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Author's Note:

Sorry for the month long wait. I hadn't looked at this in over two weeks, mainly because of work (which is starting to become a living hell for me). I finally got some free time to continue working on this chapter only to become dissatisfied with the ending. So I kept working on it until I had the longest chapter I ever wrote/typed, being over 4,000 words long.

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*This chapter is an inspiration from one of my favorite 2003 TMNT TV series episode, "Touch and Go".

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story idea and any OCs.

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Chapter 66:
Gift Searching

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Koopalis was just as lively as it always been on a weekday. As sundown draws nears, so does the time for closing and, for some, the beginning of the night shift. Still many inhabitants walked around the marketing areas as if it was mid-afternoon.

Luigi was among them, aimlessly trolling around as he hoped to stop an ideal store he had in mind. It was only a few days since he find out about his new-born nephew. Since then, he's been trying to find a suitable gift he could send to him.

Originally, he thought about returning to the Mushroom Kingdom for a visit so he could see him. Unfortunately, that plan was turned down after the discussion he had with Bowser.

…

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

…

"You want me to do what?"

"Visit Mario and Peach to congratulate them on their new born," Luigi answered.

It was only last night that Luigi was informed about his new-born nephew. It's been months since he last saw his brother and everyone else back at the Mushroom Kingdom. And now that Baby Marcus was born, he thought it would be the perfect time for a visit.

Bowser let out a deep sigh as he ran his hand through his red hair. It was way too early in the morning for him to be dealing with this. He hadn't even had his scorching hot cup of coffee yet.

"And why would I do that?" He said. "Especially for some brat that I hoped to never met?"

"Well," Luigi started. "It'll help express your kindness, cooperation, and maybe start building a form a trust with them."

Bower laughed and leaned back in his office chair. "Look I already showed them kindness when I agreed to the treaty and cooperation when I decided to follow the terms of the treaty that they made. I don't want their trust nor do I need it."

"Oh, come on," The plumber slouched slightly. "This is my nephew we're talking about… and your nephew-in-law,"

"Don't care,"

Luigi sighed. "Fine; can Wendy and I at least take a few days to visit them?"

"No,"

He frowned. "How come?"

"Part of the agreement with the treaty," Bowser explained. "Once it's was finalized, no one within the Koopa Klan is allowed to set foot within the Mushroom Kingdom for three years. The same goes for those in the Mushroom Kingdom as well."

"Ok, so I guess Wendy can't go," He frowned. He was hoping to use this opportunity to finally introduce his brother to his new wife. "Alright then, I'll just go by myself,"

"Can't,"

Luigi stumbled. "What…why?"

"Because you're a member of the Koopa Klan,"

"Really?" He blinked in surprise. "Since when?"

"Well, technically you should have been when you married my daughter but I had it legally finalize after you got back from your little vacation."

Luigi was silent for a moment as he let this new information sink in. "So, legally I'm a prince and a high ranking member of the Klan?"

"Yup," Bowser smirked. "Surprise?"

"A-A little," Luigi confessed. He never really dreamt about becoming a royal before. His very first thought of it came to him back when he was dating Daisy and he would think about their future together. The idea of becoming a king terrorized him to no end, but after the desert princess revealed her true intentions, he no longer had to worry about that.

Now, he was a prince which was almost as nerve-wreaking. Although not as powerful as a king, it still held a lot of responsibilities. And the fact that he was the only human in their ranks meant that people will be looking at him differently than the others.

"Okay, so… I'm a prince and a member of the Koopa Klan," He started, mostly to him as he slowly began to accept it. "With that in mind, I think Mario will be willing to look pass it."

"Maybe, but I'm not going to risk it."

"Why not?"

Bowser shifted in his chair. "Well for one thing, I don't think he'll be too happy to find out that you're suddenly married. He'll think it was force…"

"Which it was,"

"Which I was going to dissolve until you declined."

"Too shay,"

The Koopa rolled his eyes. "Anyways, he won't be too happy about it, especially once he hears how you got that little scar of yours."

"That one wasn't your fault," Luigi argued. He had long since recovered from the stabbing he received from the traitor Kalvin while protecting Wendy. The only evidence still left of the incident was his faded yet still noticeable scar placed over his heart. Hardly anyone, besides Wendy of course, never gets a chance to see it so it wasn't a big deal.

Bowser shook his head. "No, but it happened under my custody, which is enough evidence for him to throw some blame."

"I'll just talk to him about it; he'll understand." Luigi reasoned.

A deep snort let the king's lips. "Yeah right, he'll probably think we brainwash you or something into saying that."

"He won't think that,"

"If not him, then those mushroom caps he called advisors will. And once they get him all worked up, he'll accused me of not following the treaty agreement and break things off, causing the two of us to go back fighting."

"I'm sure he won't accuse you of anything,"

"You accused me of kidnapping Peach when it actually that Bleck guy that did it,"

"Well, in our defense, you were planning on kidnapping her; some guy just beat you to it,"

"My answer still stands,"

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~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

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Luigi frowned; he was saddened that he couldn't go and visit but he did understand Bowser's concern. This new 'relationship' – if you can even call it that – between the two kingdoms was very delicate, even the slightest mistake can cause everything to crumble down. It was probably best that either sides set foot onto the other's land until the time period ended, and unfortunately it had to include him as well.

'Well, I guess I could always mail them something,' He had thought.

Finding a gift was not easy; finding the right gift was even harder. Baby Marcus may be his nephew but he was also the prince and heir to the Mushroom Throne. Not only that, but his parents were the most beloved couple in the entire Kingdom. He wouldn't be surprised if the entire Mushroom Castle was already filled with gifts and presents sent from the people all across the land. Luigi didn't want his gift to be one of many piled on the floor, so he took the time to find something unique and one of a kind.

Unfortunately, that had proved to be more difficult than he had thought. Wendy helped him, as well as Kanary and Kammy (the others refused to help him), but they too had trouble finding something that wasn't very common and can't only be used by Koopa hatchlings. It wasn't until he talked to Junior that an idea was given to him.

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~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

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"You want me to do what?"

"Help me find a gift for baby Marcus,"

Junior let out a deep, tired sigh. This was not how he wanted his early morning to start. He should still bed, sleeping until noon.

"Why should I?" He replied. "Especially for some stupid little kid I hope to never see?"

Luigi raised an eyebrow; didn't he have a similar conversation not too long ago?

"Well," He started. "It'll help express your kindness, cooperation, and hopefully start building a relationship with who I hope will be a friend to you in the future."

"HA! As if," Junior laughed. "That kid is my rival, and rivals don't give each other gifts. Someday, I'm going to defeat him and take over the Mushroom Kingdom."

Luigi frowned at that exclaim. "You're not seriously planning on destroying the pact between the two kingdoms when you're king, are you?"

Junior crossed his arms. "Depends,"

He sighed. "Well, whatever happens I'll just have to sure you don't make such 'crucial' decisions when you came to term."

"You?" The young koopa chuckled.

The plumber narrowed his eyes, displeased with the tone. "Yes, me,"

"Wouldn't you be too old by then?"

He scoffed. "I'll definitely be older but not that old; I'll still be in my thirties when you turn eighteen."

"Yeah, when I turn eighteen but what about the kid?"

"Marcus," Luigi corrected.

Junior rolled his eyes. "Whatever,"

"Then I'll be fifty when that happens."

"So I was right, you will be too old."

"Fifty is not old; in fact, it's considered middle age,"

"Yeah, old-middle age,"

Luigi growled in annoyance. He grabbed Junior's horn and held it in a sideway manner. "Keep in mind…you'll be in your thirties by the time he's old enough to take the throne."

"As if," Junior grunts in discomfort. "I'll be King of the Mushroom Kingdom long before he gets the chance."

The plumber stared blankly at the teen that stared at him with irritation in his black – or is that a dark blue? – colored eyes. He sighed and released him from his hold.

"You know, sometimes I forget that you're actually Bowser's son,"

"Of course I am," Junior said proudly. "And I'm going to be an even better King than he is some day,"

Luigi smiled and ruffled his hair. "All the more reason to keep a closer eye on you,"

Junior growled and smacked his hand away. "You said you were looking for a gift or something?"

"Yes I was; something that's unique and not very common."

"Have you ever thought about getting him his own blanket?"

The green man frowned. "I'm pretty sure he has plenty of those,"

However, Junior shook his head. "Not a normal blanket; a specialize one. Here, I'll show you,"

The young Koopa retreated back inside his room but left the door opened. Luigi stepped inside but didn't enter fully. Junior returned a minute later and hands him an old blanket.

Luigi took it and examined it. It was a custom-made blanket with Junior's name, date of birth, how much he weight, and the time of his birth printed on multiple squares. The colors were faded; a clear sign that it was old. But it was still pretty soft and in good condition.

"Uh, I never saw a blanket like this before," Luigi said with interest. "How long have you had it?"

"Since I hatched" Junior answered.

The plumber raised a curious eyebrow. "You keep the blanket you had as a baby?"

He blushed and narrowed his eyes. "I'm not telling you this just to make fun of me,"

"I'm not making fun of you; it was a legitimate question," Luigi said, returning his focus back on the blanket. "Do you remember who gave it to you? Or where you got it from?"

"No, but they usually sell stuff like this is at small businesses so look there,"

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~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

…

So that's what he was going now, trying to find his ideal store. Trying being the keyword here; most of the privately own stores around town were in the business of childcare, catering or hardware. Not many came close to what he was looking for.

He sighed deeply. This was his fourth time shopping around. At this rate, he might have to look at someplace else.

'Maybe the next town over might have something,' he thought to himself.

'Or better yet, you could go to Koopatropolis,' Mr. L suggested. 'It is the biggest city so they're bound to have a lot more stuff,'

Luigi nodded in agreement and continue walking around the southern district. The southern district was mostly a residential area but there were a good amount of shops located in the area. He was just about to call it a day and head back to the castle when something caught his eye.

A two story house also doubled as a small private shop. It was smaller than most of the other houses and small shops around it; older too and looked a bit worn down. The sign above the door was pretty plain; there was no fancy lights to grab people's attention and a few letters were missing.

At first glance, one would think the house was abandon but the 'open' sign placed on the door says otherwise. The plumber 'hummed' in interest before walking towards it. Besides the dreadful shape the store was in, it still got his attention, mainly because of the title…

"Koopapa's and Koomama's Family Store"

A small bell ring as he opened the door. Stepping inside, he glanced around the tiny store. Just like the external, the internal of the shop was in poor shape. The paint on the wall were chipped and faded, the windows were dirty, and dust covered the entire room.

"Hello," He called out as he stepped in further. He didn't see anyone around which was a bit odd.

'Maybe they're closed?' Mr. L suggested.

Luigi frowned. "The sign says they're open. And even if they aren't, the door would have been locked."

'Maybe they forgot to lock it?'

"Maybe,"

He started to look around. The store held many things, from books to clothing to small jewelry. They had mugs for parent to great-grandparents, gift cards for important occasions like birthdays and weddings, photo books, and even kids' toys.

Pausing in front of a shelf, he picked up the first thing he sees. It was a children's bible book containing full text, easy to read. It featured 20 pages of colorful illustrations, a presentation section to record family information and a children's dictionary to explain difficult words and phrases. The book itself was personalize with a soft, leather flex cover with empty 2 lines to write in a message. It came in two different colors, pastel pink or blue.

'That's a nice book,'

"Yeah, but we're not religious," Luigi said. "And I doubt they worship the same gods here than they do in the Mushroom Kingdom."

He placed the book back. Just as he did that, he heard footsteps coming from upstairs. He turned towards the stairway stationed next to the cashier counter.

There, he saw an elderly female koopa. She had short grey hair framing around her face; she wore a knee length blue dress with a dark blue sweater jacket and white socks with slippers. She paused mid-stepped upon seeing him. For a few seconds, either of them moved. Once those few seconds passed, Luigi smiled warmly and waved in greeting.

"Hello,"

The Koopa waved slightly back to him but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry, are you still open?" Luigi asked.

She gave him no response.

"I saw the sign and thought you were still open," He continued.

And he got no answer. Luigi frowned, wondering if there was something wrong.

"Uhm, are you okay?" He asked out of concern.

The Koopa frowned and raised her hands. Luigi tilted his head in confusion; he didn't know what she was doing.

"I'm sorry?"

The Koopa moved her hands again and pointed to her ear holes.

'What is she doing?'

"I'm… not sure," he mumbled.

The elderly koopa repeated the gesture a few times over. Luigi didn't know what she was going until it finally hit him.

"You're deaf…"

The Koopa tilted her head, unsure if he got what she was saying. Luigi scratched the back of his head. He didn't know any sign language so he couldn't communicate with her.

"Okay uhm, I'm…" He pointed to himself. "…looking…" He pretends to looks around. "…for a gift… for a baby." He rock his arms, hoping she will get what he was trying to say.

She minced his action. Luigi nodded. "Yes, baby,"

She seemed to have understood that. She gestured him to follow her which he did. She led him to the last isle in the back. It was filled with baby items.

"I guess this is the baby isle," Luigi thought as he looks through them.

He felt a small tug on his sleeves. He turned to see the elderly Koopa trying to get his attention. "Yes?"

She rocked her arms again and made a few hand gestures.

"I'm sorry?"

She frowned. She grabbed two items from the shelf. She made the baby gesture again and held up the two color postures. Luigi gazed at them both. One of them was a light blue that said 'It's a boy' while the other was pink that said 'It's a girl'.

"Oh!" He said with sudden realization and pointed to blue posture. "The baby is a boy,"

She nodded and started showing off what she had for baby boys. She had pretty much everything one would need for a new born but not what Luigi was searching for. Once she was done showing him everything, she gave him a questioning look.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't want I was looking for," He try to tell her.

She titled her head. Luigi looks around hoping to find something that will help him. He walks over to the card rack and pulled out a card. He scanned it real quick before showing it to her.

On the card it read, 'Congratulations, you have a new Nephew,' She understood what he was looking for now and gesture him to follow. She walk behind the cashier desk and started looking for something. Luigi stood in front of the desk as she pulls out a book.

She slides it over to him for him to look at. The title of the book – Personalized Baby Gifts – interested Luigi greatly. He opened it to the first page and started looking through.

Inside, it held exactly what he was looking for. Every item featured in the book was designed to be unique and personal with the name, date of birth, and so forth printed on them, much like Junior's old blanket. Luigi didn't see any of the items in the book around the store so he could only guess the shop owner makes them under the request of the customer.

He looked through it very thoroughly, hoping to find the best one. Unfortunately, the book wasn't that big, being only fifteen or so pages long. Once he was done, he turned to the Koopa.

"Is that everything?" He asked.

She tilted her head slightly and Luigi mentally slap himself for forgetting that she's deaf. He turned his attention back on the book trying to decide which one should get. He liked the accent light best; it was something that will be by the baby's bedside as he drifted off to sleep.

He was about to settle on that when a sudden light literally caught his eye. He used his hand to shield himself and stood up. His blue glaze followed where it came from and that's when he saw them.

Two solid Lucite blocks with beautiful pictures of two baby koopas placed on them as well as their names and date of birth. Luigi walked towards them, completely amazed by them to notice the confuse look the elderly Koopa was giving him. The photo blocks were beautiful; they showcase both babies' delicate features and left a heart-warming smile on his face.

"These are amazing," he said taking one into his hands. He turned to the owner. "Do you make those here?"

She tilted her head. Luigi frowned; he really wished there wasn't such a language barrier.

"Do you…make those…here?" He repeated, pointing at the block then at the store.

She frowned but nodded nevertheless. Luigi beamed,

"I would like to have that, please,"

Even though she couldn't hear a word he was saying, the Koopa could tell from the expression on his face what he wanted. She let out a silent sigh and pulls out a small form for him to fill out. The first line asked for the photo individual's name. Luigi started to write it in but stopped halfway.

'Wait, what is Marcus' last name?'

'It's Segale, isn't it?'

'Legally, yes; but it's possible they wrote down 'Mario' as his last name instead.'

'Then use that,'

'Then again, I could be wrong,'

Mr. L rolled his eyes. 'Just use the first name, if you're not sure. Everyone knows will know who he is anyways; no need to stress yourself over it,"

'True,'

He left it like that and moved on to the remaining lines. The form also asked for Marcus' date of birth, weight, birth time, and length; all of which Luigi had learned from the newspaper.

'Serious, did they have to broadcast everything about the baby?' Mr. L had said.

Once he was done, there was a small note at the bottom that said to attach a photo to the form.

'What are you going to use as a picture? You haven't even seen the baby with your own eyes much less take a picture,'

"I'll use only picture I do have," Luigi replies.

He dug through his pocket and pull out a small paper. Carefully, he unfolded it to reveal the newspaper photo from days ago.

"Hopefully she can still use this,"

He hands the photo to her. She took it and examined it. She gave him a questionable look which he nodded in reply. She took one more look over before nodding herself; she could work with this. She placed the form and the picture in an envelope and carefully sealed it up. She held up four fingers and rested it on her right arm.

"Four," Luigi understood.

'Yeah, but four what?' Mr. L said. 'Four minutes? Four hours?'

"I'm thinking more of the line of four days. I'll come back then to see if she's done," He turned to her and bowed in thanks. "Thank you for your help,"

She nodded in response. Stepping outside, Luigi shield his eyes as he glanced at the sun setting in the horizon. He turned back to the store owner and bowed to her once more, grateful to have his search over before starting his way back towards the castle.

The store owner lingered by the door for a moment before let out a silent sigh. She retreated back inside and switched the sign on the door from 'open' to 'close'. She made sure everything in the store was in place before turning off the lights and heading back upstairs where she lives.

The bed squeaked as she lay down heavily on it. The sun was gone now and the time for sleep was upon her. Unfortunately, it didn't come easy as she lay there staring at the ceiling.

After some time, she turned her head to the side. On her night stand, there were two photo blocks much like the ones downstairs. One was of a happy newly-weds with the words, Mr. and Mrs. Kristopher and Kitava Koopa'. The other was of two adults and two children with a message, 'To our Koopapa and Koomama, love Kasia and Kylar'

She stared at the pictures for the longest time before sighing heavily. She rolled over and closed her eyes. Eventually sleep came to her.

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Ending Note:

None

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