'Sup. Been a helluva long time. Sorry 'bout that. Uh... I really have no excuse. Other than... I've kinda got a case of an author having this great idea in the beginning... and realizing later how much more thought they should have put into this. I'm not especially fond of my own portrayal of Mario and Luigi, and as such... it took me absolutely forever to write this chapter. But, I'm no pussy; I'm gonna finish this thing, dammit.
Oh. And I've got a poll goin' on too. Being the optimistic person I am.
Mario and Luigi ran. Mario and Luigi ran for what their lives were worth, across hills and countryside; the brothers were known for astounding feats of stamina and strength, going for days over miles of territory, all for one princess. Now... they had a different, singular objective: Get Luigi out of the country.
How many miles they traveled by foot, they did not keep track, nor wished to; the coast was their desire. The coast and its shimmering waves, surely white-crested now with the sky, a bleak, monotonous sea of grey itself, hanging low above them. Mario held the lead, always ahead to watch what lay before them, while Luigi held the rear, to watch what lay behind. He had been the one to watch the crimson turrets of Her Highness' castle, and the green hills roll away after them. He had been the one to cry as he watched both disappear.
The grey sky above had apparently leaked, like a washed watercolour painting, on the land below, turning everything a dull shade of what it once was. Winter was never more evidently approaching than now, even if the brothers could not take the time to admire it as they wished. For all the time that had so lethargically passed as they raced across the land... how quickly the pole came, that had chosen to sit in Mario's way.
With the grace of a dead bird, Mario went tumbling backwards, rolling with the momentum. He yelped and held his nose, while Luigi, after checking his brother, looked upward to what had so blasphemously hit his brother's nose (or what his brother's nose had hit). Up his eyes followed the bar of metal reaching into the sky... and found a curious beam of wood at the top that reached over their heads, and connected... to another tall pole of metal, across the path they hadn't realized they'd been following. Whatever this sign spoke of, Luigi could not tell, only able to see squiggles of letters from his position. But stepping back, he could plainly see:
"Mario, we're here."
Finding no blood guzzling from his nose (as Mario had suspected there might have been), Mario opened his hands and looked up to imitate his brother in stepping back to read. Why, his brother was right!
"C'mon, Weege..." Once more taking the lead, Mario trudged forward through thin bushes, as Luigi took rear. Far too quickly than they would have liked, the trees and underbrush thinned, until there was nothing to cover them before they reached the portside town, nestled against the sea before them. Not a soul stirred though, from what they could see; thus, the run through the short field between the forest and the town was secure.
The smell of rotting seawater and kelp flooded their noses while creeping behind decrepit wooden buildings, built by old seadogs, for old seadogs. Ships creaked in the docks lining the portside, and masts rocked and swayed like trees in a forest of grey. And yet... not a soul was about. One would imagine a town such as this to be bustling with sailors, ready to leave. But there was no one...
It was perfect.
Blue eyes peered over boat after boat to find one, any one, that could hold up long enough to make it to Isola Della Medusae. No, too small... no, too large for two to handle... no, too fancy...
There. A single, unappealing yacht. Closer inspection told the brothers that this yacht not only had enough gas for the trip, but the return trip as well. And food! Always a good thing for Mario.
Without a thought for whoever owned the boat, Mario untied the rigging, tossing it into the boat, just as Luigi had swung his leg over to get in. But Luigi never took the other step to get in.
"... Mario, I can't do this... this is stealing..."
"Luigi, it's okay!" Mario assured, approaching Luigi with a smile. "Everything'll be okay, Weege."
"No, it won't... Mario..." Luigi took his leg out of the boat, and pointed to the distant horizon, blending sea and sky. "Mario... even if we leave... what'll happen? I'll get to the island... and then what? You know what the Professor said... I'll die if I don't eat someon--... y'know..."
"Well..." Mario winced, rubbing his arm. "There are... people... there..."
"No, Mario...! I can't do that to someone..."
"But Weege..." Mario pleaded, grabbing his brother's arm. "... I don't wanna lose my brother..."
"And I don't wanna lose mine..." Luigi frowned. "... But I don't want anyone else to die..." Luigi... began to breakdown, holding his side, and shielding his face from his brother with his other hand. "Mario... I don't know what to do..." Mario's heart slowly broke as he watched his brother melt into tears right before. No, it was not masculine, or manly, or "strong" as Mario always knew to be, but... Mario loved his brother. And regardless of what it made his brother look like, he couldn't help but want to do everything for his brother, including shielding him from whatever pain might come. But... how could he possibly fix this?
But then, where there had been no life before, life suddenly exploded in the form of fleeing sailors, hoping to get to their boats. Mario hurriedly swept Luigi aside, to place him between two barrels, and jumped over them to join him.
"What is it?" Luigi whispered.
"I don't know... shh..."
The boat they'd been so close to taking began to leave as its owners, unaware that someone had untied their boat for them, leapt inside, and carefully backed the boat out. Through the din of the hurried panic of the leaving sailors, Mario heard something he'd prayed would have at least waited until this ordeal was over... as if it were that simple.
"C'mon, ya sonsabitches, ge' outta here! Bowser's trouncin' Toad Town; who knows where 'e'll go next!"
Luigi's stomach plummeted, as Mario turned to his brother.
"... I gotta stop'im..."
"I'm coming too!" Mario grabbed Luigi's shoulders harshly, shaking his head.
"No! You find a boat to get on. I'll be fine, you get outta here."
"No, Mario, don't leave me behind again!" Luigi pleaded. Mario took in a great breath and huffed.
"... Stay, Luigi."
"Mario!!"
But alas... as sailors turned in disbelief to find the kingdom's savior appear from between two barrels, Mario was already running at his greatest speed in the direction they'd come from... praying he'd stumble upon a warp-pipe. Some gasped, some shouted, some barely took heed...
Nobody, however... saw the little brother staring after his brother, and curling up to hide in the smallest space he could, between his round, portly saviours, braced in metal and built of wood.