Victim 6: A Spoonful of Poison
Suspects: Luigi, Waluigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Birdo
Victims: 1 Toad, Bowser, Daisy, Rosalina, Mario, Wario
Killer:
That was not as hard as I suspected it would be.
Both heavy hitters are out of the question now.
There is no one left to defend the rest.
And the way that Wario was killed... My, that made it easy to cover.
You took a huge risk, Luigi. A very large risk.
I have to be careful now. There are very few suspects left behind. And they are much smarter than my past victims. I need to focus on covering my tracks more than anything now.
And I need to be more discreet.
Much more discreet.
They aren't using their time responsibly... This works in my advantage.
However, I think the purple one knows who I am.
He needs to be taken care of next, especially if he and Wario had conversed when we weren't together.
And I already have a plan.
This is going to be filled with nostalgia.
And now I have an opportunity to truly test my boundaries.
Five down, four to die.
Eight, seven, six...
How quickly time ticks...
Birdo:
When she had heard the screams, Birdo had used them as a beacon to find her way around the area. The lights had come on but two minutes ago.
Secretly, Birdo was pleased. It isn't easy to orient oneself if one has a boyfriend who sticks to you tighter than glue. Birdo didn't care though. It was good to know that she had someone who cared for her that much, even if Yoshi could be a little cowardly at times.
The oak paneling of the courthouse door greeted her.
"Another murder? In here again?" She whispered half to herself, half to Yoshi.
"Yoshi..." The dino whispered, terrified.
"I know sweetie, but we can't let them by themselves. We need to know who to suspect." Birdo murmured, gently planting a kiss on Yoshi's cheek.
"Let's check it out." Birdo said, pulling away and reaching for the handle.She opened it.
And caught Peach right in the middle of a scream once again.
"What in the..." Birdo said, blinking in shock.
It wasn't the sight of blood splattered all over the floor that surprised Birdo, but the figure who was drenched in it.
"Darlio?" Birdo asked, stepping into the courthouse. Her voice resonated off the high walls and the figure in the blood froze.
Peach's eyes flicked to Birdo and she barely shook her head. Saying 'no' without uttering a word.
Birdo scoped out the area for a while longer. Birdo's eyes set upon a crumpled form leaning against the judge's stand.
Waluigi?
Birdo stepped in, but stopped short as she heard shallow panting coming from the red figure.
It stood, pressing its hands against its head, its wild sepia hair being held between fingers in the appearance of a madman.
The figure turned to Birdo, its eyes filled with a crazed gleam.
Not Mario.
"Cutieigi?" Birdo whispered, staggering backwards.
Mario's little brother stood over one body, but by the way he was standing, the victim's identity was unable to be recognized.
Luigi's green shirt was now dyed a green brown, teasing the concept of being red. Teasing the idea of the little brother being the elder. There was a streak of red running horizontally across
Luigi's cheekbone and his once perfect white gloves were now a strikingly and pristinely dark crimson.
"Birdo..." Luigi whispered, lowering his hands.
Peach rushed forward, towards Birdo, doing anything to get away from the bloodstained brother.
"Peach..." Luigi yelped, extending a hand and taking a step forward, "Wait!"
"No!" Peach shouted, her face turning red. Birdo jumped at the volume of Peach's voice.
"No! You killed Wario! You had no right!"
"But princess... I... Mario..."
"Enough! It's enough that we have one killer running around, we don't need to complicate things more!"
There was a groan and Birdo spotted Waluigi stumbling towards the collected group, rubbing the back of his head.
"Unless he's the murderer, Peach."
Birdo's head spun. Luigi had killed Wario? While she had known that the two rivaling brothers had never gotten along, she had never expected Luigi, of all of them, to be the one to kill.
Then what happened to Mario?
Luigi answered her question before she had the chance to ask.
"Wario killed Mario! You know that!" Luigi was choking up, "I_ I'm sorry! I just... I was so angry and Mario dead and..." Luigi was beginning to pace towards them. Birdo stepped forward.
"We don't know squat! I'm starting to agree with Candy Peach, Cutieigi. You could be the most viable suspect now! Especially since we have two witnesses who have seen you kill firsthand!"
"But what if it was self defense if Wario was the killer? This night could be over already! Maybe we're done! I saw Wario with the knife! So did Peach!"
Luigi gestured frantically towards the princess, who was still pink with rage.
"No. I won't have it! I say that we just split up. End of the story. If the killer is indeed still alive, it will be harder for it to find us if we are apart. I am not taking any more risks. Good night."
With that, Peach left the room, brushing past Birdo. Before leaving, though, she turned to face the bloodstained brother.
"And Luigi," Peach said, her voice lifting.
Luigi lifted his head, eyes twinkling with hope.
"Put what we had aside. Your innocence is not complete." Peach lifted a flower out of her hair and threw it at Luigi. The blossom landed in the puddled scarlet with hardly a sound, ripples extending from the disturbance in every direction. Little by little, the once pure petals became flecked with the new liquid source.
Without another word from either party, Peach closed the door, the latch clicking with finality.
It was silent for countless moments, the only sound was that of Peach's shoes gently clicking into inaudibility.
Finally, there was movement from the heartbroken lover.
Luigi carefully bent over, gingerly lifting the flower from the hues gently lapping his feet. He held the flower for a moment, observing it on all sides before pressing it against his chest. As if Peach could still somehow be connected to the sentimentality.
It was at this moment that Yoshi nuzzled Birdo. Birdo looked between the distraught brother and her love. Now she realized just how fortunate she was that someone loved her this much. Whatever Birdo wanted, Birdo got. There was no resisting. And yet, looking upon Luigi, who was barely swaying on his feet, she realized that she was the lucky minority.
She had never known heartbreak.
Birdo shook her head, clearing her thoughts. A killer could still be out there. They were not out of the woods just yet. And she could not have vague thoughts like this clouding her good judgement.
There was a slight breeze next to Birdo as Waluigi briskly stepped past her.
Luigi still stared at the ground, at his crimson brown boots. He didn't look up as Waluigi came toe to toe with him.
"You had no proof that my brother was a killer." Waluigi hissed. "But now I have proof that you are."
Luigi made no response, only fiddling with the blossom in his hands.
It was silent for a few more moments. Obviously Waluigi had expected a response from the green brother. Upon receiving none, Waluigi curled his lip in a snarl.
"Coward. As you always are. No wonder Mario died first. It seems the yellow belly runs in the family."
Luigi flinched at the verbal assault, but made no action to defy what Waluigi said.
After a few more moments, Waluigi began to back off. Luigi straightened and let out a sigh.
"I tried. And whatever I try, fails, doesn't it?"
Suddenly, Waluigi swerved around, lashing a hand out as he did so.
Waluigi caught Luigi right in the face, knocking him into the shallow pool of blood.
Luigi hit the tile, the crimson of the two bodies barely splashing Luigi as his momentum finished. For the longest time, there was only the shallow breathing of the man in stained green and the angry intakes of Waluigi standing over him.
"Yes." Waluigi snarled, "Yes it does. And you can stay out of my life for good. I want nothing to do with you."
With that, Waluigi spat on the prone form of Luigi and turned away, brushing past Birdo and leaving by the same way that Peach had.
"Yoshi..." Yoshi began, but Birdo silenced him. It would do no good to speak in such a situation.
Luigi seemed to hear, though, and he slowly drug himself into a sitting position.
"Why are you still here? Everyone else left me... Why do you stay behind?" Luigi voice was raw, as if he was still trying to get through all of the emotions in such a close burst.
Birdo didn't respond, only watching as the green brother slowly stood, red droplets flaking from his gloves. He winced as he stood, pressing a hand to his face.
"Are you alright?" Birdo asked as she watched.
Luigi stood for a moment, barely breathing, before removing his hand from his face with a hiss.
Nothing obvious greeted Birdo, but she noticed a small blemish beginning to spread just over Luigi's brow and eye.
"Waluigi packs a punch..." Luigi trailed off, replacing the hand.
Birdo looked between Luigi and the corpses at his feet. Was it really smart to be hanging out with a man who had obviously killed?
"You can leave if you like... Everyone else has." Luigi murmured, turning to the bodies.
"Yoshi, Yoshi." The green dino whimpered.
Birdo turned to the frightened Yoshi and trailed her fingers over his crests once again.
Birdo looked to Luigi once more, but he was unresponsive. His left side was now much darker than his right, no doubt from taking the sudden spill into the mingled remains of the two former enemies at Luigi's feet.
Birdo stepped back towards the door, opening it as quietly as she could muster.
She and Yoshi stepped through and Birdo began to close the door.
Just as she was about to latch it shut, she heard a faint murmur emit from the courtroom.
But it wasn't speaking.
There were thick tones, as dark as the night sky. Yet, there were whispers as delicate as a moth's wing.
Birdo opened the door but a crack to see what lie within.
Luigi was kneeling over his brother, and the gentle pulses of music became louder.
They were shaky, but full. Whispers at times, yet supported.
Birdo could hear the words.
Fa la ninna, fa la nanna
Nella braccia della mamma
Fa la ninna bel bambin,
Fa la nanna bambin bel,
Fa la ninna, fa la nanna
Nella braccia della mamma...
(Go to sleep, go to sleep
In the arms of your mother,
Go to sleep, lovely child,
Go to sleepy, child so lovely,
Go to sleep, go to sleepy
In the arms of your mother...)
Birdo listened for a while longer, entranced.
She must have made a noise, for within, Luigi stiffened and turned to face her.
The bruise over his eyebone was set now, and the smeared crimson across his cheeks only accentuated it more. Yet, those bold blue eyes shone through the macabre appearance, still as vibrant with energy and latent sadness as before.
For a few moments, the broken lover and the loved stared at the other. Finally, Luigi stood, turning away once again, and paced towards the door on the opposite side, picking up his forest green hat as he went along.
Without another hesitation, Birdo closed the door, sealing it with a click and turning away, Yoshi gently trilling as they walked down the faintly lighted corridor.
Outside, the moon gently glowed, painting the world outside a silent silver.
It settled upon the garden and an area filled with pink and purple striped flowers.
A deep scar lie in the dirt.
And many of the flowers were gone.
Peach:
How dare Luigi pretend to love her?
How dare he play theatre with her heart?
Peach stopped in the middle of the corridor, breathing heavily. Tears pricked the sides of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
She brought her hand up to wipe the tears away. As she inhaled, she could smell the faint, clean scent of how he had been in the garden on her silk hand. The slight tang of dusk breeze and nightshade.
Luigi...
Suddenly disgusted, Peach ripped off her glove and thrust it against the stained glass window.
The window depicted an image of Justice, blindfolded, weighing iniquities upon her balance. Just as what would be expected when this nightmare was over.
Steadying her breathing, Peach continued on her way down the hallway, tucking her gloveless hand under her other arm to keep it warm.
Peach came to yet another oak paneled door.
After feeling the chill from the open hallway, Peach opened the door and stepped into the pitch black room.
She reached to the right until her fingers brushed against a switch.
She flicked it.
The lights stuttered once, as if they couldn't decide to follow the instructed current or to lay in darkness permanently.
Fortunately for the viewer, the lights finally settled upon a faint glow which barely illuminated the room before the princess.
Peach was in a smaller room. Quite possibly a holding room for those on trial. She herself had never been in such a room. Granted, Toadsworth would never have let her anyways, but she had never seen the conditions that those on trial faced beforehand.
Surprisingly, it was rather tidy, if a little ragged looking.
The room itself was compact, with four older looking lanterns hanging on each of the four corners of the room. The room itself was roughly wallpapered with a strangely delicate floral design. However, upon further inspection, bits of wallpaper were barely stripped away, revealing unforgiving iron underneath.
There was a singular chair in the far corner of the room. It was actually more of a stool, for it had no backrest. It too, was made of iron, and it was bolted to the floor.
However, Peach wasn't picky. She tread softly over the floor, which was also made of the same white tile as the courtroom and came to the seat.
Peach sat upon the chair. It was the first time that she had actually had a moment to sit and reflect on the night, which was now creeping away.
She too, had seen Mario, though she hadn't dared to touch him.
The killer had broken the final support.
Her trust in Luigi was shattered.
Rosalina was gone.
Everyone was out for blood. In one way or another.
Peach ran a mental list of those who had been killed. As she did so, she also recalled in what order they had been taken out and quite possibly how they had been. Perhaps, she thought, there was a pattern?
Peach began to whisper out loud.
"Bowser was shot. Though the neck, mind you. The killer has deadly aim..."
Her voice echoed off the small walls, but was strangely dampened by the wallpaper as well.
"Daisy was next. It looked as if she was crushed. The killer is strong?"
Peach shook her head. The marks had been nauseating, and she hadn't cared to look.
"Rosa was killed after. We heard her scream, and when the lights came on, she was pinned to the stand, dissected."
Her friend's eyes flashed in Peach's sight for a moment and she had to close her eyes to prevent herself from becoming sick.
"Then the lights went out again. I left. I found... I found Luigi," Peach spat 'Luigi', "and we went back in to find Mario, who looked as if he had committed suicide."
Her heart sank as she thought of Mario. His laughter, his iron will, his boldness. Mario had never been afraid. She remembered all the times she had spent with him. When she had used him as a protector. When she was afraid, Mario had always been there. He had been the life of the party.
Apparently, he was killed in this fashion to be the life of the killer's murder ball as well.
Peach forced herself to go on.
"Wario was strangled by Luigi. Luigi had no right. It was like Luigi had gone rabid. We couldn't pull him away... There is no doubt there will be a trial to try Luigi of murder or manslaughter in the morning. That is... if we survive 'til morning at all..."
Peach brought her hand to the brooch at her throat. If they were to survive until morning indeed. There were only... five of them now? True, it would be harder for the killer to find them if they were split up, but it also meant that it had all night to find them all. It could barely be quarter after ten. The killer had at least eight hours to find them all.
Peach stood again, wandering around the small room. It was certainly tucked away. Quite possibly a hard area to come across unless you actually looked for it.
Tracing a hand over the floral designs on the wall, Peach heard a sudden change in pitch. She knocked upon the wall once.
The paper crumbled underneath her fingers.
"What is this?" Peach murmured, opening the wall wider.
There was a tiny crawl place just behind the paper. It was surrounded with iron, and it appeared as if it had been part of the original construction of the room.
Gently, Peach created a hole just large enough to crawl through.
Surprisingly, the inside of the passage was not dirty at all. As if something preserved it long ago.
It was much smaller than the room behind her. And much darker. It was only a few meters deep, and Peach turned around to face the light of the room again, pressing her back to the wall of the small tunnel.
She brought her knees to her chest and held them there.
The room wasn't cold, but it wasn't pleasant either, and Peach felt a small chill as she sat there in silence, only hearing the hum of a generator somewhere around her.
This night had been difficult. She needed to hide somewhere. Would this be safe for now? At least until the sky got brighter?
Peach's head dropped for a moment and she snapped to attention just as her head hit her knees. The adrenaline was wearing away, leaving Peach tired and weary. Perhaps she would be safe here for a while. Just long enough for her to regain sanity on the matters again.
Peach put her head upon her knees again, letting her eyes close. She sighed as she remembered warm and carefree days at her castle. Days that seemed eons away now. Days of laughter, jokes, humor...
And Mario.
Her Mario.
Peach opened her eyes.
Her Mario was gone.
She would have to move on now, wouldn't she?
Even the one whom she had cared about just as much as Mario was lost to her.
She held no more emotions for Luigi.
Her love for him was gone.
She traced her gloved hand over the gloveless one. Her nails were long and thin. And lacquered with a scarlet-pink hue.
Her old life was gone.
Still tracing her fingers, Peach closed her eyes again, letting the memories envelop her.
...
The sound of the door opening woke Peach.
For priceless moments, Peach wondered why it was so dark and why her fingers were cold.
Then reality struck like a hammer and Peach was immediately awake.
Her eyes flicked around the area, taking in the barely flickering light of the other room.
Peach wondered who could be out there.
Unless her mind was playing a trick on her.
How long had she been asleep?
The lights flickered through the created gap in the wall and shadows crept against the wall. Peach could make out a lanky form, and she could hear the soft breathing of another in the room.
For a second, Peach thought that perhaps Luigi had followed after her, but she pushed it aside. It didn't matter who was here with her, it only mattered that they didn't find her.
Then Peach heard the figure speak.
"He deserved it. He totally deserved what I gave him. He killed my brother. With an unjust cause!"
Peach barely leaned forward, quietly crawling towards the light. She wanted to see who was speaking. Without them seeing her, of course.
Her fingers brushed the bit of wallpaper covering her hiding place. Carefully, without crumpling the floral, Peach moved the loose paper to the side.
Waluigi was pacing the room within.
For a moment, Peach considered calling out to him, but bit her tongue just as she was about to speak. Perhaps watching one of the remaining suspects was better than confronting them.
Waluigi didn't seem to notice her, seeming to focus on an invisible persona standing in front of him.
"He didn't do anything wrong! He was with me the whole time! You had no right!"
Waluigi lashed a hand before him, as if to knock the persona away.
Peach recognized the imagined figure must have been Luigi.
Waluigi turned away, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room. He looked at the ceiling.
"You had no right..."
Peach shifted, causing a bit of the wallpaper to tremble as she did. Waluigi's gaze immediately set upon the trembling paper.
"Who's there?" He whispered, walking towards her hiding spot.
For a moment, Peach thought about making a run for it. That thought was immediately rejected as she remembered Waluigi's strikingly long legs. He could catch her in an instant if he wished.
Waluigi was now crouched by the wallpaper.
"What are you doing in there, Princess?"
"Uh..." Peach balked, silently cursing herself for making such a rash movement.
"I get it, I get it..." Waluigi said, waving his hands, "You're hiding. I came here to hide too. Didn't think there was anything in here, though. You've got clever eyes to find something like that in a room."
"Thank you...?" Peach whispered, half to herself.
"Well... Do you... Are you gonna come out? I won't bite..."
Peach blinked a few times. Waluigi raised his eyebrow.
"I just want to talk to someone..." He said, extending a hand to the hiding princess.
Against Peach's interior judgement, she daintily reached for the pure hand.
Gently, Waluigi helped her out of the niche. Peach carefully stood, brushing her gown as she did.Waluigi crouched down to the hole, peering in.
"Wow. Didn't expect that. It's actually kind of deep, isn't it?"
Peach nodded.
"And it certainly served my purpose, right?"
Waluigi stood and paced around the room again, taking in the entirety of it.
"Not much here, is there?"
"No, there doesn't seem to be. I suppose that's what makes it a good hiding spot."
Peach shrugged. Another thought struck her. If Waluigi had just come in, perhaps he must know what time it was.
"Waluigi?" Peach asked, stepping towards him. Waluigi ceased his pacing to look at the approaching princess.
"Do you know what time it is? When I came in, I perceived it to be early midnight. Am I correct?"
Waluigi smiled at the princess.
"Well. And I thought Rip van Winkle was a children's story. No, you've been in here for about..." Waluigi tipped his head, appearing to be thinking intently, "four or five hours then. In fact, moonset is just about to begin."
Peach was taken aback. She had been in that small corridor for five hours?
"Moonset?" She asked.
"Yep. Moonset. Lovely sky too, isn't it?"
Peach didn't respond. Five hours... What could have happened during that time?
"Waluigi?" She whispered, "Has anything... happened?" She made a gesture of her hand slicing her throat.
To her surprise, Waluigi shook his head.
"No. Not that I've seen."
Peach thought it was somewhat strange that the killer had been so inactive. Why would it let its prey run so wild?
Then she remembered.
"I have locked the courthouse door and have hidden the key..."
They couldn't escape. The arena was closed.
They had no choice but to play the killer's game.
Waluigi:
Waluigi watched as Peach seemed to think about what he had said. He didn't understand why she would be so hesitant to believe him. He too, had experienced unimaginable pain this night. He could understand her.
She could trust him, couldn't she?
"So..." Peach finally spoke, "It is... three in the morning?"
Waluigi paused. It was indeed. And if he remembered right, this time of the morning was extremely negative in the sights of superstition.
"Yes. Three in the morning." He nodded.
"The most unlucky time of the day..." Peach trailed off.
The two of them paused, listening to the hum of electricity around them. Waluigi began to pace again. Peach wandered to the stool and alighted on it, barely rocking back and forth.
Waluigi thought about just waiting it out in the small room. After all, it was beginning to Moonset, and the dawn would come any hour now. However, if he and the princess had been able to find the tucked room, who was to say that the killer could not find it was well?
The princess seemed to notice as well, for she stood and went to the door.
"Even though I despise saying this, I still believe that splitting up will be out best chance of survival." She said, touching the handle.
"Hold for a moment, though. Please?" Waluigi said, urging the princess to cease in her leave. Peach paused, turning to him.
"Obviously you've had some time to think, since you've been all alone... I have too. Have you come up with anything?" He asked, stepping closer.
"As a matter of fact..." Peach let go of the handle and pressed against the door. "I have."
"Well... Would you care to exchange ideas?"
Peach hesitated.
"I'm not the killer, Peach. I just want to know what's going on here just as much as you do. Just... just humor me, alright?"
"Isn't that your job? Humoring?"
Waluigi looked at the ground.
"That was our job, if you catch my drift. It's hard to be a one-man comedy show all the time. Let's just say... He had always been... my inspiration."
Waluigi thought back to all of their arguments. There had always been a hint of good nature in them, hadn't there? As if one always knew they could never tarnish the other's pride. Yet, the memories were what counted, weren't they? And it had always been fun to turn a statement on its head. Especially those made by the most stuck up of figures.
Peach seemed to understand, though, and she nodded silently.
"Right..." she whispered.
It was silent once again. Usually, Waluigi would have ended it by making a small remark about how this was as silent as the grave or something of that sorts, Wario would have either sniggered or told Waluigi to knock off, and the conversation would start all over again.
But Wario was gone, and thus the conversation was silent.
Peach left the door and gently paced towards Waluigi.
"You know..." she said softly, "I think that you and Luigi are in the same position... You're both alone now..."
Just the mentioning of Mario's brother made Waluigi enraged. He pulled away from Peach and snarled at the wall which now faced him.
"Luigi. Ha! We are nothing alike! Don't you even remember? Luigi is my brother's murderer!"
Peach placed a hand on Waluigi's shoulder. She must have had quite a reach, being able to even brush the level of his arm.
"Well... Even though that is the case... I won't deny it, Luigi was definitely in the wrong... But you two are going to live for much longer now. And usually... opposites attract, or at least that's what I've always heard."
Waluigi couldn't contain himself any longer. He began to laugh.
"Well, these opposites seem to be an exception."
Peach yanked on Waluigi's shoulder so that he spun and came to her eye level. Her eyes were dark, yet they containing a dense glitter.
"Either that... or you two are more alike than you think..."
With that, Peach pushed away from Waluigi, tracing her way backwards towards the door. She opened it without a sound and stepped out, leaving the door open behind her.
Waluigi snorted. Well, that was productive. He hadn't even learned anything that Peach knew about.
He turned away and stood against the far wall. Behind the chair.
He slammed his fist into the wall once, imagining it as the face of his enemy.
"You killed him, green man. Now I want to make you pay."
Waluigi listened to the sound of the iron ringing retribution back at him. As if it were Luigi's voice who retaliated. Who argued that it wasn't so.
Who pleaded innocence.
"No more innocent than a guilty cheat." Waluigi grumbled.
If Wario were here, he would pummel anyone who stood in his way. If it had been Waluigi who had first been attacked, both of them would be standing together right now, probably laughing over another bad joke.
But he was gone. And Waluigi had been too weak to prevent it.
Gritting his teeth, Waluigi put his head to his glove, exhaling with finality. He had been too weak... Now his lacking was his vice.
There was the soft tap of footfalls echoing behind him. A faint smell of lilac preceded it.
"Did you forget something, princess?" Waluigi asked without turning.
The footsteps stopped. There was only the soft breathing of Waluigi and the one behind him.
The footsteps began to click again, walking closer to Waluigi. The smell of flowers became stronger now.
"Come back to chat again or something?" Waluigi said.
"Sure Waluigi. If you really want to." Peach's melodic voice whispered.
Waluigi smiled, but just as he was about to turn, a hand covered his mouth and drug him to the ground, pressing him to the assailant's chest.
The intoxicating scent of lilacs and lavender filled Waluigi's senses as the pure glove continued to muffle Waluigi's cries.
Waluigi grappled with the being for a while, attempting to throw it over his shoulder, but the figure yielded nothing, only gripping its hostage tighter.
As Waluigi struggled with the hand against his mouth, a thought came to him.
With a quick twist, the hand slipped and Waluigi bit down.
There was a muffled gasp from the assailant and in the next moment, the hand suddenly jerked towards Waluigi, choking him suddenly.
In surprise, Waluigi released his grip.
Faster than thought possible, the hand snaked up and pinched Waluigi's nose. In response, Waluigi clamped his mouth shut, silently struggling as he began to hold his breath.
"You're more of a hassle than Mario. At least he submitted in the end." Peach's voice said with slight exasperation. "Why don't you play nice and do the same?"
Waluigi made no response, only trying to yank the arm away from him. It couldn't be Peach, it just couldn't. She couldn't be this bloodthirsty.
Could she?
Waluigi was running out of air, black spots beginning to appear before his sight.
So this was what it was like to suffocate.
Waluigi felt something rise in him.
A cold wave that neither burned nor quenched.
A thrill of adrenaline.
Fear?
"Yes, fear." The killer whispered, "Such a breathtaking emotion." It giggled at its small joke. "I've always found pleasure in it.
Waluigi struggled longer, lungs bursting. Was this what Wario had felt? The cold rush of adrenaline and fear? The feeling of weakness?
Waluigi remembered.
Remembered that he was not being choked. That this was not the way he would allow himself to die. He would fight. But first, he would need to breathe.
As quickly as possible, he gasped a breath, trying to breathe once again.
The next moment, something was in his mouth.
"That was what I was waiting for. Good on you." Peach grumbled with stubborn relief.
"Now do yourself a favor and swallow, otherwise I'm going to have to roughhouse a little. And believe me, I want to do it just as little as you do. So cooperate, otherwise things are going to get difficult."
Waluigi's mind was spinning. Whatever the killer had forced into him, it was a liquid. If it was liquid, it could be spat out.
The killer silenced his train of thought.
"If you spit, I'll do you in like Rosalina. And I don't have my knife, so I'll just do it the old fashioned way. With my hands."
There was a small quiver in Peach's voice when it spoke Rosalina's name. But just as soon as it echoed, it was gone. Waluigi froze as there was baited breathing from the killer. Finally, Peach growled.
"Enough! I'm through with playing. There are things yet to do tonight, and I have a schedule to obtain. Obviously you aren't going to take the initiative, so apparently I will have to."The hand pinched harder, covering Waluigi's mouth once again. He could feel a second pressure now. It stroked up and down his throat.
Waluigi's gag reflex kicked in and he began to choke, sputtering for air, but the hand did not yield.
"Just one swallow, Wal, and it'll be all over with. You can say hello to your brother again. Now wouldn't that be nice? Honestly, you should be thanking me. I did brew this just for you..."
The bright voice was mocking, and the hand on Waluigi's throat continued to trail up and down, coaxing the bitter "medicine" down.
It had a sharp, herbal tang, and it almost tasted metallic, as if a shrewd medicinal value had been placed into it.
Waluigi tensed as his breath gave out, finally choking down the liquid. It was at that moment that the killer released its hold on its prey.
Without a heartbeat's hesitation, Waluigi sprung to his feet and spun around, trying to catch a glimpse of who the mysterious assassin was.
His eyes locked upon the killer's harsh azure ones. It was now stumbling backwards, towards the door.
Colors mixed in Waluigi's sight and features blurred, making the killer's face appear a milky blotch surrounded by the dark floral. A smudge of green stems and pink flowers.
And the white glove.
A ripping sensation went through Waluigi's chest, his heart uttering a strange half-beat, an over-beat.
He felt lightheaded, sinking to the floor, the blur of green, pink, and white beginning to loom over him.
The colors were glowing, forming strange halos of soft purple, fuchsia, daffodil, and emerald. He was now gasping for breath, feeling very much like a fish out of water.
"And now, your petty pranks and jokes end here." The killer's voice whispered, magnifying in Waluigi's head. "And we can safely call me the master of all comedies. Or tragedies. Honestly, whichever you prefer."
Waluigi couldn't speak, the colors becoming brighter, the abnormal beat of his heart stronger.
"Now, come to think of it, you must be wondering 'What on Earth did you do?' Well, suffice to say, I've always been fond of the flora. In the Mushroom Kingdom, Beanbean Kingdom... You name it. I've had my fair share of being poisoned too, you know. And let's just say... I picked up a few tricks. What I just dosed you with was an overdose of Foxglove in its most potent state. I'm rather fond of that flower. Matches my complexion well, I think. If I'm right, and I tend to usually be, you should be experiencing some rather odd hallucinations. Glowing orbs, extreme colors, the like. However, much as I would enjoy watching you here and now strangle for final breaths, I actually have somewhere else to be. After all, I only have three hours left."
The killer paused. Waluigi was not aware of anything anymore. He could feel his breaths, but yet, he was numb, unable to notice the world about him. Darkness was setting in now, permanently. Was that Wario's laughter he could hear? Rosalina's gentle voice and cool blue eyes?
The blur stepped closer to Waluigi, bending down to him.
"And above all..."
The killer reached for something over Waluigi's head and pulled downwards, sealing the darkness of his vision.
"The game is afoot, Watson. Say hello to all the Sherlocks before for me, won't you? That's a good copycat. Happy three o'clock, unfortunate soul."
With that, there was the sound of the door latching and being locked with a shallow click.
Gently, as if the night was silencing like a theatre, sounds ceased to exist, and darkness became eternal.
Wario smacked Waluigi on the back, laughing heartily. Waluigi lifted his cap and began to laugh along, the light of day blinding him for a brief moment.
The nightmare was over.
This is where he wanted to stay.
He was home.
...
End of Part Six
Til' we meet again Keep Rockin'
-Shamrockin13
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