I would say that it was a happy day, but then I would be lying to you.

Everyone was being sent home, and while they were excited to return to their homeland, that would mean saying goodbye to their friends yet again.

The had said goodbye to each other after melee, and they hadn't been sure whether they would see each other again. It wasn't quite as sad then, the friendships that had formed hadn't been quite as strong, but now, after brawl, they were once again unsure of whether they would be able to reunite again in the future.

So here everyone was, saying goodbye, waving, hugging. Some exchanged tears, while others merely chatted and said their farewells. Most of the smashers were gathered together in the cafeteria.

Link stood close to Zelda, saying good-bye to Mario as the Hylian Princess spoke to Peach.

"I hope to see you again, Link." Mario said as he shook the Hero's hand.

"You too, Mario." Was Link's simple reply as he gave the plumber a slight smile. The two men and their princesses stood together, watching each other for a sad while until Peach spoke up.

"It was nice to see you again, Link and Zelda," She said politely. Link gave her a small nod.

"Have you two seen Ike or Marth? Everyone keeps asking me where they are." Peach said, their depressing circumstances vanishing for a moment. Link turned to Zelda, knowing that she was more observant about these things than himself. She frowned slightly before answering.

"I don't think I've seen them, but I'll check around the manor for them." The Hylian Princesses said.

"Thank you, Zelda." Peach said with a small smile. They exchanged goodbyes for the final time before setting off to find the two swordsmen. They said goodbye to Snake before setting off into the hallway. They had already said goodbye to the other smashers, and there was no real point in lingering. They walked for a while in contempt silence before Zelda's expression grew worried. They had walked through the main hallways and found no sign of the missing two.

"I hope something didn't happen to them." The princess murmured quietly.

"I'm sure they're fine." Link replied, knowing that they were completely capable of taking care of themselves, especially if they were together. They worked well as a team. The Hylians walked for a while before Zelda abruptly stopped. Link looked at her in confusion.

"I think I heard someone." She said. She turned the corner and walked down a hallway that Link was unfamiliar with. It had different pictures along the walls, ranging from peaceful fields to a tall castle. Was this the Fire Emblem wing of the mansion?

Zelda peered around a corner before gasping slightly and hiding herself behind the wall. Link tried to walk past her, move around the corner despite Zelda's strange reaction, but he was yanked back by the princess. He leaned against the wall beside her, getting ready to complain before Zelda placed a finger over her lips in a 'be quiet' gesture.

Link shut his mouth and instead leaned his head against the wall behind him, deciding to just listen to the princess and not ask anymore questions. Zelda tapped Link's shoulder and pointed to her ears, leaving Link slightly confused for a moment until he understood. 'Listen.'

He listened closely. He heard soft whispers of words, nothing he could fully comprehend. He listened until he finally understood the words.

"I love you."

That's what was being repeated over and over again, followed by a name.

"Ike."

The Hylian listened intently, becoming more and more curious. The affectionate whispers sounded so sad, desperate even. Like the person whispering them was on the verge of tears, being torn away from someone they love. It saddened the hero just to hear the broken whispers.

Link desperately wanted to know who was the one whispering, so he slowly moved to peer around the corner, despite his princess' frantic movements to keep him from looking. What he saw froze him on the spot.

There were the two missing smashers, the Prince and the mercenary. Marth had his legs wrapped around Ike's torso while Ike held onto him tightly, holding the Prince against the wall. Marth was the one whispering, tears streaming down his face as Ike gently kissed along the Prince's throat, attempting to calm his fragmented breaths. Ike himself looked just as mournful as Marth's words sounded, yet the way he held the Prince was careful and compassionate, as if the Prince would shatter if he held him too tightly.

Marth's whispers changed from ''I love you"s to something else.

"Please don't go," The Prince whispered, and Link could feel his heart slowly shattering, as if he were feeling the same emotions as Marth. He was sure that Zelda felt the same way. She seemed to be in distress.

"Come with me to the castle, you don't have to go back." The Prince whispered as fresh tears glided across his cheeks. Ike moved away from Marth's neck to look him in the eyes. Marth stared back sadly.

"You know that we both have to return. You have people to lead, and so do I." the mercenary replied. Marth's eyes glistened. He leaned forward and placed his head on the mercenary's shoulder, hiding his face as his body trembled slightly.

"I know." It sounded as if the Prince's heart had fractured. Ike's expression changed to one of grief. He held onto Marth tighter. The Prince moved back to look at Ike. Marth leaned forward slowly, gently.

It was a soft kiss, lasting only mere seconds, but it felt wrong to see, the amount of love that glittered in each of their eyes when they finally parted was astounding.

Link moved back, leaning against the wall next to a tearful Zelda. He had never imagined it, the royal swordsman and the mercenary. He could see it clearly now, how obvious it was. They were meant for each other, but here they were, being torn apart. Had it been like this for them after melee?

He couldn't bare to think about what would happen if they were all reunited again and one of the two didn't come. Even Link would have been upset. He couldn't imagine being here without Zelda.

The hero moved away from the wall, walking back down the hallway towards the cafeteria. He turned to see Zelda following closely behind him, her head tilted down. Link moved back to walk with her, slipping his hand into hers.

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. They'll be fine, we'll all be fine.

As they made their way down the hallway, back to the room where all the smashers were gathered, they heard one last thing.

"Never forget about me, never forget about how much I loved you."

I hope that you enjoyed this short story. I'm considering writing a prequel-thing, so if you want me to do that just PM me or review.

Reviews and favorites are appreciated.