One Complete Heart

November 14th

The tree branches extending out over his head cast claw-like shadows over his body as the dry leaves crunched loudly with each step he took. He held one arm across his chest as if he was trying to keep warm while the other hand pointed his flashlight out in front of him. Birds no longer chirped and sang from the trees, likely having left for warmer land a few weeks ago. He must have missed them by only a few days.

He wondered if he'd ever hear them sing again. 

When Luigi first came home from the last adventure he'd likely ever go on, the birds singing were what inspired him to wake up each morning. He liked to close his eyes and listen to their songs, pretending that he was outside amongst them, flying free instead of caged inside a small, dark room. When he was younger, he and Mario used to take bags of breadcrumbs and feed the birds on the streets of Brooklyn. He missed those days. He missed the beautiful singing. He missed life. 

He had been walking for far too long, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He finished all his snacks and his water was nearly empty, but he didn't want to turn around just yet. It was like his body was growing stronger with each step he took. He didn't want that feeling to fade. He didn't want to go back to being the man who sat in bed and stared at his reflection through the window. 

A day had passed. Luigi knew that much. The sun was just setting on November 14th. Mario must have been furious. Actually, rage probably wasn't his first emotion. It certainly would be what he'd feel once Luigi got home, but at the moment he was probably terrified. Luigi wished he left a note or something to assure Mario that he was alright. He felt like a bad brother.

He was a bad brother. 

It was impossible for him to be the good brother he used to be with the way life was taking him. He couldn't follow in Mario's footsteps and support him the way he used to. He couldn't do what used to give his life meaning. All he could do was sit in his room and watch as Mario took care of him. He went from being a supporter to being a burden. 

Soon, the satisfying crunching of dry leaves had turned into the crunching of snow as Luigi walked further and further, past dried shrubs and up steep hills. He knew that the ocean was nearby from the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, so it wasn't like he was lost. He had explored the forest enough times to know exactly where he was heading. There was an abandoned lodge a few miles back that he could collapse in if need be.

The man in green whistled to himself as his flashlight flickered off. He hit it a few times, hoping to keep his light alive, only to be met with darkness. Thankfully, the sky wasn't pitch black yet, so he was able to replace the batteries with ease. The only problem was his gloves making the small batteries harder to handle, so he ended up briefly removing them, which in turn made the glove fingers turn inside out. After he was finished with the batteries, he tried putting his hands back in normally only for his fingers to be caught, so he had to take the gloves and individually fix each and every one until they were back to the way they were supposed to be. 

He supposed the moment only took a few short minutes, but he felt as if he wasted hours just fixing the minor mistake. 

He started to shiver as night fell upon the land. Though no snow fell from the sky, he could feel it seep into his old boots. He wondered if maybe it was time to buy new ones, although he didn't want to waste money. What was the point of new boots if there was a very high chance he wouldn't live long enough to get enough use out of them? His shoes usually lasted him a few years, so why waste money on something he'd only be able to use for a few more months? 

He only had a few more months...

He didn't like to think about dying much. It felt too permanent. It happened to everyone, so there was no reason to be afraid, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't want to leave. He didn't want to say goodbye to Mario or Daisy, he didn't want to leave the Mushroom Kingdom. Who would Professor E. Gadd call to take care of ghosts if not him? Would Gooigi just step in and do it for him? Would the world just replace him? How quickly would the replacements happen? How long would people miss him for? Would there be a funeral? Who would speak? Would Mario be a mess, or would he put on a brave face for everyone else like he always did?