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The deafening cacophony of sirens and cannon blasts blared through the ship. The Halberd was under attack. Kirby was invading. Any second now Kirby could get on deck and destroy the ship.

Meta Knight was on edge, clutching Galaxia's hilt, bracing for the moment Kirby would reach the cabin and attack head on. He had to be prepared. Kirby could strike any moment.

“Kirby has taken a direct shot and fallen into the ocean!” Axe Knight shouted, interrupting Meta Knight’s thoughts.

Hold on. Kirby….took a direct shot? And fallen into the ocean?

Well, that certainly meant Kirby was not on deck. And naturally would slow him down a little. But taking a shot from the cannons was no light matter. Neither was falling into the sea. The Halberd was flying far away from the shore. If Kirby fell, he'd have a long way to swim to shore, if he could even swim, with the injuries from the cannon. The Warp Star took damage for certain, it was unlikely that it could function enough to carry him.

Could that mean…. Kirby was dead?

For a direct shot from the cannons was bound to leave heavy injuries, which, should Kirby fall into the sea, would damn him into a watery grave. No chance to escape the ocean's vicious whims like this. If the injuries didn't take him out first, the merciless tides would.

But what if he wasn't dead? What if he survived the hit?

Kirby had survived the battle with Nightmare, after all. It wouldn't be a surprise if he survived this one. But if he survived….

If Kirby survived, he would return. Kirby’s tenacity knew no bounds. A trait as admirable as it was infuriating, when it had to be experienced from the side of the opposition. And if he returned…..

If he returned, he would ruin everything.

Meta Knight had to make sure that Kirby would not return. For the sake of his crew, of his pride, of Dream Land, he had to make sure Kirby would never return.

“Trying to find where exactly Kirby fell, aren't ya?” Captain Vul’s question jolted Meta Knight out of his thoughts once again. Meta Knight had not realized he was intensely staring at the ocean, meticulously eyeing every single spot in the blue canvas. “Don't bother. That pink menace is dead for sure. He fell into the ocean, not a chance he survives those currents”

“I suppose so” and with that, Meta Knight ended the conversation. But his fear had not subsided. Kirby could very much be alive and preparing to strike again.

Still, it would take some time, even for Kirby. Better check again on the upcoming days. For now, Meta Knight had more pressing matters.

One specific pressing matter named King Dedede. The king of Dream Land. An incompetent fool who had let Dream Land grow complacent and lazy, defenseless to all potential threats. A gluttonous, self absorbed buffoon too preoccupied with his hedonistic escapades to spare a single thought towards his subjects. A poor excuse for a ruler.

“Off to the castle!” He ordered the crew, who instantly obeyed. “The plan is: we shoot Kabula down, and then storm the castle. Leave the king to me. I will handle him myself.”

And so they did. Once Kabula was down, it was time to invade. The others incapacitated the Waddle Dees that guarded the castle as Meta Knight made his way to the throne room, where the king would most likely be found.

Meta Knight peeked through the main entrance and as expected, that was precisely where the king was. Idly sitting on his throne without a care in the world.

What a disgrace of a king. This fool was unworthy of his title. Unworthy of his position and power.

Meta Knight sprinted through the hallways, in search of an entrance from which he wouldn’t be spotted. It was quite important to stay undetected as he carried out the mission at hand. Best to only reveal himself during the act. The foolish king did not deserve the courtesy of seeing his killer coming and having the option to fight back.

He managed to find a hidden entrance. It was time. Soon the king would be no more.

But for some reason, Meta Knight hesitated. This was the point of no return. If he went into the room, fate would be sealed. If he went into the room, he would not walk out until blood was spilled. What if he didn't go in? Was it too late to abort the mission?

It was too late to abort the mission. If he didn't step into that room, all the progress would be wasted, gone out the window. He must finish what he started.

Thus he dashed into the room, and in a flash, before king Dedede could react, before any shred of regret could reach Meta Knight, buried Galaxia right into the king's heart. King Dedede let out a deafening scream of agony as he clutched the wound with his hand and coughed out as blood forced its way out of his mouth.

“Meta Knight…why?” king Dedede muttered, his eyes forced wide open with betrayal. “How dare you do this to me, you fucker?” he then added with the same betrayal dripping from the words like poison.

“For Dream Land’s sake.” came the answer, voice cold and void of any emotion as Meta Knight pulled Galaxia out of King Dedede’s chest, leaving the pathetic excuse of a king to bleed to his doom. “For the good of Dream Land, you must perish.”

“I brought you into my kingdom! Into my home! I let you stay free of charge as long as you wanted! And this is how you repay me? Ungrateful bastard. Give the lone mercenary a place to stay and he stabs you in the back for it. ” King Dedede ranted until another cough of blood forcibly paused his words.

King Dedede soon collapsed onto the floor before Meta Knight's eyes, into a crimson lake of his own blood. The deed was done. Now Dream Land could be ruled as diligently as it should be. As it should have always been ruled.

But Meta Knight couldn't find it in himself to feel anything about it. Not satisfaction, not relief, nothing at all. Not even pain or sorrow. Even looking at the king’s bleeding form while life slowly slipped away from his body felt hollow. It was far from the first life he'd ever taken, but the previous times he at least felt relief and satisfaction that the deed was done. This time, he felt empty. Numb.

Well, not quite. He could only feel one emotion: uneasiness. Uneasiness at what was to come next. At all the duties that the king had neglected and he would have to take over. At the permanence of death. Once a life was taken, it was gone, it could never be restored. And while Meta Knight had seen a fair share of deaths, had brought a fair share of deaths, it never stopped giving him that sense of uneasiness of causing something that could never be changed. The first time killing was always the hardest, but that did not mean it would ever be easy.

But then a horrified, piercing shriek interrupted his thoughts. He looked around, and was met with a young Waddle Dee wearing a bandana the shade of the midday sky that had the misfortune of walking in on the scene of the crime. The poor thing was frozen still in his tracks from dread upon witnessing the gruesome sight. How unfortunate. A youngling having the unsightly scene of the land's monarch collapsed on the floor in a sea of his own blood, and his killer standing before him, sword drawn out, drenched in said blood, etched into their memory until the day they ceased to breathe. Their innocence lay dead beside the former king, brutally slaughtered by Meta Knight's hand. Truly unfortunate.

“It would have been preferable if you didn't have to see this carnage,” Meta Knight said with a sigh. “But I suppose it is what it is.”

The poor Waddle Dee broke down in ear-shattering sobs that echoed through the throne hall. Drawn out by the noise, Meta Knight's men rushed into the room, likely concerned that the mission was disrupted.

“All good? Did you kill him?” Axe Knight called out from the entrance, only to be abruptly silenced upon being faced with the former king's corpse first thing entering the room.

“Indeed.” Meta Knight said, gesturing at the deceased monarch, “now, we shall hold a funeral. This life was sacrificed for the good of Dream Land, and we must honor him, in spite of his failures as a ruler.”

“But what do we do about him over there?” Mace Knight asked, pointing at the weeping Waddle Dee.

“I'm gonna kill him!” Captain Vul shouted. “His whinin’ is drivin’ me nuts over here”

“Leave him be”, Meta Knight ordered. “It is better if we do not spill any unnecessary blood.”

But that didn't stop Captain Vul. He charged towards the Waddle Dee, only to freeze in his tracks upon having Galaxia brandished right in his face.

“I won't say it again. Leave. Him. Alone.” Meta Knight stated, giving Captain Vul a stern glare.

“Ugh. Fine.” Captain Vul said with a defeated scowl.

“And the castle?” Mace Knight continued. “Because we all know you're not staying here and it's a remnant of his Majesty. We should destroy it to leave a message that the old king is gone. ”

“We will leave the castle as it is. Many Waddle Dees live and work in this castle. Destroying it, even to prove a point, is not worth leaving countless Waddle Dees without a roof over their heads. It shall stay as a housing space for them.”

“Should we have a funeral for Kirby too?” Trident Knight asked.

Right. Kirby. Despite Captain Vul's insistence on the contrary, Meta Knight was not yet convinced that Kirby was dead.

“We will give Kirby a few days for his body to come up to the surface. If not, we will have a funeral with an empty grave.” And with that, the conversation ended.

King Dedede was promptly given a burial, his grave located in the castle yard. A simple courtesy granted, for foolish as he may have been, he was still a king, and the right to a funeral was not to be denied from him. The grave was placed in the castle yard as a courtesy to the Waddle Dees who served him in life and mourned him in death.

Meta Knight stayed silent throughout the funeral, not saying a word to the former king's subjects. It was more respectful this way, leaving them to mourn without reminding them that they were now under the authority of a murderer, of their former ruler's murderer. Most Waddle Dees did not spare him a glance, too preoccupied with grief to focus on him. Well, except for one Waddle Dee. The one youngling who was forced to witness the carnage when he had walked in on the murder. That one had locked his eyes on Meta Knight with a look of pure wrath. It was only understandable, it was what he had willingly agreed to when he set out for this mission. Not every citizen would approve of his measures, but if he was to be hated for doing what was right, so be it. They would all thank him later.

After the funeral, Meta Knight threw himself into work. There was so much that needed to be changed about Dream Land. The wealth that the former king had gathered in taxes had to be redistributed and utilized. The military force needed better funding. Walls needed to be built. The people needed discipline. The remainder of the day was rather uneventful, just paperwork after paperwork.

The next day came, and it was time for daily patrol. Old habits die hard, and Meta Knight had learnt early on the painful lesson that something would only be done right if he did it himself. So he set out. First location was the ocean in which Kirby had fallen. Perhaps the body would have been forced to rise to the surface through the night. But that proved to be hollow hope, for no corpse was to be found floating through the waves. Which put Meta Knight even more on edge. Where was Kirby's body? When would it be found? And if Kirby was alive….

Well, all that Meta Knight could do was carry on and come back again later. And so he did. This day went by uneventfully, and his projects were all in the works, which was good. Things were going according to plan.

But something felt lacking. Meta Knight had not seen Kirby all day. The day felt empty without Kirby cheerfully greeting him as he went on with the day, and Meta Knight couldn't quite place why. It was just one greeting, he could live without it. But why did it feel so important? And why did he feel the lack of it so strongly?

But more importantly, where had Kirby gone that day?

Right. Kirby was gone. But was he? The body hadn't been found that day. The body….

Wait. Maybe it had surfaced by now. And there was only one way to find out.

Meta Knight set out to the shore. But once again, nothing. The body was still lost at sea. Which only tore at Meta Knight's nerves even more.

The next day came, same thing. Body still yet to be found. And the day after that, still nothing. A whole week passed and Kirby's corpse never found the surface. The only option now was to have a funeral with an empty grave.

Meta Knight couldn't quite place why, but he felt incredibly unseasy at the thought of a funeral for Kirby. Carrying out a funeral meant putting an ending to the search for Kirby, and Meta Knight wasn't sure he was ready for that. What if Kirby surfaced immediately after? What if Kirby returned alive? What if the funeral damned Kirby to return alive? That would ruin everything Meta Knight had worked for.

Still, he kept silent throughout this funeral as well. He may be having second thoughts but none must ever know. None must ever know about doubts tormenting him at every moment. That cross was meant for him to carry alone.

That night, he went to the shore again. Still, no sight of Kirby. Would Kirby's corpse ever be found? Maybe just this time. Maybe just the next time.

That night, he was also forced awake by images drenched in blood and agony. Images of Kirby emerging from the ocean, only to find an even more tragic end by Meta Knight's hand. Of the betrayal in King Dedede’s eyes as he collapsed onto the floor. Of Meta Knight himself, standing alone, mask and cape stained crimson, leaving behind a trail of blood and corpses. Among said corpses lay his own crew, mercilessly slaughtered.

Thus he got up and headed to pour himself a glass of wine. Then he gazed out the window, into the night sky. He took one sip, desperate to get the gory images out of his head. Meta Knight was no stranger to memories of horror and agony tormenting him in his sleep, but that did not make them hurt any less. Another sip. It was better that he was alone and everyone else was asleep. He really didn't want anyone to see him like this. Vulnerable, desperate, weak. He had to be strong and dependable for the sake of everyone. Vulnerability was a privilege he could not afford to have. It was already a struggle to sit and drink, lest someone saw. Even if the others were asleep, the moment he got up, he opened the door to the risk of being seen. Just like whenever he went to shore to check for Kirby. He never told the others about it, lest they dismissed his concerns since Kirby was lost and not found for far too long.

By the time he finished the glass, the sun had risen from its slumber and signaled for the moon and stars to exit the scene and replace the tapestry of the sky with a lighter shade. Funny, the sun got to rest and Meta Knight had not. But by then he had to prepare for the day.

No rest for the wicked. It is what it is.

Daily check in at the shore went fruitless. But this time, Meta Knight spotted a criminal. A thief. A Tac with a roving hand, stealing food from a Waddle Dee’s shop. Instantly he rushed into action, pinning the thief down on the ground with Galaxia on their throat. The Tac trembled under his choking grip, dripping with freezing sweat. Good. Fear was one excellent teacher when utilized correctly. Thus he let Galaxia burn at this petty thief’s throat for a moment, in order to allow the lesson sink in.

Loud gasps echoed through the street as silence fell upon the air. Meta Knight looked around. Everyone was frozen still, their eyes locked into him with nothing but sheer dread. Children were clinging tight onto their parents, trembling in terror. Parents were holding their children back, away from the scene. One thing was for certain though.

They were all terrified of Meta Knight.

“Let this be a warning” he declared coldly as he got off from the thieving Tac. “The next person who dares steal on my watch will lose a hand. Understood?”

The Tac nodded nervously and as soon as they got up, they dashed away with reckless abandon. Good. Maybe that will make them think twice before attempting another robbery. Them and any other criminal who may have been watching. There would be zero tolerance for any misdemeanors.

Meta Knight then carried on with the day as usual. The check in at the shore at sundown was just as fruitless as the one in the morning.

But his mind was preoccupied with something else. Kirby's absence was becoming more apparent every day. Could it be that Meta Knight missed Kirby? As much emotional distance as he had preferred to keep from Kirby, it would be a lie to say that it didn't bring him joy whenever he saw Kirby on the street. Kirby was an unavoidable chaotic force of energy, and sometimes could be a lot to handle, but at the end of the day it was always worth it. And without Kirby, that feeling was gone.

Strangely enough, King Dedede's absence was also gradually becoming apparent. Obnoxious as he may have been, his presence meant that things were good, that there was no danger lurking.

Meta Knight would allow himself to be impaled one thousand times before he could ever admit this, but he missed King Dedede. Even if the king annoyed to no end, it was still someone in his life who was now gone forever.

But there was nothing he could do. Grief was a privilege denied to him. He did not deserve to grieve either of them, not after he so heartlessly took their lives.

The feeling did not subside no matter how many days passed. The image of King Dedede clutching the wound on his chest only to collapse, never to wake again, kept haunting Meta Knight even after months passed since the incident. As did the vision of himself standing over carnage, on the worst nights his own men included in the corpses. Kirby's body was never found, no matter how often Meta Knight checked the shore. But that never did anything to ease his fears. Maybe the next time it'd be found.

Over time, another fear crept into his mind. What if there were any traitors? People still aligned with the former king, plotting a rebellion? And was there any way to spot them? Maybe there was. Their most likely place to gather and scheme would be the castle. The solution was simple.

Thus he added the castle into the locations of his daily check in routine.

Over the months, day and night went into disarray. It was like the sun and the moon were fighting for control of the sky. Not that Meta Knight would have noticed had nobody else pointed it out, as his own routine had worked independently of the day cycle long before this change. Still. How pathetic, to rely on the cycle of day and night to function. Dream Land did not need it. If the sun and moon were unable to find peace with each other, that was their problem to solve.

Thus he got off the Halberd, and headed for the street where he'd have to give a statement.

“As we have all noticed,” he began, “the cycle of day and night is in disarray.”

“Yeah, can't you do something about it?” A Waddle Dee said.

“We shall carry on as if it never did.” Meta Knight declared. “We do not need to revolve our lives around something we do not control. We will follow our schedule as it is, nothing will be changed.”

Groans of displeasure echoed through the street. Scowls filled the faces of the crowd.

“But how can we carry on when it suddenly turns night all of a sudden?” A Bronto Burt complained.

“How about you summon Galactic Nova to resolve the conflict?” a strange figure said as they stepped out from the crowd into the front.

Said figure was small, as small as Kirby had been. He had large eyes that held a rather suspicious air to them the longer Meta Knight looked. He was wearing a dual coloured hat, one side the shade of the sky whenever the sun had control of the sky and the other a shade of pink like the clouds on a windy afternoon. He lacked arms or hands, weirdly enough.

But Meta Knight could not get out of his mind how shady this person looked. He was plotting something nefarious and Meta Knight knew it. Even if he couldn't find any crimes that this stranger was linked to, the air this person carried simply felt wrong. Wrong in a way Meta Knight could not forgive.

“What is your name?” He asked, gesturing at them to come closer.

“Marx! Call me Marx!” the figure said as he approached.

Meta Knight then unseathed Galaxia and dug her right between Marx's eyes, then pulled her down, leaving a large slash. Marx was promptly split open as a crimson fountain burst out of the gap that Meta Knight had slashed. Marx collapsed onto the ground in an instant, an ocean of blood flowing out into the ground, his corpse laid like a deserted island in the middle.

“We will carry on with our days independent of the conflict between sun and moon” he stated, turning back to the now horrified crowd. “And that is final.”

“Why did you kill that guy?” Mace Knight asked as they were boarding into the Halberd.

“He looked shifty. We don't need those in Dream Land.” Meta Knight responded, staring off into the distance.

“I- okay, fair enough”, and that was the end of the discussion.

Thus everything went on as usual afterwards. Meta Knight was now checking at the shore five times a day, but Kirby's body was still nowhere to be found. Twice a day he checked the castle for traitors, but nothing there either. Sleep had become a luxury he only got once a week, if even that. The duties and the nightmares plaguing him refused to grant him any rest. Only the wine took the edge off on some nights, and even then, the terrors persisted.

No rest for the wicked. And if he had to be wicked to prevent anybody else from that burden, so be it.

The denizens of Dream Land dreaded him more and more every day. None ever dared to look him in the eye anymore. Streets were empty every time he was passing by, citizens ran into their homes and barricaded their doors and windows. The Waddle Dees at the castle shied away from him during the daily check-ins. But he could live with that. If it meant no other danger, so be it.

Until one day, when an unexpected visitor came. A Waddle Dee. A Waddle Dee wearing a bandana the shade of the sea whenever the sun's light embraced its surface. A Waddle Dee clutching a spear. A Waddle Dee whose hate-filled eyes he could never ever forget as long as he breathed.

Said Waddle Dee barged into the Halberd one day with a demand.

“Where is Sir Meta Knight?” The Waddle Dee shouted, brandishing his spear as the others surrounded him with their weapon drawn out. “Show yourself now or I will slaughter everyone in this ship right here and now!”

“Leave him to me.” Meta Knight ordered as he entered the hallway, signaling everyone to put away their weapons.

“Meta Knight” the Waddle Dee spat out like a curse. “Remember me? I am here to avenge Kirby and King Dedede. Those you murdered in cold blood.” The venom in his words could only be matched by the wrath in their eyes.

Oh how could he ever forget? Their deaths haunted him in every sleeping or waking moment. The stains left in his hands could never be washed away.

“Follow me then, and we shall duel.” he said to the child.

As he led the Waddle Dee child to the room where the duel was to take place, he asked “What is your name?”

“Call me Bandana Dee” was the reply.

“Very well, Bandana Dee. I see you have already chosen your weapon for the duel.”

“Yes, now get on with it!” Bandana Dee demanded.

“Very well, let us begin” and with that it was time for the duel.

Bandana Dee attacked first, forcing Meta Knight to block the hit. This left a small opening in which he managed to get a hit. Bandana Dee promptly responded by wildly thrusting his spear, with most of the attacks getting parried. Keyword, most. The few hits that landed were quite solid, Meta Knight had to admit. The youngling may not have the most developed technique, but in terms of raw power, he was no slouch. And his spear naturally had a slight advantage at close range, but this would prove to be a disadvantage in longer distance battles. Well then. Meta Knight took a step back and fired the trademark crescent shaped sword beams at Bandana Dee. The young Waddle Dee dodged them by spinning his spear so rapidly it sent him afloat. Now that was an impressive move. Meta Knight had never before seen anything like this. If Bandana Dee's determination had not already earned his respect, this unique skill sure did. Thus he stabbed Galaxia into the floor, charging power. During that vulnerable moment, Bandana Dee charged at him, leaving one hard hit. But it proved worth the pain, for with the charged energy he fired a tornado at Bandana Dee, that the Waddle Dee was expectedly unable to dodge and was launched into the air only to fall down with force.

Bandana Dee forced himself to keep standing by digging his spear down to steady himself. But it proved futile as he fell onto the floor, dropping his spear by his side. The exhaustion from the duel took over, perhaps. Meta Knight stood over him, but he didn't fare much better, covered in cuts and bruises as well. He looked down, preparing to strike one last time, and send Bandana Dee to the otherworld way before the child's time.

But this time something stopped him. He simply couldn't bring himself to finish this job. A shred of remorse, maybe? He looked at Bandana Dee again. Bandana Dee was on the floor, unconscious. He had sustained enough injuries already, but he would live. He would live, as long as Meta Knight didn't land this final hit. It was a critical choice to make. Spare Bandana Dee's life or take it and add yet another life taken by his hand to the list. If he did, it would put an end to this battle for once and for all.

But for once, Meta Knight chose mercy.

He looked around. Here he was, once a great and respected warrior, now he had just stopped himself from ruthlessly murdering a child in cold blood. A child who came to him hellbent on avenging the lives that Meta Knight had taken. All for the so-called sake of Dream Land. He had murdered so many people and in his mind it was justified as it was what needed to be done for Dream Land.

Did Bandana Dee deserve to die for rightfully wanting revenge? Was it so wrong that he sought to avenge those he lost?

Perhaps Meta Knight was right all along. He truly had been the only one who could protect Dream Land.

But he had also been dead wrong. About what he had to protect it from. He had thought that he was the only one who could keep it safe from invasions. Little did he know that the true threat was inside the walls all along.

The true threat that he had to protect Dream Land from….was himself. For ever since he took over, more blood had been spilled than in every invasion before.

And there was only one way to do so now. Just one way.

Slowly Meta Knight raised Galaxia, the sharp blade ominously grazing upon his body. He felt her fire scorching in his touch, forcing him to bite back a scream of pain. He let Galaxia burn him for a few moments, basking in the agonizing sensation. It reminded him of who he was, of what he was.

A murderer. A disgraced warrior. A danger that he could only stop with his demise.

“I'm so sorry,” he whispered to Galaxia. An apology in advance for the sin he was about to carry out. The sin he was about to force her into. One last sin to put an end into his current list of dishonorable deeds.

“Dying is easy, dear heart. Living is far harder” Galaxia whispered back. Such odd words, but such was her way. Never one to give an answer outright, she instead preferred to guide others into finding the answer themselves. And while he expected more resistance, it was not of importance now.

Thus he pierced his skin with the sharp blade, then pulled it down with a slash. The only fitting and honorable fate, reserved for the most unforgivable of crimes. It was a struggle not to scream from the agony of tearing his own flesh apart, as Galaxia’s fire burned through the wound, but he managed.

Blood splattered onto the floor, a liquid red carpet rolled out for his entry into eternal damnation. Into where he deserved to be, after all he had done. This was the only righteous fate for him.

Under his mask, Meta Knight faintly smiled, seeing all the blood cover the floor. At last, his streak of crimes in the name of Dream Land's safety was about to end. As it should.

How unfortunate that he was depriving Bandana Dee of the opportunity to take revenge, but that didn't matter. Bandana Dee would wake up to find Meta Knight dead and he'd simply walk out and carry on, knowing that the killer he sought to end was now gone. And as for his crew, they'd find their way even without him. They were all competent enough to survive on their own.

Satisfied, he closed his eyes for the final time as he fell onto the floor.

Or so it seemed.

For he just found himself awake in bed, in a strange white room. One look around suggested that this room was a medical facility of sorts. The open door of the room showed the ship hallway. From that open door he caught a glimpse of Sailor Dee nervously pacing the hallway back and forth.

There was only one place he could be. The Halberd med bay.

But then Sailor Dee abruptly stopped in their tracks upon glancing at the room, seeing Meta Knight had awakened.

“Oh, sir, you're awake!” Sailor Dee exclaimed, then rushed to the bed. “You had me SO WORRIED when I saw you bleeding out on the floor! Don't do that again, okay?”

“Sailor Dee…” Meta Knight panted out, “where is Bandana Dee?”

“He’s safe, don't worry. Trident and Javelin took him to another room until you woke up and decided what to do with him. I figured that you had your reasons for sparing him.”

“Good.”

But wait. Why? Why wasn't Sailor Dee upset? Didn't Meta Knight just almost kill one of their kind? Waddle Dees were renowned for their deep bonds to their brethren. Why aren't they seeking revenge? That bandana wearing waddle dee had, for Kirby and his king. It was the only natural course of action, to avenge the people one cared about. Any other Waddle Dee would have attempted to kill him where he stood for a deed as unforgivable as killing one of their kind.

“Why?” he asked, staring down at the floor. “Why didn't you let me bleed out?”

“I care about you. I've been worried so much about you and you scared me out of my mind there! Don't do that again please, I beg you!”

“I…I almost killed a Waddle Dee child. One of your kin.” he retorted. Was it a confession or an accusation? Admittance of his wrongdoings or a retort to convince Sailor Dee to turn against him? “It would have been justice. End my tyrannical rule and none other would then have to perish. Better me than anyone else ”

“It would just be another death!” Sailor Dee replied, the tension in their tone rising. “Violence only breeds violence. I agreed to the takeover believing that we could have a Dream Land that was fair and just. I still remember when the king took all the people's food by force, with nobody but Kirby to defy him. And then how the king was hellbent on revenge. I believed in our cause because I hoped for a land where we wouldn't gouge each other's eyes for every slight. I forgive you because I'm sick of these needless deaths, sir. I'm sick of it all!” Sailor Dee exclaimed as tears formed at the edges of their eyes and they buried their face on the sheet of the bed.

“You…forgive me?”

“Yeah. Sir, you weren't in your right mind then. You haven't been in your right mind since our takeover!”

That was…painfully true. Only after the blood he spilled did Meta Knight realize he had become the very threat he had been fighting against.

“Ever since we succeeded, you've been obsessing over Kirby having survived and returning to stop us.”

Not incorrect either. But Kirby had survived the battle against Nightmare before. Maybe he was alive. Maybe he was somewhere preparing to strike and ruin all the progress Meta Knight had made.

“Kirby has shown to be able to survive any brush with death. I have to be cautious. If he's out there, it would be one dangerous thorn on our side.”

“We haven't seen Kirby in ages! If he was still alive, he'd have invaded already. You know him, Kirby doesn't bide his time. If he was alive, he'd have come after us already. And you were going out to the shore five times a day. It's not good for you to be that obsessed. You're spending every waking moment paranoid over the next threat, and that's no way to live. You can't keep sacrificing your own sanity for Dream Land's sake. If you're not well, it won't be long until it starts affecting everyone else. We've all been worried for you, even if we haven't said anything. And then you almost took your own life. Axe and Mace were about to kill Bandana Dee right then and there if they hadn't noticed that your wound was inflicted by a sword. Don't do this to us again. ”

Sailor Dee had a point there, this he could not deny. How long had it been since Kirby was lost at sea? There should be zero doubt by this point that he'd never come back. And yet Meta Knight felt compelled to check every single day. But why was that? It was like, if he didn't check, Kirby would attack before Meta Knight could notice and eliminate the threat. But even when he checked, it didn't seem to calm his nerves at all, if anything, it only added tension. But would it ever be enough?

“We Waddle Dees form strong bonds with each other, yes. But we bond with others too. I consider everyone in this ship my kin. Including you. Especially you. If I lost you there…I could have died from the grief.” Sailor Dee said and more tears burst from their eyes. So much that the sheet was now soaked.

Meta Knight silently put his hand on Sailor Dee’s bowed head and unfolded his wings, allowing one of them to touch Sailor Dee. Had it crossed his mind that anyone would mourn him? He had thought that Dream Land would be better off without him, after what he had done. The crew would eventually find their way. But the notion that he would be missed so dearly, so much that Sailor Dee could have died from grief, so much that Axe and Mace were ready to avenge his death until they realised it was by his own hand, was something he never once considered.

Were they truly so bonded to him? Sailor Dee called him their kin, even despite his crimes. How could they forgive him?

Violence only breeds violence, is what Sailor Dee had said.

Eye for an eye and the whole world ends up blind.

Meta Knight had killed Kirby and former king Dedede. Thus a loyal waddle dee went after him for vengeance. Which naturally prompted him to fight back. Which would then either spur that waddle dee to return to finish the job, since he had survived the altercation with Meta Knight, or another one to avenge their fallen brother, had he not lived to tell. Which would mean that Meta Knight would have to fight again, leading to the next waddle dee out for blood.

When would it end? When every single citizen of Dream Land had perished under Meta Knight's sword? Or as he had originally planned to end it, when he saw the young Waddle Dees storm the Halberd hellbent on bloodshed? With his own blood?

Violence only breeds violence.

Sailor Dee was right. All outcomes led to nothing more than empty bloodshed.

Violence only breeds violence.

And violence was all Meta Knight had ever known.

Perhaps Kirby and King Dedede were the lucky ones all along. Gone before they could suffer the misfortune of watching what became of Dream Land. What became of Meta Knight.

“Dying is easy. Living is far harder.” Galaxia whispered again.

But this time, Meta Knight fully understood her words. Death would be a reprieve. Death would free him from the carnage he caused.

But alas, he was instead condemned to live.

He would not dare make another attempt at his own life. That was the coward's way out. This time, he would stay and face the despair and destruction he brought upon Dream Land. It was his duty to do so. To take full accountability for all the crimes he carried out, for all the blood he'd spilled.

It was the least he could do.

“Is this why you deliberately refused to impale me any deeper? And triggered your fire” he asked

“Indeed. I expected one of your comrades to find you, and I truly wished to prevent you from an action that you would deeply regret. As you are well aware, I prefer to let you make your mistakes and find the way on your own. If I had let you succeed there, you would not be able to find your way back. Even if you resented me for a moment, I knew you would thank me later.”

Under any other circumstances, Meta Knight would feel betrayed beyond words could ever convey. Stabbed in the back by his own sword. But this time, he felt gratitude. Gratitude for Galaxia’s wisdom that prevented him from such severe consequences of his rash decisions.

“Great minds think alike,” he commented. Something he and Galaxia had in common was the tendency to act in spite of others’ displeasure, knowing that those same people would be thanking them later.

“Indeed.”

But Meta Knight had been wrong. Was anyone grateful for his actions? He recalled that young Waddle Dee, who yearned for nothing more than to impale Meta Knight with his spear, to wash away the sin of his king’s murder. He recalled the terror in people’s faces every time he passed by. Every single citizen except for his crew utterly dreaded him and his wrath.

And now that he almost took the life of a mere Waddle Dee, and a young one at that….

He glanced at Sailor Dee, who had finally stopped crying and looked up at him, not a single shred of hatred in their eyes. Not a single shred of hatred for the almost murderer of their brother. All he could find instead was care. Care almost reverent for the commander who had shown them nothing but kindness even as his own mind was shattering. And relief. Relief that he was still breathing after the attempt to put an honourable end to his life and his dishonourable actions.

It was unbearable. Why did Sailor Dee hold no hatred for him after what he'd done? Even if they were bonded to him, it still felt wrong. It was a gift he was unworthy of.

“What is worse, to be hated or to be loved?” Meta Knight asked Galaxia.

“Which did you expect more? Which are you better equipped to handle?” came her reply. And she was right.

Hate he could deal with. Hate was what he expected. Hate was what he had seen in the bandana wearing Waddle Dee’s eyes when the young Waddle Dee had barged into the ship to repay the debt of blood. Pure, visceral hatred.

But such care? Care that he did not deserve, not after all he had done? That was too painful. That burnt and stung far worse than being submerged into a pool of corrosive acid.

Meta Knight let out a sigh. He had planned to die when he buried his own sword into his body. Death would free Dream Land from his reign of terror and him from his wrongs.

But alas, he was instead condemned to live. Condemned to live with his sins. Condemned to live with the memories of his crimes haunting him at every moment, awake or in his sleep. Condemned to live watching Sailor Dee looking up to him with care and affection in their eyes, knowing he did not deserve it.

Truly a punishment far crueler than death.

Truly a punishment far more fitting than death.