for the journey.

"Thank you. We will continue this conversation later," Meta Knight directed at Sword.

"Will do, sir," Sword said mulishly over his shoulder as he made towards the door.

It wasn't until Meta Knight was alone in his quarters that he could finally relax. The Cabinet Minister and his wife had pandered to him once he had regained movement, and he didn't want to take off before welcoming his comrades home.

There was one last thing he needed to do before he could set the entire matter of Chilidog aside.

Galaxia had been equally as concerned about his master's wellbeing as the other two knights that followed him. He felt he had failed to protect his master when it mattered the most. When Kirby returned the sword to his rightful owner, Galaxia knew that there was no better place to be except by Meta Knight's side.

"So you let Kirby hold you," Meta Knight said fondly as he liberally took off his mask. He withdrew the sword from its scabbard, and with a blast of electricity, Galaxia laughed.

"He's everything that you said, Meta Knight. He's young and immature, but with that there are many opportunities for development. It was interesting – as you know, my standards aren't exactly easy to reach. Kirby is much like you, but half-baked."

The puffball set the mask on the table. He moved the cushion that acted as a seat towards the wall so that he could lean against it, all the while listening to Galaxia and his words of wisdom.

"I only let those with incredible power wield me. I admit I was surprised when Kirby took me directly from your possession, but his resolve is unrivalled. Kirby does not yet possess the strength and burden as you do, however I can see the same potential as you do, Meta Knight. I can't say that he used me to my full potential, but it was adequate for today. Given time, I'm certain that your efforts will not be wasted."

Meta Knight gave a small smile as he gingerly sat down. He closed his eyes at long last, holding Galaxia in one hand and fingering the tip with the other. Although he had essentially spent all day doing nothing, he was more tired than he had ever been. Tired of being a liability, tired of worrying. "I'm sorry I let you down, partner."

"You've never let me down."

/\/\/\/\ End /\/\/\/\

A/N: Once again, really sorry for the late update, but hope that I made a reasonable effort in making up for it! I will try to get the others done, but again there is no guarantee. At the very least, I wanted this one done and dusted because I knew so many people were waiting.

The only reason I picked up why Galaxia and Kirby weren't compatible at this point was because Kirby's Sword Beam was standard, not green like MK's in episode 3 or in episode 60 when Kirby wields Galaxia properly. Useful bit of (hypothesised) trivia and is a good marker of Kirby's maturity as the series continues.

I couldn't quite get an explanation about why Chilidog's fang didn't break Meta's mask. I also couldn't get an explanation of how Galaxia went missing just before MK became paralysed, then appear back in its sheath when in the Cabinet Minister's room. I don't think I can justify poor planning on the anime's part (or they hadn't decided what powers Galaxia held at that point). We might have to tie it down to Sword picked it up with MK's cloak or something.

Still hopefully you enjoyed reading. Next one will be…Episode 28: The Dedede Factory of Terror! *goes to watch to get some ideas*