A/N: Guess what?! I posted chapter four! And way earlier than expected, too! The only drawback is that you may have to wait a while for chapter five. I've started on it, and I hope it turns out well. (I'm kind of excited, because at least part of the chapter is going to be from Luigi's perspective!) But, it still has a long way to go... Why do my plot bunnies show up, give me some good ideas to start with, and then leave me to die partway through? Does that happen to anyone else? Anyway, special thanks to everyone who reviewed. Reviews make me so happy! (I also appreciate those who followed and/or favorited. ;) )

For the third time, Daisy made her way up the pathway to the mansion. She hoped she would be lucky enough to find him quickly, as she did on her last venture into the old place. Although, she worried about the state he would be in after she had botched things so badly last time. Was he still in denial? Was he afraid of her? Did he hate her? She sighed. Tact was never her strong suit. She could only hope that Luigi wasn't too hysterical today and that she would be able to reach him without triggering another nervous breakdown.

On a whim, she decided to try the door directly opposite of the entrance and was surprised to find it unlocked. She stepped through the door into a long hallway. "Hey, Mr. Martelli?" she called gently, "Luigi? A-are you there? It's me again. I'm sorry about last week…"

"Looking for Mr. Mopey?" A stranger's voice answered her.

Daisy gasped and whipped her head around just in time to see the ghost of a young man appear before her. He was tall and very slim with long limbs and large hands clutching a cue stick. His hair was a strange violet hue with a cowlick in front. He was a little strange-looking, but not altogether unattractive. Although, the blood stains on his gray diamond-patterned vest were a bit unsettling. He flashed her a smile. "Sorry to startle you. The name's Timothy Banks. Everyone calls me Slim, though." He shifted his cue stick to his left hand and held out his right for her to shake, though Daisy made no move to accept it.

Daisy managed to collect herself but remained wary. "Oh. It's you. The pool shark guy."

Slim looked offended and withdrew his hand. "Pool Shark!" he exclaimed, "Are you suggesting that I'm a hustler? I always shoot straight!"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry. That's just what I've heard about you."

"Humph! Mean-spirited gossips! Anyway, if you're looking for Mustache Guy, you'll find him on the roof."

"The roof? How do you know? What's he doing up there?"

Slim rolled his eyes. "Moping, of course. Eh, it's not uncommon. Guy meets an unpleasant end, fails to cross over, and carries on without realizing he's dead. Heck, even I didn't realize I was dead at first. I wandered around following my brother and wondered why he was so upset. I thought he was angry at me and just refusing to talk to me but…" his voice grew quiet and more subdued. "Well, he just couldn't see me, see? Pretty soon, they held my funeral in the mansion and of course everything made sense. I guess I was lucky. Attending your own funeral can actually help you feel closure, even if it is damned depressing. I don't think Mustache Guy ever had the chance to attend his funeral."

Slim's voice perked up again. "Anyway. Sooner or later, they finally figure out that they're dead. If they're smart, they get over it and find a hobby. Like me or that Neville guy. But knowing ol' Greenie up there, he'll probably end up just wandering the mansion like he always does, crying for his brother in that whiny voice of his."

"You know, you could show a little more compassion. The man's in pain."

"He's in pain?!" the ghost responded, "We're all in pain here, missy! Do you think I wanted to be shot down in the prime of life by a crazy drunk who couldn't take a joke? Anyway, I don't see why you're so interested in him. Why don't you forget the Mustache Guy and come shoot some billiards with me? I'm not very good, so you'll probably win."

Daisy smirked, "Thanks, but no thanks. I have business with "Mustache Guy," as you call him."

Slim sighed. "Alright. I'll be in the Billiard room just down the hall and to your left if you change your mind." He floated down the hall away from her. Daisy shook her head to herself and retreated into the foyer, marveling at the realization that casual conversation with a ghost now passed for normality. Maybe Luigi would hear her calling if she went outside. She didn't really fancy exploring the mansion to find a way to the roof.

When she stepped outside, she looked up but couldn't see him. Perhaps he was on the other side of the roof? "Luigi?" she called, hoping with all her might that she would get his attention without alerting any unfriendly ghosts.

As she continued to look up, she thought she heard a scuffling sound. Although he was harder to see in the late evening light, she made out Luigi's apprehensive face peeking down at her from behind one of the mansion's many gables. "H-hey there," she called gently. I just wanted to talk to you and apologize about last week. Please. Will you come down?"

Luigi considered her for a moment before sighing and slowly floating down to face her, looking extremely self-conscious. "I, uh, went to Brooklyn yesterday," she began awkwardly, "I visited your grave."

Luigi glanced at her nervously, not sure exactly how to respond to that. "Um...thanks."

"I didn't think to bring flowers, though. How could I not think of that? Next time I'll bring flowers!" she babbled.

"I'd like that."

"So, um, how are you?" She inquired hesitantly.

Luigi stared at the ground. "I just d-died. How do you think I am?" he said hollowly.

"Um, yeah…" she answered, "Luigi, honey, you've been dead for forty-one years."

He looked back up at her as his eyes widened in shock. "Forty-one... You mean I'm sixty-eight years old?"

"Yeah…I guess you could say that."

He closed his eyes miserably. "Mama mia," he muttered.

"I'm sorry about last week," she continued, "I was only trying to help."

He shook his head. "No," he said sadly, "I'm sorry. For not believing you last week. And for snapping at you just now. You've been nothing but kind." He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Please. Don't trouble yourself with me. It really isn't safe here, and you're just a kid. Go away and forget about me. You don't need to come back anymore." He turned and started to float back up to the roof.

"Hey!" Daisy called, "Wait a minute there, Casper!"

He stopped midway to the roof. "Casper?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh," said Daisy, "I guess you wouldn't get that reference."

He turned to her and rolled his eyes. "I know who Casper is."

"How?" asked a surprised Daisy, "That movie is like, from the 90's."

"They made a movie of Casper?" Luigi said with some surprise.

"Well, yeah. Sometime in the 1990's. And then they made a cartoon later."

Luigi shook his head. "No, no. Casper is much older than that. He was around when I was a kid. In comic books and creepy cartoons. Mario and I saw some at the movies when we were little." He shuddered. "Gave me nightmares."

"Okay. Well, that's not important right now," Daisy put her hands on her hips. "And I'm not a kid! I'm eighteen. I'm in college, for crying out loud!"

Luigi smirked a little at that and Daisy realized it was the closest thing to a smile she had ever seen on him. "Hmmm… Eighteen you say? I could've sworn you were sixteen."

It was Daisy's turn to roll her eyes. "Yeah I get that a lot. I know I look younger than I am, but I'm still an adult."

Luigi gave her a real smile at that, albeit a small one. It made him look younger, almost boyish. "Whatever you say."

Although still somewhat annoyed, Daisy couldn't help but give him a little smile back. "Well, would you look at that..."

"Huh?"

"You have a smile. A very nice one, too."

He quickly looked away as his cheeks turned a dark shade of blue.

Daisy giggled. "You're blushing!" she teased.

"Am not! G-ghosts can't blush."

Daisy beamed. "Okay, so you're doing the ghostly equivalent thereof. Anyway, I'm not leaving yet. Not until I've helped you."

He regarded her with a mixture of sadness and confusion. "W-why? Why should you help me? You don't know me. I was d-dead two decades before you were even born! Again, you're very kind to worry about me, Miss, but I'm not worth it. Go on and live your life."

"What do you mean you're not worth it?" Daisy exclaimed in surprise. She tried for an encouraging smile. "You're the nicest ghost I've ever met! Okay, so that's not saying much, but still, you seem like a great guy. Besides, you saved my life! Twice! So, I owe you."

He shook his head as his cheeks darkened again. "No, no. You don't owe me anything- "

"Shhh! Interrupted Daisy. I won't take no for an answer."

Luigi sighed. "Look, Miss…"

"Daisy!" She chimed in cheerfully.

"D-Daisy… I appreciate your concern, but I'm not sure you can help me. I-I don't think anyone can." He swallowed. "T-this is the afterlife I was given. I'll have to learn to cope with it."

"But why? You're clearly miserable. Don't you want to see your family again? Your brother? I'm sure they miss you! Or, wait. Is your brother here, too?"

Luigi flinched and squeezed his eyes shut at the mention of his brother. "I-I don't know... I-I don't think so..."

"Well then," said Daisy confidently, "Make with the crossing over, already!"

"I don't know how," he flatly responded.

"Huh? You don't see some mystical light or anything?"

He sighed with some exasperation as he pinched the bridge of his prominent nose. "No…"

Daisy thought for a moment. "Well then, we'll just have to find out what's keeping you here. Are there any ghosts here, preferably non-murderous ones, who would know how?"

Luigi put his hand on the back of his neck and refused to look at her. Something about this conversation was making him supremely uncomfortable. "I-I suppose… there might be someone." He glanced at Daisy. "If I promise to ask her about it, will you promise to leave?"

Daisy pouted a little. "Hey, you're not getting rid of me that easily! Take me with you, and we'll talk to this person together."

Luigi shook his head. "I'm not letting you go back into that mansion! I'd never forgive myself if you were hurt."

Daisy smiled. "I'll be alright! Somehow, with you close by I don't feel so scared. Besides, with my flashlight and your vacuum, we'll be unstoppable!"

Luigi glanced nervously between Daisy and the mansion. "I-I guess you can come with me. It's not yet dark… the really bad ghosts don't come out as much before dark. But we'll have to hurry. The sun's beginning to go down. A-and I'll only let you come o-on one condition!"

"Which is...?"

He looked at her seriously. Stay close and do exactly as I say. Meaning, if I say run, you run. If I tell you to leave and go home, you leave and go home.

Daisy smiled and held out her hand. "Deal!"

Luigi hesitantly took her hand and shook it, only to make Daisy shudder at his icy touch. "S-sorry…" he mumbled.

Daisy smiled, "No big deal! Let's go!" With that, she briskly made her way to the door.

Luigi quickly floated after her. "W-wait for me! You don't the way!"

The unusual duo made their way through the mansion foyer and through the door opposite the entrance. They emerged into the hallway where Daisy had just met Slim minutes before. On that note, Daisy thought she could hear the clink of billiard balls coming from down the hall straight ahead, but perhaps it was just her imagination. Luigi motioned for her to follow him. "Thankfully, it's not very far. Otherwise, I would never have let you come in here." Luigi said quietly. He turned to their right and made his way down the hall, pausing at the first door on the right. "O-okay. Here goes." He opened the door and led the way into the room beyond.

Immediately, Daisy was hit with the strong smell of incense. She coughed a little in surprise. In the center of the wood paneled room stood a small table with a crystal ball and stand resting on top of it. Over the crystal ball hung a canopy of deep blue velvet curtains. Ornately patterned blue rugs covered the wooden floor. A large, wooden chair resembling a medieval throne sat in front of the table. A snoring sound emanated from the chair.

"Madame Clairvoya?" Luigi called softly. "Are you there? Sorry to bother you, but I need to ask you something." Daisy heard snorting and yawning before the figure of a skinny elderly woman appeared. She turned her head from side to side, looking blearily for the source of the voice calling her. Daisy followed Luigi as he moved around the table to face Madame Clairvoya. She wore deep red robes, gaudy jewelry, and a veil over her nose and mouth imprinted with the unsettling image of an eye.

"L-Luigi?" she asked with surprise, "I sense you are no longer among the living!"

"Um…yeah," he answered awkwardly. He glanced at Daisy. "Apparently, I haven't been for forty-one years."

The fortune teller blinked. "Have I really been asleep for that long?" she cried incredulously. She quickly collected herself and continued in a deep, dramatic voice. "Er, that is… a trance! Have I really been in trance for forty-one years? Why did you not come to see me, kind Luigi?"

"Well, I didn't realize the truth until recently..."

It was hard to see her expression underneath her veil, but she seemed to give Luigi a sympathetic look. "Aye, 'tis not as far-fetched as you think. Ghosts don't experience time in the same way as mortals. We get caught up in our despair, or our own thoughts, and don't always realize that the past hour has really been a decade or more. What brought you back to the present?"

He gestured to Daisy. "This girl, she helped me realize… what was really going on."

Madame Clairvoya turned to Daisy and beamed. "Ah! Such lovely young lady!" she declared dramatically. "And one who possesses the Sight, no less!"

"Um, excuse me? What do you mean, the Sight!" Daisy asked, imitating Clairvoya's deep alto voice on the last two words.

Madame Clairvoya smiled, seemingly ignoring Daisy's sass. "I simply mean you have the ability to see ghosts. Not all living mortals can, you know. It is possible to develop and improve your Sight to a degree, but at the end of the day, some have it and others do not. You surely have it. Although, your Sight is not as clear as some. A ghost could certainly hide from you if it wished. However, you were bound to notice something in such a spiritually active place as this! Now consider Luigi on the other hand. In life, he possessed some of the clearest Sight I had ever perceived! And he never even worked to improve it. He didn't need to! He was simply born with incredible Sight!"

Daisy glanced between Clairvoya and Luigi. "Wait. Are you saying Luigi had psychic abilities?"

"Well, not exactly," clarified the fortune teller. "Possessing the Sight is crucial for one who practices the psychic arts, but not everyone with the Sight possesses other psychic abilities. He was just very sensitive to the presence of earthbound spirits. It was more like he possessed…"

"A sixth sense?" Daisy finished for her. She spun around to look at Luigi. "Whoa! You had the sixth sense?"

Luigi, who had remained silent and nervous during the conversation simply looked at her with bewilderment. Apparently, he really didn't know that reference.

The fortune teller smiled. "That's a good way of putting it. Most spirits don't bother the living." Her expression turned sympathetic. "But it can be distressing for the mortal who sees them. Especially if that mortal is a young boy who sees things no one else around him can." She looked pointedly at Luigi. "A boy who is constantly told that he is imagining things, or else making them up."

Luigi shifted uncomfortably and stared at the ground, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"In any case," Madame Clairvoya continued, "Why did you come to see me?" She smiled kindly at Luigi. "Not that I don't enjoy speaking with you, my boy."

"W-well," he began nervously, "Do you happen to know why I'm still here?"

"You mean why did you not cross over? "Hmmm… There could be several reasons… I hesitate to ask, but do you remember your passing?"

Luigi opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped abruptly, blinking rapidly. "I-I don't, he said with surprise, "I mean, I remember pain. A-and I couldn't breathe. And…" His eyes widened as his hand moved up to touch his neck. "I… No, I couldn't have…"

Daisy cleared her throat hesitantly. "Um, maybe it's not my place to say this, but, his body was found hanging by his neck. Here in the mansion." She said quietly and sadly.

"B-but I…" he began, "I-I don't think I would have committed suicide… But I don't remember…"

Daisy attempted to place a hand on his shoulder, only to have it pass right through. "Um… You were pretty distraught looking for your brother, right? You may have not been in your right mind…"

Luigi turned away from her, hugging himself miserably. His eyes gazed forward with a broken expression, lost in thought. The three figures were silent for a moment.

"You know," Daisy broke the silence gently, "Yoshi never believed it was suicide. He always thought you were murdered." Luigi snapped out of his thoughts and gazed at her with some surprise. "I-I mean," Daisy continued, "I guess that's not really much better... But it's a little better, right?" She cringed at how stupid she must sound, but Luigi gave her a weak smile.

"Y-you know Yoshi?" He asked.

"A-a little," she answered, "I met him yesterday at the Brooklyn library."

"Still at the library, huh?" He said softly, seemingly comforted that some things hadn't changed. His mouth formed a worried frown. "He'd be pretty old now, wouldn't he? In his early seventies... Is he alright?"

"Oh yeah!" Daisy answered quickly and cheerfully, wanting to reassure him. "I mean, he was pretty old, but he looked good! Healthy, I mean."

Luigi's gentle smile returned. "He always did have lotsa energy. Wow, it seems like I only saw him last week..." he trailed off wistfully

The silence returned before Madame Clairvoya broke it with a cough. "Returning to the matter at hand, despair can drive a person to actions they would normally never consider," she said sadly, "But what matters here is that you were a young man killed before his time. Whether by yourself or someone else remains unclear. Your end was violent and unexpected. Some souls fail to cross over from the trauma of such an experience. They lack closure and stay behind either purposefully, or because they simply haven't realized their end has already come. At any rate, once you remain tied to the mortal plane, it can be difficult to find your way to the other side."

"So, is there anything he can do?" asked Daisy.

The spectral psychic thought for a moment. "Hard to say. I will say that many earthbound spirits are preventing themselves from moving on. They may lack closure, or feel they have unfinished business. Luigi!" Luigi started and looked up at her. "I do not know everything that is at work here, but have you considered the possibility that one of the obstacles in your way is you? You cannot cross over if you are preventing yourself from doing so." Luigi trembled a little. Madame Clairvoya smiled kindly. "You know what I mean. And now, I must sleep. Communing with the spirts has left me tired. Farewell, kind Luigi. Farewell, fair maiden." And with that, Madame Clairvoya slowly faded away.

Luigi sighed. "Communing with spirits? I'm the only spirit she's been talking to." He gestured to the door and Daisy followed him out of the fortune teller's room.

The two emerged from the mansion into the fading dusk outside. "Well." Daisy broke the awkward silence. "She was… Well, she wasn't really all that helpful, was she?" she stated.

Luigi moaned and plopped down on the porch. "She never was! But she was the closest thing I had to a friend in this mansion. Well, except for maybe the Professore…"

"Professore?" Daisy asked quickly, "Are you talking about that paranormal investigator? Gadd, or whatever?"

Luigi looked up in surprise. "Professore E. Gadd, yeah. You've heard of him?"

"I saw a newspaper article about him coming to investigate the mansion. He gave you that vacuum thingy, didn't he?"

"Si. Wait, when was that? '77?"

"Um, no, actually. The article was dated 2001."

Luigi's eyes widened. "You mean I was already dead?!" he cried with some indignation, "Why didn't he say anything?!" His voice dropped to a mutter. "Well I guess that explains why he kept looking at me and saying 'fascinating.'"

Daisy managed to stifle a laugh, though she couldn't help but smile. "Well," she said, "That fortune teller did give us one clue, at least. She said you might be keeping yourself here." Luigi fidgeted nervously. "Any idea what she meant?"

Luigi looked pointedly away. "I-I dunno… She likes speaking in riddles."

"But she said you knew what she meant, so…"

Luigi sighed. "Don't worry about it Daisy. It's not important."

"So, you do know!" Daisy declared cheerfully. "So, what's troubling you? Are you scared of the unknown?"

"I'm scared of everything," he deadpanned.

"Well, is there anything else then? Any unfinished business? Well, I guess that's a dumb question. You had your whole life ahead of you. Um… was there a girl involved? Someone you never got to say goodbye to?"

He screwed his eyes shut. "Please drop it Daisy," he pleaded.

"Is it something psychological? Something from your childhood?"

"Daisy! Please!" he said desperately.

Daisy pouted with mild frustration. "Well, I can't help you if you don't open up!"

"Help me?" he snapped, "I told you, you can't help me. No one can!" He blinked rapidly as his eyes filled with tears. "And even if you could, I don't deserve your kindness or pity. I'm supposed to be here. T-this…" He swallowed hard. "This is my purgatory."

Daisy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Huh?"

The ghostly tears continued to fall rapidly. "It's all my fault!" Luigi sobbed. "I'm the one who insisted we investigate the mansion. We both knew it was probably a sham. But I used it as an excuse to get out of the city for a while. We hadn't taken a vacation in years, not since he came home from Vietnam, and Mario always works... worked so hard. He was always so full of energy, but I could tell how worn down he really was. I thought we could take a few days off and go Upstate. And when Mario disappeared… I-I failed him. I couldn't save my own brother!" Daisy took a step back in surprise as the ghost continued to fall apart, blubbering out his pained confession.

"H-he was always there for me. Whenever I got lost, he would find me. When bullies troubled me as a child, he would fight for me. Whenever m-my f-father criticized me, or h-hit me, he would stand up for me. And.." his voice broke, "H-he was there for me w-when our m-mama died." He gasped and sobbed. "You see, Daisy, I d-deserve to be here. I-It's my fault Mario's dead. For once, it was my turn to help him, and I l-let him die!" He wailed and curled in on himself, shoulders shaking violently.

Rather than feel disheartened by his emotional display, Daisy sat down next to him and beamed. "Well, now we're getting somewhere!" she said gently but cheerfully.

Luigi abruptly stood up with a growl of irritation. "Don't you get it?" he snapped again, "This is my punishment! Hell is too good for me! Now, please! Just leave me alone!" And with that, he turned and rushed straight through the mansion wall, leaving a stunned Daisy behind.

"Luigi, wait!" she cried, "I-I'm sorry, I just-" she sighed. "Nice going, Daisy," she muttered to herself. She looked back at the mansion. "I don't know if you can hear me Luigi, but I'm not going to give up on you! I will help you find peace if it's the last thing I do!" She sighed and gazed up at the twilit sky. She shuddered as the mansion gave off a chorus of otherworldly sounds. I can't stay here any longer, she thought. She glanced back at the mansion. "I'll be back, Luigi. That's a promise." And with that, she stood and made her way quickly back to the safety of her car.