A/N: Ah, the last chapter. I hope this doesn't get confusing, as it's pretty long and is mostly dream scenes. I couldn't decide how to end it at first, but I came up with something, and luckily no-one dies...

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, especially Verran for the in-depth reviews on each chapter. I appreciate it.

Also, I've put up a poll on my profile page regarding the main character(s) of my next Mario story. It will either be a oneshot or a short (three or four chapter) story. Please go there and vote if you're interested in my writings.

Now, enjoy!

* * * *CHAPTER 10* * * *

He was dreaming that familiar dream again.

By now he was used to it, but the sight of so many pairs of eyes surrounding him in the black void was still vaguely unnerving. He turned and spotted something different, which caught his interest like a flaming beacon. He'd never seen anything in this place except eyes and reflections before.

The shape quickly formed itself into a human, although it was a little blurry and indistinct around the edges, making him feel like a short-sighted person trying to view a small faraway object. He approached closer, unafraid, wanting to examine it. The only way to move through this dream, he discovered, was by utilising a swimming motion.

The humanoid figure became more recognisable as he got nearer, and soon he was noticing little details that shot through his brain, striking him with their familiarity. A dark-green bandanna, black mask, and most of all, bright silver-white eyes. He felt like he could stare into them forever.

But the man wouldn't give him time for that. He was gesturing impatiently at something above them, but when Luigi looked he couldn't see it. He tried to speak, but no sound would come out of his throat. So he just made a confused expression instead, hoping it would be enough. The man let out a huge sigh, clearly exasperated. Then he opened his mouth and spoke, but the words were muffled and difficult to understand...

'Wake – up!' he was saying. 'WAKE – UP – NOW!'

Luigi pointed at himself. 'I don't understand,' he said pitifully and was a bit surprised to find that he could actually talk.

'YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!' the strangely familiar man was telling him. 'If you don't, we'll lose you!'

'But I don't know how to wake up!'

By then the man's voice was fading, and Luigi had to strain his ears to pick up the final words. 'You just have to remember us,' he said. 'Please, I don't want to die.'

Then he was gone, and Luigi was left floating by himself in the void.

The spectators on the ground knew that something had gone wrong. For the last ten minutes or so they'd been watching anxiously as the two almost-identical figures leapt and dodged around each other on the castle roof, firing bursts of green and blue electricity but not seeming to land any hits. They had seen the huge robot that appeared to blast Luigi with laser beams. But afterwards, they saw and heard nothing.

'I'm worried,' said Peach in a small voice. Mario had wrapped an arm around her, as much to comfort himself as the princess.

'I'm sure he'll be OK,' he said, but they both knew how fake a reassurance that was.

Just then, Daisy came striding past them with such force that she nearly knocked them both to the ground. She wasn't crying, unlike Peach, but her eyes were hard and they immediately knew she had plans.

'Something's wrong,' she said bluntly. 'I'm climbing onto the roof to help him, like we should have done ages ago.'

To her surprise, Mario and Peach made no attempt to convince her otherwise.

'You're right,' the pink-clad princess said, sniffing a little. 'We've all failed Luigi today, but if you can save him, Daisy – then please do it!' She burst into sobs once again, and Mario enveloped her in a comforting hug.

Daisy didn't hang around to wait for the plumber's agreement. Instead, she set off at a run straight towards the castle. The front doors were open as nobody had stopped to lock them while evacuating. Once inside the main room, she dived for the stairs that would take her up onto the roof itself, not hesitating for a second. She should have done this sooner, she knew, but maybe there would still be time to save Luigi...

The castle roof was still dark and stormy, but the gale-force winds from before had thankfully slackened off. Daisy climbed up with minimal effort and instantly starting searching for the two fighters who were meant to be here. Surely they were here? There were nowhere else to go, short of jumping to their deaths.

Then she gasped, spotting two silhouetted shapes not ten feet away. One was lying sprawled on the tiled roof, and when she stepped closer she realised it was Luigi. An uncontrollable sob rose in her throat when she saw the burns covering his body and half his face, but she held it down. The second figure was crouched low over him and breathing very hard and fast.

'Hey!' she yelled, stomping towards them both. 'What do ya think you're doing?!'

Mr L shrieked and staggered backwards. He obviously hadn't anticipated her sudden arrival. When she spared a glance at him, she saw he had the same vicious injuries as Luigi, but was still conscious, though very unsteady.

'S-save him...' he coughed. Daisy, who had just dropped to her knees by the plumber's side, looked up again in shock. 'S-s-save him! Or I'll d-die!'

'Why should I help you?!' she responded, frankly amazed that Mr L could believe she'd do anything for him.

A faint smile touched the shadow's lips. 'B-because if... you don't... your boyfriend will die too.'

That gave her pause for thought. She turned her attention to the unconscious Luigi, gently examining the blackened marks that covered most of his body. He'd clearly meant to kill himself, and Mr L too, with that final blow. But he hadn't quite succeeded. She guessed that he could be revived with a few Mushrooms, but she was a little reluctant to do so, because she knew the evil shadow would survive if she did.

'Why does this have to be so complicated?' she sighed. There was only one decision left for her to make: heal Luigi and let Mr L live, or kill both of them at once. It was an impossible choice.

The shadow huffed out a painful laugh at her question. He had staggered closer and fallen to his knees a few feet away. 'I was gonna ask you the same thing, darling.'

'Don't call me that,' she snapped, but was too preoccupied with Luigi's injuries to do anything else. 'Anyway, if I save him then I'll save you too, and I don't wanna do that.'

'But are you willing to let Weegee die in any case?' Mr L returned.

'Don't call him that!'

'...Besides,' the shadow added, breathing heavily, 'if you stopped for a minute and thought about it, you'd have realised I can't do anything. Luigi has me beaten, this time.' He laughed again, though it sounded more tired than insane.

'What,' Daisy ground out, 'are you trying to tell me?'

Mr L paused for a moment, then attempted to explain. 'If I ever hurt you or anyone in this kingdom, Luigi will immediately off himself to get rid of me. Think that sounds fun? I can't do anything, or I'll die.'

The Sarasaland princess let this stew in her head for a while. 'So basically, you're saying that you can't be evil anymore because Luigi would kill you – both of you?' She snorted. 'That sounds stupid.'

'Ha ha,' said the shadow. 'Now I know the full extent of the connection between us, I realise that neither of us can die... or harm each other. The battle of rivals has come to an end, and... I have lost.'

'How disappointing,' replied Daisy sarcastically. 'Now, are you gonna be useful for once in your sorry life and help me get Luigi to hospital? If you don't wanna die, that is.'

For a brief moment, she had the satisfaction of seeing the shadow's face slacken with pure shock. 'Y-y-you're not going to destroy me?' he said, gaping.

'No, 'cause then Luigi would die too, you idiot!' she retorted angrily. Although rather enjoying the verbal sparring, she knew they needed to get Luigi back to town before his horrible injuries killed him. 'Now don't waste any more time! You carry him, and I'll lead the way to the hospital. Come on!'

Well, there weren't many people who could argue with that tone of voice – evil villain or otherwise.

Mario and Peach hovered anxiously outside the hospital doors, listening for any sounds or voices that might emanate from within. The past hour had gone by in a confused blur for the two of them, as emotional events usually do, and neither could remember much of what happened besides seeing Luigi getting carried through the town by an irate Daisy and a Mr L who seemed to be trying to stay inconspicuous.

Peach had to drag Mario away when they saw Mr L, and he'd almost rushed over to punch him there and then. She wasn't too worried about the shadow, for she trusted Daisy's judgement and knew the Sarasaland princess wouldn't let him walk free unless she was certain he wouldn't hurt anyone.

It was Luigi who really concerned them, for the brief glimpse they'd caught of him had revealed severe burns across his face and most of his body. People had died from injuries like those before, even with the aid of many experienced Toad medics and Mushroom potions. But they had been assured that Luigi was in the best of hands, and if he could be saved then the medics would save him.

Peach gently took Mario's hand as they leaned against the hospital doors together, shivering slightly in the frigid air. The remnants of the lightning storm had faded, leaving a featureless grey sky and a high possibility of snow tonight. She sighed, and the red plumber put his arm around her.

'Is something the matter?' he asked, genuinely concerned.

Peach looked down at him. 'Of course there is! Luigi's hurt, and might die... Mr L is still somewhere around... and we haven't got a clue what's going on... Do you think Daisy's not telling us something?'

Mario nodded slowly. 'Maybe... but I'm certain she wouldn't hide anything from you without good reason.'

'I really hope so... And what about Luigi? He's your brother; shouldn't you be in the hospital waiting for him to wake up?' she questioned.

'The Toad medics need peace and quiet to work on him. They're still not sure whether he'll survive.' Mario's voice trembled a little, but didn't break. It was only by looking carefully into his face that Peach could tell how unhappy he was. The fear that Luigi would die before he had a chance to apologise for that argument was keeping him awake, stopping him from eating, and he could hardly think about anything else. She wished she could comfort him, but nothing she did helped.

'He'll pull through,' she told him. 'He will, Mario. Just believe in him. He'll come back to us eventually.'

The plumber let out a dry, humourless chuckle. 'What's he got to come back to? A stupid brother who he thinks hates him, and a whole town full of people who can barely remember his name.' He shot a quick glance at her, eyes widening. 'Uh, no offence.'

She shook her head hastily. 'No, you're completely right. Half the residents don't even seem to recognise him.' She couldn't help but feel disappointed in her subjects, who had often found themselves being saved by Luigi instead of his red-capped older sibling, and yet they still didn't know who he was.

'If Luigi pulls through this,' said Mario, 'will you host a big party at the castle in his honour? So everyone realises what he did to protect them?'

'Yes,' Peach replied, almost before he'd finished speaking. There was no hesitation in her voice. It was a perfect idea, for there was nothing she enjoyed more than parties, and Luigi did deserve recognition for his sacrifices this week. 'I'll put up a giant banner with his name on it. And lots of food! And I'll invite anyone he wants.'

'Actually,' said Mario thoughtfully, 'I think it should be kept a secret. It'll be a bigger surprise for him, right?'

The princess considered this for a moment, then to his relief she nodded in agreement. 'Don't worry about a thing, Mario!' she said with an honest grin, taking both of his hands. 'It'll be the greatest celebration we've ever had!' He looked up into her eyes and, slowly, his own tense expression gave way to a smile of gratitude.

He was dreaming. After the first few seconds he became pretty sure he was dreaming, because nothing looked normal here, and his head felt oddly fuzzy. But it definitely wasn't his regular, familiar dream.

He was sitting in a meadow of lush, thick green grass, speckled with what seemed to be thousands of little daisies. There were trees nearby, and a yellow park bench, and the sky was blue and cloudless. He could even hear the faint trickling sounds of a stream somewhere out of sight. But there was nothing that might give him a clue to where he was, or what was going on.

He shakily got to his feet, letting his ungloved fingers brush the beautiful grass along the way. He'd never felt grass this lush, for Stars' sake! Maybe he would have remained quite happily in that spot until he woke up, admiring the green fluff growing out of the ground, but a heavy footstep alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone anymore. He stood up too quickly and staggered before regaining his balance.

At first his foggy brain couldn't make sense of the two people standing before him, one a red-capped man, and the other a woman in a long orange dress. But after a while he recognised them and was able to greet them by name.

'Mario! Daisy!' he cried, running across the meadow. But their faces were blankly expressionless, and when he tried to reach out for them they took a step backwards, away from him. 'Wh-what's happening? Bro? Daisy? HELLO?'

Then Mario looked at him, and his eyes was suddenly alive and filled with terror. 'Little bro!' he gasped, his voice too high – it sounded like he was in pain. 'Oh, Luigi, you've got to stop him! He's killing everyone! He's gonna kill me!'

Luigi yelped as vivid cuts and bruises formed on Mario's face and arms, red and vicious. They were appearing out of nowhere. He took an involuntary step closer as his brother dropped to his knees, panting for breath. He was about to reach over and help him when a second voice brought him to an abrupt halt.

'Don't be an idiot, Weegee!' He looked around and saw Daisy glaring at him from a short distance away. 'Can't you see what's gonna happen if you do that?'

He glanced momentarily at his brother, but Mario had fallen into unconsciousness and his body was slumped on the lush grass, unmoving. 'Wh-what are you talking about?!' he cried. 'I've gotta help him!' He reached out again, but Daisy rushed over and slapped his hand away roughly.

'Don't! Just stop and think, Luigi!' she told him, and he reluctantly averted his attention from Mario. She was speaking in a fast, urgent tone, but he recognised the familiar impatience, and knew he had to listen to her. Even if this was only a dream, he had a feeling things were important here, that they meant something big.

'You have to make a decision,' Daisy was saying. 'Right now in the Other World, you're stuck in a hospital ward while medics frantically try to get you breathing again. But you can decide for yourself whether you want to live or not.' She held up a hand, indicating first Mario and then herself. 'If you choose to help you brother, you'll die in the Other World and your evil counterpart will die too. But if you choose to come with me, I'll show you how you can survive without letting Mr L hurt anyone else.'

Luigi stared pleadingly at her, but she merely folded her arms and waited for his response. 'How can I make a choice like that?!' he snapped. He was fairly sure that he'd never get this annoyed with Daisy in real life, but this was a dream, and he felt like he should be allowed some flawed character representation. 'I have to save Mario...'

He chanced another quick look at the body lying by his feet. It didn't seem to be breathing anymore.

'You have to decide,' Daisy repeated sternly. She still hadn't made any move in his direction and didn't look like she planned to anytime soon.

'Are you actually the real Daisy?' he growled, causing her to shrug a little defensively.

'That's up to you,' she replied. 'This is your dream, after all. You control everything, don't you?'

Heaving a massive sigh, Luigi tilted his head back and gazed at the perfect blue sky above them. There wasn't a cloud in view, the air was warm and quiet, and the hills in the distance were blinking peacefully. Although there was a slight mist covering the areas far away from him, he found that he could still see quite well. It was almost too perfect, he realised.

To Daisy, he said: 'Do you really have a way for me to survive without Mr L harming anyone else?'

She nodded immediately, seeming pleased that he was talking to her again. 'I spoke to him when I came onto the castle roof to rescue you. He was badly injured, 'cause the attack you used on yourself hurt you... a lot. You didn't die, though. And as long as you're alive, he is too.'

'Whereabouts is he now, then? In prison?'

The Sarasaland princess let out a short, loud laugh that reminded him painfully of the real version of Daisy, stuck somewhere in the Other World waiting for him to wake up. 'No! He's in the hospital just like you. I told the medics to look after him, but not to let him escape.'

'So he won't wake up till I do?'

'Seems to be that way.' She smiled at him briefly, then sobered once again. 'But you still have to make your choice, Luigi. If you're really scared that Mr L will find a way to keep hurting your friends, then you can die...' For a split second he thought he might have seen a tear in her eye, but it disappeared so quickly he assumed he'd imagined it.

'And my other choice?' he prompted when she didn't continue straight away.

She sniffed, then resolutely continued as though nothing unusual had happened. 'You can follow me. I know the way out of this place.' She made a sweeping gesture that indicated the strange area around them, the thick grass and oak trees and bright-blue sky. 'I'll lead you to safety. But if I do that, Mr L will find his way out too.'

'Is he here?'

'Not quite. Well, I suppose he might be here, but not in the same place as you.'

Luigi waited politely for her to explain the meaning of that sentence, and when she didn't he said hopefully, 'And it's entirely my decision to make?'

'Completely! Although...' Daisy hesitated again. 'I really want you to agree to come with me... I mean, everyone's mourning you already 'cause the medics said you're going to die, and Mario's heartbroken, and I... well... I just really want you to come back!' she finished with a slightly forced grin.

Luigi looked at Mario's apparently dead body sprawled nearby, then up at the sky, then back at the princess. He supposed the effects of being in the dream world were making him calmer than he'd normally be, because his heart was beating steadily and he felt no urge to panic. He knew he only had to make one choice, one decision to change his immediate future. But what a decision! Life or death.

He took the chance to observe Daisy with an intensity he'd never dared to before. He saw her hard and challenging eyes. He remembered the feeling when he'd kissed her back in Toad Town after the argument with his brother. He knew she wanted him to live, but could he live with the knowledge that he'd let Mr L, possibly his most dangerous enemy, survive as well?

Whatever happened, it would be his choice. And if he chose to return to the Other World with all his friends and family, he knew that dealing with Mr L would be his responsibility. If the shadow hurt anybody, he'd blame himself. He was sure of it, because Mario always told him he was too self-sacrificing for his own good. But as he looked straight into Daisy's eyes, he felt a strong urge to walk with her, and it didn't take him more than a second to figure out why.

He didn't want to leave everyone.

The realisation didn't surprise him. He loved his brother, despite the argument they had only too recently, and he loved his friends. He even found himself missing the rivalry between himself and his cousin Waluigi. But most of all, he loved Daisy. The thought of being stuck in this strange, beautiful world without her for all eternity sent shudders along his spine, and suddenly the world didn't seem so beautiful anymore. It was ugly, through and through.

He didn't need to think about it for a moment longer. If dying meant never seeing Daisy or Mario in the flesh again, he wasn't letting it happen. He'd find a way to deal with Mr L if he had to, but whatever happened, he didn't want to die.

He stood up, much less shakily than before, and extended a hand towards the Sarasaland princess in silent invitation. The smile that suddenly lit up her face was so bright, so glorious, and so happy, he felt his own grin widening before he could make any attempt to stop it.

'I want to go back,' he told her, although it seemed unnecessary to say it.

She nodded. 'Thank you,' she said simply, and then they took hold of each other's hands and began to walk away towards the misty hills in the far distance. As they walked, they slowly faded until they no longer appeared to exist.

Somewhere on the grass behind them, the shape of the fake Mario's body also faded, and the sun sunk towards the western horizon, shrouding the peculiar little world in dusk.

The citizenry of Toad Town hadn't expected the turmoil to die down quite as quickly as it had. But a mere two days after the newly-named 'Green Hero' (an obvious play on his dark counterpart's nickname) woke up in hospital, everything seemed to be back to normal, apart from a few changes.

When the two brothers met up in the hospital, they'd stared at each other in slightly awkward silence for about three minutes before both profusely apologising at exactly the same time. Their argument had never been spoken of, at least not directly, but something told Mario that he had been forgiven. He wasn't sure what made him think that. Maybe he just knew Luigi well.

The celebration hosted in Peach's castle had been massive enough to last in everyone's memories for a long time to come. All of Luigi's favourite foods and many of his friends from other kingdoms had been there, and several of Mario's 'fans' had turned up just to get a closer look at their own hero. But despite that, the overall atmosphere of the party was one of relief, gratitude, and... something else. Mario managed to wave off his fan club long enough to spend plenty of time with his little brother who, thanks to Peach's actions, was now getting every bit of fame he deserved.

'You know you need this, Bro,' he'd said, giving Luigi a firm pat on the shoulder as they sat together with Daisy, a gathering of Toads, and the pink princess herself. 'I can't get over what you did to protect all these people. You deserve this party, and a lot more.'

Daisy had grinned mischievously at that, and leaned in to give the green-capped plumber a kiss on on cheek. While he was busy spluttering in shock, Mario had slunk off to get a few words in with Peach.

'Thanks for all this,' he said quietly, indicating the crowded room full of food, green balloons, and countless guests for emphasis.

'It's the least I can do in return,' Peach whispered back equally softly. 'He's so brave and strong. I don't think any of us would be willing to sacrifice our life to save other people.'

'I know I wouldn't,' Mario admitted, for it was true.

Peach had kissed him on the nose, just to make them even with Daisy and Luigi, and the last hour of the party had gone by noisily but uneventfully.

There was only one problem that nobody could quite get off their minds; the exact whereabouts of the shadow, Mr L. He'd managed to escape from the hospital shortly before his counterpart awoke, and his injuries had been healed enough for him to make a quick getaway. He hadn't been sighted by any of the townsfolk since, and Luigi had mentioned that he couldn't 'feel' Mr L anywhere nearby.

Peach hadn't complained, saying she was just glad the shadow hadn't stayed to do any more harm, but Luigi seemed restless. Despite his brother's efforts to reassure him, he remained convinced that Mr L would return eventually.

'But maybe not for a long time,' Mario had pointed out. 'He knows he can't hurt anyone, Bro. He's scared of what you can do to him.'

This was also true, because Mr L had now learned that if Luigi died, he would too. This gave them unlimited power over him. All Luigi needed to do was threaten to kill himself and his counterpart would be helpless.

'I can't help worrying about him,' he had replied softly. 'What if he comes back when I'm not around? What if I go out somewhere and he tries to hurt you or Peach or Daisy while I'm away?'

Mario clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a serious, but comforting look. 'Whatever happens will happen,' he'd said simply before walking off. Luigi had tried his best to understand these words and take them to heart. Despite knowing he could stop Mr L easily, he still worried.

Now, two days had passed since he had woken up in the hospital. The uproar among the citizens was starting to quiet down, but occasionally a lone cheer would ring out when Luigi wandered through the streets, and the owner of the town café kept trying to give him a discount. They were only small things, but they were a big change for Luigi, forcing him to reconsider what had once been a very uneventful life. The citizens no longer ignored him and forgot his name, and although he wasn't sure his newfound renown would last forever, he was rapidly gaining confidence in himself.

That night, he lay awake for a long time in the semidarkness, listening to the rhythm of Mario's gentle snoring in the bunk above. Thoughts of what had happened recently kept swirling around in his head, preventing him from sleeping. Sometimes it got downright annoying. But whenever he couldn't sleep he started thinking of Daisy, and that helped a little.

When he finally drifted off, he seemed to float in the void between waking and sleeping for a while before, rather suddenly, colours and shapes began to form around him. At some point, he came to full awareness lying on the floor of a castle. It looked like it might've been an old place of Bowser's, but he wasn't sure, and it didn't really matter.

What did matter was that he could see a person walking towards him, a person who was virtually a mirror image of himself save for the black garments and shining white eyes. When they were close, they both stopped, and neither spoke for a long time.

Eventually Luigi said, 'You hurt a lot of people.' He didn't mean to sound angry, but the shadow flinched as if he'd been threatened.

'I know,' he replied. 'But I can't anymore. I think you know why.' His voice was so like Luigi's, but darker, deeper, mocking.

'Because I'd kill us both if you tried.'

'Exactly! I haven't met many people, I admit, but you're definitely the most self-sacrificing idiot I've ever seen. You're the only one who's not afraid to die to protect your friends and family. That's why you've beaten me.'

'But I never did anything to you.'

'Ah, but what if you did?' Mr L's tone turned lighter, gaining a curious note that made him sound like a child. 'What then? You'd be dead and so would I.'

'Neither of us are dead,' said Luigi, harshly. 'And if you don't want to get hurt, leave my friends alone.'

Mr L waved a dismissive gloved hand. 'Don't worry about that. I don't plan on chasing after you pathetic little town anytime soon – not while you're still living in it...'

Luigi smiled faintly. 'Where are you right now?' he asked.

'Other than haunting your dreams? I'm far away, out of the Mushroom Kingdom. But I'm not telling you exactly where. I think I'm gonna explore for a bit... haven't seen much of the world, you know? But still, maybe someday I'll return. You wouldn't mind a little unannounced visit?'

Luigi hesitated.

'If you swear to not harm anyone in the kingdom...' he said slowly, 'I guess... you could come back someday.'

The shadow grinned. 'I knew you'd say that.'

'Don't make me change my mind! Listen, we might not strictly be enemies anymore, but you still hurt me, Mario, and other people, and I'm not ready to forgive you yet.'

Mr L shook his head. 'Don't worry. You won't be seeing me again for a long, long time.' His wild grin fading, he stretched an arm forward as though requesting a handshake. There was something unusually nervous about his movements. 'Remember me, won't you?'

'I'm not likely to forget you that fast,' said Luigi dryly, but nevertheless extended his own hand. They shook, let go quickly, and stepped away from each other. 'Goodbye, Mr L. I'll be glad not to see you again.'

'Gee, don't sound too disappointed,' the shadow muttered. Speaking at normal volume, he added, 'I don't really wanna see you again either. At least not yet. But we might not be able to avoid each other forever... after all, we're still –'

'- Two sides of the same coin,' Luigi finished for him, and they shared a reluctant half-laugh. 'Now get out of my dream already.'

'At your command.' Mr L turned and started to walk away, heading for what looked like a pair of large castle doors. As he disappeared through them, the dream world began to fade as well, until Luigi was the only real thing left, floating in a black void once again.

Even after he woke up, he remembered the conversation as vividly as if he'd experienced it in his own world. And there was one thing in particular that he never forgot, and continued to dream about regularly... those eyes.

Those instantly recognisable, glowing, pure-white eyes, as familiar to him as the reflection of his own.

They were indeed two sides of the same coin.