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James found himself still within the forest clearing, the darkened glade barely touched by the sunny skies above. Yet an even greater darkness could be felt within the area. Koopin's scream had pierced deep into his heart, as he woke with a pang of agony in his chest. It only turned worse when he saw what had happened. Koopin was holding onto the scissors with both of his smaller hands, trying to wield it as tight as possible. As he did, he felt a surging heat rise through the metal as if it was burning through his flesh. James' eyes focused back into his forest green as he cried out with horror: "KOOPIN! NOOOOOOOO!" He couldn't hear the raptor. The power that went through the scissors was something he had never experienced before, a shuddering feeling of utmost violation, deep into his soul. All he could do was gasp in pains throughout him, before he started to scream in panic and rising anguish. Spasming hands clenched tighter around the scissors, feeling as if he was being burned on the inside. But he knew he could not let go, not if he wanted to fight this thing. But in turn, it was also fighting him from inside. James rushed as fast as he could to be at his side, hearing Koopin's scream turn into something more beastly, more demonic, more familiar to him. "A-AAARRRGH! AAAAAAAAGH! AAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAARRRRGGHHH! _" "Koopin!? KOOPIN, ANSWER ME!" "HE...JAMES! H-HELP ME!" "LET GO OF IT!" "_I-I CAN'T! HE'S IN MY HEAD! MAKE HIM STOP!" "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HIM, LEAVE HIM ALONE YOU FUCKING PRICK!" The moment he tried to grab at the scissors, Koopin slashed out towards him, striking James' arm enough to bleed against his will. James saw with this one single movement, that Koopin's clear blue eyes began to flicker with a vile darkness, smouldering within. "AAAGH!" "NO!" cried out Koopin, "GET BACK! HE WON'T...HE..._ WON'T! " "KOOPIN, DON'T GIVE UP, DON'T LET HIM WIN!" But the corruption was already starting to happen. Tender yellow arms began to pulsate with dark veins crossing through his body. His shell seeped with a darkening rivet that tried to scrape across the star-shape now formed upon his back. He turned away, shrieking as he tried to fight harder, his light pulsating every so often to further wound the demon. "_NOOO! STOP IIIIIT! MAKE HIM STOP! _" "KOOPIN, LET GO OF THE SCISSORS, DON'T LET HIM INSIDE YOU!" "_HE'S ALREADY...A-AAAAAGH! HELP MEEEE!"

With that heart-rending plea, he rushed in to try and save Koopin once more. But the scissors had other ideas as the koopa pointed the blades at James, nearly slashing his throat as James tried to grab at them. But a blinding darkness pulsated hard from Koopin's heart, as if trying to expel a vile poison from within. His beak started to bend down into a vile hook, cracked and crippling as it lengthened outwards slightly. Yet his body could only twitch between corruption and normality, shifting between both, his heart torn between light and darkness. "NO! STAY BACK! GET AWAY FROM ME!" "K-koopin!?!" "GET BACK JAMES! HE WANTS TO HURT YOU!" "NO! YOU DON'T DESERVE THIS KOOPIN, GIVE ME THE SCISSORS!" "NO! I CAN'T...I'LL...I-I'LL... KILL YOU! _" And with that James realised that Scissoraptor was going to try and harm him through Koopin's body, if only as some way to fight off the koopa's power. The way Koopin looked wielding the scissors, ever-changing eyes with his light versus the darkness itself, hunched pose of furious pain from both of them, frightened James. He didn't want to fight like this, it was the one thing he could never have imagined ever happening to Koopin. To him yes, but not to the one he loved. But he had to find a way. He rushed towards him once more, trying to grab at Koopin's arm in an effort to disarm him. He made every effort not to hurt him, but he struggled against the koopa's psychotic grip upon his own weapon, fingers whitened with impossible tightness. "KOOPIN! HANG ON!" " NO! " A flicker of darkness pulsated from the koopa's body, making James cry out as he resisted the evil assault that felt like a dozen knives slicing across his scales. But it wasn't harmful enough due to Koopin's battling light from within, the scissors warping between the most heavenly light and the most wretched darkness. Eventually, Koopin's body slammed into James hard, forcing him away and trying to swing down on him brutally with the scissors. But just before it could swing down, Koopin fought back, shrieking as he swung his scissors hard in the opposite direction, turning away enough to make James avoid them easily. The possessed koopa shivered as he whimpered to him, hunched over with heart-wrenching pain in his voice. "_J-j-james...please...p-please..." "H-hang on Koopin, just hold him off, I'll find a way!" "_ NO! N-n-no...please... kill me. " "Wh-what?!" "_NO, DON'T LISTEN TO HIM, YOU HAVE TO- s-stop this pain inside me ...please...my l-love...kill me! _" "_NO! I WON'T KILL YOU!" "DON'T JAMES, HE'S LYING THROUGH ME AND HE TRIES TO KEEP ME ALIVE! IT BURNS! TAKE THE SCISSORS AWAY, I CAN BREAK NO, HE'S LYING! IF YOU L-LOVE ME YOU WON'T DO IT!"

With panic rising in his heart, fear gripping him tighter within, he struggled to think of a way to try and separate the blades from his lover's grasp. If he tried to go near him, the demon would start attacking him. But he knew that Koopin was able to stop him just enough to throw his attacks off. All he had to do was find a way to utilise this to his advantage. He hurriedly flicked through all of his capabilities trying to find some way of disarming Koopin, all while dodging the possessed koopa's attacks, scissors swinging brutally towards him. With every few swings, Koopin's spirit screamed and pulled back, throwing the blade off target to give James a chance to escape. At one point, James instinctively swung back with a blast of fire from his fingertips, striking towards the scissors. Luckily they blocked, making Koopin wince as he looked panic-stricken, his heart beating fast. Then he had the idea to go through all the elements he could use. Fire could burn Koopin, so that was not an option. Wind would not do anything to undo the grip as tight as it was, and neither would water. What he was more worried about was the fact he had to keep Koopin still enough to let him drop it. "Koopin! Can you find a way to stop him long enough?! Try and stand still!" "I CAN'T! HE'S TOO STRONG HE WON'T LET ME DIE! PLEASE!" "I just have to stop you! Just have to make you stand STILL and just freeze you in-...WAIT THAT'S IT!" James had only one option available to him, as he rushed forwards to strike out a blast of water at Koopin's feet, a thick puddle started to swamp at his boots. Once he made Koopin's body splash enough in it in his struggling torment, he was ready. "WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! _" "Making you stand STILL!" Blasting an icy flow, he froze the puddle instantly, trapping the koopa's boots solidly into place. No matter how hard the demon could force his feet, they were now frozen solid. Koopin shivered as his legs started to turn cold. "_J-j-james! Wh-what are you doing?!" "Just trust me!" But despite having frozen him into place, the hands were still active and swung unceasingly at the raptor, the demon's roars of pain and fury churning out of Koopin's mouth along with the koopa's own screams. James had one chance to do this or risk serious injury. He dodged the first few blows, before grabbing at Koopin's hands. The ice began to form within James' claws, slowly creeping along Koopin's fingers. It was quick enough to stop the Scissoraptor from utilising his hands to attack him, as the scissors were now trapped in a weakening cold grip. "Just...let go." "N-n-no...hhhhhah...I...he's gonna...g-gonna win if I-" "Just...let...go."

The raptor stared into Koopin's flickering eyes, determined trust building in them as the koopa struggled to unbind his fingers from the demon's embrace. But the moment James could hook his claws into the handles, he heard the creature speak to him through Koopin, its influence leaving that of his lover as it spoke with ragged breaths. "Hhhhh...hhhhh...you...will never be rid of me, James. No matter how strong this boy's wretched light is...hhhh...remember our deal...or else...your fear...shall become more...than just the gateway to my power. You shall feel my presence once again...soon." James snarled and threw the scissors away onto the grass nearby, panting hard as the darkness returned to him, corrupting him yet again. But he could see it fading away from Koopin's eyes, as they slowly ebbed out of the blackness and return to their pure whiteness. At first he stood agape, the shock not registering to him yet. James gently walked forwards, wanting to comfort him, which he especially needed when the koopa suddenly gasped a silent scream, and wept hoarsely. "K-koopin...I'm-" Koopin clutched his body and went onto his knees, weeping hard at the pain he was feeling inside. His feet, frozen temporarily, was soon undone by James burning a warm pulsing light upon them before they hugged together within the puddle. The anguish of what had occurred had surely left a terrible imprint upon him, his tears loud and choking, barely able to speak. He blindly gazed up towards the raptor. "AH! A-a-aah...oh s-stars, I...a-ah-" "Shhhh it's okay, it's okay...come here." The two embraced tightly as Koopin cried hard into his shoulder, hands rubbing over each other desperately to remain close. The koopa's sorrow stained his scales. "He...h-h-he...t-tainted me...." "I know, I....I'm sorry-" "I...I saw his...s-so...evil...s-s-so...a-a-aaah...he was trying to...I...I...v-v-violated-" "No, NO! Don't never say that Koopin, you're the sweetest purest guy I know, he couldn't even touch you one bit. He was in worse pain than you." "I know! I know, but it hurt so much! I...oh James...is this...what you felt? H-he he was trying to make you kill me." "I know, I heard him, he didn't fool me. I know you Koopin, I know you were fighting him...you were so brave. I knew you were strong, I've always known that." Holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it, Koopin's tears began to dry out, heaving sobs slowly began to fade away as he looked up to James with desperate need. "I...never...EVER want to see those again. Please...those scissors...get rid of them." "I want them gone too...but...I can't." "Wh-what? Why!? Why can't you destroy something so evil!?! I thought you didn't want to be a monster! Have you...p-please...tell me. Have you been one all this time?" "No! I'm not a monster Koopin! That's not who I am!" "Then get rid of them! Make sure they're destroyed or-or never seen again!" "I CAN'T GODDAMNIT!" James pushed Koopin away with frustration inside him, clenching his claws tightly in disgust at himself. "They're a part of me now! They...they tainted me...they tainted me years ago." "....oh...n-n-no please, please don't say that, please, tell me that's not true!" "It is Koopin! I'm not pure and kind like you...I'm...I am a monster." "Wh-what!? But you said-" "Do you know why I went on all those trips to Rogueport, Koopin? ...because he made me."

He sighed deeply as he began to explain it all, head within hands. "All those trips I went to Rogueport, I had to...feed him. Feed his hunger. I tried to find help, tried to stop him first o-or try and exorcise him even. I even went to Professor Gadd and he told me the only way to stop him taking over me was...feeding him." "F-feeding him? ...wait...no...n-no no no you didn't. You didn't." "You've seen the news haven't you? All those disappearances happening overseas, happening in Rogueport? ...that was me. ...that was all me." "NO!" Koopin screeched with tears streaking his cheeks. "NO JAMES, NO! YOU'RE LYING! YOU CAN'T, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS, I-" "LOOK AT ME KOOPIN! I'm a murderer...a punk...a stupid worthless punk who's killed enough people that it doesn't bother him anymore...at least..." He turned away with a growing shame upon his lips. "Most of the time." "Wh-what do you mean?!" begged Koopin. "How can you be so okay about this?! How can you DO THIS?!" "Because otherwise he was gonna kill you! Maybe not you, maybe a neighbour or a friend of ours, maybe even your mum and dad! The only reason I went across the fucking sea was because Gadd said that he can't go across water because he's a DEMON! If I was gonna end up killing someone I could at least make my own choice. And I tried to find the worst people imaginable in Rogueport...all the killers...thieves...mobsters." "You...no...no James that's wrong. That's wrong!" "I KNOW IT IS! YOU THINK I ENJOY THIS?! Feeding the monster inside me, making it grow stronger and getting it more hungry every month! I thought I could get away with it, the first few months, it was all working out alrighty! YOU WANNA KNOW WHY I WAS SO MISERABLE LAST MONTH?!" "Wh-wha, I don't-" "BECAUSE I KILLED SOMEONE INNOCENT!" Koopin took a few seconds to register those words before he clasped his mouth in shock. "I...I didn't mean to...I was chasing down this thug, this bastard who extorted money from the poor down on the east side. I chased him around a corner, I...I just turned and thrust right through him...it wasn't him. I-it wasn't him!" The raptor's claws twitched with fury, as shame burned through him with his heart begging for the pain to end. "He didn't even have a shell! He was just a koopa, barely younger than you Koopin, he didn't even have a home or a shell! And I KILLED HIM! I COULDN'T STOP MYSELF I'M SORRY KOOPIN, I'M SORRY!" James went onto his knees and weeped with wretched sorrow, sobbing with hatred for what he had done. The scissors laid discarded, weakened beside him. Koopin, despite being weak himself from the battle within his heart, could only shake his head with shame. "I just wanted to keep you safe," whimpered James, "j-just to keep him away from you...I'm sorry for what I did...I'm sorry for how I was to you...I-i...I wanted to stop him, and if I couldn't stop him, I-i thought maybe I could control him! Maybe if I used his evil to stop evil elsewhere, th-then maybe-" "James." "Wh-what?" "...don't. ...I can't...I can't forgive you for what you've done." "Wh-wha...no, Koopin please-" "But...I know that you would never have done it if you hadn't been forced to. I know that you would never hurt someone innocent now, until this...demon appeared. But I can't forgive you." "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, please, Koopin...help me." "I will." "R-really?" "I love you. I love you too much now...I just went through the worst fight of my life, and I almost died twice just to bring you back. I'll help you...somehow I'll help you...then maybe one day, you can find a way to make me forgive you again." "I will." He stood up carefully, legs somewhat shaky but still standing strong. He carefully tested his scissors, picking them up only to find that their usual aura had diminished greatly. At the very least, the demon's power had now been greatly weakened. He gazed towards Koopin with utmost severity. "I will Koopin...I swear."

Three months later, despite having repaired their relationship somewhat, James and Koopin still remained on shaky ground with each other. James now became humble, losing his usual flair of confidence while guiding himself with Koopin's words and presence. James never went to Rogueport again, and their sessions with the psychiatrist were now cancelled on grounds of "having cleared the air with each other". Yet this was not the end for both their troubles. Every month, almost on the dot of the date, the demon awakened. Koopin however had managed to counteract his presence by using his newfound powers, summoning the wishing power of the Stars themselves to muster what he could to repel it. The first month was rather successful, having suppressed the demon incredibly well without any trouble. But the next month, and the month after that, the beast only grew stronger in its hunger. Koopin never told anyone other than James about his new power, hardly able to explain it even or why he came to possess it. He remembered somewhat of the dreamlike dialogue from the heavens back during Blooshan's test, but other than that he had no reason for why he was chosen above anyone else. It was nowhere near the sort of power that could face an army of evil, not even close to the strength that one such as Mario would possess, in Koopin's own words. But it was enough to repel at least one demon. One day, James was invited over to Koopin's family home, given an opportunity to relax as well as to catch up. Despite their current disposition, James always welcomed the chance to see Koopin's mother and father, the four of them sitting around to enjoy a good dinner of Fruity Hamburgers.

"Soooo how you been you two?" asked Klair happily. "We're good mom," said Koopin humbly, "everything's okay now right James?" "Yeah," said James softly, "I uh, changed schedules at Roy's and I uh don't have to go to Rogueport anymore, too much stress." "That's good," said Klair, "we're very glad to hear that. Have you been treating Charlie well?" "Oh yeah he's awesome, I love that li'l guy...heh, sometimes you have a crappy day and he just smiles up at you and...well, doesn't matter who's upset, we can't get mad at him." "Hehee, good. You certainly look better now." "Well I didn't wanna miss your fruity hamburgers, seriously how do you MAKE this?!" "Hah, well if you wanna learn how to cook sometime I COULD show you." "Better be careful there James," said Shelldon happily, "she'll waltz you round the kitchen and she'll be the one leading." "HAH, don't worry," said FG, "I already know how Klair and I can waltz together." He smirked as he drank from a cup of Koopa Tea, making Klair blush and giggle softly while Shelldon rolled his eyes. "Yes the lessons you gave my wife on board the ship certainly helped, thank you. I am still surprised you would know how to waltz, honestly I was expecting you to be more...hip." They all turned towards Shelldon with judging staring eyes, making him incredibly uncomfortable. "...wh-what?" "...dad?" "Yes Koopin?" "...don't ever say hip again." "...what if I'm talking about my hip bones?" "...long as you say hip BONE...that's fine." "Alright." All four of them started to smirk and laugh together, infecting each other with their mirth and joy. Unfortunately James' own mirth was cut short when, a few minutes later during a discussion on last night's TV, he started to convulse shakily. At first it was but a tremor, hoping that it was his stomach disagreeing. But then he felt it turn stronger. "UNGH!" He lurched forwards and suddenly felt an all-new fear rise within him. Koopin panicked and stopped eating to check on his boyfriend. "James, what's wrong?!" "UUUUUH! GUUUH!" "OH stars is he alright?!" asked Klair hurriedly. "H-he's fine he's fine just...oh...n-no, please not now, please!" "What's happening, is he choking?! Oh stars, is it citrus?! Is it his lime allergy, I'm SURE I didn't put any in-" "NO!" roared James. "PANIC...ATTACK! ...KOOPIN! MEDICINE!"

Koopin immediately caught on and hastily escorted the raptor from the table adding: "H-he gets panic attacks, he just needs some medicine, I'll take him to the bathroom" "Y-you want us to call an ambulance?!" asked Shelldon. "NO no, it's fine, h-he just needs some pills, he has them but he just needs help using them!" "Need any help?!" "NO WE'RE FINE DON'T WORRY, WON'T BE LONG!" Locking themselves in the bathroom, James fell onto the floor and shuddered with a violent gasp, the demon's struggle turning worse inside him. "No no no NO why here?! Why couldn't it be outside somewhere or back home?!" "I'm sorry!" "No it's okay, it's okay, not your fault, just...h-hold on, need to-" "HURRY!" "I AM!" Koopin calmly began to focus his energy, wishing deep into his heart with desperation and the same invocation he had felt unearth inside his mind. It seemed to be the same phrase everytime he did this, and whether it was the right words or by his own spirit alone, he kept it the same way. James violently spasmed into a choking fit, struggling not to scream or else raise fears from Koopin's parents only two rooms away. Koopin began to wish. "...stars, please, help me. Help me save him...help me save James from this evil monster. Give me the strength to fight him, so I can win him back. Please...PLEASE!" The light soon radiated from his body once more, his shell-mark transforming into a star yet again. The calming light gave James some clarity, as he struggled to see through the virulent agonising pain. Koopin's hands glowed strongest with power, as he placed them upon James' heart. A cooling burn began to spread throughout James' body, his agony turned stronger as the demon roared and shook inside his mind. It struggled to fight against Koopin's light, hungry for death, ravenous to kill. The evil began to worsen, as James' eyes blinked into black, making Koopin panic but still push his light inside him.

"N-no...no, you are NOT coming out today." "GUH...NNNNGH...I...K-koopin...please-" "No James...we can do this, we've done this before, we can do it again." "You will NOT." The demon's voice, pained but resonant, was heard by Koopin before him. The raptor's body had transformed once again, but it was struggling to fight back, pushing hard against the light while pinned down to the bathroom floor. This time however, the koopa was much stronger in resistance, his will unshakeable, his voice firm and demanding. "Get back inside him demon. I won't let you kill ever again." "You cannot starve me forever...you will let me feed one day, either by error or exhaustion. And when that time comes, I shall make your suffering so great even your mother shall feel it with you." "NO...you won't." With his final wish, he slammed his fists down onto James' chest with a resonant power, making the demon fall back and hide in its still-weakened state, and not getting any better from Koopin's assault. The raptor soon turned back to normal, his muscles twitching, his eyes blinking. Shaking with fear at what could have been, he hugged Koopin to his chest, breathing hard with gratitude. "Thank you...th-thank you." "It's okay...just...yeah. That wasn't as bad as last month." "Y-yeah...maybe it's 'cause the scissors aren't here with him so maybe he can't infect me as bad?" "Maybe...if there was a way to get rid of them-" "I told you before, they just find me, like they did back on the ship." "I know I know just...if there was a way to make them disappear...what if you...left this world, dropped them off then came back?" "I'm not trusting him to be left alone Koopin. Someone else might wield him, someone actually evil o-or maybe some poor kid. I'd rather I find a way to destroy them, or seal them away, or at least take responsibility for them." Koopin knew this to be the wiser action and, while sorrowful at being trapped still with the demon's influence nearby, he at least admired James for taking the responsibility. After he recovered his breath, the raptor returned back to eating with Koopin's family, who were thankfully none the wiser and would remain as such for their own safety. Koopin himself decided that this could go on no longer, and began to set about a meeting with the only ones that he knew could have any chance of saving James.

"Are you sure this is the best idea?" asked James a month later. "We got no other choice," said Koopin. "If anyone can help you, these guys can. They helped us through me after all." "Right. ...do we...kneel or something?" "No, listen, let me do the talking okay? I...I never met them in person before...I think, so just let me handle this." "Alright." The two stood resolute before the pathway towards Shooting Star Summit. Normally it was well-guarded by the guards of Princess Peach's castle, understandably so for a place as sacred as this. The only residents within the summit area were two fortune tellers in a house at the base of the bluish-purple hill, where stars fell from the sky every once a while. Wishes falling down to earth. The entire landscape was a dark mystic hue of indigo shades, the sky above eternally dark. "How did you get us in here?" asked James. "There's a fortune teller in town who knows the people here," said Koopin, "I told him about some of our problems and he understood without even asking for evidence." "...wait, fortune teller?" "Yeah." "...the guy in the house with the spinning roof?" "Yeah!" "...I see." Koopin looked at James' odd expression, before ignoring it to head onwards to the summit. James followed behind him, taking each step slowly as they climbed up the starry hill. It was a strange scene for him, to think a nightly hill such as this was to be the source for what he presumed was all of the kingdom's holy power. As far as he knew, he was stepping into the most sacred realm of this entire world. Once they reached the top, they found themselves upon a dark circular plateau, the stars eternal shining above. "Star spirits," said Koopin calmly, "I come with a plea of great importance. A plea for the sake of my friend who now stands beside me. You know that he has suffered a great evil from inside him, and that you have chosen me to be the one who shall repel him. I thank you, eternally for giving me the strength to help others around me, a strength that I alone could not obtain through normal means. But now I must ask for something greater, in order to ease my friend's suffering. ...will you speak to us, please?" "Of course, Koopin Kennidon." Softly glimmering within the sky, a blurry outline of seven stars soon showed themselves before the two. All of them a golden yellow, apart from one blue, one purple and one pink star within the small mixture. Their voices were somewhat choral, as if several of them were speaking at once, their forms difficult to make out but James knew that they had at least a face. He was almost certain they had eyes gazing down upon him.

"It is good that we meet at last outside of your dreams, Koopin." "And it...w-wow...it's...an honour to be in your presence, star spirits." "What is this wish of yours that you have come to ask personally?" "Well...a-as you know, you've helped me so much in keeping my friend safe, keeping all of us safe from the demon inside him. You...you knew that he would come, right?" "A prophecy of darkness was known amongst us for some time, yes. It was not quite clear, but it seems that your dear lover is the one that it spoke of." "I...I thought so. And...I've been trying to repel him, the darkness I mean, to keep everyone safe. ...it's getting harder every month. He gets stronger with each encounter we have, he gets hungrier and more desperate to...to feed, to...consume. I don't want him here, and I especially do not want him to continue making my James suffer. ...star spirits. I...I wish to exorcise him from this world, from all of existence so that we may never have to live in fear again." The star spirits glimmered softly, as if looking at each other with uncertainty. James turned nervous, not entirely sure what they were up to. Eventually they seemed to reply back with: "That is your wish, so be it Koopin. But what does James think of this?" "I wish for the same of course," said FG. "I don't want this thing inside me, I don't want to live my life worrying about the next time he'll come out of me and...do terrible things. And I know that every time I turn afraid or just fear something, then that just makes him stronger, or it turns me weaker. Please...I'm scared, star spirits. I wish...I wish he was exorcised, forever." "You say that you are fearful, but many believe that courage is power. True power comes when you surpass your own desires to protect something you hold dear. You have done that before, surely." "But...well, yeah, sure I have...right?" "Have you? Truly?" "...I don't know." "You showed but a fragment of your power when you rescued Koopin, to break through your fear and to stand firm against the darkness of others. And while there is a darkness within you, it can become your own power, so long as you do not let it control you." "But...I don't want this power. I don't want any of this, I just want to live a quiet happy life with Koopin. That's all I ever want now. Can you exorcise me?" "We can, theoretically...but we do not have the means to do so." "Wh-what?!" cried out Koopin. "All our power comes from the purest wishes within the hearts of the populace. Such darkness within you is far too powerful with but one wish alone, even if it is a strong one."

Koopin bit his lip with a tearful quiver, pleading: "But...y-you can't help him!?" "To repel the demon is one thing, of which your wish alone has done exceedingly well. But an exorcism such as this, to truly banish and forever dispel this creature from within, would require many many hearts to wish for his release. Far more than just yours alone." "I-i can get friends! I'll ask my family, people I know, we can all just, hope together that-" "Koopin." James turned to the desperate-looking koopa and shook his head sadly. "It's not gonna work." "What?! What do you mean, they need more wishes, y-you can't just give up!" "I'm not! ...maybe someone else can help." "If the Stars themselves can try, why wait!? All we have to do is ask-" "-ask them what!?! To pray for your boyfriend's release from a demon that's trying to possess him!? Think about that...how do you think they're gonna react, they don't even know me, they DEFINITELY don't know about this THING inside of me, so why the hell would they care about me enough to be honest about wanting to help me, or even WANT to help me when they'll be so terrified about this monster in me that they'll want me to leave instead?!" "Because you saved me! You saved me and other people, you don't deserve this!" "I DESERVE EVERYTHING I GET!" An unsconscious admittance in a fit of frustration made him sigh heavily at Koopin's tearful expression. "I...I've done a lot of terrible things. I'm not pure like you are. I'm okay with stealing and assault and even murder when it's all about the motive. I grew up in a world that wasn't ruled over by a pretty pink princess, with blue skies and benevolent star spirits that give you anything you want if you deserve it. But since I've been travelling...I've done even worse things. ...I don't deserve to have my wish granted." "I know...I know but...you're not an evil person. I can feel that." "Koopin is right James," said the Eldstar, "while your actions in the past may have been reprehensible, your motivations are not. You clearly show regret, and that you wish for repentance to the point of accepting your curse if need be." "Of course I'm accepting this damn curse," said James, "I picked up these things in the first place! It's not something I was punished for, it was bad luck, it's all my fault!" "Then do not consider it such. Consider it a yoke under which you must strive to do better in life. A challenge of one's own morality, in order to resist its temptations." "...I...guess so. I can't ask enough people to wish for me-" "Yes you can James!" "And even if they agreed," he replied to Koopin, "would they be honest? Would they honestly wish for me, knowing what I've done? I'm sorry Koopin...I can't ask for that. And you know that too." "Sadly he is right. Wishes do not mean anything without honesty, you know this Koopin. You cannot force others to wish goodness upon that which you desire, even if your own desires are of good intentions." Koopin started to shake strongly with tears, tears of frustration that burned deeply into his cheeks. He was angry, he felt abandoned, not even the one he loved would agree to this wish that he alone seemed to now carry. "...s'not...fair...it's not FAIR! Why James!? What did you DO to deserve this!?!" "I'm a murderer, a thief and I've done even worse, what the hell do YOU think!?" "But that's not YOU!" "IT IS KOOPIN! ...that was me once...but I regret it now. I was young and angry, I wanted to rip the world apart with my own fucking hands and watch it squirm and die. And I made it do that with...with Bob. ...but then another world came along and tore me apart to punish me for what I did. I deserved that, and now I have this...thing inside me. I don't care what happens to me anymore. I...I just don't want him to hurt anyone with my body." "Then please...fight it for me. Don't be afraid. Never be afraid...for me." "...I'll try." "No. Do it." "Alright." "I'm...sorry for wasting your time, star spirits." "Your intentions were good, that is what matters. Were this demon weaker or if there were more strength behind your wish from the hearts of others, then we would be able to fight back against this creature inside of James. But for now, all you can do is to use your own single wish, as well as the wishes of your lover, to fight together against him. You both have such strength for each other that it will do for now." "Okay...I...I'm sorry. Thank you, star spirits." With his heart now heavy, Koopin turned slowly towards the exit of Shooting Star Summit. James followed with him, feeling all the more like a burden to Koopin. In his younger days, he knew he would have blamed someone else, someone greater than him as a means of screaming into the void. But now, he knew what the stars meant. A yoke, a burden unto himself that he must struggle under, in order to become better as a person. With Koopin's help, as well as his influence, perhaps this too would be possible one day. But an event came around their fourth year anniversary that would soon give him an even greater answer.