Author's Note: Alrighty, it's now the real ending of 'Within the Cardboard Box' I've been talking about so often. Yes, this is now the end. When a story goes on for a while, it tends to lose its charm a little. I wanted to end this collection on a note that would satisfy the readers and not drag it out unnecessarily. The whole story, with now more than thirty chapters, would have lost much of its surreal, sometimes overly fluffy charm and originality if I went on for much longer. So this is where it ends.

I do hope you won't be disappointed though - because the ending is actually a two-part. Yes, by doing that, I broke my promise I made back in the 'Birthday Picnic' chapters, I realize that. x.x However, I couldn't leave you all with a massive TL;DR of an ending full of bawwedness. That would just kind of be bad to the story. And I've kept you waiting for two weeks. So what I'm giving you is a massive TL;DR two-part full of bawwedness. Fun times.

GHEY GHEY GHEY alert. But no actual couple relationship. Snake and Luigi don't suddenly burst into tears, kiss and become a couple, nor do they become one at all. That will never happen in the ending, or the epilogue. But there are so many hints in this chapter I found myself facepalming at the end. I mean... to be spoileric... they dance. x.x Non-yaoi fans might find that while this chapter does not contain pairing love, it may be a little off what you expect and intensify your disgust for me. x.x I was partly afraid to put up this chapter, but then decided that as WtCB is a very versatile story collection, nearly anything goes.

Read on... the next part will be up when I fill in all the gaps.

"Snake!" Luigi's voice cried from above. "Help me!"

The mercenary, who had been carefully sorting out Luigi's trophy collection into boxes - ready to send them off ahead of the Smashers' individual luggage - instantly dropped the Cook Kirby trophy on the soft carpeted floor and sprinted out of the room. He found Luigi curled up and whimpering in the stairway, a Boo cackling above him.

"Get out, you!" Snake tried to wave away the Boo, but it merely bent down with its short stumpy arms over its face, blushing. The mercenary sighed and reached for his handgun, although he knew that it wouldn't actually harm the Boo itself - but it turned and quickly drifted down the corridor, deciding that the mercenary was too much effort to handle. Glad that he didn't have to deal with it - Boos, despite their initial plump and cute appearance, were absolutely horrible to take care of - he then turned to the still-cowering plumber. "Luigi? You all right?"

"Oh, Snake!" Luigi leapt up and then clung tightly to the mercenary, who appeared to be startled by the sudden action. "I-I'm sorry... but that Boo was so scary!"

Snake would have contradicted this any other day, because he knew that Luigi was all too aware that Boos were not scary once their presence was used to. But he noticed that as the day they had to say goodbye drew near, Luigi had been clinging to him more and more often; so rather than break the other's spirits even more, he simply nodded and held the other tight. The green-clad plumber nuzzled into his arms and shut his eyes tightly, still trembling.

"It's all right, Luigi. It's gone now." Snake coaxed softly, the way that one would comfort a child, gently patting the other man on the back. Luigi glanced up with fearful eyes and gazed around his surroundings; only when he had assured himself that the Boo wasn't around did he let go of Snake.

"Sorry about that," the green-clad plumber said. "I guess... maybe... it wasn't so bad after all. It's just that I get so scared."

The soldier smiled at him, and turned around in the direction he came from. "Well, you're all right now. I better get back to packing the trophies. I've done most of them."

"I'll come too." Luigi said, following him through the corridor, wincing lightly as the floorboards creaked underneath his feet. "Man... Melody's being cranky again, seeing as this place is going to get moved... thank you for helping me clear out the mansion, Snake. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Snake waved off the thanks, but he did look secretly pleased. It was true; the tournament would end that very night, and the next day the Smashers would depart the hotel. Luigi had to clear out his mansion and pack his luggage, and Snake had offered to lend a hand - so it was natural that he was glad that the other appreciated his efforts. As all the Smashers were mostly doing the same thing, this was hardly a surprising thing to be doing - but the concept of leaving the hotel so soon was highly upsetting to all of them. Snake tried to shake off the feeling - he entered the trophy room and walked inside, picking up the Cook Kirby trophy that he had dropped. It hadn't been damaged the slightest, which he was immensely glad for; he packed that one into the box and stood up with his hands on his hips, looking into the mirror-lined cupboard. "Luigi, have you sent off the other batch of trophies already?"

Luigi shook his head. "Uh-uh. I've put them into three separate boxes, but that's all. They're all stacked up in the next room."

The mercenary gave him a rather sad smile. They really were close to saying goodbye now. The younger Mario brother seemed to think the same thing, and sighed heavily, sinking down on the ground. He gazed blankly outside, a small frown on his face.

Snake said nothing more and carried on packing the trophies inside the box, finally closing the cupboard door and sealing the cardboard box flaps with packing tape. His eyes drifted towards Luigi as he did this. "Coming to the dance tonight?"

"Yeah," the green-clad plumber replied nonchalantly, fiddling with his hat. Master Hand had organized a buffet and dance for the night, inviting every Smasher for the final celebrations. "I probably won't be up on the dance floor, though. Don't you try to find me there."

The older man laughed and heaved the box up in his arms; it wasn't a heavy load, but the bulk of the box was quite large nonetheless. "I won't be up there either. I might just stand there talking throughout the entire night."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Shall I carry this next door?"

"Do so." Luigi walked out of the room, with the mercenary following. He tugged open the next door ('pardon me, Snake, this door's a bit stiff - must be the damp') and held it open for Snake as he entered the room and placed the box down on the ground along with several of its same kind. He then patted it reassuringly, that being his usual treatment of cardboard boxes, while Luigi grinned next to him. "you must really like them. Were you like this in your world too?"

Snake gave him a wink. "I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for those babies. I owe a lot to them." Luigi laughed; he sat down on the bed, inviting the mercenary to sit beside him. The latter did so, sweeping his gaze over the place - speaking of which, this was the very room that Luigi had brought him to rest in that fateful day, when he'd discovered the existance of Mr. L. It was sure a relief to see that the younger Mario brother wasn't having those attacks anymore. The room was still the same, with the stuck door, the electric chandelier, and the photos on the table...

"Hmm?" the mercenary suddenly leaned forwards to look at the bedside table. Sure enough, there were the four silver-framed photos still in their respective places, but there was a slight change in their placements. Instead of four pictures arranged together and a frame that was laid facedown at the back, the latter picture was now held upright and placed amongst the others. The picture of Mr. L still looked out ominously from the fifth frame, but it was no longer hidden from view.

"Snake? What is it?"

"The photo." Snake stated, peering closely at the five frames on the table... "But... you loathed the Mr. L one! Why did you..."

"Because of you, Snake." Luigi answered, a mild smile on his face. He bent down and grasped the edge of the frame that held the dreaded photograph, looking straight into it without flinching. "I've decided to accept that Mr. L's a part of me. And perhaps I'll be able to keep him dormant if my willpower's strong enough, Dr. Mario told me so... and I believe that can happen. It's not close to that yet. But soon." He smiled wide, and replaced the frame on the table.

"I'm not going to hide anymore, Snake. I'm not going to give up. And it's all thanks to you."

Where is he?

Luigi sighed and fiddled with his tie as he stood by a wall, hours later. Master Hand had kept his promise, and had set up a glorious buffet table for the Smashers; that had been an hour ago, and as they had all eaten their fill (excepting Wario, Kirby, Yoshi, and some of the late-comers), the musicians were tuning up for the dance that would commence until midnight. Luigi himself had only arrived ten minutes ago, not being hungry enough to attend the buffet early. He'd only taken a couple slices of ham, a few olives, tomato slices and a bagel, along with a small cup of coffee for his meal - he'd been feeling too nervous. Snake was nowhere to be seen, although he'd promised to be at the hall as soon as possible -

"Hey," a soft voice called him from behind. Luigi turned around and looked before his face lit up in a smile. "sorry I was late."

"Snake!" the younger Mario brother exclaimed quietly as he saw the other man. The latter was also wearing formal attire, his black suit sharply pressed along with a smart tie; his usually-disheveled hair was also combed back slightly. For a moment, the plumber could hardly believe that this man was a soldier - he looked so immaculate and gentlemanly that it quite threw the other off guard. However, there was still a familiar bright glint in the mercenary's eyes, and he could see that the green bandanna that Snake wore was in his pocket (the end of it was poking out slightly) and this got Luigi back on track again.

"You look nice," Snake commented as he surveyed the younger Mario brother. He was inwardly amazed at how the suit fitted Luigi so perfectly - many others who had decided to wear suits for the evening looked out of place, but not the younger Mario brother. Being slender and having just the right figure was probably what made him fit in well. That, and slicked back hair.

"And so do you, Snake."

"You up for some dancing, then?"

Luigi winced. "Not in front of everybody. But shouldn't you be eating something first?"

The mercenary shook his head. "Nah. Don't feel hungry at all. Come on, then... shall we go up to the balcony? We'll have some peace and quiet there."

"I don't see why not," Luigi answered, and they both crossed the hall and went up the large stairs to the balcony. Contrary to popular belief, the balcony in that hotel was nowhere near as romantic or wide as any other place - it was quite narrow, and only fit to accommodate two or three people. Everyone knew this fact and knew that if they were going to dance, sight-see or even make out, they were probably better off doing so in their own suite, the hall or even the outside. The balcony had actually gathered dust and some stray leaves - it was just that ignored. This point seemed proven; when Snake and Luigi reached the balcony and peered below them, they could see faint silhouettes of several other Smashers down in the gardens.

"What're they doing down there?"

"Talking and dancing, I suppose," Snake replied idly. "I hear Jigglypuff. That means that Meta Knight's down there as well. I guess they'd look rather awkward dancing together in the hall..."

Luigi had to agree on this wholeheartedly. As cute as it would look, two puffballs with extremely short arms trying to dance... just wouldn't seem right in a hall full of tall people. Speaking of which, were they abiding to the formal attire rule of the evening? The plumber thought wryly of the idea of Meta Knight in a tuxedo, and then burst out laughing.

"Was that so funny?" Snake asked, pouting slightly, but he didn't sound cross. In fact, he sounded quite amused. "I didn't think you'd find dancing such an amusing topic."

Luigi put a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter as he looked at Snake. "No, no, you misunderstood me," a small giggle escaped him. "I wasn't laughing because of the subject of dance. It was only because it's Meta Knight and Jigglypuff. They won't be able to reach each other's hands at all when they're ballroom dancing-"

Snake looked at him for a second, and then promptly started laughing as well. As he did so, he reached out and fondly pinched the other's cheek. "Wicked, you are! But you're right, we don't have that problem. Hey, I may be the first one to suggest backing out from the hall before everyone got up and found a partner to dance with - I might not know a lot about dancing, but I can always make an attempt." the mercenary grinned, and then bent down, offering his hand in an imitation of a formal gesture. "and I can be more polite than you think. Voulez-vous danser avec moi?" he asked in a sultry voice, making the other laugh and blush slightly.

"No need to be that formal."

"Ah-ah." The mercenary shook his head, a mischievous glint entering his eyes. "That isn't an answer to my question. Yes or no?"

"Si." Luigi answered happily, bowing his head slightly. "So I take that you're going for a French dance?"

Snake placed an arm around Luigi's waist. "Not necessarily. I can tango, and that isn't a French dance, is it?"

The younger Mario brother stared.

"What?"

"That's got to be one of the randomest choices for ballroom dancing."

"But we aren't in the 'ballroom' right now." Snake reminded the plumber with a laugh. As if on cue, the musicians back in the hall struck up a fast-paced tune, which was exactly right for a tango. "You up for it, then? I'll teach you, if you want."

Luigi nodded and carefully grasped Snake's hand as the mercenary started. He was awkward with the moves, yes, because he hadn't ever tried this type of dance before; but the soldier was patient and went through the moves slowly, and within two minutes Luigi had fallen into a comfortable pace. The younger Mario brother was only too happy to let the mercenary guide him for a few more minutes, getting used to the moves and the occasional unpredictable twists that the mercenary put in; however, once he could keep up with the other's pace, he started to try to lead. The result was that the two men were trying to lead the dance at the same time, and with them being so closely pressed together, this was a very awkward situation to be in.

Finally, confused with the whole thing, Snake just decided to give up and show everything he knew about dancing. Which, unfortunately, wasn't that much. The plumber let out a yelp of surprise and excitement when the mercenary stepped out of rhythm and let himself go.

"Snake, oh God, you can't dance," Luigi protested, but he was laughing fit to burst as the mercenary bent him backwards. The mercenary merely grinned and spun the other around on his toes once before letting go of his hand. Luigi squealed softly as he stumbled, but then he regained his balance, and stood on the balcony floor (still swaying lightly) as he wiped his brow. "Whew! That was actually quite fun."

"Now it's your turn, Luigi. Teach me a dance. Anything that isn't Latin American will do." The mercenary said mischievously, stepping forward. Luigi said nothing, but rubbed his chin in thought, wondering what he should do. "What're you thinking about, eh?"

"Just thinking about what I should teach you," Luigi replied. "I know how to foxtrot, quickstep... and I think I know a traditional Italian dance. Don't you look at me like that, Snake," he said irritably. "I'm going to teach you something actually useful, all right?"

The mercenary shook his head. "... I wasn't exactly... thinking about the traditional Italian dance."

Luigi looked at him oddly for a second, but then his face brightened and he clicked his fingers. "I know, I'll teach you a dance that's actually useful. Can you waltz?"

"No."

"Well, then that's what you'll be learning. I suppose I should start out from the very beginning." Luigi stepped back and bowed to Snake, who soon returned it in a very courteous manner. Even though he knew nothing about waltz, he did know how to be polite prior to a dance.

"Vuoi danzare con me?" The plumber murmured softly, holding out his hand, his eyes shining with happiness. Snake nodded; he accepted the hand, and stood together with the younger Mario brother, awkwardly placing a hand on his shoulder. Still smiling, Luigi gently guided the mercenary's hand to his waist, locking his other hand with his and assuming the classic slow waltz position.

"You're letting me lead?" Snake asked, slightly surprised.

Luigi nodded. "It'll help when you're dancing with someone else." The plumber sounded a little downhearted; the mercenary noticed, and although he didn't actually say anything, he held Luigi tighter against his chest.

"How does it start?"

"Well, you're in the lead... let me see..." Luigi drifted into silence as he worked out the moves. "... take a large step forwards with your left foot." Snake followed this direction. "then take a small step forwards with your right foot. Make your right heel and left toes parallel."

"Okay..."

"Bring your left foot to your right foot, and do the same thing vice-versa."

Snake tried this out himself, getting a few steps muddled in the process, but the younger brother gently guided him around the balcony, keeping count and murmuring instructions whenever he felt that the other was stepping out of rhythm. He himself followed along until Snake became more accustomed to the moves, and then he let the mercenary lead. This time, he relaxed in the other's arms and closed his eyes, never once stepping out of beat or attempting to take over. The music in the hall downstairs helped them to time their steps accurately.

The younger Mario brother wasn't the only one who was comfortable. Snake had said next to nothing since Luigi had taught him to waltz; it was partly so that he could keep up with his rhythm and make sure that his steps were accurate, but as time passed by, he found that he was paying more attention to the plumber than his steps. He let the younger Mario brother's head rest against his chest and quietly carried on, his eyes momentarily softened by either fond memories of the past weeks or endearment.

Then the music ended, and so did the dance. They came to a stop, and broke apart, silently gazing down at the scenary below.

"Snake?"

"Hmmm?"

"We... can still write letters to each other, right?" Luigi whispered, nuzzling into the mercenary's arms. "Master Hand's introducing portals between worlds this time... so we can step into a portal from our world, come out in the hotel, and just go through another portal that we want. And there's the postal service too."

"Of course." The mercenary murmured his reply, stroking the other's hair gently between his fingers. "I'd hate to lose correspondence with you... write to me. I'll write back. And - although we won't be able to do it often - we'll be able to visit each other too."

"I'd love that." Luigi said softly, looking deeply into Snake's eyes. "Come to my house sometime... I live apart from Mario, and it's just a small cottage, but it's warm and comfy."

"Don't you live in the mansion?"

"Can't. Too old and dusty." The younger Mario grinned sheepishly. "It's a bit too much work to do on my own." Snake nodded; this was a fair point to make. The mansion, although extremely beautiful and filled with priceless antiques, was currently not suitable for living due to too much dust and grime. Neither he nor Snake minded the ghosts, but that would be another matter to consider nevertheless.

"Well, I could help you clean the place up a little."

Luigi thought about this, and grinned. "That would be grand. But I'd have a hard time convincing the ghosts to stay too. They like the dust and dirt."

This was a true statement, and Snake had to agree that the plumber had an excellent point. As lovely the mansion was, it wouldn't be the same without the various ghosts that made the place completely unique. He voiced this agreement, and then fell silent, just enjoying the comfortable atmosphere. From downstairs, they could hear the musicians settling down and chatting as they took their much-needed break; they could hear the chattering of the other Smashers, whose voices were all recognizable now; and outside, in the gardens, lovers and friends were frolicking around, being silly and enjoying company. Meta Knight and Jigglypuff were talking and pointing up at the full Moon whilst sitting by a tree - Snake and Luigi could see them outside - Yoshi was playing hide-and-seek with Kirby, and for some reason, Captain Falcon and Captain Olimar had also joined in.

"No fair, Douglas Jay Falcon!" Olimar hollered as the tall racer tried to grab him; but the little captain was laughing his head off at the same time, and he neatly sidestepped before Falcon could get near him. His voice was slurred - being Hocotatian, and inevitably of smaller size than average humans, only half a glass of wine was enough to render him drunk. It was fortunate that Hocotatians never got hangovers in the morning, or else Olimar would have been completely helpless the following day. "You have longer legs... hic... than I do!"

"Douglas Jay?" Luigi said out loud, making the mercenary turn to him. "So that's Falcon's real name? Kind of suits him, really. A unique name for a unique personality." The plumber smiled and leaned on the railings. "... I'm really going to miss this place. All the people... all the friends I made... this was the best Smash Brothers tournament I've ever attended. I'll be missing you, Snake. I'll miss Olimar... Meta and Jigglypuff... Falcon and his amazing real name... heck, I'll even miss Ganondorf, despite him being so antisocial through the whole tournament..."

The soldier was completely silent throughout Luigi's speech. There was a secret that he had been keeping from everyone; it honestly wasn't such a big deal, but he simply didn't want other people knowing, and that had been that. However, Captain Falcon's name being (unanimously) revealed had reminded him. He trusted Luigi completely, so perhaps he could say it this time around.

"Luigi..."

"Yes?"

"My name." The mercenary hesitated for a while, not quite ready to let his secret free. "... my real name, Luigi... it's David."

"David." Luigi repeated, getting used to the name. He pronounced it 'Dah-veed', letting the syllables roll off his tongue. It felt strange; during the months that he had known Snake, he had never wondered what the mercenary was really called. Never even once. So hearing him having such an ordinary name was a surprise. "...that's a nice name."

The soldier shuffled uncomfortably on his feet. "It's not. It's such a plain name. I can't say I hate it, but it's-"

"That's where you're not quite right there." Luigi said gently. "David... he was a great king. He was strong, faithful and noble," He laughed softly, the sound carried away by the breeze that rushed past them. "just like you."

Snake stood there, feeling startled. This wasn't the reaction that he'd expected - sure, he hadn't thought that Luigi would laugh at his real name, but this kind of calm acceptance wasn't something he'd thought about either.

"Well... I..."

"If you go to Italy, there's a statue of King David, you know that?" Snake nodded; it was a masterpiece of a sculpture by Michelangelo, and few people he knew had never heard of it before. "I've never been there... and I probably never will be able to go... but I know that it's a beautiful sculpture. It sums up 'David', perfectly."

Snake looked at him for a while before he suddenly smirked. "What, a naked man holding a sling?"

"Snake, for crying out loud," Luigi groaned, smacking his face on his palm. "I was being serious!"

The mercenary smirked evilly at those words; however, his face then softened slightly and he wrapped one arm around the other's shoulders, pulling him closer.

"Thanks," he said in a barely audible voice, but Luigi heard - he glanced up, and then moved closer to the soldier, gazing once more down at the gardens. Meta Knight and Jigglypuff were still underneath the tree, with the former pointing out constellations in the star-studded sky, and the game of hide-and-seek was still ongoing. What was more, for some unexplained reason Link and Pit had joined in the game.

Luigi sighed heavily. "I wish we didn't have to leave. I hate goodbyes."

"I know," Snake answered, his grasp on Luigi tightening slightly. "I know..."