Sakura's POV:

Humming, I reach over and cover my paw with 'paint' again. I've completely covered one of the walls with doodles and drawings, on this wall I'm actually trying to achieve something nice and artistic. And so, I'm painting Orihime and Hikoboshi as two Star Warriors standing hand-in-hand on the banks of a glowing river. I really wish I had more colors than pink. Blue and red are the colors of Light I'd most like to see right now. I'd also enjoy a certain person's red-orange light. Maybe they wouldn't go all that well with the pink, but if those Lights and light were here, then that would mean that their makers would be, too. And I'm missing those three more than anything else in the world, right now.

Sighing, I pull away from the wall and sit down in the floor, too distracted to paint anymore. "Will I get to go home soon?" I ask aloud.

No one answers out loud, of course. Unfortunately, there's no whispers in my heart, either; only a rumble from my stomach. Blargh. Being hungry stinks.

"I wish I had someone, anyone to talk to," I mutter, lying back and staring up at the 'stars' above me. "This is even worse than being a Waddle Dee. Even though I couldn't speak aloud, at least there were others who heard what I said and spoke back to me."

With a sigh, I fold my paws around myself and glare up at the ceiling. "I'm going to go insane, aren't I?"

Suddenly, someone appears in the corner. "Oh. You," I growl at them. "Get lost. I'd rather go insane than talk to you."

"Not very friendly of you, nya," my dark side replies with a laugh, pouncing over to where I am and sitting down about a foot away from me. "Your friend is halfway to bringing you back. He's going to fail in the end, of course, nya, but I thought you might like to know."

"Who? Meta Knight, or Kirby?" I ask, eager to know whether Meta's forgiven me, completely forgetting my ordering Dark Sakura to leave just a moment before.

"Meta Knight, although Kirby's with him, I think, nya," she sighs, looking at her claws like a diva. Okay, that's a bit exaggerated. I'm not that vain. That's the first way this dark side isn't just a perfect copy of me. "He's been having to go to some of the most painful places for him to collect the shards, though. To make it more fun for me, nya."

"You little monster," I narrow my eyes at her. "I would never do that to him."

"I'm not you, nya," she replies with a wicked grin. "All we have in common is your dark side. It has to fight against all of the rest of you, and there's a lot of you to fight, so it's relatively weak. I'm what you would be like if you let your dark side free, let it decide all your actions, let it be the driving part of your personality. Unfortunately, you are far too weak for that, aren't you, nya?"

"I'm not weak. I'm stronger than you," I disagree.

"Which is why I'm the one wearing your cape and carrying your sword, nya," she giggles, then grows serious again. "One other thing: You and your friends have been banished from Dreamland, and you're never allowed to come back. Sir Dark and I are the new heads of defense, so if you do come back, we will be forced to deal with you accordingly, nya."

"I hate you so much," I glare at her, jumping at her. When I touch her arm, she hisses at me angrily and swipes at me, making me jump back away.

I realize that some of my Light on my paw wiped off on her. I had forgotten I even had Light on my paws, anymore. Where I touched her arm, it's red-orange like me for just a second, but then it returns to black.

"Get that disgusting substance away from me, nya! I managed to avoid touching any of it when I came in here," she groans, sounding sickened. "You'll pay for that." She throws a spell at the walls and ceiling, erasing all of my hard work.

"No!" I cry out in a mixture of anger and sadness, as even my 'stars' vanish from the ceiling. Sure, I can repaint them, I guess. But it won't really be the same. "Why do you even exist? I hate you!" I glare at her, refusing to let the tears in the corners of my eyes spill over.

"The feeling is mutual, nya," she grins wickedly. "Don't worry, I'll make it up to you." With a smirk, she pulls an apple out of the interior of my stolen cape and rolls it across the floor to me. "Nice chat, I enjoyed the girl talk. Same time next week?" she teases nastily, then waves a sarcastic goodbye and vanishes.

I want to eat the apple so badly, and my stomach agrees with another rumble that sounds sort of like a dying whale, but I'm not stupid. I've heard the story of Snow White. You don't eat apples that are given to you by wicked witches.

So, instead, I ignore it. Just like I've been doing with my old gloves that are still sitting in the corner. As time goes on, though, it gets harder and harder. So, I cautiously pick it up and dip it in my Light, hoping that'll purify it and make it edible.

No such luck. Instead, it turns into a blob of Dark Matter, which begins squealing angrily at being purified. I look away until it's faded away, having been cleansed away just like the Monstrous Lightning was. Great, so she was trying to turn me into a badguy. Just peachy.

In the same way, I try to cleanse my gloves, but they just crumble into a pile of black dust. Lovely.

I wonder if you can eat Light? I scoop some up and stick it in my mouth, like a bear eating honey, but it tastes awful, like eating a glow stick. (I did that once. Bad idea. But I was a little kid, and Escargoon gave me one, saying it was glowing, liquid candy. To put it mildly, it wasn't. It really, really wasn't.)

Bored. Hungry. Thirsty. Lonely.

This is really getting old.

Meta, if you hurry up and get me out of here, I will be your best friend forever.

Just. Get. Me. Out. Of. This. Place. NOW. Please. Thank you.

*************************************************************************

Meta Knight's POV:

Groaning, I walk back into my bedroom and sit down in the corner, the only place where I can have some quiet. Falspar always acts like a daredevil child, and having three actual children (four, if you count Magolor,) around is not helping matters any. There are far too many people on this stupid ship. I am so ready to go home and enjoy some peace and quiet, sitting in my secret library with a book or two, a cup of hot green tea, and Sakura there to talk to. No Magolor, or Falspar, or the children, or anybody else who makes an unnecessary amount of noise ninety-five percent of the time. At least, not for awhile.

Do not get me wrong, I like Falspar and Shadow Kirby, and I would even go so far as to say I am fond of Bandana Dee and Kirby. But sometimes, enough is enough.

Magolor comes on over the intercom. "Hiya, Meta-Not. We'll be there in about five minutes. Any particular place you'd like to land?"

"River Village, Chivalry Province," I say, almost automatically adding the '432 Honor Street' at the beginning. That was my address, growing up. The library was at 158 Library Avenue, although there was not really a street there. Just a dirt path that ran down a woodsy hill into town, running along the stream that I met Sakura at.

In some ways, River Village was more advanced than Cappy Town is. For example, we had mandatory education, although parents were free to school their children at home if they so desired. In other ways, though, River Village was more old-fashioned. We did not have cars, or television. Those were things that only Startropolis and other big cities had.

Now, Magolor comes back over the intercom to tell me we've landed. I take a deep breath and go to exit the ship, prepared to face desolation and ashes. But that is not what meets me at all.

I freeze on the gangplank of the Lor Starcutter while the door slides back shut behind me. A lovely, warm, summer's breeze stirs my cloak around, carrying on it the sweet scent of clean air and wildflowers.

Before me is a thriving forest, filled with green grass. Not far away, the river runs, blue and pure, just like when I was growing up.

In my head, I run a few calculations. It has been almost exactly one-hundred and seventy years since Nightmare attacked, that horrible day. More than enough time for a forest to grow back.

In sheer amazement, I step forward off the gangplank, down into the lush grass, un-touched by Star Warrior hands. It grows almost as tall as me, in some places. Another breeze blows past, which I inhale deeply, closing my eyes and savoring its scent and warmth.

This is not painful, not at all. This is pleasant. This is... Home.

With a grin on my face, I walk quickly over to the river, pulling off one glove and dipping my paw in the water. Blue, pure, cool, clean enough to drink. Just like it used to be.

As I put my glove back on, I begin to recognize where I am. This is around the area where I rescued Forest, all those many, many years ago. Stretching my wings out, I let the sun shine on them for a moment, then I take off and fly to where the library used to be, as fast as I can, just like that day. Just like the first time I ever had wings.

Soon, I arrive. All that is left is a bit of iron fencing from the fenced-in piece on the roof, where Sakura let me watch the stars with her a few times. But, even this does not make me all that sad. Buildings can be rebuilt. And, someday, I am going to rebuild that library, I suddenly decide. That is one of my life goals, now. I do not care if it sounds silly.

Warmly smiling, I see the exact spot on the stream where I met Sakura, when I was only six. Such a long time ago. Not far away is the spot where I 'proposed' to her at, also when I was still only six. One of those stupid 'cute' moments that I want to go back and kick myself for, to be perfectly honest.

Suddenly, I remember what I am actually supposed to be doing. So, I start to look around for the first of the two shards. I have a feeling that the other one is in the mountains around Startropolis, where I fought the dragon and said goodbye to Blossom, and my childhood. Certainly, I had already grown up, but after that day, things were never the same again.

I wish Sakura was here to see this. She did not have to live through the destruction of Star World, but she does know about it. That is one of the handful of pieces of my time in the war that I have shared with her before. Several times, we have talked about missing this planet, about how we both wish we could see it again, the way it used to be. And now, I have. Eventually, I will bring her here to see it, too. Once I have brought her back.

After quite a while, I have found the location of the shard, down where the town used to be. There is nothing there, anymore, save for some iron and other metals here and there.

Dark Sakura has placed a Sphere Doomer to guard the shard. I wonder where she even found it, for a second, then remember that she has dark magic. Sadly, she can practically do whatever she wants. Too much power in one mortal's hands, never something that ends well.

The Sphere Doomer is not too hard to defeat, and then I quickly collect the shard and take flight, flying towards Startropolis. I could just warp, but flying is more enjoyable. To tell the truth, I want to make my time here last as long as possible. It is far more pleasant than being stuck in the Starcutter with all of the others.

Startropolis is much better than I was expecting this morning, but it is not as rejuvenated as River Village is. There are far more ruins here, for one thing. For another, the plant life has not completely grown back. So, here, I am a bit more solemn.

The shard is not too hard to find. It's taped securely to Sakura's old Warp Star, the one that the dragon welded to the cliff face, just after I came and saved her. Of course, the monster I must face is not a dragon this time. Rather, it is a mid-boss I have never seen before. Somehow, something tells me it was already here, rather than Dark Sakura having placed it.

"Just what do you think you're doing here?" it demands in a feminine voice, leaping towards me. It looks almost like an orange Star Warrior, dressed in a spiky, iron armor with large boxing-style magic gloves, and a pink bow on her head. "This is a dead planet. No one's supposed to come here."

"Who are you?" I demand, drawing my sword. "This is planet is no longer dead. Look at it, it is quite alive."

"It's still technically considered a dead planet," the other huffs. "I am Iron Mam. And you are...?"

Iron Mam. One of Nightmare's monsters, I believe, but one that I have never run into before. "I am Meta Knight. What are you doing here, if it is a dead planet?"

"I live here. Ever since Nightmare decided he didn't need me anymore," she mutters, sounding a bit bitter about it. "Took me when I was still just a little girl, trained me to be a monster, then chucked me back here after the war. Wasn't evil enough to keep around, apparently. A lot of younger monsters met the same fate, too."

"You have been here, alone, ever since the war?" I say, feeling almost sorry for her, even as she attacks me. "How have you not gone insane?"

"Who knows? Maybe I have," she laughs harshly. "I just hang around, try to help the plants grow back quicker, stuff like that."

"Who were you, before Nightmare changed you?" I ask, deftly dodging another strike from her fists.

"I was a Star Warrior. Lived down there in Startropolis, with my mom, dad, baby brother, and older sister. Oneechan* and Otousan* joined the army, Otouto* was lost not long after the war started. My fault for letting him wander off, actually. I actually had another older sister, but I never met her. She was taken by Nightmare a long time before Oneechan was born. I don't know what happened to Okaasan*, I was taken before she met her fate, whatever it was."

"You are the little 'koto' girl," I realize. This is the little girl I gave food to, who was rocking baby Kirby. She is Kirby and Sakura's sister. "Do you not recognize me?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I don't recognize you, I've never seen you before in my life," she snorts, launching another attack at me.

"The superhero, do you not remember?" I try, and that is when she pauses.

"The one with the food?" she asks, haltingly. "The one who I thought was a monster?"

"Yes, that one," I agree. "So, Nightmare failed with your older sister, and went after you next."

"What do you mean, he failed?" she demands, narrowing her eyes.

Smiling to myself, I answer, "She is still alive. She is actually quite a hero, herself."

Disbelieving, she murmurs, "She's alive? She's a... hero? But once a monster, always a monster, right?"

"No," I disagree. "You are the one who decides whether or not you are a monster."

She hesitates, then turns to leave. "You can have the stupid shard. Why do you want it, anyway?"

"Your sister has trapped herself in a mirror, and I collecting the shards to help her. Her name is Sakura, now, although she was called Yuki when she lived with your parents," I tell her gently. This is probably quite surprising for her. "Your little brother is alive, too. He is called Kirby."

"I know he's called Kirby," she murmurs, then shakes her head. "I was there when he earned that name."

"He earned his name?" I answer in surprise. "I always assumed that was just the name he was born with, as a hero."

"No, he earned it," she says quietly, still turned away from me. "Well, tell them both that Ame is still alive."

Ame. Rain. If her parents called Sakura 'Yuki,' 'Snow,' then it would make sense for her sister to be called 'Ame.' But... "Did you never earn your name?"

Shaking her head, she tells me, "Yes, I earned it, but I kept the same one I had grown up with. Oneechan was named Kawa. She also kept that name when she earned her name."

Kawa means river. So Snow, River, Rain, and Kirby, children of Heather and Charcoal. I am sure Sakura will like to know that she has another relative still alive.

"Anyway. Take the shard, find my sister. I'm leaving," she huffs, then runs off. I feel hopeful for her, perhaps she will stop being a monster. Perhaps someday, she and Sakura can meet each other for the first time, and she can see Kirby again.

Now, I am three-quarters of the way to bringing Sakura home to us. I wonder what she will think of Falspar, Nonsurat, Dragato, and Shadow Kirby? Knowing her, I think she'll probably like them. Shadow Kirby especially, since she loves children.

I only wonder, how do we get to Nintendo City?

That is when a puffy little star-creature appears. "Hiya! Is your name Meta Knight?" it asks in a gleeful squeal.

"Actually, yes it is," I nod. "What are you?"

Giggling, it replies, "I'm Lulu the Luma! Princess Bara has requested your presence in Nintendo Castle, so I've come to bring you to her!"

Can this creature only speak in exclamations? "How are we going to get there? I do not know where Nintendo City went when the points were separated," I tell it, frowning to myself.

"We're going to get you there the fun way!" it squeals.

"I do not like fun," I answer, getting an annoyed feeling.

Glaring at me, it says, "Too bad, Mister Grumpy Cloak!" Then, it whistles, and another puffy star appears, which squeals,

"TRANSFOOOOORM!!!" and then turns into a large ring-like star.

"Off we go!" Lulu giggles, jumping into my cloak and launching me into the air.

"Shotzo," I mutter, and then am launched into space by the star.

*Oneechan means older sister, Otousan means father, Otouto means little brother, and Okaasan means mother.

Another 2-chapter day!!! Woot-woot!!!

Also, the Iron Mam being 'koto'-girl thing was my mum's idea, as was her name being Rain/Ame. So I can't take credit for that. XP

Remember, the deadline for the KatRD cover design contest is April 10th! I would love see more submissions, so if you're interested, please submit a cover design to either @ebearskittychan on Twitter or [email protected]. Thanks, all!