It was yet another peaceful day in dreamland. Everything was calm and quiet. The King was still recovering from his failed attempt to defeat Kirby. And speaking of which, the little pink puffball hopped around merrily at his home. He had nothing better to do. Almost everyone he knew either didn't want to play or was too busy with other errands. Fumu was excavating with Curio, and didn't want Kirby to come in fear that he might break something or hurt himself, and Bun had been grounded after breaking one of Memu's vases. The Dee's and Doo were too busy with cleaning the castle. Dedede and Escargon he knew would've kicked him out of the castle if he asked them to play with him. Either that or try to trick him into falling prey to one of his demons.

And then there was Meta Knight. Cold-hearted Meta Knight. He never had time for anything, especially playing. Not that he wanted to, anyway. For some reason of which Kirby himself was not sure of, realizing this made his heart ache. He felt so empty. It wasn't just the mere fact that Meta Knight wouldn't play with him. No it was much different. It was that the same question kept coming into his head: Why won't Meta Knight recognize me as myself? He only sees me as 'a natural-born warrior' and 'the first star warrior of my generation.' Why won't he see me as being just Kirby? Why-?

"KIRBY! KEEP IT DOWN, YOU KNUCKLE-HEAD!" Kirby's thoughts were interrupted by Tokkori's yelling. "I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"

Kirby stopped running around. Why had he just put himself down with such thoughts of being alone? It couldn't have been helped. The thoughts just kept coming back, no matter what he did to make them go away. The pain of loneliness had never hit harder than it had today, but Kirby knew that it had always been there inside him, that mentally empty feeling. It had always lurked there in his subconscious, just waiting for an opportunity to strike. Kirby had his suspicions of where it came from. From the cold-hearted knight. Very much Kirby enjoyed having Meta Knight around, but he almost never got that opportunity. Meta Knight would only be around Kirby during a battle. Of course, there were those rare times where he would talk to Kirby outside of battle, but those came around only on occasion.

I know! Kirby thought. I'll go and visit Meta Knight, see how he's doing!

Kirby made it into the castle. He was lucky enough not to have the Waddle Dee's throw him out. The Dee's even seemed to be friendlier today. He walked about the hallways, in search of the loner knight. After searching in vain for fifteen minutes,-which to Kirby, seemed like hours-He asked one of the Dee's. "Have you seen Meta Knight at all today?"

The Waddle Dee nodded. He made gestures, which Kirby easily translated to words in his mind "He's in his room. He hasn't come out at all today."

Kirby nodded. "Thanks for the help!" He started walking away, when he realized, he had no idea where Meta Knight's room was. Of course, he had been in his room once, but that was when Chilidog attacked, and there was so much smoke and fire in the castle it was impossible for him to remember the path they took. He turned to the Waddle Dee. "Where's his room at?"

In gestures, the Waddle Dee gave him the directions from their location. Kirby nodded once again. "Thank you for the help, Dee!" He thanked yet again. He left the Waddle Dee to his work. He paced himself, arriving at Meta Knight's room in only two short minutes. Kirby knocked at his door. He knew it was rude to just barge in. Besides, the door was locked. It was always locked.

Kirby heard the slight creaking noise of the door opening slowly. The Knight only opened the door enough so that he could see Kirby. Kirby's heart did a summersault as he gazed upon the glowing yellow eye that looked down upon him. It was all Kirby could make out of him and the room. The lights in Meta Knight's room were off. Not a sound could be heard inside the room. Not even a window had been opened. Why had he secluded himself in his room? There was a whole world outside just waiting to be explored. But nonetheless, Kirby kept his questions to himself. There was an awkward silence as the two stared at each other.

"Hi, Meta Knight!" Kirby greeted.

No response.

Kirby gulped. "Nice weather we're having isn't it-"

"What do you want?" Meta Knight asked, already sounding slightly irritated.

Kirby shuffled his feet. "Well… I've been kind of lonely today and-"

"No Kirby, I'm not playing with you. I'm very busy." Meta Knight replied simply. He started to close the door, but was stopped by Kirby.

"Well, maybe when you're done-?"

"There's a whole town of Cappies at the bottom of the hill. Go play with one of them."

"Or how about this; I could help you with whatever you're working with-" Kirby got the door slammed in his face. His smile weakened. "O-okay… Maybe some other time?" He got no response. "Good-bye!" Kirby called unsurely.

Kirby left the castle, dragging his feet every step of the way. There goes that idea. He thought. As he reached his house, he hopped up in the tree, too upset to care whether or not Tokkori was still at home. Since I have nothing else to do, I guess I'll just sleep. Just rest my eyes a little. Sleep…

"Kirby!" the sound of Fumu's voice jolted him awake. He looked down to see the young girl standing by the base of the tree. "I'm back!"

Kirby jumped up. He hopped down from the tree and gave his friend a hug.

"I missed you, too!" Fumu laughed. "My parents are having a big dinner tonight and we wanted to know if you would come.

Kirby jumped in the air "Poyo!" He cheered in his 'baby gibberish.' Kirby didn't speak to Fumu or any of the other cappies in their language. None of them even knew that he could. They didn't need to know. Not yet, anyways. The only ones who knew this secret was the knights, the Waddle Dee's, and Waddle Doo. He knew he could tell the Dee's, since they had no way of speaking. Other than himself, Kirby knew the only one who understood the Waddle Dees was Waddle Doo. Kirby easily made a deal with Doo to keep it a secret. And the knights, he knew, were trustworthy and could keep a secret. Heck, Meta Knight was chock-full of secrets that only he and his followers knew. Kirby knew his secret was safe.

"I'll take that as a yes." Fumu smiled. She took his hands and escorted him to the castle.

"Sorry I couldn't play with you today, Kirby." Bun apologized, his mouth full of food.

"Bun! Mind your manners!" Memu scolded. She gave him a sharp look. "You don't want to be grounded longer, do you?"

Bun swallowed his food in a panic. "S-sorry, Mama!" He stuttered, practically choking on his food.

Kirby, as usual, took his food and ate it in one bite, not caring that he made himself look like a glutton in front of the others. As the family carried on in a conversation, Kirby was lost in his own thoughts. Why? He thought. Why won't you see me for me, Meta Knight? Why? Kirby shook his head. I have to stop thinking about him for right now. I'm here with Fumu and Bun! I'm not lonely right now! Kirby knew the pep talk wouldn't work, but it was at least worth a try. His efforts worked to no avail. Those two just couldn't fill the void. They may have been fun to be around at times, but there were other times when Fumu and Bun started to get annoying, especially when they started to put words in his mouth. How Kirby wished at those times that he could reveal his secret, but he knew it would create chaos, so he kept his mouth shut.

Kirby directed his attention to the door. His curiosity got the better of him. I wonder where Meta Knight is right now. He hopped out of his chair and ran out the door.

Fumu caught sight of Kirby leaving out of the corner of her eye. She hopped off her chair and dashed to the door. "I'm finished eating!" She called back to her family. She left in a hurry. "Kirby, wait up!"

Kirby was already far ahead of Fumu. He searched reluctantly, until finally, he caught sight of the puffball he was looking for. Kirby stopped dead in his tracks, smiling, hoping that Meta Knight would see him. Nope. Meta Knight just walked right past Kirby, not even sparing a passing glance. Kirby's smile faded into a frown. Couldn't Meta Knight have at least acknowledged that Kirby was there? That he actually existed?

Fumu ran up to Kirby. "Kirby! You know you shouldn't wander around the castle alone. King Dedede's not too fond of you doing that-" She noticed Kirby staring in Meta Knight's direction. She sighed. "Don't worry about him, Kirby." She tried to comfort Kirby. "He can be a bit stubborn at times…" She took his hand. "Let's take you back home."

Kirby couldn't bring himself to look away. Why? Why?

That night, Kirby couldn't bring himself to sleep. He tossed and turned in the little nest he used as a bed. He lie awake in agony, the same question racing through his mind, haunting him like a ghostly entity; Why? Why won't you acknowledge me for who I am, Meta Knight? Why? He looked at the castle, noticing that there were still some lights on. He couldn't tell which rooms were lit and which ones weren't. He didn't seem to care at that point. He was just happy to know that there was somebody else that was awake. Maybe talking to whoever it was would help calm his conscience at least a little bit.

When he reached the castle, He looked for a way to get in. The drawbridge had been lifted, since it was almost curfew. Kirby looked up and saw that there were no Waddle Dee's guarding the drawbridge. That's odd. He thought. Oh well. As long as it means that I get can get into the castle without anyone knowing. Kirby inhaled a few gallons of air, becoming as light as the air himself. Waving his arms up and down, he managed to elevate himself to the point where he was floating in midair. Silently, he floated above the castle walls, and hovered over them. He released the air he held in, falling down to the courtyard. He looked up at the castle. The lights were starting to disappear. In a panic, Kirby dashed into the castle, hoping to catch the mystery person before they went to sleep. Please let me make it in time! I want someone to talk to! I NEED someone to talk to!

He searched frantically, but to no avail. He ran into a dead end, ending up on one of the balconies. He turned around to see that all of the lights in the castle had been turned off. Had it all been a dream? Was it just a hallucination? The questions continually buzzed around in Kirby's mind, hoping to find an answer. Then, he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. It was the lone person that Kirby knew was awake. They were on the ledge of one of the higher balconies, gazing at the night sky. Kirby couldn't make out who it was in the black night. The stars were hidden behind the opaque clouds, and the new moon hid its face from the world. Overjoyed that he wasn't going insane, Kirby made a mad dash for that balcony.

Five minutes. It took five agonizing minutes to reach the balcony that the mystery person stood on. He was taken aback when he learned the identity of the mystery person.

Meta Knight.

Kirby could feel butterflies fluttering in his stomach. I was looking for Meta Knight all along? Kirby stared at the masked warrior who had his back to the little puffball. Kirby couldn't take his eyes off of Meta Knight. Watching him made Kirby wonder; why hadn't Meta Knight said anything to Kirby yet? Did he know Kirby was there? Or was Meta Knight just choosing to ignore him, to pretend he wasn't there?

"Meta Knight?" Kirby called weakly.

"Yes?" Meta Knight responded, not turning his attention from the blank night sky.

Kirby flushed at the sound of his voice. Why? Why am I blushing? He asked himself. It was painfully obvious by the tone of Meta Knight's voice that he knew Kirby was there all along, that he, in fact, was purposely ignoring Kirby. Why, then? Why am I blushing? It couldn't mean… could it? Am I…

… In love?

"Yes?" Meta Knight's voice brought Kirby back to Popstar.

Kirby shook his head, trying to remember what he had come to the castle for. He remembered; to calm his mind. What am I thinking? Kirby smacked his head with his stubby little arms. I can't tell him! Especially since he's the reason why I feel so upset! What would he think if I told him I wanted him to notice me? What would he do? What would he say?

"Yes?" Meta Knight repeated himself for a third time. Kirby looked up to see the knight staring at him. Their eyes locked onto each others. "Is there a reason you came here?" Meta Knight broke the silence. "If not, then leave. You'll need to sleep so you can save up your energy for tomorrow in case if a demon attacks." He was right. There was never any warning when the demon beasts attacked. Before, Dedede had been purchasing them intentionally. They were given warning when Dedede's attitude changed. Nowadays, the demons attacked without warning. Kirby had to be ready on the spot.

Nevertheless, Kirby, despite that he was bothered to know that the masked warrior was more concerned about him being ready for battle rather than his health, answered, "I don't think I'll need to worry about that. I slept half the day away, so I think I'll be good for now." He gave Meta Knight a curious look. "What about you? Shouldn't you be getting some sleep?"

"I'll manage." Meta Knight replied simply.

Kirby nodded slowly. He knew Meta Knight could endure being sleep-deprived. After all, Meta Knight had been through the war. Kirby could only imagine how many endless nights Meta Knight had stayed awake through with the Galaxy Soldier army to fight off Nightmare's army. How treacherous that must have been for him.

"Why have you come here?"

Kirby jumped up. He said the first thing that came to his mind, "I-I've been feeling very restless tonight!" He smacked his hands over his mouth. What the heck?! Did I really just say that I felt restless?! He mentally beat himself over the head. Meta Knight's going to think that I'm a pervert!

"And…?"

Kirby pulled his head up, looking at Meta Knight questionably. "And…?"

"What do you expect me to do about it?"

Kirby gulped. If he played his cards right, he might be able to save himself from massive humiliation. "What I meant by 'I feel restless' was that I felt-Err, I mean-" Kirby was tripping over his words. "I can't seem to get to sleep!" He blurted out. He gulped yet again, trying to calm himself down. "I've tried everything to get myself to go to sleep, but nothing works, and I don't even know why I can't get some sleep." Kirby felt his stomach tighten. It pained him to lie to Meta Knight like he was. He knew very well why he couldn't get to sleep, but knew he couldn't say so. "I was hoping you could help me figure it out…"

This time it was Meta Knight's turn to give Kirby the confused look.

"… Because I was hoping that maybe if I knew what the problem was, I would be able to fix it, and maybe it would put my mind at ease." Kirby gave the knight a nervous look.

"It's because you slept half the day away." Meta Knight's response came almost immediately. "Remember?"

Kirby mentally smacked his forehead. He saved himself from sounding like a pervert, but now he was making himself sound like an idiot. It was back to square one for Kirby. "It's not that! I know it's not that!" Kirby exclaimed. He flinched, realizing how harsh his last statement had sounded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that!" Kirby could feel a bright red blush creep across his face. At this point he knew he could deny it no longer – The fluttery pounding in his heart, his inability to think clearly, his constant need to think about Meta Knight – It all pointed to one answer; Kirby, in fact, was in love with Meta Knight.

"If that's not what you meant, then what did you mean?"

Kirby lowered his head. "Never mind," Kirby mumbled with a sigh, "I think I know what's bothering me. Just pretend I never mentioned any of this to you." He turned away from Meta Knight. "I think it would be better for me to deal with this on my own."

"Maybe." Meta Knight turned back to the sky. "I know it works better for me. That's why I prefer to be alone. Maybe the same thing will work for you."

Kirby fought back tears. I prefer to be alone. Those five words echoed through Kirby's mind, tearing at his heart. He walked away with a faint good-bye, silently asking himself the same question. Why, Meta Knight? Why?