Chapter 11 Mario is Missing!

Luigi shivered as he stood in a coffee shop, looking over his shoulder and whimpering every so often. He tried to get his heartbeat under control. He tried to stop shivering, tried to tell himself that it was all going to be okay. He was safe! He wasn't in any danger whatsoever. Nobody was after him, and even if they were, they would have to go through a lot in order to track him down and torture him. Yes, he was completely safe.

But he didn't feel safe. Even as the day was transitioning into the afternoon, he still couldn't get the sequence of events that had occurred in the morning out of his head. That koopa… why had there been a koopa in his house at all? Was he a member of the Koopa Troop? Had he been sent there by Bowser specifically? What if he was an assassin, someone who snuck into the house in the middle of the night to end Luigi and Mario's games once and for all? Sure, that wasn't very likely… or was it?

Wait. What happened to Mario when Luigi left the house that morning?

Luigi actually gulped when he had that thought. Oh no. Sure, Mario was more than strong enough to deal with any kind of koopa, even one who had been specifically trained to be as powerful and as deadly as possible. So, there was a chance that Mario himself was okay. But that's just it; it was a chance. Not a guarantee.

The green clad plumber began, to sweat, and sweat profusely at that. Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no! He needed to get back to his house! He needed to get back there as soon as possible! He needed to see if his brother was safe!

So, he turned around and left the coffee shop, despite the barista's disappointed look over not getting to serve someone of his status. With the bell above the door ringing in his ear, he ran through the streets of Toad Town. He huffed and puffed, but didn't stop for anyone or anything. He ran just as fast as did when he was running away from the strange koopa, if not faster.

"Oh, please let this be okay…" he muttered to himself. For good measure, he decided to issue a prayer to God. "God, please let Mario be okay! I know I should've checked on him earlier, but… oh, please! Please don't let him be dead! I'll give up eating pasta forever if it means that my brother will be okay!"

While saying those words out loud while running did cause his breathing to become more labored, he didn't stop. He noticed some Toads turn his way as they ran past them. Every once in a while, they whispered amongst themselves. Once in a blue moon, Luigi was actually close enough to hear some of the words they said amongst themselves. "Why is Luigi running?" they asked. "Is he okay?" "What's going on here; are we under attack?"

Despite this, Luigi still didn't stop. If anything, he sped up, now running at a speed that surpassed his body's regular limits. I'm coming, Mario! Tears welled in his terrified eyes. Oh, please be okay!

After what felt like forever, Luigi finally returned to his doorstep. While he didn't put on a smile standing in front of the door, he still felt relieved and happy regardless. He caught his breath, noticing that his feet actually hurt a bit. Deciding to ignore that, he adjusted his cap. He hesitated before opening the door, questioning whether or not the koopa was still there. After a little bit though, he decided that didn't matter. Koopa present or no koopa present, he still needed to go back into the house. Mario was counting on him.

The door creaked open, an odd sound for Luigi to hear. Trying to tackle the immense problem that was his breathing rate, he crept into his house. Despite the fact that he had trekked through a haunted building on more than one occasion, walking through his house right now was probably the most terrifying thing that he had ever done.

"Mario?" he whispered, like speaking too loud would speak the koopa intruder back into existence. "Mario, are you in here?"

No answer. There wasn't any sign or sound of movement within these four walls. On some level, that relieved Luigi, as it meant that the koopa wasn't here. On another level, it horrified him and made him extra anxious. Why wasn't Mario responding?

"Mario?" Luigi spoke at a much louder volume. "Mario, where are you?" He decided that, the most logical place to look for his brother would be up in his room. Moving with such a strong caution, a caution that would and could alter and even break the atmosphere in a room, he made his way up the stairs. He swallowed another lump when he got to his brother's door, cracked open slightly.

Luigi pushed the door further open. "Mario?" No answer. He opened the door all the way, fearing the worst. And, unfortunately, the worst was exactly what he got.

Mario was nowhere to be found.

Luigi whimpered. Turning around, he decided to search the rest of his house. "Mario, where are you?" He checked every room. Not leaving a single stone unturned, not letting a single door remain closed, his frantic mood only increased the more fruitless his search became.

"Oh Mama Mia." Luigi did his best to not hyperventilate. "MARIO, ARE YOU IN HERE?"

No answer. The house was empty, not a soul present or seen. It was while standing within this empty, silent building that Luigi's emotions became too overwhelming. He crouched down into a ball, holding his hat on his head as he started to cry.

"Please," Luigi murmured. "Please God, please!" He sniffled, his cowering position growing tighter. "Don't let Mario be dead!" He bawled like a baby. "I can't have my brother be dead!"

As he cried, he thought about all the events that had taken place yesterday. The party at Peach's Castle. The trip to Bowser's Castle. The most amazing, fun scenario that Luigi could ever remember having with his brother after Peach had been rescued. If he had known that would be the last time he would see Mario… if he had known that Mario would wind up dead the very next morning…

Luigi sniffled. No, Mario wasn't dead. While the empty house had been discouraging, there was one part of it that provided him with a little bit of comfort. That being, that Mario's dead body had not been spotted in any of the rooms. No blood, no stench, no sign of a struggle; so at the very least, there was the sliver of a possibility that Mario might still be okay. Sure, Luigi had know idea if he was, nor any idea where he might be now. But even if there was the tiniest speckle of hope, Luigi would hold onto it and cling it tightly.

So, Luigi stopped crying and stood up. "Mario is okay," he said, using a soft tone that reminded him of his mother's comforting voice. "He's not dead. Mario doesn't go down that easily. He's just missing, that's all. And I'm going to find him." He turned toward the door. "And I'm going to get as many people as possible to help me."

…

"Mario is missing?"

Luigi nodded, his expression grim but still holding onto that speckle of hope. "He's been gone since this morning." His stomach churned as he said this next part. "I… there was this koopa who broke into the house." Peach's eyes grew wide. "Or at least, I think they broke into the house. Again, I didn't see any signs of forced entry." He scratched the back of his head. "But I think the koopa might have something to do with his disappearance."

Peach's brow furrowed. "Oh, this is terrible." She shook her head, going over to her throne and slowly sinking into it. "Could… could he have been kidnapped by that koopa?" She shook her head. "That is so unlike him. He fights against people who kidnap me. He doesn't get kidnapped himself…"

Luigi let out a breath. "It… it is strange." He took a step forward. "Which is why I need your help, Peach. I don't know where he's being held, but we need to let everyone in the Kingdom know he's gone. If we can get the citizens who love him so much to aid in our search… well, that increases our chances of finding him." He paused, biting his lip extra hard. "Especially before something bad happens to him."

Peach actually looked a little sick at that prospect. "Yes. You're absolutely right. We need everyone in the Kingdom to be on alert." She stood up and clapped her hands together. When she did, a yellow capped Toad carrying a long piece of parchment came into the room. "Novel T, write this down." The Toad nodded and got write to writing. "The whole Kingdom is now in a state of emergency. Our beloved hero, Mario Jumpman Mario, has mysteriously gone missing." Luigi marveled at Novel T's writing speed, as well as the fact that he managed to record all this without delving into a state of panic himself. "Be on your guard my citizens, and please aid in our search to find him. If you come across any, and I mean ANY clues, then don't hesitate to tell the authorities. Even if it's something minor, any sort of help will be more than welcome. Thank you." She smoothed out the folds of her dress. "Period." Novel T finished writing and looked up art the Princess. "Relay that information to the public. Immediately." Novel T bowed and made their way out of the room. As they left, Peach took a deep breath and looked Luigi right in the eye. "Hopefully that will help us make better progress."

"Yeah," Luigi said. He stood up straight and tall, all at once feeling a very strong sense of duty toward his brother and his well being. "Well, I'm going to aid in the search myself." He turned toward the door. "I'll be searching the Koopa Kingdom specifically; if that koopa did kidnap him, that is where he is most likely to be." He had taken six steps toward the door before Peach spoke up.

"Wait." Luigi turned toward her, curious. "I'm coming with you."

Luigi blinked. "Really?" He struggled over what to say in response to that. "But Princess, this is a dangerous and I mean dangerous task. We're dealing with a mystery that could potentially involve a koopa with malicious intent. And if you were to get hurt on this journey…" he sighed. "I would never forgive myself."

Peach smiled. "That's very sweet, Luigi." She cleared her throat. "But I can handle myself. I've gone on missions with you and Mario before. No koopa who crosses my path is going to harm me or anybody else I care about. Not on my watch."

Luigi thought about this. This was… noble of the Princess. Honestly, it made Luigi respect her even more. Mario rescued her every single time she got kidnapped. The fact that she was willing to return the favor was definitely, indisputably sweet.

"Okay," Luigi finally said with a nod. Peach smiled and took his hand as he looked toward the door again. "Then let's get going."