Shadow:I know, I know. I should be updatingThe Little Kitsune Prince, but I read a story called Better Off Alone, and itmade me just want to write a Shadowshellshipping story. For those of you who don't know what that is, it a Vivian/Koops pairing. Vivian and Koops are from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. Great game. I haven't beaten it yet, but I'm real close. Anyways, like I said, I haven't beaten it yet, so if I get any infomationwrong, I'm sorry. Also, I'm in the process of finishing Chapter 3 of The Little Kitsune Prince, so don't worry. Just be glad I'm writing again. On with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story. Well, I do, but you'll figure out what.

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Koops sighed. He was sitting in his house in Petalburg alone. Koopie Koo was out somewhere, he knew not where. Something was wrong with him. Since he'd returned to Petalburg, he'd been feeling like something was missing. At first, he thought he missed all the adventures he had while with Mario and the others. So he had gone out exploring with Koopie Koo. But that didn't help. Then he thought he just needed a nice vacation, so he and Koopie Koo went to the Mushroom Kingdom. But that wasn't it either. So now he sat there, thinking. "What's missing?" he said out loud. He hoped he figured it out soon. He was going to visit a few of his former group members, and he didn't want them worrying about him. Especially Vivian.

"Vivian…" he said, sighing again. She was his closest friend from the group, and probably his closest friend period. When she first joined them, she seemed very scared. She had later told him it was because not only had she abandon her sisters, but she had also been their enemy, and she didn't know how they could like her. She also seemed sad, and he didn't like to see anybody sad, so, on her first night with the group, when he saw she had no blanket, he gave her hers, as a sign of friendship. After that, she started trust him more, and soon after that, she was able to trust everybody in the group. She trusted Koops most of all though, and stay close to him wherever they went.

Of course, this caused people to wonder if they liked each other as more than friends. They denied it, Koops saying he had a girlfriend already and Vivian saying she didn't believe in love. But whenever Koops was with Vivian, he felt different than when he was with Koopie Koo. With Koopie Koo, it felt more like he was with a sister or mother. Koopie Koo was always babying him, making sure he was okay and whatnot acting like a big sister or mother should. And for that he was thankful. He needed a mother figure in his life. But with Vivian, it was more…magical. Like he could do anything and go anywhere as Vivian was there, by his side. He also got what he heard someone call butterflies in his stomach (He told the person that butterflies in the stomach must be unhealthy. The person just laughed at him.) and his heart started to beat faster.

"That's it!" he yelled as he jumped up. How could he have been so stupid? The thing missing in his life was Vivian!

"What's it?" Koopie Koo asked? She had just walked in the door.

"I figured out why I've felt so miserable lately, he said, turning towards her.

"Really? That's great!" she said, happy. She had been worried about her Koops. Ever since he'd come back, he been acting weird. But now he was going to get better. She knew it. "So, why were you miserable?"

"I'm sorry Koopie Koo, but I can't tell you," he said, looking towards the floor. He had told her about Vivian, but not about how close they had become. He had a feeling Koopie Koo wouldn't have liked that.

Koopie Koo looked hurt. "And why not?" she asked quietly. "Can't you trust me?"

"You know I can," he told her. "I just don't think you want to hear it." He started for the door and stopped beside her. "I'm going to leave now. I don't know if I'm coming back again or not, so goodbye." With this, he hugged her and started to leave.

Koopie Koo started to cry. "Wait!" she yelled. "Why are you leaving me? I thought you loved me!"

Koops stopped, but didn't look at her. "I do love you," he said, "but not like you think. You're like an older sister or mother to me. I'm sorry, Koopie Koo. Goodbye." He started to walk away, and soon was out of Koopie Koo's sight. She didn't watch him leave, though. She was crying her eyes out, heartbroken. All she had left now was the hope that her Koops…no, he wasn't her Koops anymore. That Koops would at least visit her. He had said that she was like his older sister or mother, hadn't he?

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Since Mario had last been there, Rougeport had become a better place to live in. Certain parts of town where actually family friendly, or were becoming that way. Yet, one part of town lay untouched. Underground. It was the last place bandits, thieves, and others of the like had left to live. It was also where Vivian had come to know as home. After the Shadow Queen had been defeated, her sister had either disappeared or had gone into hiding, she didn't know. She just knew she didn't know where they were. Like they would take her back in. She could see it now…

Beldam's hovering over her, yelling at her. "It's all your fault our Queen was defeated!"-SLAP!- "How could you betray us like that!" –SLAP!- "Leave us now before I kill you!" –SLAP!-

So, she had found an empty place underground and stay there, never really leaving. She was in bad shape. Her hat was torn and faded. Her hair was matted and nasty. She herself was dirty and hungry. She was barely floating. Her eyes were red as well, like she had been crying for a while. She longed to live a normal life, but she didn't think she could go back to the surface, and it wasn't because her eyes had become use to the darkness of underground. No, it was because she thought nobody would like her. After Mario and everybody had parted ways, she tried living a normal life on the surface. But everywhere she went, people stared. People whispered. People wouldn't give her the time of day. Really. She had once somebody what time it was, and he ignored her. So, she retreated to a place where nobody would find her, and where she could think. Think about why nobody liked her. Not even her sisters had liked her. Well, maybe Marilyn had, but she didn't show it enough. In fact, she could only think of one person she knew liked her.

"Koops…" she said softly. When she left her sisters to join Mario, he was the first one to show her kindness. He was the first to be there for her. He was the first to care about her. At first, she was wary of him. She wasn't sure if he actually did care about her or he was setting her up for a trap. But she soon got that silly thought out of her head, and began to trust him. Soon, she felt better, happier. She knew it was because of Koops. Whenever he wasn't near, she felt lost, scared, sad. But with Koops, she felt more alive, like nothing, not even Beldam, could harm her.

She was crying a little. She hadn't seen Koops since they had parted ways. She knew he had a girlfriend, but she still had hoped that he would stay with her. But he had left back for Petalburg, and she was left alone. She knew there was a pipe somewhere underground that led to Petalburg, but she didn't have the heart to find it and visit Koops. She didn't want to see him and his girlfriend all happy. It might have killed her.

She was really crying now. It was she who needed Koops, not this girlfriend of his! "Why did you leave me Koops!" she yelled out between her sobs. "Why!" Without Koops, her life wasn't worth living. When she thought of that, she stopped crying. "That's it," she said quietly. Her tear stain face got a determined look on it. "If I can't live with Koops, I won't live at all." She then drifted off, thinking of which would be better, drowning or Poisonous Mushrooms? She didn't notice the glowing pair of purple eyes watching her leave. "That's it child, start drowning in your despair. But don't die yet. I need your depression. It makes me stronger. And I need to be strong to defeat Mario," a voice belong to the eyes said, then laughing an icy laugh.

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Shadow: So, how did you like it? I hope you like my ugly brainchild. NO STARING! Did you figure out who I own? Yep, I own the eyes. Go me! I own eyes:)Oh, and the title may be temporary. If I, or anybody else, can think of a better title, I'll change it. Please R&R!