When I woke up the next day, I knew even less what to do. Like empty. A little exhausted, my bones hurt and my head hurt from thinking too much. In a way, being far from my town prevented me from remembering and crying. I just had a meltdown by reflex. My people up there had to understand it's useful to cry. Even if it's uncomfortable, particularly because I didn't have tissues on me. Plus my low belly hurt deeply, like it had a cramp. No need to tell why I felt sticky liquid between my legs. It really was the wrong time for that, plus my bag has been confiscated by those ones. That means Peach needs some things too; where is she? Is she safe?

Anyway... I try to forget all this inconvenience to focus on the most important: what comes next. My kingdom isn't safe anymore, and they will know, so I have to go...somewhere safer. The Mushroom Kingdom is far away, and I don't remember any cannon to fly over there. Plus it's probably invaded. Then there's Bowser's Kingdom. We don't know what's really going on there. Maybe his minions are resisting, since they have better fighting and organisation skills... Yes. I just have to take the cannon in the desert, fly to the snow land, take another cannon, and there we are.

Luigi...

Mr.L.

And my friends.

I wonder if the Lion survived.

I didn't notice yesterday, all the platforms and blocks on my way. Yet no enemies. The atmosphere is calm, warm and softly lightened. I enjoy the morning. Even if I might have bad luck, because I find not a single mushroom in the "?" blocks. However, I found friends behind the sand dust...

From what Luigi told me about his adventures alongside his brother, there's a Bean prince called Prince Peasley riding a pterodactyl; a Pi'illow prince called Prince Dreambert and a giant colourful bird (I wonder how can his five feathers of a wing support him) named Zeekeeper (thanks for the French joke). There's also a cube man followed by a huge cube dog and way too many cube kittens. The beef bros it seems...? And...

"Yoshi! Toads!"

Yoshi hugged me back with Toadic and Toadails and we laughed. Oh, how comforting... Finally! I'm so happy, I feel energy and joy flooding in my belly, the taste of life again, I breath! Some tears escape me, at the Toads' surprise. I know we will soon get this problem solved. The end of that rising nightmare is already there, like a star. And I wonder how much I've been affected to have my mind making up this metaphor.

I pull back and ask:

"How have you been buddy? How did you meet them? Are you okay? Where did you fall?"

"Yozzi yoji yo - wa haow!"

We stare at each other. Then he laughs.

"Only joking Daisy, hee hee. I didn't lose my tongue since we fell. We were at the isles land, but there isn't any coconuts anymore...do you have something to eat? I'm so hungry..."

"No I ain't bud. Sorry."

"Oh, too bad... hum, we met them in the desert. Toadic, Toadails and I saw you jumping towards the kingdom at our left, and they thought it was Sarasaland. First we looked for you in the isles land, and then we came. Also...why do you smell blood?"

They all look at me. Oh.

"Hum, nothing to worry about. It's just...my period. And I don't have my stuff here so..."

The buffed men blush, the cube man too, the Toads then, and finally Dreambert. Peasley muffs a sound of disgust, I just give him the stare.

"Oh don't you dare. I'm a woman, if you don't stand blood, go fu-"

A laugh cuts me. It's Zeekeeper. I roll my eyes as he giggles and coughs. But Yoshi asks again.

"If the blood comes from you... No, it's not possible. The odour is too strong! It also smells decayed and fried meat, with ashes. Did you try to make me a barbecue? Because that doesn't smell good, it gives me nausea... Daisy? Are you listening?"

"The smell. It's my kingdom. He...he killed them all."

And that's how we get to the main subject. I'm not crying, but reducing my dear people to stinging meat isn't the best. I'm surprised when Zeekeeper says:

"You too? Damn that man."

I stammer, shocked.

"Yeah, my lady. We came to ask you for help. This time... well, all I'm asking, is to reconstruct Pi'illow Island. It's a first."

"We are here," Peasley adds, "because we are the strongest people in our Kingdoms. Despite our efforts, everybody in the Bean Bean Kingdom... died."

Dreambert's turn...: "We could not prevent the assault. It happened two weeks ago. My people and I woke up at the buzzy sound of airships at dawn, and... They were fast, powerful, we couldn't do anything, not even my friend."

"Hey! I coulda beat his butt! He just left before I came."

"Because you wouldn't listen to me when I say it's an emergency! You already have money! Why did you make me wait?! Now everybody is DEAD."

Prince Dreambert huffs and Zeekeeper doesn't answer. I can see the bird doesn't like to be grounded, but Dreambert made a point. If he had prepared sooner, maybe all this wouldn't have happened. Maybe my kingdom would be safe. Maybe Luigi... Yeah. Anger. After a few seconds of heavy silence, I talk on:

"I'll admit I can't do much. But we can still go to Bowser's Kingdom or... hey Yoshi, can you smell Mario or Peach?"

He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, the wind must be in the wrong direction today. I could yesterday, but not anymore today."

"Then we go to Bowser's Kingdom."

"Why?" Prince Dreamberr asked. "Isn't he our foe?"

I remember what Luigi told me.

"Not when we are all in danger."

And so I walk past them, ignoring the fact that my dress has a new colour down there, and I lift my head for a new adventure.

...

"Indeed you are."

...

"VOUS ! Quelle cruelty and insolence! My dear friends, let's show him notre nouvelle attaque surpuissante !"

They must be close new friends now, a thought flew in my non-functioning head.

Luigi. It is Luigi's face. Oh gosh, so close, if he hadn't that mask on, and that horrible grin, the grin was weird, it is less a smile than an animal parting his lips to show impeccable white teeth. The eyes...nothing could be done through the eyes. Nothing that could stop him from - his palm lifts in front of the immense dog and the muscle men and it spar-

I close my eyes and stiff myself. I jump when I hear bones cracking, a body flying past my ear, an atrocious yelp, pleading from the French man being choked now, a cry for one's brother, and it's done. I want to cry. I don't even dare to open my eyes, all I get is sound and voices. My arms wouldn't move, I was so petrified I couldn't close my ears. No words would come out to order the Bean Prince to stay still and for now give up. I moaned internally yet the voices and cracks and bumps and...that was too much.

Around me, in the orange-dimmed light through my eyelids, there was some sort of a battlefield. Everybody was running left or fight or jumping to kick, but me, and Mr.L waiting for them, surely to grab their limbs and rip them apart. That's what I heard he did to -

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH! MAA OOOOOOONNNN! AAARRGGHH!"

I just waited. I even feared Mr.L would kick me too, even if I knew he wouldn't do things this way.

For the second time I think, I was kind of detached from the world, even if my body reacted poorly. What happened just then? Just when I meet my friends, new friends, see hope, he comes to - to kill again - kill - kill - kill - my throat tightens painfully - and they scream - scream - scream, all of them...

Not realizing my body moving on its own, powered my emotions, I felt a hard burning slap from my ungloved hand. Then I opened my eyes so wide to sink my retracted pupils on the others, I felt my jaws stretching abruptly, my throat and lungs hurt harshly for an instant, when they vibrated - I also heard the end of my own yelling. I then closed my jaws to breathe through my teeth and let my tears run abundantly around my cheeks and neck. My other hand was grasping Mr.L's big scarf towards my head, so I could plunge my words right into him. I could easily tower him now. I wiped out the saliva out of my trembling lip.

The face had a weird expression of surprise in front of my rage. His hands opened to let the green body fall and recoil from both of us. Both of us were animals right now. That's what a fight is, right? I had enough of doing nothing. I regreted it once, I wouldn't a second time. What was he gonna do after? I couldn't care less. I just felt weak and strong at the same time, forcing Mr.L to end this new carnage.

"As your wish, Princess."

...That's all it cost.

Nine hours later. We were walking in the snow storm of the snow land. The bodies of the gentlemen, the prince, the Toads, the dog and even Zeekeeper were left behind us to burn up with the rest of my Kingdom. I'm thinking about them even more, now that the irradiated bomb is being heard miles around from my lifeless home. We can hear it tearing the sky, and then a deep low shake in the air. That's why Mr.L told us to walk away. The radiation would affect the weakest bodies so even the 1-ups couldn't save them anymore. It was a way straight to Game Over. If all this was still a game. I don't think it is. Would you think so, after our friend's death? While hearing Yoshi crying for hours in agony? He couldn't even talk now. And what about Dreambert? He lost almost everybody he cared for. Of course, I've never been such a waterfall. Damn it. Damn it. Fuck everything.

It was no surprise Mario and Yoshi had been powerless against Mr.L. Where was the limit of his power? He didn't show much and that was enough. When, where, how the hell did he learn that and got to this incredible level? Enough training to turn him mad maybe. Why? Oh yes she knew, to conquer the world. Then why were they killing everybody?! They were sure to win now. Yes. I was losing hope. I looked up to the hidden night sky, wishing something saves us. Because right now, we're falling to our end.

I suddenly feel something soft being rolled around my neck and ears. It smelled...perfume? I look down to see - the disgusting scarf - I rip it away. How dare he. I glare again at him and walk away - I'd rather freeze than to accept my enemy's "stained" cloth.

But soon, my body couldn't follow. As hard as I tried with my built up rage and will. I was a desert prin-woman for gosh's sake! The unprotected skin of my feet and ankles, arms, neck, my belly - I was cold, wet and it burned. I was frozen. I fell. I cursed as I couldn't get up. I panicked and struggled when I felt being lifted up.

"F-F-Fuuck-k-you..."

He didn't answer, just put me closer to his chest, trying to protect me from the icy wind with his arms. He was looking around for somewhere to rest.

...I felt disgusted. This sadistic genocider. I understood why the touch felt nice. It was soft, warm, secured and quite caring. It was a body, Luigi's body after all. It was sad it didn't have that little belly from before, yet it was just replaced by a quite solid chest - gosh, why, that's not fair. I knew I shouldn't have those thoughts. I found myself snuggling closer and breath in the odour, it wasn't even blood, how? And then I try to escape. And then I stop fooling around to wait. By the time, I must have fell asleep, but I'm sure I whispered right before to care for Yoshi and Dreambert.

I think I had a nightmare. At the end though, I could see something blurry in a square, like a film... I decided to sleep some more, and waited in half-consciousness my body to get functional again. I didn't want to return to reality anymore... Minutes or hours past, I couldn't tell...

When I decided to wake up... I let my eyes closed to the so good warm massage. Very, very warm, too hot even, and I liked it. I knew it was ethereal fire. And who does master fire? Mario and his firebrand... was it possible? I knew my head wouldn't think properly, so I just accepted the hands re-heating me... I opened my eyes at a moment. I jumped. I regretted that immediately. Both the fact of opening my eyes and jumping, because it hurt physically and mentally. I hated his look, his blank look. But I couldn't move right now, my limbs hurt so much, my back, my belly, oh, ow... I must bleed so much right now, and I wanted somewhere to empty myself too, but with him around?! And I didn't have any stuff, heck, I didn't have medicine! The pain! I hated this, I hated this! Why now?! Curling myself up doesn't help, I feel like a knife squirming into me. And I feel sick. I hear a loud bang, I don't even get what happens the two moments I hear it. He tries and gets me to swallow down some things with water, and I feel him heating my belly. I wish he wouldn't but... I'm sorry, my people. Right now, I'm in pain...

It lasts for 10 minutes. "Huh..?" Mr.L... has brought medicine, clothes, and bathroom products. I'm sorry my people. I'll avenge you, but later. We are in an ice cave, yet the room has been heated up so much water was dropping from the ceiling. I could change my dress for a... a yellow one-piece pyjama. I could even wear thick fluffy black socks. There's a comfy pillow and...he thought I was a baby. Or was it obvious I needed some suitcase for adventures? But I guess... better make the best of situations... that was Luigi's motto.

So I changed clothes. The environment was uneasy, between the ice blue and the cold green fire, cold by the colour. I wondered if Mr.L was watching me, but I couldn't catch any funny look.

I made sure my two pals were not harmed. Fortunately, they were waiting for me. More like Dreambert was. What may Yoshi dream about right now? Surely to be in his cave…. I thought, as I seated next to him and gently petted him, that he had to be sleeping in a cave in Yoshi's Island, where rays of sunlight were glazing his scales, trembling synchronously with the floating of the leaves, appearing and disappearing in cycles behind the clouds. Yoshi would sense the forest's gentle rustling, its chirping, he would smell the fruits oozing a juicy so sweet it would glue your fingers, feel the warm soil, maybe some ants getting lost on his arms. Maybe he would think "When I wake up, what should I do today with my friends?" And he would be blooming with vitality. No need to say why it only remained a dream from now on.

Dreambert, Yoshi and I lay down in a circle and we began to wait. For what? I don't know… Dreambert would tell the adventure in Pi'illow Island, before realizing he'd be lacking tact, talking about Luigi like that. We would both give some anecdotes, and then silence fell over us. Somehow, in the back of my mind, an idea began to concretize. I didn't exactly know what it consisted of. However I knew it was this idea that pushed me to walk deeper in the cave. I wasn't alone and that's what I somehow wanted. When we were isolated enough in those depths, I turned around to face a blinding green flame. I sighed.

We faced each other for quite some time.

It must have been this idea that pushed me. I don't remember how exactly things went; all I know, was how much I tried to convince myself that this man was Luigi. This man pinned to the wall and whom I kept kissing had to be Luigi, or become Luigi again, before I break in tears, seeing how useless and shameful that attempt could be. I just hoped something would click inside of my former lover so, despite all our wasted efforts to fight, this world could still be saved...