Wheee, I’ve got another Brawl story up… Ehe, if this keeps going on, Brawl will take over my profile… Hehe, don’t worry, guys, I don’t plan on neglecting my other Naruto stories!!

Honou: You say that, but the truth is you’ve already neglected them…

Me: Mou They didn’t have to know that… Besides summer homework is killing me…

Honou: That’s a pathetic excuse…

Me: But its AP Lit!!

Honou: Uhuh, give it to someone who cares…

Me: Meanie!! Well, the chapters a tad bit short, but very action-packed!! …Not really, the beginning’s really boring, even I think so and I wrote it… But I like it later when Ike and Marth meet… Hohoho…

Anyway, read and enjoy!!

Chapter 1: Arrival

Marth sighed as he watched the veteran Brawlers mingle with each other, whispering about the newcomers to Smash Manor, eyes on the stage in front. As a prince, he was forced to attend these mundane events, but in all honesty, such trivial, petty peasant gossip gatherings bored him. He would much rather spend his free time reading a good book or sparring with a suitable partner.

Speaking of partners… He glanced around the large party room, eyes scanning for Zelda, a frequent sparring partner. As Zelda, she was rather delicate and feminine, normal like any other princess, but as Sheik she definitely was a force to be reckoned with. He spotted her across the room, quietly talking with Peach over a glass of champagne. Peach, too, was a delicate princess, but unlike Zelda she preferred to stay out of the battleground.

Marth made his way towards them, “Ladies. Pardon my intrusion.”

Peach smiled, “Your presence is never an intrusion, dear prince.”

Zelda nodded her head in greeting, “Marth, good to see you. Curious about the newcomers?”

Marth shrugged, “Well, actually Mario told me one of them was also a Fire Emblem prince, so I decided to take a look.”

Peach frowned, “Prince? I thought he was a merc-”

Zelda suddenly cut in with a slight dreamy look on her face, all elegance lost, “That other Fire Emblem prince was pretty cute too… It’s such a shame that he left… What was his name? Kay? Lloyd? Boyd?”

“Roy.” Marth’s heart clenched as he said the name, “It was Prince Roy.” Roy came around the same time as Marth did, and since both were Fire Emblem princes, they became fast friends. But they didn’t stay friends for long…

Peach gently swatted Zelda’s shoulder, “Come on, dear, you have Link, and you should remain faithful to him.”

Zelda waved her hand, “I am, I am. But that doesn’t mean I can’t fantasize about other guys.”

The lights began to dim as the stage lights brightened, and Jigglypuff waddled to the stage in front to announce the newcomers. “Welcome, everyone,” Jigglypuff greeted in her melodic voice, “I’m sure you’re all excited to see who our new comrades are, and I don’t intend to make you wait any longer. Now, we shall begin!! The first of our additions is Wolf O’Donnell from the Star Fox universe!!”

Wolf somersaulted in and howled at the ceiling as the audience applauded his entrance. He glanced around the spectators and spotted Fox among the crowd. He performed a series of kicks, “What’s the matter, scared?”

Fox stood from his chair and beckoned him, “Come on!!”

The viewers laughed at their exchange, and Wolf stepped down the stage to join the other Star Fox members.

Peach rolled her eyes, “Oh, just what we needed. Another animal…”

Zelda and Marth laughed at her remark as Zelda replied, “Seriously. If we get another animal, we might as well make this place into a zoo.”

Jigglypuff danced around, “Our next addition is Wario of the Super Mario universe!!”

Wario zoomed into the stage on his motorbike, laughing all the way. He leapt off, sending the bike crashing into the wall as he posed. “Wahahaha!!” He cackled as he released a huge burst of gas that effused throughout the room sending many of the people into groans and moans of distress.

Peach pinched her nose, “Revolting. Now he definitely belongs in a zoo…”

Marth cupped his face, “Honestly, where do they find these guys?”

Zelda gagged, “Guys, I think I’m gonna be sick…”

Jigglypuff covered her mouth with her stubby arms, “Well, that was one entrance my nose will never forget… Next is Toon Link!! And I think we all know where he comes from!!”

Toon Link exploded onto the stage with a bomb, waving his baton to a tuneless symphony. He then pulled out his sword and waved it around wildly, “Waahhh!!” He then slumped down as he grew tired.

The audience chuckled at the child’s antics as a voice behind Zelda murmured, “He’s my spitting image.”

Zelda glanced back to find Link standing behind her, “Yeah, except he’s more… toony.”

Toon Link skipped off the stage to join Zelda and Link, “Heyo!!”

Zelda patted Toon Link’s head, “How was the trip here?”

Toon Link shrugged, “It was okay. There was this one guy who was soooo cool though!! He had like this huuuge sword that I couldn’t even pick up, and he could swing it around with one hand!! And like-”

Link gently cupped his younger version with his hand, “That’s great. But I think you’re a bit too loud…”

Jigglypuff cleared her throat, “So the next character is Sonic the Hedgehog!!”

Sonic zoomed in, too fast for anyone to even see. He grinned as he waved his finger in a ‘No, no’ fashion, “Come on, step it up!!”

Jigglypuff clapped in awe, “Quite a speed demon.”

Sonic breakdanced, “Sonic’s the name, speed’s my game!!” He flipped off the stage to join the audience.

Peach rolled her eyes, “Is this a haven for rodents or something? I really don’t understand it… There was that first electric mouse… Pikachu? And then they brought in another electric mouse, which was, if possible, even more annoying than the first!! Honestly…”

Zelda nodded in agreement, “Pichu definitely could get under everyone’s skin. I’m so glad he’s gone…”

“And, next is Snake of Metal Gear!!”

There was no flashy entrance like the others, but there was a box on stage that they were sure wasn’t there before. Snake emerged from the box, “Kept you waiting, huh? It’s show time.”

The audience applauded his appearance as Peach giggled, “He’s kinda hunky…”

Zelda shrugged, “Seems kinda gung-ho to me…”

Marth placed his fingers on his temples, “Definitely not my type.”

Jigglypuff announced the next, “And now we have Pokemon Trainer, also known as Red!!”

Red walked onto the stage and tossed out his Pokeballs, “Go!!” His three Pokemon, Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle exploded out of their respective balls and crowed excitedly.

Peach sighed, “Pokemon are taking over the world…”

Marth snorted, “You can say that again.”

“But he’s kinda cute,” Zelda remarked.

Peach snorted, “Sure, if you like nerdy gamers.”

“We also have another Pokemon joining us, the Aura Pokemon, Lucario!!”

Lucario teleported onto the stage, glowing with a blue aura, “Behold the power of aura!!”

Peach sighed again, “See what I mean…”

Zelda shrugged, “Well, Pokemon are popular and fun, too…”

Peach twiddled with her fingers, “But not dreamy at all…”

“We have two characters joining us from the Kirby universe… Now introducing… King Dedede and Meta Knight!!”

Dedede was carried in on a throne held by several tiny Waddledees and Meta Knight whirled onto the stage with a spin of his cape. Dedede waved cheerily at the audience as Meta Knight spread his wings, growling, “Come!”

“A fat penguin and another puffball,” Peach said, bored, “Just fantastic. Another addition to the zoo.”

“Well, Kirby’s happy,” Zelda pointed out. It was true; the pink creampuff was waving joyfully at his comrades.

“Our next character is Pit from the Kid Icarus universe!!” Jigglypuff introduced.

Pit fluttered down to the stage, bathed in angelic light. He landed softly and twirled his bow-sword in his hands, “The fight is on!!”

Peach clasped her hands together, “Cute!!”

“Definitely cute,” Zelda agreed, “But way too young.”

Peach drooped, “Yeah, you’re right…”

“Really, there are no hunks coming in this time…” Zelda complained.

Peach clapped her hands together, “Well, I did hear that the Fire Emblem guy was a really hottie…”

Marth raised an eyebrow, “Really?”

Peach nodded, “Even cuter than that Roy guy from last time.”

Zelda’s eyes became dreamy, “Roy was pretty cute…”

Marth grunted, “That’ll just make him all the more arrogant.”

Zelda smiled, still lost in her fantasies, “But if he’s a prince then he should have really nice manners… I can imagine him now… Courting us, treating us to dinner, having all of these sophisticated conversations… I can totally see him, all so urbane and classy… Oooh, I can’t wait…”

“Well, that’s the thing, he isn’t a-” Peach tried to say, but was interrupted by Jigglypuff. During their discussion of the Fire Emblem character, Olimar, Lucas, and Diddy Kong had been introduced.

“And now, last but definitely not least, I welcome, Ike of the Fire Emblem universe!!”

Ike appeared onto the stage in a glimmer of Warp Powder, his face proud and stern. The first thing Marth noticed, though, was his shock of blue hair, far more vibrant and wilder than his own, held up with only a ragged strip of cloth. He had a strange, sudden urge to run his fingers through it, to see how it felt underneath his touch.

“Oh, my…” Zelda managed.

“He is a real hunk,” Peach gushed, “I would sooo challenge him to a Brawl just to hear his voice.”

Marth’s eyes trailed down Ike’s face to his body, well-built and fit, but not overly so… Masculine and strong… But then he noticed Ike’s clothes, scrutinizing everything from his tattered cape to his metal gauntlets to his leather boots… They looked something that definitely did not belong to someone of royalty… In fact, if Marth could label him as anything it would be…

“I thought you said he was a prince?”

Zelda glanced at Ike’s clothing and frowned, “Well…”

“I’ve been trying to tell you guys,” Peach replied, slightly exasperated, “He’s not a prince, he’s a merc. A Crimean mercenary.”

Zelda clasped her hands together, “Doesn’t matter to me. He’s still hot.”

Marth’s lips curled in disgust; out of all the positions a person could be in the Fire Emblem kingdom, Marth had always figured mercenaries as the worst. He always thought of them as arrogantly stupid and brash, not to mention filthy, crude, and disgusting. Not to mention the fact that their jobs circled around MONEY and anything profitable… He absolutely LOATHED mercenaries…

“He’s a little peasant. Hardly worth our time, Zelda. I can’t believe they brought someone like him here. Look at his face, he’s looks so arrogant, thinking that he’s on top of the world just because he made it to Smash Manor.” Marth shuddered at the thought of the man’s hygiene; for sure he would smell like swine, a cocky one at that… How revolting…

Peach and Zelda exchanged glances. “We could say the same about a certain, blue-haired prince…” Peach said, almost blatantly.

Marth snorted haughtily, “I’m nothing like him. As a prince, my arrogance has a certain charm to it.”

Peach glanced at Zelda who shrugged as if to say, ‘No-point-in-trying…’ She sighed, “Well then, I suppose this whole party has been a waste. I’m going back to my room… See ya.”

Zelda also wandered away, “I need to find Link. He disappeared somewhere… I’ll se you guys around…”

Marth finished his glass of champagne and left it at the table. The R.O.B.s, who were in charge of managing the place, would take care of it later.

“You must be the other prince,” A deep, throaty voice murmured, words flowing like velvet.

Marth whirled around, shocked to find the blue-haired merc, Ike, standing behind him. “Ah, yes, I am Marth, prince of Altea. You are?”

“Ike.” Was his single-word answer.

“A pleasure.” Marth held out his hand for Ike to kiss. He rolled his eyes inwardly, but he knew that it was best to show manners, especially in public.

Ike eyed his hand strangely, “Do you greet people in a different custom?”

Marth was affronted, “I can’t believe… Why… You really don’t know how to treat a noble?”

Ike cocked his head, voice almost dry, “Are you nobles special in any way?”

Marth crossed his arms. He was really starting to not like this guy, “I am a prince. As a prince you should treat me with the proper respect.”

Ike swept his cloak back and bent at the hips into a respectful bow, his tone suddenly changing from crude to sophisticated, “Ah, I see. Excuse my ignorance.” He took Marth’s hand and gently brushed his lips against it, “I didn’t mean to displease you, princess.”

Marth spluttered, “Princess? I just told you, I am Prince Marth, not a princess. Prince.” He couldn’t stretch the emphasis on ‘prince’ enough.

Ike just smiled, arrogant and cocky in manner, “Excuse the slip of my tongue, Prince. You are rather feminine in figure… It’s easy to get confused.” He leaned in and gently brushed his fingers against Marth’s cheek, “Your skin looks as soft as a woman’s as well.”

Marth stared at the Crimean mercenary, open-mouth, his skin crawling at his touch. He couldn’t believe the audacity of this man; first this vulgar ruffian insults him deliberately and now he dared to touch him? He would not stand for this; he had never been so embarrassed in his life!!

He tried to come up with a snappy retort, but none came to his mind. And it really didn’t help that Ike smelled rather nice… Not of sweaty, filthy pigs like Marth expected… Ike smelled of something sweetly fragrant, but masculine at the same time.

Ike just grinned wolfishly, well aware of the prince’s anger and reveling in it, “Farewell… Have a nice sleep, princess.” He walked away and disappeared into the crowd.

Marth could feel every single eye staring at him, his cheeks flushed and burning with embarrassment. He quickly stormed out of the room, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone and keeping his murderous thoughts to himself… Ooh, I’m gonna kill that little ingrate… He’s not gonna get away with insulting me so easily… Just wait, Ike… Just you wait…

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Ike wandered around the gardens of the Manor, just enjoying the cool night air as it rolled along his skin… Speaking of other things that rolled along his skin… The ego coming from that Fire Emblem prince… He thought back the blue-haired prince (Marth, was that his name?) he had just insulted. He couldn’t help it; guys like that arrogant prince really ticked him off… The way they stepped on others just because they were of ‘noble blood.’

Back in Crimea, Ike had initially learned to be humble, to accept others as you would want to be accepted. The other mercenaries had been easily to get along with, mainly because they practiced the same kind of humility Ike did…

Well, that lesson grew complicated when he met his first member of nobility in his travels around Tellius. The first impression Ike got of that annoying prince was to punch the bastard as hard as he could. That was how he dealt with haughty nobles, with a bit of force and perhaps a bit of sharp sarcasm to shut them up…

Ike snorted as he thought upon the condescension of the nobility; the only thing bigger than their ego was their pride. Surely that guy, the little princess, would come back to wreak his revenge, but for now… Ike stared up at the stars; he would just enjoy the nice, night sky…

Well, it certainly seems that these two guys will not get along very well… or will they? Hahaha, yes, this will be an eventual IkexMarth, but for now I’m going to have fun with their relationship currently… HAHAHAHA!! This is gonna be sooo much fun…

Honou: And there she goes again… I can already see this story becoming neglected…

Me: Mou Anyway, readers, please review… I always love reading your comments!!