Kid Icarus DESIRE- Promo

The wheels in Dark Pit's head were spinning as he laid beside Pit. Only the sound of his original's breathing broke the nighttime silence that surrounded them. The double pondered exactly why it was that Pit never spoke about his nightmares to his ruling goddess. Knowing him, he probably didn't want to talk about it because it might hurt her in some way. Dark Pit had an inkling that it might involve the Great Calamity, if the information he'd gathered was correct. All that he could do to help his original and Palutena was to wait for a nightmare to happen. His only friends at the moment to help him were the details on the bedroom ceiling.

It was the distressed moan Pit let out that got him out of his reverie. He slowly sat up, watching him carefully as the white-winged angel twitched, moaned and whimpered through his dream, sweat slowly forming on his brow. Well, there's the nightmare, the other angel thought, so should I wake him up, or-

Leave me alone...

"Heeh?" Dark Pit tilted his head a tad to the side, then leaned slightly forward toward his original. "Hey, you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Pit's eyes quickly opened wide, yet they were still slightly unfocused. Frowning, Pittoo shifted his body to a better position. "Pit?" No answer came but blue eyes darting, searching, for something. Get off me, he heard the other angel beg in his head.

"I should've have eaten that eggplant salad he made, I think I'm hallucinating or some-", but his muttering cut short as he could've sworn that his heart was beating into a faster rhythm. "Pit?!" He could've sworn Pit was pleading, like a chant, whatever he was seeing to remove itself from sitting on his body... But there was nothing there. Was this some sort of sleep paralysis?

Dark Pit nudged his shoulder. "Pit, wake up. You're okay." But the pleading and the unusual heartbeat kept on, eyes still unfocused and dilated. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the other's arms and shook him slightly. "Pit! Come on, there's no one there!" The begging became more like screams in his mind, making him wince. "SNAP OUT OF IT!" A palm slapped the original angel's face. A gasp came out of Pit's throat, and he then shuddered, whimpered, and turned away from the teal-winged youth, a hand on his cheek and another clutching near his heart, holding on unto his tank-top for dear life.

"...Pit, did I hurt you?"

"A bit..."

"Heavens." At least his heartbeat had returned to normal. "Look, I'm sorry... you just really freaked me out right there."

"'S okay..." Pit slowly sat up, fist still at his heart, taking deep breaths, shaking like a leaf. His doppelganger frowned and he reached out again to shake him.

"Hey, Pit, come on- you're fine," he tried to reassure him, even though that was something he wasn't exactly sure how to. His original covered his face with his hands, letting his hair slip through his fingers, trying to catch his breath to calm his nerves. The double had never seen him in such a vulnerable state before- in a critical state in which he was unconscious, yes, and when the Captain was worried for his ruling goddess, but not during times of peace. For that reason, this situation with the sleep paralysis made him shiver as well. His grip on Pit's shoulder tightened, but still gentle enough to not harm him. "Pit, talk to me. What happened in that dream?"

Finally, the other angel muttered. "It's always the same thing..." He shut his eyes tightly. "It's always them, always..."

Dark Pit sighed. "It's what? Look, you can tell me. I may not be much help, but..." He rubbed the back of his head. "I can try, anyway."

"I need cider."

The doppelganger nodded and slowly got out of bed, and went to a nearby side table where a pitcher of apple cider sat on a portable heater where the low heat temperature kept it warm for the night. He filled up two mugs full of the liquid, placing the pitcher back on the heater before taking the mugs to the bed, passing one of them to his original who thanked him while taking it. As they drank their cider, Pittoo noticed how Pit held his mug with both hands, gripping it like his life depended on it; how he sipped it like every last drop was too precious to waste, and sipping it slowly as to ensure everything he enjoyed about cider didn't end quickly.

Once both were done with their drinks, the darker half broke the ice again. "That help at all?"

The white-winged angel stared blankly at the inside of his empty mug before nodding in reply. "I didn't want you to experience that. I'm sorry if I spooked you or anything, I'm just..." he sighed as he hung his head. "This is why I objected on you staying with me tonight. I didn't want you to know how bad these nightmares are."

"Well..." Dark Pit bit his bottom lip. "Can you... tell me about those dreams?"

Pit once again gripped his mug. "I don't think I can."

His double sighed. "You'll have to talk about it one day. But from the way you're talking..." He placed his mug on a nightstand next to the bed. "They're pretty constant. Just how many times a week do you get these nightmares?"

"At least twice a week... since a few Cycles, give or take."

"What." Pittoo turned his body to properly face his original. "And how many Cycles was that?!"

"Um, maybe since the Calamity...?" He covered his face with a hand. " Just... I don't know. It's been such a long time now."

"So, the Calamity started the whole nightmare thing, then?" His counterpart suggested.

Pit slowly faced him, and Dark Pit couldn't help but bite his lip again at how those blue eyes seemed to have harden like ice. "Pittoo?" His voice was a little too calm for the darker half's taste. "Just how much information was given to you behind our backs?"

"I couldn't do much for three years, Pit, so I know a whole lot. And that's why I agreed to stay with you tonight. Because Palutena wants you to have help with those nightmares. If you're not letting her help you, who will?!"

"Easy," the white-winged angel flatly spoke. "Someone who shares the same pain I went through. And no one fits that bill, not even you."

"Not even Palutena?"

Pit shook his head, laughing. "She doesn't have wings or parents, dummy. So, since you know a whole lot about me, how about it?" He laid back on his bed. "Am I still that stupid little puppet of Lady Palutena's?"

"I-uh..." Dark Pit hadn't expected him to return to that particular subject. "Look, I have no memories of when we were together, alright? If I did, I would've understood everything. Why you're doing all this." He sighed. "Though on the other hand, if I am you, I think it's for the best. The things I heard second-hand were frightening enough."

The original placed his mug on his own nightstand. "And that's why I can't tell you, either, see?" He sat up. "I doubt anyone would understand what it's like. Unable to fly because of an infant-hood illness and being bullied about it, having your people massacred, your parents going into hiding to protect the world from what killed your people, seeing a goddess go mad as a result of those massacres, becoming your goddess' captain at the Cycle of 5, the whole event with Orcus and Medusa when I was one year before turning 10 Cycles old, and then... everything that happened the last three years." Once again, he shook his head. "When I met you, it was one of the most brutal wake-up calls I'd ever gotten."

"Pit..."

His lips curled into a self-mocking smile. "Gotta stay upbeat, else you're dead meat..." He chuckled at his words. "To think those ring true about me... I'm such a failure! Even after everything, I'm nowhere even close to my goal; I'm still alone with Lady Palutena and the Centurions, and I keep on fixing problems created by that Calamity." He brought his knees to his chest. "But who cares?! As long as everyone's happy, it doesn't matter, right?"

The disturbingly giddy tone he used brought shivers down his double's spine.

"Pit, stop that. I..." Pittoo bit his lip. "I don't really get everything, but I know enough that you deserve to have your parents back. It's not fair for you to stay like this!" He paused, then sighed. "I really am you... aren't I."

"Yup." Pit leaned forward on his knees. "You're pretty much an amnesiac me without a brain to mouth filter, once you get down to it. That fake Medusa's theory about the mirror being cracked before you were 'complete'? I seriously doubt it. I thought you were completed, but because you were me, there was no way in your right mind you would've served her because of our history together, even if you didn't remember it." He passed a hand through his brown hair. "To be honest... after that first battle against you, I couldn't sleep. I kept on questioning myself, about everyone's words- and that's when I realized who you were."

"Did Teacher's... love for a certain game help you clue that in?" Dark Pit suggested.

"Clue it in? It was when I recalled that quote about the true self that everything fell into place. The epiphany I had... wasn't pleasant, to say the least." He leaned back against his pillow. "Of course, I knew there was also a difference in situation and all. We still don't know how the Mirror of Truth really works, or who made it and everything. But if I'd were to wager a guess, I'd say there's a certain someone tampering with memories. I mean, it's her domain and all." With his fingers, he made circles in the air. "Heck, sometimes I wished she used it on me, but she always insisted that it was the worst idea it could be." He then clutched his hand into a fist. "Is there something even I don't know about myself? Just... Why is it that even after almost seven decades, my parents aren't at my side?"

The black-haired angel rubbed his neck. "I know the whole thing with Babylon was never resolved, maybe that's why you've been waiting? I've been told until we find a way to permanently destroy it, there's no way they're going to find it, or let your parents end their job." He then rubbed his shoulder. "Of course, no one knows how to do that, right?"

Pit shrugged. "I know the Beth-Nahraineans left quite a whole lot of information behind on the Last Shard... but decrypting them? That's another story. It takes at least a few months for Dyntos to figure out the transliteration of just one slab, or so Palutena told me. There's someone else who can do it faster, at least a few hours, but that person has a whole lot on their plate already." He passed a hand through his hair. "So far, we haven't really cracked anything worthwhile for our troubles... Just details on what it looks like. Not what powers it, how it works, nothing of the sort." He sighed deeply. "The only reason why I'm not giving up on everything is because of what I'm capable of, and even then, after doing all that and not having them by my side is so... depressing."

Dark Pit reached to his lighter half and wiped something off his face. "It's okay to cry about it, you know... I won't hold it against you. No," he shook his head, "I can't hold it against you, because we're one and the same."

There was a soft chuckle as his reply. "No, I'm done crying over it. I was done a long time ago, Pittoo." A yawn came out of Pit's mouth. "I've got tears in my eyes because I'm tired."

"Yeah, let's get some more shut-eye. We've got a big day ahead for the two of us."

Yet the teal-winged angel waited until the other was fast asleep before draping one of his wings over him. 'Extending a wing over someone you care about,' a voice in his head reminded him, 'especially when they're hurting inside, means I'm here for you in the body language of angels.' Perhaps, just perhaps, Pit would wake up the next day and realize that he would never be alone again.