Mario The Music Box (Fanfiction)

Chapter 20: True Feelings

                    Riba carried Mario back inside the mansion, out of the drizzle. He grunted and scoffed at him, as he took him to a nearby room on the first level.

                    'If only you could see how pathetic you look right now. It's almost tempting to kill you right now. But I suppose I should restrain myself for now....' he thought with annoyance. Riba finally reached a room, and laid down Mario on the floor. He then sat down beside him, waiting for Mario to regain consciousness.

                   'Why was he even crying in the first place? He really is hopeless....' Riba thought. About 5 minutes had passed, before Mario began to stir. Riba looked at him with expectancy, and Mario eventually opened his eyes. He moaned as he sat up, scanning his surroundings. His eyes then found Riba.

                  "Hey. Are you awake now?" Riba asked him, impatient. Mario, still a bit disorientated, nodded.

                  "Yeah.... thanks for asking. Um, where....?" Mario asked, looking around. Riba looked around, answering,

                  "We're in a small room, on the first level of the mansion. I carried you back here, after I found you outside. You fainted."  Mario widened his eyes.

                 "Riba, you.... you carried me?" Mario asked, stunned. Riba widened his eyes, then looked away.

                 "Of course I did. You looked pathetic and weak back there. It was revolting," he retorted. Mario pouted a bit, trying to ignore Riba's harsh words, but in his mind, he smiled. His face then fell a bit, remembering Alice's words of how he was a demon. He grew a bit uneasy from Riba's presence, then gasped. Luigi! He looked around in a panic. Riba cocked his head.

                 "What's wrong?" Mario then looked at him with needy eyes.

                 "My brother, did you see him?!" he asked, desperately. Riba widened his eyes, then narrowed them a bit.

                 "Yes, I ran into him, but that was about 40 minutes ago. He came looking for you when he first entered the mansion. I told him that you were in the town. Why?" Riba answered. Mario then looked down, the past events coming back to him. He then grit his teeth, his eyes beginning to form tears once again. Riba made a repulsed face.

                 "You're crying again? Aren't you a grown man?! What happened-?"

                 "He's dead." Riba froze in place. What? The tears fell on Mario's lap, as he began to sob.

                 "Alice. She killed him. With my own hands! In front of me! She took control of my body and.... and-" Mario finally broke down into a series of sobs and tears. He covered his face with his gloved hands, looking down.

                 "He's dead, Riba! My brother! Dead because of me!" he exclaimed. Riba could only watch stunned, unsure of what to do. This was unexpected, but not that surprising. It was inevitable for Alice to do something like this. Riba looked around awkwardly, as he let Mario cry. He then sighed in annoyance, then patted his shoulder. Mario then looked up with a tear-stained face.

                 "Stop crying already. You're not a baby. Listen, what happened to your brother was just an unfortunate part of life. We eventually lose the people we love, sooner or later. I'd know. But ask yourself, did you kill him?" Mario was taken aback by Riba's question. He then looked down, as he thought. After a few seconds, Mario looked back at Riba with widened eyes, as Riba nodded.