Not Exactly A Guardian Angel

Twin sounds of protective armor clattered down the final set of hallways towards their destination, the chill of night growing nearer and nearer on their skin. It tore through right their clothes and rested relentlessly upon them. Although much more quieter at this midnight hour, it felt rather intimidating and frightful to the less armored one. Still, it took every ounce of will to not suddenly reach out and grasp the other's hand; one, since it'd be unexpected and likely receive an undesired reaction, and two, as just the mere thought of doing so made the thinker wince inwardly. He thought by doing that the other male would see him as a cowardice child, and he definitely did not want that. It was difficult enough to prove to them he was worthy of even being on this gigantic vessel, let alone have the generous opportunity to run its engines from time to time. After all, not many species really see Waddle Dee as anything more than nuisances and weaklings, so he considered himself especially lucky to have even been recommended here. But now wasn't the time to think about the past. As he lead the way to the final hallway, a straight one that was most definitely the coldest and had the door desired, was finally in their steps. All the while, he's heard the one he managed to somehow drag out here yawn a couple dozen times, although very subtly. The little orange boy felt bad for doing this, however couldn't get this task done without the safety and comfort of knowing someone familiar and trusted was watching. A shiver crawled up his back after adjusting to the room's temperature; insulation wasn't exactly the best up here, mostly caused by weathering and it's already purposefully thin build. This was due to it not necessarily being needed as much as the lower levels, where the beds and other non-combat orientated areas were, such as the dinning room and kitchen. The thought of that warmth fueled him with envy, then disappointment as he knew this task must be finished. Finally, the entrance to outside had been ultimately approached. Slowing up on his speed he'd accustomed due to eagerness and a hint of fear, the young sailor was quite hesitant to grab the metallic door's handle. It felt akin to touching ice in the winter. He held in a shudder as he calmly twisted the knob, then opened it. Half expecting a whirl of wind to blow back onto their bodies, they both were quite surprised when it was only mild. Their first steps out into the beautifully clear nightfall were cautious on both parties, though sensing and witnessing no sign of danger, they relaxed. Stars shined brilliantly as they watched the two exchange a quick head nod before going separate ways; the young Waddle Dee trotted over to the gigantic main cannon, temporarily dormant due to the ship itself not being 'on' in a sense, in order to reach out and grab the broom he'd left there earlier, while the knight he'd brought here casually leaned up against the wall adjacent to the door. Only after assuring the superior was remaining with him rather than leaving when he wasn't looking was when the little orange boy truly began to relax. Not that he was counting on him to; that wouldn't be like the purple armored male whatsoever. Pure luck aided them in confronting one another; it was in one of the many corridors that they shared passing glances, to which ended up in double takes and a skipped heartbeat. Initially the young boy was scared that he'd receive a scolding, although after explaining exactly why he was awake and roaming at such a midnight hour, the knight willingly accepted his shy request to watch over him. A shred of dignity was shed due to the boy asking in such a feeble manner, though it was regained as the other compassionately agreed. His name was Sword Knight, and he was one of two of their blue leader's closest companions. He manned the ship's upper left steers and oversaw the food supply to ensure everyone was satisfied. Although Sailor Dee hadn't known him as long as the other two knights, Mace and Axe, he still desired to at least attempt to make their bond a little closer. Sword seemed like somebody the boy could easily get along with, though each time he tried to make some form of icebreaker, he'd get roped into another take someplace else. Although, he always appreciated how little he ordered when it was time for lunch, even though it worried him at the same time. The same could be said for the second closer acquaintance of their leader, Blade Knight, though the Dee rarely saw him anyway. In order to identify him, the knight stood out from the others by what he usually was dressed in. A more darker purple tone was the choice of color for his multiple sheets of armor adorned on him, while underneath a blue undershirt, a brown buckled belt and black pants could be seen through the armor's open joints. The knight also had a sheathe attached to the belt for his sword. The boy's never seen it out of its coat before, so it was a mystery. A helmet he constantly had on was an equal shade of purple, and was slightly elongated in the back for an unknown reason. The visor on it was pitch black, much like their leader's, but was more of an opening-look alike rather than a screen. It might actually not be a visor at all, but the boy wouldn't ask. There was no way to start a conversation that ended up with his answer; at least, he couldn't think of one. A forced yawn crashed him out of his own thoughts, and actually made him stop moving completely as he instinctively put a paw over his mouth. Once he reopened his little black eyes, Sailor Dee turned back around to gaze at his superior. By now, it'd been almost a full hour since they'd been out here, and the other had pulled a stool from the cannon's operator to sit on. The knight's oranges were slits, and he could see the steady rising and falling of his chest. He could even hear a tiny snore, signifying that he was in fact resting. The young sailor didn't mind him not actually observing him; actually, it made him feel a little better to not be rushed. As long as he was out here in general, and close by, the boy was fine. Especially with that forest nearby, which he's had a terrible feeling about from the moment they docked here. Never has he necessarily been within the confines of that area, however he's heard the other knights speak very lowly of it. Even their blue leader advised no one to enter there alone. With a small shiver, the Dee looked over to the woods to ensure nothing was seeping out to come attack him. Being out here like this in Orange Ocean was not the greatest idea, especially at night. There were many things that could easily catch and make a decent meal out of a lone Waddle Dee, and with such predators mostly nocturnal, the boy felt a sting of fear in his previously joyful heart. And with that frightening thought, the young sailor found himself redoing areas of the floor he'd already done. Upon realizing this, he ceased and a tiny, relieved smile grew hidden upon his face. Finally, five hours after he was supposed to be in bed, Sailor Dee had finished sweeping the entire deck. Truthfully, he should've been completed with this four hours ago, but proved unable as he dozed off earlier. He was just so glad and proud of himself for actually managing to do it this late. But now, he could rest away peacefully, somewhat like the purple knight was. All he had to do was tread back to him, then they could both go back to their own bedrooms and sleep. Maybe in the morning, the young boy would get praise for his adamancy. His heart fluttered the more he thought about it. To be complimented by their captain was a huge honor, at least to him. It was much better than to be scolded by him, that's for sure. The Waddle Dee trembled just thinking about that. Once, he actually had been, though that was only for not properly turning off the engines. He'd done it once or twice improperly already, and was told off by the other two mechanics to stop doing that, but he'd never forget how terrified he was when their own commander spoke with him privately about it. To actually stare into his bright yellow eyes, of which stared endlessly into the bottom of one's own soul, was a terrifying experience already. It wasn't like he didn't trust his leader; he did, and respected him very much so. It was just how uncannily deep his voice was that made it worse. While it could lull one to sleep when used in a better setting, their blue leader somehow could spin it to match his tone perfectly. Never again did he forget to double, even triple, check that the engines were turned off. Shaking off the trauma, the boy, with a cheerful little hop and pep in his step, turned back around to begin walking towards to his superior. His little heart gleefully pounded with eagerness as he took the wooden broom in hand with him. He temporarily forgotten about the strange forest offshore that was a source for his constant fear before. He was rather far away from it, however this didn't matter to him. He'd get there in no time due to this newfound adrenaline. Cheerfulness was apart of being his kind, even if it could be taken from them in a split second, such as now when he realized he'd forgotten to mop a particular area near the cannon. Immediately he thought of where he'd last rested it, remembering and rethinking his steps as his expression changed to a slight furrow. A jolt of an idea reminded him graciously, and he rushed over where his resting companion was. Without a second thought, he moved his little paws over to the guarded arm, but quietly hesitated before actually making full contact. The Dee could hear how peacefully sleeping he was, and ultimately decided against waking him just for a short trip. This reluctance was more of an afterthought rather than an immediate one, and he was overthinking it even when turning back towards the metallic door. With a resentful sigh, the young sailor calmly swallowed his worries and pushed forward, stepping silently to ensure they wouldn't awaken him. His tiny limbs pressed up against the chilled entrance, immediately stealing away his warmth he'd gained, and allowed him back through the extremely cold hallway. Light from the moon shined behind his little body as he gently applied pressure to the iron to make it not slam shut. Traversing through this area scared him more so now that he was alone, forcing him to his tiptoes in order to not accidentally startle any sleeping warriors nearby. Sailor Dee gazed around curiously as he attempted to find the closet desired. In the daytime, everything in this particular hall was difficult to see due to the subtle lack of windows, and since it was night, it was made worse. Cautiously he glanced around, unsure exactly of how long he could remain here before the other could sense something was off. The young Dee hugged himself to feel warmer, though all it did was bring more cold onto his already shivering body. As his waddling feet lightly connected with the ground, an abnormal vibration rumbled the floorboards, and nearly threw him off balance. The echos in this hall were twisted due to its narrowness, so the sound's origin wasn't able to be pinpointed accurately. Definitely knowing it wasn't a usual occurrence, the boy hurriedly rushed into a more or less panicked state as he scoured for the lost mop. Luckily, the unknown tremble had caused him to hear the wooded end be struck against a nearby door, leading him to where he'd last shoved it. A relieved huff escaped his non-visible mouth as he forwarded to that area he began to remember. Hurriedly, he rushed over to the copper door, opened it, and out fell the very thing he desired. His tiny heart pounded with excitement as he reached down and grabbed it, then turned back around as he swiftly scurried to the metallic entrance. An urge to return and flee from the darkness of the confined here sparked pent up adrenaline, forcing tiredness away as he darted down the elongated room. With a small hum, the boy pressed one paw against the still remarkably chilly door's handle, and turned it as he released himself outside. Air from a stirred up wind disturbed the mop's bristles as he slowly etched himself into the controlled wilderness of the deck. As his little black eyes gazed around at the starry night, he almost accidentally allowed the door to slam shut, and he whipped around to catch it just in time. He ignored the near-frostbite inducing cold on his limbs and nervously looked over to the resting other. When he recognized the steady rise and fall of his chest, the Dee gave a relieved sigh before gently allowing the metal to close. His tiny heart pounded worriedly as he took a moment to calm down, then he turned to waddle back over to the main cannon. The little orange boy, on his way there, didn't truly become relaxed however. A feeling of unsureness, or perhaps a kind of dreadfulness, was within his cream-colored belly. It was similar to how one would get when about to be sent into battle, though he only knew that emotion through being around these warrior for such a time. As he wearily managed to cross nearly halfway of the entirety of the wooded deck, the boy stopped at the gigantic iron weapon, and immediately could see the spots that he previously missed. If it was this obvious at night, then it'd stick out like a sore thumb in the daylight. With a hint of unknown hesitation, Sailor Dee nervously checked all around himself before going to wet the mop's bristles with a bucket of water left behind from his adventure earlier. Sluggishly, he continued to clean up the area, letting his eyes roam the perimeter as he grew more alert. This feeling was setting off his primary instincts; he's only ever felt like frightened prey once before, and that was when he'd fallen overboard into carnivore infested waters. Thankfully he was rescued by Meta Knight the second he began splashing wildly and painfully in the aqua blue sea. The captain carried him back onto the Halberd just in time; an inner-tube wearing shark had leaped out of the ocean at the same interval in an attempt to gobble him up. Luckily, the fish couldn't fly, and thunked back into the water, dissatisfied without a fresh meal struggling in its teeth. Sailor Dee had watched this discontent unnervingly over his leader's shoulder, then clutched on tightly to his lord. He found himself trembling in reality at this distant memory; hadn't thought about that incident in quite sometime. Nevertheless, this didn't aid in calming or soothing his relentless niche, so he upped his anti and mopped more swiftly. It was within each swish of its tassels that the sensation doubled, before eventually urging him to flee back to his resting superior. His counteracting thought attempted to combat this natural favor by stating it would give the impression of being a mere whiny child scared of something that turned out to be nothing, but that worry overrode the more logical side of his mind, leading him to cease his movements temporarily in order to shake himself out of it. It made him question as to what was occurring to him, once again bringing flashbacks to that frightening mental image. Increasing adrenaline pumped viciously within his reinvigorated veins, causing him to utterly become more and more frantic before eventually deciding to just continue with this tomorrow. Even if it was what he should've done in the first place, he knew now that this was happening that he had to trust himself and get out of this area. Taking a small, nervous breath and forcing his little yellow feet to move, the young sailor felt an indescribable amount of chills tear up his spine as he turned his back to the openly beautiful starry sky. His mind, now swirling with a plentiful mesh of righteously terrified thoughts, allowed him to nearly dash directly into the actual metallic weapon itself as he leaned the mop up against it, right next to the bucket. It was now that he became aware of just how awfully he was trembling, proving his anxious thought more accurate while unintentionally initiating a more rapid heartbeat. Abruptly, a startled yelp followed by the sounds of armor bashing together jolted the young boy out of his concerns. Immediately the boy, seconding the cry with one of his own, jumped all around out of sheer fear before hearing a sort of struggle-fight going on behind the metallic object, and he instantly thought about his lone companion. His tiny paws trembled as he anxiously tip-toed ran over to the cannon, then sheepishly peer out from behind it's sharp, metal edge. Both of his little black eyes abruptly filled with terror as the previously resting knight was now up on his feet, frantically blocking and returning some rather hefty parries with a weapon Sailor Dee hadn't recognized immediately. After scanning more, he noticed the wooded remains of what used to be the operator's stool smashed into pieces, and he was apparently wielding one of the four metal legs from it. He was unable to properly see who he was protecting himself from solely due to the angle he was placed in; if the young boy hadn't know any better, then he would've thunk this was a surprise raid upon this vessel, and despite Sword's clearly distraught enough demeanor to use a piece of furniture instead of his own weapon, there would be more than one other person and a whole ship nosily buzzing besides them. There'd likely be other angry knights storming out due to the noise as well, even if they were from different vessels. Dee's witnessed plenty of fights before, and saw that whomever the assaulter was didn't seem to be attacking in an orderly fashion. In fact, this pattern seemed to throw off the purple knight so much so that he was forced into using both hands on his make-shift weapon; a tactic only used for intensely serious situations. A whimper escaped the orange boy's invisible lips as he could only watch this scene unfold into something much, much different than previously expected. Blazes of what appeared to be light were suddenly casted at the defending knight. The young Waddle, horrified now, gazed on as his superior flipped away from two of the beams, and deflected one away from nearly impaling his chest. Upon it being delivered back, those watchful blacks could pick up the outline of a sword once it was sent forcibly into the sky. Within a blink, the young boy heard a painful grunt along with what sounded like a damaging kick to some form of armor, and saw a flash of something white lash out at the area underneath his chin. Afterwards, the boy witnessed him be snatched forwards, dropping his temporary weapon in surprise, before loosing sight of his acquaintance. Confusion erupted into his mind as he worriedly wondered what occurred in this span of a split-second, and he was forced to hear the stillness of the night. His tiny heart grew more and more frantic as he shakily looked around, unnerved by the eerie silence of seemingly being alone. Tirelessly, he shivered uncontrollably as he listened all around for any sort of noise. He stayed at this for a good minute, now standing with his back to the weapon in a way that made it appear to be aiming directly at him, before yelping at a sudden clanging sound smacking across the floorboards. Immediately his eyes went wide with hearing it's proximity to his quaking form, and his heart thumped thunderously within his ears as he stood alerted. The vibration was peculiar as well; it almost sounded as if something, or someone, was thrown against the opposite side of the cannon. Fearing the absolute worse of something happening to his newfound acquaintance, the boy tempted himself far too much to just wait around to find out what occurred, and swiftly forced his little body to move. The tiny sailor tiptoe-ran back over to the cannon's side, and swallowed harshly before peeking around the corner. Ice dwelled within his pulsating veins as temperately cold as winter as his eyes processed the scene before him. Automatically they were drawn to these luxuriously, white, feathered wings that where systematically beating. Never had he seen such full looking ones, not even on a Cupie or Birdon. Each individual, pearly feather was highlighted by the moon's light and reflected it back somewhat. It was almost as if this being was an angel whom landed before them; except, the actions they were taking massively brought destruction upon this merciful thought. What they looked like behind the twin wings was unknown at this point due to the angle of which the wings were at, although each time they flapped, a tiny hint of a magenta color could be witnessed. But more importantly, a white armored, gloved hand was reaching out and grasping tightly at Sword Knight's throat. He, of course, didn't just simply allow this to happen to him willingly, and desperately fought back. Powerful kicks from his well armored feet attempted to punt the attacker away, but it didn't seem to be affecting the other whatsoever. They sounded like rather heavy blows as well to whatever part of their body he was kicking. All the while, the purple knight was attempting to grab his own weapon, which should've been easy enough if he wasn't resisting as hard. But not resisting meant he wouldn't get that one second of breath each time he nearly managed to wiggle free, and that wasn't something he planned on doing. Despite how terribly the youthful sailor wanted to aid his newfound acquaintance, he just couldn't work himself out of the petrifying trauma of realizing what was going on and how to stop it. Essentially, he was frozen with horror. Soft gagging sounds emerged from underneath a purple helmet, echoing off the cannon as the relentless hold didn't ease up. Luckily, nearly a minute after having growing weaker from pure exhaustion and struggling, the knight anguishly grasped ahold of his weapon's hilt, and slashed at the assaulter with refueled adrenaline. His rambunctious attack did cause the other to release him, although apparently was evaded, as a sound to indicate harm or it bashing against something didn't surface. Immediately his body fell with a terrifying thud, and he didn't recover to his feet. Instead, the knight got onto one hand and both knees, coughing deeply and struggling to balance himself properly. The free limb was kept steady on his throat as a defensive protective mechanism. This, although a smart idea in theory, didn't allow for the purple knight to grasp onto his sword, of which was slightly adjacent to him. No hesitation was taken in an effort to regain lost breath, even if it forced light-headedness upon him. He hadn't cared at the moment; he needed to breathe properly again. All the while, Sailor Dee had both of his wide black eyes glued to the figure apparently silently observing the knight as he struggled. Now, most of his identifying descriptive features were shown, and the similarities drawn from the being to their own blue leader was horrifying. Immediately first noticed was the familiar equipment attached to the other's face, completely concealing his true expression and identity behind. This mask held at least three differences the young Dee could see from his positioning, although the one he was drawn to automatically was what resided within the dead center; a cross-esc pattern with edges to a fine point. It served as a visor to see all around a given area and protect his vision from any differentiating attacks. It was then that the boy stared directly into the stranger's seemingly unbeknownst, ruby red eyes. A bone trembling chill squirmed down the little Waddle's spine. Never before had he seen anyone owning eyes of that color scheme, and he knew for certain no one on this vessel acquired them over night. After a particularly rumbling, choking cough from Sword, the boy snapped out of this miniature trance, and continued to take in the other's appearance. Up further on the mask were two extrusions for twin golden horns that jutted out from behind them, purposefully protecting their bases. Absolute fear was stricken into the youthful sailor upon acknowledging the sideways thunderbolts' tips, of which were pointed and remarkably razor-like. They were just as sharp as any weapon owned here. Reluctantly, although mostly out of terror and a looming sense of curiosity, Sailor Dee indefinitely scanned the figure, now seeing his spherical, magenta body that was already twice his own height. This alone scared him further. Two silver-white sabatons coated slightly darker colored feet, although only halfway, and another same count of shoulder guards protected his arms. They also matched the vibrant white of his well-armored hands, of which were holding two very distinct yet different items. In the left was a shield of gigantic proportion to the Dee, but was just right for the mysterious one silently flapping his deceiving angel-look-alike wings. It had a large golden star shape similar to the slit in his mask, encircled by a dark pink ring. The background was also that same armor of white-silver. It didn't seem to have any scratches or cuts in it, implying that he's either taken very good care of it or just used for show. Either way, the boy wouldn't dare ask or bring any sort of attention to himself to satisfy his cowardly beating heart. Now in his right, was a weapon to stand out from the rest; a vibrantly glowing, pink lance. It's length was once again remarkably sizable for the sailor, although a perfect match for the figure, granting him large range and a deadly charge if he so pleased. The handguard was a different color that somewhat stuck out due to being a more calmer, darker, navy blue. It definitely did a fine job at protecting his hand, that was for certain. Frightened shivers trembled endlessly throughout the Dee's body as he understood completely of just what that feeling before was over, and he worriedly snapped over to peer at Sword. By now, his breathing had stabilized somewhat, and he'd retrieved the weapon lost temporarily. His stance as he recovered, albeit a tad bit shaky, was in a defensive manner. With one foot in front of the other, he finally gazed back up at the floating stranger, then seemed to stand up more straight upon their eyes interlocking. The little orange one could feel the tension of this simple action, and it actually scared him more. He slunk down behind the black and grey cannon as he couldn't pry his little blacks away from what was going to be an alarmingly quick tussle. For a moment, the two stared at one another, before white wings suddenly extended out as a slash of pink sliced through the air. Stray pearly feathers once again dished out from this, gently following the wind pattern. All the while, the deceiving angel was glaring down powerfully at the subtly shivering knight, and continued to look directly into his eyes as an unintentional means of intimidation. In a terrified blink on the sailor's part, the mysterious armored one had suddenly charged forwards, propelling himself with those gorgeous wings, then attempted to bring his razor-bladed lance down upon the other. Luckily, although taking most of that newly acquired energy, the purple knight had dodged this absolute fatal blow by spin-ducking to the left, and swung his plasma sword right back around as a means to deliver another attack. Once again, it was blocked by the thicker weapon, and both parried at each other, even if it was mainly just Sword trying to not allow his exhaustion from fighting this harshly by mostly countering. His lowering vitality was certainly a weakness he hoped wouldn't shine through. Despite his best efforts, those terrifying reds were able to detect this almost instantly, and narrowed as he began to aim for more harder to deflect areas, such as directly at his feet and arms. This forced more energy to be pressed out through hopping backwards or allowing the floorboards to be stabbed instead. Every strike didn't seem to give reason to cause any issue on the main assaulter's end; nearly missing bashes almost came out of the floor as quickly as it was stricken. This simple tactic continued for much longer than the purple knight anticipated. Further and further away the two got from the cautiously observing boy, who desperately wanted to help now more than ever. Even with this, it wasn't hard to decipher who had more vigor, but the Dee didn't want to disbelieve his newfound companion just yet. His denial only paved way for more terrifying fear to be crammed into his frantic heart as no signs of ceasing these faultless attacks appeared. Back and forth they went, until eventually Sword had attempted to give distance between them through backing up and ultimately stop trying to slash back. His feeble attempts to escape the continuous downpour of forward slashes proved a curious thought in the magenta one's mind true. Horizontally, the purple knight held his blue-silver weapon as he noticed more downward slices occurring than usual. A glint of enlightenment shined in the magma eyes as this was precisely what was desired. Abruptly, the white knight hooked his vibrantly glowing lance to the right, connecting with that very side of Sword's side. His orange eyes went wide with terrifying pain as the pointed edge of his weapon sliced right through his clothing, drawing out a crimson substance almost immediately. Sailor Dee held in a scream upon being a witness of this, both of his paws covering his non-visible mouth as he temporarily forgot about his mop. It fell with an alerting thud that spooked him back behind the cannon; right out of view of watchful reds as they momentarily glanced over. Then, in a stunningly swift motion, the white armored knight quickly returned to Sword, and made quick use of the injured other's shocked paralysis by dislodging the sword from his hand. This snapped him back into reality, and he had time to dodge yet another piercing strike intended for his head. The boy cautiously peered out from the corner once more, to see Sword's wide oranges, filled with actual terror to not have anything to defend himself with, panickedly hold his profusely bleeding side as he tried to maneuver out of another swiping motion of the lance. His tiredness and temporary energy from being startled had finally ran out, and the lance struck again at the same spot, drawing out even more red colored matter and excruciating pain as it bashed into his armored hand, carrying him with the motion. By the time Sailor Dee had realized just the amount of danger this situation was radiating was the moment the knight's body impacted with the wooded ground, tumbling for a little while before coming to a sudden halt. This effect was caused through the weakened purple one's limbs sprawling out in an effort to cease the painful movement. Somehow, he'd managed to keep ahold of his weapon the entire time, and attempted to use it like a prop to hoist himself back onto his feet. Yet again watching silently as the other did this, the mysterious stranger twirled his lance curiously, his gargantuas wings not making but a whisper of sound as he flew towards the clearly injured warrior. The orange sailor could hear a panting sound coming from his acquaintance as the figure looming over him was noticed. Not a sign of fatigue was gifted to either of them as ruby eyes once more glared down at his bleeding form, then abruptly snapped over to the younger boy's. The Waddle Dee froze; that feeling was growing more intense with every waking minute he stared back. Like prey he felt, gazing within the eyes of what he could only describe as death itself. A couple whimpers accidentally fell from his non-visible mouth, alerting the purple knight of his existence now. Out of habit, his orange eyes fearfully glanced towards him as well, allowing the perfect opening for the magenta stranger. His red eyes glinted in the moonlight as a substance of that same color abruptly splattered onto his armor. A cackling sound followed by a soft, fruitless 'mnugh' echoed into the usually bright and cheerful world. Horror, among other terrified emotions, was easily recognized upon the young boy's paling cream-colored face once blood drew out of a new, gaping wound Sword had received. Through his usually blue chest was a sudden disruption of an ever-continuing red drenching the shirt violet, then the weapon that caused it all; the strikingly vibrant color of that pink, glowing lance. The youthful sailor desperately tried to move, but ultimately found himself unwilling to. Some type of force was upon him in such a way that fleeing, or even screaming out for help, wasn't available. His lone heartbeat trembled with his little orange body as he could only helplessly stare at the scene before him. The familiar knight's eyes were temporarily gazing to Sailor Dee's even after being stabbed, but they quickly grew to become unfocused and blurry from the puncture. A second of realizing what had happened to him came about before the purple warrior lost grip of his sword. It fell with a few subtle clanks before residing eerily still from gravity. The Waddle watched as the magenta knight twisted his elongated weapon out of its momentary resting place, and proceeded to observe the critically damaged warrior stumble for a bit. Substantial amounts of that life-granting liquid were now flooding out wildly as he eventually caught his balance. A tiny hint of curiosity was within those ruby red eyes as they recognized his ability to still stand, and the boy saw the stranger gracefully, although quietly, fly over to Sword. Every inch of the sailor's body wanted to scream towards his dying friend, to forewarn him of whatever the stranger had in mind. Tearful, little, black eyes were the twin witnesses to a deafening crackle take place upon the mysterious being laying a single white glove on the purple one's throat. The familiar knight then fell limp, forcing little orange paws to cover an unseeable mouth as his lifeless body descended to the wooded deck. It echoed gruesomely with a minimal flop that should've alerted some sleeping patrons below the immediate area. Should've, being the key word. Sailor Dee now stood there, unable to fully process what had happened until a moment later. His entire body felt cold and weightless as streams of uncertain water fell from his vision. The unfamiliar person then landed, not seeming to mind the amount of blood coating his previously white feathers and armor. Instead, his ruby reds were watching as the slain knight's body continued to form a cloud of crimson around itself. For a little while longer, the two just loomed in deadly silence, until the horned being was satisfied with his kill's blood loss, and slowly looked over to the ever-trembling Waddle. The orange boy hadn't hesitated to snap his fearful blacks over upon recognizing this. Dread was the only thing he could feel at this point, recalling the stare having a more intense mutation of intimidation than nearly ten minutes before. It was rather clear to the mysterious stranger that the boy had no ounce of will to fight, mostly due to his audible, racing heartbeat, however this didn't seem to grant a more merciful thought in his mind. As if the boy was just another warrior, the white knight approached. Sailor Dee shook his head and opposed each tread with two back-steps of his own. He desperately wanted to cry out for help the closer the knight got, although it proved to be the most challenging thing to do; so much so in fact that he decided that it was best to put his energy somewhere else more needed. He knew at any moment, the knight could rush into him, piercing his chest with that blood drenched lance, and actively found himself flinching at each floorboard creak. This was worse than that shark incident before. In fact, he'd much rather deal with the toothed beasts than whomever this warrior was. His orange back soon rammed into the metal bars, of which served as guard rails in case anyone were too close to the ship's sides, and he almost fell over them as he took another step back. Nervously, he looked over it's edge, and saw how elongated the fall into pitch black waters would be. His heart forcibly thumped against his chest as he desperately clutched onto the frost bitten metal, his black eyes switching between jumping and and the steadily treading knight. Every nerve in his body willed him into leaping right in the water, however no inch of his quaking form moved. Steadiness abruptly transpired into a predicted charge, of which the young Waddle Dee instinctively attempted to maneuver his way out of. He tightened his little black eyes closed as he spun around in a semi circle, effectively avoiding the strike of the lance as it was bashed against the bars. They broke instantly. Some chunks splattered into the murky water upon a few moments, while the other pieces remained onboard. Reopening his eyes upon realizing he wasn't writhing in pain, the boy hadn't sensed he was within range of the white knight's grip, and was snatched back by an armored hand. Now was the time he found himself screaming and struggling, crying out for help as his tiny paw was crushed. It didn't seem to trigger any sympathetic response from the other, though his heartbeat was definitely felt. Sailor Dee was then restrained to a part of the railing that went untouched, and was forced to press against the chilly metal. The outstandingly colored lance was pushing pressure on his midsection in order to do so, which also squeezed the air out from his panicking lungs. A whimper squeaked out as his little eyes refocused on what exactly was in front of him. The silver-white mask, traced and shadowed by the moon's light, was positively no more than a foot away from the young boy's face. His tiny blacks fearfully noticed the amount of crimson dripping off it, though wouldn't dare say anything. Then, they followed the bottom edges of that cross-esc pattern to where those dangerously ruby red eyes were. Immediately upon locking with them did his pattering heart skip a beat, and his shivering persisting more than ever. Absolutely zero emotion were behind the magma spheres even as they stared back, noticing the amount of sheer fear withheld in them. The only moment this gaze was broken was when a stray tear trickled from the Dee's right eye; the mysterious other had silently observed it once it fell. After it was prey to gravity, the knight then narrowed his gaze and maneuvered his lance to point directly at the boy's chest, specifically exactly where his restless heart was. The young sailor dreadfully watched this and sniffled back a terrified sob. He began to plead softly with the other, but this action was ignored until his tiny paws moved slowly towards the lance in an attempt to remove it. He instantly froze upon hearing a voice.

"Do not make this harder than it is."

An odd sense of possible redemption occurred within the Dee's mind, and he was refilled with adrenaline. Desperately, he spoke back.

"N-No! Wait, please! I'll-"

The lance pricked his chest, drawing an inch of blood out almost immediately. Sailor Dee whined and winced as that voice came out again.

"I do apologize in advance, however I cannot bear any witnesses to what had occurred tonight."

It was forced deeper into the boy's chest, however not quite to the major artery just yet. Through the pain and tears of squirming, the sailor fearfully looked up at the warrior.

"I-I won't tell anyone, I won't tell anyone! I swear!"

"You lie to me, child. You would tell every soul on this vessel about this night."

The young Dee whimpered and struggled as the point dug deeper into his hide. He knew the knight had a decent point; the boy was planning on doing just that.

"Silence, now. You will meet with your friend in a mere moment."

Without giving the boy a chance to react, the lance plunged directly through his pulsating heart, forcing his black eyes to go wide. A squeak escaped his non-visible lips as he was finding it more and more difficult to breathe. Every waking second now was slipping past his confusing form, and his limbs eventually felt heavy. The weapon was removed from his body, however there was no difference until he actually was placed back onto his feet. The railing was his only support as he inhaled and exhaled vigorously, knowing his life was coming to an end. All the while, he had noticed the stranger back up some, and characteristically watching as he was beginning to lose grip on his vision. Sailor Dee felt himself sit down, but that was about it as his innocent, half-drooping, black eyes gazed over to the other lifeless body. He, now after he regained the ability to speak and move his paws, softly whispered the fallen knight's name and reached out to him just before his own vision blacked out.