The flaxen-haired warrior walked down the hall to her shared dorm room. She currently resided here on this campus that was home to a spectacular arena. It was a special kind of world, linked to many other worlds, a sort of inter-deminsional nexus; a place where many strange types of people gathered to participate in grand battles. Taking some time off from bounty hunting for the Galactic Federation, Samus Aran would sometimes come here and participate in the competitions.
The purpose of the arena and the tournaments held there was merely to provide entertainment for the spectators, who not only included the stadium going fans, but also those that bet heavily on the outcomes of the fights. Most of the competitors, however, had their own reasons for crossing over from their own universes in order to compete. Some came because they enjoyed the competition and attention from the cheering fans, others because they had something to prove Some were here to support their friends who they followed to this place.
She though, being that she always had to be different, had another reason entirely. She viewed the whole thing as an elaborate training exercise. Fighting against unique warriors and bizarre creatures from alternate existences offered an opportunity to sharpen her skills and take her abilities to new heights. She was uncomfortable sitting still, and when things got quiet in the Federation, this was how she kept herself occupied.
Samus fumbled with the card key before managing to swipe it through the slot. She stood still for a few moments with her hand on the knob of the unlocked door, mentally preparing herself, knowing what most likely awaited her. Her head hung, she took a breath then pushed the door open.
Zelda barely picked her head up from the desk as Samus entered, then went back to resting on her forearms, folded on the tabletop, without saying a word to Samus.
"Still in a mood I see," said Samus, frustrated to see her friend in such miserable condition.
She had been like this for almost a week now, and had been getting worse day by day, though, the change from her usual, pleasant demeanor was very sudden and noticeable. She didn't smile anymore, and she was a lot less talkative than normal. She almost reminded Samus of herself before... well before she met Zelda.
It was her that was the grumpy-with-no-reason loaner for the longest time. That was until Zelda befriended her and brought her out of her shell, so it really bothered her to see the Hylian Princess this way. Though now Samus was more sociable with most other competitors here at the arena, Zelda was the only person she'd consider an actual friend. The rest were merely acquaintances that she got along with, or at worst, tolerated.
And the two of them truly were friends, doing all the usual things friends did together. Things such as going to the concerts infrequently held on the arena's campus, eating lunch together most of the time, just hanging out and watching TV in their room, or training together on occasion; Samus was teaching Zelda to be a better fighter.
Though she thought their friendship began when she accidentally discovered they had the same taste in music, upon reflection she realized that Zelda had been especially nice towards her long before that, she just never noticed at the time.
Samus stared at her from the across the room. After a short while, she felt her annoyance rising. Why couldn't Zelda just go back to the way she was before, the way she liked her. She was spurred to action and she made up her mind that she'd do what ever it took to cheer her up.
"Zelda... hey, want to watch Xena?" Samus said as she clicked on the TV. Xena was a TV show that Zelda had introduced her to, and that they watched regularly.
"Not really, I'm busy." Zelda mumbled.
She was busy? From what Samus could see, all she was doing was scowling at the table top.
"You're just lying there," Samus paused, waiting for the obvious truth of her statement of sink in, but Zelda remained quiet. "And besides we always watch it... Well we used to..."
"I just don't feel like it right now."
"Oh... well... you want to go train instead...?" she paused again, waiting for a response, but got none. "Or we could go to the commons for something to eat," she said, another paused. "How about we--"
"I have something I need to do," Zelda said, cutting her off and with a hint of irritation in her voice. She stood and left without another word.
"What- ...ok. I'll see you later... ugh..." she groaned that last part to herself as Zelda exited.
------
Samus went to the commons anyway to get something to eat. There she saw Peach sitting at a table and talking with Marth. She was blushing slightly and batting her eyes at him like a little kid with a crush. Peach flipped her hair then took a strand of it between her fingers, twirling it around.
"Tch, could she be more obvious?" Samus muttered to herself.
She hated Peach, God, did she hate Peach! "The other princess", as Samus often thought of her, just rubbed the bounty hunter the wrong way on every imaginable level. Originally she hadn't distinguished between Peach and Zelda. They were just "the princesses", and there was not a difference between them.
She was glad she was wrong about Zelda.
The two couldn't be more different. Peach could be so immature at times; prone to bouts of silliness, and if someone crossed her, her vengeance often came in the form of childish pranks. While Zelda, on the other hand, was one of the most mature people Samus had ever met. Wise and insightful, Zelda was often reminiscent of Samus' adoptive Chozo parents.
Peach was girly, not feminine; too pink, too frilly to be taken seriously. Her sickeningly sweet laugh was something that Samus found particularly grating. She was loud and boisterous, as where Zelda was soft spoken and reserved. She was too haughty about being royalty also, frequently taking the opportunity to remind everyone she encountered that she was a princess. Zelda on the other hand was modest about the fact. Only when the two were together did Zelda act at all 'princessy', and Samus especially hated Peach for that.
While Samus and Zelda did things together and hung out from time to time, Peach was really her best friend. There were things that Zelda would only do with Peach, and only talk to her about. Zelda would never let Samus in on the private little conversations they had, something the two of them referred to "girl talk" in the presence of any guys. Samus had no idea why they wouldn't allow her in or what they talked about, but it did seem like they were having plenty of fun. The conversations always involved plenty of whispering, giggling, and embarrassed looks.
She could recall countless occurrences in the room they all stayed in where the two of them would stay up late, talking; but always too quietly for her to hear from her bed. And they'd instantly shut up or change the subject whenever she tried to involve herself in the conversation. Or she'd catch a self-conscious look on Zelda's face whenever she'd walk in on such a conversation. It was as if she wasn't worthy of being included or confided in. She and Zelda didn't really ever talk about anything serious at all; she simply wasn't the close friend that Peach was. That jealousy of only fueled her existing hatred of Peach.
Another thing Samus hated about her was the fact that Peach, merely by acting silly and cute, got so much attention from the men, just like she was from Marth right now. Not that she was interested in Marth in the least, or any of the losers that Peach had wrapped around her little finger; she just couldn't stand that they would fawn over her like complete idiots despite her obvious shortcomings, obvious to Samus at least.
Thankfully, Zelda was above all that. Samus had never before seen her behave so brainless around a guy. She was decent, respectable, and far too intelligent to lower herself to such a level.
That wasn't the way a woman should behave as far as Samus was concerned. There weren't many females here, and she felt that Peach all too often acted as a very poor representative for her gender. She only hoped some of the guys were smart enough to see her for what she was, and to know that Zelda was by far the better example. On that note Samus certainly hoped no one looked to her as an instance of womanhood. Though she was sure no one did; she was a bounty hunter first and foremost. Of all the things she was an example of, woman was far from the top of that list
Samus watched them a while longer. Because he was busy staring at Peach instead of looking at his drink, Marth spilled it as he went to pick it up. Samus rolled her eyes at the ensuing commotion; no one would ever look at someone like her that way.
She huffed and folded her arms. "Humph... Like I care..."
Peach and Zelda were best friends however, which meant she was probably the best person to turn to for help with anything regarding Zelda. Despite her loathing for the woman, Samus resolved to stomach the sickening display until Marth finally left. Attempting to push aside her disdain of Mushroom Kingdom's princess, she went and sat down at the same table as her.
Peach stared at her stupefied as she pulled up a chair, she knew Samus hated her guts. They were both silent, each waiting for the other to speak first.
When it became obvious it wasn't going to happen, Peach blurted out, "Why hello there, miss super bounty hunter. What is it I can do for you?"
Samus groaned, loathing that sickeningly cheerful attitude. Though she wasn't sure how, she just knew she was being mocked from behind that sweet facade.
"Zelda's upset," she stated bluntly.
"Ya', I know..."
"Well... then... fix it," Samus fumbled her request, completely unaccustomed to asking for help.
Peach mad a face that Samus could only assume was a mock appalled expression. "Now, now, Samus dear, we must mind our manners. You shouldn't speak to me in such a curt manner."
"I'll speak however I want."
"We princesses are delicate creatures, you know."
"Yeah right. Screw you." Samus spat.
Peach started giggling at that and had to fight to keep composed. "Well I'm sure you'd love to, but I do have my standards."
Samus made tightly clenched fists under the table, trying with all her being to resist yelling. "Ugg... Look, I don't want to argue with you now, just help Zelda already. She's really depressed lately."
Peach let out a deflated sigh. "You know... You're more suited to help Zelda with her problems than anyone."
"What? Me? Why?"
Peach rolled her eyes, "Are you honestly that oblivious?"
'What's that supposed to mean,' Samus thought, shaking her head. "Come on, you know how to talk to people better than I do, and besides aren't you're like her best friend? Except maybe Link, there's no one she trust more than you."
Peach put her palm to her forehead head and let out an exacerbated sigh. "Oh... Silly, silly, oblivious girl. Silly Sammy, that's what we should call you; who can't see the forest because of the trees."
Samus clenched her teeth trying to ignore the insult. She needed Peach's help, and it wouldn't help to start a fight, though she was quickly running short on patients.
Peach continued. "Hmm... maybe you can only understand something if you are able to scan it. Have you tried scanning Zelda?"
"Do you at least know what's bothering her?" Samus said through her teeth.
"Yes, I do, actually. But why don't you try asking her that yourself?"
"Because you're here right now and I'm asking you!"
Peach sighed, shaking her head. "You're such an idiot."
That was all of Peach Samus could handle for one day. "Yeah well...!" Samus stood suddenly, knocking her chair over, "You're a bitch!" she shouted before storming off in a huff, grumbling something incoherent. That princess had no idea how close she was treading to getting a boot in her ridiculous round little face.
Peach shook her head sadly as the huntress left. "Honestly, what does she see in that Amazon?"
End Part One