Samus lay on her bed tossing a small rubber ball at the wall and catching it as it came back to her. 'God, I'm so stupid. She probably hates me now.' Zelda was concerned for Peach and focused the whole time trying to save her and correct her own mistake. The one thing she wanted from Samus was to know she cared, which happened be the only thing Samus hadn't thought of to do for her. 'I spent so much time worrying about her that I never let her know that I was worried about her. Damn it, I should have been more attentive.' If she was bothered by something, the only thing she'd ever want from Zelda is a bit of sympathy. 'Such an idiot; she's got to be so mad at me. She thinks I don't care about her at all. How can I call myself her friend, no wonder she likes Peach better.' "Why don't you ask her yourself?" 'Oh screw you Peach. Why did you have to be right about this?' In anger she threw the ball a little harder and it bounced away across the room. 'What can I do to make it up to her? There has to be something I can do for her.' Samus thought long and hard but nothing came to her. As she was thinking, the door opened and Peach came in. Samus leaned her head back over the edge of the bed, viewing her upside down. Peach paused in the door upon seeing Samus and the two glared at each other for a time. "Tch..." Samus shook her head and looked away in disgust. Now knowing the full story behind Zelda's depression, she had even more reason to hate the woman. "Humph," Peach squeaked in her petite voice, turned her nose up, and shuffled silently across the room, clearly annoyed with Samus as well. She had just been offering good advice to the hunter earlier, trying to be helpful, only to have the other woman snap at her and storm off as if she had done something wrong. Well she was through being nice for the day. "Bitch," she muttered softly, throwing Samus' insult back to her. "What!?" Samus shouted but caught herself from responding any further. The last thing she needed right now was another meaningless squabble with Peach; though that was apparently too much to ask for. "Hey, keep your useless belongings off of my bed!" the princess whined. "Huh?" A second later Samus' ball came back to her and ricocheted off her head. "Oww! Damn it." "Honestly! I guess they don't teach proper manners in combat school." "What's your problem? That hurt," Samus said, rubbing her head. "Aww, is the big tough bounty hunter gonna cwy?" Peach teased her in a mocked baby voice. "Why don't you go choke to death on whatever fumes you've been inhaling," Samus quickly shot back. "Blwmmmm." Peach responded by sticking out her tongue, then giggled in her sickeningly sweet manner. Samus groaned. "How does Zelda put up with you?" she muttered to mostly to herself. "How does Zelda put up with you!?" Peach retorted. "Are you copying me?" "Are you copying me?" Peach did her best impression of Samus' tone of voice. Samus clenched her jaw tight before more words escaped her mouth. That would only play right into Peach's childish game. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Not having gotten to her, Peach tried something different, and started singing, "Samus and Zelda sitting in a tree--" "Can't you just go away!?" Samus finally lost her composure. "Just leave me the hell alone!" "Well don't worry... soon you're dreams will come turn and you'll have her all to yourself... The poor thing." "What's that supposed to mean? God, I can't concentrate with you here... Oh! Concentrate..." Samus swung her legs around to the edge of the bed and sat up. "That's what I can do." "What in the world are you prattling about now?" "I have something to do," Samus said then got up to leave. However, she stopped at the door and stood facing the empty hallway. "What!?" Peach questioned her pause. Samus took a slow deep breath; she couldn’t believe she was going to say this. "Thanks," she said. "Huh?" Peach could hardly believe it either. "For before. You were right," Samus said then quickly left. Peach stared in disbelief for a moment. "Well of course I was right," she shouted after her, still having no idea what Samus was talking about. ------ Zelda stood watching the stars from the observatory lounge, lost in thought. The sun had only just gone down and it was still a little light out, so only the brightest stars could be seen. "There you are," came the familiar voice from behind her. "Samus?" "I've been looking everywhere for you." "I've been here and there... walking around... just thinking..." Zelda said sadly. "Did you need me for something?" Samus looked a little embarrassed, still feeling quite guilty for how things went between them earlier. "I... I wanted to see how you were doing. Before... well it seemed like you were really mad at me." "Oh, n-no I'm not mad..." She sighed and shook her head, smiling softly. "I realize now that you were only trying to cheer me up. I'm not upset with you," Zelda said. She hadn't noticed until now that she wasn't quite as depressed as before. Talking things over with Samus and getting everything out there went a long way to lifting her spirits. She must have been more fixated on Samus than on her true problem than she realized. "I suppose I did leave very suddenly, I didn't mean anything by it. Sorry, I worried you," she added. "Eh, no... It's fine." Samus waved her hand dismissively. "You have a lot to think about, you don't have to worry about how I feel." It was nice to see Zelda smile again, however. She did seem to be feeling a bit better than before. "But... I do. I can't help but worry about that," Zelda said sweetly. "Uh... well I um... that is I..." Samus stammered awkwardly, a little embarrassed by what Zelda said. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I also wanted to give you this." She reached into her pocket, produced a small pendant held on a simple black string, and handed it to Zelda. "Oh..." She held it up and inspected it. It was a disk like shape that had a spiral to it, resembling a flattened out snail shell. The surface looked golden-metallic, but at the same time, translucent, and had many other subtle shades of colors that seemed to dance and change depending on how the light hit it. It was one of the loveliest things she'd seen in a long while. "Samus... it's beautiful. Thank you," Zelda said softly, putting it around her neck. "Such a lovely gift; I'll wear it always to remember you wherever I go." "No, it's... Zelda, it's not jewelry. It's an alpha resonator." "A... what?" "A Chozo device. It helps with concentration by stimulating brain waves," Samus explained. Zelda gave her a perplexed look. "You said you were having trouble focusing, so I thought it would help." "Oh..." Zelda stared, mildly surprised. That was quite thoughtful of Samus. "T-thank you..." she said softly. "It's the only piece of the Chozo I have left other than my powersuit, so please be careful with it. Don't break it or loose it or anything." "Oh,you want it back." Samus detected disappointment in Zelda's voice. "I'll be especially mindful then." "Well, I don't really use it much; it's just that it's kind of sentimental to me... But... if you like it so much, I guess you can keep it," Samus said, slightly unsure of herself. "Truly... if even though it's so important to you?" Zelda said her eyes widening. Samus just nodded. "I... I don't know what to say. Samus I..." Zelda began to choke up, overjoyed to know how just much Samus cared about her. "Thank you," she said, barely a squeak. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and without any thought Samus wiped it away, gently brushing Zelda's face with the back of her fingers. Embarrassed, she retracted her hand, and gave an awkward smile. Zelda, however, smiled warmly. "Samus, come sit with me for a bit." She led Samus over to one of the cushioned benches that were common in the observatory lounge and they sat beside one another. Zelda folded one arm across herself, grabbing her opposite shoulder. She pouted cutely and tipped her head to the side, looking at Samus. Once she caught the huntress's eyes with hers she smiled softly and ran her fingers down the length of her own hair. Zelda just stared at her while playing with the same strand of her own hair over and over, not saying anything. Feeling uncomfortable, Samus broke the silence. "So...uh... the resonator..." She started out and went to grab it from around Zelda's neck to show her, but awkwardly switched to pointing at it instead. "You just press you thumb on the surface to use it." Running her finger over it, Zelda felt the resonator activate briefly; a tingling sensation on her scalp and behind her eyes. She smiled, then released the device and let the feeling fade. "You really want to help me even though I'm trying to save Peach?" "If she leaves, you'd be upset," Samus said bluntly. Zelda smiled as a warm feeling enveloped her, thought it wasn't the resonator this time; Samus really cared about her, more than she hated Peach, which was a lot. "Samus... thank you." Zelda leaned back and glanced upward through the glass roof of the observatory. "The stars sure are beautiful, aren't they?" "Yeah, I guess. So... you think you'll be able to do it? Convince them to let her stay?" "I hope so... I have a good argument, and I think... if this thing works it will help me focus on what I need to do... But even so, just having it gives me confidence." "That's good..." "Or maybe it's you who gives me confidence," Zelda quickly added. "Eh-heh..." Samus felt a blush come over her face. She folded her hands behind her head and leaned back, looking up at the stars as well. "The stars are so beautiful," Zelda repeated. "Yes..." "They look different here than in Hyrule though; all the constellations are different. Back home I'd used to count the stars like this and see how many of their names I could remember. I don't know what any of them are called here." "Me either. They're different than where I'm from too... But..." Samus had to agree with Zelda, "they're still beautiful." "Yes." It started getting darker and as they watched, slowly, more and more stars became visible. After a long while Samus finally leaned forward and let her hands fall at her sides; without realizing it, her right landed on Zelda's left. Without a word or any other sort of response, Zelda turned her palm up, softly closing her fingers around Samus hand, surprising the huntress's a little. What was with her today? She kept doing clumsy things to embarrass herself. "Why are you friends with me?" she asked quietly. "Huh?" Zelda leaned forward as well, then turned to look at her. "Well why wouldn't I be?" "Most people hate me." Samus said staring blankly ahead of her. "That's not true, Samus!" "They're afraid of me." "No..." Zelda shook her head. "And why wouldn't they be. I'm so different from everybody." Samus sounded distant. "I like that you're different," Zelda said and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "But nobody's afraid of you, nobody hates you." Samus let out an unconvinced sigh. "Tch... I don't care anyway." "I think you do care... Samus, you're just a little stoic though; it makes it hard for people to approach you sometimes. But they don't hate you." Samus finally turned to look at Zelda. "Peach does, she ... thinks I'm boorish and rough, she calls me 'Amazon'. She's always saying something to me. Everyone thinks I'm this scary bounty hunter that'll shoot them if they look at me wrong..." Zelda began shaking her head and started to say something, but Samus cut her off. "It's true. They all think it... she's just the only one brave enough to say anything." "I really wish Peach wouldn't say those things," Zelda said sternly. "I'll put a stop to that as soon as I see her." Samus smiled at how resolute Zelda just sounded. "I'm jealous of you," she said. She had always admired Zelda for that inner strength, something that she lacked; she only possessed outward strength. "What- why?" Zelda looked confused. "You're so strong." "What are you talking about? You're much stronger than I am." "Yeah, but you never sacrifice your femininity because if of it. I wish I could pull that off. I'd just look ridiculous if I tried" "Samus..." "Jeez, I don't even know why I saying these things. This is a stupid conversation anyway." Samus attempted to drop the subject. Though with a mere look, Zelda pressed the issue. Samus huffed and looked away. "I'm... I'm just... uh." "You're quite lovely too. You have no reason to be jealous." "Tch... with my plain face and rough personality?" Samus rolled her eyes. "Right. You're just saying that. I'm too tall and muscular, more like a guy anyways." Zelda reached across with her other hand and ran it softly through Samus' hair, again causing Samus to become self-conscious. "That's a shame really. If only you could see yourself the way I see you." "The... The way you see me?" Samus asked, her question posed with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "Yes," Zelda said softly, not much more than a whisper. "I see an incredible individual; strong and independent, but with a care free attitude, talented in many respects, and who is different, but in a good way." With a lock of Samus' hair still between her fingers, Zelda caressed down her cheek with the back of her hand. "I see a woman, an attractive one, a... a desirable one, with beautiful eyes... and a cute face... and believe me, who's nothing at all like a guy... at all" "Really? Mean it?" It was embarrassing to hear someone describer her that way, yet at the same time she felt incredibly warm inside. "Yes..." Zelda smiled softly and nodded then continued. "I see... a caring friend; a friend who was there for me when I need her, even if I didn't realize it at first." Being complimented so was an amazing feeling; especially coming from someone she cared about. Samus wasn't used to this at all. "And," Zelda spoke softer still, leaning a bit closer. "I see someone, who despite being so strong outwardly, hidden deep down, has soft side, even... a fragile side; delicate and beautiful." Zelda's demeanor affected Samus in ways she didn't really comprehend. Her jaw quivered and her heart skipped. It was as if Zelda was peering into her heart, seeing right past all the walls she'd built for herself. "But most of all soft..." Zelda continued, gently stroking Samus' hair. "So very soft..." Without realizing how it happened, Samus found her lips pressing softly against Zelda's. For some reason strange she wasn't surprised by it at all, but it did feel surreal, like a dream. Her chest swelled and it felt like she was floating. She wasn't sure how long it lasted; it might have been a few seconds or a few hours for all she could tell; it was all a little bit dizzying. When Zelda finally pulled away, Samus was left at a loss for words. She wasn't sure what to say, or if anything needed to be said at all. She stared at Zelda for a few seconds before turning her head to the side, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. What did she just do? Her mind raced, trying to grab words to put together into a sentence, but the more she thought, the more her embarrassment grew, completely preventing speech. Hopefully Zelda would say something. She didn't though; Zelda just tightened her grip around her hand and let her head fall on Samus' shoulder as she leaned up against her. Samus tensed up, but only momentarily; there was no need for tension, not with Zelda. Despite what had just happened, she was strangely comfortable with the Hylian girl, she always had been. "The stars are so beautiful," Zelda said quietly. "Yes..." They sat hand in hand, Zelda resting against Samus, in complete silence for quite a long while. Words continued to fail Samus, while Zelda was just content to sit quietly. Eventually, they were interrupted by the clock chiming, signaling it was nine in the evening. "Zelda... I have to go," Samus said uneasily, slowly pulling away from her. "Oh... alright." Zelda let out a small sigh of disappointment. "I'm supposed to have a match against Falcon soon," Samus explained. "I see...Will you fight without your armor again?" "Eh," Samus shrugged her shoulders "I'll decide when I get there." "So... uh... will I see you later tonight at the reception?" Zelda asked, a bit of trepidation in her voice. "We'll be welcoming all the newcomers, you should meet them." "Maybe..." "Ok... bye then. "Yeah, bye." "Bye."
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