Author's Note: Well, here you go. TL;DR ahead.

I rushed the ending and therefore don't like it much at the present moment. However, I need sleep... and if I hate it in the morning, I'll rewrite some parts of it. It contains a lot of bawwing, shouting, Snake angsting, and lots of OOC-ness in general. But it's not humorous. Far from it.

This is the last really depressing chapter I'm going to write in this collection. Sure, there still will be angst, sadness and anger, but never a whole chapter or two-part devoted to it alone. It will also be Snake's last real proper encounter with Mario.

Bleh, I can't spell at the moment.

"So..."

Just why did we come here?

Mario had somehow managed to drag the mercenary away from the corridors, away from the crowds of Smashers, and they were now standing in front of a hotel suite. It was located on a floor that Snake seldom visited - the fifth floor - and he was about to enter unfamiliar territory. Luigi had been in Snake's suite many times, but because of Mario's constant presence, the mercenary himself had never been inside the brothers' suite before. But he was standing in front of that suite right now; oh, this wasn't going to be good...

"Come in." Mario said quietly. Without Snake noticing, he had swiped the keycard on the door and was holding it open for him to enter. Snake nodded wordlessly, walking slowly inside and closing the door behind him. "I suppose you're wondering what I want to talk about and what's it all got to do with you."

"More wondering about your sudden attitude change, I admit." The mercenary's reply came out sharper and more accusing than intended. Mario flinched, but didn't retaliate or otherwise try to contradict this statement - he would have been mercilessly shot down anyway even if he'd tried to do so. Mario had been extremely hostile and distrusting of Snake before, and the mercenary wasn't about to forget the two arguments they'd had before that easily.

But then, why was he here? Why in the brothers' suite out of all places? They could have gone to any old place, or any vacant arena - Green Greens, Warioware. Inc, or even Shadow Moses Island would have been enough. Snake looked around the suite, familiarizing himself with the place.

The suite was rather elaborate, with black wallpaper markings, contrasted to the mercenary's grey, one-colour, bland-looking rooms. There was a small fridge in the corner, a counter with a coffee machine, a wooden bread-bin and a cookie jar. There was a bathroom - standard size - in the far side of the suite, and two bedrooms led out from the main living area. One was furnished with red, the other with green, matching the favourite colours of the occupants. The door to the green bedroom was halfway open, and Snake glanced inside to see that the bed covers, sheets, and even the curtains were made of lush green velvet. The red-clad plumber didn't fail to notice the mercenary's eyes wandering, and narrowed his eyes somewhat, but he didn't protest.

"Good colour scheme." Snake complimented, attempting to break the silence. "Say... where's Luigi?"

Uh-oh.

"Luigi's due in for a battle-royal brawl with Falco, Captain Falcon and Pikachu and plans attend a Classic Brawl as a spectator after that. It's the Intense Challenge he's watching, so he'll be a while." Mario answered quietly, with no obvious change to his tone. "I would rather not have him present in this suite while we talk."

"And what is it that you want to talk about?"

"You." Mario replied, staring directly into Snake's eyes. "And your relationship to my brother."

Snake felt his temper going almost out of control; how dare he do this? How could Mario just set him up here, look at him eye to eye and talk as if nothing of much importance had happened between them? Had the red-clad plumber forgotten the arguments, the resentful, hatred-filled glances, the occasional glares that they had thrown at each other during brawls? And the whole talk was about Luigi, the person who mattered the most in the end, just because he was Mario's brother. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, forcing himself to keep his cool.

"If you're in any way indicating that I have harmed him, either physically or mentally, then I must protest-"

"I'm not saying you harmed Luigi, Snake."

"Well, what then?"

"You... confused him." Mario said quietly, his eyes closed, partly turned away from Snake. "Before he met you, he would never question anything much. He wouldn't think about our parents all the time, nor would he actually show any signs of being sad about them. I know he was sad, I know he missed Brooklyn very much indeed - because I felt the same as him. Sometimes I would just open the door and walk out, believing that if I walked along our pathway and down the road I might be able to find that green pipe again to take us home. But... he... he never would voice it, and he had his emotions relatively under control."

"Until you came along."

"You opened his eyes. Exposed him to ideas that he'd hardly thought about before. Luigi's happy with you, I admit that. Happier than I can ever make him by myself." Mario turned around and gave the mercenary a sad smile. "But... but you also made him think about all the sadness we've experienced in the past... and now he can't stop dwelling on it. Especially at Visitors' Day. That brought Mr. L out that night."

"Again?" Snake quickly looked around to see if the door was safely locked and there was no one else about. No one else needed to know about Mr. L - the Smashers would never stop showering Luigi with pity and distrust if they ever knew, and Snake knew all too well that the younger Mario brother would never be able to take the pressure. "Does anyone know about this?"

Mario shook his head, although he still looked unhappy. "Only Dr. Mario, me... and now you. The Princess knows about the outbreaks that sometimes occur, but she doesn't know about that one. And it was a surprisingly quiet transformation, even I say so myself - he just sat there, only pushing me away whenever I tried to go near, and didn't try to attack me at all. Luigi's never looked so depressed before. Dr. Mario had to sedate him nevertheless, because he's so unpredictable."

"How unpredictable? Bad enough that you don't know whether he's going to stand there one second, or lunge at someone with a knife?"

"That was a quite close guess. You don't know how bad those outbreaks are." Mario pulled back a sleeve, right up until his shoulder was revealed, and Snake could see (with a faint kind of horror) that various deep scratches had marked his flesh. The cuts looked quite old - but still ominous, still too visible, and what's more, they were simply too deep to heal. Mario would never lose them even if he lived another century. "Luigi... during his Mr. L attacks... can be extremely violent. It doesn't matter to him what he fights with - he can be so strong that it's unbelievable. Fingernails weren't enough, so he once got a knife from somewhere - I should think the kitchen - and did this a few months ago. Luckily Dr. Mario came to stop him." He chuckled darkly, and let his sleeve drop again. "It reminded me... of how clever and ruthless he can be in such a short amount of time. That wasn't senseless violence. Mr. L had planned it all. And that makes him even more dangerous."

"So he has indeed developed a conscience of his own." Snake noted calmly, but the look of shock was still there.

"Mr. L would be able to completely take over Luigi if given the right conditions and the materials." The red-clad plumber replied. "He's a highly competent mechanic. Able to build robots and various machinery with a few scraps, I daresay - I didn't know Luigi had those powers inside him. It was all so unexpected when I encountered him in that state for the first time."

The soldier tapped his foot, beginning to feel a little impatient. "Are we here to talk about Mr. L, or Luigi? I'd appreciate it if we could focus on the real issue." The truth was that he didn't really feel comfortable talking any more about Luigi's alter-ego. Dr. Mario had told him enough and he didn't want any more repeated details. Mario looked at him for one long while, and then dropped his gaze.

"But that's what I'm talking about when I say you confused him." The red-clad plumber said, his gaze still fixed on the carpet. "Ever since you became his friend... his outbreaks... they've become more severe. More long-lasting. And he began to target me specifically when he became Mr. L, when before he would simply attack any person in the way. Mr. L's targets and whomever he despises is all based on who Luigi doesn't like... so the past few months haven't been good for me at all."

"Are you saying that it's my fault?"

"Partly." Mario replied blankly. "I can't blame you for wanting to know about Luigi and our family history. Anyone would have done the same and you weren't exactly expecting the consequences to be this way. But what I can't stand is that... Luigi has some kind of hate for me and it's grown since he met you. It's obvious."

Mario turned away, his head bent and one hand holding his forehead. "He's always been rather withdrawn, shy, quiet... always in my shadow... I was aware of that and I tried to give him the credit he deserved, but he's never quite received the admiration and support he needs. Either that or I haven't tried enough. But no matter what the reason is, it's still partly my fault... and I knew that he always felt that he was second best."

Snake fixed his gaze upon Mario's back. "And did you do anything about it?"

"I probably didn't do enough."

"I'm not asking if you 'probably' did something enough times or didn't. I'm asking you whether you actively did anything and whether it worked."

Mario sighed. "...I don't know, Snake. I can't-"

The mercenary's suppressed anger, frustration and fury just burst out of him at that moment.

"Stop going around in circles!" He shouted, clenching his fists so tightly that he soon recoiled, wincing at the pain. He'd dug bleeding half-moons into his palm, but he soon bit back the pain and looked up at Mario. "Stop making excuses for yourself! Did you do anything to give Luigi what he deserved and needed or did you not? Or did you even care? It's a yes-or-no question, for God's sake!" He briefly stopped, breathing heavily. "Jesus! Is that so god-damn hard?"

The red-clad plumber turned around slowly after a few moments of stony silence; what the mercenary saw silenced him.

Mario was crying.

Snake stared, backing away slightly - he had never seen Mario sniffle or shed a tear before, let alone break down and weep. It was, frankly, alarming. Had he really gone too far? The red-clad plumber fell on his knees, his hat slipping off his head and dropping onto the ground; but the man hardly seemed to notice, and clenched his eyes shut.

"I... I know I didn't do much at all..." He whispered. "And perhaps... I even enjoyed that fact that I was in the limelight all the time and not Luigi. Whenever I wanted him to express that he cared for me, loved me - I forced him to do that by ignoring him for lengthy periods of time and not paying him enough attention. And God knows, Luigi's anything but foolish. He noticed the pattern after a few times, and although he never said anything, I could tell that he was tired. Of me and my moods. No wonder he found a more comforting figure in you than me, and barely a month after the tournament began..."

The mercenary shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Well... I... but surely he can't hate you, he's too gentle... too kind..."

Mario took a deep, shuddering breath. "That's just what you think. It'll all become obvious when you see him in his deranged state, trying to attack and hurt me as much as possible - he harbours some kind of intense hatred for me and it's all my fault. I've been pushing him away repeatedly for years and years. Why do you think that Mr. L's so obsessed with hurting me? Why do you think he can use the Negative Zone to his advantage? Both are representations of his inner fears and resentment. Whenever I get caught in the Zone I hear him condemning me, telling me that I've messed everything up... it's enough to make me want to kill myself. I can't even talk about it with him because he doesn't know he's doing it. Luigi might not voice the hatred he feels for me, he might not even think about it during the day - but it's still there and I can't stand it."

Snake stayed silent, but sympathy and guilt had entered his eyes, and he was trembling slightly. Seeing the red-clad man so broken, so depressed gave him a strange, odd feeling - almost like satisfaction, but more towards regret and remorse. If he had talked about Luigi with Mario from their very first (unpleasant) encounter, and if he had gone after the plumber that day, would this have happened?

"...It's Luigi who matters the most in the end, right?" The mercenary finally said, his voice low and quiet. "I wouldn't... ever want to make him unhappy. He means so much to me."

"I know... but... stay away from Luigi. Please." Mario choked out, his tears dripping onto the ground. "Just... stay away from him. I don't want him to be hurt any further. I only want him to be happy, at least for the remainder of this tournament. Don't... put any more thoughts or ideas into his head. Don't make him hate me any more. Don't touch him. Please... just... stay away."

"Do you wish to stay here, Mr. Snake? Shadow Moses Island will not be used again today."

"I'm staying for a while... leave the doors unlocked, R.O.B."

"Certainly." The robot bowed and wheeled away, presumably to sweep away the snow lying on the ground. Snake sighed and jumped up to the very top platform, where he and Luigi had made their secret hideaway, and pulled a cardboard box over himself. After a full day of confusing encounters and not-entirely-pleasant conversations about the younger Mario brother, the mercenary certainly felt that he needed some space to himself. The box helped him to think clearly, because there was nothing inside it with him that was distracting.

What am I going to do now?

He could do with a smoke first. Snake pulled out a small packet from his trouser pockets, checking inside the crumpled packet for any cigarettes that might be left. There was one, although it did look like it had seen better days; that was probably what came from carrying the packet around with him so long. No matter. It would do. He put the cigarette in his mouth and pulled out a lighter, flicking the wheel with his thumb.

It didn't light up.

Wondering why this was so, Snake tried again. There was a faint spark, but nothing more. That was certainly odd. Had he emptied the lighter of its fuel before? The soldier gazed at the lighter, shaking it lightly to hear if there was anything inside. No sound came - it was out of fuel.

"Oh yeah..." He shook his head and murmured to himself, a sad little smile gracing his face. Snake had taken a vow to give up smoking, and had emptied his lighter a few weeks prior, because he knew that nobody in the tournament really approved of his smoking habits. Especially Meta Knight and Luigi.

Funny one, that plumber. He could make Snake do the most illogical things, and sometimes didn't even have to directly influence the mercenary to do so. He smiled again, and put away the cigarette, thinking of Luigi.

So now that smoking was out of the question, what else could he do?

"Luigi..." He murmured to himself, thinking about the strange day he'd had. He'd once thought that the younger Mario brother didn't keep secrets from him and was wholly honest, but he'd been proved wrong. Of course, he couldn't blame Luigi. If it had been Snake who'd gone through the same things, he would have done exactly the same thing. He sighed, leaning back on the interior of the box and closing his eyes.

Mario had asked - no, practically begged - Snake to stay away from Luigi. Snake normally would have just dismissed this as Mario's way to keep him at a distance, but this time he couldn't just leave it at that. The red-clad plumber hadn't looked like he'd been lying when he said that the Mr. L outbreaks had become more severe as the months went by. And the soldier knew that he definitely had influenced Luigi during all that time, sometimes even talking badly about Mario with him present; so was it really his fault, then? He didn't know, but couldn't help thinking that he was at least partly to blame for the younger Mario brother's condition.

And the solution to that?

Keep away from Luigi, as Mario had asked.

But then Snake recalled Dr. Mario's words - You can't afford to fight, upset or otherwise hurt Luigi more - and sighed again. Would Luigi be hurt and upset if Snake announced that he was going to keep away from him from now on? Luigi meant a lot to Snake - but the mercenary didn't know if he meant a lot to Luigi. He didn't even know if the green-clad plumber would care. Dr. Mario had said that he trusted Snake, and the during the times the two spent together, the mercenary had been convinced that Luigi did indeed trust and like him very much. Yet he knew too well how people could be so deceptive and cruel.

Besides, he didn't like the fact that he'd made Mario extremely depressed. The red-clad plumber had never been too fond of him, and he had never been too fond of Mario either, but seeing him like that was quite a painful experience. Every single Smasher in the hotel was an ally, no matter if they were particularly antisocial or not, and Snake had left the brothers' suite hours ago with a somewhat sick feeling in his stomach. Mario and he had established and agreed on the fact that Luigi was the one that mattered, but not much else; in fact, after the plumber's breakdown, Snake had looked at him for a while and then left without a word. He'd had simply no idea what the hell else to do.

A soft whistling sounded from outside, interrupting his chain of extremely messed-up, confused thoughts. Great. Just the one person he didn't feel like seeing. Snake could hear the familiar footsteps making their way to the top platform, the sounds occasionally disappearing as the owner of the footsteps jumped upwards. Eventually, the footsteps grew louder and louder - until they were right next to his box. The mercenary stayed absolutely still, giving no indication that he'd heard anything.

"Good evening!" The owner of the footsteps said cheerfully, not noticing or ignoring the fact that Snake was unusually silent. He must have either won many brawls, or had won a lot of coins in the spectator gallery - Snake could hear coins jangling in the other's pockets as he moved down to lift a corner of the box up.

What now? He closed his eyes for one brief moment, thinking about the various events that had happened that day - and made his choice.

He stuck his fingers underneath the lifted up portion of the box, and slammed it down again, denying access.

"Huh?" The voice exclaimed, surprised and bewildered. "Snake? It's me, Luigi! Let me in!"

God, Luigi... I'm so sorry...

"Luigi... I don't think I can see you anymore." Snake replied from within the box, suddenly finding those words extremely difficult to say; the sentences flowed out in an awkward rush, but he couldn't well stop now. "After the Mr. L incident... I've been thinking... and I realized that I've been a nuisance to your relationship with your brother, your emotions, everything... So I think that for this last month we really should stop seeing each other."

"...Is there something wrong? Did Mario say something to you?" Luigi asked from outside, his voice soft as usual, although he did sound hurt and confused. "Is that it?"

Why did everyone know what the mercenary had been doing that day? Mario had made a few references to Dr. Mario during their onesided conversation, and Luigi was talking about Mario in turn. It was as if everyone except for Snake himself knew what was going on in his mind, and he just couldn't stand it. Snake clenched his fists, and did not give a reply.

"That's right, isn't it? Snake, please let me in! I don't care what Mario says! You're my best friend and nothing he says is going to change that!"

Snake sighed. "...Don't make this any harder. Please. And you shouldn't... talk about Mario like that. He's still your brother."

Silence.

"...So let me get this straight." The green-clad plumber said, drawing the words out slowly and painfully. "You're perfectly content with me being out here, not even allowed into the box, not even allowed to talk nor interact with you... after all the months we spent, all the things we did together? You'd better give me a proper answer, Snake, because you didn't give me any time to prepare for your sudden change nor have explained yourself."

"That's not what I said nor what I meant - I just want you to build up your relationship with Mario again, I've been rather onesided and cruel to him for a time... I know that since you've met me and we became friends, your outbreaks have become severe. Dr. Mario told me so. And Mario is, after all, your brother. It's family before friends."

Another bout of silence. Snake was just beginning to think that the plumber had given up and had left the Shadow Moses arena quietly, when something happened - that he'd never expected from Luigi in a million years.

"Fine!" Luigi suddenly shouted, slamming one fist on the cardboard box. Snake froze, his eyes widening despite himself; he definitely hadn't expected this. Tears, maybe - but not fury. "Fine! Be like that! You just stay in there, then, while I go back to the hotel and never speak a word to you again. If it was going to end up this way, why didn't you push me away that first day when we met here? Fine, it's finished, you can do whatever you want by yourself - and you can go to hell for all I care!"

He was angry.

Luigi never got angry.

"Why don't you stop worrying about my supposed 'poor relationship' with Mario and start thinking about what you're doing to me right now? Are you going to spend your time here and onwards just cooped up within yourself, Snake? Are you? Without company, without friends... without-" Luigi's voice suddenly faltered, his anger dissipating as soon as it had flared up. "without... me..."

Snake said nothing.

"Are you... going to live like that, Snake? Hiding away from people... all your life?" The younger Mario brother whispered, sliding down to kneel in front of the box. Snake could faintly see a flash of green outside, visible only because of the finger holes in the box; Luigi was right in front of him, facing him - it was just that the box was getting in the way. Snake bit his lip, not knowing what to do. As much as he wanted to do so, he just didn't dare lift up the box and look the other man in the eyes.

"...Is that so wrong, Luigi?"

Luigi closed his eyes, slumping down in despair and sadness. There was simply no more anger in him anymore, and he was already regretting his quick-tempered action. He bit his lower lip, trying not to cry, feeling confused and abandoned - what was going on?

The mercenary wasn't feeling much better even though Luigi was now silent. In fact, he felt worse - what had he done? He'd upset the younger Mario brother again, when he had clearly wanted the opposite. Why did he have to do this so god-damn often? Even Visitors' Day... the Mr. L incident... he'd always managed to make Luigi feel worthless and tearful, although he had never intended it so. And now he had done it again.

He couldn't do this. He just couldn't. Maybe Luigi was right and he was better off living underneath this box, unnoticed by people, never socializing with people he'd only end up hurting.

But then, why did the younger Mario brother stand by his side? Why would he still care for Snake, give him little tokens of his appreciation and friendship, and cuddle up to him whenever he was feeling down when it was obvious that the soldier had hurt him multiple times? Why did he still trust Snake? Luigi was almost too innocent in that sense, because he'd given the mercenary his complete trust and care - remaining oblivious to the times that Snake had made him feel terrible, and expecting nothing back.

Just what did the younger Mario brother want? Snake took a deep breath, trying to ease his thoughts. It was now or never.

"What do want from me?" Snake asked quietly, hoping that the younger Mario brother would answer. "What do you want from me, Luigi? I'm just a mercenary. I haven't got anything to give to you. And I've been a obstacle in you and Mario's relationship. Wouldn't it be better if I was out of the way?"

"It doesn't matter if you haven't got anything." Luigi's soft, broken voice answered. "And despite what Mario says, it's not you that keeps on bringing Mr. L to the surface. I don't care. It just doesn't matter. All I want is to be inside this box with you while we talk."

Snake didn't reply.

"I need you, Snake." Luigi whispered, sounding as if he was trying to keep himself from sobbing. "Let me in. Please. Please."

Ask Luigi what he wants, Snake. And give it to him.

But would he really be able to give Luigi what he wanted? Nevertheless, Snake stayed immobile for another second, and then slowly moved forwards, pressing the exterior of the cardboard box onto Luigi's body and wordlessly lifting a corner; the green-clad plumber stayed where he was, so the mercenary moved again and placed the box snugly on top of them both, enveloping them in welcoming darkness.

Once inside, the soldier quietly shuffled a distance away, uncomfortable and feeling guilty for upsetting the other man. Luigi said nothing, nor did he appear to notice, but he sniffed a few times, even wiping his eyes. The silence lasted around three minutes.

"I'm sorry." Snake broke the silence first, his voice filled with regret. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. I only... wanted the best for you, Luigi."

"No, I'm the one who's sorry!" Luigi blurted out, sounding tearful. "Oh God... I didn't mean to get angry, Snake, I didn't mean to! I shouldn't have said all those things-"

"-and neither should have I." The mercenary finished the sentence, and opened his arms, swallowing a thick feeling in his throat. "Come here, you... I haven't hugged you in ages..."

Although he couldn't actually see Snake, Luigi still knew what he meant and crept forwards, collapsing in his arms and holding onto him. He hadn't been hugged so tightly in a long time; he closed his eyes and buried his head onto the mercenary's shoulder, seeking comfort and warmth.

"Luigi," Snake sighed, feeling as if he would burst into tears at any moment, and clutched the younger Mario brother tighter. "Oh, Luigi, why do I do this to you?"

The green-clad plumber looked up at him. He wasn't angry at Snake anymore, and nor had the mercenary been particularly horrible; Luigi had simply been shocked and confused at the other's sudden change. It wasn't as if Snake had hurt him physically, and he didn't grasp the soldier's meaning at first. "What do you mean?"

"Think about the times we've talked. When you told me a little more about yourself - like Visitors' Day for example." Snake inhaled deeply. This was going to be hard, but he had to say it. "I've... always managed to make you feel absolutely horrible. I shouldn't have pried into those things, they weren't even my business - I should have left you alone!"

"But Snake," The green-clad plumber answered, still feeling rather muddled. "you're someone I can really talk to. If not you, then who else? Most of that stuff Mario already knows, and it's just not the same talking to him-"

"See, that's what I'm talking about! I like talking to you, Luigi, but I can't replace your brother. If you can't talk or sort out anything with him, you've got a problem."

The younger Mario brother looked down, his expression rather shifty, and didn't reply.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Snake persisted. "You've always told me everything first during the time of the Brawl tournament. Not Mario."

"But I don't feel comfortable with Mario." Luigi confessed, sounding rather downhearted albeit relieved at the same time. "I've always been the younger brother. Second best. No matter how hard I tried, Mario was always in the way. I don't want to push him out of the way. I don't even want to be the next superstar of the Mushroom Kingdom. All I want is to not play second fiddle to my brother all the time. When I talk to him... I don't feel that he'll understand." He sighed heavily. "It's always 'Mario's younger brother' 'King of Second Bananas' or simply 'Greenie' when it comes to me. It's not fair! Why can't I be just who I am? Why can't I be... why can't I be just Luigi?"

"But you are." Snake answered. "You're not just Mario's younger brother. More than that. You're Luigi, who's got an individual personality and not a copy of Mario's. That makes you a totally different human being."

"Yet when I was in the previous two tournaments, I was given and told to use attack moves that was similar to my brother's. I was even treated as a clone once." Luigi shuddered, now recalling another memory from the depths of his subconscious. "When we first came here... in the Brawl tournament... Wolf made a bet with Mario that he would be able to pass the Mushroomy Kingdom arena faster than him. And you know that Wolf is at least twice as fast as Mario. So my brother lost that bet, although he knew the stage better, and he had to give up his hat to Wolf for the rest of the day. He just strutted around like that all evening and do you know what he said when he saw me?"

"What?"

Luigi dropped his gaze. "He looked at Mario... and said 'It's tough being a hero, isn't it? Why, you've even got a fake right here.'"

Snake's eyes turned ice cold at the statement, and he tensed up. The younger Mario brother noticed this sudden hostility, and looked up nervously. "Look, Snake... it was a long time ago. And he apologized in the end. It's just that... when he said it... I felt... sad. Like I really couldn't belong. Some of the newcomers were staring at me too, because I look so pale-skinned and weak compared to Mario. I wasn't much to look at even then. Just someone you look at once, think about for a second and forget instantly. That first week was hell for me."

"You're not just a mere carbon copy of Mario. You're taller, skinnier - and I don't know about the other two tournaments, but I can quite clearly see that you and your brother have different moves. That, coupled with a distinct personality of your own, makes you who you are. Not your status as Mario's brother."

"But the veterans... they're not going to forget my cloned moves from the previous tournaments that easily. And what about me still behind Mario's shadow?"

"It doesn't matter, Luigi. It doesn't matter one little bit." Snake said quietly. "True is true."

Silence reigned supreme for a while.

"What do you feel now?"

"You've turned the whole experience around for me. Meta Knight... Kirby... Jigglypuff... Captain Falcon and Captain Olimar... they're all great friends, but you were the turning point." Luigi suddenly smiled, his smile so bright and so sincere that it quite silenced the mercenary. "...And I'm thankful. Really."

"Even though I've hurt you?" Snake replied. "Even though I've made you rethink your past and forced you to retell things you'd rather have kept to yourself?"

"If you hadn't, Snake, who knows what might have happened to me?" Luigi lost his smile, and looked straight into the soldier's eyes, meeting his gaze directly. He wouldn't have been able to do that by himself mere weeks ago. "Mr. L might have come out to take my anger out on anything I could find... or I could have gone insane myself."

Another bout of silence.

"So is that what you want from me?" Snake asked quietly. "A person to stand by you, listen and talk to you... someone who treats you as Luigi?"

Luigi nodded.

"...Is that all you want? You're wanting surprisingly little, if I may say so."

"That's all I want. And I want you to promise me that you aren't going to abandon me. Or lock me out. I want your word." The pronounced the last few words with absolute desperation, clinging to the mercenary tightly. "Snake... I was scared this evening when you wouldn't let me in. I was actually scared. I thought I had done something wrong and you were angry at me. Don't do that to me ever again."

"I promise." Snake murmured soothingly, stroking the younger Mario brother's hair with gentleness. "I'll stay with you... things can go on as they've been before... and I'm not going to hurt you any more. I won't pry into what isn't my business unless you really need someone to talk to. I really do mean it, Luigi, and I'll stand by you."

"What about Mr. L?" Luigi asked softly, pressing himself closer to the other, suddenly feeling choked up. Did Snake really mean that? "What about him? Can you promise the same, when I'll become unstable and senselessly violent at those times? What if I end up injuring you-"

"That doesn't matter." The mercenary answered. "After all, no matter what's happened now... Mr. L is still a part of you. And I really do like you, Luigi... all of you. There's no need to hide from me. I've accepted you as who you are, and my promises extend to Mr. L too. Remember - if I do get hurt, it still won't matter because it's you. Just you."

Luigi smiled faintly, hot tears spilling down his cheeks as he closed his eyes and nestled deeper into the mercenary's chest. Snake really wasn't lying - he was being perfectly honest and true, and Luigi had never appreciated it more. As he did so, and felt Snake's arms wrap around him, he felt something ease within his heart; he had never experienced more comfort in all those months prior to that moment, and he let out a quiet sob as he broke down and cried.

"Shh." Snake murmured gently. "Don't upset yourself."

"I'm sorry. I'm hopeless. I always cry."

"If you hadn't cried at Visitors' Day you would have never managed to feel better. Instead you would have become violent and wouldn't have known what you were doing. You saved yourself, Luigi. And like I said before, it's all right to cry. Tears heal."

The younger Mario brother smiled and held Snake as if he would never let go. It was late evening now, but now he was happy, truly happy, and he didn't want to be separated from this man who genuinely cared for him.

Maybe he came first with Snake.

Meanwhile, outside the cardboard box - and standing beside the left-side pillar - was Mario, who had followed Luigi. He had heard the entirety of the conversation. As wicked and cruel as he'd felt, he'd felt a secret stab of joy when Luigi lost his temper with Snake; but then, as he listened to the duo's conversation inside the box, something inside of him weakened.

Smiling sadly, he turned around and walked silently out of the arena, only looking back once to see the unmoving box.

If that was your choice, Luigi... what you needed... I won't argue anymore.

After all... you matter the most, right?

If you're happy, then I am.

Once he was out of the arena, he looked up at the darkening skies, the sun setting lazily in the horizon. The red-clad plumber looked back at the arena for the last time, fixed his hat and began making his way back to the hotel, deciding to wait until Luigi returned to the suite. Snake and Luigi needed time to talk over things more, and he would give it to them for his brother's sake.

He would.