Hello all! I am back, and with a new chapter of Threshold!

Okay, now before you all take my heads off, I want to update you on a few minor changes. First, I apologize, as this chapter was supposed to be posted on the 8th. I forgot all about my Spring Break, which came way sooner than normal, and as a result, my library was closed for the week this was due. I do appreciate some of you who made sure to remind me to get this posted!

Second, this fanfic is being updated every third SUNDAY, not Monday. I made a mistake in the last AN and I didn't notice it until I looked at it and then my planner. The great news- thanks to my awesome Mom, my laptop is finally fixed, and I should get it soon, so I can post up faster... if school doesn't kill me first, ya know. 6 more weeks until graduation! :)

Lastly, thank you all for your continued support and patience! This is the last chapter (for now) in Lemmy's POV. Next chapter is universal.

Please enjoy! I own OCs only, and plotline as well; Nintendo owns the rest.

Threshold

Chapter 25: Finally Learning about You, pt.2

It didn't take me long to reach the library, but I was standing outside the door like a lost child looking at a mansion.

It was a LONG time since I've even walked past here, and I was still surprised I still knew how to find this place. The only people I've known that came in here at all were usually Ludwig, Kamek, and occasionally Larry when he's bored.

From what Tobi had told me as I walked here, this place is supposed to hold a particular book that is going to partially explain everything that was going on with him when he was still alive. I was very, VERY nervous, for I wasn't sure what my father or any of my other siblings would do if they found me down here playing detective with an entity that was all but in my head.

But at the same time, I was glad I could learn more about where my family genetics came from. Maybe they would explain why I was born like I was... or if any of my father's siblings were born like me... I wondered if they experienced what I went through, and who Tobi was and what his life story was like.

Suffice to say, this detective trip wasn't the brightest idea, but it was something I really wanted to do.

I found the key hidden in a loose stone nearby, where Dad kept it for some odd reason; back when Mom was still alive, I always remembered her saying, "Bowser, the kids are gonna get in here one day and it's on YOUR head if they break anything!" I never got that, until I saw how obviously... out there the loose stone was... jeez, even Junior hides things better than he does... typical Dad, lazy as always...

As I stood holding it in my hands, I asked myself, was this worth learning what I wanted to know? About Tobi, about my father, my grandfather?

Then I nodded. After all I've endured... this is the least they can let me do. I owe Tobi for saving my life- something else I hoped he would explain to me too. And my family owed me for all I've dealt with.

With a firm nod, I inserted the key into the keyhole and twisted it with everything I had. You could hear how old the libary doors were as I did, and it was something to behold... jeez, how long has it been since anyone had been here?

Once I heard the lock mechanism undo itself, I carefully pushed the door open. It was darker than dark, and I fumbled for a light switch for a moment. Once I flipped it on, it was like a whole new world opened up to me.

The lights seemed endless, lightening up more than just rows of books. There was old battle armor from my grandfather's battling days, old dusty statues, with some of them crumbling from age, and other neat things I couldn't begin to explain.

I took a tentative step inside and just stared in awe. "Tobi... this was really all in here? ALL this was seriously in here?!"

I could hear Tobi laughing. 'Yeah... a few things have changed since me and... well, since I've been in here. But yeah, this is your Royal Library.'

I scoffed. Library? It was more like the world's oldest storage closest to me, and the biggest to boot!

Deciding for the best, I began to dig around to see what this place had to offer. I wondered the whole time why no one in my family ever told us about this place- there was so many things that just seemed cool, and it looked like each item had a story to tell. Knowing Dad, he probably only told Ludwig about it... figures.

The first thing I went for was the coppertone battle armor that was locked up in a very tall glass case. There wasn't a helmet, just the basic body armor, thigh and knee pads, and a long sword strapped to the side. Naturally, I thought, we had ancient samurai warrior koopas? Since when?

I asked Tobi about it. 'Nah, not samurai, Lem. This belonged to one of your grandfather's most skilled Koopa Soldiers. The higher ones normally wore armor akin to this. I forget his name, but lemme tell ya, he was a koopa to fear when he swung that blade.'

I nodded, still staring at it. I wondered what it must've been like back then, to fight for your daily survival. Seeing how big the suit was, I assumed the koopa Tobi was talking about was probably taller than my father, but with Morton's girth. That's some serious power... and add that sword... that thing's HUGE!

I allowed my legs to carry me away from the display case, and headed toward the endless sea of bookshelves. As I did, I stopped and asked Tobi, "Uh, what does the book I'm looking for looks like? You know, considering all the BOOKS IN HERE?"

Tobi laughed once again, but there was something different about it. 'Lem, look around some more first. There's something in that pile of junk over there, and it looks like it has something to do with your current kingdom.'

I sighed- leave it to Tobi to deter me again- but the thought of seeing old artifacts from the old Ice Land did seem kinda interesting...

The pile in question was directly to my left. It looked like a massive chest, but as I pushed a few things over and pulled some more things out, something small clattered to the ground.

It didn't look like much; just a pin tome. I was about to chuck it and keep searching when Tobi spoke up.

'That's one of the old Royal Guard Amulet pins that were worn by the troops of Ice Land. I'm surprised it's still here...' he mused.

I blinked, turning it around in my hands. It was old and... old, and it was silver, that much I could tell. It had a smooth white center, and a special marking was engraved into it. It looked like letters or symbols.

"What is this? I don't get what this is saying..." I muttered as I turned it a million ways over.

Tobi responded with the saying... but I was even MORE lost. "... what?"

'Oh, I forget- you never learned Japanese, did you Lemmy?' I shook my head no.

"I... I was deemed too slow to learn any language. Ludwig knows three- German, Japanese and Italian, and he's learning like two more... the others all know Japanese and some other language, and I... don't. I never got it right..." I sadly explained.

'Lemmy, it's okay. I know what it's like to be an outcast... it never feels good... so don't be upset, okay?' he asked kindly. I sniffled and wiped my eyes. No use getting upset... he's right.

"O-Okay..."

'You're strong, Lem. And you're smart, too. Remember that?'

I should... I told Iggy the same thing a while back... yeah, I remember that. I smiled and wiped my eyes.

"No more crying, Tobi. Thanks. I kinda needed that."

'Anytime, Lem. As for that amulet, I said what the Japanese letters read- here, repeat after me. Point to the first symbol on your left.'

I did, and as he read the letters, I slowly followed along. 'Aisurando noroiyaru-gun. Rongu raibu daimao kingu.'

I shook my head- that first work had me tongue tied! I laughed, though, and I realized... it really felt a lot better to laugh than to cry. Tobi was laughing with me, too, and we stopped trying to pronounce the letters together after like, the third word... I think.

'I can see you learning Japanese is gonna be a funny task, Lem! But here's what that amulet meant; Royal Troops of Ice Land. Long live the Great Demon King.'

I stopped laughing. That name didn't sound too royal...

"The... Great Demon King? You mean, my grandfather?" I was astonished, if that was the word to use for what I just heard.

The Great...Demon King? Why would he have such a name? He couldn't have been as bad as my father, right?

"Lem, if only you knew your family... to be honest, your grandfather earned that nickname. A lot of the old Royal Guards would have told you so much... everything that that creature had done to so many innocent lives... to my family... and to me and my brother..."

I paused again. "Tobi... you never told me you had a brother. Seriously, who are you?"

He was quiet for a moment, and I thought he was about to go silent on me again. I put the amulet down and was about to walk to locate this book of his when he began speaking.

"My name is Tobi Yoshida. I was one of your grandfather's guards. So was my older brother, and my only other sibling, Kenta Yoshida. Our parents were from Japanese decent, in case you're wondering about our names."

I nodded, half listening and half trying to find something with no clue of what it looked like. "I guessed as much. How old was your brother?"

Tobi hummed for a moment. "Our father enlisted Kenta when he was like... 18, I think? I was like, 14 or so, and then I was drafted in two years later."

"Really? How old were you when you passed?"

'I was just about to turn 22. My brother was 26 and my father had died of old age in battle... I don't remember how old he was, though.'

I gasped when I pulled on something cold and metal. As I tugged it out, even Tobi was left speechless... and for a second, almost breathless too.

"What on earth is this thing?"

"It's... my brother's armor. They still kept it in here all this time, huh... wow..." he said with a thoughtful tone. I just stared at the armor. It looked crazy tough and sorta... cool, in it's own rustic way.

"But anyway, yeah. Me and Kenta, we used to be fairly close, seeing as how he was my only brother and all. We lived in Grass Land- the one your brother rules over now- but there used to be a little village tucked away beneath some massive trees. It was small, not over 5000 koopas lived there. We were among that number. Our mother passed away on both of us when I was about 9. Something about natural causes, but Kenta never told me the actual story. After that day, though, he changed. See, Kenta took it beyond hard. He was just turning 13 and I knew he was really looking forward to the family celebrating his special day. After she died however, that changed everything and everyone. He was depressed and moping for weeks, and even carried a small locked my mother used to wear with some of her ashes in it."

"So you lost your mom, too..." I murmured quietly, stopping my activities so I could hear Tobi out. We really were so much alike, but how could we be so much alike he had to SAVE me? I guess I would learn soon enough.

"Yeah. My father- whom Kenta was named after, per custom in our family- REALLY took it hard. Like, Kenta was depressed. But our dad was damn near suicidal. He changed a lot after that day... and it all came on me because of it. My brother changed too."

I tilted my head. "What happened?"

"That book I was telling you to find? It's my brother's diary. He never told my mom or dad about it, but he began to keep one before she passed. At first, when he told me about it, I was skeptical. My brother was the world's most manly Koopa. He hated when people insulted his strength, his hair, or anything he felt defined his identity. Writing in a diary or journal seemed... beneath him, you know? Often times, he'd come home bloody and all scraped up, and when my parents tried to get him to stop, he wouldn't listen. Especially with my father. For some reason, those two were never really... close after she passed away. If anything it seemed like my mother was the glue that was holding us together."

I nodded; I couldn't say the same for anyone in my family...

"Don't I know the feeling. So what was your father like?"

"He was a pretty fearsome Koopa. He was bigger and taller than normal Koopas where we were from."

"You guys really lived in Grass Land? What was that like?" I failed to notice for the next five minutes I was firing a question a second, but to hear about our current kingdoms from so long ago... it was just something amazing. Something different... and something I'd never thought I'd ever learn about.

Tobi didn't seem to mind; he laughed at my curiosity, but answered everything I asked as best he could. When he was finished, he sighed.

'Long story short, my father finally admitted he blamed all of us for our mother's death. About that time, Bowser Sr. came to our village, 'looking' for new recruits for his army. By looking, I meant it was either join by force or die. My brother, father and myself were drafted, and we all made it in... kinda...'

"What do you mean 'kinda'?"

I could hear Tobi's hesitant gasp, and I could see this was gonna be a painful one to answer for him.

"Lemmy, you remember me constantly saying we had more alike than you knew? Well, our rank is the next thing. Out of all three of my family members, I had the lowest rank, and practically the lowest of all the recruits whe we were first tested for our strength. Your grandfather wanted me executed for my uselessness, but my father, the proudest koopa you'd ever meet... he begged him to spare me..."

Tobi's voice began to break, and I could tell he was trying not to totally break. "Tobi... it's okay. Take your time. You let me talk when I was ready, and now I'm letting you do the same." I said softly, completely forgetting my mission of looking for his brother's diary.

I wish Tobi was real so I could hug him and thank him for everything... or at the least, comfort him as he's always done for me. He's more of my brother than my own siblings... and now knowing what made us somewhat alike... that pull resonated in my chest, and my hand rested over my heart out of sheer reflexes.

I knew what it was like... to want to do something to show your family you're worth something, and not even be appreciated for anything... to be mistreated until you die... all because you just couldn't be like your father wanted to force you to become, for him not to love you as you are... it hurts a lot.

'I-I'm sorry. I'm not all that great at... all this opening up crap...' he sniffed. I chuckled, and decided to take a seat next to a stack of dusty boxes to rest my legs.

"It's okay. I was a crybaby since you found me, so I can handle tears. I'm guessing you and your dad's relationship didn't last long after that, huh?"

"Yeah... it went straight to shit... after him begging, pleading and I think he swore his utter alliance to him, your grandfather agreed to let me live. But I was the laughing stock of the army. I was getting bullied, picked on, beat on, the works. I tried to hide it from my family, especially my father. At first, he did show natural concern and he and my brother would often ask me what was wrong, why I was constantly limping, bleeding or scratched up or something. Finally, when I couldn't hide it anymore, I went to my father."

"What... did he do?"

Tobi chuckled wetly. "Lemmy, it was like night and day. I don't know what happened. The next thing I hear, he... calls me a pathetic son of a bitch, and blames me again because he had to reduce himself to begging to let something- not some ONE, I was a thing to him by this point- live to become a weakling. Then he yelled at me, and slapped me so hard across the face, I got a gash down my cheek."

I gasped, my hands beginning to shake. "Why would he do that to his own son?!" I almost screamed. My grandfather was a monster! And he was making others just like him... like my own father... but why?

"I don't know. But after that night, he didn't acknowledge me as his son, or even his equal. He treated me like everyone else did, so I began to turn to my brother. For awhile, he kept me safe from my father. He was in the Royal Guards for four years, and he was already one of the best in the field. No one dared messed with me because they respected and... in a small way, feared my brother. He trained me to become better instead of watching me fail, and I learned how to fight because of him, and even learned some magic moves."

I nodded. "Did... something happened between you two?"

"Sadly. I guess my father must've threatened him or something, because one day, he just stopped talking to me. Didn't say hi, barely ate with me, and when he trained me, he was just as brutal as your siblings were to you."

Tobi hummed some more, then sighed again. "I asked him... I went to him and asked him what did I ever do to him to make him treat me like this, and out of the blue no less. My brother told me that he never understood why Dad wasted time with something like me. I made him look weak and soft in front of the many followers my father had and I was a disgrace to be related to him."

I froze. "Tobi... your own brother said that to you?"

"Uh huh..."

"What did you do?"

Tobi didn't reply right away. I wondered what was so terrible he couldn't answer.

"T-Tobi...?"

"I didn't kill myself, or make any attempt to do so on my own. Instead, I spent the next three ears trying my best to please my father and his comrades. I even asked for an extremely difficult mission, one that could cost even the most seasoned warrior their life. When your grandfather asked me why I wanted it, I simply said, it's time for me to grow up. I never told my brother or my father what I was planning to do."

"You were going to fight until you died... and this way, they would see you died as a warrior... and maybe give you a little respect..." I mumbled in awe before he could finish. Tobi smirked.

"Hmph. You're right. And the end that didn't end up happening."

"Why?"

"That particular afternoon, before the day of the mission, I got word that me, my brother and my father were to go see your grandfather. Apparently, one of the Royal Guards of Giant Land got some odd message that we were planning to overthrow him, and we were all ordered to be executed on the spot. Mind you, it was nothing more than a prank gone bad, and told him it was possible there was a misunderstanding. I tried to explain that to your grandfather."

"It doesn't sound like he believed you..."

"He didn't believe ME. He felt the reason I took on this mission was something akin to a cover up while whatever plan I supposedly cooked up to kill him would occur. But when I explained that my father and brother were innocent, he instantly freed them. I was taken to the dungeon... I'll never forget that place..."

I shuddered. "Was it like ours now?"

'Worse. Literally speaking, the walls were splattered with blood and you could just smell how may koopas were dead and rotting in there... my first few nights I lost my mind because I thought I was being haunted and stalked by... the darkness... I hated being alone in the dark. I was physically tortured for almost a month. I swore to you, a lot of the time I wanted them to kill me... Stars, everything... my body would be in so much pain, honestly, it hurt just to think. My body was beyond broken- they broke both my legs, my arm, a few ribs, and my hand. Emotionally, oh I knew I was a lost cause. I was shattered beyond repair.'

"Why didn't you fight them anyways? They were just servants, weren't they?"

Tobi fell silent once again, but his breathing began to hitch. Maybe I pushed him too far talking about all this... these memories are painful to him and I should know that...

'... no. It... It was my family... they did it to me. More specifically... my brother. It was like he lost himself over the four years he was a Royal Guard. Every year he grew worse, and even then, my father couldn't stop him. '

"... they hurt you, too... they broke you..." I muttered as if I was lost in a trance. We really were similar... we were betrayed by those who were supposed to love us as we are... no matter how weak we may be.

'Yeah...'

We both sat in silence for a long bit. I thought about everything Tobi just told me. How could our family be so paranoid and cruel to turn family on each other? What was wrong with my family?

"You know something? I wished I could have been brave like you were, Tobi." I said quietly.

"You... I'm sorry, you what now? I'm not brave, Lemmy. But what made you say that?"

I looked at my arms and legs, and then tenderly touched my eye patch. "I was pathetic, more so than you wish to believe. Well frankly, I'm a coward. Seeing what I did to myself and how little it helped ease my own pain, it... it truly shows how bad of a person I am. I tried to kill myself, and used my own body as an outlet just so I wouldn't have to feel anything anymore."

I looked stright into space as I spoke, not really sure if Tobi had said anything to my previous statement. "But you kept going, even when the army despised you, even when your father and brother eventually turned and betrayed you... you kept going, until you finally couldn't do anything about it. I was always weak, but you... you're strong..."

I stood up, and dusted myself off. "That's why I'll find your brother's diary. You deseve to know the answers you were never given. You deserve to be resting in peace, and maybe... somehow, you can bring your own family back together. You still have a chance to live, Tobi. And I... I have to make sure that happens. " I felt determined to do this.

Tobi Yoshida was by far the bravest Koopa I could ever hope to meet... even if he was dead. If he was willing to help a hopeless thing like me... he's someone who deserves peace himself.

"L-Lemmy... thank you... you crazy kid..." I could hear his smile again, and I smiled too.

I spent the next... well, honestly I don't know how long I was in that library. I just tore the place apart, using strength I didn't even know I had. Taking books off shelves, tossing and turning boxes, crates, cases, all for the sake of a dear friend who lived in my head.

It sounded insane, but it was true... Tobi was my dear friend.

Just as I was about to shove a random chest over to look behind it, Tobi spoke up. "Lemmy, wait!"

"Huh?"

"That chest; open that chest! It belonged to Kenta...'

"How do you know that?"

"his symbol's on it. Trust me. Please open that chest, Lem. Its my brother's...'

I looked at the chest in front of me. It was gold with copper lining around it, and had a leather flap, on which a lock half rusted dangled to and fro. I pulled it off and examined the symbol he was referring to.

The symbol looked... demonic. It was fastened behind the place where that rusted lock should've been. I reached out to touch it, and quickly yanked my hand back.

It even FELT demonic! It had a deep red and black color, with white teeth on it. I guessed the red on it was blood... it kinda creeped me out. "Tobi... what was going on with your brother... his chest feels so... dirty and wrong..."

'I... I don't know. I really didn't know my brother after we were all in your grandfather's army. He became a whole new koopa. But he's hiding something in there. I know he is."

I shrugged, and popped the dusty thing opened. There was nothing but faded yellow papers, notes and letters, and a pair of coppertone gloves. Under the gloves was something that caught my attention.

I picked it up. It looked like a book; the cover was red and black, the back, copper. The flap that should have been on it was loose, and the lock, missing. But looking inside gave the name away.

"Kenta Yoshida... Tobi, I found your brother's diary..." I breathed, staring at the handwriting in front of me.

'Y-You... holy crap, you did it... you may of just saved us all...' Tobi breathed in amazement. I had a feeling he was looking at his brother's diary with me, staring at a simple notebook that housed all his brother's inner thoughts, emotions and ideas.

"A-Are you sure we should open it? Even if he's dead, this is still his private life... we should put it back..." I was quick to chicken out but at the same time curiosity was seriously NAGGING at my mind.

What was Kenta like? Did he know more about my grandfather and what made him change? Better yet, WHY did he change? And why did he and my father enjoying abusing those they found to be 'weak' rather than making them stronger? I really want to open it...

"LEMMY! What are you doing in here?!"

I almost had a heart attack and slowly turned around, my body slightly trembling and my heart damn near jumping out of my plastron. Tobi must've felt my fear, because he commented on the sudden yelling.

'Damn, man! I almost had a heart attack in here, and I'm already dead! What the- Oh. Ah crap, Lem... I think we've got a problem...'

"No kidding..." I mumbled under my breath as I stared at the person standing in the doorway. That was the LAST thing I needed him to see and I might just get in trouble for doing this... crap.

And done with this chapter! I'm starting to realize that my chapters are getting longer and longer because I never used to write them this long... I like it!

Once again, I apologize and I am back on schedule, as in the next chapter will be posted by the 29th of this month. Thank you all for kicking my butt once again and I hope this chapter was worth your wait!

Review, PM, advice, all is accepted and asked for!

Until next chapter!