Disclamier: Don't own any of the Mario Universe!


The pungent smell of blood ravaged my nostrils…Bowser stood in front of me with a fanatical gleam in his eyes….I couldn't lose…I screamed and punched him….I punched him and punched him and then threw him into the lava…he screamed…but he's still alive…I know he's still alive because I'm still alive. He's still alive because I'm still alive…

Sunlight gently caressed me as I awoke to the familiar melody of chirping birds. Under this great comfort, I fought to open my eyes to full consciousness. Nah, forget it. I was fine right here…I shifted slightly under the embrace of my bed sheets, pleased, and drifted off yet again…

The sound of the front door slamming violently threw me from my dream world. Actually, to be honest I don't even think I had a dream. For some weird reason, my sleeping has turned into a timeless journey through a quiet vacuum. I sat upright, groggily aware of only the drool leisurely streaming down my chin. Panic suddenly crawled up my spine and pierced my heart when I finally noticed…

…Mario was here.

Dear reader, you may be curious to why I'm so afraid of my brother. It's a long and painful story for both of us that I unfortunately remember as if it happened yesterday. I guess that's just the natural effect of a trauma as strong as this….

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Thunder and lightning wrestled around us viciously, as if nature itself was raging over the spectacle that was about to take place.

Bowser had kidnapped the Princess yet again and we had pursued him to the depths of the Koopa Kingdom…again. But there was something different, frighteningly different about this battle. That day I couldn't realize it or define it, but now, almost two years later, I've attained that bloodcurdling knowledge of why that fight turned awry.

It was conviction. A very dreadful conviction. I could still see it now in the eternal, burning gazes of Mario and Bowser. Neither wanted to leave that arena without a complete, indisputable, and total victory.

The Koopa King lunged forward with a fearsome roar, unhindered by the broiling pool of lava below us. Mario raised his fists in a fighting stance and...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Tears clouded my vision and I noticed I was shivering convulsively. Air raced through my arid mouth in sprints. I apologize reader, maybe it's the weakness in me or just the weight of the whole ordeal but I can't finish this right now.

I walked over to my mirror. My steps were slow and pounding across the decaying, wooden floor. For people as famous as the Mario Bros, our house was in pretty bad shape. The doppelganger in my reflection was pale, with eyes half open. Sighing, I mechanically rubbed the thick girth of my moustache. I think I need to shave.

Another slam. Then the sound of glass breaking. Damn it, Mario.

I refused to go down there and talk to him. I can't. He's beyond the point of talking to. I used to feel anger, and then I felt pity. Now I just feel scared and besides that, I don't really feel anything at all. I remember when I first started to suspect that his changes were something worse…

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It was my first dreamless night. I woke up in the midst of enveloping darkness, accompanied by a sliver of light that struggled through my window. For years or minutes, I lay there unmoving. I didn't breathe, blink, or even think. Honestly, that night I think I died.

A loud and rhythmic cascade of screeching sent a shiver down my spine. I've fought koopas, ghosts, and monsters, but the fear I felt from this fatal cackle instantly drew all the warmth from my body. It sounded close, the kitchen to be exact. I knew I should check it out. I knew I had to be a hero, but I was scared. So scared.

The door to the kitchen obeyed my will and slowly creaked forward. Again, the corrupted symphony of laughter exploded but this time it was closer…more dangerous. My heart raced. My throat ran dry. My arms shook with apprehension. I was not prepared for the demon I was about to face.

Moonlight illuminated the room with an ethereal glow. It almost felt surreal, like I was on Star Way or Rainbow Road. I looked around, everything seemed normal. The fridge lay unopened, the cabinets were untouched. The floor was immaculate. I was almost at ease, but then my eyes fell on a figure that would be forever engraved into my future.

Mario.

He was sitting at the lone table in the corner accompanied by a slew of empty bottles. His back was to me, so I didn't think he noticed my presence. A bottle half-filled with an opaque liquid hung loosely in his hand.

"Bro…? You ok?" I asked, stepping forward. My voice sounded self-consciously high. Obviously, he took Bowser's death harder than any of us. I knew it, Peach knew it, and all of the Mushroom Kingdom knew it. We all knew how this grief was crushing him.

Its funny how Mario was always able to help us, but we're powerless to help him during his darkest times. Maybe he was always destined to stand alone in the end...

"Mario…?" I softly called out.

He raised the bottle to his lips and gulped voraciously. "Mario…Mario?" He mocked me without even turning around. "Who is Mario?"

Annoyed, I asked "What are you talking about?"

"You dumbass," I recoiled at the strong language. I never heard my brother speak this way before. "You ignorant fool!" He stood up and threw the bottle on the floor. It smashed into several pieces, splattering an explicit substance all around us.

I didn't know what to do. I was confused and scared so, out of habit, I just called his name again. Enraged, he turned around and leaped on top of me. I remember the weight of his hands around my throat. I remember the grinding of his teeth. Most of all, I remember the juxtaposition of colors in his face and the wild look in his eye. At this point, I couldn't tell him from a crazed goomba.

"Who am I? Tell me Luigi, who am I?" He screamed. When I didn't answer, he shook me ferociously. "Am I a just a plumber? Am I just a man?"

"I…I don't know." I was half choking and half sobbing. That probably wasn't the right answer, but I didn't know what was. I was so scared and confused.

Suddenly, he released his grip around my neck. Without looking at me, he sobbed. "My God! Oh my God! What's going to happen to me?"

I cried too. The quiet night air of the Mushroom Kingdom was pregnant with our grieving.

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Lying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling fan. It became a new hobby of mine since I started the practice of confining myself to my room. I was safe here. I hoped.

That ceiling fan though, it was always there. It never moved from its spot or spun when I didn't want it to. It made me feel good. Sometimes, I wish people were like ceiling fans.

Yet another slam. This one was louder than the previous ones. I really wish people were like ceiling fans.

I dreamed I saw Peach today…I lay next to her and she looked at me with such sad eyes…I wonder when was the last time I stroked her hair…she's a nice girl…but I can't stop…I must fight…Bowser is still alive…He's everywhere...

Peach

My head always seemed to fit perfectly into his chest. I was content against the warmth of his heartbeat. That would never change, even if the world ended. Half-awake, I tried to express my happiness in some way. Maybe a kiss or an "I love you." My feelings bubbled in my abdomen and surged up my throat and I…I…

I purred. Yes, like a cat I purred. I don't know why. It was really weird and I never done it before. Unsure of how to react, I laughed.

I expected Mario's hearty laughter to join in, but I remained alone. Even though we embraced each other under thick bed sheets, I felt oddly cold. Maybe I was coming down with something. Clenching onto my knight in shining armor, I buried my head deeper into his chest. A grunt was forced out of him.

"So it's been over a year huh?" I whispered. I wanted to hear his voice. I needed to hear it to be closer to him. He put a finger to my lips and shushed me. Angrily, I raised my head and glared at him. It was always like this. Why didn't he want to talk? "Please, Mario…let me help you…"

He didn't even look at me. He never looked at me anymore. Was I unattractive? Did his love for me fade? Did he even love me to begin with?

Sitting up, I blinked back a warm wetness. "Why are even you here?" I asked shakily.

Mario propped himself up on two thick forearms. Finally, his enticing blue eyes fell on me. A minute pang of satisfaction flew through me. "I don't know," his voice was sharp like a blade.

I felt my face fall. What did that mean? I spent so much time, so many years, trying to reach this point with you…My head started spinning. The room got blurry. I didn't know what to hang onto in this sea of chaos so I just put my hands around Mario's face. He gave me a stoic gaze.

"I love you," came out of my mouth before I even realized it. Looking back at it now, I guess I was desperate. I don't know exactly when it happened (maybe after he rescued me from the X-Nauts and the Shadow Queen?) but he became my everything. He was my happiness and my strength. He owned me. How could he dare leave me?

But he did. He gripped my hands firmly and stared me down. I cowered under his dominating glare and obediently submitted. I'm still his until the bitter end.

All I remember after that is becoming really short of breath. No matter how hard I inhaled, I just couldn't catch enough air. The last image I saw was the door closing behind Mario before darkness overcame my vision.

I'm still yours until the bitter end...My pain, my insanity, My Mario...

I'm back home…Bowser is waiting…I see him in the kitchen…I smash the dishes…I break the chairs…that's where he's hiding…He's hiding in Luigi…He's hiding in Peach too…I must defeat Bowser…He's still alive because I'm alive…


Let me know what you think of it so far! I welcome critique and criticism!