A/N: As I was looking over the current poll results, I noticed that Luigi and Rosalina both had a few votes, so I decided to do a oneshot about them. Note that the poll is still open, so feel free to vote on characters for my next story!

Loneliness of a Green Star

Luigi let out a long sigh of relief as the glass barrier around him dissipated, revealing his brother standing there grinning expectantly.

'Thanks bro,' he said a little weakly. 'I was starting to think I'd never get out of there! Anyway...' Oblivious to the fact that both of them were still suspended from the underside of a gravity platform, he delved into his pocket and pulled out a large, glittering green Power Star. He'd never seen anything like this star before and secretly thought it was beautiful. Luigi gazed into it, mesmerised for a brief moment, before an impatient cough brought his attention back.

He noticed Mario staring at the object with a similar expression on his face. 'OK, you can have it,' he muttered, letting out another sigh that wasn't nearly as grateful as his previous one. But as he passed the star over, he shot his older brother a quick warning look. 'But only if you tell Rosalina I found this one!'

Back at the Comet Observatory, Rosalina and the lumas were growing more worried by the minute. Mario was supposed to have returned from Battlerock Galaxy almost an hour ago, after leaving hurriedly to search for his brother Louis – no, Weegee – no, Luigi.

Polari glanced at the clock and groaned in exasperation. 'When is that lazy fellow coming back?' he asked. 'Has he forgotten how important it is for us to get the Observatory functioning as a starship once again?'

'I doubt he has forgotten, Polari,' Rosalina reminded the old luma patiently. 'After all, he came here for the sole purpose of finding his special one hidden in the centre of the universe.'

'Hmph. And how much has he said to you on the subject? Are you absolutely certain we can trust his word?'

Rosalina sighed. She loved all her star companions, but sometimes they could be a tad overprotective, Polari more than any other. 'We can trust him,' she responded in her echoing, monotone voice. Then she wandered off, leaving her advisor to frown in silence.

Barely moments after she'd left the scene, an explosion of light – no, a comet – indicated Mario's safe return. The red-capped plumber landed gracefully at the front of the observatory and hefted the new Power Star up with some difficulty, as it was slightly heavier than the normal ones. It was bright green and had a strange kind of sparkle to it.

'A Green Star!' exclaimed Polari as he flew over to get a closer inspection. 'Very rare indeed. You have done a fine job, Mario!' he added, apparently forgetting everything he'd just said about his lack of trust in the hero. 'These stars have special, unique abilities, but if you wish to know more, you will have to speak to the green luma by the Garage.' He pointed in that direction, and Mario went running off across the grass with a grin, not even stopping to say anything.

Polari turned just in time to see Rosalina returning, a curious look on her normally expressionless face.

'He found one the the Green Stars, didn't he?' she enquired.

'Yes, indeed. I admit, it makes me feel happier knowing he is willing to go to such lengths to recover our power sources...'

'Hmm...' Rosalina paused, staring in the direction of the Garage with narrowed eyes. She must've noticed something she didn't like, because she immediately turned to her advisor and said, 'Polari, I hate to ask this of you, but please... will you check on the young lumas and read them their bedtime story tonight? I would do it myself, but... I have something I urgently need to attend to.'

Recognising her tone of voice, Polari nodded without hesitation. 'I will see to it,' he told her before flying off like a tiny black comet.

By the time she reached the Garage, Rosalina was glad to see that all the lumas in the area had cleared away, probably to the Library to hear their bedtime story. She trusted Polari impeccably and knew he could take care of her young charges for one evening, while she dealt with something more important.

She stopped at the entrance to the Garage, waiting in silence. A tall slender figure was sitting on the upturned wooden box that, for reasons unknown to her, always stood beside the toads' starship; his face was buried in his hands and he looked, in her opinion, utterly defeated and miserable.

Rosalina didn't have much experience with human emotions. She was a human herself, but centuries of living among the stars and caring for the lumas had changed her, so she was no longer what she once was. Seeing Mario's brother like this, she instinctively knew something bad had happened, but what? The only way to find out would be to ask him.

So that was exactly what she did.

She walked softly across the Garage floor and knelt down beside him, wishing there was a second box to sit on. 'Luigi,' she said, 'what's the matter? You seem upset.'

He must have not realised she was there, because he immediately jumped backwards in shock, tripping over the box and stumbling right to the edge of the platform. For an agonising moment he teetered there, until Rosalina used her own magic to summon a protective bubble that lifted him gently back onto safe ground.

'I apologise,' she said quietly, though she couldn't help smiling slightly at how incredibly clumsy he was. 'I thought you heard me.'

'N-no, it's my fault,' he quickly replied, adjusting his lopsided cap and sitting back down on top of the box. He was breathing quite rapidly, she noted with concern, but guessed it was just a remnant of the shock. 'I wasn't paying attention... and, um, why are you here?' He looked at her with wide blue eyes, realising for the first time who she actually was. 'N-not to sound rude or anything.'

He was like a child who'd misbehaved, she thought. Afraid of an angry parent, and trying his hardest not to show it. 'I only wished to ensure you were well,' she said, returning to her usual blank tone that gave no emotion away. 'As I said a moment ago, you seemed quite distressed. Or am I wrong?'

He looked down at his shoes, which were tapping on the metal grating in a nervous kind of way. 'I-I guess you're right, sort of.' He seemed like he was reluctant to say any more, but Rosalina pressed him cautiously.

'Is it something to do with the Green Star Mario brought back earlier? He did very well to retrieve it, you know. It is an important star, one that will aid him further on his quest...' She broke off, seeing Luigi's face twist as though he was about to cry. 'What is it?'

'I-I-It's Mario...' he said unsteadily. 'He rescued me from Battlerock Galaxy and I gave him the Green Star that I found... but n-now he's telling everyone he found it!'

Rosalina was momentarily stunned. It wasn't the blatant display of arrogance from Mario that surprised her; while he was indeed their hero, she knew he could be a touch overconfident at times, and he certainly enjoyed his fame. It was the lack of caring towards his younger brother that left her speechless. She had always believed Mario and Luigi were very close and would do anything for each other, but now it seemed like she might have been wrong after all.

'...Are you certain he did it on purpose?' she asked gently. 'Perhaps he simply forgot that you were the one who found the Green Star...'

Luigi shook his head hastily, turning away from her so he could wipe his nose on his sleeve with a small sniff. 'M-Mario... Mario wouldn't forget something like that. I think... he just... doesn't want to admit that I accomplished something he c-couldn't...' He sniffed more loudly as he avoided looking at her.

Assuming he needed some form of comfort, Rosalina inched closer and carefully put an arm around his shoulders. While he stiffened at first, he slowly relaxed as she continued to speak. 'I'm sure your brother didn't do this to hurt you. I will talk to him when he comes back, if you like... perhaps he needs reminding that you also work hard to save the galaxy alongside him...'

Luigi closed his eyes and shrugged. He didn't look so miserable anymore, which relieved her. But did look tired and defeated, which was possibly even worse.

'It wouldn't do any good,' he said in a low voice that she almost failed to catch. 'Mario works much harder than me to save the galaxy, because he does it for Peach. He'd do absolutely anything for her.' He let out a dry chuckle without opening his eyes, sounding older and more exhausted than ever.

'Peach... that is the name of his special one, isn't it?' Rosalina asked while gently removing her arm from around him. He didn't seem to notice the touch anymore, anyway. 'And Mario cares for her very deeply?'

'He loves her...

'And that is why he will do anything, even endanger his own life, to rescue her from the centre of the universe.' Rosalina fell silent as she pondered these facts. When she spared a glance at Luigi, she saw he still had his eyes firmly closed and was breathing in the slightly ragged manner of someone who is in pain. She could tell immediately that he wasn't injured, so she guessed it was more emotional agony that anything else. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to help him, except for maybe one thing...

'Tell me, Luigi,' she said. 'You know that Mario fights to save his special one... but for what reason do you fight? Is it to gain recognition from others, to become loved? Is it to protect your brother? Or... is it for another reason?'

He shot her a glance that was half-suspicious, half-curious. 'Why d'you ask that?'

'Well,' she said quickly, 'perhaps I am wrong, but it seems as though you must have some motivation for doing these great things...'

He snorted bitterly. 'What great things? It's Mario who does everything. I'm just his shadow.'

'You know that is not true...'

Luigi was silent for a while as he stared out at the vast cosmos surrounding the Observatory. 'So many stars, so many galaxies... so much existence. I wonder,' he ventured after a time, 'do the lumas who become Power Stars still think and feel? Are they still... still alive?' His tone was quite casual, but Rosalina had a feeling this question had been bothering him a lot. She chose her response carefully.

'In a manner of speaking,' she said quietly, 'yes. They are alive in much the same way a tree or flower is alive. They may not be able to speak, but they are certainly not dead. And when the moment is right, they can decide to interact with those from other races...'

Luigi averted his eyes again and didn't reply. She put a hand on his shoulder. 'Is there any particular reason you asked this...?'

He sighed. It wasn't a grateful sound, nor a defeated one, and Rosalina silently wished she understood human emotions better so she knew what ailed him. All she knew was that he needed help, and she might be the only one who could give it.

'It's nothing,' said Luigi. 'It's just... when I was trapped in that glass dome, I was clutching onto the Green Star so tightly, wishing for my brother to come and save me. And I thought I felt something coming from the star, like it was trying to comfort me. And I couldn't help but think of it as a living creature.' He drew in a short, sharp breath. 'And when Mario rescued me, I really didn't want to give the star up, but he needed it more than me. And then he ran off and forgot all about me, and he didn't even say that I found the star...'

He trailed off and blinked several times, fighting back tears. 'For the first time ever, I thought I'd done something that would really help Mario. But it turns out, I'm just as useless as ever.' He laughed, a sound as dry and bitter as black coffee.

Rosalina let him speak until he was done, then said softly, 'You feel as though your brother doesn't appreciate everything you do to help him.' Luigi immediately looked at her, wide-eyed with surprise, misery momentarily forgotten.

'H-how did you know?'

She gave a faint, rare smile. 'It's obvious when I think about it,' she replied. 'You work so hard to help Mario, but he still doesn't notice.' The smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. 'But I think you should talk to him. I doubt he causes you this pain deliberately – he is your brother, and he cares for you as much as you do him.'

'A-are you s-sure?' the green plumber stammered.

Rosalina nodded once, a firm and decisive gesture. 'Tell him how you feel, and I'm sure he will understand and make more effort for you in the future.'

Luigi felt the tense ball of worry in his stomach start to unravel. For some reason, what Rosalina said actually made him feel better. Strange, he thought, how his own brother could affect him so badly, yet a person he barely knew was willing to comfort him and help him sort out his pathetic life. To inspire new hope in him.

'O-OK,' he said at last, a little nervously, but determined all the same. 'I'll talk to Mario as soon as this quest is over.'

Rosalina would've preferred him to take action sooner than that, but she knew there would be no pushing him. She nodded again and stood up gracefully, offering a hand to pull Luigi to his feet as well. 'I'm glad to hear it,' she said in her monotone, yet somehow satisfied voice.

'One last question,' said Luigi as he stood and dusted his overalls off, not looking straight at her.

'Yes?'

'Why did you... come to help me? We hardly know each other... I'm sure you have better things to do than help me, of all people...' He sounded hesitant, jerky, as though every word was a bit of a struggle to get out. Rosalina couldn't stop herself grinning at how nervous he appeared, though his back was towards her, so he didn't notice.

'Because, Luigi,' she responded, taking his gloved hand in hers for a moment, 'I saw that you needed help, that you were lonely. So... I helped you.' Without giving any further explanation, she released his fingers and took a step back. He gazed at her dumbly, obviously not understanding at all.

'That's not a reason to –' he started, but she waved a hand to cut him off.

'I see your brother over there,' she said, and pointed in the direction of the Terrace, where a very familiar red-and-blue figure was stretched out comfortably on the lush grass. 'Why don't you go and talk with him now?'

Luigi stared for a second longer then, realising what he was doing, flushed slightly and averted his eyes. 'U-Uhm... Okey-dokey.' And he turned and rushed off without another word.

Rosalina watched him go, unsmiling. She saw him shake Mario awake, then the two brothers sat down together on the grass and began to talk. And she knew, in her heart, that everything would be better between them from now on. She'd done what she could to help Luigi; the rest was up to him.

Calling Polari over, she set off across the Observatory, still deep in thought over the unusual events of the evening.