Personal Sacrifice
Chapter. 2 (Gooey's POV)
It's there. It's always there. Lurking, waiting in the wings, ready to consume him when he least expects it.
Hatred isn't a foreign feeling for Gooey. He's felt hate before, for a variety of different things. He knows what it's like and how it feels. But this hate, that he wants to feel, that bubbles under the surface at a constant, it's not /his/. It's-- It's not his.
But he can't deal with it. How much he wants to succumb to it.
So he's in his room. Waiting, focusing, hoping that Kirby can just leave well enough alone. It's not as strong as it was yesterday, aided by the walls serving as barriers to the Warrior, but Gooey can still feel his presence in the home. So easy to lash out at, so easy to hurt, but he doesn't /want/ to. He can't risk it. Especially not today of all days.
Gooey's eyes skim over to the present wrapped in bright paper and ribbon sitting in the corner of the room. He'd been so excited to celebrate Tulok's birthday, always was! Tulok is like his little brother, always looking up to him and Kirby, always following them around, and getting ready for the party had always been one of his favorite things. But now...
He sighs. How does he do this? If he doesn't leave, everyone will get suspicious, but he can't risk hurting them. Maybe if he just...stops by quickly to drop off his present...?
And then he senses it. Kirby's presence fading, likely him leaving the house.
Gooey knows opportunity when he sees it, and he's not about to miss this chance. So grabbing the present, he's quick to leave his room, fluttering with excitement into the living room where Kes and Tulok are busy getting ready. The expression on her face goes slack the moment she sees him, but it isn't long before she's smiling at him with warmth in her gaze. "Gooey, hello! I'm glad to see you!"
"Gooey?" Tulok perks up where he had been fiddling with a few empty balloons, leaving them forgotten with the haste in which he scrambles to go and tug at the other's cape. "Gooey!! Gooey, I missed you! Where were you, huh?"
Gooey is for once thankful that he can't answer, patting Tulok on the head with a warm look as he sets Tulok's present down on the table with the others.
"Would you like something to eat? We have some watermelon while we wait for the party to start." And Gooey eagerly accepts, eating more than his fill with all the gusto that any of Kirby's kin might have.
It's nice, being able to settle down and not have to worry about anything. Tulok is trying to set up streamers and he helps, just like he always had, lifting the boy so he can hang them up until they're all neatly decorating the living room. He listens to Tulok chatter away about everything, the party, being brushed, how his morning was, and gives Tulok a little toss here and there just to hear him giggle and squeal.
And of course Tulok has to give him his party hat! He takes it and even a party blower just to have fun and celebrate, blowing it at the boy to hear him let out a little laugh.
He feels content. He feels good. He feels /happy,/ like he's normal for the first time in a long time, eating and playing with Tulok, just-
And there it is again, that presence. Kirby, coming back, and with it, that feeling, bubbling just barely in the distance. Why? Why him?
It takes effort to try and avoid Kirby when he returns. Gooey, now a participant of the party, can't just leave. He doesn't /want/ to leave. So he does his best to try and make himself scarce without attracting undue attention. Shuffling around rooms depending on where Kirby goes, disguising it as grabbing food or sitting down or playing games, anything just to get away from him. And it works well enough, he thinks.
When time comes to watch Tulok open presents, Gooey tries his best to get as close as he can without getting /too/ close, focusing all of his attention on Tulok to distract himself from the foreign emotion he feels crawling under his skin.
But Kirby never lets well enough alone, stubborn boy. He gets right /next/ to him and Gooey has to clutch his head and curl in on himself at the sudden swim of killing intent that gnaws at his mind, searing through him and turning his body alight with an agony he's never felt.
No. No. Not his brother. Not his master. /No./
"Gooey...?"
And when he opens his eyes, looks over, there's--
A Dark Matter. Reaching out. Reaching out to /touch/ him.
He doesn't think. He just /swings/ with everything he's got.
And Tulok yelps. Tulok, who had been beside him. Tulok, not a Dark Matter. Tulok, who drags him back to his senses, back to reality, a reality which is that of his matter glaring down at him, wings high and spread, fists curled, looking at him as though he were the most vile of Demon Beasts.
He feels like one.
But worse than that, he feels the anger, the rage at just /seeing/ him there, /standing/ there, and he has to run before he can act out on anything more, do anymore damage than he's already caused.
Of course it was too good to be true. He couldn't have one good day without this. Of course he would hurt people, even as much as he tried to stop himself. He's a danger, and this...thing is the cause.
And it wasn't going to stop. Not until he lets it do what it wants. He can sense it, whatever it is, calling him. Darkness, somewhere in the distance, a massive void. Calling. Waiting.
Fine. If that's what it wants. If it means protecting his family, then he'll go. He'll take care of this. He'll get rid of it. Once and for all. And then nobody will have to worry about anything ever /again/.
So he leaves. Opens his window and flies right out, towards the sky, further until he's far enough away that Kirby's presence can't hamper him too much. And when he's far enough away, only then does he let himself turn to look back at his home. So quiet and peaceful, and so many memories that would forever be cherished. He looks back and he just...stares.
There's so much he wants. To apologize. To go back. Back to the way things were.
But not yet. Not until whatever this is is defeated.
He just...wishes he could have at least said goodbye.
Hatred isn't a foreign feeling for Gooey. He's felt hate before, for a variety of different things. He knows what it's like and how it feels. But this hate, that he wants to feel, that bubbles under the surface at a constant, it's not /his/. It's-- It's not his.
But he can't deal with it. How much he wants to succumb to it.
So he's in his room. Waiting, focusing, hoping that Kirby can just leave well enough alone. It's not as strong as it was yesterday, aided by the walls serving as barriers to the Warrior, but Gooey can still feel his presence in the home. So easy to lash out at, so easy to hurt, but he doesn't /want/ to. He can't risk it. Especially not today of all days.
Gooey's eyes skim over to the present wrapped in bright paper and ribbon sitting in the corner of the room. He'd been so excited to celebrate Tulok's birthday, always was! Tulok is like his little brother, always looking up to him and Kirby, always following them around, and getting ready for the party had always been one of his favorite things. But now...
He sighs. How does he do this? If he doesn't leave, everyone will get suspicious, but he can't risk hurting them. Maybe if he just...stops by quickly to drop off his present...?
And then he senses it. Kirby's presence fading, likely him leaving the house.
Gooey knows opportunity when he sees it, and he's not about to miss this chance. So grabbing the present, he's quick to leave his room, fluttering with excitement into the living room where Kes and Tulok are busy getting ready. The expression on her face goes slack the moment she sees him, but it isn't long before she's smiling at him with warmth in her gaze. "Gooey, hello! I'm glad to see you!"
"Gooey?" Tulok perks up where he had been fiddling with a few empty balloons, leaving them forgotten with the haste in which he scrambles to go and tug at the other's cape. "Gooey!! Gooey, I missed you! Where were you, huh?"
Gooey is for once thankful that he can't answer, patting Tulok on the head with a warm look as he sets Tulok's present down on the table with the others.
"Would you like something to eat? We have some watermelon while we wait for the party to start." And Gooey eagerly accepts, eating more than his fill with all the gusto that any of Kirby's kin might have.
It's nice, being able to settle down and not have to worry about anything. Tulok is trying to set up streamers and he helps, just like he always had, lifting the boy so he can hang them up until they're all neatly decorating the living room. He listens to Tulok chatter away about everything, the party, being brushed, how his morning was, and gives Tulok a little toss here and there just to hear him giggle and squeal.
And of course Tulok has to give him his party hat! He takes it and even a party blower just to have fun and celebrate, blowing it at the boy to hear him let out a little laugh.
He feels content. He feels good. He feels /happy,/ like he's normal for the first time in a long time, eating and playing with Tulok, just-
And there it is again, that presence. Kirby, coming back, and with it, that feeling, bubbling just barely in the distance. Why? Why him?
It takes effort to try and avoid Kirby when he returns. Gooey, now a participant of the party, can't just leave. He doesn't /want/ to leave. So he does his best to try and make himself scarce without attracting undue attention. Shuffling around rooms depending on where Kirby goes, disguising it as grabbing food or sitting down or playing games, anything just to get away from him. And it works well enough, he thinks.
When time comes to watch Tulok open presents, Gooey tries his best to get as close as he can without getting /too/ close, focusing all of his attention on Tulok to distract himself from the foreign emotion he feels crawling under his skin.
But Kirby never lets well enough alone, stubborn boy. He gets right /next/ to him and Gooey has to clutch his head and curl in on himself at the sudden swim of killing intent that gnaws at his mind, searing through him and turning his body alight with an agony he's never felt.
No. No. Not his brother. Not his master. /No./
"Gooey...?"
And when he opens his eyes, looks over, there's--
A Dark Matter. Reaching out. Reaching out to /touch/ him.
He doesn't think. He just /swings/ with everything he's got.
And Tulok yelps. Tulok, who had been beside him. Tulok, not a Dark Matter. Tulok, who drags him back to his senses, back to reality, a reality which is that of his matter glaring down at him, wings high and spread, fists curled, looking at him as though he were the most vile of Demon Beasts.
He feels like one.
But worse than that, he feels the anger, the rage at just /seeing/ him there, /standing/ there, and he has to run before he can act out on anything more, do anymore damage than he's already caused.
Of course it was too good to be true. He couldn't have one good day without this. Of course he would hurt people, even as much as he tried to stop himself. He's a danger, and this...thing is the cause.
And it wasn't going to stop. Not until he lets it do what it wants. He can sense it, whatever it is, calling him. Darkness, somewhere in the distance, a massive void. Calling. Waiting.
Fine. If that's what it wants. If it means protecting his family, then he'll go. He'll take care of this. He'll get rid of it. Once and for all. And then nobody will have to worry about anything ever /again/.
So he leaves. Opens his window and flies right out, towards the sky, further until he's far enough away that Kirby's presence can't hamper him too much. And when he's far enough away, only then does he let himself turn to look back at his home. So quiet and peaceful, and so many memories that would forever be cherished. He looks back and he just...stares.
There's so much he wants. To apologize. To go back. Back to the way things were.
But not yet. Not until whatever this is is defeated.
He just...wishes he could have at least said goodbye.
-End Chapter 2.5-
<< Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 >>
Artist Comment:
Date: N/A
-----------------
------------
Date: N/A
-----------------
------------
Species © Nintendo/ HAL Laboratory
Interpreted characters created from said species © Rhylem
Interpreted characters created from said species © Rhylem