Oh, hey guys!
It's been a little while! Oh, but I couldn't stay away long. Especially now that my major original projects are all done/ close enough to completion so as to not eat up all my time. But oh, what's this--?
Craps, what did I do?!
Er… so yeah, okay, remember when I said I wasn't going to write a sequel to On my Own, guys? You remember that? Well, as it turns out, I am apparently a filthy liar.
Yeah, you heard me. This new story is, dare I say, an OmO sequel. Gods help me.
I couldn't stop myself. I tried. I tried so hard, you have no idea. I just can't say no to Fawful. When I try he starts shooting at me, and that's never a good thing.
So yeah. Woo sequel. Oh, and the title? Disregard it. I couldn't come up with anything, so—random irrelevant song title! Woo! It's a good song you know, Hot Water Music rocks my socks but it's just, heh, completely irrelevant. It sounds cool though I guess.
Well, without further ado… here's the new story. Have fun.
…
Chapter one: The chapter in which Fawful is receiving an unexpected visitor.
The sewers beneath Princess Peach's castle were a dank, quiet place. Few wandered in or out of the place, and for good reason. It was dark, it was spooky, and it reeked suspiciously of crud vapors.
Deep within the cavernous pipes, however, one lone soul had cleaned out the muck, sprayed gallons of air freshener, and made his home. In fact, he had made more than just his home—he had put together a store, a shrine, even, dedicated to badges and beans. Jars of beans were stacked all about, bean-shaped decorations adorned the walls and counters, and bean-shaped lamps hung from the ceiling. More than just the literal beans, though, the décor was in a decidedly Beanish style. It was decorated in the bright, creepily cheerful style so typical of Beanbean interor design—a futile attempt on the inhabitant's part to ease his longing for the homeland from which he was exiled.
A short little Beanish boy danced around behind his counter. He felt light as air today, despite the fact that the royals living up above were preparing burritos for dinner, which was usually a thing that put him in a foul mood. But no, not today! He grinned a toothy grin, laughing to himself and humming.
"I have love!" he cried.
An object sat upon the counter. He looked upon it with wide eyes, a slight blush coming to his cheeks as he stared. "Did you have the hearing? I said to you that I am having love—for you!"
He picked up the object and embraced it, rubbing his cheek affectionately against the metal figure.
It was his latest invention. He had named it the FuryZAP 9000, and it was a sight to behold. Shiny and metallic and colored in shades of purple and red, it looked like a toy but was capable of untold destruction. That was his favorite kind of design—the kind that seems harmless until it's melted your face off. It reminded him of himself.
"Oh, I am just imagining! I will have walking into the town of Roseness and they will be saying, 'oh, it is our friend of friendliness, Gera who is not Fawful as far as we are suspecting! He is carrying something which has the appearance of a toy but we will soon be finding that it is not a toy at all but is pure concentrated doom!'" He broke out laughing, his high-pitched giggle echoing in the empty room and connecting pipes.
He reached into a nearby jar of beans and grabbed a handful. With his free hand he flipped open a small hatch on the gun and proceeded to put the beans into it. Some time ago he had discovered a means of turning beans into pure energy. All of his inventions ran on it, and it was the reason for all the trouble he had gone through preparing this shop, stealing all those badges, and luring the occasional customer to his shop. These people thought they were getting a good deal—rare badges for something as worthless as beans! But little did they know the true value of those little legumes…
As he snapped the hatch shut again, he heard the sound of feet stepping against metal pipe, approaching his humble shop. He quickly hid the weapon under his counter, not wanting to give away his devious plans just yet, and put on his best 'I'm not going to kill you because I want your business' smile. His smile melted into a frown, and then a tooth-baring expression of hatred as a figure began to become clear through the darkness.
He whipped the gun out from its hiding place and fired a shot at his visitor. A pink-hued ball of light shot forth into the darkness, but bounced away from its target and into a nearby wall.
The visitor, an old Magikoopa, waved his magic wand tauntingly, the gem at the top still smoldering from having deflected the blast.
"Too slow, kid," he said.
"Kamek!" Fawful screamed, jumping atop the counter, still pointing the gun at the newcomer. "What are you doing in the shop of the Bean who is me?!"
"I found a bean," Kamek said casually, holding up a single bean. "I was wondering what sort of badge I could buy?"
Kamek threw the bean to Fawful, who caught it while still aiming.
"You can purchase nothing with a bean which is only numbering one," he hissed. "Now begone."
"Oh? But I had to dig everywhere to find it," Kamek said, putting a hand to his chest as though he were really hurt. "I don't suppose you could even give me a half-badge?"
"No. Leave the place which is my domicile at once," Fawful insisted.
Kamek walked over to the counter and sat down on one of the bean-shaped stools. He smiled at Fawful, the sort of smile he used when he knew something that the little Bean-scientist didn't.
"Not while you've got my bean," he said. "Like I said, I worked hard to get that. If you aren't giving me a badge, then give it back."
"This is not why you have come," Fawful growled. "What is your real reason for having the disturbing of the great Fawful who is me?"
"Ahh, can't get anything past you, can I."
Fawful huffed and sat down upon the counter. He still pointed the gun at his adversary, but didn't grip it quite so tightly. He couldn't attack now. Kamek was hiding something and if Fawful killed him he'd never find out what it was.
Kamek waved his hand and his wand disappeared. A round glass ball appeared in its place, floating an inch over Kamek's hand. It glowed eerily.
"I came to warn you," Kamek said, waving a hand over the crystal's surface.
"Oh, yes?" Fawful said, entirely skeptical.
"Yep," Kamek smiled wider as he watched mystical lights dance about within the ball. "I see terrible misfortune in your future."
Fawful glared at the crystal ball. He didn't see any misfortune in it; all he could see were fancy lights. "The predictions that you receive from your ball of glass rarely prove themselves to be possessing any truth, if at all ever."
"My predictions are always right," Kamek huffed.
Fawful shook his head. "I am not being fooled. There are being no 'predictions'—the only 'misfortunes' that may have possibleness are ones that I have knowing are hatching in your head which is full of badness and stupid!"
Kamek pretended to pout. "Fawful, I'm hurt! I came all this way to warn you, possibly even save your life, and you treat me like this? And here I thought we were friends."
Fawful glared at Kamek. Kamek couldn't keep up the act, and he began to laugh.
"Hah! You! Me! Friends!" the aged Magikoopa held his sides as he laughed. "Oh, oh… but in all seriousness. Why is it so hard to imagine that I might have come in peace, kid? I mean, do I have an army behind me? Is Bowser at my side? Do I have a squad of Toad police rushing the place?"
Fawful didn't reply. It was true that Kamek could easily have attacked, now that he knew where Fawful's hideout was. But the fact that he hadn't was not proof that he was here peacefully—in fact, it was just further proof that Kamek was planning something. It was well known between the two of them that Fawful was much more powerful than Kamek, especially now that he had his FuryZAP 9000. No, if Kamek wanted to take Fawful down, he'd have to be much more clever.
Too bad for Kamek, Fawful could be just as clever.
Kamek sighed, looking around. "It's a nice place you've made for yourself, here. Very smart. No one would think to look for a fugitive inside the castle walls," he grinned, "Except for me, of course. But then, you really can't expect to keep yourself hidden from me for too long."
Fawful slipped himself off of the counter, standing behind it. He glanced under the counter while Kamek was looking away. Where was it… ah, there!
Kamek looked back at Fawful just as Fawful was pulling his hand away from the counter again.
"It's been so long since I saw you last! When was it, that time in Moleville? Oh well," Fawful knew that Kamek was stalling. He wondered what he was stalling for. "You've lost weight. Royal dinner scraps not cutting it?" Kamek chuckled, leaned forward, and pat Fawful on the head, eliciting a growl from the little Bean. "Haven't gotten any taller, though. Poor kid."
Fawful slapped Kamek's hands away, then pushed Kamek out of his seat. "I will appreciate you to acknowledge that I have in facting grown one inch! And if you are having no other things to say except for talk of smallness, then I will tell you to leave before I am to begin blasting you to pieces!"
Kamek stood up, brushing himself off. He huffed. "Well, if you're going to be that way, then fine. I'll just be on my way."
The Magikoopa walked to the pipe opening on the other side of the room. He paused and looked back at Fawful, clutching his crystal ball tightly. "Just remember my warning. Terrible misfortune."
"Make haste in your departure!" Fawful cried.
Kamek sighed and shrugged, and then left.
As he walked through the castle basement, Kamek clutched between his thumb and index finger the thing he had come all this way for.
A single strand of hair. He couldn't believe Fawful hadn't noticed him plucking it out. Unobservant little kid.
He chuckled to himself as he looked at it. Terrible misfortune, indeed!
Back in Fawful's shop, the little bean was toying with a small machine, grinning madly.He twisted various knobs, listening intently to the static it gave him, until finally the static was replaced by a light beeping, and numbers began to appear on a small screen.
Distance. Velocity. Coordinates.
Fawful couldn't believe Kamek hadn't noticed him placing a tiny tracking device on his robes. Senile old man.
He giggled to himself and ran to his bedroom to prepare. He wasn't going to let Kamek continue his scheming unhindered! "Terrible misfortune"… hah!