Two

The Home: Part 1

~ During the Events of Super Paper Mario ~

I found myself in my room, simply sitting on my lone bed while I thought of the first person to ever show me kindness. The first hero I had ever met.

Count Bleck would never waste time just sitting and remembering like this. But... I would. The Blumiere still in me would.

"...I miss you, One," I breathed, looking down at my gloved hands. My gloved hands, which were going to destroy all worlds. Which had already broken so much. I didn't even speak in third person this time because it wasn't Count Bleck speaking. It was me.

Count Bleck sighed, taking a moment to just enjoy the bliss that came with the pure silence. The calm before the storm. 

He didn't allow Blumiere to speak for him often but now felt like one of those rare occasions. It only was when he reflected on his past that he felt like that person. The person he longed to be once again. The person that was long gone.

He only ever let himself reflect when he was alone. He usually avoided reflecting on the past since it did nothing more but make him feel guilty about each and every big mistake he ever made. 

"One? Who's One?" A voice asked from the hallway. 

Count Bleck jumped a little then looked up to see you, standing in his doorway and looking at him with a puzzled expression. 

"I'm sorry," you trailed off, silently hating yourself for overstepping your boundaries, just as you always did. You nervously brought your hand to the back of your neck, where your green bandana was tied in a comfortable double knot. You fidget with the knot, not quite untying it, but loosening and retightening it. A nervous habit. "Nastasia sent me up to check on you..."

Count Bleck blinked a few times, silently wondering why Nastasia sent you to check on him out of all people. You had only been living at Castle Bleck for two days by then, but everyone else seemed to accept you rather quickly. You hated to admit that Nastasia probably only sent you because you were the only one around at the moment and it was most convenient. 

"Do not worry," the count started, standing up and brushing himself off without looking you in the eye, almost as if he was purposely avoiding your gaze. "Tell her Count Bleck will be down in a moment."

"If you don't mind me asking," You pressed once again. "Who's One?"

Your heart briefly fluttered with hope, but the feeling was brief.

"We do not speak of him," The count coldly replied, still refusing to meet your gaze. You continued to nervously fidget, but you were not ready to drop the topic yet.

"Was that his name?" You asked, trying not to let the hope show.

The count shook his head, replying with a short and firm, "No. He didn't have a name. There will be no more words spoken of him now, Mr. L."

Your hopes shattered, and you dropped the subject.

"Alright," You said, no longer pressing the subject. You then turned and left, trying not to look or sound disappointed. 

But you were.

You were very lucky. You were blessed with a generally happy, full life. That being said, there were still ups and downs. 

You remembered exactly who you were. You're Luigi. But for the time being, everyone was calling you Mr. L. You didn't really mind the name change. What bothered you was the fact that parts of your memories were blurrier than before. Ever since you arrived in this castle, any memories surrounding your brother felt foggy. You weren't sure what to think of it.

But you still knew who you were, at least. Not that it mattered. The more important thing was who you would become.

That's what always seemed to matter most of all to you. Who you'd become. 

But you're getting ahead of yourself. First, let's look back on who you were.