Nicholas 525 : Ah, sorry, this was a one-shot. I forgot to select Completed... But it may not be, I may continue this sometime. A small chance, but maybe. Sorry if I got your hopes up. ^^;

Disclaimer : I do not own Luigi nor Luigi's Mansion. They belong to Nintendo. All rights belong to their respective owners.

Shelved Aside

Fears. No one wants them. No one likes them, everyone wishes they didn't have them, simply because they're fears. Fears could be awful, they could be strange, and there might not be such a thing as a 'silly' fear, but they're still a cause of fear for people that have them. That's why they're fears. A lot of people have fears. It isn't very startling to realize that you have one. The mayors, the businessmen, the daredevils, the completely normal... Even plumbers have fears.

For Luigi, when he found out his fear, it struck him deeply. Not because it was a fear, but because it was placed upon him before he could discover it by himself. He was afraid of ghosts. Luigi was skeptical at first; he didn't believe in ghosts at that time. Granted, Boos were ghosts, but he wasn't nearly as apprehensive of them as he was with real, not-so-shy ghosts. And in a mansion filled and created by ghosts, with Luigi having been placed upon the job to remove all traces of the haunted manor along with its inhabitants, the prospect of it just chilled him to the bone.

How did I get stuck with this task? Luigi thought. I never asked for this, I never wanted this. I'm just your ordinary plumber.

Luigi walked slowly up the path leading to the mansion. The sparse dead leaves crackled under his feet when he stepped on them, the crows cawing while watching him with doleful white eyes. To Luigi, the flashlight he received from the strange old man was his lifeline. He beamed the light around the surrounding areas. He wish he hadn't. Tombstones and rotting pumpkins were littered all over the front lawn of the mansion. His heart beating faster and faster, the lanky plumber quickly trotted up the stairs, looking from side to side as if running away from predators.

I have to do this. For my brother's sake.

Luigi's hand gripped the doorknob. It was cold to the touch, and had a layer of dust. His teeth chattered.

Am I really that much of a coward? Will I go through this, for the sake of my brother?

Thoughts were running across his mind when he had his hand on the door. It's really startling by the amount of thoughts that crop up when you're afraid. Each thought's voice seemed to be magnified tenfold as Luigi's anxiety kept reaching higher and higher levels.

Would I be willing to do this for someone else's sake? Is it my greed, my selfishness, that I don't want to do this? Am I going to... refuse?

Luigi was panting. Little wisps of hot air puffed out of his mouth whenever he took a breath. Flashes of images where his brother eagerly told him of how he saved the kingdom whirled through his brain.

Has Mario ever felt like this? Did he ever pause in his adventures? I have so many questions that I didn't ask him.

The flashlight flickered off, after not having been touched for a period of time. The crows stopped their cawing.

It's all because of this fear. I wish I didn't have it.

Luigi was trembling. He couldn't help it. But he didn't wish he was at home, nor did he wish that someone else could take his place.

I'm going to do it.

At last, he mustered up enough energy to push open the door. He stepped in cautiously.

Because, sometimes you just have to shelve your fears.

A/N : Wee, really short story. I have no idea why I have so much energy in writing one-shots, while writing a continuous series takes so much effort for me. Maybe it's because I'm struggling with linking my ideas together. I'm having not much trouble focusing on one aspect, but combining them is a bit difficult for me.