Okay so this is a re-write of 'Confused', because it was so terrible that i could actually feel it staining my soul. I changed the events a bit but the first chapter is pretty much happening i the same order. Cross your fingers and pray to all your Gods, and let's go.
Storm clouds rumbled overhead and smothered the steadily darkening sky with a thick grey blanket. Any light that dared to struggle its way between the oppressive layer came in wavering strings of glowing auburn, fading steadily as the sun dipped lower and lower behind the horizon.
The air lay thick and heavy, adding an eerie stillness to the atmosphere.
Even in the almost-darkness, the old castle walls were clearly outlined, blackened stone buttresses standing firm against the test of time, proud and alone, only dry grass and dead trees for miles around. The only real indicator of the true age of the structure (not including what could be found on yellowed parchments and dusty tomes) was the sheer mass of sinewy ropes of ivy that had sprawled their way over the massive Keep, probing into every crevice and flowing in a thick, tangled stream up one side of the wall and oozing over the castellated edge.
In the near distance, a speck of light bobbed over the moors, steadily drawing closer and closer.
...
Staring up at the fortress as they neared, Mr.L let out a low whistle through his teeth, earning a sharp glare from the leader of the party of three.
Turning, Mario held up the small flame cupped in his hand, throwing his face into sharp relief and deepening his scowl.
Raising his eyebrows, L threw his hands up in defense.
"What?! Calm the hell down, I didn't do nothin!"
"You breathed, you slimy creep." Mario's voice was little more than a low growl, and the tension in his shoulders was apparent as he spun on his heel, ignoring the hand that Peach tried to place on his shoulder, and marched on, back hunched and one fist clenching hard around a length of rope.
With a frustrated growl of her own, the Princess pulled her hand back and hiked up her skirts once more, storming onwards.
L almost laughed as Peach 'brushed' Mario's shoulder on her way past, until the length of rope suddenly pulled taut, and the leather strap around his neck tightened noticeably.
Gurgling, he trotted forwards, his handcuffs jangling as he tried to pull the collar looser.
The toes of his boots scuffed against the scrub, and he willed himself not to trip over.
When he finally regained his proper footing, he trooped forwards at a steady pace, keeping his eyes narrowed and fixed on the Princess and the Plumber in front of him.
Glorified assholes. Both of them.
Running a ragged fingernail almost obsessively over the runes impressed into the leather collar, he longed for the familiar rush of electricity through his veins. Whatever ensealment charm they had used, it was powerful enough to block his elemental powers.
Not that they would do him much good now anyway. He had no idea where they were; he remembered waking up on the floor with a killer headache and a pair of hands around his neck (quickly replaced by the Charm), with no time to get his bearings before being dragged along, literally, with the duo. That was almost twenty four hours ago.
He'd quickly learned that Mario didn't take well to L's snide comments about how if he'd wanted to see him in a collar, he 'could have just asked, y'know'.
Mario was pissy, and his elemental spirit was fire. L learned to keep quiet and just walk.
But there was only so much a guy could take, really.
L's eyes snapped up at the sound of raised voices. His captors were arguing. His gaze darted to Mario's hand-his grip had slackened, his attention focused on the pink menace rather than his shady captive. Sensing an opportunity, L raised his hands carefully, carefully, trying not to let the handcuffs rattle, and gently grasped the rope.
He hesitated for a moment. Was this a stupid, desperate plan? Yes.
Was he stupidly desperate? Definitely.
He waited for another heartbeat, and then with all the force and speed he could muster, he yanked hard on the rope, ripping it from Mario's grasp, and sprinted for the only cover available- that ridiculously enormous castle.
Before Mario could even process what had happened, a blur of green and black had already hurtled past him, and L was already several yards away before either he nor Peach came to their senses enough to give chase.
L allowed himself to grin as he gained ground. He was fast, more than enough so to outrun a fat Plumber and a Princess in Ballet flats. The angry yelling from behind him spurred him to run faster, further away from the tin orb of light from Mario's Fireball lantern.
If he could make it to the castle and find a hiding place, he would have enough time to call for Brobot and maybe backup, then get the hell out of this wasteland, no worse for wear than a couple of blisters and scrapes. He swallowed hard against the collar, that seemed to be getting tighter.
Maybe with some bruising, too, then.
Behind him, Mario threw out an arm, signalling Peach to hang back. She stared at him, incredulous.
"What are you doing? He's going to get away!" Mario just shook his head, and slowed from a run to a slow, almost leisurely jogging pace.
Frustrated, Peach matched his pace. "Mario, we need him, know you don't like him but he's the only other elemental around, and it takes two to open the lock-"
Glancing ahead at said elemental, Peach's voice trailed off.
For a second, she thought that the man in black had vanished into thin air- but as she searched the gloomy plane, she realized why she hadn't been able to see him.
He had dropped to the ground, only discernible from the darkness around him because he was thrashing violently, legs kicking and jerking desperately as he clawed at his neck.
She turned to Mario, who wore a self-satisfied smirk. "See? I got this, Peaches." She turned away from him deliberately and stalked towards their captive, ignoring Mario chuckling behind her. Smug idiot.
They took their time reaching the masked man, who seemed to still as they got closer.
When they were standing directly above him, he glared up at them with watering eyes, burning with indignation. His hat had flown off at some point during his sprint, and his green scarf had been torn as he desperately wrenched at the collar.
He gurgled something at them, followed by a coughing fit.
Mario waited with mock politeness until the fit was over.
Peach glanced across at her partner, and frowned. There was something off about his smile. It seemed stretched over his teeth, and his eyes glinted with something dark.
L wheezed as Mario reached down with his free hand and snatched a handful of his tattered scarf, using it to yank him up nose to nose with the other man.
"Like the Proxemic Sensitivity Charm? Just a little personal touch, all for you."
"You...b-bastards."
Mario laughed sharply at L's choked response, gripping the scarf just a little tighter.
Shadows danced across his face as he brought the fire closer, letting it's heat graze his captive's arm.
"I lost my brother to your stupid little group of lowlife trash."
His tone was soft, almost contemplative, and L felt cold sweat begin to drip down his temple. He was helpless, with no powers and no backup, miles from anywhere but this God damn castle.
"Mario."
The plumber in red didn't seem to hear his name. He continued to stare into the slate grey eyes of his opponent. There was something unnervingly familiar about those eyes, and Mario couldn't put his finger on it.
"Mario!" Peach snapped, snatching the hand that held the fire away from L's face before it drifted any closer. This time, the man looked up at the sound of her voice. She could suddenly see how haggard he looked, the toll of losing his brother was clear on his face, in the bags under his eyes and the lines carved into his forehead.
Her gaze softened, and she gently released his arm, watching him pull it back sheepishly.
"I..." words struggled in his throat, and died before they reached his lips. Giving up, he turned back to their captive to haul him back to his feet.
L took the opportunity to spit right in his face, with a malicious, if slightly pained smirk.
"Or maybe your stupid brother just left beca- FUCK!"
Before Peach could think about stopping him, Mario had forced Mr.L into the dirt, pressing his hand, still cupping the bright little fire, into his face while skin blistered and seared.
"Mario! Mario STOP!" Peach lunged at her partner, knocking him away from the villain that lay screaming on the ground. She pinned Mario's wrists as best she could as he struggled to get back at the whimpering man behind her, and her crown slid from her head, rolling away into the dry grass. Ignoring it, the Princess tried her best to calm down the clearly enraged Mario, holding him down with all of her strength for many minutes until he finally stopped struggling.
"Leave it now, stop it, he's had enough, he's had enough Mario..."
She hoped her quiet murmurs would help calm him as they both breathed heavily, the sticky air feeling like treacle in her lungs with every breath. Mario's ragged breathing slowly evened out, and she cautiously shuffled off him and slumped in the itchy heather, trying to catch her breath.
For a long moment, the only sounds were their breathing and the quiet, cut-off whimpers of pain from Mr.L, who was curled in on himself, shielding the angry, blistered flesh that flared from his jaw to his brow on the left side of his face.
'If that eyebrow is gone...' was all that flitted through his panicked mind, unable to process anything else at that moment, 'then i swear to God'.
It seemed like an eternity he lay there, consumed with pain and shock in the now pitch-darkness.
Distantly, he heard someone talking, and a new light source suddenly flickered into being.
Shuddering, he flinched away from the fuzzy silhouette that stooped near his face.
Everything was flickering and fading at the edges, like an old TV set. Like the one Pops used to have, back when he was a kid.
He didn't know if his eyes were open or closed, he was dizzy and it was dark and there was pain either way, so it didn't really matter anyway, he supposed.
He was blissfully unconscious by the time he was dragged through the empty doorway of the desolate castle.
He dreamed of a mirror. And when he looked into it, it wasn't him he saw staring back.