Sakura Dee | さくら•ヂィー

Well, all things considered, I'd have to say that our first afternoon in Cookie Country has been a smashing success. Once we landed and found some outlying fruit trees spilling over from Whispy Woods next door and grabbed some quick before Kirby could empty the trees again (which he did proceed to do once the rest of us had managed to grab enough to eat), we were all set and ready to go out and find a badguy. And so, of course, that's exactly what we set out to do and what we have been doing all day. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, we haven't found him yet.

As for the minor monsters he's sent to interfere with our search (we assume; they could just be random monster gangs who enjoy picking on people, which are extremely common all over Dreamland outside of the Cappy Town area), we've had no real problems with any of them. Most of them we can just avoid, honestly, which we try to do as much as we can. After all, if we're out killing more monsters than the Lightning is killing innocent citizens (and so far, as far as we know, he hasn't killed any), we're hardly heroes by any definition of the word.

At first, Meta Knight was worried the Waddle Dees would prove to be more dangerous enemies than they typically do, since they're currently all under the Lightning's possession, even the several nomadic groups that don't answer to Dedede. But they all seem to be just the same Waddle Dees as ever. They never try to hurt anyone; they've just been sent to the front lines to get plowed over, like always, and no one ever seems to care. As far as I can tell, that hardly reeks of anything even slightly resembling 'fair.' Honestly, the only way to really get hurt by them is if you're an absolute klutz and run right into one of their spears. Otherwise, they're pretty much harmless.

The one minor headache of a monster that we've faced today was a giant Waddle Doo, usually known as a King Doo, but he didn't really give us any trouble. We wouldn't have attacked him in the first place if it wasn't for the fact that he tried to kill us first, but as it is, thankfully at least I shouldn't have to feel any guilt about it.

I do, of course, but I technically shouldn't have to. If someone wants to hurt innocents and there's no way to persuade them to stop, when you're a soldier out to protect your homeland, sometimes you have to kill a monster. I just don't know if I'll ever feel quite right about that.

Killing doesn't seem to bother the other three at all, when it's under those just and right kinds of circumstances, but to me, it still feels wrong somehow. Who am I to end another's life, to stop another heart from beating, to tell someone else their time is up? It just doesn't feel like it's my place, and I can't help but wonder if I'm as much of a monster as they are for killing them.

I know I'm not. As I said, it's a soldier's, a hero's job to protect what they're charged to protect, even to the death. But at least for now, I can't feel right about it, although I'm good at hiding my trepidation from the others.

I just don't know if I hope I'll always feel this way about such things, or if I hope that someday I can be as nonchalant about it as the others.

Now, sighing, I lean against a tree and take a bite out of one of my leftover peaches (the fruit we ended up finding) from earlier. The sky's remained bleak and overcast all day, but now it's truly starting to get dark, meaning that the sun has probably started to sink behind the horizon. Meta Knight's gone up to check above the clouds and verify that's the case, because they've been really messing with our sense of time. It seems like it can't possibly be too much later than mid-afternoon, but the darkening world seems to indicate otherwise. In the meantime, while he decides whether it's time for us to find someplace to make camp or not, the two little guys are clinging to the leafy wings of a Windy Woods tree, having a grand old time riding around and around in circles, upside down and right-side up and back again.

Finishing off my peach, I take a moment to step away from the tree a ways, stab my sword into the ground to turn up some dirt, and then plant the peach pit in the resulting hole. It feels wrong to just toss the pits away, but I don't really want to carry them around either, so I've been planting them throughout the day whenever I have a spare moment and can find a spot. If a tree gave me free food, I might as well pay it forward, I guess.

A moment later, with the sound of wings effortlessly slicing through air, Meta Knight descends from the sky again and gracefully lands with a couple of last, quick flaps, before turning his wings back into a cape and wrapping himself up in it all in one fluid motion, like always. After glancing at me to make sure I'm paying attention, he turns to the two kids and calls out to the three of us in general, "The sun really is setting; it's not just a trick of the clouds. Once it sets fully, it's going to be nigh impossible to see out here, so I suggest we find shelter before that happens and we're left as sitting ducks out on the proverbial prairie."

Growing serious right away, the kids carefully let go of the Windy Woods' leaves and tumble back down to the ground into the cushiony grass below. "Where we goin', poyo?" Kirby asks, face looking calm and ready to listen for once. Bandanna picks himself up a beat later, and nods in agreement, eyes narrowed in preparation for whatever comes next.

Meta Knight glances over at me with a look asking if I have any ideas. While I'm sure he already knows where he wants to stay, he's probably using this as a training moment for me. Thankfully, I already have enough experience from doing minor quests with him before to have known to keep my eyes open for somewhere to stay all day today. Giving him a firm nod, I inform him, "I spotted a cave maybe a quarter mile from here earlier; it'd take us only a few minutes to fly over. It looked pretty small, so I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be too many monsters inside. If there are, we could clear them out pretty easily."

Seeming satisfied with my answer, Meta Knight nods once and turns to the other two. "You heard her. Follow Sakura." Nodding, the kids both take to the air at their slower pace, which is quick enough for the moment, and gaze down expectantly at me while Meta Knight takes off as well.

Taking a deep breath, I throw my wings up and out, and then shove them down, hard, like I did earlier. Sure enough, I find myself in the air a moment later, and a few quick (and slightly-more-graceful-than-earlier) flaps later, I've reached the altitude of the others. "This way," I call out, pointing the way, and then head off in that direction, the others not far behind me.

Just like I guessed, it only takes us a few minutes to reach the cave, and while it appears to go farther back than I realized earlier on, there are no signs of monsters anywhere. Once Meta Knight and I have finished a quick search of the part of the cave closest to the mouth, we return to the front area and the two kids. Kirby and Bandanna are keeping themselves occupied playing some form of jacks with a pile of pebbles in the dim half-light that is left of the day, which is quickly fading more and more with every passing moment. A sigh of a cool breeze blows in from the outside, bringing with it a shiver for all of us. It smells odd, like rain, but not quite. Meta Knight makes a strange noise, making me glance over at him in concern.

"You all right, Sir Knight?"

Nodding, he assures me, "Fine. It's just... strange to be able to smell the scent of a storm with the rain removed from it."

So that's what the smell is. Makes sense. "I get the feeling it'll probably be stormy tonight or tomorrow then, I guess," I observe with a sigh, leaning against one side of the cave mouth and nervously watching the world outside.

Behind me, Meta Knight pulls something out of his cloak and offers it to the kids, making Kirby squeal in delight. "A 'lectric lantern! Thanks, Meta Knight poyo!" Meta Knight seems to nod in reply, going by the quiet clanking noise his shoulder guards and mask make as they bump into each other. A warm light comes on behind me, instantly making me feel a little bit better, but as I look out at the clouds outside one last time before the light truly slips away, I can't help but shudder.

Meta Knight comes and stands next to me, gazing out with me at the total darkness. "I've never seen the world so black before," I comment quietly. "'Darkness such as Dreamland has never known...'" He doesn't answer, just continues standing next to me, staring with me out into the nothing. "He knows we're here, doesn't he?" I ask, saying it more like a statement than a question.

"Of course he does," he replies calmly, as if the prospect hardly worries him, but I can see in the even-stiffer-than-normal way he stands that he's nervous, whether he wants to admit it or not. "The Waddle Dees are probably connected to him the same way Dedede and Escargoon seemed to be, so as soon as they saw us, he saw us. Whether the gathering storm means that he himself has come here or not remains to be seen, I suppose, though I can almost guarantee he hasn't."

Glancing over at him, I state, "Too soon for the mighty giant to bother with the pesky flies."

"Mm," he agrees with a nod, before turning away from the entrance. "You should try and get some rest. We'll have another long day ahead of us tomorrow, and there's no promising we'll be able to find this safe of a shelter every night. Take advantage of it while you can."

Sighing, I turn to follow him and offer, "I'm too anxious to sleep. You rest; I'll take first watch."

There's a sudden clattering noise as the kids knock over the electric lantern as it gets in the way of a friendly wrestling match between the two of them, making Meta Knight and I both instantaneously shoot them an unimpressed look. The two of them both spring to their feet and offer us expressions of pure, know-nothing innocence, while Kirby uses a foot to nudge the lantern back up onto its base.

Meta Knight continues to watch them blankly, not quite annoyed but still not amused either. Sighing a bit, I cross my gloves and tell them both, "Time for bed, kiddos." Smirking, Kirby opens his mouth to make some wisecrack in reply, but before he can get it out, I add, "I know there aren't any actual beds. The ground'll have to make do." Scowling now, Kirby crosses his paws, annoyed at having the thunder of what I'm sure he thought was a perfect comeback so unfairly stolen from him. I can't help but laugh a bit as I go over and pull a couple of blankets out of my cape, which I was smart enough to stuff into it yesterday while Meta Knight was gathering some supplies in his training room. "Here. Wrap yourselves up in these; they should make things a bit more comfortable."

"Aren't those technically my blankets?" Meta Knight questions, now sounding mildly irritated, but I ignore him as I watch over the kids to make sure they settle down. A few minutes later, the two of them have both drifted off into another Dreamland, and I walk over and join Meta Knight closer to the entrance again.

Giving me a glance that I can't read, he repeats in a flat, calm voice, "Get some rest, Sakura. That's an order."

"I'm really not that tired; you should get some rest," I argue calmly, crossing my gloves and leaning against the cave wall, staring back at him evenly.

"I'm not that tired, either," he replies, leaving us both silently staring at each other, waiting to see who'll break first. But just as I begin to realize I'm going to have to accept defeat once again, he turns his gaze away from mine with a short, disbelieving chuckle. "Ah, Lady Dee, where did you get to be so stubborn?..."

Laughing quietly in reply, I shrug teasingly, "Trust me; I had simply the most brilliant teacher."

"You're a brat; you realize this, correct?" he replies with another chuckle, but then sighs wearily. "Regardless, we don't both need to keep watch." Just as I begin to deflate, he lets go of his cape and grabs the hilt of his sword, eyeing me in something that borders on mischief. "We could duel for awhile instead; keep ourselves sharp."

If I could grin, I would. Eagerly nodding, I draw my own sword as quietly as possible, and then gesture with it farther back into the cave. "So we don't wake the kiddos."

"Of course," he nods, drawing his own sword and pulling out a second lantern from his cloak. He then leads the way farther back into the cave, but not so far that we can't see the kids' lantern and silhouettes anymore in case they need our help. After setting down the lantern securely on a small pile of rocks, he turns to me with a flourish of his sword. "En garde, Lady Dee."

"Hm," I agree with a grunt of determination, readying my sword for his first strike—

A first strike that never comes.

A strange, low, reverberating noise goes throughout the cave. If it came from the front of the cave, I'd think it was thunder, but it came from the back. Add to that the fact that it carries with it a warm breeze that doesn't smell quite right, and it's easy enough to tell that it's not something that ever naturally occurs in the weather.

Swallowing anxiously, I look back at Meta Knight, sword still held in a cautious 'ready' position. "Please tell me that wasn't what I think it was," I murmur, voice barely louder than a whisper.

Meta Knight's eyes narrow, not at me, but at the sound, which repeats itself a moment later, closer now. "That's definitely growling," he says back in a true whisper, more to himself than to me.

A moment later, with a clattering, the lantern behind him is roughly knocked over, causing the batteries to go spilling out. Meta Knight turns to see what caused it, but finds it too dark now to see.

That's all right; I was able to see and can tell him the truth. "Whatever it is, it's invisible," I whisper hoarsely.

"Shotzo," he curses under his breath, and then swiftly turns and runs towards the children, swinging his sword forward as a gesture to tell me to follow. But before we can get halfway back to them, the other lantern meets the same fate as the first, and Kirby and Bandanna Dee both suddenly jolt awake, Kirby with a frantic scream.

Meta Knight and I hold our swords up to give off some light in unison, giving the kids both a sanctuary to run to. Both of them slam into me seconds later, trembling violently, Kirby actually on the verge of tears.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I demand urgently, forgetting to keep my voice down.

Bandanna keeps his face buried in my cape, but Kirby turns his eyes up to me, filled with the same blind terror that they held in my nightmare the other night. "Was dreamin' good dream, poyo... but then... then the monster caught up." Bandanna Dee nods fervently, apparently having experienced the same thing.

Another twinge of guilt goes through me while Meta Knight growls suspiciously at the front of the cave, obviously wondering whether it's wiser to try and make a break for it or stay here and fight the beast, whatever it is. Everything is still for a moment, aside from the kids' ragged breathing, and the soft rustling sound of my wings instinctively springing forth from my cape and wrapping around the two of them protectively.

Just as I get ready to quietly question if the evil presence has left, the growling noise happens again, this time immediately above our heads, directed downwards at us. This time, the breeze actually feels hot, and smells anything but pleasant. A fat, juicy drop of something wet and sticky drips onto my head from the invisible monster above, making me shudder in disgust, but I don't dare to move.

Meta Knight gives a half wince in answer to the drool on my head, but all four of us grow stiff at the low, rumbling words that follow. "You shouldn't have come into my cave, little heroes. You will not be safe here."

Kirby whimpers, but the sound is quickly drowned out by the roar that comes next.

The roar is directed downwards straight towards us, and shoves the four of us apart with the forceful gust it brings with it. And then, as the roar grows even louder and changes to be pointed up at the ceiling, rocks start to rain down from the ceiling like giant, deadly hail, quickly piling up and beginning to divide us from one another.

Gasping, now totally covered in splatters of monster spit from the roar, I try to ignore the rancid smell and take to the air to meet up with the others, using my sword for light, only to take a rather large boulder right to the wing. With a cry of blinding pain as the wing bends at an angle it should never bend at, I instinctively turn them both back into a cape, causing me to fall back down to the ground with a thump. Thankfully, I stay alert enough to be able to roll out of the way of another rock right as it would have landed on top of me. I might have miraculously survived a meteor's impact once, but I'm not one to tempt Fate a second time. Using my momentum from the roll to spring back onto my feet, I try to take flight, only to find that my cape has a sizable tear in it and won't change. Great, Sakura. You've had this thing what, a few days? And you've already busted it. Great work. Growling under my breath, I avoid the last several stones and stalactites that plummet down from the cave roof with some fancy (yet awkward) footwork, and then cough through the resulting dust storm. Desperately slaking the goo off of myself with my free glove, I shout out frantically through the utter darkness lit only by my sword, voice hoarse from the dust, "Guys?! Guys?! Is everyone okay?!"

The sound of Meta Knight coughing as hard as I am greets me a moment later, followed by his equally-hoarse voice calling back, "I am fine, although my cape is not at the moment..."

Kirby wails back wordlessly, making my heart stop and Meta Knight's coughing freeze as well. Thankfully, the little guy adds a moment later with a hiccupping sob, "It's the Whispy Woods monster! We didn' go fast 'nuff; now it's gonna eat Kirby and you guys, poyo!"

I can feel Meta Knight's glare in my general direction even through all of the rocks. Guilty, I yell back, "Kirby, are you hurt?"

His cries calm down as he seems to do a general self-inventory. "Only a coupla scratches, poyo," he sniffles a moment later.

Exhaling slightly in relief but not allowing myself to calm down just yet, I shout out once more, "Bandanna! Are you all right?!"

For a long moment, there's nothing. Even Kirby's noises stop entirely, as if we're all holding our breath. The monster seems to have vanished for now, so the cave is entirely silent for a long moment.

Thankfully, just as I start to really panic, the clinking noise of a spear tip against rocks goes off, making the other three of us give a collective sigh of relief. "Are you hurt?" I call out, but then realize he can't talk. "One spear clack means yes, two means no, okay?" Again I hold my breath, but then am answered with two clacks. With a moan of relief, I fall down into a sitting position, and then look up at the sky and thank my lucky stars that none of us are hurt.

Meta Knight makes a growling noise from his area of the cave. "Separated and stranded in some monster's cave, and grounded at that. This is simply wonderful."

Wincing, feeling like it's somehow my fault, I call back hesitantly, "I'm sorry about your cape... mine's down for the count too..."

He sighs wearily. "It will fix itself; give it some time. It takes more than a rip or tear to put a Dimensional Cape out of commission."

Glancing down at my cape, I can see that he's right, as with a strange little skittering of a pink substance that looks almost like electricity, the jagged rip in the lovely fabric is slowly-but-surely stitching itself back together. Once again, I give a quiet sigh of relief. There for a moment, I was seriously scared that I'd never get to fly again...

Kirby, meanwhile, doesn't seem to have calmed down much. "We're all gonna get eated; we're all gonna die; this's how Dreamland hero Kirby poyo is gonna die!" he freaks out. "We go'd too slow, now the monster gonna eat us!"

Groaning in shame, I call out, "Kirby, listen to me." His panicked words stop, but his near-hyperventilation doesn't. Great, Sakura, you've scarred the greatest hero in the world for life. Aren't you just the best role model ever? "I made that monster up to get you and Bandanna to go faster, all right? It was just a stupid story, and I'm sorry. Whatever this is, it's not that."

Kirby's breath calms while I close my eyes, holding back hot tears of shame. "Really? S'kura-poy... lied?"

I stay silent, hoping Meta Knight will interject on my behalf, but he remains totally quiet. Taking a deep breath, I call back, "Yes. I lied."

This is quickly followed by two things, both of which stab like a sword in two different ways. There's the sound of a smaller rock being angrily punted across the room from Bandanna's quadrant of the cave, while Kirby mutters spitefully, "...If monster was real, hope it eated you first."

While I flinch at those words, knowing that I've really messed things up big time if even Kirby's mad at me, Meta Knight scolds sternly, "Kirby..."

Another rock is kicked, this side from Kirby's corner of the world. "S'kura-poy lied, like a stupid badguy, like Marx 'r Mag—"

Meta Knight interrupts irritably. "She told a lie, yes, but how else was she supposed to get you to get a move on?" Nobody answers him. "I thought as much. Now, Sakura is not a badguy, but there is quite obviously one in the area; otherwise we wouldn't be yelling at each other through walls of Shotzo-blessed boulders."

"Meta Knight-poyo really mad if he sayin' stuff like that," Kirby comments, still sour but calmer now. I can't help but snort slightly myself. The masked knight might be keeping his voice relatively calm, but it's still obvious that he's thoroughly enraged at the situation we've all found ourselves in.

As for me, I'm not enraged so much as terrified. "Now what?" I demand of the group in general, trying to hide the way my voice trembles.

There's the sound of several rocks shifting as Meta Knight presses against them not too far away with a strained grunt, but a moment later, he mutters to himself, "So we won't be able to reunite, at least not that way..." Taking a deep breath, he calls out to the rest of us, "Firstly, we will not panic. Secondly, we will not panic, and thirdly, we will not panic. Any questions so far?"

"Yeah, poyo. We allowed to panic?" Kirby questions in mild sarcasm, but even I can sense Meta Knight's resulting glare, even through all the rocks and even though it's not directed at me, and he quickly shuts up.

Getting up once again, I make a face at the icky feeling the quickly-drying drool I wasn't able to swipe off of myself produces. "All right, no panicking; we all know what not to do. But what should we do?"

Totally cool and collected now, Meta Knight states the obvious. "Being separated, there is no way for us to offer one another any sort of aid."

"Thanks for tellin' us, poy," Kirby comments, unimpressed.

I, however, take a more dubious route of questioning. "Does nothing ever frazzle you?!" I demand, voice still shaking considerably.

Meta Knight chuckles wearily. "You're clearly not following the rules about what not to do, Lady Dee."

Making a face, I mutter back defensively, "I'm not panicking. I'm just afraid."

Before the knight can answer, the cave suddenly fills with light, not bright enough to see color by, but bright enough to see where everything is. Everyone falls warily silent for a second, but a moment later, Meta Knight states flatly, "I'm assuming none of you did that."

I go to answer that I sure as Shotzo didn't, only for the cave to start shaking again. With two yelps, one frantic clattering of a spear, and one growl of annoyance, the four of us resume our rock-avoiding dances from earlier as several more boulders tumble down and some of the smaller ones on the ground get tossed around by the earthquake. This rock downpour lasts much less time than the first, though, and this time, when the dust clears, I can see a way forward crumbled out of one of the walls in my corner, with what looks like a distant light at the very end of it.

Once the coughing's worn off again, I call out, "Anybody else have a new hole in the wall with a light at the end?"

"Poyo," verifies one voice.

"Hmm," grunts another.

Clack, goes a spear once.

Furrowing my brow in a mixture of anger and fear, I comment softly, "Well, it looks like we all have only two options. Stay here for the rest of our natural lives until we starve, or all split up and see where these doorways go."

Sounding scared again, Kirby agrees, "Yeah, poyo."

Meta Knight growls under his breath once again, but then agrees with me. "It seems you are correct, Sakura, as much as I wish it were otherwise, for everyone's sakes. Each of you go through your door, and be prepared to do battle. Hopefully the paths will lead to a rendezvous eventually, and in the mean time, stay vigilant, all of you. Understand?"

"Yup-poy," agrees one corner.

Clack, goes another.

With a deep, frightened breath, I agree in a hushed voice, "Yes, sir."

And with that, Kirby leaves, nervously humming all the way, and Bandanna goes through his door as well, anxiously thumping the wooden rod of his spear against the ground over and over as he goes.

Me, though? I just stand here, staring at the tiny light at the end of my tunnel, trembling. It's just like my nightmare. I can't do this, not alone.

A moment later, Meta Knight's voice breaks the darkness out of nowhere, making me jump, having assumed he'd silently started his way down his stony tunnel. "Sakura. You hesitate. Why?"

For a long moment, I don't answer, not wanting to admit my weakness to the one person I admire and respect the most. But after a pause, I let out in what barely qualifies as anything other than a whimper, "I'm afraid. I can't do this alone. I've never fought alone; this is too much like the nightmare I had the other night. I'm too scared. Meta Knight, I can't do this."

While I wish he'd answer with something encouraging, instead the reply I get is a firm but kind, "You have no other option, Sakura. You have to do this."

As much as I hate myself for it, I can't stop the crack in my voice that comes out with my next words. "Haven't you ever been afraid, Sir Knight?"

Meta Knight seems to freeze for a long beat, but when he finally speaks again, his voice is much softer, much more kind. "Of course, my friend, many times. But bravery is not being without fear, but rather, doing the thing that terrifies you despite your fear." I continue to tremble, staring down the tunnel that gapes back at me like the open mouth of a hideous beast. "You have a monster yet to slay, my friend. You will not die tonight. Be brave, Sakura; remember all the things you've learned over the past year and you'll be fine."

Easily understanding what he's alluding to, I murmur in barely more than a whisper, not trusting my own voice anymore, "Even prophecies can be proven wrong."

"Perhaps," he replies, voice warm, calm, somehow almost soothing. "But this one will not be. I have every faith in that."

Taking a deep breath, I tighten my grip on the hilt of my sword and try to steel myself for whatever's coming. "Well, good luck, Sir Knight."

He hesitates a moment, as if weighing his words, but then answers my farewell kindly but gravely with one of his own. "Lightspeed to you, Sakura Dee." With that, he turns away with a swish of his cloak, and within moments, his footfalls have faded away out of my hearing.

Those last words he spoke somehow seem both heavy and light. Heavy, because by the way he said them so carefully, so respectfully, they seem to bear some serious, almost sacred meaning and power. Light, because as soon as he spoke them, at least part of the fear in my heart was replaced by a soft-yet-strong, powerful-yet-gentle warmth that slowly flows throughout me, almost like the energy it takes to create a Sword Beam.

Out of nowhere, memories of all the times Meta Knight tried to teach me how to use a Sword Beam, only for me to panic once I started feeling the energy creeping down through my paw and into my old sword, bubble forth, making me give a tiny giggle despite myself. All that practice, and I was never able to pull one off until the day I held Cherry Star in my glove. Yet then, it came so easily. After a second, slightly-bigger giggle, I bring my sword up into a defensive 'ready' position and narrow my eyes at the hole in the wall, which still seems to gapingly, wickedly grin hungrily back at me.

Despite the fact that I'm really all alone, somehow, I don't feel like I am. Somehow, it feels like someone is standing right above me, guarding me, protecting me. While I have no idea who that could be or even if there's anyone actually there, for now, it's enough to give me the bravery I need.

I'm still scared out of my wits, but I'm still going to move forward and face whatever comes, just like any true hero would.

And that's what bravery is all about, just like Sir Knight said.

Steeling myself, I take the first step forward into the cave wall, and march forward. Even when my hole in the wall (and, I'm assuming, the others) collapse in a third, tiny earthquake, I refuse to let myself look back.

Only darkness lies behind.

The light still shines ahead.

And hopefully, that light will soon guide the four of us safely back to find the others all in one piece.