Yay, I've done another Kirby one-shot! And uploaded before I go on holiday too.

This was one was inspired by The Cosmic Penguin's Ideals and Actions which has Kirby and Meta Knight get into an argument about, well, ideals, pre-KSS/KSSU. I don't know the Kirby archive inside out but there do seem to be a lot of stories where Meta Knight is protective of Kirby, perhaps not so many clashes; I know, I've wrote some. So I guess I should try something a little different. Hope you like. :)

Note: I will master dashes eventually, especially if I am to go into editorial or something. But many publishers use them in different ways. Hmm...

Understanding

When one imagined Kirby, it was always as a jolly fellow. He was the sort who was always smiling, cheery and took joy in the smaller things in life despite, or rather because of, the risks, the danger, and the near-death experiences he endured. As he had very recently in fact—from a person he considered a friend.

Therefore, today was one of those rare days in which Kirby was not only unhappy but deeply upset, feeling utterly despaired. He paced, no, stomped, up and down a small patch of ground on a cliff near the ocean. It had been two days since… the incident and he was expecting a visit sooner or later. He knew that no matter how hard he kept an eye out, he wouldn't notice the visitor's eventual arrival so he didn't bother trying.

Kirby snatched an apple from a nearby tree and brought it to his mouth to eat. The apple was obviously fresh and hopefully had that perfect combination of crunchiness, juiciness and sweetness. Even so, he suddenly lost his appetite and threw the apple down in disgust. He continued to wear a path in the ground. How could he deal with this… this… this… betrayal?! Why did this have to happen? How could he do this? What had he expected Kirby to do? Why—?

"Kirby."

Kirby stopped in his tracks and felt a chill run down his back, one he couldn't remember feeling before during these interactions. He breathed heavily. He knew that he wouldn't be attacked with his back turned. He just hoped that he wouldn't see a spare blade when he did turn around for if there was another blade, there was inevitably to be conflict.

He finally turned around. There was no spare blade.

"What?" Kirby muttered.

He couldn't quite look straight at Meta Knight, Dream Land's premier warrior, as he stood a few feet away with his cape wrapped round him as usual. Had he been looking directly, he would have seen Meta Knight's eyes briefly glow silver. What emotions did those eyes signify? What thoughts were running through his mind? His eyes then turned red with a more obvious emotion: anger.

"You should not have interfered."

Was that how he was going to start this conversation then? Fine.

"I had everything under control," the knight continued. "I was set to make changes in Dream Land and improve it and the inhabitants for the better. You have no doubt seen for yourself how little they do, how little they care for others while those who do actually care receive no thanks, no gratitude for their hard work and efforts. Sometimes, ha, they're even blamed for events out of their control, for things they apparently should have seen coming and sorted sooner. Corrupt, lazy… a pathetic excuse for a people. Why should I leave that to continue unchecked when I had the power to change it? My crew agreed with me. They too desired change. But no, you had to bring us down!"

"What did you expect me to do?" Kirby snapped. "You were threatening Dream Land! It's my responsibility to look after this place because I have the power to do so. You taught me that!"

"You don't understand, Kirby! I had to take action. Can't you see what is happening around you? Compare this kingdom to others: poor, backwards, uneducated. People here rarely seem to produce much more than what we'd classify as the subsistence level—why do you think we had such problems when King Dedede took it in his head to steal the kingdom's food? And for no good reason at all. Because he felt slighted perhaps and wanted to flex his authority? He caused a famine! And maybe in the future we'll have another one either caused by Dedede again or by some natural disaster that we cannot control. I do not want to see suffering caused by that, by something that we can deal with ourselves if we apply some actual work to it.

"You are fortunate in that you are easily able to fend for yourself. Food, shelter, security. You are content and therefore you miss these things. But not only is Dedede selfish but so are the inhabitants. They are only out for themselves and care little for others as long as they are satisfied and that is just one of the problems in Dream Land."

"So you had to attack it? Sure, that would have really helped! But no, you obviously know best!"

"Kirby, stop acting like a child!" Meta Knight growled. His eyes, still red, narrowed further. "You may deal with external problems such as Dark Matter, Nightmare and the like but you still have little experience with how the world works; you have very little idea of the internal problems within this kingdom. The Waddle Dees are probably the hardest workers here but that fact goes unrecognised indeed; they are barely able to support themselves and their families despite the efforts they put in once the taxes are taken. I said it once and I will say it again: the rest are simply lazy. Most of their problems could be solved, that of food, improving their social and living conditions, if they actually summoned the energy to do something about it! Clean air, fresh water. There is a wealth of natural resources here but many who live here take that wealth for granted. Monsters run rampant—"

"—I fight them! And I beat them!"

"Do not interrupt. You cannot deal with them all even if you expect yourself to do so. You still haven't fully mastered your Copy Ability yet in any case; you still cannot bring out the full power of your abilities like fire, spark, even sword." Meta Knight scoffed. Kirby needed to be proficient in the sword at least. He ought to have done more training with the boy on that matter but that wasn't going to happen in the near future now. "And since that is the case, I advise you not to become so over-confident. That kind of foolhardiness may one day cost you your life."

Kirby scowled. He was working on his Copy Ability alright?! And anyway, did Meta Knight honestly expect the citizens to take up arms against something like an Ice Dragon or Bugzzy or… or something? At this rate maybe they would end up fighting again. Damn, maybe Meta Knight did have a spare blade after all and was just hiding it under his cape.

"It's not my fault that there are monsters about. I do my best. What do you expect me to do?"

"Kirby, I know that and that is why others need to actually prepare themselves as well because we live in a dangerous place in dangerous times. The Waddle Dee army is barely equipped, barely trained and half of that is down to Dedede spending money he doesn't have on things he doesn't need. If there was a monster uprising and you were not able to protect everyone, I daresay you would be blamed for not being able to stop the worst of it because people expect you to be their protector no matter what, never mind what you go through it."

"So let me guess. You attacked Dream Land and I completely misunderstood the situation and you were obviously doing it all to help me or something. I can't see how that plan would have worked."

"Oh for goodness sake, Kirby! Stop being difficult!"

"I'm not the one being difficult, you're the one being difficult! Like always!"

Seeing the boy's cheeks redden with anger, Meta Knight relented slightly. He let his cape blow freely and crossed his arms. "I am not expecting the people to suddenly become powerful warriors overnight, especially when they obviously do not have the innate skills or abilities that the most expert warriors have, skills that you and I possess. But what if we were away from Dream Land and the kingdom was attacked in our absence? What if we were incapacitated? What if we were ever invaded by an outside force that is simply too much for us to deal with on our own? Dedede's not prepared for it. You may wish to protect the kingdom on your own and hope to keep the people happy and safe which is highly idealistic of course, but that is a naïve and short-sighted outlook. I doubt they appreciate your efforts anyway."

"Of course they do," Kirby muttered. What would Meta Knight know anyway? He felt his eyes stinging; he felt that he was being told off for simply doing what was right. He had a responsibility, a duty to the kingdom. He wasn't technically a knight as such but knights upheld values of honour and chivalry—they protected those who were unable to protect themselves. Didn't Meta Knight tell him that at some point when he helped train Kirby and unlock his abilities? A knight did not attack his own.

"Have they ever told you that? Have they ever actually thanked you for it?" Meta Knight did not miss the boy's slight hesitation. "You do not interact with people as much as you may think—quite often I have seen you alone."

Kirby glared. "So now you're spying on me?"

"I keep tabs on many people including you. Especially you. Your powers mean I need to keep an eye on you lest you cannot control them correctly."

Kirby didn't know what to say to that and decided to deal with the issue by ignoring it. "Well, if I stopped doing what I did because people didn't thank me for it, then we'd be completely overrun wouldn't we? I might not get a whole lot in return but it doesn't mean I can't help! At least I care! I just want to help! Is that so bad?!"

Meta Knight turned to the side for one moment so that Kirby wouldn't see the flicker of blue in his eyes. He faced the ocean. Somewhere in that ocean was his downed Halberd. He would need to make arrangements to retrieve it; there was no chance he was leaving such a technological marvel, a product of blood, sweat, tears and pride, to rot in the salty waters. Come to think of it, he'd need a new captain too; the old one had absconded before anyone else.

"You don't care."

Meta Knight returned his gaze and felt some of his anger return.

"Of course I care! If I didn't care, I would not have embarked on such an endeavour in the first place! If I don't do anything, Dream Land will be greatly ill-prepared for future invasions and threats and lack the capacity to support itself. Dedede is hardly doing much to change that."

Kirby wished he had an ability on him now. "You still attacked people!"

"I did not directly attack anybody nor did I assault the land much; I've no intention of raining destruction on everything. Yet I had to make my intentions clear and show that I was serious about the situation; the Halberd is perhaps a taster of what may happen to Dream Land if it doesn't shape itself. Not to mention it being a warning to Dedede of what could happen in future if nothing changes. Now he. He does not care. He does not care for justice or anything beyond himself. And I cannot stand for injustice."

Arguing with Meta Knight was the most frustrating thing ever. He was always so cynical, always saw the worst in people. Goodness knows how he got through each day. "Dedede does care!"

Meta Knight gave a harsh laugh. Was the boy always so trusting, so gullible? "You call stealing food from the entire populace caring? Not to mention the Sparkling Stars? What would Dedede have done with them anyway? He did it because he could."

Kirby gave a sigh of irritation. Meta Knight wasn't even around when that incident occurred. He was doing some mission on the Popopo Islands or something and he was pretty sure that it had been on the king's orders. Did Meta Knight think he was stupid or something? "I'm not defending that and yeah, I know Dedede can be a bit of a pain and selfish at times but he has changed. I know he's changed! He knows not to do that kind of thing ever again! He tried to stop Nightmare from taking over didn't he? At least he tried! And it's not his fault he got possessed that time by Dark Matter!"

"Yet you attacked him because you thought he was up to no good again."

"Because he didn't tell me what he was doing!" Kirby lifted his arms in frustration. "What was I supposed to think when he stole the Sparkling Stars and food not that long before? Nobody tells me anything! You never tell me anything and I'm expected to know what's going on? Then something bad happens and I try to stop it and then I'm called reckless because I do something that accidentally leads to something bad because nobody tells me what's going on!"

The two puffballs glared at each other intently for a long time, heedless of the cold wind and waters being whipped up in the sea.

"You destroyed my Hal—!"

"—could have at least said some—!"

"—don't see the—!"

"—you cold—!"

"—always have to see the good—!"

"—could have tried—!"

"—immature—!"

"—you almost—!"

"—I swear I—!"

"YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!"

Both stopped in their tracks. Meta Knight saw Kirby breathing heavily, shaking and the tell-tale sign of tears trickling down his cheeks. Kirby tried to wipe them away but there was a constant stream and soon his eyes were stinging painfully. Meta Knight would probably tell him it was unbecoming of a warrior to cry but what the hell, he didn't care.

"You wanted me dead," Kirby whispered. "I stood up to you and you wanted me dead."

"What are you talking about?" Meta Knight frowned. "I wanted to stop you from carrying out any further actions, something which I obviously failed at. I was angry that you were interfering with my goal but I would never want you dead. I am not that kind of person."

"Wh-when we f-fought on the d-deck," Kirby said miserably, "you s-said 'prepare to die'. You said that. You s-said you'd get me. Y-you wanted me d-d-dead…"

Meta Knight had no idea what Kirby was talking about at first before it suddenly hit him. When the Halberd had lost all power and was plummeting towards the ocean, Kirby had reached the main deck only to face Meta Knight wielding Galaxia. And Meta Knight had been enraged by what Kirby had done. Everything had been ruined.

But… Kirby had been looking to protect Dream Land as he had always done and Meta Knight appeared to be threatening it no matter his intentions. Meta Knight had taught Kirby many things and both had sparring matches every now and then so that Kirby could improve his skills while Meta Knight also kept in practice. Though he never said it out loud, he did enjoy those sessions. He said about the importance of looking out for others, how it was the right thing to do, how one should keep to the morals and values of a warrior. And then he said that…

He had broken Kirby's trust.

Meta Knight hesitated, a very unusual occurrence. "It was said in… the heat of the moment."

Kirby didn't look at Meta Knight.

"Kirby…"

"If th-that Wheelie didn't help me… I don't know what I'd have done. I might h-have made it to the sh-shore or cliff but floating about is slow and I w-was exhausted. I can't fly like you. You st-still chased me even when I was riding the Wheelie. I d-don't know if you wanted to k-kill me or what…"

Yes, he had flown after Kirby escaping on the Wheelie with every intention to stop him, to… to… to…

To do what?

Had he wanted him dead?

What if he had ended up killing him?

"If-if you had c-caught me, w-would you have p-pinned me down and got out your sword?" Kirby mumbled. He continued to tremble with the effort of not breaking down completely. "Y-you've got a sword now; you always have a sword. Wh-what are you going to do now with it?"

"I'm not going to do anything with it," Meta Knight said immediately. "I would never want you dead, Kirby, no matter what happens between us."

"Y-you s-s-said…"

He had lost control with himself. What if he had gone too far to the point of no return? If Kirby… if… Kirby… no…

The people needed Kirby. Dream Land needed Kirby. Popstar needed Kirby. Even though his powers were still not fully developed, even though he was young, still a child, they needed Kirby. Without Kirby, what would happen when they were threatened? If it was something they had no hope of dealing with without that someone who was brave, who was strong, who cared for justice and cared for others because it was the right thing to do?

No. Was that the only reason he was going to give? Because people needed him? Because he was useful and because people would not be able to cope without him otherwise?

Kirby had… a good heart. He was a… good friend. Someone he watched out for. Someone… he couldn't imagine ever not being here…

No. That was not the only reason either. The question he had to ask himself was this: would he have killed in cold blood? Would he have killed outright?

Meta Knight forced himself to look at Kirby directly even though the boy continued to stare at the ground. "Kirby… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said and what I did, what I put you through. I promise you I would never want anything so bad happening to you. I've never wanted that. I… Kirby…"

Kirby held himself as if something was badly aching inside.

"Did I injure you? I know you must have been exhausted chasing after me. I'm sorry, I—"

Kirby shook his head. He cast a glance to the ocean where the sun was now setting, to where the Halberd was currently resting, somewhere in those waters. He remained silent for some time and Meta Knight was desperate to break the painful silence. Anything was better than this.

"Just… let me think for a while."

"…OK." Time. They both needed time. "I'll… just wait here."

Kirby slowly walked over to the nearby tree and flopped down beside it. He stared at the grass and occasionally rolled about the apple he had thrown down earlier. Meta Knight for his part wrapped his cape round himself again and stared at nothing in particular. He occasionally glanced at Kirby from time to time and, in the far distance, Dedede's castle.

What if there was a better way? Kirby… I wish you hadn't got involved.

… But then, I suppose it's because he stood in the way of what I wanted because no-one else would have been able to stand up to me. Is that the kind of start I would have wanted for Dream Land? Then what?

"Are your crew safe?"

Meta Knight blinked. "My crew? Yes, they all got out safely. I had to carry Sailor Dee as I flew away. He stayed with me until the very last second."

Kirby nodded and returned to his thoughts.

I wonder what Dedede will say the next time I meet him? I suppose I am a rebel. A… traitor.

Am I a traitor? Yet he wasn't harmed. The castle was not attacked. But…

Meta Knight sighed. He hated uncertainty. He went through life being as certain as possible. With a life as long as he would have, one did not want to be uncertain about things.

I just want… what's best for them. Don't I?

The masked warrior thought deeply as he closed his eyes, not wanting to disturb Kirby. He replayed the scenes in his mind of his attacking Kirby. How scared the boy must have been when he confronted Meta Knight. It had not been one of their sparring matches. Yet Meta Knight being far older and more experienced would have easily beaten Kirby in a sword match and his skills with a sword were nigh on unparalleled. He could have gone all out. He could have done far worse. He had let the boy win hadn't he? Perhaps he had had control remaining after all…

The two remained in silence for a long time and the sky was soon filled with glittering stars.

"Meta Knight."

The warrior turned around. He didn't know how much time passed exactly though he would have continued to wait for as long as needed. At least it appeared that Kirby had stopped crying.

The young hero stood up. "I… can understand why you did what you did. I know not all is right in Dream Land and that it isn't perfect. Nothing is ever perfect I guess. And maybe Dedede isn't the best king around. I kinda wonder why his Waddle Dee army do follow him at times but that's their decision.

"But… it's not all so bad. I know there are those who will help others if they're able to. And people can change. Dedede has hasn't he? He's trying to build things in Dream Land, improve things and make them better. But maybe he needs a bit of help with that. He's not really got many good advisors. But… you know a lot of stuff. Why don't you talk to him?"

Meta Knight faltered. Would such a thing even be possible? Was Kirby being so idealistic again? "I'm not sure he would want to listen to anything I have to say now."

"You can try. Do you even know what he'll say? He'll probably forgive you. He can't really take the moral high ground I suppose. You've both gotta try. You can't just give up." Kirby sighed. "There's times I wish I could give up but I can't. Because if I did… who else would step in? If I didn't care, who would?"

"I would. But I thought you believed that others do care?"

"They do. I'm sure of it. But there's not much they can do when things go really wrong and I know you know that. Don't you?"

"I suppose I do," the older warrior acknowledged. He thought for a moment. "Perhaps… I thought that this was the only way to be heard. To make people listen and think. To make a difference."

"I wanna make a difference too. And I'm sure there are others too. They may just need showing like Dedede."

"Mmm. I suppose I was trying to force it…"

"Which might have worked. But… I don't like that idea. You shouldn't force others. People should be able to choose shouldn't they? A knight… can help them do that maybe. But if you tried to force them, what then?"

What then indeed? Meta Knight only had his sights on Dream Land but would there have then been the possibility to move onto areas outside of Dream Land? He could have gone much too far. Perhaps… it was for the best that Kirby stopped him, Kirby acting as a counterbalance to his thoughts and actions. A knight… protected others didn't they? They aspired to the ideals of hope, justice, strength and loyalty and through these helped others.

Meta Knight wondered at times who he really was. It was like he had a light side and a dark side vying for attention and control. One of these days he feared that his dark side would someone come out and fight, destroying all in its path, attempting to attack Kirby, maybe even kill him with far more purpose than Meta Knight would ever imagine. If he ever saw his dark side…

"How would you have done it anyway?"

"From a position of power with greater influence. With Dedede not in command, I… well. I suppose the chances are they may not have listened anyway. It would have taken quite some time had my plans gone through and I realise I can be… hasty at times."

"Yeah."

Meta Knight hesitated then took a couple of steps forward. To his relief, the boy did not move away. "I'm sorry. I just want what's best for everyone."

Kirby nodded. "Me too."

Night had fully fallen making Meta Knight's yellow eyes stand out strongly in the dark, one of the most major differences between himself and Kirby. Underneath that mask he was very similar in appearance to Kirby and, when it came down to it, they were not that dissimilar in thought either or in what they wanted to achieve even if they came about it in different ways. Maybe they were more similar than they thought.

"So… what happens now?"

Meta Knight looked towards the castle then back to Kirby. "Should I leave?"

"To Dedede's castle? Yeah. You two should talk things over. In fact," Kirby said with a determined look, "I'll come with you. I'll make sure you both talk. We all want what's best, right?"

"That's not quite what I meant."

Kirby tilted to his head to one side. "You'd run away?"

Meta Knight winced. That implied cowardice. He needed to face up to his actions. "No. That would not do."

"You're needed here though."

"You think so?"

"You want to help."

"I see." Behind his mask, a ghost of a smile appeared. "Thank you, Kirby… for understanding."

The boy breathed a sigh of relief. "Well… I guess I know you wouldn't have… you know. But I was really scared." Meta Knight nodded in response. "And at least you listened this time. Doesn't mean I'm gonna forgive you straight away though."

Meta Knight saw the light in Kirby's blue eyes, the tears now stopped and said: "Of course."

"But… why didn't you just tell me this in the first place?"

"Wouldn't you have stopped me?"

"Yeah," Kirby replied. "But I just wish people told me things so I know better what's going on."

"In hindsight, that would have been a good idea. You are still underestimated it seems as you're still a child. I... underestimated you."

Kirby gave a small laugh which Meta Knight was utterly relieved to hear. The young hero was about to set off for Dedede's castle when he stopped for a moment. "Meta… if anything happened to me, you'd help me out, right?"

Meta Knight inclined his head. "Certainly. I promise. Upon my honour."

"And I'd help you out… although I don't think I'd need to do that much."

Meta Knight chuckled. "You never know. I think we all need help at times. Not that I would want to be in a position where I would need such help but I am not so arrogant as to think I can deal with everything by myself and never need assistance at all."

Kirby smiled. If Meta Knight could acknowledge that even he may need help at times, much as he would protest against it as a slight against his skill and honour, well, it appeared that he could change too. He'd be all the better for it.

"Well then, since you're so determined to see this through, we better go to the castle before Dedede retires for the night."

And so not knowing what would be said, what would happen nor what the outcome would be, but wanting justice, wanting peace, Dream Land's greatest warriors set off together for the castle, ready to make a better world full of hope. If they could all work together and achieve their goals, the future would be a bright one, brighter than the sparkling stars in Popstar's skies.

My dark side. Not in the way I imagined I suppose. I thought it would come from me directly. Ngggh… is my dark side stronger than myself? What does that say about me? This is… recompense for my own actions is it not? Even though… I was forgiven. I suppose this is… justice of a sort. My kind of justice. Hahaha… Who'd have thought that the threat to Dream Land would have come from my alternate self and I go looking for it and then get defeated? Poetic justice. Hahahaha…

At least it shouldn't spread anymore. The others will be safe. Nggh, Nova, it hurts so much… How could I have been taken by surprise like that? I hope the others won't need to deal with this? I did… the right thing didn't I?

Kirby… it's just as well you stopped me before, hmm? It looks like you'll need to stop this one as well. I'm sorry. I guess this was always going to be part of me, my mirror self.

Kirby… I need your help. Please…