He felt the cold floor against his cheek, and tried pushing himself up. His arms were so tired…and his mouth tasted funny. What just happened?
The last thing he remembered was Peach being taken away…then Bowser put a nasty smelling rag over his mouth. He remembered the smell…maybe that was the funny taste in his mouth. He tried not to inhale too much, but he couldn't have held his breath forever. Then…then what? Did he fall asleep? No, the rag must have been drugged. This cell looked slightly different from the last one; had he been moved?
He kept trying to push himself up, but his sore ribs still protested. On his hands and knees, he heard a sound that made chills run up his spine.
"Luigi…"
The voice didn't seem so familiar; it sounded harsh and strained. He slowly stood up to get a better look…then gave a horrified holler and plastered himself against the cell wall, not minding his painful chest.
His brother Mario lay before him on the floor, face drained of any color it once attained. He could have been mistaken for a corpse except that his chest rose and fell with every breath and he blinked slowly. Luigi caught his breath and blinked numerous times, unsure if he was dreaming again.
"M-mario? I…I…I thought you were d-dead!" Luigi stuttered, astonished. "Y-y-you're alive? I thought you were dead…are-are you real?" He looked at his brother's face and saw a tear roll down his pallid cheek. He knelt down next to him hurriedly.
"What is it Mario? What hurts? Can I do something?"
Mario weakly shook his head, feeling only grateful that he was looking at his brother again. Faintly he rasped out.
"He told me…you were dead. He said he…killed you…"
Luigi shook his head, not bothering to stop the smile that played in the corners of his mouth. He put a hand on his brother's cheek. "No, no. I'm here, I'm alive. You're the one who was dead. And…now you're not."
Too careful to hug his desolate brother, Luigi reached for his hand and squeezed it, glad to be holding it once more. After some moments of silence, Mario whispered.
"Still love me…even though…I called you, Weegee?"
Luigi returned the comment with a bigger smile, the first one in a long time.
"Yeah, I guess I do."
Luigi's smile faded quickly; footsteps echoed in the cold, shadowed hall and Bowser's form returned to face them. Luigi's teeth nearly chattered with rage as he stood up when Bowser entered the cell.
"You stupid son offa--mph!" The back of his head hit the wall and his mouth was clamped shut. Once again, Bowser's clawed hand covered the younger plumber's mouth, but this time it wasn't with evil intent.
"Shut up!" he commanded, glancing left and right. "You stay quiet, and you stay alive. Got it?"
Luigi glared back at him nastily, studying him for a few minutes, then nodded minutely. Bowser let him go, shoving him away.
"What's the deal here," asked Luigi, walking towards Mario and standing by him defensively. Bowser didn't answer for sometime; he only kept staring down at Mario. Finally Koopa sighed and turned away.
"Mario probably knows the reason you're here. Don't you, Mario?"
He coughed once or twice, cringing and closing his eyes. Luigi knelt by his side.
"He needs help," he stated, pleading with the Koopa King.
Bowser shook his head. "Not now." Luigi stood up to challenge him.
"He needs medical attention, dang it!" Bowser's fist smacked into his jaw, and Luigi tasted something metallic drip into his mouth.
"I can help you both…if you'll just shut up."
Touching the blood on his lip with a careful hand, Luigi looked back at Bowser slowly in disbelief.
"Help? From you? What kind of help?"
"What would you do if I said I can get you out of here?"
"Hmph." Luigi could have laughed. Bowser actually wanted to help them? "You've got a sick sense of humor, man…"
"No joke, plumber. I can give you your freedom."
Luigi stared at him suspiciously. "In exchange for what?"
"Helping get revenge."
"Revenge? On who?"
"Kamek." Bowser muttered the word as if it was a curse on his tongue. He shortly answered Luigi's wondering look. "He is the one who wants all of you dead. All of this was his idea. And it was a good idea, too…"
"…was? Until when?"
"Until he started to control the situation. Until he started telling me what to freakin' do!"
Luigi began to understand. He stepped forward, glaring into Bowser's face, all fear in him erased. "You mean to tell me," he whispered angrily. "That you've been keeping us…rotting here, all because of your stupid argument?"
Bowser walked towards him, cornering the young Mario and staring right back.
"Listen closely. You should be grateful I let you live and put you in the same cell as your brother. I've offered my help, and right now that's all I can do. You don't want it? Fine. You will all die here, your Princess too, and the Mushroom Kingdom will be at my protection."
"You mean at your mercy." That comment earned him a strong hand pressed flat against his waist, pressing harder and harder until he exhaled tenderly.
"That's right plumber. How is it you can be so smart at one moment, and then so moronic the next? Kamek finds you alive and we're both toast. My offer still stands. I hope you'll think about it."
"You're dreamin'," croaked Luigi, trying to back more into the wall and escape Bowser's hand. The turtle let him go and made a rude biting gesture at him out of the side of his mouth as he left.
Luigi withered, bowling over and grunting. He watched as Bowser's shadow disappeared down the hall, his footfalls growing lighter. Holding his chest he sat by Mario's side, taking his hand.
"Man, what an idiot, waltzing on in here, thinking he can just 'offer' some 'help' after all he's done to us these years…"
"Weegee…"
"Yeah?"
Mario gazed at him sleepily for a short moment before wheezing, "…Let's go."
::Robin Lee stands on stage, being prodded by the Mario Brothers.::
Uh…*eye twitches uncontrollably*…I'm here to tell you that the story is…*head jerks*…going to end soon. So you won't have-*slaps ear twice*-to wait much longer. (*poke poke* Go on, you.)
Oh, uh…that's all folks? *whispers to readers* call the police!...and the hospital!!
Peach stared dismally into the bleak hallway before her, curled up on a thin blanket in her cell. She supposed she should have been grateful she was given a blanket at all, but what good would it do? The cell was too chilly for something so scant, and it would never take the place of Luigi. When she returned to her cell to find the plumber missing, she demanded to know where he was. Bowser only answered her with a grim smile and a shake of the head. What did that mean? That she wasn't to know? Or that…he was dead, just like…
The realization had hit her like a ton of bricks, and here she was, staring at the same chip of stone Luigi had stared at. Her eyes moved along the floor, hoping to find her treasure and all at once, she did. There, in a dark corner, no, that's just a shadow, wait…it is the missing piece. The piece of rock chipped off of the floor. She gasped in satisfaction at finally finding it, and she grasped it in her frail hand.
The longer Peach looked at the chip of stone, the more her eyes gleamed with desire. A sharp end, not sharp enough, but she could fix that. She could rub it against the wall or something, yes…
A crazed longing began to grow inside Peach. She would work tirelessly on that little chip of stone until it would help her achieve her goal.
Luigi stood by the door of the cell, skinny arms sticking through the bars, elbows resting on a bar that ran horizontally along the middle of his prison. He stared hopefully out into the dismal, scantly lit hallway. Finally he heard footsteps; footsteps that once almost cost him his life, yet now they gave him life.
His ears perked up and he straightened, squinting his eyes. The yellow light from the torches glinted off Bowser Koopa's enormous shell as he walked nearer. He hulked in front of the plumber, waiting.
"So…have you made up your mind?"
Luigi looked straight ahead of him, seeing through Bowser, took a deep breath and swallowed.
"Yeah."
"And?"
"We…we would like to leave."
Bowser's stoic expression changed into such pleasure that Luigi wasn't sure if he could still trust the overgrown reptile.
"Good." He started to leave but Luigi stopped him.
"What?" he asked incredulously. "That's it? Where's the help?"
"Be quiet!" Bowser snapped. His head whipped around suddenly when he heard footsteps. He turned to face the plumber, face somewhat panicked.
"He thinks you are dead, you idiot. Get down."
Confused, Luigi leaned closer to see who was coming down the hall. Bowser slammed a fist against the iron bars and the startled plumber fell backwards, hitting his head against the hard floor.
Stars milled around in his head for sometime before he rolled over onto his stomach. That was as far as he could go towards getting up again when he heard another voice.
"What brings my lord to this part of the dungeon?"
Kamek.
"Just gloating about my victory over the dead plumbers." Now Luigi understood. He lay very still, his head facing Mario, who returned his gaze tiredly. The light from the torch Kamek carried made frightening shadows dance around the cell.
"You left them here?" Kamek demanded.
"Until I find something else to do with them, yes." Bowser's voice was strained and controlled and it was all he could do to keep from killing the little turtle nerd himself.
There was an uncomfortable pause, and Luigi saw Mario was struggling, frowning painfully at something. Struggling not to make a sound…struggling not to cough. Luigi pleaded with his eyes, but a small sound, like one clearing his throat, escaped Mario. Kamek narrowed his eyes.
"I want to see them."
"Why?" countered Bowser.
"I want to see if they are dead."
"You dare to question my authority and trust?" growled Bowser, dangerously close to stepping on his small servant.
There was another small, tense pause, and Kamek checked himself with a look of haughty meekness. "…Forgive me, my lord. I know not what came over me."
Luigi heard the footfalls receding and he turned his head cautiously back towards Bowser. The turtle glared at him angrily.
"If I'm going to help you, you'll have to help me. Just do whatever I tell you and we'll both be happy in the end. Are we clear on that?"
Luigi nodded slowly, already feeling a lump form on his head.
"Here. Take this. Find Peach. Destroy it once you find her, and you'll all be safe back in the Mushroom Kingdom."
Luigi pushed himself up and looked at what Bowser held. The small plush cloud. He took it slowly, eyes never leaving Koopa.
"I'm not sure I can trust you."
"I just handed you your freedom and you still doubt? Run while you can…before Kamek finds you."
"What if he does?"
"I'll get to him first," Bowser growled.
Luigi stared. No way he was hearing this. Bowser was going to…protect them?
"Wait," he whispered. "How…how did you keep Mario…I mean…how is he…"
"How did he manage to live?" Here Bowser grinned strangely. "Even Kamek doesn't trust me to enter his 'secret room'. But I have ways of breaking and entering, my friend."
Wow. I just realized I went way over my 7 chapter limit I involuntarily placed on my Mario stories. Neat huh? Tuen in next time: Bowser is REALLY siding with the plumbing heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom?? That just doesn't happen!