Authoress' Notes: Well, here we are; the sequel to the much acclaimed hit! Believe it or not, this story's been in production since around Chapter 8 or 9 of the original. That's about 1 ½ years in the making, people. That right there should tell you this gonna be epic... or at least I hope so. :)

OMG Disclaimer: I don't own any of The Evil People From Nintendo's characters or titles that appear in this fan fiction. I only claim possession of several OCs, the plot, and story overall. Their games get them nearly $150 from me annually, so what more could they possibly want?! D:

Better Off Alone II: Hope & Faith

Prologue

He peeked around the snowy scene, unable to answer his own question. It'd been hours since he heard that loud explosion in the distance, not to mention his mother had still not come back for him. She told him to stay there until she did, so he wasn't going anywhere soon.

...But the sun was beginning to go down, taking the temperature with it. Susceptible to the cold, his mother always made sure he was back in the den, wrapped in her nice, warm cloak when the sun touched the very top of Lunar Peak. Looking in the distance, he was shocked to see only the sun's rays remained of it now, the rest hidden by the tremendous mountain they called home.

She should've been back by now... The Chomps were gone, and nothing was out at the moment, so he cautiously emerged from the snow. He grimaced at the damp green-and-white striped hat upon his head. He took it off to wring it out, revealing his short, neat lime green hair.

Hesitantly, he snuck around the snow-covered mountain, looking for his mother. They often got separated, but they were one with nature; they always found each other somehow. When she was around, all others on the mountain obeyed her. The snow itself even seemed to heed her commands on how to snow, when to snow, or even if to snow. Her son was confident he'd find her. As long as he was on the mountain, she was always there.

"Just because you can't always see me, doesn't mean I'm not there."

She used to say that a lot and it was true. She was always there, and always would be... And when she said she'd come back for him, he knew she would. She'd never lie... Would she...?

He wanted to call out for her, but she'd warned him to never do that. Yelling would disturb the natural order of the peak, and that was one thing neither of them wanted. If he wanted to find her, all he had to do was look--

"Aah!"

He yelped, startled by a large, dominant shape suddenly towering over him. It came out of nowhere; it must've been them! He cowered, burying himself in the snow and backing away from this great oddity. The strange figure only added to his fear by stepping closer, possibly to get a better look at this poor, unfortunate misfit.

"Stop your sniveling," came its words. Something about its deep, commanding voice made him stand up straight. "You are a prince, and it's time for you to act as such."

Well, of course he was a prince; Prince Midori of the Senka Kingdom, which had been destroyed about a thousand years ago. He, his mother, and father had fled to hide out in the mountains until they found a more permanent home to suit them. Unfortunately, the "wrongdoers", as his mother called them, had killed his father with their explosive sticks. Now, thanks to them, even she'd gone missing. He wondered how this figure knew that...

"Despite your whining, I regret to inform you will never find your mother."

...What did it mean by that? His mother was only missing, not gone. All he had to do was find her... He had so many questions on his lips... There were so many things he wanted to know. Was this... thing a friend or foe? Was it responsible for his mother's disappearance? And if so, what did it want with him?

"Come," said the figure, his words sounding more like a demand rather than a request. "We must find you some shelter."

Midori sat behind, watching in confusion. The figure went on into the snowy atmosphere, only turning to look at him once before going on. It obviously didn't care whether he followed or not. Figuring it was better than nothing, he quickly scrambled after it. He struggled to keep up, bounding thorough the deep snow, but the figure's huge strides proved too fast, leaving him to fall in a deep hole. The figure sighed at his incompetence and went back to retrieve him. He dipped a lion-like paw into the snow, and pulled him out by the tail, dropping him into nearby loose snow.

"...Quit fooling around, and let's go," he demanded again.

The prince made sure to keep up, not wanting to get this guy any angrier than he already sounded. Maybe some conversation would make him feel better...

"Who are you?" he gently asked, huddling together behind the figure.

The figure ignored him, instead leading him to a small, hollow opening made from fallen trees. It looked like a small shelter just big enough for the prince to squeeze into. He stood by and watched as Midori approached, then backed up. That wasn't where he and his mother stayed... They lived up in a secret cave high on the mountain. This one was much too close to civilization and not nearly as secretive. Annoyed at his meekness, the figure pushed him.

"Sit here," he commanded.

Midori obeyed, plopping himself at the foot of the den. He winced a little at the cold feeling it sent up his spine. Confused, he looked up at figure again, who only glared at him with scary, red eyes. Intimidated, he turned his attention back to the ground, only to have him sit before him, huffing as if irritated.

He then lowered his head and took to going to sleep, much to Midori's surprise. Despite the figure's cold nature, Midori knew his mother had taught him better. It was always good manners to know, thank, and ask others nicely, and he'd done none of the above.

He gently touched the figure. "...Um... T-thank you for your hospitality, sir. I'm sure Mother will reward you when I tell her."

"..."

The prince coughed awkwardly. "...Uh, who are you?"

Again, the figure didn't answer, instead, shifting so his head couldn't be seen.

Still not hearing a response, Midori cowered. "Y-you're not going to hurt me, are you?"

"..."

He bit his lip, more nervous than ever. "...C-can I at least know your name?"

"Llewellyn," he muttered. "That's all you'll need to know for now."