Outside in the training fields, Link, Ike and Lucina were having a hand-to-hand sparring match. Link was insistent that the three sword fighters work on their unarmed combat skills. Observing them was Snake, Lucario and Ryu. All three being experts in this form of combat. They would observe the match to see the three's strengths, weaknesses, and how to improve.

It was becoming clear where the three fighters fell in terms of their style of fighting. Ike was the powerhouse, the heavy hitter. Not surprising, he was the same way when he used his sword.

Lucina was impressively fast and agile. Her speed could make her a difficult target to hit. She may not have the raw power of Ike or Link, but her kicks were incredible swift, with enough force to break a person's arm.

Link fell somewhere in between. He was a jack-of-all-trades. He was strong and quick, but not to an incredible degree. He had a good balance between his speed and power. This was beneficial.

"All right! Time!" Snake ordered, signaling for the three to stop their match. The three stopped, pretty exhausted and breathing heavy breaths. Snake threw the bottles of water for each of them. Once they finally caught their breath. They went to their three instructors for their evaluations. Each one of them paid close attention to one fighter specifically, so they would give the report to the fighter they were assigned to.

"Ike." Lucario began. "Your strength is most impressive. I'm sure that you could take down some of the largest of opponents with a few hits." Ike smiled at the compliment. "However, all the power in the world means nothing if you can't hit your opponents, which I could tell you had trouble with. Also, you will not be able to utilize your full strength with the way you throw your punches. Your attacks are wild and predictable. You attack like a drunken brawler. You need to learn to control yourself so that your attacks come out with finesse." The fighting Pokémon explained.

"Alright. What do I need to do?" Ike asked.

"Work on your jab. A jab is not a strong punch, but it's quick and doesn't leave you wide open. It's a good way to apply pressure. And I recommend you focus on counter hitting. If you block or dodge an opponent's attack that leaves them wide open, you make them pay with your full strength with a counter attack. You understand?" Lucario asked.

"I do! Thank you!" Ike said with respect.

Lucario smiled. "All right, you're dismissed Ike."

With that Ike took his leave. But as he was leaving, Alex caught up to him. It seemed the wrestler wanted a word.

"Hey Ike!" He waved and started walking with Ike.

"Hey Alex. What's up?" Ike wondered.

"I was watching your training session. I'm sure you've been told this a thousand times, but you're a real powerhouse."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot, but I can say the same about you. You're certainly not lacking in the muscle department." Ike replied.

Alex just chuckled at that before continuing. "Anyway, I noticed during the fight that all you were really doing was punching."

"Really? I'm just not much of a kicker I guess. Is that a problem?" Ike asked.

"Not relying on kicks as your main method of offense? No, there's no problem with that. The problem is that you only do punches. It a huge waste of all that power you have. You're not utilizing your strength." Alex explained.

"So what do I do?"

"You should work on grappling!" Alex suggested with excitement.

"Grappling? You mean like wrestling?" Ike questioned.

"Not just wrestling! I'm talking about grabbing people, throwing them like ragdolls, slamming them like basketballs! Overpowering your opponents and making them afraid to get close to you." Alex explained with enthusiasm.

Ike liked the sound of this. "That sounds right up my alley. Care to show me the ropes?"

Alex smiled, happy to have convinced Ike to learn. "You bet I do!"

Back at the training field, Ryu walked up to Lucina. "You're pretty light on your feet. The speed and power of your kicks is very impressive too. Almost reminds me of a strong woman that I know." Ryu complimented.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Your speed and agility are the traits you will need to rely on in battle. You don't have the raw power or durability of someone like Ike. You will need to be extra cautious when you're up against bigger and stronger opponents, as one powerful attack can be devastating. Fortunately, you have a powerful offense. Those kicks are both swift and powerful. I have no doubt that if you land it just right, your kicks are capable of breaking an arm or a leg. If you can cripple an opponent, you've pretty much won the match. Just don't let your guard down until the opponent is down though. Understood?" Ryu asked.

"Yes sir! Thank you!" She replied.

"You are dismissed." He said and the two bowed to each other.

With Ike and Lucina gone, Link was the last one to be judged. Snake stepped forward and examined him. Of the three, Link was objectively doing the best in the fight. Seemed like Link didn't limit his training to just the training ground. He sure wasn't lying about wanting to get stronger. Snake really respected that resolve. Of course, what else was he to expect from the man who possessed the Triforce of Courage.

"You did good out there Link. The best way to describe you is a good all-around fighter." Snake started.

"Thanks, but what do you mean by that?"

"It means that unlike Ike or Lucina, you're not lacking in any departments. Your speed, power, endurance and technique are all equal. You may not excel in any of those categories, but you are proficient in all of them. I guess you could say you're a jack-of-all-trades." Snake said. "You should continue to practice on your fundamentals. You seem to be doing a good job of that. Once you've got that mastered, we'll work on teaching you new techniques."

"Got it. Thank you Snake!" Link replied.

"Dismissed."

With that, Link left the training area. The other three began to take their leave as well.

"I think we made some progress today." Ryu smiled.

"Indeed." Lucario replied. Snake simply responded with an approving grunt. With the training session over, Snake thought about the next thing on his to-do list. He turned to Lucario.

"Hey Lucario, can you do something for me?" He asked.

"Of course. What is it?"

"Tell the others I'll be back in a few hours. There's somewhere I gotta go."

"All right. But may I ask where exactly you're going?" Lucario asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm going to have a chat with Deacon."

A few hours later, Snake had made it to the top of Deacon's mountain. Of course, like always, Deacon sensed his presence as he was coming.

"Looks like you've succeeded yet again." Deacon chuckled.

"I just did what needed to be done." Snake replied, showing his disdain for being praised.

"Of course. But the bottom line is you've rid this world of a great evil. We can agree on that."

"Are you sure that he's dead for real this time?" Snake questioned.

"How did you kill him?"

"I threw him into a vat of molten steel. Basically, put him in bathtub full of lava."

"Then yes, I think it's safe to believe he's not coming back. If there's nothing left of him, there's no way he can be brought back. And even if there's a piece of him still remaining, there would be no one to put him back together. While you were dealing with him, your allies destroyed what was left of his organization. Many of them decided to join the UR, as they were only under Deathborn due to his coercion. I think their scientist would be a great addition to your group." Deacon explained.

"No doubt about that." Snake remarked. There was a brief silence between the two of them.

"By the way, did you manage to find Crazy Hand?" Deacon asked.

"I did, actually."

"And did you get the answers you were looking for?"

"Yeah, but they really didn't change anything." Snake somberly said, earned a confused hum from Deacon. "No big revelations. I learned things that I didn't know, but it was all things that I really could have lived without knowing. Nothing came from my desperate search for the truth. None of it will help the world."

"Are you sure about that?" Deacon questioned. "You're now the only person in this world that knows almost everything about the Catastrophe. It's a major part of this world's history. Don't you think people deserve to know?"

Snake rubbed his chin as he pondered that suggestion. "I guess you're right. They always say that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. This generation and the generations that follow deserve to know the truth, no matter how ugly it may be. The world can't have another Catastrophe."

"I agree."

Their conversation could have ended right there, but there was something Snake still needed to tell Deacon about. "There's something else I learned from Crazy that wasn't about the Catastrophe, and I think you deserve to know it."

"What would that be?" Deacon showed his curiosity.

"It's about you, and what you are."

While he hid it very well, Deacon was shocked, a chill going up his spine. Never in a million years did he think he would ever learn that information. "All right. Let's hear it."

Snake explained it all to him. How he was a creation of Crazy Hand. How he was made to be a guardian, an observer. That he was an empty set of Darknut armor given life. Deacon took it well. Truthfully, he didn't really care. He was always a bit curious about his origin, but he could go through his entire life not knowing and it wouldn't have bothered him.

"Well, thank you for telling me this." Deacon said with gratitude. "But I'm curious, did you specifically ask him about me?"

"No actually. While he was rambling about his creations, he let the fact that you're one of them slip."

"I see."

"He also said that you were his favorite creation."

"Really? Why's that?"

"Because you were the first and only thing he made that wasn't built to destroy."

It couldn't be seen because of his helmet, but behind it, there was a small smile on Deacon's face. "I see. It's somewhat comforting that I wasn't just another random invention created and forgotten."

Snake nodded in agreement. "He did make you with the hope of being able to help people. And you sure did help me and the others out. I thank you for that."

Deacon appreciated Snake's gratitude. It wasn't at all necessary, after all he didn't give Snake information for free. He had to best him a duel to earn it, something no one before then had done, but he still appreciated it. As he thought more about Crazy Hand, he let out a heavy sigh. "What a poor fool…" He lamented.

Snake raised an eyebrow at that. "Huh?"

"I can't help but feel bad for him when I put myself in his shoes. He, one of the Overseers of the world, could see that Doomsday was coming. Yet he could do nothing to prevent it, despite all of his efforts. All he could do was prepare the world for the beginning of a new age. That must have been a massive amount of grief that he carried for the rest of his days." said Deacon, expressing his pity.

"And to think he chose to carry that grief for seven years. He could've offed himself at any point, yet he chose to stay and wait to be found. There was no guarantee that anyone would search for him. I had pretty much forgotten about him. If it wasn't for Marth telling me about him before he died, I wouldn't have even searched for him." Snake admitted.

"Yes, it's difficult to understand but that should be no surprise. After all, he was crazy." Deacon chuckled.

"I guess you're right." Snake then turned and began walking away. "I'll see you around Deacon."

"Farewell Snake."

Snake walked with Peach downtown in the Capital. As an apology for him going lone wolf, he promised to take her on a date, something his not very familiar with.

"So uh…is there somewhere you want to go?" Snake asked nervously. Peach couldn't help but put her hands over her mouth and start giggling. "What's so funny?"

"You are! You've look so nervous, I've never seen you like this." Peach admitted, earning a frustrated growl from Snake. "Is this your first date or something?" She asked jokingly.

"Yeah actually." Snake answered, with Peach's expression changing into one of shock.

"Wait! Really?!"

"Is it really that surprising? Everyone knows that social interaction isn't exactly my forte."

"Alright, don't worry about that. I'll help you out!" She said cheerfully. "One of the common things that people do when they go out on a date is go out to eat." She explained. "Do you know any good restaurants?"

Snake calmed himself down a little bit. With Peach's advice, he might be able to survive this. "Yeah, I know some good places." He nodded.

"Great! Just show me the way." Peach said and held Snake's hand. Snake was perplexed by her hand intertwining with his, also getting a strange feeling. Affection, a feeling he had not felt in so many years. "Are you alright, Snake?" She asked, looking concerned and snapping Snake out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm still just getting used to this is all. Let's go." He said and began walking off with her, hand-in-hand. He took her to a nice Bar & Grill that he often went to. It was nothing fancy, nothing real special, but it was kept clean and the food was good. Peach seemed to agree, as she happily dug into her burger.

"This is fantastic! I've never had anything like it!" She exclaimed. Snake raised an eyebrow.

"Really? All that time you spent as a Princess and you've never had a good ol' hamburger?" He chuckled.

"I would always cook my own food back in the castle. I knew a lot of recipes, but a burger was never one of them." She answered.

"Well, I'm sorry you've been missing out." He said and they both began laughing.

After going to a few other places, they decided to find a nice spot of grass in a field and gazed up at the night sky together.

"I always loved looking up at the moon and the stars." Peach happily recalled.

Snake nodded. "Yeah I never really got a lot of time to take in the sights. But when I do, I always find myself getting a feeling of inner peace."

Peach looked over to Snake with a small smile, her eyes were a bit watery eyes. Peace; that was something the poor man deserved. Without thinking, she leaned over and gave Snake a small kiss on the cheek. Snake looked like a deer in the headlights. He certainly wasn't expecting that. He turned to look at Peach, who was already looking embarrassed.

"I-I'm sorry. I…I j-just…" She nervously stuttered, before she just stopped the restraints of her emotions. A few tears dropped down her face. "I just wish that you could've lived a much happier life in the past!" She confessed. Snake wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to comfort her. "From just looking at your face, people can tell you had a hard life. I got that impression the first time I saw you after you rescued Zelda and I on the Halberd."

'Snake had a hard life'. Five words that summed him up to a T. But despite that, he was still here, still alive, still fighting for what he felt was right.

"Things definitely could've been better for me in the past. But my past is what it is. I've accepted that. In fact, I have no regrets about my past. It made me into the person I am today." Snake explained. "Ironically, the past several months has been the happiest time of my life." He said. Peach raised her head to look at Snake, he looked back. "Think about it, right now we're having a date in a post-apocalyptic world. We had dinner. The past is the past, I rather live in the present. And what I know is that what I'm doing here right now, being here with you, is making me very happy."

He looked at her with a smile. That smile, the smile that people rarely saw. He would grin, he would chuckle and laugh. But he would rarely smile. Now it was her turn to be surprised, as Snake leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Sorry if that was a bad kiss. It's the first one I've ever done in my life." He admitted, to which Peach could only giggle in response. "Now, if you really want to make me happy, you stop those tears. I never liked seeing you cry."

"You got it!" Peach complied and wiped away any tears left. She grabbed Snake into a hug. "Thank you, Snake!" She warmly said.

"Any time Princess. Any time."

It was several weeks later. Snake was at the training yard, watching over the soldiers training. Someone then called out to him.

"Snake!"

He turned to the voice. "Luigi?". The green clad plumber stopped in front of him. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"

"And how!" Luigi replied enthusiastically. "It's Lucas! He's awake!". Needless to say that Snake was very happy to hear the news.

"Well let's go visit him." He said and they began making their way to the lab in which he had been treated. "This must be a relief for you. You and Daisy had pretty much been at his bed side since we brought him back."

"He was a great friend of mine back then. He's such a good kid." Luigi said. "Well, was a good kid. Hard to believe he's an adult now. But I know that he's still a good to the core."

"You know, it's not inaccurate to still call him a kid." Snake said, with Luigi looking at him confused. "Sure, he's grown physically, but he's still young. He's still got a lot to learn. And maybe you could be the one to teach him."

"Yeah. That doesn't sound too bad."

They arrived at the labs, and near the room he was being taken care of by Rosalina and Robin.

"Oh! Are you both here to visit!" Rosalina smiled.

"That's right." Luigi nodded.

Snake turned to Robin. "I understand he's alright, but what exactly is his condition?"

"Well we want to keep him here another week just to make sure everything alright. Other than that, he's awake, and ready to talk. Go on inside. He really loves having visitors."

The two opened the door and looked at Lucas on the bed.

"Looks like we can have a proper reunion." Snake said. Lucas looked at the two of them with a twinkle in his eye and joyful smile.

"Luigi! Snake!" He cheered. Luigi quickly went up to Lucas and they hugged. Snake gave a small smile at the sight.

"It's good to have you back, kid." He greeted as he walked to Lucas' bedside. Though Lucas was in his twenties, and usually didn't like being referred to as 'kid' because of this, he made an exception for Snake. He formed a bond with the old soldier back when he was in Smash, as he was one of very few people that could understand and relate to the traumatic events he went through as a child. Snake helped him overcome his fears, his nightmares, and taught him that overcoming hardships would make him stronger and help him build a better future for himself. And throughout all this, Snake would often call him 'kid'. Not as an insult, or as some way of degrading him. It was more of an affectionate nickname more than anything.

"Snake! It's been too long! All these years, but you don't really look that different." Lucas said.

"You mean aside from the gray hairs?" Snake said humorously.

"Yeah aside from that." Lucas laughed. "Lucario told me that you took care of that bastard Deathborn. Is it true?"

Snake nodded. "Yeah, he's not going to be stealing people's powers anymore. And he's definitely not going to be rebuilding himself. He's done for."

"Good! He got what was coming to him!"

Snake smiled at the blonde boy, before he went back to having that stoic facial expression he's known for. "I have a question for you Lucas."

Lucas was confused by Snake's sudden serious mood. "Sure; What's up?" He replied.

"I have to ask you…do you want to join the UR?"

Lucas was further confused. "I thought I already was."

"What are you talking about Snake, of course he is!" Luigi interjected.

"No. Not yet. We don't take people in and automatically enlist them into the organization. First, they have to give us a verbal agreement that they want to join. Everyone in this organization must join of their free will." Snake explained. "So, I want to hear it straight from his mouth. Lucas; Do you wish to join the UR?"

Snake already knew the answer, but he was just following protocol. No one is exempt from it.

"Yes! I do!" Lucas eagerly answered. Luigi and Snake smiled at the boy's enthusiasm.

"I thought so. Welcome to the UR, kid."

With the efforts of Snake, his friends, and the rest of the UR, peace returned to the Wasteland. But; As they all know, peace is temporary. Eventually a new threat will rise, and Snake will be waiting for it. Only this time, he won't fight it alone…

Well, that's the end of the second installment in the Wasteland series. I'll be taking a break from it and work on other projects before I begin work on the new one. I don't think this one was as strong as the first one, but it did allow me to explain somethings that I'm sure some people wanted answers to. This one took a step back from all the gritty and mature material that was prevalent in the first one. The next one will be going back in that direction.

Also, some of you might remember the Chaos Emeralds being mentioned in the first chapter, but were never talked about again after that. So, you might be wondering why was that brought up in the first place? Well, it wasn't important for this story, but it WILL be in the next.

Another thing. Expect the next story to focus on more characters other than Snake. He's been the star for the past two stories, but I think next time the other characters deserve a fair shake.

So, thank you all who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited. You know, all that stuff. I'll see you guys later. This is Seth, signing off.