What's up, readers!

Enjoy the chapter.

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Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the story idea.

Chapter 8:
Dark Clouds Forming

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Mushroom Kingdom

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Princess Peach's Castle

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Mario sighed disappointedly as he stares blankly at the cold cup of coffee in front him, wondering where in the world had his younger brother gone.

It all started four weeks ago, when Luigi supposedly went missing. After being saved from Bowser for the thousandth time, Princess Peach had asked the older brother to stay with her for the week to keep her company. Happy to spend some time with the princess, he agreed. He quickly went home, packed his things, informed Luigi where he will be, and then headed back to the castle. That was the last time he saw his brother.

After spend the week with the princess, he return home to an empty house. At first, the older brother wasn't worry. Luigi had informed him that he might take his time away to visit Princess Daisy in the Sarasaland. Thinking his brother was there, Mario didn't think much of it until Daisy came over to visit a few days later.

When he and the two princesses realize Luigi wasn't in Sarasaland or anywhere in Toad Town, that's when Mario started to get worried. He and the two princesses went around town asking everyone if they had seen or heard from him recently. Unfornately, they all came back negative. The last time Luigi was seen was two weeks ago, around the same time Mario went to stay at the castle.

At some point, they thought perhaps Bowser had taken him prisoner. Half-hoping that the Koopa King did take him, Mario set out to rescue him. When he got there, Bowser was just about ready to send his army off to invade the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario stopped it, of course, and ordered the large Koopa to release his brother. After some accusation of sending some assassin after him (which he didn't), Mario's heart sank when the Koopa finally told him he didn't have his brother anywhere in his castle.

Mario returned back to the castle, his heart heavy with fear and worry for his brother. The news didn't sit well with the princesses, Daisy especially, and they soon put out a missing person report throughout the kingdom.

Mario sighed. He had spent another week searching everywhere, hoping to find any clues as to where his brother had gone. But at last, he couldn't find anything. He even searched through his brother's mansion and called Professor E. Gadd in case the crazy scientist sends him off on some ghost-related mission. But like all the others, the professor's response turned out negative and the only thing he was able to find at the mansion was a gold bone on the floor with Spettro nowhere to be found. He can only assumed that the Pulterpup was with his brother and hopefully both of them were safe.

He sighs once more as he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see that it was Princess Peach, smiling warmly at him. He gave her a slight smile but it quickly disappeared as he turned back to his coffee.

Peach frowned. "We'll find him, Mario, I promise."

Mario didn't say anything; he simply nodded. Peach sighed and left the man in red alone. She had offered Mario to stay with her in castle until they find the whereabouts of his brother. He was a bit hesitant at first, but the house seems so empty without his brother there so he agreed.

Peach sighed; dark clouds had formed over the Mushroom Kingdom within these last four weeks. Besides from Luigi's disappearance, a number of events had been taking place lately.

About two weeks ago, she had gotten a letter from the mayor of Poshley Heights saying that a number of houses had been burglarize and a large sum of coins and valuables were reported stolen all in a single night. Around that same time, a rumor had spread that someone had send an assassin (or what appeared to be assassin) to go after Bowser. From what Mario had told her, the rumors were true. The Koopa King wasn't seriously harmed, but his daughter Wendy was found unconscious after an encounter with the mysterious man and his two advisors, Kammy and Kamek, were beaten in a fight by the so called assassin with their specters taken away from them.

At first, it all had brought little to mild concern to her because at the time, she was more worried about Luigi's sudden disappearance. But everything soon got her attention when she had heard about the attack in Mushroom City a few days ago. News about the attack travel fast in the Mushroom Kingdom. Soon everyone was in a state of fear, thinking whatever or whoever attack the city will come here next.

Princess Peach was worried herself. Not for her own well-being, but for the well-being of her people. She was quite relieve to hear that no one had been killed in the Mushroom City attack and quite surprise to hear the attack was all done by one man, and one man alone. However, she had became curious when rumors say that there was a ghost involved in the attack as well.

"Princess!"

Peach was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of her advisor and minister Toadsworth, calling her name.

"Princess Peach! Oh good Grambi, princess, where are you, Princess!"

It sounded urgent. Peach hurry off to find him. "I'm here, Toadsworth."

The brown old toad came running in, fear written all over his face. This concerns the Princess.

"Ah, thanks the heavens you're alright." Toadsworth signed in relief. "Where is Princess Daisy?"

"I think she's in still her room."

"Then she mustn't be alone! You there! Go and retrieve Princess Daisy, she must be protected at all time."

The random toad nodded and quickly left the room, sensing the fear in the old toad's words. Toadsworth started pacing back and forth, mumbling something about 'this can't be happening' and other what not's. Peach grew more concern.

"Toadsworth, what's wrong? What has gotten you so worried all of a sudden?"

Toadsworth paused and signed. "Everything of the last had gotten me worried, Princess. But those pale in comparison to the news I receive from Sarasaland."

"What happened at Sarasaland?"

"Trouble, I'm afraid; trouble that could easily find its way to the Mushroom Kingdom. Here, read this letter."

Toadsworth hand Peach the letter and she took it. She read though the letter carefully and gasped in surprise.

"Oh dear…"

"What?" Mario asked. The old toad's sudden fear had snapped him out of his thoughts of despair, and now he wanted to know what was going on. "What did it say?"

Peach looked at him with worry and fear before reading the letter out loud. Once she was done, the room was caught in a deadly silence.

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Ending Note:

I find brotherly fanfics more interesting than romantic one. There will be hints of at least one pairing, two at most... but not much.

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See you guys next time!

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Review :)