Chapter 8

Mario heard Peach continuously talk, but he couldn't bring himself to listen to what she had to say. He heard a couple of things, mostly thanks and gratefulness, but Mario wasn't too interested in her praise. His eyes continued to stare at the hat in his hands, his brother's scream pulsating throughout his throbbing head. Who knew such a close encounter with death would leave someone with a headache? And despite this headache, he just wanted to train more. That dumb training session Peach made him suffer through felt like it probably would be necessary if Bowser were to come back. Or if they went to Bowser's door. Mario cocked his head up towards the princess. He hadn't even realized she had stopped talking.

"Mario?" Peach asked, her voice softer than when she first started talking. Mario didn't move. His eyes glanced back at the hat, and then back at the princess. He couldn't think of the right word.

"Punch," Mario muttered. Peach looked at him curiously and he knocked his shoulder up.

"Kick?" Mario asked. Peach tried to look at him with understanding, but Mario could see through her confusion.

"Fight!" Mario exclaimed, finally finding the right word. "Fight Bowser!"

"You want to fight Bowser?" Peach inquired, and Mario nodded. The energy was starting to flow through him again.

"Fight Bowser, learn," Mario hurriedly proclaimed. Peach finally felt like she knew what he was saying.

"You want to learn how to fight Bowser?" Peach urged. Mario nodded.

"Well, you've come to the right place," Peach smiled. "Why don't we try training properly this time. Without making you sick, yeah?"

But Mario didn't care if he threw up ten times over. He would do anything to get Luigi back out of Bowser's clutches. He would train until he died, and his ghost would train until it somehow died another ghost death. He wasn't going to let Bowser get away with this.

—

"That was going to be perfect!"

Bowser continued to pace around the open throne room, his eyes red with fire. Despite wearing the robe, Luigi felt like the heat around him was caving in.

"But of course, we had to have the human ruin it all."

"That was my brother!" Luigi shot back. "Was I supposed to leave him there?"

"You were supposed to come out on my call!" Bowser hollered back. "If you had listened to me in the first place you would of have rescued your stupid brother. Now Peach is going to have an even bigger hold on him, and you have only yourself to blame!"

Luigi was quaking in his boots, and his eyes read fear, embarrassment, worry, and shame. Bowser continued to shoot daggers in his direction, which just continued to pierce through his fragile ego. Every single shout and every single yell that escaped Bowser's lips only beat Luigi down more. Luigi continued to try and tune him out, but the yelling was starting to get too much. And eventually, he was ushered away to the room Bowser gave him earlier, with Bowser mumbling things about the Mushroom Kingdom and the princess. He was shoved in the room, and the door slammed behind him. Luigi didn't even both to look at the door. An awkward hobble to the bed and a sigh of bitterness led him to roll up on the bed. He glanced up to the wall, greeted with the same hoodie he hung onto when he was locked away in prison. Luigi grabbed it and hugged it close. A sense of bitterness overtook him. He wanted to see his brother again. He thought that maybe he was getting through to Bowser, and maybe they were becoming friends, and it'd be stupid to say to anyone else because Bowser is a giant dragon creature kidnapping princesses and all that, but Luigi felt some sort of way. There's no way to explain it, really. He could try. But it'd be a mess. Luigi hid his face in his brother's hoodie and groaned.

"Mario you stupid idiot," Luigi groaned. "You are the idiot who gets himself messed up with emotions, not me! You're the one who's probably in love with that girl, aren't you?"

Luigi laughed to himself.

"I bet you are. And you're gonna tell me about it and be all giddy and stupid."

He sighed.

"I hope your ability to fall in love easily doesn't get you in trouble, like mine did. You're gonna tell me I'm gullible and silly and probably smack me upside the head."

Luigi narrowed his eyes.

"I'm talking to a hoodie," he murmured. "I've officially lost my mind."

Luigi lowered the hoodie on his stomach and laid on his back.

"My ankle feels a bit better," Luigi announced to the silence. "I think I messed it up falling down that wooden ship, though."

He glared at the ceiling.

"You'd probably be out of here in no time, wouldn't you?"

Luigi exhaled, trying to calm himself down. He almost made it into some dream like state until the piercing sound of chirping alerted him awake. Somehow, there was a bird at the window, and it was pecking away at the glass. Luigi stared dumbly, and then snapped out of his mind, taking his crutch and awkwardly maneuvering to the window. It took a second of struggling, but he opened the window and the bird stared curiously. Luigi stared back, trying to figure out what to do with it.

"You're far from home," Luigi stupidly noted. "In fire. And brimstone. And a lot less flying life like you."

The bird just cocked its head to the side. Luigi looked him over, examining the body. On the bird's foot there was a little note, and Luigi gently peeled it off, gently dropping the rope on a nearby table. He opened the letter and began to skim it over. The letter was entirely in Italian, and it made Luigi's adrenaline rush.

The princess mentioned I could write this, but I'm terrible with my English. But this is kind of like a super secret hidden message, right? Like when were kids and we drew in fake letters. But that's besides the point. I don't want you to worry. I have been in the Mushroom Kingdom for a bit, and I don't know how long. But I miss you. And I–

Luigi turned the page.

want you to know that we have a plan. I won't make you suffer any longer. Please hold on a little bit longer. Remember, we're the Mario brothers! We always stick together. The princess mentioned she has a way to maybe get us home. We're going home soon. I promise.

-Mario

Luigi's eyes widened, and he hurriedly wobbled around the room, tearing up the furniture trying to find a single sheet of paper. Frustrated, he just ripped the paper that was sent to him. There was no pencils, but Luigi managed to find some charcoal hidden underneath the dresser and the bed. He hurriedly scribbled on the very small paper space he had.

Mario! I'm okay. Please hurry, I'm scared. I have lots of stories to tell! If I survive.

Luigi ran out of room to sign his name, but it didn't matter. He hurriedly tied the messy piece of paper on the bottom of the foot and pet the bird.

"Thank you," Luigi smiled. The bird quickly flew out the window, and in one blink of the eyes it was gone. He smiled, quickly interrupted with a knock on his door. He slammed the window shut and spun around, fear bubbling in his stomach. Without saying anything, the door opened, and Luigi was greeted with Bowser. He slammed the door shut behind him, and Luigi felt his knees beginning to buckle.

I'm going to die.

"Sit down," Bowser demanded. Luigi could barely move, but another "Sit down" quickly made him hobble nervously to the bed. He climbed on the bed and his eyes were locked on the beast.

"Calm down," Bowser growled. "I brought you stuff for your leg."

"My leg?" Luigi stammered. Bowser nodded.

"Ice helps, doesn't it?"

"Uh, well, yeah, I think. But I'm curious, how did you get ice over here?"

"Do you want the ice or not?"

"Uh, yes please."

Bowser tossed a large sack towards Luigi, and Luigi almost dropped it from how cold it was. How was this cold and not completely soaked in water? It was certainly odd to see, and feel, but that was besides the point. He continued to watch Bowser as he placed the ice on his ankle, wincing at the sudden freezing temperature touched his clothing.

"So."

"So?" Luigi asked.

"About earlier."

Luigi felt his chest tighten up. Bowser looked him right in the eyes.

"I'm sorry!" Luigi exclaimed, trying to shuffle up against the wall. Bowser simply sighed.

"Yeah, I assumed you would react like that."

Bowser solemnly glanced down to the floor, and shuffled his way to the bed, sitting down right next to Luigi. Luigi gripped on the ice pack like it was keeping him alive. Bowser looked at him.

"Luigi, do you ever wonder why there's no humans?" Bowser asked. Luigi was stressed, yet something felt off with the seriousness in his voice.

"I don't really think I had time to consider it," Luigi admitted. "But I do kind of wonder now."

"Well its a long story," Bowser sighed. "But I can sum it up in one word; War."

"War?"

Bowser nodded.

"War. Some call it the Ten-Year-War."

"Ten-Year-War?"

"Yeah. And that's where you humans went."

Luigi couldn't take his eyes off him now, but Bowser continued to avoid eye contact.

"There used to be more kingdoms," Bowser began. "And a lot of them are still around, but their numbers are dwindled. I was lucky to be one of the kingdoms to emerge alive. But most weren't too lucky."

"I'm sorry," Luigi muttered. "I, well, I didn't know."

"Yeah, we are kind of trying to scrub it from modern times," Bowser shrugged. "Its still a fresh wound for many."

"Including you?"

"Including me," Bowser sighed. "But that's because I had a much, much larger role in this situation."

"Like, uh, eating people?" Luigi stammered. This very obviously made Bowser more upset, and Luigi felt his eyes welling up.

"I didn't do it because I wanted to!" Bowser howled. "And I didn't eat him! I just fucking killed him!"

Luigi tried to back up but there was no more space for him to move. Bowser quickly saw how terrified Luigi was, and he choked back his fire, grunting bitterly.

"I did it to end the war," Bowser continued, that sting of bitterness still lurking in his voice. "And despite this being what everyone wanted me to do, it seems everyone has turned on me now."

"This is what they wanted you to do?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Yeah, it was," Bowser confirmed. "If anyone could do it, it'd be me. I was one of the biggest people on the council. And they didn't know how to handle a human who knew enough science to end the world."

"I didn't know that."

"I don't think even my own son knows this," Bowser moaned, digging his nails into his head. "But that's the point. Keeping the past in the past. But now everyone's afraid of me."

Luigi's never seen Bowser this vulnerable before. It kind of made him nervous, and he could feel the twinge of guilt as well. Luigi thought of him this way too, but the time he spent at the castle definitely made him reconsider his thoughts. Bowser has opened up to him a lot, and he even has a son.

"That human," Bowser interrupted Luigi's thoughts. "The reason why everyone's so mad, despite telling me to do this, well I guess its because that human was my friend."

"He was your friend?" Luigi parroted. Bowser nodded.

"He was. I don't even remember his name, but he was a close friend of mine. Him and the previous Mushroom Kingdom ruler's. That previous ruler being the current princess's dad."

"Did you…?"

Bowser looked at him, almost insulted.

"I did not kill the Mushroom Kingdom ruler," Bowser grumbled. "No, he died on his own. Body ate itself to death."

"What?"

"Long story."

Bowser shook his head.

"But the human. Everyone thinks I'm a brute for killing him. Even though they pressured me into doing that. And on top of all of that, they took my land back from me. Because they thought I didn't deserve it."

"Didn't deserve it?"

"For being a murderer, they said. I was supposed to have it for winning the war. That land is fertile enough to feed my people. We have, well, very little fertile land as you could probably tell."

"I can."

"And I've gone to bed, trying to feed my men, their families, and hell, even my own. And even if I starve, sometimes they join me. Its not right. And that land was supposed to, y'know, remedy that."

Luigi nodded.

"But they took it back from me. And they fed the current princess lies. She doesn't know any better, and I try to negotiate with her. But my temper always gets the best of me. Because I just want to eat some good food. She has a ton of grassy lands. That was supposed to be my patch."

"Why did they take it? And how did they get away with that?"

"Pure bad luck," Bowser sighed. "The land used to belong to folk like you. But they were dead, not just by my hand, but some of the other native kingdoms as well. Humans just died from the incompetence of their leaders, too. But land like that was promised to whoever truly ended the war. And I did. But I guess they all still had their hatred for me or something. And I just want it back. It actually went to Peach because she was newly orphaned, after her parents died. So I've heard, at least. I'm sure they've lied to me a lot."

"Right."

"But something that really irks me," Bowser continued. "Was that I was friends with Peach's parents."

Luigi's gasp made Bowser chuckle.

"Yeah, I know, hard to believe, right? Big scary Bowser was buddy buddy with Peach's dad. Its true, though. King Cedar-Cane and I were very close. And it hurt both of us when we had to hurt the human. But he died before he could vouch for my name. And they all turned on me."

Bowser glanced at Luigi. Luigi's eyes locked on him.

"And you. Oh, you. I remember my men dragging you in here like it was yesterday. I felt my blood boil when I found out you were human. I was, admittedly, a bit scared of you. I regret everything I did to that human, of course I do. And you reminded me a lot of him. A lot. Of. Him. And I got mad. I wasn't going to get close to another of your kind, no way no how. But I saw the way you interacted with Junior, and how I had to bite my tongue whenever you cried in agony. I couldn't listen to you. Because that's what he did too. And I didn't want to repeat the cycle. You make me happy, though. I couldn't fight those thoughts. Ate me alive."

Bowser snorted.

"But that's enough of the sap."

Bowser climbed off of Luigi's bed, but Luigi quickly reached for his hand. His hands wrapped around Bowser's index and middle finger, and Bowser spun around in shock.

"You were promised a way to feed your people and you got it taken from you. You lost a friend and a way to support your nation. That's absolutely unacceptable," Luigi announced, gripping his fingers. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Bowser was completely floored with this reaction and he ripped his hand away from Luigi.

"Aren't you scared of me?" Bowser snapped back. Luigi shook his head.

"I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't scared of you," Luigi declared. "But what you told me is ridiculous. That's silly. And I think I've lived here long enough to put the pieces together. You're not a brute, you're scared."

"I'm scared?" Bowser howled. "You're scared! You admitted it."

"I'm always scared," Luigi chuckled. "That's no different for me. But that is different for you."

Bowser couldn't even begin to figure out how to respond to this. But before he could, Luigi began to speak again.

"But hey, if kidnapping the princess isn't working, why do you still do it?"

Bowser snarled.

"Its a publicity stunt," he admitted. "People don't usually pay attention to my demands by myself. But if I'm carrying their only source of royalty, well, then they have to listen."

"Do you hurt her?"

"I try not to," Bowser shrugged. "She's got sensitive skin though. A simple poke too hard would bruise her. I give her a comfortable room, if that's what you're asking. I don't torture her."

"I assumed," Luigi mulled, putting his finger to his chin. "Hey, I have an idea."

"An idea?" Bowser asked. Luigi nodded.

"Well, how about you go kidnap her again. Hear me out, if you kidnap her, one of two things could happen. She comes with us alone and I can help talk to her, or Mario comes along too! And Mario can't hurt you if I get involved, right?"

Bowser chuckled.

"Something tells me you're the planner between you two. And despite that, that's a silly idea."

"Is it?" Luigi mumbled, defeatedly. "I thought it was kind of good."

"Oh, its just… no, well," Bowser stammered, trying to recollect his thoughts. Finally, he groaned bitterly.

"Its a fine idea," he admitted. "I just, well, I don't want you getting hurt."

"I won't!" Luigi confidently declared. "Because if I get hurt by anyone on Peach's team, well, Mario will definitely have something to say about that."

"You have a lot of faith you have some weight with your brother, huh?"

Luigi nodded.

"Oh, I know I do, we're brothers after all."

"Brothers don't mean too much if he's enthralled with her," Bowser sighed. "Or, y'know, contracted to kill you."

"Believe me, he wouldn't do that. I have a lot of faith in him."

Bowser was going to nihilistically refute him, claiming faith is what brought him into this mess in the first place. But Luigi's bright grin, his confident facade, and the mere respect he had for Bowser, made him back down.

"That's, good," Bowser stuttered out. He nodded.

"Alright. I will go get Peach. You should go get ready."

"As you wish!"

Luigi climbed from his bed and hobbled around, gathering some stuff the robe's pockets. He then turned to Bowser.

"Hey, wait, where am I even going?"

Bowser snorted a laugh and beckoned him out the door. His heart felt odd. God, is this what its like to have a friend again?

—

"Alright, Mario. I genuinely believe one of the first steps to helping us get Luigi back is research."

The heaving Italian glanced up, continuously trying to catch his breath. All this running and jogging and she wants him to study? Peach must of saw his disgruntled face, because she immediately tried to justify it.

"Research is important," she reiterated. "I know you may think you know everything about humans. But I don't know everything about the Toads. So that's silly logic."

Mario shrugged. He was more interested in learning how to, you know, fight a giant turtle creature. But I guess a trip to the library wouldn't hurt. It would give him a minute to catch his breath.

"Come on, follow me," she insisted, pulling Mario by the arm. "The library is this way!"

And with that, Mario was promptly whisked away to whatever massive library Peach desperately wanted to show him. It felt like it took forever to arrive there, but it was still on the first floor. The princess was quick to usher him inside, and immediately sat him down on a large, and rather comfy, brown chair.

"I have a lot of books about humans," Peach murmured, shuffling through her massive library. "I have a lot about a lot of things."

She plucked a couple of books off the shelf and handed them to Mario.

"Here, maybe these could help you out."

He flipped the book open to a random part and began to skim through it. Mario was never much of a bookworm, and he had no idea really where to look. He thought about Luigi. What would he do in this situation? Mario thought back to those long nights in Brooklyn, where Luigi had his nose deep in some massive, heavy textbook with words Mario wouldn't even begin to pretend he understood. But Luigi always started in the very beginning of the book. But Mario didn't want to read in the beginning of the book. He didn't really want to read. But if the princess was convinced that reading would help them, well, then that's where he should start. Huffing, he flung the pages to the right, landing on the very first page. A blank. Alright. He flung to the next page. A repeat of the title. Okay. The next page. A bunch of credits. Alright. One more page and he was greeted with the "Table of Contents". Mario could feel the sting of embarrassment nip his cheeks. Reading would of been a lot easier had he known about this all this time. He skimmed through some of the chapters, reading basic things like "Food" and "Thirst". Some interesting parts stuck out to him, like "The World Before" and "Ancient Human Civilization." He flung to different pages, reading up on things humans like to eat. Uncooked vegetables was a staple, though Mario wouldn't say he "liked" these things. And things about ancient civilization made no sense. And some of the ancient anatomy didn't make much sense either. Mario was convinced old humans don't have three ears and seventeen fingers, but most had sixteen since the final finger became unnecessary. There was no mention of stuff Mario was familiar with. The theory of creation, the theory of evolution, even some of the ancient beliefs, as if we were made of clay. It discussed that humans were made by evolving through elves. Elves no longer exist as a species, unless genetically modified, but instead morphed into the more healthier human being. This information definitely made Mario chuckle. He knows of those movies and books, advertising Elves as these beautiful creatures who could do no wrong, and that they are better than every other race. Mario was so engrossed with his book that he didn't even realize the massive pile of literature Peach dropped by his feet.

"I ran out of space on the nearby table," Peach announced. "So I put some by your feet."

Mario glanced up at her, and then back down. His eyes widened, pulling his feet to the chair. It was like a mountain formed underneath him. Peach giggled.

"You looked surprised."

"Mhm."

Mario stared at the books. There were so many!

"I'm very interested in the study of humans," Peach chuckled. "I like to learn everything I can about them. Because, well they're extinct."

Mario cocked a brow.

"Yeah, well," Peach stammered. "I see now they're not. But for my entire life, they were freshly extinct."

Mario continued to stare at her.

"For the longest time I was convinced my parents may have been human," Peach explained. "So I studied them. Then Toadsworth told me all Mushroom Kingdom royalty could become humanoid. But my research was so interesting, so fascinating. I just had to continue."

Mario pondered the information. This seems like exactly the kind of thing Luigi would study if given the chance. Peach huffed bitterly.

"The whole rising from a peach thing, well, that's why they call me the parasitic princess, or whatever," she grumbled. "I don't infect people and kill them. If I could do that, I don't know how. But I did corrupt and destroy a massive fruit."

Mario's focus went back onto her, and he shook his head.

"Don't agree," Mario noted. "Not para… uhm. Bug."

"Bug?" Peach giggled. "You mean parasitic?"

Mario nodded and raised a finger, trying to repeat the word.

"Para… Para… Si… Acidic… Parasitic!"

"Mhm. Parasitic. That's what they call me."

Mario shook his head.

"Nice, you are," Mario continued. Peach was invested in watching him speak.

"I like you."

"You like me?" Peach asked, shock in her voice. Mario nodded.

"Kind, pretty. You, not parasite. You nice! You are nice!" Mario struggled, desperately trying to remember his language lessons with Luigi. "Lovely… Kind! Good, to me. To all."

Peach felt her heart beating faster. She's never heard him speak this much, let alone to her praise.

"You like me?" she repeated. "I, well, I thought maybe Bowser had changed your mind."

Mario shook his head again.

"Dinosaur? Bah, he is evil."

"Evil," Peach repeated. "Evil, maybe. But I know deep down he is better than this. I hope."

Peach glanced back at Mario.

"Thank you, Mario."

Mario now started to feel his heart rushing, both with excitement and fear. She must think he's a moron! He is hoping he didn't say anything stupid. Peach's eyes trailed to the books, then back to Mario.

"I think we should ditch the books," Peach announced. Mario cocked his head curiously.

"I was invested," Mario mentioned. "About fingers. Six!"

Peach snickered.

"We can read that later. But I think we should focus on Luigi first."

Mario's attention immediately switched to her. She put her hands together.

"I think I have a plan."