Author's Note: Yep. It's finally here - the long-awaited epilogue of 'Within the Cardboard Box'. I was thinking I would never get this finished, but finish it I did. And my God, I'm actually happy with how this turned out. 'Lui si chiama...' is Italian for 'his name is...'; I thought it fitted well with the idea of Snake being 'David'.

So this is fast-forward to a few months later... Luigi's back in the Mushroom Kingdom. What happens next? Read it and you'll see. I can't believe how much of this sounds like innuendo/happily married life. Tee-hee. I wrote most of this listening to a rather violent song otherwise known as 'La Marseillaise', the French National Anthem. The melody's kind of uplifting, you've got to admit that. And my French oral exam is coming soon, although I have done no revision. Help! x.x

'Within the Cardboard Box' is officially over... for now. I may do a short story collection featuring ideas that didn't make it in the future... but who knows?

But I'm so glad that WtCB developed from a simple, plotless collection of stories into something else. After eight months, I've written something that readers liked, pleased me and has been a great practice to my writing skills as well. I would like to thank all my reviewers - Umbreon Mastah, Nintendo Mania, Dark Enchanter, Luigi Rules 512, dArkliTe-sPirit, Raz2b, and Tasogare Asa amongst them - thank you for reading this story of mine to the very end (or even a few select chapters), and constantly taking the time to review. I couldn't have done it without you. You all constantly inspired me and kept me going. Thank you very much.

-Solitary Shadow-

7 months later

"Just a little more. We're almost there."

The beautiful ginger cat in the man's arms crooned and purred at the words, leaning into the warmth of a gentle hand. The man in question was none other than the younger brother of the famous superstar of the Mushroom Kingdom; his name was Luigi Mario, the shy, withdrawn yet wonderfully affectionate plumber in green. He chuckled as the playful cat in his arms dabbed at his mustache with a little paw, rubbing the paw pads against his cheek.

"All right, all right, have it your way!" He laughed jovially, skipping lightly over to a fountain and settling down. He let the cat down from his arms, and it perched neatly on the stone edge of the fountain, curiously gazing into the crystal-clear water yet never venturing inside. It settled for rubbing his head against the green-clad plumber's arm and mewing happily. Luigi smiled and ran his finger behind the cat's ears, feeling the wonderfully soft fur beneath his fingertips. The feline mewled and twitched its flattened ears in response.

"Look at you," Luigi said happily. "you've grown into a fine cat. Master Hand and Crazy Hand would have been so glad to see you all grown up."

The cat nuzzled into Luigi's shoulder.

"I wonder if you think about your siblings?" A chirp. "you do? Do you miss them? I wonder if you were scared to leave them behind when you first came to live with me. I mean, it was quite a sudden decision from Crazy Hand's part. But then, without him, I don't suppose that I would have ever seen you again."

"I do wish I could be back there again, though."

The cat quietly settled down on the green-clad plumber's lap, swishing its tail around his knees. Luigi sighed and rested one hand against its silky coat, burying his hand in the warmth.

The wind whistled past the younger Mario brother's cheek, and he shivered ever so slightly. "It's cold here. I bet you aren't, though, what with your fur..." his tabby cat paid no heed to his talking and began to groom a paw gingerly. "do you think about your siblings all the time? I do," he said with a light chuckle. "having an older brother adds on to extra responsibilities. I have to keep going over and check if Mario's alright. It's fine, but I do wish I had some more friends over here. Hey, don't do that," the cat was chewing on the hem of his shirt. "it was cleaned just yesterday, you know."

But Luigi wasn't cross; he gently pulled his cat free, and set it down again on his lap.

"I miss them, you know..." he whispered. "Falcon... Olimar... Meta... Jigglypuff... and I miss him the most of all. I wonder what he's doing now."

A mew.

"You know?" Luigi played along, tickling the cat behind its ears and smiling as it squealed ever so softly. "come on then, tell me."

Another mew sounded.

"Hmm. Fine, keep it to yourself," the green-clad plumber pretended to be cross, and purposefully turned his head away from the ginger feline. "trust you to be teasing. I figured you'd know... he's looking after one of your brothers now. I wonder if cats like you have sibling bonds - I know me and Mario do. I can feel his presence from miles away." he absent-mindedly patted its back as he spoke, lost in thought. "I wonder if you can sense your brother... and tell me where he is..."

The wind had settled down; the sky above was darkening slightly. Luigi looked at his watch; four o'clock. It was still kind of warm outside, but he knew it wouldn't stay that way for a long while. It was August now, the end of summer - soon, the leaves on the trees would flood with colour and part from the branches, paving the streets with red and yellow. He sighed softly, eyes misty as he recalled memories from months ago; he had returned from the tournament way back in January, and now the seasons were changing again.

"I wonder if he thinks of me?" he wondered out aloud. "I think about him every day... I don't want him to forget me..."

But the cat on his lap remained oblivious, and merely looked up, cocking its head slightly as if to wonder why they weren't heading back home. It was almost feeding time.

"Where is he, Alessia? Where is he?" Luigi whispered softly into the feline's ear, tickling the fur. The cat mewed and rolled over, inviting the younger Mario brother to tickle her belly.

"Mi manchi, David... dove sei?"

"Here we are," Luigi murmured softly as the door shut with a click behind him. He put the latch on and locked the door again, just for safety; his cat rubbed against his leg, purring. When he picked her up gently, she butted his side with her head, pleading for her feed. "just wait a little while, Alessia... I'll get you some food..."

He stooped down and picked up the heap of letters that had arrived during his absence; he didn't look at them just yet, and merely gathered them up under one arm as he headed for the living room. He placed the letters down on the table, and then went to the kitchen, opening up a small tin of cat food; Alessia watched as he did all of this, sitting obediently on the floor, tail swishing in anticipation. When the food was poured onto the feeding bowl, and set down on the ground by the green-clad plumber, the feline leaped to it hungrily and began eating, licking the edges of the bowl ever so daintily.

"Cute..." Luigi laughed, and patted his cat on the back before he left her in peace. He switched on the cooker and put the kettle on, first tapping it lightly on the side to determine how much water was in there; he then poured a little coffee mix into his favourite green mug, put two teaspoonfuls of sugar for good measure and waited for the water to boil.

The kettle began to whistle as the water inside reached boiling temperatures and pearly steam gushed out of the spout; he turned the heat off and poured the water into the mix, smiling as a rich, wholesome scent wafted from the mug. Luigi decided to treat himself a little and poured a little milk into the mug, watching as the dark coffee turned a creamy brown colour. He did like his coffee smooth.

Having done so, he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, putting his feet up and sighing as he nestled into the soft, squashy furniture. Luigi closed his eyes and took a sip out of his mug, letting a content smile spread across his face as he felt the warmth travel around his body; it was times like this that he wished that he could purr like Alessia could.

Luigi stayed in that position for a long time, only bringing his mug to his lips now and then, savouring each sip - he didn't open his eyes or react even when Alessia finished her dinner and curled up next to him. The green-clad plumber only roused himself from his position when he was certain that he was well and truly warmed up.

"Okay, then, what's all this about?" he asked himself as he set down the mug and picked up the letters. They were mostly advertisements and junk mail; two were letters from his fans (which made him smile) one consisted of his electricity bill and another one was from Princess Peach. He read the contents of the letter carefully; the princess had invited Mario and Luigi to a garden party the Wednesday after this one. She had handwritten the invitation (nice of her, he thought wryly) detailing who was coming, and what would happen, and wouldn't he and Mario want to stay the night in her castle?

He set that letter aside. He would think about it later. The last letter was clad in a brown envelope, the address written in a rather bold, swirly handwriting; as soon as the younger Mario brother saw the writing, he grinned wide. It was about time one of those arrived.

Alessia purred next to him, rolling around on the couch and begging for attention. He stroked her absent-mindedly, trying to open the envelope with one hand; eventually he succeeded in doing so, and then reached for the letter within, letting himself take in the feel of the writing paper. The paper was nothing like the ones from his world; he knew that this letter was from a completely different universe, light years away from his own. This paper felt quite soft and thin, compared to the slightly more coarse paper used in the Mushroom Kingdom. It wasn't the first time he had received a letter from this particular person, but he always had to marvel at the fact that this was actually possible every time one turned up on his doorstep.

"Come here, love," he called softly to his cat, and she obediently trotted to him, curling up gently on his lap. The green-clad plumber finally unfolded the paper and began to read:

Dear Luigi,

Strange, isn't it? I wrote to you last week, and I'm longing to hear from you after receiving your reply just three days ago. Perhaps I'm more needier than I thought.

How are you doing? It's all fine over here. No missions coming through for me, but that's perfectly all right - it simply means I don't have to sacrifice what's left of my sanity. I doubt I have a lot left, I've wasted too much of it in the past years. And I'm not even forty years old; madness, wouldn't you agree?

I hope Alessia's doing fine. I received that photo of her you sent last week, and you were right, she's one of the most beautiful cats I've seen. I should send you one of Nero - he's still shy and quiet as ever, but wonderfully affectionate. He's taken to nibbling my finger when he's feeling happy. A bad habit, I know Dr. Mario would say... but as much as I would like to deny it, it's quite cute.

I'm in good health and so's Nero. He kept on choking on hairballs, though. The poor thing. I've taken him to the vet - and ever since that visit, he's been a lot more happier

Life is quiet in this world. Almost too quiet. But it's true that I was originally a retired soldier, only brought to service when there was no other alternative, so it must be logical to think that there isn't much left for me now. I may be young compared to some veterans out there, but God, I've had enough adventures for a lifetime.

Where was I? Oh yes, about my life. Yes, it's a quiet calm life I'm leading now, and have been for months, and I'm happy with it. Yet it's lacking a certain je ne sais quoi; I believe that the lack of the Smashers' presence - especially yours - is having that effect on me. After not having seen you for seven months... ah, I must admit that I do miss you sorely. I long to have you close. I remember how you used to want hugs from people and would come to me every time you needed one - I always think of the times we spent together in that box, playing chess, scaring Falco and goodness knows what else besides. Those were the days, don't you agree?

"I certainly do." Luigi said out aloud, smiling. "I really miss that box."

It struck me that it was your birthday on the eighteenth. I wish I could have celebrated it with you, just like I did back in the hotel last year. I can't believe it's been that long already. We said goodbye in the middle of winter, and now summer is dying. I want to see you again. Reading your words, written in your very own handwriting, comforts me a little, but it's not quite the same.

Hopefully that will change soon.

I'm sending something over to you for your birthday gift, Luigi. On the evening of the twenty-sixth, from around five o'clock or so, I'd recommend that you keep watch for that something. It's not just a simple delivery - it's coming over to your house as soon it arrives at your world - so keep an eye out for it. It'll deliver itself, you'll see.

I hope you aren't surprised with what comes with your gift, though. I suppose you want the details? Well, ah-ah, I'm not telling.

It's getting dark over here. Otacon's blaring his music through his speakers next door. God, I have no idea what he's up to right now. Looks like it's another sleepless night for me, then - when he's like that, there's no stopping him. Poor Nero's all wound up too, he keeps on scratching at the walls. I've shut the bedroom door and put him in his bed.

Keep yourself in good health, Luigi. And don't you worry too much about me.

David

Luigi tilted his head to the side; not only was this letter shorter than any other he'd received in the past months, it was also extremely confusing. How could a parcel deliver itself and how could the mercenary be so sure of the dates? According to the letter, that meant that the present would arrive that very evening. Although he was both dubious and perplexed, Luigi figured that it wouldn't hurt if he kept watch. It was ten to five now, so he could wait outside on the front lawn - he could sit on his favourite garden chair and enjoy a nice book before it grew too dark to see anything.

"Stay here, Alessia." he whispered to his cat as he placed her down; she yawned and looked at him, her blue eyes meeting his, silently inquiring where he was going. When he stood up, she followed suit, gazing at her owner curiously. "stay here. I'm just going outside for a while, okay?"

Luigi tickled her underneath the chin until she collapsed on the couch playfully and curled her tail around the cushions; he left a few cat toys out on the floor so that she could amuse herself if bored, and then quietly went out.

"Ti penso sempre, David..." Luigi whispered as he wrapped a thick scarf around himself. "I don't know what you're sending, but I'll treasure it for ever," he chuckled to himself. "... well, unless it's food. I doubt that, but still, you being you..."

When he opened the door, he found that the temperature had dropped slightly. It was still warm outside, but definitely cooler than before. He darted inside, grabbed a book he had been reading, and closed the door behind him as he sat down on his chair on the front lawn. The chair creaked slightly as he settled down, being old and weathered - but he found it homely. He leaned back and opened the book, searching for his bookmark - when he did find it, however, it fluttered free of his grasp down to the earth below. Luigi bent down to grasp the bookmark again, knowing that the flimsy material was too weak to withstand the breeze; he tucked it right at the back of the book, where the heavy pages would hold it still.

But as soon as he thought he'd gotten himself sorted, he found that he couldn't concentrate.

What had the mercenary meant by the parcel delivering itself? He still couldn't figure it out. If that was so, shouldn't he be really concentrating on the road, instead of the book? He got through about five words before he sighed in frustration and set the book down on the small wooden table near the chair. Luigi leaned back and looked towards the horizon, his eyes sweeping the distance for any sign of life. Excepting a few little birds, there was none.

It was only that moment that really reminded Luigi of how isolated he really was. A forest surrounded his house on three sides, and the only way free had nobody living there for a mile or so. There was a small town nearby, one that could be reached in fifteen minutes by foot, that had a few shops and an inn or two; but even that was separated from his house by a small hill. When he looked straight ahead, the hill was the first thing he saw - it wasn't a large one, and only took a couple of minutes to climb fully, but the fact that it was there lent a certain quality to his cottage that wasn't easy to determine. Although it required almost no effort to climb, its presence served to isolate him from everyone else.

Then the green-clad plumber's eyes widened.

"... S-Snake?" Luigi whispered as he stood up quickly from the chair. Sure enough, a tall, well-built figure was heading up the hill towards him; he held a kind of box with a handle in one hand, dragging a suitcase in another and yet another bag slung on his shoulders. His face was very, very familiar - the man stopped for a while and swept his gaze all over the horizon, his eyes very bright and searching. But then they rested on Luigi; and as soon as the man noticed, a wide smile made its way onto his face.

"Snake? Oh God, Snake! Snake!" Luigi cried, almost kicking over the chair in his excitement and running full speed towards the tall man. The man quickly put down the box and suitcase, sprinting down the hill towards Luigi; they ran into each other about halfway up the slope, throwing their arms around each other in sheer joy. The green-clad plumber was only half aware that he was shouting and that Snake was spinning him around - before their legs both gave way and they tumbled down onto the ground, still entangled in each other's arms.

The mercenary hit the ground, pinned down underneath the young man, but he hardly felt it. He lay back on the earth and grinned up at the plumber, ruffling his hair playfully just the way he used to, squeezing him tightly. "I take it that you're glad to see me, Luigi?" he murmured gently, patting his shoulders; he sat up slightly as he felt something damp seeping into his shirt. "hey, are you crying?"

"Oh, Snake..." Luigi sobbed, burying his face into the other's chest. "... I can't... believe it. I can't. Tell me I'm not dreaming!"

Snake smiled and cradled the other man gently, shushing him. He brushed the bangs of hair away from Luigi's face and smiled into the younger Mario's brother's sapphire blue eyes.

"If you're dreaming, it must be a pretty good dream, don't you think?" he murmured, hugging the other man close.

Luigi laughed through his tears, nuzzling into the other's chest and holding him tight as if he would never let go. "It's really you! How did you come here? Did you arrange it with Master Hand?"

Snake nodded. "I requested the portal to your world be opened along with mine - I planned it for a whole month before it went ahead. And God knows, I'm just a retired soldier. I have a lot of time on my hands. That's why I could get this done. I left only yesterday, you know."

"How was Master Hand and Crazy Hand doing?"

"I've only seen Master Hand. He seemed pleased to see me travelling by-" a sudden rattle came from above, where he'd left his belongings. Luigi rolled off the mercenary and looked up curiously as the other got up and dusted himself off, walking back up towards his luggage. "-that'll be Nero. I brought him over. Couldn't leave him."

"Nero's here too?"

"He missed you two a lot," Snake smiled, and then bent down to open the cage door. Slowly, a sleek, grey-furred feline crept out from the cage, looking around nervously at the unfamiliar surroundings with his blue eyes; he looked up at the mercenary, than at the green-clad plumber. He briefly raised his nose to sniff at the air, his paws firmly planted on the ground, seemingly uneasy and nervous.

Luigi bent down and gave the cat his hand. "Hey, Nero... do you remember me? It's me, Luigi."

The grey cat sniffed his hand for a second, before he recognized the scent of the green-clad plumber and he pounced. Mewing happily, Nero jumped up to the younger Mario brother's arms and cuddled up to him, rubbing his head against the man's chest. Luigi was pleasantly surprised; he began to stroke the grey feline softly on the back, his voice soft and coaxing.

"Master Hand was like that as well," Snake commented, smiling. "a beauty, isn't he?"

"His fur's so soft... Snake, he's beautiful."

The mercenary laughed. "Glad to hear I've done a good job with kitten-raising, then! Let's just hope Alessia recognizes him. And by the way..." he fumbled around in his pockets and brought out a small box, giving the younger Mario brother said item. "... happy birthday, Luigi."

"Oh, Snake-" Luigi exclaimed as he opened the box; nestled inside were two cufflinks, with a solid silver base and in the shape of a 1-UP mushroom - but with a blue cap instead of green. The cufflinks were adorned in sapphire to give such a colour; and yet it was still light and subtle. Luigi took one out, admiring the smoothly cut edges and the way they glittered in the last of the sunlight. "how did you manage to get this done?"

The mercenary laughed good-heartedly. "Otacon's invested in jewel-cutting. I had this custom-made from him and another jeweller - you like it?" the other nodded happily. "glad to hear that. You did mention that you now need to wear suits a lot more often, now that you've finished three Smash Brothers tournaments and saved the princess again... formal occasions and all..."

"This reminds me of Super Shrooms," Luigi was still admiring the cufflinks. "they were very potent healing items - and they were blue-capped as well. Brings back fond memories. Oh, thank you, Snake..."

"I had it made of sapphire to match your eyes. Only the best for my 'husband', no?"

The green-clad plumber blushed and chuckled, replacing the cufflinks and closing the box; but he still held it with his two hands, almost reverent. "These must have cost you a lot."

"It didn't, really. An average women's necklace is twice as expensive as those, at least in my world. That's saying something," Snake laughed as he rummaged in his bag. "and I've also got you something for casual occasions."

Luigi was handed a small bundle; he was flustered about receiving so many presents from the mercenary, and politely tried to decline, but the other wouldn't accept his refusals. He opened it up - and then laughed.

Inside were two pairs of long striped socks, one red and one green, rolled up neatly.

"They're so sweet," he giggled as he unrolled one and examined it. They were his favourite types of socks, all right - just thick enough to keep his legs warm, and soft and comfortable enough so that he could lounge about in them all day long. "I should have expected it from you, shouldn't I?"

The mercenary chuckled without giving a reply, patted the other's head and looked towards the horizon.

"It's getting dark."

"You'd better come inside with me. The temperature's going to drop any minute soon."

"Well... of course, if you insist..." Snake suddenly looked rather anxious. "... would you mind if I stayed here for a couple of nights? You see, I've planned to make a reservation in an inn close by - I'm staying for quite a long time-"

"Oh no, don't do that," Luigi exclaimed quickly. "you're welcome to stay here as long as you want! I'd love company, and besides, now that you're here - wouldn't you want to stay with someone you know well?"

Snake hesitated. "I... well..."

"I don't want to sound selfish, but I really missed you, you know..." the green-clad plumber put his arms around the other, hugging him tight. "don't leave me."

The mercenary laughed in a rather awkward manner, scratching his head. "It's not that easy, Luigi... I'm staying for more than a month," the younger Mario brother looked up, startled. "I'm staying for at least three, maybe more if everything goes well... and I don't want to burden you. It's not as easy as it sounds to have a complete stranger occupying a room in your house for more than a week. And there's Nero as well."

"Listen," Luigi was smiling softly at him, and Snake fell silent. "I've taken care of numerous pets before this. Back in Brooklyn, we had three dogs around barking the house down when we were little. Two cats? Not a problem for me. Compared to the horrible stuff we have to wade through every time Princess Peach is kidnapped - and keep in mind I've had to deal with it for seven years, let alone a few months - it's not a big deal at all. And I really want you to stay with me, Dave."

"Please?"

Luigi pouted lightly, his eyes pleading - the mercenary could never resist that look, and things certainly hadn't changed since January. He gazed at the other for a while, before shaking his head in defeat and sighing. "... All right... but if something goes wrong, though no fault of your own, I'll be moving right straight away."

"Nothing will go wrong," Luigi said softly, and then there was silence. The two slowly began walking back in the direction of the cottage, Nero trailing a few feet behind them. But when Luigi opened the gate, he darted inside to explore the new place; the green-clad plumber's own cat, Alessia, was sitting on the windowsill, having waited patiently for her owner's return. Nero saw her, and began pawing at the glass, mewing. Alessia looked over, curious - but not afraid.

"Hey," Snake murmured, breaking the silence. "remember when we first met?"

Luigi scratched his head. "... in Shadow Moses Island when I came over and ruined your lunch? I remember it clearly as anything."

"Remember when we fell asleep in the box together?" Snake asked, and grinned as he saw the younger Mario brother's face light up in fond memory.

"Of course I do," Luigi exclaimed. "why, look over here-" he pulled the mercenary over to a window, inviting him to peer inside. The interior was fairly spacious, with a large bed and shelves along the wall, a wardrobe in the corner and a small desk with an armchair on one side. "that's just the guest room. It's where you'll be staying, Snake. And look over by the right wall - remind you of something?"

Snake (still feeling startled from just how large his room would be) glanced over to the place where Luigi was pointing. What he saw made him laugh.

A large cardboard box sat on the floor, looking clean and free of dust; it was large enough to hold two people comfortably. Luigi had even taken the time to make the box look homely - the delivery stickers were still stuck on the top, and he had painted the Smash Brothers symbol on the box with the words 'Smash Bros' to match. He'd even carved two finger holes on the sides.

"It's kind of hard to forget that symbol. But I still used the Cardboard Box trophy for reference - you like it? I made it when I was feeling a little lonely."

"I love you," Snake whispered, turning to the younger Mario brother. "I love you so much."

Luigi giggled and hugged him tight. "Love you too, Dave. Come on, let's go inside. You must be hungry. Pasta, garlic bread, granita and red wine fine for you?"

"Sounds absolutely delicious."

"Come in and settle down, Snake. Food will be ready soon. I daresay Nero and Alessia need to have their little reunion too," the younger Mario brother said softly as he held the door open for the mercenary. Snake whistled to Nero, who came running towards his owner immediately; he picked the grey cat up in his arms, and entered the cottage along with Luigi, shutting the door behind him.

Life couldn't get any happier at that moment for the younger Mario brother. Snake was back with him, and they were together in the cottage where they could have the kind of fun they had almost a full year before - and what was more, he was staying for a long time, and wasn't going anywhere. He wouldn't be leaving for a good amount of time. It seemed that Luigi would never experience such happiness in his life again when he'd left the Smash Brothers tournament - but now that the mercenary was back, the best part of his life was just beginning.

Well... unless...

"Oh my God, Luigi! The sheets! They have eyes!"

... but that's yet another story.