Fallen Stars: Lost and Found

Lost and Found

The rain. It was the heaviest thing; like an ocean dropping its weighty depths upon the world, as if a heartbroken god was attempting to drown all life in its tears. The thunder roared distantly like the call of a dragon, and following it was… silence. Only the rain.

Meta Knight walked speedily through town, his core shivering in anticipation as he witnessed the destruction that laid around him. A stray demon had made its way to Dreamland, and in its confusion and anger, attacked those who offered it help. Kirby had stood up to face it, as he had been told…

Meta Knight had been away when it appeared. An errand to run, at the wrong place and the wrong time. From what he had been described of the creature upon his return, it was a Razor Bird; a large cloud-like monster that looked to be a mix of a ghostly reaper and the fiercest of ravens. The Star Warrior had faced them before, and knew of their cunning and their tactics; Kirby did not.

When he made it to the edge of town, he found Fumu and a group of worried villagers, all shielding from the rain under a great tree. The young teen, holding an umbrella with both hands so the wind wouldn't take it away from her, turned to the knight upon hearing the clanking of his boots on the road, and waited for the distant roar of the skies to quiet down before speaking. Her voice was small, all the worry of the world crashing down on her.

“He hasn't come back,” she said, her breath short as she spoke those dreaded words. “He hasn't come back, Sir…”

“Relax, Fumu. Where did they go?”

He was surprised by his own voice; quick, not worried but angry, at himself. He should have been here. He should have been here.

“Into the woods,” Fumu pointed in the direction of the southern forest, whose tall mature trees made like a wall in the distance. “He had his Warp Star with him… He should be back…”

Meta Knight did not wait, nor did he lose time. Picking up into a sprint, he ran past Fumu and leaped; over the hill, and into the darkened forest. He jumped into the trees so the forest soil wouldn't slow him down and leaped from branch to branch, needing but a fraction of a second upon a bark to jump to the next. His eyes calculated exactly where he should jump and in which direction he was heading, caring not for the cold or the rain pushing against his masked face as he ran after his pupil. The trails of Kirby's battle could be seen across the woods; cut down trees and clear black and twisted marks upon the trunks and frozen leaves, the mark of a Razor Bird's ghastly presence.

For a long time, Meta Knight followed the path of destruction across the woods, growing more and more agitated as minutes became hours. Just how far had they gone? What exactly had Kirby done? Was he- No, don’t think like that. Just follow the tracks.

To get a better view, the knight stopped upon a high, twisted and ashen branch to briefly catch his breath, and then leaped upward, higher and higher into the tree until his small form pierced the canopy. Here, the rain was a raging storm of twisting winds and deafening thunder, invisible hands and whips pushing and slashing his short body back and forth as if trying desperately to dissuade him to perch there. But Meta Knight held on tightly, and focused his gaze on the distance. The ashen and blackened trees; they were making a path, going in a straight line… and suddenly turning right. There, in the distance, through the darkness of the blackened sky, the knight saw it. A plume of inky black smoke, evaporating in the air above a clearing in the woods. That was the dead giveaway of the Razor Bird’s location. That meant Kirby was there as well.

Gritting his teeth, Meta Knight leaped from the canopy and cut through the woods at inhumane speed, feeling his core tug and tear inside his being. Why was he so worked up? It wasn’t the first time Kirby was battling a class-A demon, and it wouldn’t be the last. What was this heart-wrenching feeling, pulling at his guts and telling him to hurry? The dust inside him was spiralling wildly, “Hurry up!” it screamed;

“Hurry or you’ll lose him this time!”

The knight sped up through the woods, he could not bear this feeling, it was too familiar, he was back years ago, running after what was long gone- No! Focus!

He stopped at the edge of the clearing, desperately trying to keep his breath quiet as he caught himself. Quickly, he ascertained the situation; the whole clearing was under the ghastly effects of the ghost demon-beast, the grass frozen and ashen, and the rain as cold as icicles biting the skin. The creature was unmissable, as it floated around the clearing, ever so menacing. It was, at first glance, a black cloud of smoke; but it moved unnaturally, and the more one stared, the more one could see there was an actual living being in hiding. The Razor Bird was a vague avian creature, with long limbs that extended as far as its smoke reached, and a feathered body bound by an inky cloud matter. What could be considered its head consisted purely of a large black beak, with no eyes to see but ears to hear and arms to feel. The demon-beast was prowling around the clearing, clearly searching for something - or someone - and as it did, Meta Knight looked around… 

There was no sign of Kirby… But the dust spiraling in his guts told him he was nearby. The boy was hiding, was he hurt? Nevertheless, he wouldn’t show himself if the demon was still here. This time, he had to take care of this. If only he had been around when it showed up, they wouldn’t be in this mess…

Meta Knight quickly took Galaxia from her scabbard, and as her blade formed in a sea of dust and sparks, he leaped forward, a blind blur of certain rage. He did not know where that rage came from, but it was so real, he felt it resonate within him and inside his universe, right down to his core. He made no sound for the demon to hear; taking a flying leap through the air, he landed on the demon's back, planting Galaxia straight through unseen flesh. The sudden cry of pain that echoed around the woods confirmed he had hit, but already the beast, in its blinded anger, was reaching its long skeleton arms towards him, and so he retrieved his sword and leaped off before the cloud ate him.

The Razor Bird spiraled around in a panic, screeching as it searched for whatever had just hit it, but as it did, the elder Star Warrior wasted no time. In two wide and extremely silent leaps, he flew under the creature and bounced upward, striking Galaxia straight through the monster’s hidden torso. Another cry of pain resounded from the beast, but this time its hands caught him; grasping at his cape, they grabbed something most sensitive and he groaned in surprised pain when the avian creature brought him upward into the sky with it. Its black inky cloud body was spreading in anger, its beak screeching down at the warrior in nothing but rage… but Meta Knight did not panic.

Taking a deep breath, he ignored the beast's eyeless monstrous face and turned his gaze to Galaxia, who was still lodged in the creature's chest. He held his hand forward, and focussing all of his powers in his hand, the dust that was stuck to the sacred sword's handle made it move; suddenly, with no warning, it tore itself out of the gaping fleshy hole that was the creature's chest, immediately making it screech once more as it raised its sightless gaze to the thundering skies. Galaxia flew straight into Meta Knight's hand, and with it, he easily cut the long twisted hand that held him, and as he was falling down, he focussed his powers one last time into his blade. He slashed the air diagonally, immediately sending a devastating Sword Beam toward the pained demon, and he watched as it cut right across its neck, separating its screeching head from its wriggling body. Meta Knight quickly re-angled himself as he fell and landed into the ashen grass with a roll, successfully softening his would-be harsh landing. As he stood back up, he heard a thunderous crash behind him, making him turn back; the Razor Bird now laid there, its smoke slowly dissipating in the winds as life abandoned its demonic husk. The knight exhaled. Those demons weren't as hard to defeat if you knew how to get them.

Now that the creature was dealt with, he could move on to more pressing matters: Kirby.

Sliding Galaxia back into her scabbard, he heard her voice echo through his being, showing him the way… and he turned to the west. There was a small stone structure over there, near the edge of the clearing, right by a small river; he quickly ran towards it. Running all around the stacked mossy stones, he came upon a sight he wasn't expecting; right in front of a small entrance under the rocks, Kirby's Warp Star was standing tall, blocking the way in like a barricade. It was in a pitiful state despite its proud stature. Covered in scratches, dirt and… blood, it was shivering as it did its best to stay in place, and Meta Knight's worry became fear.

Carefully, he held a hand forward toward the shaking star, saying in a voice as reassuring as he could muster:

“Ssh, it's me… You fulfilled your purpose wonderfully. Let me do the rest.”

As if it understood all of his words, the star hesitated, before shakily floating away from the rocks. It glowed brightly for a few seconds before suddenly shrinking down, and Meta Knight quickly caught it before it fell and held it in his palm. It glowed like a beating heart… irregularly. He raised his eyes back to the stone structure and, hiding the star in his cape, the knight slid his head inside the small grotto…

The sight that awaited him under those rocks was one he had hoped he would never see in his eternal life.

Kirby raised his eyes toward him; exhausted and pained eyes, reddened with tears. Meta Knight stared back, his breath caught in his lungs. The child was laying on his stomach in the dirt, in a pool of his own blood.

The knight quickly dove in, his Core pulling him to the child in pain: he had let this happen.

Kirby whined and moaned as the elder gently lifted him in his arms, taking in a sharp breath as his wound was revealed; his left foot… it was gone. Completely gone, most likely torn off by the long scythe hands of the demon when it caught hold of him. The flesh around the lost limb was torn and twisted, covered in dirt and ash. Acting quickly, Meta Knight held him against his mask and used his large glove to cover the wound; it immediately began to soak up the blood, but he knew that would be far from enough. Kirby needed medical help, and as soon as possible.

Without a word, the knight walked out into the rain-beaten clearing, and the skies rewarded his find with a long and loud roar, complete with a blinding flash of lightning. Holding Kirby tightly, Meta Knight immediately started running back the way he came, jumping up into the trees to go faster.

It felt like time had frozen. Like everything was but a dream, like everything that happened was but a joke and both would wake in their respective beds.

The thunder echoed again, and the winds suddenly became so strong, he had to stop and hold on to the tree so he wouldn’t fall. He held Kirby tightly again, and everything froze again when he heard him whine: the boy was crying. Quietly, exhausted, he could do nothing but that. Meta Knight couldn't bear to look at him, and so he raised his eyes to the raging and whistling canopy above. It didn't feel safe to travel in the trees, not in this worsening weather.

Taking a quick decision, the knight leaped down a few branches and made it back to the ground, somehow relieved to find it not as shaky as the branches. He briefly cast a glance at Kirby, noted that the boy was holding on to his mask’s visor, and continued walking. They were still so far away from the village… If Kirby didn't get treated in time, his foot might never grow back… There was always a chance that the wound was infected by that demon's inky black power upon being torn off, and if that was the case, Kirby could say goodbye to his foot. But Meta Knight would not let that happen. He had been late once today, he wouldn't be a second time.

When lightning flashed through the darkened woods and the cold winds brought forth a roar that seemed to come from above them, Meta Knight stopped. This wasn't good; he was shivering badly, and there was no way he could keep Kirby warm like this. They wouldn't make it to the village in this storm; as much as he hated to admit it, they were stuck out here. Bringing his drenched cape above Kirby to shield him from the icy rain, Meta Knight continued walking for a few minutes with his pace quickened, until his piercing and frustrated gaze caught something of interest; a cave, near a cliff, just in the distance over there. Quickly, he made his way over to it.

The moment he stepped in the small cavern, he was relieved about two things; one, the cave was free of any other animal that could potentially be a threat, and two, they had finally found shelter from that freezing rain. Now that he was out of it, Meta Knight quickly realized how cold he was and that he had been gritting his teeth. He tried to calm himself as he sat down against the rooted wall on a mossy stone, and instead focussed on Kirby in his arms.

“Kirby? Can you hear me?”

The child… was unresponsive. He was still clinging to his mask, but he was shivering as well, and he could hear his breathing, ragged and pained. Carefully, Meta Knight removed his cape entirely and - careful not to show the things that appeared tucked against his back - he wrapped what remained of the dry and warmer part of it around the child, making sure he was mostly covered. Realizing that his metal mask must be ever so cold, he used his free hand to slightly raise it, but only high enough so that Kirby could lay his head against his cheek. The knight slightly flinched at the touch, but a part of him was relieved that Kirby was barely conscious: he wouldn't seek to look higher in his visage. Now that the child was more comfortably set, the knight carefully and slowly removed his gloved hand from his wound; Kirby whined as the hole in his body tasted sudden air, but Meta Knight held him closer with his other hand and focussed on the wound itself.

Luckily, from what he could see now that they were out of the rain, the cut had been clean, and at first glance, he didn't see any trace of the inky smoke of the demon, so he was certain he wasn't infected by it. Those were the good news, at least. Now, the bad news… if they didn't make it back now, Kirby wouldn't be able to grow his leg back. That was a thing Meta Knight was sure no one in town was aware of, yet another hidden Kiridan fact. They were primarily made of stardust and ancient magic, and their bodies were better known as shells. When a limb was lost, it could grow back using that dust that lived in all of them… but the process was long, and if the wound wasn't cleaned in time before it started, it might bring worse consequences. But in this storm, they would freeze before getting there…

What to do… What to do… 

He saw no other solution.

If he wanted to prevent Kirby's foot from growing back wrong, he would need to help it along on the path of recovery. And so, Meta Knight brought his blood drenched glove to his face and pulled it off of his hand using his teeth, letting it drop on the ground next to him. He hovered his freed hand right on top of the wound, and took a moment to focus. He could hear Kirby's breathing, against his cheek… The faded blue of his eyes, barely watching what the knight was doing… The softness of little paws, holding on to his face…

Then, as his Core began to slow down and focus on these things, dust started gathering in the palm of his hand, oozing out of his pores as if his skin was made of it. It gathered in a small, hovering and sparkly cloud of dust, large enough to fit in his palm… and then he slowly approached the wound with it. When the dust made contact with the bloody hole, it immediately spread out and covered it completely, seemingly fusing with Kirby's skin like a new layer. Though he knew that such a small amount would suffice to protect the wound and start the regrowth process, Meta Knight took no risks and willingly gave more of his own dust to the child.

As he was busy tending to the wound, the knight felt Kirby move a bit against him, making him turn his eyes to him. The young one moved his head to look at what he was doing, his eyes only slightly retrieving their sparkle as he awoke from his shocked state, and seeing that light in his eyes made the knight smile ever so slightly. It seemed his dust had an immediate effect on him… as he had expected, really. He could understand why Kirby would look at this this way though: the child had never seen dust in effect until now. Surely Meta Knight would need to explain it… but not now.

“Kirby,” he started in a gentle tone, making the younger one look up at him. “How are you feeling?”

The child's gaze appeared foggy, as if a veil of mist had cast itself around his form, concealing the fragile child underneath a layer of confusion and grogginess.

“Poy…,” he mumbled in a very low voice, pulling at the knight's heart strings with how weak he sounded at that moment. “Not good… mmmh… tired… poy… sowwy…”

“Why do you apologize?” the knight asked in the same gentle tone, trying to keep Kirby awake as he worked his magic around his wound.

“Po…”

It was at this moment, when Kirby held on to the warm skin of his cheek, that Meta Knight realized just how high up against his face he was; despite the fact he still had his mask on, just because he had lifted it out of pity for the shivering child, now he was at risk of showing his face… but… was it really a problem…?

“Poy… o… Gots in twouble… gots too far fwom home… Cold…”

And with that final, shaky word, the poor child buried his face against the elder, desperately seeking warmth. Meta Knight felt his Core drop as he looked at him. Kindly, he rubbed his gloved hand on his back, and as he made himself more comfortable against the wall of roots he was sitting against, he took his other hand away from the wound, his work done. With this fresh and thick layer of dust, there was no way Kirby’s foot would grow out of place - and he was speaking from personal experience. That work done, he pulled his cape closer around the young Kiridan, holding him in his arms as he tried to give him as much of his warmth as possible.

They stayed like this for a long time…

As they both waited for the storm to pass, they sat in silence, together, and the longer he held the child in his arms, the less Meta Knight noticed what he was doing. His instincts kicked in, making him rock the child ever so gently in his arms, and as a little tune made its way into his head, the knight found himself humming. He didn't realize it immediately, but as he did so, Kirby began to relax… and his breathing evened. He was at peace, if only for this moment. Together, knight and child waited in the cave, having nobody else but each other to hold on to.

The rain finally came to a stop twenty minutes later. It went from heavy rain to a light drizzle in a matter of minutes, slowly dissipating into thin air as the first rays of the sun finally pierced their way through the clouds and the trees. Its light sneaking into the cave was what made Meta Knight realize the change in weather, and he looked up, relieved. Ah, now this would be much better!

Holding the almost unconscious child against him, the knight carefully stood up, making sure Kirby was still holding on to his cheek, and he walked outside. After the storm, the winds had died down, and now all that they could hear were the little melodies of water dropping from the trees all around them and the chirping of birds as they came out of hiding. The sunrays were bright and tinted orange from its low position in the sky, and most of all, they were warm. Looking down at Kirby, Meta Knight smiled lightly, secretly hoping the child could feel it.

“We're going home, Kirby. You'll be alright.”

“Po… yo… Me… da…”

Without further ado, Meta Knight went on the trail back home, this time confident in the time they had. Kirby would be alright. He knew it.

After walking through the woods all the way back to the edge of the forest, he stopped before entering and took his cape back from around Kirby. He knew it would be better to leave it around him, but… he wasn't ready to show them, yet. Kirby was too drowsy to react to it however, to which the elder was much grateful for, and with that done, he lowered his mask over Kirby's little head, and walked out.

As was expected, the village had been waiting anxiously for their return, and needless to say, they stood in shock and horror over Kirby's wound, immediately jumping to the natural conclusion that Kirby wouldn't be able to walk normally ever again… but Meta Knight was there to prove them wrong. Kirby fell unconscious on the way to the doctor’s clinic…

He slept soundly the entire evening and through the night, and the next morning, when he came to, the drowsy child was very confused. When he opened his eyes, he expected to still be in the cave in which he had hidden himself during the battle against the demon, but nay, he was in a warm, soft bed, and, somehow, he felt… refreshed. Still groggy and tired, but… better than he did the day prior. Blinking his bright blue eyes, the child looked around. He wasn’t in his house… nor was he at Fumu’s apartment. For a moment, he didn’t recognize this room… but something about the energy here felt very… comforting. Familiar. He felt at home. He looked around, and found his gaze wandering to the bedside table, where he immediately found a clue as to where he was. Sitting there in a humble frame was a picture; of Sir Meta Knight, with a group of people he barely recognized. Other Star Warriors, friends, all looking proud and happy as they celebrated something. Kirby smiled a tired smile seeing that picture. He had never seen it before… and now he knew he was in Sir Meta Knight’s room.

But why was he here…?

He got his response when he tried to sit up.

Something… was missing. He could feel his hands, his body, his right foot… but not his left one. It felt like he still felt its presence, somehow, but he couldn’t move it. Feeling his own Core make leaps in his chest, Kirby forced himself to sit up, even when he felt a sudden sharp pain resonate through where his foot should be, and with a shaky hand, he went to grab the cover that hid this mystery away from him… but stopped when the door opened. He turned his head, and saw a most familiar face that comforted him greatly; Sir Meta Knight walked in, exhaling a relieved sigh when he saw he was awake. The knight walked closer to the bed, saying:

“Good morning, Kirby. Do you feel rested?”

Unsure what to respond, Kirby nodded his head, and without a word, avoided his gaze by looking back at his feet. There was clearly a missing lump under the cover… His hands grabbed the cover, and he felt his eyes sting with tears as realization dawned on him.

He lost… his foot… It was just… gone… 

He would never… walk agai-

He couldn’t finish that thought. Meta Knight put a hand on his, making him look up with wide and sparkling eyes.

“Have no fear, child. Take a look.”

Confused by his words, a shaken Kirby carefully pulled the covers off of his legs, only to gasp at what he saw. His foot… was definitely gone. But in its place, there was… something else. Whatever this swirly glowy thing was… it felt… nice. His wound was clean and covered in bandages, but above that was a layer of that… thing, and he could feel a strange warmth emanating from it. It felt… familiar, as well. Dreadfully familiar. As he stared at the substance, he carefully approached a hand and slightly ran it across its surface; it felt dusty… and warm to the touch. He had… felt this before. A long… distant memory… Or perhaps it was his instincts kicking in. Nevertheless, he found he quite liked the stuff, whatever it was.

“You’ll be alright, Kirby,” Meta Knight said, bringing his attention back to him. “I’m going to have to give you a crash course on Kiridan anatomy to explain this phenomenon, but I can assure you, your foot will grow back. You’ll be running through the meadows again soon, child, be at ease.”

Kirby smiled brightly, stars shining once more in his eyes. His fears had melted away: and it was all thanks to Meta Knight! Without a single hint as to what he was about to do, the child suddenly leaped from his nest in the bed and jumped against the knight, taking him by surprise as he hugged the daylights out of him. Kirby slightly flinched as he lost his balance on the bed, but Meta Knight quickly held him up, unable to suppress a chuckle: he hadn’t expected the child to be this lively so soon! As he looked down at his bubbly face, he was about to recommend him to stay in bed so he could heal, but something in his bright sapphire eyes made him hold his tongue a moment longer. Kirby smiled.

“Thank you, Meda! You saves me from bad bird!”

Meta Knight chuckled once more, and extended a hand to pat the child on the head, unsure of how to show some sort of affection towards him in a reasonable manner.

“Of course I did. These things happen, son. I am just glad I found you in time…”

He hesitated to say that last sentence… but he did nonetheless.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I had been too late, son…”

Part of him regretted saying these words, but the look the child gave him at that moment was worth all the trouble; surprise, uncertainty, happiness… Without a word, Kirby buried his face against his mask again, wrapping his stubby little arms around his form as best as he could, and Meta Knight, not before looking around and making sure nobody was here to catch him in the act, put his hands on the child’s back and head, hugging him back in his own discreet manner.

He exhaled a deep, yet quiet sigh of relief.

The knight had never felt such blissful relief…