I have finals next week, then college semester is over until January. Yippee! I probably won't pass the math one, but at least the stress will be put on hold until next time. I hope you all like this chapter. I thought I'd update to celebrate the upcoming Holiday break. Has anyone played the new paper Mario yet by the way? That's one thing that I want for Christmas. :3
He hates me. Peach sat on the sofa in the lobby, right next to a large window, staring blankly outside as rain began to dot the glass. Why?
She had just experienced a side of Mario she had never seen before. He had looked at her with fear in his eyes, as if she was some sort of monster.
"Why is he behaving like this?" She asked herself, her voice the only sound in the otherwise empty room. Peach felt more tears slip down her face, and wiped them on the back of her gloved hand. Everything had been so perfect, and then this had happened.
"Peach?" Daisy stepped into the room gingerly, blue eyes wide in concern.
Peach did not turn her head to regard her friend, instead she stared out the dark window, as more droplets of water beaded the glass, "Please, leave me be Daisy."
"I'm not going anywhere." Daisy defiantly strode across the room and sat down by Peach, "Don't worry, we're going to get through this together. Once Mario is back to his average-."
"What makes you think that things are going to get better?" Peach asked suddenly, wearily, her eyes staring dully into Daisy's, "Mario hates me. He hates me."
"He can't hate you." Daisy blurted, "You haven't done anything wrong!"
"Why does he act this way then?"
"He got attacked by something, something terrible." Daisy explained, "So he's just in a bad place right now. Just give him some time."
Peach relaxed a bit in her seat, head bowed slightly, feeling tired. So much was happening...maybe she just had to give it some time, like Daisy suggested. Mario was strong, he would be his old self in no time at all."
"Hold on Peach." Daisy wrapped an arm around the girl, and Peach leaned into her with a small sigh.
"I'm trying Daisy." Peach replied softly.
00Oo00oo00oo00
"Mario, talk to me." Luigi pleaded for the tenth time, staring down at Mario with wide eyes. His brother refused to look at him, choosing instead to stare out the window with an expressionless gaze.
The doctor stepped up behind Luigi, "Try and give him his space. He just needs some rest. Once his head clears, he'll be fine."
Luigi had been on his way to find the beast that had attacked his brother, but had been stopped by a toad nurse just as he had been on his way out the sliding exit doors, "Please sir, stay inside. There's quite a storm brewing up." It seemed that while all this drama had been going on inside, outside a storm had been fixing to add to the scene. Lighting was now lighting up the windows, the glass shining with a green-yellow sheen as bolts lit up the sky.
"Why is this happening?" Luigi asked the doctor, "Why is he acting this way towards the Princess?"
"She was there with him, perhaps she was the last thing he saw before he was attacked." The toad suggested, "In this wrong place of mind, she may be the thing he groups with the fear and pain he felt."
Luigi looked away, back to his brother, who seemed to be stubbornly looking away from him, "Mario, please, tell me what happened. Why are you like this? What attacked you and Peach?"
Mario did not answer, keeping his eyes on the darkness outside the window. Luigi sighed and stepped back, away from the bed.
"I promise you, Luigi, that I will try my best to help your brother." The doctor told the solemn man, "I know a therapist who is great with victims of brutal attacks like the one your brother suffered. I'm sure she could help him."
"Thank you doc, I-"
Suddenly a toad nurse ran in, cap sitting haphazardly on messy brown hair, eyes wide, breathing hard "Doctor! T-There's been a breach, downstairs!"
"What?" The doctor stared at her, "Have the authorities been alerted to this?"
"We set off the silent alarm..but sir, it's nothing they'll be able to handle." The toad woman's face was red as she gasped for breath, "I-It's the koopa troop!"
"Of course." Luigi said darkly, eyes narrowing, "They know that Mario is weak, so they are going to attack while he's down."
The toad doctor looked at the man, "Luigi, can you handle them on your own?"
Luigi nodded, "I haven't taken them on by myself in a long time, but I think it's time for them to be reminded, that there is another brother. I'm no pushover!" Luigi prepared to dash past the nurse and out of the room, but halted and turned to look at the doctor, "Take care of him!"
"I won't let them step into the room." The doctor said firmly.
00Oo00oo00oo00
Peach and Daisy had started talking after a few minutes, Daisy trying her best to take the girl's mind off of Mario. After awhile however, the two were disrupted by a nurse running into the room, "I have to ask that you two follow me, we have an emergency."
Peach stood up quickly, eyes wide in horror, "What's wrong?"
"We're under attack! Follow me." The nurse ordered.
"Attack?" Daisy followed Peach who was walking after the toad, "Great timing, of course."
Peach walked quickly to catch up with the nurse, "Miss? What is wrong exactly? Is it the storm?"
The toad looked at her and her eyes betrayed her terror, "It's the koopa troop Princess, they've come in our hero's time of weakness."
Daisy ran up next to them, "You're joking? What nerve!"
"Where can we go?" Peach's voice quivered, unable to calm herself, "He's probably got the roof covered as well as the ground floors."
"Yes, we planned on taking people out by helicopter, but it turns out that they have entered from the top and bottom floors." The toad walked quickly, the girls easily keeping up with the toad's small legs, "Doctor Esha wants us to take everyone to the major supply room, it's the safest place in the hospital besides the basement."
Peach stopped suddenly, "Wait!" Her eyes widened in realization, "He's going after Mario! Oh, Daisy! We have to warn them."
"Please, follow me!" The toad nurse cried, "Everyone else already knows! We have to keep moving."
Daisy grabbed firmly onto Peach's hand as they walked, "Peach, the stars are watching out for us. They won't let anything happen to Mario."
The hallway was quiet, far too quiet. They seemed to be the only ones in the hallway, "Is everyone else already gone?" Peach asked.
"Yes your majesty." The nurse replied, "We are the last ones. Everyone else is waiting for us to arrive."
The three girls turned a corner in a crossroads in the hall and immediately froze as the door leading to the emergency exit stairway, came open. A koopa wearing black armor stepped into the hallway. He saw them before they could backtrack and began running forward letting out a yell. More koopas came in fast behind him responding to his call.
"Run!" The toad nurse shrieked, and they followed her as she turned to dash down another corridor.
The girl's kicked off their heels as they ran, trying to ignore the stabs of pain as their bare feet hit hard tile. They were fast, but the troopers were faster. They could hear claws on stone as their pursuers raced ever closer.
Daisy knew that eventually they would be caught and as they ran past a nurse's station, she sweeped papers and items off the desk as she ran by. She hard a glass vase shatter behind her and a koopa's cry of surprise.
Soon they were making a sharp left turn, down yet another hall. The poor toad nurse was gasping for breath, her little face red as they ran. They didn't know how much longer she would hold out. Daisy was fine, being athletically well, and Peach oddly, felt as if she could run forever. Another odd burst of energy used well.
"There's an elevator up ahead!" The toad girl said as they ran.
"Too risky, there's not enough time." Daisy yelled.
The three made another turn and stopped completely, Daisy tensing. In front of them was yet another group of koopas, with a smirking Wendy O. Koopa standing at their center. They had come to the end of their escapade.
00oo00oo00oo00
Luigi immediately met some with some action after only running halfway down a flight of steps . He summoned green fire to dance on his fingertips and blasted some koopas with a few well aimed fire balls. Once they were lying burnt and out cold on the steps, he leaped over them and started down once more.
This should have been something expected. Luigi should have realized Bowser would get word of Mario's condition and attack while he was down. If only the media had stayed out of their business, than everyone would be out of danger.
Someone is going to be hit with a lawsuit after this. They better not give me any damn 'freedom of press'!
It didn't take long for the man to be on the last steps on the main floor, where the koopa king's forced would probably be gathered. He burst through the door without giving them a moment's warning, immediately knocking aside koopa troops left and right, along with a few goombas.
Luigi was skilled with his jumping ability and his fire power, however he was largely outnumbered. He winced as a koopa shell knocked him into a sharp corner of the wall. The man was being constantly assaulted from all sides.
He gritted his teeth as he pushed back more enemy forces. Something had to give! This was getting ridiculous. How the heck does Mario manage this by himself?
Suddenly he found that he was no longer being attacked, he moved his arms away from his face, wincing as he felt new bruises forming. He found that the troop were spread out now, and that a larger koopa was stepping forward, the floor trembling as he came closer.
"Well, if it isn't the green wonder." Bowser guffawed as he stepped forward, fangs glinting under the room's clean white light, "All alone."
Luigi bristled as he stepped forward, straightening the cap on his head. He looked more deeply at his surroundings, his heart sinking a bit in his chest when he noticed that more enemies had piled in. There had to be hundreds of them!
"You're outnumbered shrimp." Bowser smiled with his teeth, "If you give up, I might let you live long enough to watch your brother die."
Luigi snarled, a burst of anger fueling his power. He leaped forward, summoning long bursts of emerald green fire. He took a number of koopas and goombas by surprise, many sent flying into the air with cries of pain.
Once a path was cleared, the man made a mad run straight for the koopa king. He leaped straight up into the air, and landed on his fiery mane, boots planted firm between his horns. Luigi did a back flip off the koopa as Bowser let out howl of pain. He landed a few feet away, fists held up at the ready.
Bowser let out a roar and thundered forward, the floor shaking hard under his weight, a few koopas knocked onto their shells as he raced forward. Luigi kept his balance as the monster came closer, and at the last moment-leaped overhead, and landed behind Bowser.
Luigi landed right next to a spiky tail and couldn't help it as his mouth upturned into a small smile. Good thing I always stay awake when Mario tells stories. He grabs onto Bowser's tail, hoping that this was the right place to grab, and with a grunt-began to twist to the side.
Bowser landed hard on his face as he began to be spun faster and faster. He felt an intense rage at this old move of Mario's being used against him, yet again.
Luigi let out a cry as he released the tail, the koopa flying hard into a far wall, the man himself falling against a wall for support, feeling dizzy.
The large koopa shattered the wall the moment he made impact, large chunks of rubble falling to the ground with him as he landed.
"GAH!" Bowser roared angrily, getting to his feet clumsily, shaking plaster out of his mane. He turned to glare at Luigi who was standing tall once more, glaring back at the koopa king fiercely, "T-this is far from over greenie!"
"I'm no pushover Bowser." Luigi said calmly, catching his breath once more, "You should leave."
Bowser was no longer looking at him, and Luigi was puzzled to see that he had a grin on his face, "Maybe I will."
Luigi looked to where Bowser was looking and was just in time to see two girls being dragged into the room from the elevator.
Daisy was kicking in all directions furiously, being held up by a large koopa, others assisting him. Peach just stood still, her eyes full of sorrow.
"Luigi!" Daisy yelled when she saw him.
Luigi was too busy staring at her in horror, to notice Bowser as he started running for him. The man cried out as he was slammed into the wall. He slid off of the wall, to the ground, his body trembling in pain. Luigi tried to look back up at Daisy, but couldn't lift his head. Soon he felt himself slip away into darkness.
00Oo00oo00oo00
The doctor hadn't moved from the room, even as countless nurses had begged him to come to the safe room they had set up in the supply room. He promised Luigi that he would watch over his brother and that was what he was going to do. In this condition, he didn't want to risk moving him.
The toad pulled up a chair and sat down at the man's bed side. He listened as the rain pounded the building, the room shining with an eerie yellow light as lighting bolts rippled down from dark clouds. He had thought about closing the blinds, but he didn't want to disturb Mario, who seemed entranced by the storm outside, refusing to look away from the window.
"It's quite a storm, isn't it?" The doctor said, staring at their reflection on the window, cast by the rich gold glow of the candlelight. He had lit a candle in hopes that it would bring comfort. He had always enjoyed candle right, finding the light more comforting that the cold white hospital light. He had even turned the light off in the room, so there was only this rich golden light.
"What happened to you tonight?" He asked suddenly, "Why is it that you're so quiet? Why did you act that way towards the princess? She looked so upset."
The man did not respond, and the doctor was not surprised. He had not said a word to anyone since his dark reunion with Peach. The toad did not know what was going on in the man's head, but he hoped it wasn't a lasting thing. He had saw the pain in that girl's eyes. She would never be the same for it.
Thunder boomed outside and the doctor seriously considered closing the window blinds. Perhaps he was going about this whole thing the wrong way. Maybe he had to force the man's attentions to get to the problem. He stood up, "I think I should-."
"Where is this?" He turned suddenly, startled by the sudden voice. Mario! He had...spoken.
"This, is the hospital." The toad replied, staring at the man in disbelief. His eyes seemed less cloudy and more concentrated. Was he experiencing some sort of amnesia with his traumatic experience? Maybe his psyche thought it was best he forgot the whole thing. The doctor didn't know, but was pleased nonetheless that his patient was finally talking.
"It was terrible." Mario said quietly, and the doctor had to move closer to hear.
"What was?"
"Those eyes. They were so dark, like the sky outside." Mario's gaze turned back to the window, "I don't remember anything else, but those eyes."
"You were attacked, probably by some sort of monster." The doctor informed him, "Can you remember anything else?"
"No." He leaned back into his pillow, stress lining his features, "Only those eyes."
He felt sick. He knew it wasn't the pain. It was those eyes. He had seen them before, they were unfamiliar but familiar at the same time. He just couldn't recall the familiarity of them. They had been as dark as the blackest night, but there had been something else...why couldn't he remember what it was?
"Do you feel able to move?" The doctor said suddenly, "We should be heading to the safe room now. I wasn't sure at first, but now that you seem mentally better than you were, we should be fine."
"Safe room? Is the storm getting worse?" Mario asked.
The doctor hesitated then nodded, "Yes." He wouldn't tell him what was really going on. Mario would only get himself in worst condition. He had lost so much blood, he certainty didn't need to be tossing himself into battle so soon.
"Alright." Mario winced as he attempted to step out of bed, his side feeling tight. He placed a hand under his shirt and felt the stitches there.
Whatever had done this to him, and endangered Peach...he would find it. Once he was able to move properly again, he would have to make sure it didn't attack anyone else again. Even if he had to kill whatever it was, something that dangerous could not be allowed to live.
I haven't wrote a chapter in awhile, so I'm not sure if I like this or not. Just let me know in a review how it was. I appreciate all feedback I get. If there are any spelling errors, it's because of the writing program I'm using.
:) I hope you all have a wonderful holiday! I know I can't wait to start making some Christmas cookies! 3
