Salutations! Wow, my first crack into the Super Mario fanfic world. *Waves nervously*
This one is for all the Luigi fans out there. I love me some Mr. Lean and Green though all my favorite characters get their glory day in this one.
Inspired by Super Smash Bros, of course, one of the greatest games ever!
R&R if you like what you read. ;-)
Anyway, less yammer, more grammar...

Understudied Understudies

"Luigi, LUIGI! Come quick!" Absolute silence. Mario popped his head up over the side of the couch, scanning the darkened room for any sign of his sleepy brother.
He knew he'd be asleep by now, but there was no way he was going to let this moment slide after his long hours of search engines and character game play.

The new N 64 game Super Smash Bros had proven to be another let down for Luigi. Figuring he'd been left out of another game after the low blow he received from Mario 64 he'd retired to bed early, tired of playing a game as a fluffy pink mouth or a fox wearing pants. He wanted to play as himself, dammit.

"You look awesome, Mario" the little brother commented with a tired, weak smile and it nearly broke Mario's heart to watch him retreat to bed early, still managing to be proud of his older brother's success and newest starring entry into the 3D gaming system. Mario hated it. Why couldn't Luigi just be furiously envious of his success, or hate him- anything but admire him, and give him endless support to his continuous worship? It would hurt a lot less than to have to see him left in the dust again, as usual, regardless of the fact that he was so awesomely skilled.

Whenever Mario himself was outsmarted, not Peach, not DK, not anyone but Luigi even tried to come to his rescue. Not successfully, anyway. It was always Luigi who came to save his arse when all hope was gone, and not once did he try to reap the benefits of being in the spotlight for once. Of course, Nintendo would take his ridiculous amount of adventures and twist them into one single solitary game- it wasn't only the one time that Mario had been kidnapped by the likes of Bowser. (Do you really think Bowser would have given up after ONE time?) He wasn't perfect, and when he proved not to be, it was Luigi who proved to be closer to it. The one game was shameful compared to the truth- and lets face it, it was educational on top of it. Race around and find stolen or missing objects? Isn't that what pool janitors did after a party at the public pool? If that's all Luigi ever had to do, Mario would have been an idiot for having been captured in the first place! Neither of them had even bothered to finish playing Mario is Missing- they never stayed awake long enough whenever they put it on.

Mario had kindly asked that Luigi be included in this game. He should have known nobody would comply. Luigi had a big fan base, regardless of who wanted to admit it or not. But they didn't want to 'risk' taking a chance on him. Mario spent months trying to find Luigi in Mario 64. There were so many rumors that he was, of course none of them would be true. Regardless, he'd still fallen for the same old rumors all over again, hearing that Luigi was an unlock-able character in this newest addition. After many struggles through game play (he never wanted to play break the target EVER again) all this hard work had payed off. Here was Luigi, looking awesomely cool in 3D, and all he had to do was beat him to have him as a playable character. He was so happy, he nearly wet his plumber pj's. But where was Luigi? He was screaming out to him! Man, could he sleep like a Tanooki statue. He couldn't take the suspense. PAUSE. He raced into the green hued room, where his lump of a brother lay snoozing. He whipped the lump with a now de-gloved hand.

"GET UP and come out here, I said! I have something important to show you!"

"Unnngh... if you want me to watch spaghetti noodles go from hard to soft & wiggly in the pot again, Mario, I swear to God..."

"PLEASE, this time it's big!"

"Alright. ALRIGHT! I'm up..." Groggily, Mario's baby brother followed him out into the living room where the N64 was set up and on pause. On screen, he saw Mario- he must have discovered a new, awesome move... but wait. Was that another Mario in an alternate suit? No, he never got a green color scheme... they never designed him that skinny- green fireballs? And was that an L on his hat? Luigi rubbed his eyes hard and looked at his brother, who was grinning like an idiot. Still a little incoherent from sleep, Luigi stammered:

"Mario... what did you do?!"

"No, what did your FANS do- they found out how to unlock you as a playable character!"

"What?! That-that's me- in 3D?- wait, but- how did they DO that?!"

"Not easily. You had to beat the game with five lives to unlock captain falcon or jigglypuff- and beat break the target with all 6 players plus one of the unlocked players to get you."

"They did all that work for me?" Luigi blushed, settling down on the couch and watching the screen with a glint of excitement.

"Well I TOLD you that, dufus. People love you squeegee!" Mario pealed the childhood nickname giddily, & Luigi's blush grew all the more crimson.

"Yeah, well- come on, play! I wanna see what I can do." He laughed anxiously, and Mario proceeded to battle his 3D brother on screen.

"You're kicking my ass!" He barked as he was AGAIN uppercut into the sky.

"Um, why don't you drill kick me on your way down?"

As the battle winded down and 3D Luigi was damaged adequately, Mario sent him flying off the ledge and the game was set. Both brothers cheered triumphantly, and Mario was feeling quite smug. It had been too long since the last time he was able to cheer his brother up like this and THAT was years ago when he found out he'd be starring in his own game. Too bad that turned out to be a true dud...

"Lets see what they say about you." Mario chuckled excitedly, knowing that each character had a cool line saying something about them when you succeeded in unlocking them. Sure enough, some words popped up. But they turned horribly against his good deed for his brother. From the TV screen, the game's text bellowed the words "the ETERNAL UNDERSTUDY" like an ugly black rat in a pizza shop. He felt a sickening feeling in his gut as he turned to Luigi, the faster reader of the two, who was sinking back against the plush couch pillows. The embarrassment and hurt etched all over his face said enough. It wasn't fair. Mario made so much money for this stupid company. Why did they always do such terrible things to his own flesh and blood? He felt his head grow hot with anger.

"Those pathetic, mean sons of-"

"Bro, don't." Luigi sighed, pale with eyes downcast. "It makes no difference anyway."

Mario was furious. He was disgruntled and he didn't want to hear another dismissal.

"No! No, Luigi- this is so stupid! I'm so sick and tired of this happening all the time!"

"Mario...please." Luigi mumbled, eyes still fixated on the floor. "It doesn't matter if you are or not. It is what it is." Luigi said curtly, and he stood with abrupt force, heading back towards his bedroom.

"Luigi, please, you don't- NOBODY actually thinks-" but the door slammed, and a deep, ringing silence filled the house. What had been an effort of extreme joy and success had now dwindled into disappointment for his younger brother... yet again. God, and it had been so long since he had seen him that pleased. No, Mario was beyond furious. He wanted to break something and wondered if there were any rude, obnoxious turtles to whomp. They always had something out of line to yell at people... it's not like they wouldn't be ASKING for it-

And then he thought of his poor baby brother, curled up miserably in his emerald green sheets, perhaps weeping. Always standing in the shadow of his older brother's supposed greatness. From birth, the green guy who followed Mario around. He never once tried to get in the way of Mario's never declining success. As children, Luigi stood in the background and let people admire and take awe over him and his amazing jumping skills, cheering him on even. When the antics went awry and he ended up with battered knees or loose teeth, it was Luigi racing to the forefront to bandage up and soothe the whimpering show off.

It got Mario pondering, as he wandered into the kitchen, searching for a late night snack. He found it in some cupcakes that Peach had brought over earlier that day. Sitting down at the table, trying to make each cupcake last as long as possible, Mario put things into perspective. Who really was the bigger brother, anyway? What other person could handle being dealt the b-sides and backgrounds all the time the way Luigi did? Mario knew he wouldn't ever have been able to... because he really wasn't as strong in that way as Luigi was. Where confidence and hyperactivity swelled within himself, calm, collected intelligence and thoughtful will power occupied Luigi.

Again his thoughts drifted back to his brother, alone in his room yet again, made to feel like he was inferior. No, foul mouthed turtles didn't need him right now. It was a rare moment in time for Mario to try to give back to Luigi when he was sure he wouldn't be told that everything was 'fine'. Things were always fine with Luigi, until he was caught in his bluff, wiping red eyes and stammering in his bedroom. Mario felt a twist of sorrow in his chest. His poor baby brother. He was dying to go in and cheer him up somehow, but he knew his timing was essential. Going in too early could be risky. Luigi was in angry mode now. It would take at least... 4 slowly eaten cupcakes. VERY slowly eaten cupcakes for Luigi to pass into sulking. Impatiently, Mario ate two and wolfed the last two down, as if it would make time go faster.

"Oh, forget timing." Mario muttered to himself. "I can handle Luigi. Not like I've never dodged green fireballs before..." Trying to be as quiet as he could possibly manage, Mario crept along the hall towards Luigi's room once more. So, so quiet in there. It was always too quiet near that room. It was like Luigi felt that being unnoticeable was his duty.

"Luigi? Can I come in?"

Silence.

"Luigi, please don't do this."

A slight creak, then a quick return to silence.

"Oooh I HATE the silent treatment! Please don't ignore me, come on..." He heard only the slight rustle of the bed sheets as he turned over, the only symbol of existence within the walls of the room. No answer.

"Fine, then you asked for it. I'm coming in there! You better not throw anything..." Mario joked- he still refused to let go of the fact that Luigi's first childhood pass time was flinging things in Mario's general direction. Though it quite often smarted, the few times Mario did hit it brought the curious baby immense joy. It took the family about a month to realize it was the wordless baby's desperate means to attract Mario's attention, and get him to come over. Being a child himself, Mario hadn't been too impressed at the time. He was amusing himself so much on reminiscence that he failed to realize that he'd just walked into a pitch black room. Hitting his leg against the bed post, Mario yelped. Coming back into the here and now, a jolt of fear at the blackness overtook him and he scrambled onto the bed and under the sheets.

"Freezing in here, huh?" He offered pathetically, to the still lump of life that he called a grumpy brother. "Luigi? Stop it." His heart was starting to pound now. Where was that night table lamp?! "Luigi, are you trying to make a point? You're making it to the wrong person because I don't believe you're invaluable or invisible at all and in fact if you don't start TALKING TO ME I'm going to assume that this thing breathing beside me isn't even YOU but a-" CLICK! Finally, that lamp! "Oh, thank God! But anyway...UM!"

"Shhhh!" Yoshi hissed, buried snugly into Luigi's sheets. Mario was so uncomfortable, he nearly turned as red as his pajamas.

"So, uhm- do you, uh... I guess you stay in Luigi's bed often? Or..."

"NO!" Yoshi hollered, throwing himself out of the bed. "I couldn't sleep. I hopped in to borrow the flute and I saw that Luigi wasn't around... so I assumed you weren't around. And I waited...and...I actually got sleepy. And I was scared that if I ran home I wouldn't be sleepy anymore, so I just... this sounds like a big excuse, doesn't it."

"What's that you're stepping on?" Mario demanded, looking at the dinosaur's feet. A crumpled sheet of paper was being mangled. He grabbed it out from under Yoshi's feet. He saw the scrawled handwriting of his younger brother and felt very uneasy.
"Let me see too!" Yoshi barked, grabbing for them.
"Wait!" Mario muttered, leaning away from the dinosaur. He felt as though this was personal, and he had to read it first.

Mario, please don't get angry.

This was not a good start.

I figured that if anyone could understand this, it would be you. I'm so sorry, but it just hurts too much to be nothing but the shadow of another person anymore. I don't even know who I am, let alone anybody else. I need to be on my own for a while... I'm sorry, but if things work out this way, I may not come back. And if that's the case, I love you very much, be careful and know that this isn't your fault. Please don't be too hard on yourself... don't forget to pick fresh fruit for Yoshi, and just keep the washer on cold cycle. DO NOT USE THE FRYER. Call Peach if you get in trouble.

Take Care,

Luigi

Mario read it over four times before his eyes finally sank from the page to the floorboards.
His mind was flickering with an intense mesh of confusion and Why why why why WHY? They were a pair, they were a force- a tag team, a DOUBLE ACT! Who would he go to NOW when he got scared of the dark?! NOBODY knew about that and he was too ashamed to tell anyone else! Surely Luigi had forgotten... and he was out there now, angry, upset, and certain that the world was laughing at him. The irony was overwhelming. Mario was the one person who truly appreciated Luigi and he was the first to get left in the dust.

He couldn't comprehend it. Gone? Waking up in the morning and NOT having to go wake his baby brother? Walking and not having Luigi there with him to talk to? He swallowed harshly. Not having Luigi around ever again?

Not ever again.

The thought was like a doom filled, ringing tower bell toll, or a slow, droning siren.
And the most excruciating, painful hurt began to drag him down into realization, swallowing him whole.

Not ever again.

Luigi kept looking around himself, behind and ahead, for a person who wasn't there. He couldn't hear jumping, or laughing, or anything Mario anywhere. It was like not being able to find your own shadow, or having no reflection in the mirror. He hated to, but he had to admit it. Him and Mario really were inseparable.

Maybe Mario and Peach might actually have sensible dates if he stopped including Luigi in all of them- as awkward and embarrassing as that was. It had always been him and Mario. Luigi, inventing stories to help Mario get to sleep in the bunk above him when he used to get scared to go to bed. Mario, taking out the koopa bullies in the school yard who teased Luigi for his ONE enormous curl. Luigi, calling the ambulance whenever Mario wasn't so smooth practicing jumps at the playground...

It was definitely his guilt. Mario wouldn't have a clue what to do without him. The only time Mario ever seemed to be without Luigi was when he was in bed, or in the bathroom. And due to some unfortunate events, even that wasn't the case sometimes. If Luigi went anywhere for too long, Mario got uneasy. How many times did Luigi take extra long bubble baths only to have the door randomly beaten in with Mario thinking he'd drowned in the tub? ("You knocking and me responding also confirms my ability to breathe, you know.") Mario was so quick to panic for his little brother's safety. Sort of the way Luigi was feeling now. Poor Mario. Who knows how he'd react when he found Luigi missing...

—

"Mario, don't cry, I'm sure he'll come home!" Yoshi comforted, but honestly didn't know what to think. He knew as well as Mario did that if Luigi was gone and Mario wasn't gone as well, something was terribly wrong. "Maybe he got hungry for-"

"It's in the fridge! I always make too much, you KNOW there's always too much to eat here and there's-"

"OK! Ok, so no snack... what did he say in the letter?" Yoshi craned his neck to see."Is it really that bad?" He looked with blatant surprise at the sniveling wreck.

"He said he was going to go out and try to be alone, by himself, without me. And if he liked it, he might STAY alone! Why would he do that to me?"

"Um... I'm not sure if he was really doing anything TO you, Mario. I mean... don't you think it would be kind of, um- with you being so, so super famous, and him being...not so famous... hard to- I don't know, be alive?" Mario stopped crying for a moment, looking up at the green dinosaur in horror.

"Are you... you're suggesting that Luigi... that this is a suicide note?!" He sobbed, curling into a living pile of tears.

"Oh gracious- no, no, that's not what I- Mario, Luigi isn't going to kill himself. He just wants to try being by himself a while, I guess. Uh, here..." Yoshi scrambled for a tissue, handing it to Mario, who had now decently composed himself. "I'm sure he's just upset. He'll come back! He's never done ANYTHING without you. I'm surprised he even managed to do this in the first place without running it by you first." Yoshi chuckled, but his humor quickly died with a glare from the plumber. Yoshi was in disbelief. Was this for real? Had he ever seen ANYONE- let alone Mario, fighter of all things bad, guts of steel and will of iron- react to anything this way?

"I've got to go find him. Yoshi, will you help me?" Mario stood, turning to the green dinosaur urgently. Yoshi hesitated, and Mario raised his brows in disbelief.
"You aren't going to help me?! Yoshi, Luigi is out there somewhere, ALONE, who KNOWS what could happen to him-"

"Uh, Mario... Luigi is kind of grown up. And... he's also a Mario brother. I think he can take care of himself." He said tentatively, scared of Mario's reaction. The plumber stood staring at Yoshi for a moment, then deflated with a sigh.

"You're right, you know. I'm just so used to looking after him, he's still my baby brother in my eyes, you know?" He sat next to Yoshi again, dismal. "I guess the only thing I can really do is wait, huh." Mario sighed, chin in his hands. Yoshi patted his back, feeling very sorry for him.

"Well, the main thing is... try not to have a panic attack like you did a few moments ago, ok? I'm sure he'll come back! I bet he's in just as much of a mess as you are..."

'Should've packed some food... should've thought this out better!' Luigi thought to himself, his stomach snarling. 'Well, not very many options. Leave with nothing without Mario knowing, leave with something with Mario knowing...'

"Wouldn't have gotten anywhere that way." He muttered aloud, hiking his back pack further up his shoulders. He managed to pack a couple of snacks, some mushrooms, a fire flower, some clothes and a few books. Other than that, he may as well have nothing. Suddenly, he became very alert. He heard a stomping sound, frantic, growing like some outlandish weed. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he listened hard. It was definitely coming his way. He could've sworn he heard someone or something running at him. Tensing every muscle in his body, he prepared himself for the impact that was sure to come. It was too close for him to move now and all he could do was wait for it and hope for the best...

*Wipes brow* Whew! Well, that's my first chapter to this story.
Did you love it? Did you hate it?!
Did the cupcakes make you hungry? Because it worked on me.
Go easy on little 'ol me, ahm just a newbie after awl!
I put this out there to see if there was any love for me in the Mario fandom world.
Please R&R, this is my very first try at Mario fics & I'd love to know if this strikes anyone's interest- I have plenty more saved here where this came from ;)

-Mishy