Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to

Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving

me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!

I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,

but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this

story to make it more interesting.

I also don't own anything related to Naruto.

Chapter Twelve

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks

Better run better run

Outrun my gun

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks

Better run, better run

Faster than my bullet

No, she had no idea what those lyrics really meant, nor did she understand how the device in her ears transferred music from the device to her head without letting any of the noise slip out on the way there.

Magic, maybe, she deduced, but ruled that out because it was Munson who gave her this...this...well, she forgot what it was called, but it was a great gift and helped her wile away the past eight nights of loneliness.

All the other kids

Wendy blinked slowly and let the song's lilting instrumentals take her mind someplace far from the constraints of the hotel. It wasn't so bad, as they went, on par with the inns back near the Badlands, really. But without Munson, it was just another empty room. Sure, there was a tv and the music player he gave her to occupy herself with, but it wasn't the same without him around. When he was around during the day, they took meals together in the hotel's cafeteria, visited the arcade, played table tennis in the game room, and caught movies sometimes in the multi-purpose room. They had fun. But every night he'd leave her in their room and promise to be back by morning. He said he was out looking for his mother. Every night she tried to convince him to let her go with him, but he wouldn't have it. He said it was too dangerous around the city at night.

But not too dangerous for him to go skulking around, she thought with a faint frown. It stunk, being here alone every evening. She could technically leave the hotel any time she wished, but she didn't want to break her promise.

He didn't break his when he promised to run away with me, she recalled.

But she couldn't help but feel like this was the bunker all over again, albeit different circumstances. Ludwig sought to protect them all. Munson was convinced this was for her protection. Ludwig brought her a radio once. Munson gave her a...whatever the device was called.

Wendy was lying with her hands behind her head on the decorated bed, but now she sat up and leaned against the headboard. The pale pink device, shaped like a stick of gum, slid off her stomach and onto the bedspread. Wendy crossed her legs at the ankles and bent forward a bit to grab it. Connected to it was a stringy white pair of what she remembered were called earphones, as they fit snugly into her own.

But why call them phones, she wondered absently.

The girl pushed a button on the device and the song she'd been listening to started over. She liked that song. She moved her head in time with the beat and closed her eyes.

I wonder when-

The door opened before she could even finish that thought and the source of her impending inquiry came through it. Wendy first thought it'd be the housekeepers, since the night was yet young, but no, it was Munson. He had something behind his back.

"Evening, my beautiful Wendy." He greeted and flashed a brilliant smile.

On the bed Wendy turned so that she was facing the door. Her heart still did crazy things at the sight of the handsome young man walking towards her. His smile was genuine but his eyes, those sea-colored eyes, were troubled like the stormy bodies of water they resembled.

"What's the matter?" She asked, then added, "Did something happen?"

"No, no." Munson denied, coming to sit beside her.

He had his legs off the bed but was turned towards her. Because his hands were still behind his back, he couldn't push the long, dark hair away that had gotten into his face. With a soft half-smile, Wendy did it for him and then sat closer to him. She turned off her music and faced him expectantly.

"So did you find your mother?" She immediately probed.

Munson's smile faltered as he replied, "...Not yet. But I think I'm very close."

"Does that mean we're leaving the hotel?" Wendy asked.

"We will," Munson told her.

"When?" Wendy pressed, "What day?"

"Someday soon." Munson spoke evasively. "I can't say, but I'm trying as hard as I can to track my mother down and then-"

"Don't you think this would go faster if both of us looked for her?" Wendy asked pointedly.

It would at least give me something to do that doesn't involve being kooped up in this room, she thought. The time she spent during the day with Munson was good fun, but it wasn't enough. Besides, lately he'd been leaving earlier and returning later, barring tonight of course.

"Wendy, I told you, it's too dangerous." Munson sighed.

"Says you," Wendy argued. "And if it's so dangerous, how come you always go alone?"

"I'm not always alone." He spoke very quietly.

Wendy's blonde brows shot up. "Oh. Somebody goes with you? Who?"

"...I can't say." Munson spoke difficultly.

"Why not?" Wendy frowned, "How come you won't tell me anything?"

She was now thinking of all the things she didn't know about Munson. Sure, she knew his name and age and she knew he lived in the Badlands, and that his dad owned the inn and that he was somewhat well-off, but that was about it. She'd only just found out about his 'aunt' a week ago, and she still had questions about that.

Why is he so secretive, Wendy mused. He acts like he's hiding something...and Ludwig kept telling me to be wary of him; did my brother know something about Munson that I don't? Something bad?

No, Wendy thought resolutely, if there was something Munson was hiding and it was bad, he would have told me by now. Wouldn't he?

"Munson," Wendy began slowly, "What was that you were gonna' tell me?"

"Hm?" He hummed, seemingly lost in his own thoughts as well.

"That night in the courtyard," Wendy recounted. "What were you going to say? When you told me you weren't like other people."

Munson paled and that did nothing to settle the growing unease within Wendy. She began to wonder if she'd made the right decision running away with an older boy she knew next to nothing about. It'd happened so fast; one day she was wasting her days at the watery kingdom Ludwig shipped her off to, and the next, Munson arrived. He came in the dead of the night and she'd been so glad to see him, she followed him without question. From the palace, they rode horseback away. She couldn't recall the entire journey because she fell asleep, but by the time she woke up, she was in the backseat of his 'aunt's' car with her head on Munson's shoulder. At the time, she'd felt so nervous and excited and a little scared and hadn't asked many questions. Now that things had calmed down, those little missing details were starting to bother her. She repeated her last question and watched Munson glance away.

"I'll tell you another time." he conceded.

"Why can't you tell me now?" She huffed.

Munson met her eyes and opened his mouth, then shut it and glanced away.

In a soft voice Wendy said, "Maybe my brothers were right about you, then."

And the way Munson visibly flinched made her regret saying that. But she stood by her suspicions and folded her arms at her chest. She shivered a little too. It was cold in the later hours here in Maine and she hadn't brought all the right clothes. In her soft white capris and collared red silk blouse she shivered once more, then rubbed her bare arms. Munson reached for her, having shifted whatever was behind his back to get a free hand, but she shooed his hand away.

"Wendy," Munson spoke gently, "I don't want to tell you...that right now because it would just complicate matters. But I will tell you."

Complicate matters how, Wendy thought worriedly. What in the world is he hiding?

"When do you plan on telling me?" She asked. "It's not anything gross or deranged, is it? Did you..." In a hushed voice she asked, "...did you kill somebody?"

"No." Munson blinked. "I haven't killed anyone, and it's not...I will tell you, Wendy-"

"When?" Wendy interjected.

After a bit of thought Munson said, "I'll tell you after we find my mother."

Wendy was silent.

On the one hand, she still had some fears about her decision to run away with someone so mysterious, but on the other hand, she trusted him on some level. He hadn't outright lied to her and he'd made good on his word several times. She just wished he'd be more open with her. She wanted to play an active role in helping him find his mom, she wanted to know more about him, she wanted to know whatever secret about himself he thought was so bad he couldn't just tell her.

Does he think it'll make me think less of him, She mused. Maybe if I tell him about my powers and stuff, he'll open up about his own hidden issue.

The girl opened her mouth to do just that, regardless of what Ludwig told her about exposing her abilities to people who could exploit and abuse them. She didn't care about what Ludwig thought then, and definitely didn't now, despite her misgivings concerning her boyfriend. But she couldn't get it out because Munson was apologizing.

He said, "I know I ask a lot of you, Wendy. I know it's hard being stuck in this room, and I know you're very interested in what I'm doing and I know you want to help, but it's just better if I do things this way. I can't explain it. If I could, I would tell you, but the less you know, the better. I have...enemies."

Here he struggled and Wendy waited for him to finish. To her knowledge, his only enemies were her brothers. But his speech was heartfelt, and she felt inclined to believe him.

He told her, "I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself if something happened to you, Wendy. I mean, it's bad enough I lost my mom once, I don't want to go through that, to have to find you like I'm trying to find her."

And now there was a mist over her eyes because Munson's voice had dropped to a near-whisper and she just felt for him. She didn't feel bad about her suspicions, but she did still trust him to reveal them to her in his own time. She moved to sit on her knees and scooted closer to him, then laid a hand on top of his. He tangled his fingers with hers and met her eyes.

"Wendy," He spoke solemnly. "I promise I will tell you everything once we get settled. But if you're mad at me and want to go home, well...I'll find a way to take you back home. Right now. Just say the word."

His words spoke of one thing, but his eyes were hesitant and his expression held the slightest bit of fear and panic. He would do as he said he would, but he was...scared that she would ask this of him, to go back home. However, that was the last thing on Wendy's mind.

She said, "I don't want to go back. I just want you to trust me like I trust you."

"I do," He said at once, then bowed his head over hers and kissed her.

He moved tentatively at first, as he hadn't asked her permission, but when she moved her lips over his, he grew bold and kissed her more assuredly.

Near her mouth he murmured, "I swear, I do trust you." He kissed her again before adding, "And I will tell you everything. Please believe me."

"I believe you." Wendy's voice came out very softly because her head was light and her heart was beating way too fast.

She felt out of sorts from that kiss. She still wasn't accustomed to his affections and only just resisted acting on the urge to glance over her shoulder to see if someone was looking.

No one's here, she scolded herself, Not Ludwig, not Roy...all of them are a thousand miles away. A thousand miles away.

And that made her ache inside. That was another thing she hadn't accounted for. Would she ever see her tough-but-sweet older brother again? It'd be awful if she didn't. As much as he and MJ were a pain in the neck and as much as Larry and Lemmy sometimes got on her nerves, she knew she would miss them. She'd miss all her brothers.

Unknowingly, her expression mirrored her inner fears and Munson pulled back, thinking he was still to cause for her being upset. That's when he thought it was as good a time as any to reveal what he had behind his back.

"I got you something," He spoke fondly. "I hope you like it."

And from behind him he pulled a periwinkle rose, shimmering and thorny. Wendy took it carefully so as not to get pricked and felt her insides melt at the gift and his adoring smile. She'd not had anyone look at her like that except for him.

"Thank you," She said before hugging him.

She wrapped her hands around his neck and vaguely likened his embrace to that of her pink-haired brother's. Only where Roy was hard-bodied and firm and he often held her either too tightly or as if he might break her if not careful enough, Munson's hugs made her feel like she was fitting into a puzzle; they fit together.

"I love you." She heard him declare with his chin resting on her shoulder.

Wendy pulled back and Munson pulled something else out from behind him, this time something soft and pink.

It was a little bear.

Wendy set the rose onto the bed and took the tiny stuffed bear into her hands and rubbed her fingers over its smooth belly. The little pink bear was attached to a metal hook and clasp. She smiled and brought the thing up to her mouth: it smelled like bubble gum, something Munson had brought her a few days ago. She made to thank him again but Munson took the bear and moved his fingers down to her waist. A hot flush of red bloomed in her face and she swatted at his hands, but he was already done in his task by then.

"It goes on a loop, like that," he pointed to the waistband of her capri pants.

"Oh," Wendy looked down and lost some of the crimson in her face.

She still felt a silly smile at the thought of those feelings that arose once he touched her skin near her hip. It felt like she was being tickled in the gut...no, not there, but somewhere in her body. It felt weird. Foreign. Good?

"Have you eaten dinner?"

"Huh?"

The question, along with everything else that had been on her mind, had been momentarily swamped under the influence of his kisses and his touch and how it made her feel. Now it all came back to her and she sighed.

I trust him, she told herself, then gave the bear hooked near her waist a squeeze. She shook her head and Munson suggested they go eat. With a nod, she stood and joined him on his way to the door.

Either my body is a whole lot stronger than I first thought, or the medicine here in Chai was insanely advanced compared to the rest of the Mushroom World; and any other world, really. It'd only been a couple days since my 'traipse in the woods' with Zair, and I was already feeling like my normal, healthy self again. Better even. Not only was the pain gone, but I felt more rejuvenated. That was due in part to the medicine, true, but it was also due to all the food I crammed in and the subsequent best sleep I'd gotten in ages. As soon as I got back to the palace that night, I saw a doctor and got patched up; that's where I got this mysterious shot in addition to some awful-tasting elixer. Whatever was in the shot knocked me out in less than an hour; I'd only just gotten out of the shower when I started feeling drowsy. Determined to fill my stomach before I crashed, I headed down to the dining hall and stuffed my face with food I couldn't quite recall and then sluggishly trudged back up to the guest room Daisy and I temporarily shared. It goes without saying I don't remember even getting to bed, I just remember blacking out.

That explains why I woke up on the floor

But my neck or back wasn't even after thirty-six hours of lying in that same prone position. Nothing was sore, nothing ached, nothing bled; I was totally fine. My heart fel like it was pumping more strongly, my lungs were stretching a little wider: I felt new. And I swear they put some kind of steroids in that shot. They had to. How else could I be walking around without so much as a scratch or bruise on me from the other day?

But I'd be lying if that wasn't kind of freaky...not having any trace of those marks on my face is great but still unsettling.

I was just waiting for my body to go into shock or something from having been forced to heal so fast because of that shot.

But until then, I thought, I might as well go and fill my stomach again.

Next to having to take an enormous leak that seemed to drain me of all my bodily fluids, I was dying to eat again. My stomach felt less like a food bag and more like an old garbage bag that got emptied out and kicked around. So I let my nose guide me and left the guest room going towards the kitchens.

It had to be on the third or fourth corner I rounded when I nearly had a heart attack on the way.

"Evening, Master Luigi."

"I thought you said I was done!"

Okay, so I didn't mean to hiss that out in such a frantic and accusatory way, but upon seeing the man that could double as a warden for Alcatraz, I panicked. Just a little, if by that you include nearly dropping dead from cardiac arrest.

But I'll be damned if it's because of having to train anymore; he did tell me I was finished with all that

"You are finished with your training," General Zair informed me. "But if you can recall, it's time you meet your troops."

Oh. Right. He did say that. Has it really already been two days?

I nodded numbly, still on edge from that shock encounter, and watched him look me over. I think he was misinterpreting my reactions because he tilted his head just a little bit and that was when I noticed what he was wearing; a short-sleeved white shirt with no buttons or collar, which showed off numerous white scars and marks along his biceps and forearms. He was built sturdier than I would have thought for a dude so old, but then, without any wrinkles, he was only old in the eyes. Those eyes sharpened under a quirked black brow.

"Having second thoughts?" He asked me.

I had to blink a couple times to remember what he was referring to, and then I shook my head. He flashed a brief but tired smile and nodded at me in turn.

"Let's go, then."

"Wait," I cut in. "I have to eat first." I told him, because there was no way that seeing me pass out would do anything well for my prospective troops.

"Of course. Take your time." General Zair nodded.

He took one of his hands from behind his back where they were clasped. He brushed the front of his shirt and told me something before walking off.

"I'll be waiting at the palace entrance."

And he was. Shortly after ingesting a mostly vegetable dinner with a side of water, I found the General rigth where he said he'd be, standing with his hands linked behind him and his gaze somewhere in the distance. He didn't clear his face in time when he saw me and consequently, I saw some of the irritation he was so hasty to remove from his features.

"Are you ready?" He asked me in a neutral tone.

I nodded and put my analyst skills to work in deciphering what his voice and expression were attempting to hide. It most likely wasn't directed at me, the underlying irritation, because Zair had made it very clear that he was in favor of me doing this. So what could be eating him? I studied him as we walked from the palace through the city. About fifteen minutes into our journey, I rubbed my arms because it was cold out. Though the evening sky steadily darkening should have clued me in to the inevitable drop in temperature. Still, I used this to get a word out of the General.

"I should've brought a jacket," I remarked.

General Zair glanced down at me and glanced over my attire, then nodded a bit as if agreeing with me. He didn't say anything and didn't alter his stony facade.

"Aren't you cold?" I then asked him, hoping his answer would clue me in to what was on his mind.

Zair glanced at me again as he walked and then slid a hand into the pocket of his pants. He rummaged around for a bit, came up empty, then reached behind his ear and pulled a slim white stick away from the confines of his hair. He stuck the thing in his mouth and met my eyes. With those black eyes searching mine with all the vigor of a shiftless detective, he raised his hand to the stick and flicked his thumb against his index finger, eliciting a blue flame that lit the end of the stick. Only after he'd taken an unnaturally long drag did he answer me.

"No."

Is he made of fire? How is he doing that? The only other person I knew who could call fire to his hands was the old dastardly king.

Might as well ask.

"Are you a-"

"No."

"You didn't even hear the question." I frowned.

"No, but I know what you were going to ask." He told me with his gaze straight ahead.

"How could you know? Are you a telepath?" I countered, getting my question out there anyway in some form.

"No," General Zair sighed. "Nor am I a fire sprite, demon, or fire-breathing dragon."

And every word dripped of restrained exasperation, which let me know he'd probably gone through this song-and-dance countless other times. I decided to let the matter go. I was trying to find the source of his earlier irritation, not add to the cause. So I took a different approach and remained silent, opting to stare at him intermittently again as we left the city and neared the gates of Chai's capital. Instead of going through those gates, we went to the left and trekked through perfectly-cut grass. I was curious to see what kind of technology Chai had for mowing lawns; of all the kingdoms here in the Mushroom World, this was also the most technologically-advanced.

Usually I was quite good at observing the little tics and cues present in people's expressions and movements, but Zair was making this hard. He seemed to be keeping the same, blank-slate look on his face while we walked. Whatever was bothering him, he obviously wanted to keep it to himself. Fine.

I instead looked ahead and saw that the ground was coming up short; it seemed to end like an unfinished sidewalk and gave way to a diagonal slope of brittle dirt and brown grass. Of course, this slope wasn't visible until we were right up on it, which explained why its presence existed in Chaitopia.

At the base of the slope was a hidden little niche of land that reminded me of a summer camp layout: there was more dirt than grass on the ground, a nasty-looking forest far ahead of where we stood, and a bunch of wooden cabins arranged in a huge circle. In the middle of that circle there was a long, shotgun-style cabin and, closer to us, three smaller cabins. Zair led me past them and I saw signs that read, 'Infirmary', 'Courier', and 'Supplies'. The sign on the long cabin told me it was the mess hall, and the cabins arranged in a circle were labeled with the letters of the English alphabet. The closer we got to the doors of the mess hall, the more I began to hear sounds and voices. It was like a steady hum that came with everybody in a room holding different conversations at the same time. I glanced at Zair and felt myself get a little nervous.

Who am I kidding, I thought suddenly, these are soldiers, actual soldiers: I can't lead them, I'm not...I'm just a regular-

"Don't over-think this," Came Zair's first words in several minutes.

I looked to him and asked, "What am I supposed to do exactly?"

"Focus on getting to know them." General Zair replied, then amended, "As a whole. They've all gone through basic training with me but you'll have to ascertain what further instruction they'll require."

"And how do I do that?" I then asked.

"Recall your own experiences with the Dark King." Zair suggested. "That should be a start."

He makes it sound so easy, I frowned. But maybe it won't be so hard. He said they all trained with him; if it went anything like how my training did, I'd say they're a formidable lot. But...public speaking was never my strong suit. I can't be sure I won't say something stupid or come off like I don't know what I'm talking about. I don't know what I'll be talking about, so the odds are already against me. Maybe I should just...

General Zair gave me a pointed look that made me doubt his sincerity when he claimed he wasn't a telepath. He put his hand on my shoulder and instead of creeping me out, it felt oddly reassuring. It reminded me of the very tactile prince I was friends with.

"Once you find out what they need to work on," He spoke quietly, "come to me and I'll match you with some capable leaders from the higher ranks."

"You're not coming in here with me?" I think I was more startled by that than I realized.

So I'll be doing this on my own?

General Zair said, "From this point on, you're on your own Commander. However; should you need anything at all, don't hesitate to seek me out and I vow to assist you in any way I can."

"...Thanks." I murmured, and I meant it, but I was trying to prepare myself for this.

It felt like I was thrust into a postion I wasn't entirely ready for. Could I really do this? Could I lead an army? Only a few months ago I was dishing out pizza to downtown Brooklyn. This was surreal.

This is what that training was for, I reminded myself.

And then I thought of Daisy, who was two countries over, taking care of business and handling shit like a boss. She was taking her responsibilities in stride, so why couldn't I?

I shifted my weight so that I stood straight and took a breath. General Zair clapped a hand on my shoulder and gave me a tight smile. He was still irritated with something but he wouldn't tell me what...or would he? He hesitated before leaving.

In a strange tone he told me, "No matter what you may hear, these troops are more than qualified to serve under you. I would know, I hand-selected them personally. Remember that."

"Oh...kay..." I responded, unsure of why he was telling me that.

Was there something wrong with them?

I watched Zair walk off and decided this was definitely the thing on his mind, or at least it was related to why he was irritated. I didn't have a clear picture of why he was aggravated but that was fine. I wouldn't be seeing much of him from now on anyway.

A/N: Thanks for reading and bearing with me. I work three jobs if I didn't tell you. It takes a lot out of me, not to mention I have other pressing obligations. I did turn twenty one recently, so yay...I think I'm missing out: I spent it not drinking or partying but surrounded by a one-year old little human and a six month old cat. They're my babies and I love them, so it hardly matters. I'm just glad for the moments I can steal away from everything and just get a chapter in. I have so much in store for this fic and I would hate it if my sporadic updates were turning anyone off from reading: So Sorry! But I'm trying my best.

I'll get to Luigi's first day on the job next and check back in with Daisy as she has a...less than pleasant experience in Muda. Also, we'll see what the other Koopalings are doing and how the dark king is faring without his powers or whole mind (not that he had it to begin with...psycho)

Hope you all stay tuned!

~DymondGold~