Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay (again)! The next chapter should hopefully be finished more quickly than this one.

Enjoy!

Chapter 21: Shaded

I had already guessed that the ferocious, violently howling storm attacking us was not natural weather, but something far more sinister that I didn't even want to think about. As I ran along the uneven dirt path winding deeper and deeper into Forever Forest, the dead trees around me were being forced backwards by the strength of the screaming wind that tore at their branches, reaching out across the path like spidery fingers.

Jak was half-crouched on my shoulder, his jet-black eyes staring ahead of us, slightly narrowed with determination. One of his small hands was gripping onto a tuft of my hair to keep his balance on his unsteady perch. I could not tell what he was thinking, nor why he had chosen to accompany me on my dangerous journey out into the forest, when he could have stayed in the mansion and been safe and comfortable. His dark eyes gave away nothing of what he might be feeling, and when I stole a short glance over my shoulder at him, they reminded me horribly of GameBoo Advance's eyes.

Grey smoke rose up from between the trees in front of us, forming indistinct pale shapes in the dark sky above the forest. It was a clear night; although I could see blue-black clouds dominating the distant horizon on my right side, the stars were still visible, glittering dimly between the ragged tree branches. The sight of the small, silver lights in the sky brought me little comfort. Virtually anything could happen to me out here, and the recent motorbike crash had assured me that we weren't safe. We would never be safe as long as we stayed here.

Breathing heavily, I finally slowed my reckless pace as we neared the small forest clearing where I knew the motorbike had headed. Jak leaned forwards to get a better look at our surroundings, still clutching my hair in surprisingly powerful grip. I could see nothing except the shadowy forms of the trees growing along the sides of the path, and I doubted that Jak's night vision was any better than mine.

'We're close,' he muttered, his voice calm as usual; I never understood how he managed to keep his head in these sorts of situations.

'Um... how can you tell?'

He pointed his thumb in the direction of the treetops, and I carefully followed his gaze, though I could barely see the outline of his tiny hand. 'Can't you smell the smoke?' he asked incredulously.

My nostrils were filled with the scent of pine needles, rotting wood, and a few other things I couldn't quite identify. However, when I concentrated hard and took a deep breath, I actually could detect the faint, sulphurous smell of smoke. Jak was right; the scene of the motorbike crash wasn't far away from here.

He nodded. 'You noticed it? It's coming from that clearing just up ahead. I'm guessing the bike hit a tree trunk somewhere in there. That would explain the explosion and the smoke... I'm not sure where your creepy cousin is, though.'

I narrowed my eyes and set off towards the clearing at a fast walk. For some reason – a reason I might never comprehend – Jak's frequent, casual insults directed at my cousin were becoming infuriating. I let out a long breath as I walked, trying to force that familiar, simmering annoyance back down where it belonged.

'Hey, hey...' he started, tightening his grip on my hair as my sudden burst of speed nearly caused him to lose his balance. 'Cool it.'

I ignored him, though I secretly envied his strange ability to stay calm no matter what was happening. I had a feeling that even if the world was burning, falling apart around us, he would never show the slightest sign of panic.

How he had changed from the terrified Toad I had met on the mansion staircase that dark night, so long ago.

We neared the clearing, my feet pounding into the grey dirt that covered the ground and nearly tripping over the tree-roots that crisscrossed the path. Jak tightened his grip still further as I came to an abrupt halt, staring into the darkness ahead. It was ridiculous to believe that I might be able to see Waluigi from that far away, but my instincts were warning me not to approach any closer; that solid blackness was intimidating, threatening. I drew in a shuddering breath and forced myself to ignore the chill running down my spine, instead focusing hard on the immediate problem at hand. 'Jak, can you see anything from here?'

The Toad straightened up; I could feel his hand pulling painfully on my hair and his small shoes scuffling against my shoulder. 'Nope, not a thing.'

I had a feeling that even if he was capable of making out my cousin's position through the darkness, he wouldn't bother telling me, as strong as his hatred for Waluigi was. I couldn't ask for his help now; I had already expected far too much from him. 'Let me know if you see anything... will you?' I muttered before sprinting forwards, trying my best to ignore the cloud-like inky shadows that swallowed the scenery on all sides.

Without warning, the rancid smell of smoke that had been floating in the atmosphere struck me with its full force. It was thick and bitter, pulling the oxygen from the air and making it almost impossible to breathe. I barely paused long enough to take a deep breath before plunging onwards into the dark-grey, sulphurous wall, Jak clinging to my shoulder with his hand pressed over his mouth to block out the fumes. The outlines of the dead trees along the sides of the path became barely noticeable, concealed behind a barrier of smoke and shadow and – fortunately – taking my attention away from the spidery branches that reached across the path above my head. I had one thing to be thankful for – the horrible smell was leading me straight towards the site of the crashed motorbike.

Within a minute, the scent had intensified so much that I had to cover my own mouth with my mud-stained glove, eyes watering from the bitterness of it. Jak drew in a ragged breath and immediately released it as a spluttering cough, but I had no time to make sure he was all right; we couldn't stay here for much longer. I was sure of that. If the gas thickened any further, not only would we have trouble seeing anything, but we were liable to die from prolonged smoke inhalation.

Then I finally spotted it. If I hadn't been so frantic by then, I probably wouldn't have noticed the tiny spark of light in the trees ahead – a small fire, flickering with welcome warmth and new life.

I almost tripped over the shattered remains of the motorbike. Looking down, I saw what looked like part of the handlebars, a scrap of leather, and an exhaust pipe issuing vast amounts of dark-grey smoke, all lying within inches of my feet. Jak shifted his position, then reluctantly jumped off my shoulder and landed lightly on the ground to investigate the wreckage. I raised my eyes to the line of blackened trees in front of us, where the motorbike must have impacted before breaking into a hundred pieces, leaving a dark crater against the rough wood.

After the shock of seeing the crash site, I immediately set to work locating my cousin among the debris. My mind was filled with an alarming anxiety that shouldn't have been there, shouldn't have even existed – why would I care what happened to him? He might have been a family member, but he had never shown me kindness or affection, nor did we consider each other to be true friends... I had no reason whatsoever to be concerned. Yet I was, and I had no time to stop and consider the absurdity of it. All I could think about was finding him before it was too late, even though Jak clearly didn't share my worries.

My foot stumbled on a lump of metal. I glanced back down and saw what I assumed was the charred, twisted remains of the back seat, the one I had been sitting on before the motorbike crashed. Blackened leather from the seats could be seen everywhere, scattered liberally around the clearing, hidden in the mountains of dust and ash that covered the ground.

Then I stopped in front of a particular tree.

The impact from the motorbike had left a massive dent in the sturdy trunk; a scorched crater that would never heal. The entire tree was bent violently backwards, its upper branches tangled with those of the surrounding plants, its bark rough and lined with blackened marks from the fire. The damage was horrible; the bike must have been moving at a tremendous speed in the last few seconds before it was brought to a sudden and forceful halt.

Ignoring Jak, I cautiously dropped to my knees beside the tree, wary of a sudden ambush from the darkness. It was the first time I had seen Waluigi since we had been travelling through the forest on the motorbike, gliding noisily between trees as we fled from the haunted mansion. The back of his head was propped up against the tree's thick roots; his cap had obviously been lost during the accident, thrown into the night where no-one would ever see it again. His left foot was twisted sharply in the wrong direction. Although he was clearly unconscious, I felt nervous about approaching him; I had known him long enough to realise how unpredictable he could be at times.

Unsure of what to do, I looked swiftly over my shoulder and spotted the tiny form of Jak examining the wreckage of the bike. He was almost invisible, gliding through the shadows without any apparent fear, and I found myself envying him yet again for his courage and composure. No matter where our long journey might take us, I could never be as strong as him – perhaps physically, but not mentally.

'Jak!' I half-called, half-whispered. 'Can you find some dry wood and help me light a campfire? I've got a feeling we're going to be here for a while.'

He nodded wordlessly and, without a moment's hesitation, melted into the darkness at the far end of the clearing. I hated asking him favours; I knew only too well that I had already relied on him too much. He was both smaller and younger than me, and yet he was the one protecting me, instead of the other way around as I would have preferred. But my deeply-rooted fears prevented me from taking command of the situation now. Not with the cold darkness surrounding me on all sides, drawing life and warmth from the night.

A sharp white glow sparked into existence, casting peculiar silhouettes across the midnight sky, forming the shape of a round-bodied ghost in mid-air. BooGie paused for a second or two without moving, allowing his crimson tongue to hang out between his razor-sharp canine teeth, his black eyes narrowed. Teleporting across such a vast distance had left him exhausted, a fact he cursed bitterly. He hadn't intended to tire himself out this much. He needed all his power to face the enemy he knew was lurking close by, watching his every movement.

'Quit hidin', GameBoo Advance,' he hissed at last, forcing himself to straighten in mid-air, floating fifty feet above the dead treetops below. 'I know you're there...'

'How clever of you,' came the casual reply. Another, dimmer light came into view, forming the body of a greyish-coloured ghost with unusually long canines protruding from massive, smiling jaws. He showed no sign of exhaustion as he reappeared from the darkness; the Moon Powers gave him sufficent energy to teleport without negative side-effects.

BooGie let the slight wind carry him upwards, giving him a small height advantage over the stronger ghost. He was aware, however, that he had little chance of winning should a real fight break out. Ghosts could not truly harm or kill each other, but they could still fight, still overpower one another using their strange magic, and he would be happier if that didn't happen.

'Traitor!' he accused, baring every inch of his canine teeth for emphasis. 'The King might still have a shred of trust for you, but I know better. You're not on our side and you never have been.'

GameBoo Advance tilted sideways in the air, his fathomless black eyes showing vague hints of amusement. 'What gives you that idea? I have served the King faithfully for nearly a hundred years, obeying his every command without question. No traitor could be that good at acting. Perhaps you misunderstood my intentions.'

'I haven't misunderstood anything,' hissed the larger boo. The silvery-white glow around his body was intensifying along with his frustration.

'We'll find out soon, won't we?' purred GameBoo Advance. 'Halloween is nigh upon us, and before it falls, you will know for certain what I am planning. And no, it doesn't have anything to do with the King.'

A flash of white light shot through the darkness, like a lightning bolt, causing him to blink momentarily before turning to face BooGie's barely-controlled anger. 'So you admit that you're up to somethin'? Something... that the King shouldn't know about?'

'Forget about him for a moment,' replied GameBoo Advance calmly. 'I don't want to hear his pathetic name again. I only care about my own power... surely you knew that already? I don't need anything from that ridiculous ghost who calls himself our leader.' He spat towards the ground, despite having no saliva to spit with. 'I'm following those two humans who left the mansion. One of them was called... Luigi, wasn't he?'

The undisguised smugness in GameBoo Advance's voice made it obvious that whatever he was planning, it wasn't going to be anything good.

'I'm not hanging around with you all night,' responded BooGie, hoping that the older ghost would recognise the unspoken threat in his words. 'I'll give you one last chance: tell me why you're chasing Luigi and his weird cousin.'

GameBoo Advance chuckled, his strangely familiar grin-sneer curling up the corner of his wide mouth. 'You're going to give me one last chance? Come on, kid. Be realistic. You know how powerful I am, especially when the moon is almost full...'

BooGie cast a sidelong glance up at the gleaming silver orb in the sky, noticing that is was, in fact, almost a full circle. He had better hurry and end this discussion soon; he couldn't risk angering GameBoo Advance when his strength was at its highest point. 'I'm not forgetting this,' he said. 'You just wait and see... I'll be back.'

He didn't wait to watch his enemy's jaws curling to display his overlong canines. With a final flash of white light, and a tremendous amount of effort, he teleported himself back to the mansion and fled from the older ghost's sight.

I hadn't realised how much I had missed warmth until Jak finished building our improvised campfire in the middle of the clearing. I sat on a tree-root and stared into the depths of the bright red-and-gold flame, enjoying the rich waves of heat that rolled from it and drove the bitter wind away, if only slightly. The young Toad was sitting opposite me, leaning back comfortably with his small hands resting on the dry ground, a look of quiet contentment on his face. I felt exactly the same; peaceful, calm, despite everything that had happened and everything that was likely to happen soon. We had discovered some of our food supplies left undamaged among the debris, enough for both of us, although we had an alarming lack of water. The two bottles we had taken with us had both split open during the crash, leaving us with nothing to drink, but we didn't worry about it too much. This was a large forest, and it wouldn't be difficult to find a stream somewhere tomorrow morning.

My only real concern was Waluigi. He hadn't woken up since we had discovered him, and I had decided not to try and move him. Jak suggested that we simply leave him where he was, and continue our journey without him, but I opposed this idea so vehemently that he quickly gave up on it.

'Say, Luigi.' I glanced up expectantly at the sound of the young Toad's thoughtful voice. 'Where exactly should we be going? You know, we only left the mansion to escape GameBoo Advance and his creepy plans... but what are we planning?'

I opened my mouth and closed it again immediately, realising that Jak was making a valid point; neither me nor Waluigi had discussed what our destination would be. It had been difficult enough escaping from the mansion unnoticed, without worrying about where we were heading at the same time. I had always instinctively assumed that we were leaving Forever Forest, and perhaps travelling back to Toad Town, where many of my friends still lived. An idea shot into my mind – could we enlist the help of Princess Peach? Yes, she was childish and rarely took anything seriously, but did that matter? She might have some valuable information regarding GameBoo Advance... she might even know where Mario had gone!

I shook my head before my enthusiasm became too obvious to my companion. 'I don't know,' I said truthfully. 'Waluigi never mentioned a location.' I glanced over my shoulder at the motionless form of my cousin, still slumped against the tree trunk, and felt another surge of anxiety.

Jak seemed to know what I was thinking about, because he sighed lightly and shook his own head firmly in my direction. 'I thought we'd already decided that you can't do anything for him until he wakes up. C'mon, Luigi, stop worrying for a while. He's not going to suddenly drop dead while your back is turned.'

I managed to avoid uttering a snappy retort, annoyed at Jak's complete lack of concern towards my cousin. True, he wasn't a nice person – far from it, as I knew very well – but he had recently been involved in a high-speed motorbike crash. We had no way of telling what was wrong with him unless he woke up, which was seeming less likely with every passing minute. I couldn't stop myself from looking back every now and again to check on him, but every time I looked, he hadn't moved so much as a half-inch. Then again, I couldn't really blame Jak for his attitude; his species was a weak one, and he had no way of defending himself if Waluigi did betray us, although I was certain that would never happen. If it did... well...

I couldn't lose another family member. Not after Mario's disappearance.

We sat in silence for at least half an hour longer, enjoying the quiet peacefulness and the rolling warmth of the blazing campfire. The cold night air seemed less harsh, less biting when we were sitting around the flames, watching the moths darting as close as they dared to the light source.

Finally, Jak let out an uncontrollable yawn that caused me to glance towards him out of surprise, before I realised how exhausted he looked. 'We'd better get some sleep if we're going to be travelling again in the morning,' he pointed out sensibly, and I nodded in agreement. 'Although we won't be going anywhere if that lazy idiot -' he jerked a thumb in Waluigi's direction '- doesn't wake up.'

It didn't take so much effort to bite back my retort this time, but I wished – just for a moment or two – that my two companions were able to get along better. Our journey was already dangerous enough to terrify me, and it would be so much better if Jak and Waluigi weren't constantly at each other's throats.

I slept robotically for the rest of the night, drifting off into darkness without feeling even vaguely tired, listening to Jak's snoring from somewhere nearby. I would never understand how such a small creature could produce such a loud, and frankly infuriating, noise; I had to resist the urge to kick him awake. Instead, I lay back with my head resting on a tree-root, my cap tucked under my arm for safekeeping, as I didn't want anything to happen to it. Normally, the pitch-black shadows that lurked menacingly around the remains of our campfire would have made me too nervous to sleep. Oddly enough, they didn't bother me anymore. The darkness was intimidating as always, but I had learned to subconsciously ignore the fear, to turn my mind away from the unseen danger that surrounded me in every direction.

Before I fell asleep, I watched the moon floating through the midnight-blue sky like an enormous silver balloon, using its position to guess the time. Stars were visible behind the veil of black clouds that drifted lazily above the forest, but their light seemed dimmer than usual. The moon itself was just over half-full. Large enough, by this point, to provide a considerable source of power... if GameBoo Advance found us here...

He couldn't, surely? He might have been an ancient ghost, with enough knowledge and experience to defeat anyone using the power of words alone. His magical abilities were something I had seen before, and never wanted to see again – but if my goal was to destroy him, how could I avoid facing him? Just the memory of his fathomless black eyes burning deeply into my own... that was enough to convince me that he was a dangerous enemy. Perhaps, if I was unlucky, he would be too dangerous for me, or anyone else, to defeat – and what would happen then? Lack of information was my worst problem right now; I couldn't stop GameBoo Advance without having any idea what his intentions were.

Whatever happened, I knew he could never be trusted. My mind drifted briefly back to the old mansion, where I had left BooGie, the first ghost I had ever managed to befriend. As a comrade of mine, was he in danger from GameBoo Advance as well? Perhaps abandoning him in the mansion wasn't such a clever idea; I didn't want to put anyone at risk if it could be avoided. I had already expected too much from Jak, and while never complained, I couldn't help thinking that he resented me for it.

I turned my head slightly to the side, feeling the rough bark scraping away from the tree-root as I moved, and tried to see my two companions through the darkness.

Jak was curled up on his side, huddled comfortably beside the charred and blackened remains of our campfire, obviously fast asleep. I half-expected him to look more peaceful while he was sleeping, as most people did, but I was wrong. His determination seemed even clearer when he was unconscious; eyebrows drawn together in a slight frown, hands curled into fists. I had envied him more times than I could count, and this was just another thing I respected him for – his courage and self-assurance.

Turning my head even further, I spotted the unmoving shape of Waluigi lying several feet behind me, underneath the dented and scorched tree where the motorbike had crashed. As I watched, I saw him raise a gloved hand, reach into the pile of scattered debris and pull out his cap, seemingly out of nowhere. Apparently, he didn't realise I was still awake. He replaced the cap on his head and pulled it down sharply to cover his eyes, in a familiar gesture, then settled back down and went back to sleep.

I smiled faintly as I let my head rest against the tree-root once again, picturing the arguments that were likely to erupt tomorrow morning. Even if my two companions... or friends... couldn't get along with each other, I was still unspeakably happy to be travelling with them, knowing that I was safe with them nearby. If BooGie was here too, then I would be even more pleased. However, it had been my own decision to leave him at the mansion, and I couldn't do anything to change that now; I could only hope that he didn't run into any trouble.

For some reason, I knew that the motorbike crashing had only been the first, and least problematic, stage of our journey.