Luigi was on the ground, staring at the ceiling as time passed. No one ever mentioned how painfully boring being kidnapped really was. He couldn't tell how long he had been just sitting there, but it felt like days at least. Sometimes he'd run his hands over the stone beneath him, just to pass the time. It wasn't cold like he expected it to be, although that made sense considering where he was.

He had probably missed the rainstorm by then. He tried not to think about it because he wanted to keep his composure, but it was hard not to with all the silence surrounding him. Rain brings water, life, happiness, joy, and he missed it. He missed it all.

It seemed he was always missing the rain. He used to try getting time off from his princely duties to go to the Mushroom Kingdom during one of their rainstorms, but it was selfish to leave his kingdom for something so seemingly small. Besides, something always came up, so he had given up on trying long ago.

There was a leaking from the ceiling. Envy bubbled within him with each drop of gross, soggy water that landed on the stone, sizzling slightly as it did. 

He let out a sigh, then grasped his crown and held it out in front of himself. His golden reflection was slightly distorted due to the curve, but its golden glow couldn't hide the dark bags beneath his puffy red eyes. Never before had he felt so unprincely, yet princely at the same time. After all, being kidnapped was what happened to important princes, right?

Daisy used to tell him that she'd deal with rain and water all the time. Sometimes, she'd talk about having to swim across entire oceans to save Prince Mario. There were times when she'd cross through worlds snowier than Luigi could even begin to imagine. Sometimes Luigi would dream about snow. The very idea of being able to hold solidified water in his hands felt like something out of a fairytale, not real life. For Daisy, Peach, and Prince Mario, the rain was so normal that they hardly noticed it when it came. Was that weird, or was Prince Luigi the weird one? He supposed small things like rain were only appreciated by those who didn't have it.

A goomba was marching back and forth outside of his cell, likely assigned to keep watch. There were various other cells the guard was checking too, though they were all empty.

"What do you love?" Luigi asked, keeping his eyes on the golden reflection.

The goomba guard stopped just outside of Luigi's cell and looked in, raising an eyebrow. There was a little helmet on its head. Aside from that, they looked like a standard goomba.

"I love the rain. What about you? Do you love the rain? Or is there something else?" Luigi clarified. The prince slowly stood up and walked over to the dark metal bars, grasping them with his gloved hands which were starting to become slightly dirty. Never before had they looked so far from white. (Although, they were still fairly clean.)

At first, the presence of a guard had made Luigi feel uneasy, but they were too small to be terrifying.

"Um... no one's... ever really asked me that before," the goomba admitted, shrugging. "I guess... I like flowers. And stars. We don't get many of those around here, though. Not anymore."

"Oh, I love those too," Luigi chimed. "Sarasaland may not have many flowers, but the sky is so clear that I can see other worlds with my telescope. I'd love to go to space someday. Like in a rocket ship! I want to explore the galaxy. Maybe I can find a planet where it rains all the time!"

The goomba guard quietly laughed to themself, their voice almost squeaky.

"That sounds wonderful. We've got so much smoke in the sky that we can't even see the moon or the sun," they stated. "I'm Gary, by the way."

"Gary," Luigi repeated, feeling a small smile form on his face. "Well, I'm Prince Luigi of Sarasaland."

"Oh, I know," Gary nodded. "You're the one that no one really talks about. But don't worry, we all know who you are. Because you're much harder to kidnap. When our king worked with King Boo, the ghost king was complaining about how he wished it was easier to get you since he likes you so much more."

"Yeah... Sarasaland is pretty secure," Luigi breathed.

"You must be a great leader," Gary said.

"Oh, no, no," Luigi quickly stated. "I mean, I do my best, but my leadership skills definitely... need some work. I mean, look at me right now. I've left both Sarasaland and the Mushroom Kingdom on their own. I can't even get outside to see the rain. I'm not strong or brave or smart like leaders should be."

Gary shrugged and cleared their throat, rocking back and forth on their small heels. "Well, none of those traits are awarded to just anyone. They have to be earned through experience, right? If you want to be brave, go on an adventure. If you want to be strong, fight for your kingdom. If you want to be smart, learn from your mistakes. Our king may not be much, but he does know how to make us feel valued, and it's because he's willing to take what he needs. Or, now he is, at least. He spent a while being quiet, but now he's done. Maybe you should be done too."

Prince Luigi felt his grip on the bars loosen slightly as his gaze lowered.

That would be nice... but would it be right? His kingdom and his people didn't deserve to be abandoned at all. Plus, he wasn't cut out for being part of the action.

Gary remained still as well, before letting out a brief sigh and kicking over a small metal rod, allowing it to slide under the cage.

Prince Luigi looked down at it, then brought his gaze back up to Gary. Both his eyebrows furrowed and his head tilted slightly.

"It'll be our secret," Gary whispered as they marched forward, resuming their pacing routine.

Luigi looked down at the metal rod, then kneeled and grasped it in his hands. It was smooth and cold, shining a silver color.

"There's a locker room for goomba guards like me," Gary quietly explained. "In there is a small backpack with some of our emergency supplies. Rope, grappling hooks, matches, mushrooms for healing, stuff like that."

Luigi nodded, then reached through the cage bars and grasped at the large lock. Memories swirled through his mind from when he was a kid, back when he was a pro at this. He continued messing with it until he heard a brief click, and the lock fell to the ground.

His heart started to race as the door slowly swung open. It creaked loudly. Was he actually doing this? Was he actually escaping on his own? Peach or Daisy weren't there to guide him. He couldn't rely on anything or anyone but himself and Gary's instructions.

The prince grasped his umbrella, then quickly gave Gary a brief, grateful smile, which the goomba returned. 

Then he took off, running up a set of stairs and into an empty room. Surely enough, there was a backpack in there, as well as a variety of different helmets and spears for goomba guards. Prince Luigi considered grabbing one of them, but the extra weight would only slow him down. Besides, there was no way he could pass as a goomba guard.

He put his umbrella inside and slung the backpack over his shoulders, then briefly looked at one of the mirrors situated in the room. His eyes softened briefly upon seeing himself. He almost looked like some sort of adventurer. His face was slightly covered in ash and soot from the air and his hair was messy. The backpack made him feel like Captain Toadette, minus the headlamp.

He took a deep breath, then readjusted the straps so the pack would fit better.

"Hey!" a shrill voice suddenly shoulder. Prince Luigi froze in place.

He couldn't remain frozen, though. Fight, flight, or freeze were always the three options. He had always chosen freeze, but freeze would put him back right where he was just a few minutes ago. Freeze was how he had spent his entire life. Freeze was a prince's way out, not an adventurer's. He was the hero now, even if it was himself he was rescuing. He couldn't freeze anymore.

Luigi quickly turned around and shoved his way past the koopa troopa guard that had caught him. He ran up a set of spiral stairs, though he had no idea where he was heading. Gary had only told him so much.

He could feel shouts and footsteps increase behind him as the koopa called for help and backup. Getting caught wasn't an option, though. He was going to keep running until he was cornered. He wasn't going to give himself up.

He quickly ran up the stairs and through a small door that led to the roof. He slammed it shut behind himself and locked it as rain surrounded him, splashing against the rooftop and covering it in a thin layer of water. Steam seemed to rise from it due to the heat in the air, making Prince Luigi feel as if he had walked into a warm cloud.

He briefly paused, his eyes going wide as water dripped off his crown and onto his hair, dampening it.

"Whoa..." he muttered.

He didn't have time to marvel at the beauty, though. As much as he wanted to just stand there and allow the sweet raindrops to soak him, he had to escape. The door was being hit, it probably wouldn't hold for long.

But... despite the air being so warm, the water was cold.

He loved it.

There was a bright strike of energy. Prince Luigi looked up as a large white bolt of electricity struck the ground, miles away. It was followed by a cracking noise, like a whip but cleaner and prettier.

He allowed himself to briefly close his eyes. Water dripped over his eyelids. This water was far lighter than tears. It didn't sting.

He felt a child-like laugh bubble up from deep within him as rain hit the roof, creating a rhythm far sweeter than he could have ever dreamed, occasionally accompanied by thunder. He wanted to just sit, feeling the waterdrops cover the land, him included. He wanted all his worries to be washed away by them.

The door to the roof was thrown open, revealing about six koopas barging through, ruining this peaceful moment. Cutting the prince's time with the rain short.

"There he is!" one of the koopas shouted. They held out their hand, gesturing for him to return to the prison they had waiting for him. "You're cornered, your highness. There's nowhere to run."

Prince Luigi felt chills run up his arms as he opened his eyes. He quickly took off his backpack and grasped it as he turned to face them, nervously stepping back.

What to do now?! He ran himself into a corner. There was nowhere else he could go.

But didn't want to go back inside. Not yet.

Rain dripped down his face as he reached into the backpack and grasped the first thing he could.

"What are you doing?" the koopa asked.

Luigi nervously swallowed, then stepped back so his heels were on the edge of the roof. He briefly looked behind himself. The thick water vapor made it impossible to see the ground.

"Your majesty, please be rational and come back inside," a different koopa urged. They almost looked concerned now.

"I..." Luigi muttered, looking down as he grabbed ahold of his umbrella. 

His shoulds sagged slightly. He had to have been crazy. What would Mario say if he could see him now?

"Don't you do it, there's lava down there," a koopa hissed. "You're a prince! People need you!"

Prince Luigi nodded, then bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. His heart was beating so fast that he thought it would explode.

"...I know," he whispered.

He suddenly jumped.

He fell faster and faster, grasping the umbrella as tightly as he could. There was a deep orange glow that seemed to come from the mist below him. Perhaps this was it.

He came closer and closer to the orange, fumbling with the umbrella until he finally got it open, and his falling slowed. He swung around the castle, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth to keep in a scream until tumbled to the ground, inches from a pool of lava. Still unable to catch his breath, Luigi closed the umbrella and quickly stumbled to gain his balance. He checked to see if his crown was still there, then took off running. He didn't know where he was going other than away. His heart raced with fear and excitement. He had never done anything so brave and reckless before. He very well could have died, but he didn't.

He was still alive, and it was raining.

The rain fell faster and faster as he continued to run, almost making it hard to see. He put distance between himself and the castle, leaving the orange glow behind as the mist provided him cover. He felt so alive, so free, so–

"Prince L," a calm, smooth voice whispered, seeming to come from everywhere.

Luigi slowed his pace slightly as the shadow of a figure in the mist formed in front of him.

The prince stilled as the unknown figure slowly made their way to the fog, bowing slightly as they did so. Rain dripped down their porcelain mask and soaked their purple and yellow cap. 

The prince tilted his head to the side slightly. The figure looked like a traditional court jester, though court jesters were hardly used anymore.

The jester straightened his back, then held a hand out to Prince Luigi, grinning a wide, chilling grin.

"We've been waiting for you."