A Shooting Star ~Kirby and Sonic crossover~

Chapter 32: His Nightmarish Reminder

Disclaimer:
Do not fear, Yokai is here! Just a warning, lots of gore up ahead! Proceed with caution!

"Meta Knight... Is this- is this all true? Are you really Kirby's father?"

Words she already knew the answer to tumbled out of Tiff's mouth as she stared at Meta Knight, her gaze flickering with disbelief. Meta Knight's mask was hanging limply in his grasp, his yellow eyes conveying emotions Tiff thought the knight was incapable of showing.

After arriving to Tails' house, the exhausted crew had all collapsed onto the beds in the fox's medical bay, taking a second to regain any lost breaths. Amy had fallen asleep, and Tails into his own room, however Tiff and Meta Knight managed to somehow stay awake. The two left Kirby, Amy, and Tails to dream, and were now standing outside the medical bay, speaking in low, hushed whispers.

Tails' house was the primary example of being chaotic, yet organized. As Tiff looked around the hallway, she noticed that lots of the floorboards looked either scorched or stained; the proof of all of the genius fox's failures. Some parts of the floor were even chipped away or entirely missing.

And yet, despite that, the calming grey walls were decorated finely with beautiful pictures of a certain blue hedgehog and fox. They were smiling and laughing in the frames, their eyes shining with a bond that could only be attained by a long friendship. The gleeful smiles they wore told no lies either.

"Sí." The knight was now speaking in his native tongue, and he didn't seem to notice that he wasn't talking in English anymore. "Soy muy estúpido. ¿Qué estaba pensando? ¡Para esconderse de la verdad, como un cobarde!" He shook his head in disappointment and shame, muttering a few inaudible curses along the way.

Tiff blinked. She didn't know much about Spanish, but judging by his tone, she assumed that the Star Warrior was scolding himself.

"Meta Knight..."

Tiff grabbed Meta Knight's unoccupied hand and held it firmly in her grip. Meta Knight flinched, turning to Tiff in surprise. However, he made no attempts to get away from her as he stood, staring into her green gaze.

As Meta Knight gazed into her eyes, Tiff realized just how cute the knight was. His Kirby-like face held the same childish features Kirby had; from the small blushes to the gaping mouth. But he wears a mask to hide it all.

Is it to show his power? Or is it to conceal his fear?

"Meta Knight, listen to me." Tiff shook Meta Knight softly. "Please, don't blame yourself for any of this. You're a victim of the war. You were betrayed by Yamikage, and tortured by Nightmare. You had to make the ultimate choice." She hugged him, ignoring the quiet humming of Galaxia as it trembled in the knight's scabbard. "I'm sorry, Meta Knight. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did."

It became a room full of silence for the next few moments. And as the seconds ticked by, Tiff noticed that Galaxia's shivering had grown worse. Worried, she looked up from her position, and soon realized the astonishing truth.

It was not Galaxia who was trembling.

Meta Knight! He's...

Tears of pain and sorrow leaked from the knight's eyes, sliding down his cheeks like a cascading waterfall. His whole body was quivering, as if he had been left out in the cold.

"Tiff... Thank you."

Meta Knight stared back at Tiff again, but this time his eyes were glimmering with a fierce flame of determination Tiff only ever saw in Kirby. She felt her chest rise with admiration.