7

"Pauline! Wait up!" Mario shouted. "What's wrong?!"

"Leave me alone, Mario!" Pauline shouted. "I have to think!"

"About what?!"

"Nothing that would interest you!"

Luigi looked at his brother as they ran down the hill and back across the border into the Birabuto Province. After making it back into the town of Birachai, the brothers were exhausted and were unable to catch up to Pauline. It was no use trying to chase her around town, and the brothers were ready to collapse from exhaustion. They watched as she took off down one of the branching avenues and disappeared behind a nearby building.

"What the hell did you do to make her upset?!" Luigi asked.

"It's very hard to explain." Mario said. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"You know, I can tell when you're guilty of something." Luigi said. "You make it very obvious. Did you get lucky with her or something?"

"No!" Mario said. "It has nothing to do with that?"

"Did you physically hurt her?" Luigi asked.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE, LUIGI! NO!" Mario shouted.

"Did you cheat on her?"

"OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? ENOUGH! DON'T EVEN TRY ASKING ME AGAIN! I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU IF YOU KEEP ASKING ME ABOUT IT!"

"Will you tell me later then?" Luigi asked. "I won't bug you for the rest of the day."

"Fine. I'll tell you later." Mario said. "Just don't bring it up again, okay?"

"If you say so." Luigi replied. "But until you explain yourself, I'm going to assume that you're the reason why you and Pauline grew away from each other."

Mario said nothing.

"Okay, fine. I'll tell you now." he suddenly said. "It was my fault."

"Really?" Luigi asked, surprised over the fact he was right. "What did you do?"

"Well, it all started around three years ago when we were sixteen. I met Pauline just after she came up to me and asked me to go on a date with her. This was near King Toadstool's new castle when it was still under construction."

"She asked you?" Luigi asked. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"That's beside the point." Mario said. "Anyway, as soon as she asked me to go out with her, a giant ape came and took her away from me and climbed to the top of a building that was still under construction."

"Did he have name?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah, but I can't remember it." Mario said. "He did go by nickname. I think it was DK. Anyway, I followed Pauline's cries and ran up the stairs and jumped onto the part of the building that wasn't finished. The next thing I knew, I was climbing ladders and jumping over barrels that were thrown at me, across steel beams to rescue her. After I reached the top, I was able to trap the giant ape and take Pauline back to safety.

"What happened afterwards?" Luigi asked. "Did you two kiss?"

"Strangely, I didn't see her after that incident." Mario replied. "She did tell me to keep in touch, but when I tried looking for her she was nowhere to be found. Then I met Peach soon after and just forgot about her."

"So you just gave up?" Luigi asked. "Why?"

"I don't know." Mario said. "But I simply don't feel the same love for Pauline as I do Peach. Don't get me wrong, I thought Pauline was very attractive, but I just didn't have any deep feelings for her."

"That's too bad." Luigi said. "I hate to say it, but it seems to me that you were the only guy that she ever had feelings for. You may have ruined her life for not paying attention to her. For all we know, it might've been the difference between a good and happy life and a life not worth living. You should talk to her."

"I would if I knew where she was at." Mario said. "She's gone now."

"Well, look on the bright side." Luigi said. "At least she never suffered through the difficulties we endured throughout our lives."

"Yeah." Mario said. "But I can't help but feel guilty for not being there for her."

"What are you talking about?!" Luigi said. "You saved her from certain death twice. She couldn't be any more thankful. At least, that's what I think."

"I guess you're right." Mario said. "I may have been the only guy she ever had feelings for. How could I be so stupid to let her go like that?"

"It wasn't you fault." Luigi said. "Everything happens for a reason. Don't let the past drag you down. Let the future pull you up. It's the only way we can save our kingdom and even the whole world from Bowser. It's our destiny. I'm sure you and Pauline can work out your differences. Just give it some time. In the meantime, let's focus on other things so you can take your mind of it."

Mario looked up at his brother and smiled.

"Let's grab some lunch." he said. "I'm starving."

"It's getting rather hot out here." Luigi said. "Why did we even choose to wear coveralls? Don't they only wear those in car repair shops?"

"In the parallel world they do." Mario said.

"We need another wardrobe change." Luigi said.

"I know that!" Mario said. "Geez, you sound like a woman sometimes!"

Luigi glared at his brother.

"When do you think we should head towards the pyramids to hunt for the second star?" Luigi asked. "I think we should go as soon as we can."

"Let's wait until nightfall." Mario said. "It will be cooler. Plus, Bowser's troops will have a harder time spotting us."

"That's true." Luigi said. "Although I can't help but think that time is working against us somehow…"

"Don't worry Luigi." Mario said. "We can do this. I know we can. We've found one star, we can find six more."

The brothers reached the central plaza of Birachai with the giant water fountain and decided to relax for a little and cool themselves down in the refreshing mist. The sun was shining bright and hot above the desert as the dreadful noon heat wave started kicking in. The tips of the desert pyramids were shining like giant mirrors, reflecting the sunlight with the same intensity and brightness. Mario and Luigi noticed that most of the town's residents started heading indoors to escape the heat, so they decided to do the same as they found the nearest restaurant they could get to.

Hey! I apologize for such a long wait. I have been extra busy on schoolwork, but I'm happy to say that I am finally finished with all of it. I should be updating the story more frequently now.

Mario finally reveals the story behind him and Pauline's troubled relationship. I'm sure most of you were quick to notice that it relates to the events of Donkey Kong, the first game that Mario was ever featured in (who would've guessed?). However, it is still unclear why Mario would keep these events a secret from his brother. Was it for his own protection or was it because of greed and selfishness?

Also, there is a reference to our world as a connected 'parallel world' to the Mushroom world. I was looking at Mario Wiki and found that both worlds are connected by a pipe that transports beings back and forth between the two. I thought it was a good idea to implement it into the story, after all how else will Luigi save Mario in Antarctica later on in 'Mario is Missing!'(anyone remember that game?)?

I do apologize for not making this chapter action-packed. I promise that there will be more action soon:) However, as usual, I will see you guys in the next chapter. I'll be looking forward to it )

saturn95