I think this is pretty obvious, but I'm gonna say it anyway: I do not own Romeo and Juliet. The play was written by Shakespeare. If I did own Romeo and Juliet, I'd be rich and not some middle class girl who writes fanfics for fun.

The Crimson Flame landed with a THUD! Despite this, he felt no pain. He looked around him and realized that fog covered the area. He took a deep breath and moved forward, pulling his cape closer.

Within a matter of minutes, The Crimson Flame was caught in a light drizzle. The rain fell down softly. The dirt turned to mud and dewdrops covered the grass. He walked through the grass, feeling calm for once. He was grateful for the peace and quiet. If only it would be that easy. The storm would only get worse from there.

Mario took a bite of his turkey sandwich, waiting for Luigi to get back from checking the cast list. He stared into space for a moment, looking outside. It was raining. It wasn't pouring; it was just a light drizzle. The rain calmed Mario. It made him think back to when he was a child, stomping into mud puddles and dancing in the rain. The boy in red giggled at the memory.

Just then, Luigi ran up to Mario's table. He was practically bouncing up and down. "Mario! Mario! Guess what!?"

Mario started to reply, then remembered he hadn't finished chewing. He held a finger up, indicating for Luigi to wait, then swallowed. "Okay. What is it?"

"I'm in! I'm in the play! Not only that, but I get to play Romeo!"

Mario was glad he finished chewing; he might have started choking otherwise. "What!? Really?"

Luigi nodded with a huge smile on his face.

"Luigi..." Mario whispered. "That's awesome!" He stood and hugged his brother, not caring who was watching.

After they stopped hugging, Luigi said, "I know, right? I'm so excited! I've never been the lead before! I've come a long way from playing that earth spirit in first grade, huh?"

Mario grinned. They were only six years old back then. "Luigi, you stole the show even then."

The boy in green blushed. "Don't you think you're exaggerating a little?"

"Not at all! You need to start being more confident in yourself, little bro."

Luigi smiled bashfully. "Oh, and Waluigi got in too."

Mario frowned. "Oh no."

Luigi shook his head. "No, no! It's a good thing! Guess who he's playing?"

"I don't know...Romeo's dad?"

"Even better! He's playing Tybalt."

"Oh," Mario said. After a few seconds of silence, he asked, "Who's that?"

Luigi smirked. "Romeo's rival."

Mario laughed. "Perfect." He gave Luigi a high-five. "So, who's your fair Juliet?"

"Peach Toadstool," Luigi replied. "You know, that girl in your Biology class."

Mario smirked, an image of the blond beauty coming to mind. "Are you looking forward to your kiss scene?"

Luigi gave Mario a playful shove. He remembered the first day when he was teasing Mario about dating Peach. It looked like the roles were reversed. "It's just acting. Just because we're playing the leads doesn't mean we're magically going to fall in love."

"Keep telling yourself that. Next thing you know, you'll be getting married and having a kid."

The boy in green sat down with his brother. "Why one kid? I've always wanted two!"

The brothers shared a good laugh before Mario went back to eating. Luigi opened his lunchbox and pulled out his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After a few minutes, Mario remembered that he had something to tell Luigi. "You know, Luigi, I've been thinking. Mama and Papa have been getting on my case about extracurriculars lately. You know, for college applications and stuff."

"Mario, you don't have to worry about college now. We're only freshmen."

"I know, but they insist that I do something after school. I'm starting to think they're right. You have acting. I want to take part in something too."

"Oh yeah? What club were you thinking?"

"Well...It's not a club. It's actually a sport."

"Really?"

Mario nodded. "Uh-huh. See, I'm not that great at my classes, but I'm really good in gym. The coach recommended that I join a sport and I figured, 'Why not?'"

Luigi grinned. "That sounds cool. What sport did you have in mind?"

The boy in red smiled. "Well..."

After play rehearsal, Luigi went to the gym and saw the basketball team practicing. He couldn't help but grin. He found an older man watching them. Although his black hair was starting to turn grey and he had wrinkles spread across his face, the boy in green couldn't help but think he had a youthful radiance. Luigi approached him. "Hello."

The coach turned and smiled. "Hi. You're Mario's brother, aren't you?"

Luigi nodded. "Is practice almost done? We have to be home by 5 o'clock." He glanced at the digital clock on the wall. It was about 4:30.

"Ah. Well, don't worry about it," He said. Turning to watch the players, the coach continued, "The kids are almost done. I doubt it will last until 5, but if it does, I can call your parents or send them a note. You're more than welcome to stay and watch."

One of the boys ran across the court, dribbling the ball. A few kids were crowding around him while others were telling him to pass it to them. Instead, he smirked and leaped into the air, throwing the basket through the hoop. While the players practicing against him groaned, the others cheered. The star player smiled.

Luigi saw his cousin, Wario, approach him. While he was a bit narcissistic at times, he wasn't nearly as bad as Waluigi. He patted the other boy on the back. "Nice job, Red."

Mario smiled. "Thanks, dear old cousin of mine." Just then, he saw Luigi. He smiled and waved at him. Luigi waved back.

"Your brother is a real ace," The coach told Luigi. "The best player on the team, no doubt."

The boy in green grinned. He was so proud of Mario. "Yeah. I know."

His prediction had been right. The drizzle turned into a moderate shower. That shower became a heavy storm. Add thunder and lightning into the mix and he was in the middle of a thunderstorm. He had to have done this intentionally. He knew that water was his weakness.

As such, The Crimson Flame started to slow down. He felt his energy dissipate. He had to find somewhere to get away from the rain. The Crimson Flame remembered there was a forest nearby and went to it for shelter. He would have to stay there for the night.

Later, in a hidden cave, The Crimson Flame tried to use his fire. He felt sparks in his hand, like tiny embers hidden in ash. That was the range of his power.

SNAP! The Crimson Flame looked up. He scanned the area around him. Strange. He thought he heard a twig snap. Shrugging, he went back to trying to make fire. He had the same result as before.

CRUNCH! The red warrior couldn't have imagined it that time. He stood. He tried to make fire, though nothing happened. He huffed and drew his sword, holding it in a defensive gesture. He saw a shadow in the darkness.

Could it be Goldrush, back from the dead? Or someone worse? Or was it...?

The shadow came out from the dark.

The Crimson Flame felt his eyes grow wide. This certainly wasn't what he expected.

It was a girl. She was a brunette with shoulder-length hair. Her orange eyes were full of warmth. She had a white bodice with an orange jacket and red skirt. She also had orange gloves that covered the elbow to the wrist along with black boots. Her clothes were covered in filth. Then again, it might not have been her fault. He saw blood spatters on her katana blades, suggesting another fierce duel.

White Flower.

He narrowed his eyes, flashing the girl a look of disapproval. She must have followed him here without him realizing it.

"I know what you're going to say. I shouldn't have come," White Flower said.

He nodded. He didn't have to voice his thoughts; she already knew what he was thinking.

"But he means just as much to me as he does to you."

The Crimson Flame looked away. He tried to use his power one last time. This time, he was able to use his fire. The red warrior made a real fire, using sticks he had gathered earlier in the day. Although he was full of the warm energy, he still felt the cold air.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" White Flower asked.

The Crimson Flame stared at the fire.

She sighed. "Please let me do this. I want to help you. I love you." Surprised, he turned to her. She looked at him with sincerity.

The Crimson Flame sighed. He must have been too harsh with her. He tapped the rock next to him, urging her to sit. She smiled and sat next to him. After a few seconds, White Flower put her hands in front of the fire. "We can stay here for the night, but we must leave by morning."

The Crimson Flame nodded. She was always able to predict his exact thoughts.

A few weeks later, Luigi watched Mario play basketball on the bleachers. He didn't have play practice that day, so he got there early to watch. Mario dribbled the ball, concentrating. He ran closer to the hoop, but a couple of kids blocked his way.

"Come on, Red!" Wario called out. "Pass me the ball!"

Mario ignored his cousin and moved past the people blocking him. He leaped into the air and launched the ball towards the hoop. Mario missed, but that wasn't even the worst of it. The second he landed, he cringed. "OW!" He shouted. He crashed to the floor. "Ah..."

Luigi's eyes widened. He stood. "Mario?"

Coach Bradman blew his whistle. "Hold it!" He walked up to the players. The kids cleared a path for him, leaving Mario in the middle by himself. The coach bent down, looking at his star player with worry. "What's wrong, Mario?"

"Nothing," Mario muttered. He tried to stand, but when he put weight on his left foot, he cringed. He stumbled back down. "Ow..."

"Hold on. I think you might have sprained your ankle, kid."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not fine. You need to take it easy." The coach turned to one of the girls. "Can you help him?"

The girl nodded. She was a brunette with shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. She wore an orange t-shirt and gray shorts. "Sure thing, coach." She wrapped her arm around Mario's back and helped him stand. She led him to the bleachers while he limped.

"Don't come to practice this weekend," Coach Bradman added. "Let me know when your ankle has healed and I'll put you back in."

Mario sighed. "Okay, Coach."

The coach turned to the team and blew his whistle. "Alright, let's pick up from where we left off."

Luigi went to his brother. "Bro, what happened?"

"He sprained his ankle," The girl explained. "Could you keep him company while I go get him some ice?"

Luigi nodded. With that, the brunette walked away. The boy in green watched her leave. "Who is that?"

"Daisy Sarasa," Mario replied. "She's a really good player."

Luigi nodded, then realized something. "Wait, aren't the boys' team and girls' team usually separate?"

"Usually, but there weren't enough girls to form one team. They decided to combine them this year."

"Are you gonna be okay?"

Mario shrugged. "It's just a sprained ankle." The boy in green frowned and pulled out his cell phone. Mario furrowed his brows. "What are you doing?"

"Calling Mama and Papa," Luigi answered. "You're too hurt to walk all the way to the bus stop and then back to the house."

He frowned. "Luigi..."

"No arguing. You need to get better. If you put too much pressure on the sprain, it's only going to get worse."

Mario sighed. "Well...I guess you're right."

Daisy came back with an ice pack. "Here you go. This might sting a little." She put the ice on his wounded ankle.

The boy in red winced, but smiled when the pain subsided. "Thanks, Daisy."

"No problem. You're one of our strongest players, a freshmen prodigy. The sooner you get healed, the better."

Luigi sighed. "I guess I'll have to keep telling him that this weekend."

Daisy turned to Luigi, as if noticing him for the first time. "Oh, um...I don't think we've met. I'm Daisy."

Luigi smiled. "Luigi. I'm Mario's younger brother. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Daisy turned to Mario. "Listen to your brother, Mario. I'm getting back out there. Take it easy, okay?" With that, Daisy left her friend and joined the other members of the team.

Luigi stood and helped Mario up. "Come on, bro. You can lean on me."

Mario nodded. Luigi wrapped an arm around him, like Daisy was doing earlier, and walked with him. Mario limped slowly. "Thanks, Luigi."

"Don't worry about it." Luigi smirked when he remembered what Daisy called Mario. "Hey, did you hear Daisy call you a freshmen prodigy earlier?"

"Yeah...It's what everyone on the team calls me."

"Why so nonchalant? You should be proud!"

Mario frowned. "Says the guy who refuses to admit he's a good actor, despite being cast as the lead in the play."

Luigi laughed. "Okay, I'm a good actor and you're a good player. Are we even?"

The boy in red shrugged. "I guess so. You know, if I get better in time, I might be able to compete this season. Coach Bradman was telling me that before I sprained my ankle."

"If you take it easy, maybe you will," The boy in green replied. "It's a good thing it's already Friday. You won't have to do too much moving around this weekend."

"Yeah..." Mario whispered. He lit up. "Maybe if I get better really fast, I can go back to practice on Monday!"

Luigi laughed. "We'll see about that. For now, let's worry about getting home."

Mario nodded and limped out of the gym with Luigi by his side.

The Crimson Flame opened his eyes. He sat up, rubbing his head. He noticed he was in a cave. He was confused for a moment, then laid eyes on White Flower. She was sleeping so soundly, her brown hair a mess. Then it all came back to him. He decided not to wake her right away.

He stood and stretched, letting out a yawn. The Crimson Flame walked outside and saw that it was morning. He would have to leave with White Flower after breakfast. After going to a nearby lake, The Crimson Flame grabbed a stick and waited for fish. Once he saw one swimming nearby, he immediately struck it with his stick. The fish went limp.

The Crimson Flame pulled it out of the water and grinned.

CRUNCH! The warrior looked around, expecting to see White Flower. Instead, he saw nothing. He frowned and turned back to the lake, catching more fish. However, he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched.

The next couple of months rolled by. Soon, Mario recovered from his sprained ankle and was able to compete that season. During one of the last games, Mario made the winning shot for the toads in the last few minutes. His team lifted him into the air while Luigi and their parents cheered from the bleachers. That night, they celebrated by having a huge party at Wario's house. The party lasted until about 2 AM.

Before they knew it, November came. On the first weekend of the new month, Toadstool High presented Romeo and Juliet. Mario and their parents got front row seats on the last night of the play.

During Act 3, Scene 5, Luigi and Peach stood in the center of the stage. Luigi wore a dark green tunic along with long white socks and pointed black shoes. Peach was lovely as Juliet. Her blonde hair was wrapped into a ponytail. She wore a pink bodice with yellow laces in the center in a criss-cross style along with a flowing pink hem. She also wore pink slip-on shoes.

Luigi held Peach's hands and looked passionately into her sapphire eyes. It was as if they were a real couple and not two student actors.

"Wilt thou be gone?" Peach whispered sadly. "It is not yet near day: it was the nightingale, and not the lark, that pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear; nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree: believe me, love, it was the nightingale."

Mario grinned. Ah, the famous nightingale scene.

Luigi shook his head sadly. "It was the lark, the herald of the morn. No nightingale. Look, love," He grabbed Peach's hand and led her towards the left side of the stage. He gestured to the imaginary sky. "What envious streaks do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops. I must be gone and live, or stay and die."

Peach bit her lip, trying to deny the truth. "Yon light is not day-light, I know it, I. It is some meteor that the sun exhales, to be to thee this night a torch-bearer, and light thee on thy way to Mantua: therefore stay yet; thou need'st not to be gone."

Mario couldn't help but enjoy the earlier scene where Luigi pretended to kill Waluigi with his sword. Unfortunately, that meant that he was now in exile and he couldn't be with Peach any longer. Even though they had different names in the play, it was nearly impossible for Mario to see anyone but his younger brother and friend standing on that stage.

Luigi smiled and stroked Peach's cheek. He took a strand of her blonde hair and pulled it back behind her ear. "Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death; I am content, so thou wilt have it so. I'll say yon grey is not the morning's eye, 'tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow; nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat the vaulty heaven so high above our heads. I have more care to stay than will to go." He turned and made a grand gesture towards no one in particular. "Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so." He turned back to his girl. "How is't, my soul? let's talk; it is not day."

Then again, maybe Mario was wrong. Luigi was doing a stellar job as Romeo.

At this point, the blonde's face contorted into a look of pain. She shook her head and turned away from Luigi. "It is, it is: hie hence, be gone, away! It is the lark that sings so out of tune, straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps. Some say the lark makes sweet division; this doth not so, for she divideth us. Some say the lark and loathed toad change eyes...Oh, now I would they had changed voices too! Since arm from arm that voice doth us affray, hunting thee hence with hunt's-up to the day. Oh, now be gone; more light and light it grows."

Luigi frowned. He sighed and muttered, "More light and light; more dark and dark our woes..."

Mario thought he heard someone weeping quietly. He turned and saw his mother wipe a tear from her eye with a tissue. He grinned and kept watching the show. Mama always made sure to bring tissues in her purse, especially for these kind of shows. She was always a sucker for romance.

Once the show was over, the entire cast walked back onto the stage. That is, the entire cast except for Luigi and Peach. The students held hands and bowed while the audience cheered.

After the first round of applause, Luigi ran back on stage from the left side while Peach ran back from the right. They both met at the center. Peach gestured to Luigi and he bowed while the audience clapped for him. Next, he gestured to the blonde. She gave a formal, but cute curtsey and the audience clapped a third time. The leads held hands and bowed together while the rest of the cast did the same. Everyone in the audience stood and cheered.

With that, the cast dispersed as well as the audience. Mario and his parents met Luigi outside of the auditorium. As soon as he spotted his brother, Mario gave him a crushing hug. "You did so good, Wee-gee!"

Luigi laughed and hugged back. "Thanks, bro. I'm glad to hear it."

Mama squealed and gave her son a hug. "I'm so proud of my little boy!"

Luigi giggled. "Mama..."

She let go and Papa gave Luigi a pat on the back. "You did great, Luigi. Hey, what do you say we get ice cream to celebrate?"

Luigi grinned. "Sure! I'd love it!"

Mario took Luigi's hand and led him outside, their parents following not too far behind.

Needless to say, that evening was a great night.

The Crimson Flame walked out of the forest with White Flower next to him. The two were quiet at first. There wasn't a whole lot to say.

White Flower started the conversation. "We should be getting close."

The Crimson Flame nodded.

White Flower turned to him. "Are you nervous?"

He shook his head.

"Are you scared?"

He shook his head again.

White Flower frowned. She put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay if you are. We will get him back."

The Crimson Flame was silent, but he had worry in his eyes. There was so much that could go wrong. But once again, he reminded himself that it didn't matter. He wanted him back.

White Flower sighed and took her hand off of his shoulder. "It's my fault this happened in the first place. If I hadn't come into the picture, everything would be fine between you two."

The red warrior shook his head in disagreement. He was about to speak when he saw a flash of purple out of the corner of his eye. The Crimson Flame turned. The girl in orange tilted her head slightly. "What is it?"

He looked around and didn't see anything at first. The Crimson Flame was about to turn back to White Flower when he spotted them. A patch of purple, sharp thorns. He pointed to them. Her eyes grew wide.

"Hello, Flower. Crimson," A voice said. The Crimson Flame felt his eyes grow wide. It sounded like Goldrush, but not quite the same. This voice was slightly higher pitched.

He spotted him on the top of a large rock. This man had brown hair and green eyes. Much like Goldrush, he had purple bags under his eyes and a large pink nose. However, while Goldrush's face was more fat and had a cleft chin, this man's face was narrow and had a pointed chin. Most importantly, he wore a suit of purple armor instead of gold. Ultraviolet.

"You..." White Flower whispered. Her eyes were full of hatred.

"Me," The purple warrior agreed.

"What are you doing here!?"

"You're getting too close to matters that don't concern you," Ultraviolet replied. "You destroyed my brother, Goldrush, for this reason. The sad part is that your quest is pointless. He doesn't want your help." Ultraviolet smirked. "So, why don't you back down now and we can forget this ever happened? I promise I won't tell Green."

The Crimson Flame felt his eyes grow wide. Green. Ultraviolet knew where he was.

White Flower glared. "Never!"

The purple warrior frowned. "So be it."

With that, he created thorn-covered vines all around them. The Crimson Flame grabbed White Flower and pulled her away from the vines. He flashed Ultraviolet a dirty look. The latter grinned and rushed towards them, staff in hand.

The part about Luigi playing grass was a reference to Luigi's stories in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In the romanticized version, he played an earth spirit and stole the show. In reality, he played a single blade of grass. I decided to follow the romanticized version because I don't think an elementary school would make a child play literal grass. XD

"Aren't you going to say anything?" The Crimson Flame can speak but chooses not to. I wonder why.

I knew what to write for the curtain call part because I've been in a play. I was in our school's production of Breakfast at Tiffany's as Partygirl #2, or Peggy as I like to call her. Now, in reality, the cast members have to stay and help clean up the set after the show, but screw that. If I want Luigi to eat ice cream with his family after the show, they're getting ice cream, damn it!

I got Ultraviolet's ability to create thorny vines from the Wall-Luigi attack that Waluigi does in the games. (And I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say that Ultraviolet is Waluigi. If you're confused, the regular humans and the warrior counterparts in this story are like the characters in the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy's friends are real people in her world, but they have animal counterparts in her dream like the scarecrow, tin man, and lion.)

-Colorful and Free