Heroes of Dreamland, Book 7: Kirby and the Battle for Dreamland (OLD)

...But You Can't Hide"

Geo's POV:

Really? That's it? Tenshi no Sakura came all the way here to put us all in danger and ask if I know about an important historical figure? You've gotta be kidding me. Somebody's gotta be kidding me. This is unbelievable.

Exasperated, I spin around and walk over to the big, paper-strewn table on the other side of the room and flatten out the roll of important papers I've been carrying around clutched tightly in my glove like my life depended on it for the past hour or so. Going out after curfew now is dangerous enough when it's just me being completely silent, but then I find what's pretty much my kid sister out trying to get everybody and their uncle killed. Great. Just peachy. No, wait, I learned to say that from her, so forget I said it. I'm too angry at her right now.

This is definitely not my best night ever.

Playing innocent, she comes over to the table, acting confused. "Geo, I really need to know. You came from the First Star Warriors' War when the Void brought you to the Home Dimension. Can you remember General Stellar?"

Trying to keep my voice down, I turn back to her and growl, "Yes, of course I remember the blowhard, cranky, refused-to-trust-anybody-except-her-teacher's-pet General Stellar. Who could forget her and her crotchety bossiness? Don't think she even had a heart, or if she did, it was made of rock."

"You just say that because you never really knew her," Sakura glares at me, gloves crossed, but there's obvious relief on her face at the same time. After another second of glaring at me, she breaks into a grin. "So you do still know the truth... Or, at least, part of it. You have no idea how glad I am to hear that."

Rolling my eyes, I push past her none-too-gently, still being careful to be quiet and keep from waking the others. "Give me a break. Everyone knows about Stellar. I mean, no one ever really talks about her, but everyone knows who she is. Everyone knows her, and that workaholic favorite of hers who apparently turned out to be a psycho from what I've heard, too. Everyone knows both of them." Stopping at a small refrigerator in one corner of the concrete block of the room with furniture in it, I pull out a bottle of water, and then push right past the currently red-orange-all-over Star Warrior on the way back to the table. Did she really ever believe that disguise would work? She still looks exactly like herself, for crying out loud! And she's the one who supposedly knows the ways of the Ninja. Yeesh.

Continuing before she has a chance to interrupt, I vent, "You know what? I never really liked either of those two. Stellar was better than Solar ever turned out, it seems, sure, but she was just... so... I don't know. No one really liked her. She was so obviously just so much putty in Nightmare's hands; a real weakling. And the Lieutenant General, Petal... Don't even get me started on her. Too good for everybody. Never traded words with anyone, and always busy running around doing who-knows-what, supposedly in the name of helping the injured. Last I saw of her, not long before the Void got me, she got to the Planet Popstar with this sweet little Fairy girl, and abandoned her right away to go off with a couple of wannabe younger nurses who just wanted to look cool and be around her, probably to just gab or something. Whatever stuck-up girls do."

Surprisingly enough, Sakura was quiet through most of it, but as soon as I've fallen silent for a moment so I can look through my papers, she starts sputtering angrily in a whisper, "We didn't go off to just gab! I don't know if you happen to recall, Sergeant Geologicus, but Popstar was currently in a state of emergency. The second I got there, General Stellar sent me with those two 'wannabes' to go start trying to save a few people. Not like that'd be important or anything. And maybe, just maybe the reason I was never standing around talking to anyone is because I was too busy being stressed over how many people weren't making it, oftentimes because I wasn't fast enough. There's a difference between being a workaholic and just trying to do some good, all right?"