It's end time. But before getting to hasty, here are some review replies:

The Artist Formerly Known as 'Raspberri-Marxie' (i.e. YourFluffyTrashIsFull) Then hopefully you should be satisfied with this ending.

Now on to the finale...

This was a bad idea.

He knew it was a bad idea.

This hadn't been the first time Marx had snooped on Kirby — not in a long shot, in fact — yet all these outings seemed to bring just as much stress and unease as the first time.

What was he doing here?

Why did he ever think this was a good idea?

He was uninvited. Unwanted. So what did this all amount to? Stalking! There's no way he could justify this if he ever got caught, and there were enough close calls to warrant such fear.

Yet he carried on, undeterred in spite of his own internal deterrents yelling at him like alarm bells. He had been carrying on for years, and he didn't know why. Here he was, teetering on the brink of madness, and yet Kirby was as joyous as ever, if no more so, going along with his friends on yet another grand adventure. He wondered how he could do it. How he could cope with it all.

He wondered what they were up to this time. Kirby and Co. Maybe he should stop being so preoccupied and start listening in to what was going on.

Hm. Something about these corrupted heart pieces that had been appearing everywhere...whatever they were. He didn't really care what they were called. It was the usual shtick as far as Marx was concerned; Dream Land was being invaded again and Kirby needed to go stop it. Again.

It didn't mean he didn't care about these shards' effects; it started turning everyone near them into bigger jerks than usual, not to mention their effects on the local environment. He was lucky to have been hiding out in the Fringes, where he had originated from, where it appeared that fewer of these things had landed. Funny that even these mysterious invaders don't seem to care about the Fringes — the borderland. Though, granted, if Marx wasn't from there, it doubtful if he would really bother with them, either.

Thinking about it, he wasn't too far from the Fringes, actually.

At the very least, the fact that these shards managed to make the folk of the Fringes act even worse than they already were did highlight the severity and importance of the situation.

Or at least it should have. It didn't, to be honest.

Marx was, at the present, busy concerning himself with Kirby. How was he handling the situation?

He was accompanied by King Dedede, who had loosened his quarrels with the puffball long ago, Bandana Dee — or Bandee, for short — and...

Wait. What were these guys doing with Kirby? A Poppy Bro, a Waddle Doo, and a Sir Kibble — what?? Wh-Why?? Were they, like, helpers? But he still had a Copy Ability on hand...

"Hello!"

"GAH!" Marx, startled, slipped off the branch he was perched on, landing in a bush below. Well, what did you expect? How are you supposed to spy on someone if you aren't hidden? Which brings up the question of how Marx was even found in the first place...

"What are you doing up there?" asked a Noddy. Probably another one of Kirby's helpers.

"Just sitting?" Marx said. Not too shabby of a response.

"Halt!" a loud, gruff voice responded. Gulp. "Who goes there?"

Great. He was now being confronted by Dedede. He never felt more terrified by the King in his life, and even then, it was mainly due to whom he was accompanying. Why didn't he just run off when he fell out of the tree?

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the penguin asked.

"...I-I could ask you guys the same question!" Marx swiftly responded. He knew fully well what they were doing. He just talk his way out of the situation and things would be fine!

"Oh, really??" Dedede spat. "What do you think you're getting at? We've got a world to save, ya scrub!"

"O-Okay! Goodness!"

The sense of anger in the air, however, very suddenly cooled. Dedede raised one of his eyebrows as his face took on an expression of confusion. "Hold up..." he said. "Do I know you?"

Marx was sweating. "No."

"You sure? You look..." He approached the paralyzed jester. "...familiar..." He suddenly turned away. "KIRBY!" he called out. "Do you know this guy?"

Oh please no

"Huh?" Kirby squeaked.

"This weirdo, here. I feel like I know him but..." Dedede scratches his head. "...I don't know from where, exactly..."

Kirby proceeded to walk in a circle around Marx, as if trying to take in every detail. The latter was stiffened the whole time, not daring to move an inch, should something bad happen as a result.

As the puffball continued his analysis, Marx grew more and more annoyed. For the life of him, he couldn't discern anything that Kirby might be thinking. Kirby's face looked intrigued, but that was it.

Oh come on! Marx thought. At the very least acknowledge my existence you... Y-you...

That was awkward.

Goodness, he was starting to sound like a fangirl.

But it had merit! If anything, Kirby should say "Yeah, poyo! I know him.", or anything of that sort. But no! He's just...starring! Doing nothing!! Not even a hint of hesitation!

"You seem like good friend to have along." Kirby finally spoke up. "Wanna join in, poyo?"

This left everyone else, including Marx, completely puzzled.

"Uh, Kirby?" Dedede asked. "You sure we should be letting random strangers into our group, here?"

"Well...the more the merrier, right?" the Waddle Doo commented.

The helpers beside them nodded, albeit slowly, as if they were somewhat reluctant to the idea. It was kind of weird to let a random straggler into their group, but some of them weren't exactly close friends of Kirby's either, and that helped to make the decision a bit easier to digest.

Marx still stood there completely stunned.

"Well? Come on, now! You heard!" Dedede called. "You can come with!"

"Uh..."

He grunted. The penguin king was clearly getting impatient. "Look, we've got a stray shard to catch, so let's get a move on!" He turned toward the pink puffball again to further vent his frustration. "I mean, get a move on! The shard landed right in there! In Sacred Square!"

He was pointing toward a mountainous place in the distance. Marx had heard something crash into that area whilst wandering about. That was when he noticed Kirby in the distance, and, rather than run away, took to partaking in a now awkward pastime.

Now that he was thinking about it, though, why did he wander out here? Even if the Fringe folk were acting crummier than usual, he didn't really care all that much about them. He probably would've stayed put. Should've stayed put.

But he didn't. Something had made him come here.

This meeting wasn't by chance.

"A-All right!" The jester put his foot down. "I won't delay you any longer! I'll go with you!"

"Oh, boy! New friend!" Bandee happily exclaimed.

"Right! Let's get a move on then, right?" Dedede said. The last part in particular was emphasized to an irritating extent, obviously aiming to force Kirby's approval.

"Alright, alright!" Kirby scoffed. "But...it's getting a bit dark out."

Wait what??

Bandee looked up at the sky. "He's right."

How was it already this dark out? Had he been out for this long??

"Uggghhhhh!" Dedede groaned. "We've been at this for hours, but now you want to rest when we're this close to getting that thing??"

"Yeah...?" Kirby replied, though not confidently.

"Oh, okay." Dedede said.

That was anticlimactic.

"Let's set up camp, guys!" he commanded. There we go. "We've got a long day ahead of us, I'm sure, so let's get nappin'!"

Within fifteen minutes, the amenities for the makeshift campsite had been assembled and dealt with, though unsurprisingly Dedede didn't help much.

During the setup, the Doo finally asked, "We never got your name. What are you called?"

"None of your business." Marx sneered back. He did

Once a fire had been lit and everyone started settling in for the night, the group finally figured out why Dedede wasn't all too resourceful or of much help. He was already asleep, probably having been exhausted and cranky due to everything he had been through that day. Namely, he had been corrupted...again. He then had to be beaten up and saved by Kirby...again. This was followed by a long, tiring chase which only now seemed to be near its conclusion.

An hour later, Marx was the only one still awake, alone with his thoughts. Or at least he thought he was alone.

"Poyo, you ever look up at the stars and...lose yourself?"

Marx flinched. Oh, of course. Kirby was still awake.

"Like just feel all...soothed and relaxed?" Kirby prodded.

"...I dunno." Marx responded. "I don't...really lay down much."

Kirby sat up. "You don't?"

"No. I'm too busy...um..."

"Too busy with what?"

"Too busy being...*sigh* I dunno."

The puffball patted a spot in the grass next to him. "C'mon, sit down, poy. It's comfy..."

"N-no! I don't!"

"Please?"

"Back off!"

"Wha—?" Kirby appeared confused. "What are you getting at?"

"STOP TALKING!"

"You're gonna wake up the—"

"NO! I don't care!" Marx was steaming. "I'm getting answers now!" He pointed at the puffball.

"Wha-What're you talking about, poyo?"

"How do you do it?" he forcefully asked, arms raised. They were a remnant of his old wish, and as such were more of a yellow-gold than a purple, like the rest of him. "How do you cope with it?? How can you grow past what we went through??"

Years of built up tension. Years of internal fighting and turmoil had now unleashed itself within Marx. The floodgates had opened. There would be no stopping his anger.

"Marx, I—"

"So now you remember my name!" he mocked. "Is that how you got over it?? You forgot I even existed??"

"Marx—"

"Shut up! SHUT UP!"

"I—"

"STOP TALKING!! LEAVE ME—"

He stopped in his tracks. Kirby was standing up, his expression that of concern. His stubs were raised.

He hit him. The bastard! He hit him!

He wanted to yell. He wanted to scream. He wanted to lunge forward and punch that look off of Kirby's face. But he didn't. He refused to.

He...he suddenly wasn't angry anymore. He wasn't boiling, or fuming, or exploding like a powder keg. He was...empty.

Lonely.

Sad.

His eyes began to water. What was he about to do to him?

"Marx." Kirby spoke up. They were looking right into each other's eyes, Marx able to see his own broken reflection in Kirby's pupils. "I didn't get over what happened overnight. And I know you're desperate. I know you want to figure it out and think you're missing something. This...isn't the first time I saw you since then."

The jester's mouth was left agape. How...how could he have...

He knew? Why didn't he...

"I didn't say anything, poyo, because...well...I didn't want to bring it up with them. Not yet. I still haven't told them what happened."

"Wh...Why not?" Marx struggled. He could barely hold the tears back.

"It's...it's personal, poyo." Kirby shifted uncomfortably in place. "Something they shouldn't have to worry about."

The puffball tried to continue, but immediately trailed off. As silence overtook them, Marx couldn't help but feel...tranquil. Comfortable. He felt a bit woozy, feeling like he'd collapse at any moment.

He broke the silence. "I should've just stayed away..."

Kirby stepped closer. "I didn't want you to leave, and I don't want you to leave now. I can...feel your pain. I understand what you're feeling."

"I'm not talking about right now." Marx said. "I meant...since I left. I should've never come back. I should be dead. B-But I'm not... A-And you aren't, either... H-How could you live with that...?" By now, he was sobbing.

"I...I just do." Kirby admitted. "And wasn't just talking about today, poyo. I mean...I knew what you were looking for. You wanted to be with me, a part of the adventure, like old times."

Marx nodded, his eyes scrunched up and his face streaking with tears.

"You wanted to live in the past. I'm here to help you get into the present, poyo, because...that's what friends do. They help each other."

"B...But you didn't find me. I-I was found by complete chance..."

"...Not how I remember it." Kirby said. Marx's eyes widened.

They had all gotten off the Warp Star not too long ago. In the distance was Sacred Square, their next destination. At least, it will be.

"There it is." Kirby pointed out. "The Jamba shard should be over there

"Why did you think it was a good idea to get off here?" asked King Dedede. "We aien't even close to the mountains!"

"It'll be late soon." Kirby explained. "We need a nice, comfy place to settle down."

"Settle down? We have things to do! Things to figure out!" the king shouted. "Mysteries to resolve! We can't just...uh, what're you looking at?"

There was a nearby tree. A familiar...presence in the air...

A familiar sense of...sadness. Of a yearning for something.

And a certain someone watching from the branches.

He turned to a Noddy, one of the enemies he had befriended not long ago, and asked, "Can you go over to that tree and say 'Hello' to it?"

The Noddy obeyed and went towards the tree.

"What was that for?" Dedede asked.

"Nothing, poyo." Kirby said. "Just a feeling."

They both turned back to the tree when a thud was heard, along with the rustling of some leaves and the sound of some twigs snapping apart.

Dedede was a combination of shocked, impressed, and terrified concerning Kirby's apparent telepathy. In reality, Kirby had noticed these feelings before, but never to this severity. He needed to confront this now.

"A Fringeman." Dedede told him. "Nice one, Kirby."

When Kirby motioned toward the fallen figure, however, he was stopped. "Don't fret!" Dedede intervened. "I'll deal with it." The penguin cleared his throat and turned toward the shrubbery.

In a raised voice, he said, "Halt! Who goes there?"

"Now don't fool yourself into thinking I fully trust you, Marx." Kirby warned.

"I...I won't..." Marx replied.

"But...don't bury yourself in your fears and doubts, either. Just breathe... Relax..."

Breathe in... Breathe out...

"I want us to be friends again. And I know you do, too."

"I'm...I'm scared, Kirby..."

"We can start over." Kirby suggested. "That's what I did. I started over and...went through the motions...and here we are."

Marx blinked. That...that sounded nice...

Kirby went up and patted Marx on the back. "We'll be alright. I promise."

"I know."

With that, the two of them layed down on the grassy plains, starring up into the night sky.

The tone was somber and quiet. But blissful. It was a nice change of pace.

And even as the two of them drifted into the realm of dreams, each with their own worries suffer away in the back of their minds, one of each of their hands intertwined with each other. They both slept well through the night, both happy and content, with at least one safe in the knowing that their deepest wish had finally come true.

The End.

That was all she—erm, all I wrote. For this story. Ahem.

Thank you all for the invaluable support you've given throughout the story. It's well appreciated.

If you are wondering, there are two more stories being planned for this series. The next one, coming up soon, will start off after Kirby Star Allies and conclude before the start of Trapped Together, making it a more direct prequel of the latter. The story after that will be a direct sequel of Trapped Together

If you want updates on these upcoming stories or additional info or reads from me, follow my profile and send me a PM.

Be sure to leave a review for this last chapter as well. Thank you very much and have a great rest of your day!