Chapter 13
Wave Goodbye
XD I bet you people thought I was never going to update lol.
I'm so sorry! Life caught up…and the reason I was able to update Dear FFN so much was because I had already prewritten the chapters. I have NOT prewritten these chapters.
I'm not sure if this is the last one, or if the next chapter is last…wait. XD if there's going to be another chapter, of course this isn't the last chapter. *facepalm*
Okay, so, yeah! I'm going to make this chapter a bit short. However…on the next chapter isn't really going to be a chapter; more like an epilogue. And it'll be long, I promise. Plus, I'll tell y'all some awesome news that I'm very excited for in the epilogue! Thanks for tolerating with me.
Okay, so, let's start the stupid chapter before I bore you to death!
Mario stepped inside the castle. "Professor?" he called.
He was rather surprised when a voice that sounded like his own sounded back: "Hold up, youngsters!"
Crystal tensed. "Daddy?" she shouted.
Mario the Elder toddled in, using his cane. "Thank you all for doing that hard work to save us," he wheezed. "Though it ended up being my niece that did so."
Mario the Younger blinked, a bit stung. "Um, okay."
Kaya turned away. "Does…does my father know…?"
"About Aaron?" Mario the Elder finished. "Yes, he knows. We all do. Kaya, you're a troubled girl, but you're incredibly brave for one so young. You took responsibility for your actions, and that takes guts."
Kaya looked a bit stunned. "Th-Thank you…"
"The other elders are asleep," Mario the Elder said. "Otherwise they would be out here. E. Gadd's on the top floor."
"How come there are only three floors here?" Peach asked curiously. "In our time, there are, like, two hundred…"
Mario the Elder looked amused. "The innocence of youth…you'll know one day. That I can promise you."
Crystal ran forward. "Oh, Daddy!" she wailed. "I was so worried about you!"
Mario the Elder smiled and hugged his daughter comfortingly. "The younger me will be leaving soon; accompany him to E. Gadd. Then you will tell him goodbye."
Sakura nodded, her eyes full of sadness. "I wish they could stay…I felt useful. But I understand about you guys wanting to get home."
Jack took a deep breath. "Surprisingly, I'll miss you as well. I'll accompany you…and then I must get back to my normal life."
"Oh, no," Mario the Elder chided. "You are not going back to that little abandoned house you live in."
Sakura stared at her brother. "You live in an abandoned house?"
"Yeah, well, it's not that big of a deal." Jack turned away. "It's my home."
"Not anymore," Sakura said sternly. "You're gonna live with me!"
Jack looked at her from over his shoulder. "…Really? You'd let me live with you?"
"Of course, stupid head. You're my brother! You're living with me, and that's final!"
For a moment he just stared at her. Then he grinned. "I'd like that very much."
"Guys, c'mon!" Toadiko interrupted. "I HATE mushy stuff…and that's saying something, because I AM mushy!"
They murmured agreement. The group walked up the stairs—with Crystal helping Mario the Elder balance—and walked to the left. Mario the Younger glanced at his future daughter. "This is where I found you. Remember?"
She smiled. "Yeah. I seriously thought I was dead. Thanks for the help."
They entered the room where Professor E. Gadd was standing; to Mario the Younger's dismay, he looked exactly as the same as he did in the present. The professor laughed. "My, my, Mario! Haven't seen you since…but, well, I do see you every day…well…you get the point!"
Mario the Younger blinked. "U-Uh…y-yes, sir."
Mario the Elder chuckled. "Looks like I had manners back then."
Luigi smiled at Mario the Younger, who was turning red. "Hey, bro, you're getting embarrassed by yourself!" Luigi teased.
Daisy slugged Luigi. "Shut up."
"Y-Yes ma'am!"
There were two time machines waiting for them. Toadbert and Toadiko, after saying their goodbyes, walked into the machine on the right together. Daisy hugged everyone, said goodbye, and followed them in. They were soon on their way to the present.
Peach hugged Crystal tightly, kissed Mario the Elder's cheek lightly, and waved her goodbyes. She stepped inside the remaining time machine, waiting for the bros.
Luigi smiled. "I'll always remember you guys, okay?"
"Be sure to visit," Kaya said, her voice cracking.
His smile got bigger. "You know I will. I love you."
"L-Love you too…Dad."
He told Sakura and Jack goodbye, shook hands with Mario the Elder, and headed inside the time machine.
Mario the Younger honestly had no clue on why everyone was taking turns on leaving, but he figured it was his turn to shine. He first turned to Kaya. "Look…don't beat yourself up about Aaron. Promise me that, okay?"
She nodded bravely. "I…I promise."
Mario the Younger next turned to Jack. "Take care of your sister, okay?"
The teenager twirled his sword. "Got it. If anything touches her, I'll slice its head off."
Mario the Younger looked at Sakura. "You will always be useful. Okay?"
"Okay." She smiled.
Mario the Younger finally turned his gaze to Crystal. "…I love you so much. I'll come back."
"You'd better," Crystal said, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. "Or I'll come to you!"
With a final wave, Mario went into his time machine with Peach and Luigi.
"Ready?" the princess whispered.
Mario sighed. "…No. I'll miss them."
"So will I," Luigi said sadly. "But we'll see them again. I…I just have this feeling."
Then the time machine disappeared…and they were whisked to the present.
THIS TIME THERE WILL ACTUALLY BE AN EPILOGUE. XD I know I told you that in All the Way and I broke that promise, but this time there were actually be one. I will never take this long to update! I promise!
This story that I've written was hard for me to get into. At around chapter 5 or 6, I really wanted to quit. But I kept writing because I didn't want to disappoint y'all. I promised you I'd write a sequel, and heck, I wrote a sequel!
Just wait for the epilogue…I promise, it will come soon…I'll try to update it before my birthday, February 27th.
Also, I warned y'all that the chapter would be short. I'm terribly sorry. :(