And we finally have the final chapter! Who's excited?! I sure am!

I'm sorry it took me longer than usual to complete, I was suddenly bombarded with a bunch of requests I took up on my new dA account. When I did find time to work on it, I lost all the motivation, and that just made me push it back. But I FINALLY sat myself down, and told myself I had to complete this by the end of the day, so here we are now!

I have a new story underway, so I won't be inactive here for very long. Feel free to review this story or do whatever you please always!

And for a last note, I'd like to thank everybody who have supported me, reviewed this, followed and favored this. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, and I sincerely love you all. I've met such amazing people here, and I've felt so welcomed in the overall. So once again, THANK YOU and ENJOY THE LAST CHAPTER! (Also, yes, I know a week is 7 days, but I couldn't write another day.)

CallieSizemore601- Eh, what can I say? I like to step outside of the cliche, and I figured I'd twist it up a bit with Bugzzy. Thank you for the compliment, and don't worry! I'll be back before you know it.^^

Storystosee-Of course! Sunsets are one of my favorite things, along with fluffy father-son moments, and the two just happen to go together like waffles and ice cream.~

Day 6

Normally between the two puffs, Kirby's the one to prod at his mentor, but today was different.

The sun had just reached its place in the sky, but a pink baby was still sleeping. He was having a nice dream, and was snug in his blanket. He looked so peaceful, and Meta Knight felt bad that he had to wake him up. He opened the curtains first, hoping the bright sunlight would do the job for him. But the child did not stir. Sighing, the knight walked over to the bed, and gently nudged him.

"It's time to get up, little one. Come on, wake up."

Blue eyes slowly opened, at least halfway. They tried to focus on the yellow ones behind the mask.

"...Poyo?" Kirby asked in a groggy tone. It was clear he wasn't aware of what was going on today, but he wasn't particularly happy to be pulled out of the dream he was having. It pictured him playing with his animal friends from the woods.

Meta Knight smiled empathetically. "I'm sorry I had to wake you up, but do you remember what today is?"

The child thought. Was it someone's birthday? ...No. Is it a holiday? ...No. An anniversary? ...No, I don't think so. Was there training today? Well maybe, but Meta Knight wouldn't wake me up for that. Hmm...I can't think of anything else. What could it be? A head shake answer was given, and sleepy eyes turned into curious ones.

"Well, you know that it's been a week since Fumu left with her family on vacation."

Kirby frowned. Yes, I know that, Meta Knight. But what does that have to do with any-. His train of thought halted, and the look on his face was priceless. Oh! Fumu's coming home today! Forget that dream: this is so much more important!

All at once, all the sleepiness left the child, and he was bouncing up and down with a big fat smile plastered on his face. "Fumu! Fumu, poyo!" He kept exclaiming, to which his mentor nodded.

"Yes, Fumu is returning today. However, it's still a bit early, and it'll be about an hour or two until the ship lands. Until then, how about we get breakfast from Kawasaki's? He had been asking to get people's opinions on his new breakfast menu."

The pink puff looked torn. I want to be here when Fumu gets back, but breakfast… Kawasaki's sounds amazing right now though… Before he could think anymore, a hand was placed on his shoulder. "Don't worry about Fumu. We won't be that long; in fact, we'll be back with time to spare."

His decision was sealed right then and there. "Poyo." Kirby nodded, now excited to try his favorite chef's new menu. No more words had to be spoken as the child grabbed his mentor's hand and the two headed to the local restaurant.

Chef Kawasaki was sitting around his restaurant, polishing his pan that was already sparkling from a lack of use. He sighed, and wondered if he'd ever earn a better reputation around town. He knew the classes he took helped him in his field, but it was going to take more than a certificate to get the villagers to trust him. No, he's never poisoned anyone, or made them sick with severe stomachaches, but his name was blackened with thoughts of tasteless and awful food. Even with his dubbed notoriety, Kawasaki still looked at the positive side of life, and never brought himself to hate any of his fellow villagers. It made him a good person, and one whom others enjoyed talking to. His smile was wide and contagious, and most of his customers only ordered his food out of courtesy. One could compare him to Kirby, save for his occasional greediness.

Speaking of, the pink puff and his mentor had reached the restaurant, and were greeted by the orange chef. "Hiya guys! Are you here to try out things from the breakfast menu?" He asked while straightening his chef hat. When Meta nodded, it looked like the man would do 10 backflips if he could. "Wonderful! Take a seat anywhere you'd like, I'll go grab the menus from the back." And with that statement, he was off, darting to the kitchen quickly.

Meta Knight chose a nearby table away from the windows and in a corner. He wouldn't have cared if people saw him eating here, but he prefered the lack of attention. Kirby was of course happy with the table, but then again, you could put him on the roof in the middle of a rainstorm and he'd be perfectly fine, as long as he got his food. Meta wanted to start a conversation, but didn't know what to say, knowing his little friend could only babble. So he went with the cliche opening.

"Did you sleep well, little one?" He almost regretted saying "little one" because he knew Kawasaki would be back in light speed time, and he did not need the chef hearing that and adding a comment like, "Aw, that's a cute name to call Kirby, sir!"

"Poyo!" The child answered, smiling widely. He had had nothing but fluffy dreams the night before, and they had only stopped when he was woken up this morning. He kept staring at his mentor, as if waiting for another question or statement. But there were none, and it got a bit awkward for a moment.

Thankfully, the happy-go-lucky chef ran back in, looking all over the place and trying to catch his breath. He laughed nervously, "Sorry about the wait folks! I lost my order slips, and then the menus went missing, and then I couldn't find my only pen...but now I'm just rambling haha. Okay, here's the menus for breakfast." He passed out the slips of paper to the puffs, and then continued, "Can I get you something to drink while you decide?"

Well this was a small problem for the child. He knew what he wanted- saying it was the hard part. Now, yes, he could talk a little bit, but he felt shy about it. To say something that nobody understands: it would make things more awkward, and make him feel ashamed to attempt speaking. He couldn't find what he wanted on the menu either because he didn't learn how to read just yet. How do I do this? He thought.

So Kirby looked up at his mentor with helpless eyes. Meta looked right back into them for a second, before he looked at Kawasaki. It was obvious that the chef was oblivious to the problem at hand. The knight spoke up. "Actually, if you wouldn't mind, would you give us a few minutes? We'll order our drinks with our meals." Kawasaki looked a bit surprised, but still smiled nonetheless. "Of course! I'll be in the kitchen, but I'll come around to take your orders in a few." And with that, he had gone to prepare ingredients and whatnot in the back.

Meta Knight focused on the child, and mused on the conflict at hand. Then an idea hit him. "Kirby, why don't you try saying what you'd like to me? I know that you can say more than 'poyo', and you don't have to feel nervous around me. Can you at least attempt telling me what you want to drink?"

The child was a bit hesitant from fear and thought of how to pronounce his words. But he did try speaking. "...Chak wit milw sake." He babbled slowly, trying to make his syllables as clear as possible.

It didn't take long for Meta Knight to process his words. "...You'd like a chocolate milkshake?" A beaming Kirby nodded. "Poyo!" He responded, and it almost came out like a cheer. His mentor was able to understand him! Meta returned the smile. "Alright then. Now let me read you the menu…"

The next few minutes were spent with the knight reading out loud, and the child listening closely, mouth watering with every word spoken. He would decide on what he wanted, but then Meta would say another dish out loud, and he'd change his mind. He didn't know what to order! Everything sounded so delicious, and he just wanted to try everything, but he knew he couldn't.

When Meta finished reading the menu, Kirby gave him another look of helpless eyes. They seemed to ask the question, "Can you help me decide? We both know 'picky' is not in my dictionary, so can you just pick out something for me?"

Meta Knight finally finished reading the menu, and now looked up to meet the child's eyes. The indecisiveness couldn't be any more present in them, and this prompted him to chuckle a bit. "Can't make up your mind? I'm guessing you'd like me to choose something." A relieved head nod came from the boy, and his father continued.

"I know this may sound simple, but why don't you go with an order of short stack pancakes? It's a good place to start on this menu, and you can get strawberries on the side, along with whipped cream on top." Kirby squealed in delight- his mentor knew him so well!

"Okay then, I'll make sure to order that for you." He said, and the two then waited for the chef to come back. Luckily, they didn't have to wait long, as he walked in hurriedly, his eyes wide.

"Did you take a look out the window?" He asked the two. Meta gave him a strange look. "No, why?"

"There's something flying in the sky! Maybe it's a UFO or something?"

It was the knight's turn to look shocked. He rushed to a window, and realized the chef wasn't just pulling his leg. There really was something in the sky, and it looked like it was heading for Castle DDD…

Then it hit him full force- That was Fumu's ship, and it was going to land shortly. And he and Kirby were still at the restaurant. He would've darted right then and there if it wasn't for poor Kawasaki's very confused look. It didn't help either that Kirby looked just as lost. He gave a quick explanation to the chef.

"That's not a UFO, but the Ebrum's ship from Ripple Star. They're arriving earlier than I expected, and we have to go to welcome them home. I'm sorry we have to leave, but I promise we'll be back, along with the Ebrums." Kawasaki was understanding, and nodded without adding a comment. Meta then faced the now alert child. "Let's go Kirby. We can still make it."

The pink puff jumped out of his seat, and ran out the door to catch up with his mentor. The two dashed towards the castle as if their lives depended on it. But since they were puffballs, they never got winded, so all of their attention was focused on getting to their destination. They didn't even notice the few glances they received from some of the villagers.

The two made it back in record time. The ship was beginning to prepare its landing in the garden, but Meta Knight suddenly remembered something. He faced the boy, "Kirby, the gifts are still in the bedroom." A puzzled look turned into one that read, "oh SHOOT!" But before he could panic, the knight went on. "Go up to the apartment and grab them. I'll stay here and greet them all, and explain to them our situation at Kawasaki's. I promise we won't leave without you though." A quick head pat was given. "There's no time to waste, little one. Hurry!" And with that, Kirby bolted into the castle to grab the gifts.

As Kirby disappeared into the depths of the castle, Meta Knight faced the direction of the ship. It took its time landing, and thus hit the ground without any trouble. The door opened, and a ramp extended a few feet in front of the waiting knight. The pilot was the first one out, and he helped the children exit next. As much as she wanted to run out, Fumu made careful steps out of the ship so she didn't trip and fall. She immediately smiled when she saw a certain puff waiting for her.

"Sir Meta Knight!" She called, receiving a wave from said knight. Her brother Bun caught up with the two, and casually crossed his arms behind his head. He said a quick "hey" out of courtesy, to which Meta nodded. Fumu then asked him, "You wouldn't happen to know where Kirby is, do you?"

"He had to grab something from inside the castle. He should be back soon."

Fumu looked a bit disappointed, but her face was a little hard to read. "Oh, okay."

Meta Knight then changed topics. "We were going to have breakfast at Kawasaki's, and we wanted to see if you would care to join us."

"Sounds good to me! Let me go ask my parents real quick. Come on, Bun!"

The kids hurried to their parents, who seemed to have jet lag (ship lag?) and many suitcases to take back. Meta Knight didn't hear their conversation, but it was short anyway, and the two returned to him.

Fumu spoke for the both of them. "Mom and dad said they'll pass, because they still have to put away the suitcases, not to mention they're feeling a bit tired too. But they said Bun and me could go if we wanted, and we said yes."

"Sounds good to me." Meta answered, "We just have to wait for Kirby before we head out."

Bun groaned. "How long is he gonna take? I'm starving!" He didn't complain anymore after his sister nudged him on the shoulder.

The pink puff arrived back as if on cue, startling the group with a loud, "Poyo!" Fumu smiled wide at the sight of him. "Hey Kirby! How are you doing?" He gave a very big and adorable smile as an answer. He really wanted to give her and Bun a hug, but his paws were full at the moment.

Bun didn't even notice the gifts in Kirby's paws. "Okay, Kirby's here. Can we all get going now?" Meta Knight's eyes flashed pink for a quick second. "Sure. Let's head out." With no more hesitance, the four left for the restaurant.

Chef Kawasaki was sitting around, waiting for his customers to return like a loyal puppy. When the doorbell rang and in walked the group, he was thrilled. "Welcome back! And I see you've brought the kids like you said. Welcome home, Fumu and Bun!"

As the now four sat at the already half set table, Fumu spoke up. "Thank you, Kawasaki." Bun looked a tad confused. "Uh, how long have you been serving breakfast? I don't remember hearing you advertise about waffles."

Kawasaki's face read, "Are you really kidding me?!" It wasn't an angry emotion, just a "defeated slap to the face" kind of emotion. He even lost his famous smile- it faded, but he quickly laughed it off. "Oh, yea...I've had fliers all over the town for at least a month...but enough about that! What can I get you all to drink?"

They all ordered their drinks, which were a variety of juices, coffee, and of course, a chocolate milkshake. The children didn't need much time to decide, and Kawasaki took all of their orders quickly. Conversation then took over the table, with Fumu beginning.

"So, Sir Meta Knight, how did your week with Kirby go? I hope he behaved himself."

"Everything went well, and Kirby even began his Star Warrior training. He encountered his first demonbeast, but he successfully defeated it."

Both of the children's eyes went wide at the second statement. Bun was especially impressed. "Wow, Kirby got to fight a bad guy?! That sounds so epic! We didn't have any kind of action-packed adventures like that on Ripple Star."

"Well, what did you do instead for the whole week?"

Fumu decided to jump in. "We got to see the whole of the country we were in, and it was breathtaking! Mom and dad were busy with Queen Ripple, so her assistant named Ribbon accompanied us. She was really nice, and not a bad tour guide!"

"Yea!" Bun agreed. "There was this one time when…"

And the children were off, telling the two puffs about their vacation. They didn't encounter any enemies, but instead, they made many new friends, and did so many exciting activities. With every story that they took turns telling, Kirby's eyes went wider. The child was clearly in awe at everything they said, even if they talked about activities that they could do everyday in Dreamland.

Their storytelling took up the whole waiting period, and even lasted through breakfast. Their tales were so interesting, they not only amazed the boy, but the knight and the chef, who had sat down and listened in. Meta already knew what Ripple Star looked like, but he enjoyed hearing the children, as they made it seem like a completely different place than what he had seen.

The stories finally came to an end as the group was finishing up their meals. Kawasaki got up, and looked at the children. "Wow guys, you really had some amazing adventures! I'm just gonna clear your table a bit, and then I'll grab the check, alright?" He grabbed as many dishes as he could at once, and headed to the back with them.

As he was clearing the table, Meta Knight took the presents sitting between him and Kirby and quietly and secretly stored them in his dimensional cape. He wanted the presents to be opened in a more quiet area. Normally he'd just take them to the castle, but it was hectic at the moment from all the unpacking.

Only Kirby noticed the knight store away the gifts in his cape. The child looked at his mentor with eyes that were looking for an answer. But his mentor did not speak, and only looked back at him with reassuring yet never changing eyes. So Kirby did not say anything, and decided to trust in whatever his mentor had planned.

Kawasaki presented the bill to the group, and Meta Knight paid for everyone. Fumu insisted she and her brother help pay, but she was turned down. "You just got back from vacation, and this is my treat" was his excuse. They all got up from the table and began to leave, and were waved away by Kawasaki. "Bye guys! Thanks again for stopping over!"

Once they were all outside, they headed out towards the beach, as it was quiet there and Kine had asked Meta Knight if he could see Fumu again when she was back home. The sun was shining brightly, and made the water's surface sparkle. The sand was warm, but not too hot to scorch their feet. The two younger boys ran off to play around the water, and Fumu noticed a blue fish waiting around in the ocean. He noticed the blonde haired girl, and cried out, "Fumu! It's been so long!"

Fumu couldn't help but smile as she walked closer to the fish. "It's nice to see you again, Kine." They got into a conversation quickly, laughing here and there. Kine's always had a crush on the girl, and even though she didn't feel the same way, they still became good friends.

Meta Knight observed the whole scene. He didn't mind being alone, and enjoyed to be away from the action for the moment being. After a few minutes or so, he saw Kine getting ready to go back in the ocean depths, and Fumu reaching out to give her fishy friend a hug. When he disappeared into the waves, she walked towards the knight. She now accompanied him in watching the boys, who were now searching for sand crabs. A moment of silence passed between the two, until finally Fumu broke it. She smiled as she faced Meta. "Thank you again for looking after Kirby. I know it was pretty much all last minute planned, but I'm really grateful you did this anyway."

He nodded, and even gave her a small smile back behind his mask. "It really was no problem. We got stuff done, and Kirby enjoyed himself." He wasn't going to admit it out loud, but he enjoyed the child's presence, and would be happy to watch him any day. The child brought sunshine into his life, and he could not express how thankful he was to have that again.

Speaking of, said puff and Bun came running back to Meta and Fumu, unsuccessful in trying to find sand crabs, yet successful of becoming walking pillars of sand. The older sister sighed at the sight of her little brother, and pulled him off to the side. "Look at you, all sandy like that! You are definitely not going back to the castle like that- let's go clean you off with a little bit of water." And the two walked back to the ocean to wash off all the mud caught in Bun's hair.

Kirby wasn't very muddy, but he picked up enough sand for Meta Knight to motion him over. A few quick brushes with his gloves did the trick, and the child was good to go. When Meta was finished, he pulled the presents out of his cape and handed them to Kirby. "Okay little one, when they come back here, hand them these." The child nodded with a smile that could outshine the sun.

The children came back, both still a bit wet but cleaner. Fumu noticed the presents in Kirby's paws first. "What's with the gift boxes, Kirby?" The baby giggled a bit, and attempted to speak.

"Fuw yuu!"

Both of the siblings couldn't help but smile back.

"Aw, that's really sweet of you!" Fumu said as she was handed her gift.

The two carefully unwrapped their gifts, and they both were surprised at what was in the boxes.

Fumu gasped and squealed a bit. "This is so cute Kirby! You did such a good job with this!"

Bun chuckled. "Yea! I didn't know you could draw like this, Kirby!"

Kirby was beaming with utmost pride. He jumped in the air, and cheered, "Poyo!" The two laughed, and Fumu spoke up after she regained her breath. "How about you come back with us to the castle? Mom and dad would love to see what you made us!" Kirby nodded, but before he could walk with them, Meta Knight intervened. "Fumu, would you mind if Kirby met you there? We have something to discuss, and he won't take long." The girl gave him a slightly suspicious look, but said that was fine, and headed with Bun on her way back to the castle.

Kirby gave his mentor a slightly confused look. Once he was sure the kids were gone a good distance, he turned towards his student and pulled out the other gifts from his cape. "You don't want to forget the gifts you made for Parm, Memu, Lololo and Lalala now." Kirby almost forgot about them! He took the gifts, and set them on the ground, because he thought Meta was going to speak. And that, he did.

"Kirby, I just want to tell you before you go that this week went really well, and I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as I did. I'll work up a training schedule with you soon, so don't worry about that. If you ever need anything from me, don't be hesitant to get me: the apartment door's always open." He stopped, and said his last statement with blue eyes.

"Thank you, son, for everything."

Kirby was a bit shocked to see his mentor being so sentimental with him, but smiled anyway and hugged him tightly. "Dad-dee…" He purred, soon feeling his mentor returning the embrace. They stayed like this for a moment, before Meta broke out of it, eyes fading back to yellow.

"Well, you don't want to be too late back to the castle. I'll see you later, little one."

"Poyo!" Kirby replied, and carried his gifts back to the castle, leaving Meta Knight around the rocky cliffs of the beach, still thinking about the time they spent together.

END (I'll still go back and edit the whole story, so don't be shy to check back soon!)