Chapter Text
"Find a new home, and don't look back!"
Those were the last words the Dark Matter would hear from his brother before he parted ways with him. He loved his brother dearly, he didn't want to leave his old life behind, and yet it was the only way Lord Zero would let him live.
However, with how harsh the light was, he may as well have let Lord Zero kill him anyway. He'd been flying for what seemed like forever, his skin felt like it burned, and his orange fins felt as if they would fall off at any second, and he could barely even keep his eyes open. But as much as he wanted his brother, he couldn't go back. He had to find a new home even if it killed him.
But the world outside of Dark Star was so light, so empty...so painful. Maybe this was one of the reasons why Lord Zero wanted to get rid of the light? If the Dark Matter was more powerful, he would've gotten rid of the Big Light himself. He was sure that his Brother would've been proud, and maybe even Lord Zero would change his mind.
...But it was all just a dream, a hopeful dream that would never come true.
He hadn't realized it yet, but the Dark Matter was being pulled in by a large rock. He couldn't see clearly, but he saw that the rock had rings that circled around it. He rotated his fins as quickly as he could to get away from the rock, but its pull became stronger and stronger until the Dark Matter no longer had any strength left to move. If he had a mouth, and if he had the energy, he would scream.
But the Dark Matter had nothing left. No brother, no new home, he didn't even have the energy to move. He might not have found that "new home" his brother told him to find, but at least now he would go to a place where Lord Zero wouldn't have to worry about him ever again.
He allowed himself to drift off into unconsciousness. He was sure that this was the end, but maybe now that his life was over, maybe he could start a new one?
Maybe in his new life, he could finally belong somewhere?
When a Dark Matter dies, their body is reduced to the same darkness and negativity that created them in the first place. Their Zero can then consume that Dark Energy and create a new life.
...And yet, the Dark Matter was still in one piece somehow. He was in a lot of pain, but he was alive. Maybe he had gotten sick? Maybe this was all a dream and his brother was here to watch over him? But that didn't seem right, there was barely any sign of darkness, here.
"..H...lo?"
Who was that? The Dark Matter tried to open his eyes, but he closed them immediately as the light nearly blinded him.
"Hey, are you all right?"
The voice was clearer this time, and the Dark Matter could feel someone nudge him. He didn't want to move, he wanted to stay like this until the sick feeling went away. However, he wanted to scream as the being carelessly picked him up.
"Come on, wake up!"
Quickly, the Dark Matter rotated his fins and tried to fly away. He could hear the person yell in shock. Unfortunately for the Dark Matter, he couldn't fly very high or very far, he collapsed back onto the rough surface of the ground. There was so much pain that coursed through his body that he could barely breathe.
"I'm sorry!" the stranger said as he gently placed a hand on the Dark Matter's side. "You weren't waking up, so I thought that maybe..." He went silent, as if he couldn't bear the thought of finishing his sentence. "A-Anyway, how are you feeling? Do you need food? O-or water?"
The Dark Matter huffed bitterly. He didn't know what "food" was, nor did he know why this creature was being so nice to him. Though not only was the Dark Matter sick, he also noticed that cuts and scrapes had formed all over his body. It felt as if he had barely escaped a fight against his siblings, and usually his brother would've taken care of him whenever he got hurt. But once again, his brother wasn't here.
"You can't talk, can you?" asked the stranger. "Wanna come to my house? You can stay with me for as long as you want, OK?"
It wasn't like the Dark Matter had a choice, he tucked his fins into his body as the stranger picked him up, though he was much gentler about it this time. He was used to the rubbery skin that his brother had whenever he picked him up, but there was something...special about this stranger. He was warm and fuzzy like Lord Zero was, but the warmth that came from this stranger felt different somehow...He wasn't sure how to describe it.
"I'm Kirby, by the way." the stranger said happily. "And what about you, do you have a name?" It seemed more like he was asking out of politeness more than anything.
But he didn't have a name, he was just Dark Matter. Only special ones get to have names, though he and his brother would get titles such as "Defect" and "Idiot" thrown around. Sometimes even "Mock Matter" would get thrown around, but those weren't something the Dark Matter would consider a true "name".
"You don't have one, do you?" Kirby asked curiously. "That's OK, I'm sure that we can come up with one later."
But why? The Dark Matter didn't really need a name, though it wasn't like he could talk to the stranger anyway. It was yet another reason why he wished his brother was here, as he was the only one who could understand the Dark Matter.
Soon, the Big Light was no longer beating down on the young Dark Matter. He dared to open his eyes once more as he was gently placed onto something soft, he was in some kind of nest. The Big Light still shined onto the nest, though Kirby blocked them with a pair of cloths.
Now that his eyes were open, he actually got to take a good look at Kirby. He was a pink creature with blue eyes and red feet.
"I'm gonna be outside for just a second," Kirby said as he climbed out of the nest. Afterwards, he ran outside. "You stay there, OK?"
The Dark Matter sighed as he nuzzled against one of the soft rocks. For a moment, he liked to imagine that he was back home with his brother in the comfort of the darkness. He liked to imagine that the two of them were in a soft nest far away from Lord Zero.
Of course, Brother was a scout, he had to be used to the light in order to complete his missions. So if he could adapt to the light, Maybe the Dark Matter could as well?
The Dark Matter's thoughts quickly returned to him as he felt a stinging sensation on his wounds, he saw that Kirby was by his side again. He sprayed a burning liquid onto him, there was even more liquid beside the nest with a cloth inside.
"I know it hurts, but hang in there," Kirby said sympathetically as he placed something over the wound. "I'll give you some food after we're done, OK?"
The Dark Matter winced as Kirby continued to clean off the wounds. He formed a pair of arms as he squeezed parts of the nest beneath him. As Kirby noticed this, he allowed the Dark Matter to squeeze one of his hands while he continued to dress his wounds. He was thankful that Kirby shared the same kindness that Brother did, otherwise he wasn't sure how else he would handle this world.
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Kirby asked as he placed a wet cloth over the Dark Matter's head. Afterwards, he gave him a round, red object. The Dark Matter wasn't quite sure what it was, but the skin felt waxy.
"It's an apple," Kirby explained. "You're supposed to eat it."
Eat it? What was that supposed to mean? He sprouted a nubby arm and nudged it, which caused it to fall to the floor. Kirby picked it up from the ground and dusted it off.
"Are you too sick to eat? That's OK," Kirby said as he inhaled the apple. "I'll give you something to eat later, then."
Oh...was he supposed to absorb the apple? It's not like he needed to do such a thing to begin with, but now he was curious.
The Dark Matter jumped as he heard a knocking sound, Kirby jumped out the nest and headed towards the entrance. Three different creatures came in from the light. Two of them were white with orange spots, though the taller of the two had brown spots as well. On top of the taller creature was another pink creature. Unlike Kirby, this creature had more arms. Perhaps this one was a Kirby as well? Or maybe even a mutated Kirby?
"Hey, Kirby." Said the smaller creature with orange spots. "Are you ready for the slumber party?"
"Uh...Kind of," Kirby said with uncertainty. "I hope you don't mind having another guest over, though."
The Dark Matter started to tense up as the group of creatures got closer to him. They didn't look malicious, but their curious gazes didn't bring him any comfort either.
"Huh...so it seems like you got that Little Brother you asked for, after all." said the orange-spotted creature.
"What? No," Kirby said as he shook his head. "He's sick and injured, so he just needs a place to stay."
"So how exactly did you run into him?" asked the taller creature as he placed a hand under his chin.
"He fell from the sky like a comet," Kirby explained. "I don't know where he came from, but he doesn't have anywhere else to go right now."
"isn't that sweet of you," said the Kirby-like creature. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from my favorite hero!"
"You know he's not gonna date you if you kiss up to him like that, right?" the smaller creature teased. So that wasn't a Kirby? Regardless, the pink creature glared at him. "Zip it!"
"Hey, I was just messin' with ya!"
"Well I don't think it's a good idea to get everyone riled up," said the taller creature as he put the Kirby-like creature on the floor. "Besides, we don't want to scare Kirby's guest."
"Right...sorry," said the smaller creature. He slowly made his way closer to the nest. "I'm Rick, by the way."
"My name's Chuchu!" said the pink creature.
"And I'm Nago," said the larger creature. "What's your name?"
"I don't think he has one," Kirby explained. The group's eyes widened as they looked at the Dark Matter.
"Well that won't do at all," said Nago as he gently put his paw on the Dark Matter's back, though he frowned when he noticed how warm and sticky he was. "Perhaps we can come up with something right now?"
"Hm..." Kirby rubbed his head as he tried to think of something, he looked at Rick once he had an idea. "How about 'Berry'?"
"I dunno," said Rick, "I don't remember seeing a berry with eyes before."
"Well if you're so good at names then why don't you come up with something?" Chuchu teased. Rick huffed as he put his paws onto his waist. "All right, how about 'Squishy'?"
"But he's not a squid" Chuchu argued.
"And he ain't a fruit, either." Rick argued as he crossed his arms. "But if you don't like the name, then why don't YOU come up with something."
"Well I think 'Comet' works better," Chuchu said proudly. "Kirby DID say that's how he ended up on Popstar after all."
"But he's not a comet."
"YOU'RE not a comet!"
Kirby let out an annoyed sigh as he looked up at Nago, "I don't think this is working out."
"I agree," Nago replied. The Dark Matter also nodded in agreement. He didn't exactly care about having a name, so this really wasn't something worth arguing over.
"Oh, maybe YOU should come up with something?" Kirby asked. Nago let out a jolly chuckle as he gently pet the Dark Matter again. "What do you think, you gooey little monster...did you want ME to come up with something?"
The Dark Matter closed his eyes contentedly as Nago continued to pet him. Chuchu tilted her head as she patted the Dark Matter's cheek. "You're right, he does feel kind of gooey."
Suddenly, Nago's ears perked upwards as an idea popped into his head. He looked back at the Dark Matter and spoke with excitement in his voice. "How about 'Gooey'?"
"Do you really think he's gonna want a name like that?" Rick asked with uncertainty. "That's like calling a cat 'fluffy'."
"Exactly!" Nago replied. "So what do you think? Do you want 'Gooey' to be your name?"
The Dark Matter thought about it for a moment. On one hand, names were only used for high-ranking Dark Matter. They were the ones who earned it, after all. But on the other hand, everyone was going to give him a name no matter what. With that in mind, he crawled closer to Nago and nuzzled his paw again, the creature smiled victoriously. "All right, Gooey it is then!"
"Eh...I still liked 'Comet' better," Chuchu replied.
"Well at least he has a name, now." Kirby said happily. He hopped onto the bed and gently hugged the Dark Matter. "I know it's a little late for this, but welcome to Popstar, Gooey."
This wasn't quite what the Dark Matter had in mind when he looked for a new home, or even a new life. But so far, he liked being around Kirby. He just wished that Brother was here, too.
Maybe he'd be proud of the little Dark Matter just for making it out here? And perhaps if they were lucky, they would be able to see each other again? That's all the Dark Matter could hope for, but right now he needed to rest. He needed to settle into his new life, not as "The Defect" or even as just another Dark Matter, but as "Gooey".