Hello all! Here's the next revised chapter of Ghosts of Memories Past... good grief. I despised how I did my OC character back then- man, high school days were tough! But I like how this came out, so I hope you enjoy!
I owns nothing.
Chapter 8
Proper Introductions
"Step in this way, lads. Oh, but mind the equipment- I just got them fixed, you see."
The loony professor led Luigi and Wario through a maze of broken pieces, metal spare parts, and other odds and ends inside his rather spacious lab. Luigi looked around and whistled.
"Professor, did you move out here to build a bigger lab? Last time it was nothing but a shack!" Gadd paused to take that information in before he chuckled. Wario stared at the two, baffled. 'A bigger lab?! The hell would he need one for?! He needs a shrink! Dammit I'm stuck with nutcases...'
"Ah, Luigi m'boy! Of course I built the thing! I needed more space for my collection." Wario perked up quick and almost ran the tiny old man over, his hands rubbing together and a large grin spread across his face. Luigi almost had a mind to ask what was going on with him, but he realized Wario was making a fool of himself... and he began to laugh.
"NOW ya talkin' old man! What kind of treasure are we talkin' here?! Gold? Jewels? Hell, gimme what ya got!"
Gadd blinked but was still smiling as he fumbled for a key in his pocket. He unlocked a door and invited the two to step inside. Once they did, the lights came to life. Luigi was shocked.
The place certainly had an upgrade from the last time he was here! 'He must've used the money I gave him after that mansion nightmare. At least someone found a use for it... I can't be bothered to keep any momentos of that place...'
"Well lad, what do you think? Quite the upgrade, eh? I needed the extra space so the blasted ghosts would stop running into each other with all my hard research!" Gadd explained as he shuffled to a computer. As if on cue, a red Grabber ghost appeared and handed Gadd something before it spotted Luigi.
The green clad plumber remembered him all too well, and despite his best efforts, couldn't stop the shiver of fear from running down his spine. 'He still creeps me out... its okay, Luigi. Gadd has him now. Its just one... its just one...' he thought to himself.
Gadd must've noticed the uncomfortable silence from his good friend, and realizing why, he sent the ghost off on another errand. Wario was busy playing arm wrestling with one of the more heavier ghost servants, and was losing too, no less.
"GAH! The hell you feed these things, ya crazy coot?! That's cheat in' and you know it!" Wario snapped. The ghost stuck its tongue out in reply.
Luigi laughed. "I doubt he can feed them anything, Wario. Maybe he just got lucky?"
Wario eyed Luigi and flexed his muscles. "Lucky?! Against the mighty Wario?! Nonsense! That damn ghost is a cheat! A cheat, ya hear me?!" he yelled. Luigi rolled his eyes.
"Okay, Wario. Whatever you say."
Wario chose to ignore that and instead looked at the empty frames hanging around the room. "Yo, ghost buster. Why the hell these empty? Ain't something' supposed to be in 'em?"
Gadd peeled his face from his computer screen long enough to examine the picture frames Wario mentioned before his face turned serious. "Yes... those did have my portrait ghost collection. I have yet to sort them out of that machine over there. At least, what's left of them." The way he spoke, Luigi had a feeling something bad had happened.
"Really? I caught those things years ago! Is the Ghost Portrificationizer broken or something?" Luigi asked, hoping he wouldn't have to see them again, especially two in particular...
Gadd sighed and then looked over at Wario. "Young man, what is your brother's name?"
"Waluigi. That damn king did something' to my brother! What the hell happened?!" Wario demanded. Gad motioned for the two to come over to his computer.
"Luigi. When you captured my portrait ghosts, and emptied them in the Portificationizer, the machine was supposed to turn them back into paintings. But as you can see..."
Gad turned around and pointed at each frame in turn. Luigi named them as he went.
"Okay, thats the married couple... Nerville and Lydia... that freaky kid of theirs Chauncy... the twins Henry and Orville- I hate playing hide and seek with those two... I see that strange dancing pair... Floating Whirlindas or something." Luigi paused.
"Professor, I captured 23 of them. Where are the others?" Gadd sighed again.
"That's the issue. When I sent you that notice, I did a little snooping around that castle like place I mentioned to you a few nights back. There was something unusual about it. As soon as I opened the door, I felt how evil it was. There was no way King Boo could've created this one on his own. I'm guessing that character- Kenta, I believe- must've had a hand in that. He must've taken the ghosts he felt he needed."
Gadd sighed. "I had only just started sifting through the piles. When I ran these portraits through, I noticed the rest were gone, except for two others I never properly fixed back. That's Mr. Luggs and Miss Petuina still stuck in the Portificationizer."
"So?! What did it have to do with me and Waluigi?" Wario asked angrily. Luigi nodded.
"He's right. I don't get what they have to do with it."
"I don't know either, lads. What I do know is this. Something your older brother did, Luigi... it spurred this castle to life. Wario, your actions as well. It seems like who ever took control over King boo knew something... personal about you and Mario. Something neither you nor Waluigi would have guessed. That was my theory, anyways."
Something clicked in Luigi's head. "Wait... I've heard that before. King Boo said something very strange and similar to me when he attacked us earlier."
Gadd almost flew out of his seat. "What?! That ghost attacked you!? When?! Why?!" he shrieked.
Wario took over. "Well, we don't know. This morning something took possession of Waluigi's plant and sent it after us. I'm fine, but it hurt him bad. When we were in the hospital, that same fucker attacked us again. He killed a bit of the people there too, and almost killed his brother and mine."
"I was watching over Waluigi when King Boo broke in... he did something to him." Luigi muttered as his arms wrapped about himself. Wario looked sideways at him.
"What did he do?!" he hissed. Luigi shook his head.
"A dark aura... something was glowing over Waluigi's head but before I could see what it was, it looked like he absorbed it or something. He quieted down after that."
Luigi suddenly sank to the ground, his body uncontrollably shaking. Gadd went to help him while Wario stood by, staring at whatever Gadd had on his computer screen.
"Are you okay, m'boy?"
"I-I knew that aura... I knew it..." Luigi whispered. Gadd grabbed his shoulders and forced Luigi to life his head.
"Who was it?!"
"Bogmire... King Boo freed him... and he's after both of us now..." he barely got out in a hushed whisper. Gadd looked at the frame that was supposed to house the dark ghost. Sure enough, it was empty.
"Bogmire? The hell is that?"
Gadd stood up. "Wario, you must get back to that hospital immediately. If what Luigi said is true, and Bogmire is under that evil tyrants's control... your brother's life will surely end."
Wario froze. "What? What is that thing?!"
Luigi, who had finally managed to stand, weakly explained. "Bogmire is a cemetery ghost I fought. He uses darkness as his element, so to speak. In that mansion, he created an area that was separate and I had to stop him by hitting him with his own shadows. But he's strong and he's slick. I should know..."
Gadd quickly went back to his computer to pull up whatever research he had on the fiend. "Here he is. Wario, come here a moment."
Wario went over to Gadd, leaving Luigi to sit in a spare chair he found. His body couldn't stop shaking and he shut his eyes tight. 'Why... out of all the ghosts I fought, why him? Mario, please... help me...'
Wario and Gadd read about Bogmire. "He was a strange ghost, but he was indeed powerful. It seems he was created from the fear and despair of the mansion, but because no one lived in there for some time, he had no one to fear or anything to despair. Until Luigi came along..."
The yellow- capped man nodded. "That runt's fear of ghosts must've spawned him to life. And the despair... must've came from thinking he wasn't gonna see that fat ass brother of his again. I get it." Wario said softly as he read.
"How did he stop that thing?"
"He used its own darkness against it. But he almost died because of it." Gadd then clamped his hand over his mouth; he wasn't supposed to say anything on that matter.
Wario glaced at Luigi, who was staring at Gadd like he was a ghost. Without warning, he bolted out of the lab. Gadd shook his head. "I really need to learn to shut my yapper sometimes. Poor boy..."
"He almost died... to save Mario..." Wario repeated the words in his head. It sounded crazy- everything he had seen and heard sounded crazy! But he could definitely relate to that- he'd die before letting Waluigi get hurt. Or worse.
"I wonder if he knows..."
"About what, son?"
"About that crazy ass brother almost dyin'. I don't think my 'friend' knows about it." Wario stated before looking around once more.
"Hey. Answer me something." Gadd turned to Wario.
"What does that fat ghost, his lackeys and whatever his name was want with me and Waluigi? Those two, I can see. But why me? Why Waluigi?"
Gadd fell quiet for a moment, adjusting his unusual glasses before he turned away. "My boy... let's just say that whoever lives inside that castle... knows you and your secrets better than you think. Recall what I said earlier? You did something you shouldn't have done, haven't you."
Wario's mouth fell open. He knew what Gadd meant, but... how could that be?!
"Wait, so it's attacking us because of... what I did? I was a child! Waluigi was barely a few months old! What choice did I have!?"
Gadd nodded; he didn't know Waluigi at all and barely knew Wario, but he had a gut feeling that he had to believe him. He wanted to believe him.
"I know, Wario. But that's exactly why you four are in extreme danger... Luigi and your brother worse of all. Apparently whoever has control of my portrait ghosts decided it was time to pay for your sins."
Luigi didn't know where he was going, nor did he care. He just needed to leave, to think, to do something, anything!
His chest felt tight as he ran, tears falling down his cheeks. He didn't want anyone to know about that. It wasn't like he was mad at Gadd- he was a little upset, but could he blame the old man? He was trying to save all of them, but...
'I couldn't even tell Mario the whole story, and now Wario knows! I still can't handle it... no matter how brave I pretend to be, I can't handle that pain from that night... I never could, not without Mario's help.'
Luigi finally stopped running and collapsed in a heap at the base of a large tree. He was lost, and it was late. Normally, he'd be terrified to be outside so late on his own. But this time, he couldn't care anymore. He slumped against the tree and stared up at the rustling leaves, the night sky slowly filling with thousands of stars.
"Why did you come back... what do you want with me now..." he muttered to himself. He pulled his sleeves down and hugged himself to keep warm... and as his only form of protection.
"What could Mario have done that was so terrible YOU have to come back?"
"I'm still too weak to tell him... he could've stopped that thing but I can't tell him what happened. He'd blame himself for it and I don't want him to think that way..." he kept saying as he felt exhausted from running.
"What should I do... Mario..." Before he knew it, his eyes closed and he felt nothing as he dozed off.
Watching in the shadows with two piercing red eyes, a large purple ghost smirked and made a strange noise, as if he were ordering something to move. Luigi didn't know it, but he was about to fight for his life.
'Come now, Luigi. Time to face your fears... if you dare...'
Luigi jolted out his twilight slumber and his heart stopped.
In front of his was the very ghost that he wished to all that could hear him he never had to see again.
'What's wrong, Luigi? Don't you remember him? Because he certainly remembers you...'
Luigi's heart raced so fast he could hear it drumming against his ears. He scrambled to his feet and prepared to run, but something was blocking him from getting anywhere. Slowly, he was being cornered by Bogmire, but this version seemed different, how he couldn't tell, but he knew something just didn't feel right. It didn't help King Boo's voice kept echoing throughout the area.
His eyes frantically searched for an escape, but was unable to process anything more than fear. His legs gave out from under him and he scrambled backwards until he hit something. Bogmire closed in on him, his shadow creating three distinctive claws. Luigi's eyes widened in fright.
"Please... not again... not again..." Luigi whimpered. "Mario... please... save me..."
'Mario can't save you... he never could. Time to say good night, little Luigi.'
The forest soon echoed with the loud, pain- filled scream of Luigi. E. Gadd wasted no time in bolting towards the sound, having heard it from his lab. Wario followed suit, not certain as to why but figured he would see what that crazy old man was talking about.
Both paused when they found Luigi slumped against the tree, his chest torn open. "LUIGI!"
Wario stared at the insane amount of blood the man was losing. He realized this was no game... who ever Kenta was, who ever King Boo was... he meant business... and both older brothers would be paying the price soon.
"Shit... I gotta get him back to the hospital... but that fucker is gonna kill me! What the hell is going on around here?!"
And rewrite complete! Boy do I like this version better... and its fun when I have stories to create a decent villain with!
I can't even begin to comment on how crappy that last version was... I can't believe I ever wrote that but I was in high school so I'm not surprised. In any case, please let me know what you think and thank you again for being so patient!
Until next chapter!
