Dimentio POV
Two years. We spent a whole two years lying low. And I loved it. Everyday I somehow grew to love them. I didn't think I'd ever be this happy. I don't deserve to be this happy, but I am. And it's because Luigi gave me a second chance. A second chance I didn't deserve. I didn't deserve it, but he gave it to me anyway.
Nevertheless, we had a job to do. I know he desperately missed his brother. We had to stay on track. I approached Luigi, and handed him the scroll. "It's....it's time."
I was kinda dreading this day. The day we resumed our adventure, because it meant we were a step closer to being done. What would come of us when he freed his brother? I originally planned to go my own way, maybe get revenge on those who've wronged me. Come up with a new plan to get my perfect world....but I don't want that anymore. I like the way things are. It's funny. I've never felt so secure. So...at home.
Luigi slowly took the scroll from me and nodded. "One key left. We can do it!" He chirped. I smiled, hiding the small amount of sadness I was feeling. Daisy walked over to us. I could see she was slightly uneasy too, but why, I don't know. She has no reason to avoid the Mushroom Kingdom...or does she. We still don't quite know about her past.
I snapped my fingers and offered her a shroom shake. She rolled her eyes and took it.
"You're nervous. I can tell," I told her. She shook her head. "No. I'm not." Luigi smiled and grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. I'm nervous too." I laughed. "Luigi, you're always nervous."
I didn't want to admit, but I was nervous too. Not for the same reasons. I wasn't scared of getting caught, although those tasers were rather unpleasant. I was scared of this all ending. I was scared of Luigi doing what he promised to do.
Bringing L back.
What if he hated me. He should hate me. After what I did to him. I deserve it.
Whatever. I can't waste my time worrying. Worrying doesn't accomplish anything.
Daisy nodded. "So, according to this, there is an underground passage. Inside is a large variety of traps and such. Blah, blah, blah, ah, here! It says the entrance is near the Princess's castle! But, we need a different key for it, which has been placed under a hero's protection. Let's start with that!"
Luigi looked deep in thought. "A hero's protection. The only hero in the Mushroom Kingdom is..." I could see his eyes go wide. "What?? Who??" Daisy asked. Luigi looked over at me. I knew who he was thinking of.
"......Daisy, we'll take care of getting that key. I'll send you to the castle and we'll meet you there. Sound good?" I told her. She looked like she was going to protest, but saw the sad expression on Luigi's face and stayed silent. "Alright."
I snapped my fingers, sending her away. Then I turned to Luigi. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked him. I could see a few tears welling up in his eyes. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just haven't been home since..." I nodded. "I can send you over with her. You don't have to go back there. I can find it." He shook his head. "No, I want to help this time."
I nodded, then raised my hand. I snapped, teleporting us both to his old house. We arrived at his doorstep. He immediately ran inside to avoid being seen. I followed. He was breathing heavily. "Hey, calm down. Everything's alright." I tried reasoning. His breathing slowly returned to normal.
He slowly walked over to the dining room table.
"The last time I ever saw him....we were eating lunch right here." Luigi looked at the two chairs. "He sat over there, and I sat right here....He was telling me how they had finished their project. He was telling me that...things would get better. People would trust us."
Luigi wiped a tear out of his eye. "It felt so empty here when he was gone. It still feels so empty." I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get him back for you. Now, let's find that key."
He nodded. "Mario once told me that a long long time ago, the princess gave him a small key to protect. Neither of them knew what it unlocked. Only that it had to be protected." Luigi went up to Mario's room and opened one of the drawers. Inside were Mario's important items. The small key was just sitting in there. Luigi sighed. "Since no one was really looking for this, he just placed it in here. He didn't bother actually hiding it."
I tried smiling. "Well, we got it. We can go meet up with Daisy and find the real key now." I raised my hand, ready to teleport us away, when he reached up and lowered my hand for me. A confused expression covered my masked face.
"No....I want to see him first."
My eyes went wide. "What? A-are you sure?" Luigi nodded. "I want to see him."
But, why?? I feel like that would only make him feel worse. I could tell Luigi was already in pain. Why did he want to hurt more?
"Please. I just need to see my brother."
I slowly nodded. Luigi took my hand, and ran outside, over to this other house. This house was small. It clearly hadn't been taken care of in years. Luigi ran to the back room and stopped. I floated up behind him.
This room was trashed. Broken beakers all over the floor, a shattered gun, and in the middle....a chill ran down my spine.
Mario stood in the middle. Frozen. His skin looked grey, his eyes, cold and dead. His arm was outstretched.
Luigi took his hat off, and slowly walked towards his brother.
I didn't know what to do, so I just watched.
"M-Mario? It's me. Luigi." Luigi said, walking towards him. I could see tears in Luigi's eyes. Luigi suddenly collapsed onto his frozen brother, sobbing. Mario didn't move at all. He really was frozen.
"Don't worry Mario. I'm going to get you out of there. I-I promise." Luigi muttered through sobs.
It broke my heart, seeing Luigi like this. I didn't know I could feel this much pain for another person. It hurt. I could feel my eyes welling up, but I quickly rubbed the forming tears away. I wouldn't cry. I refuse to cry.
Luigi stayed there for about five minutes, before he stood himself up. He rubbed away some of his tears and walked over to me. "O-okay. I'm ready to go." I slowly grabbed his hand, and smiled. Not my normal, fake joking smile. A real, sincere smile. "We'll get him back for you." He nodded. I raised my hand, and snapped my fingers, looking at Mario one last time.
I once hated that man. I once hated everything. How could I change so much. How did Luigi do it?? When I first joined him all I cared about was getting this over with and going my own way, but now...I really did want to help him.
We met back up with Daisy. She was waiting behind the castle.
......
I could hear the sound of calm water.
"There you two are. I was worried I'd get caught waiting for you." She immediately saw Luigi's heartbroken expression and changed her tone. "Whoa, Luigi? Are you alright?" He nodded. "I'm fine. Let's get this key." He pulled out the small key and sighed. "So....where's the entrance?"
Slow, flowing water. I shuddered.
Daisy expression shifted. Luigi looked a little confused. "Daisy...where is it?" She looked to the side. Surrounding the Princess's castle was a river. I stepped back.
Water....river...... Memories of the river of Twygz flooded my mind. I froze, but she didn't seem to notice.
"Well, the entrance needs to be unlocked from down there. Under the water. Then it'll rise up here and we can pass. We just need someone to swim down and open it." Luigi nodded. "Alright. So who's gonna go?"
Skeletal hands grabbing at me, trying to drown me.
Daisy looked slightly uneasy. "Well....this is a little embarrassing....I can't exactly swim. I've lived most of my life in Sarasaland, and out in the desert there aren't many places to swim."
Trapped, alone, with nothing but the sound of calm, flowing water over my head.
The water....it was a murky blue color. I took another step back. "Can't I just teleport us inside??" I asked, trying to hide the fear in my voice. Why was I feeling so afraid all the sudden?
Daisy shook her head. "These doors won't let you do that, remember?" I nodded. "Right, RightRightRight. Right!"
Luigi looked over at me. "Dim? Are you okay?" I nodded a little to quickly. "Yeah! I'm fine! I'm fine!"
The stream was moving slowly. Just like the river of Twygz. Who knew what was down there.
I spent who knows how long down there. There was no way to keep track of time. Just sitting there, wasting away. Being forgotten. No human interaction. Just the sound of rushing water.
"I can go." Luigi offered. I teleported in front of him and grabbed his hand. "NO! DON'T!" He seemed a little shocked. "Dim? What's gotten into you?" I floated back a few feet, bringing my hands to my masked face. "Don't go in. You're going to get stuck down there. You can't go." He slowly approached me. He seemed to know what was going on. "Dim, hey, look at me. This isn't the River of Twygz."
I sat down, hands over my face. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm acting like this." He took my hand. "Do YOU want to go?" My eyes squeezed shut. "No. No no no no." The thought of swimming in that blue, murky water made me sick. I began to breath heavily.
He nodded. "Okay. Then I have to go. Don't worry. I'll be fine."
I started breathing faster. Why was I acting this way?
Luigi didn't move. He stayed there, trying to comfort me. "Dim. Look at me. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Shhhh, everything's alright."
I looked up and met his eyes. "Don't go."
Luigi smiled, then walked over to Daisy. I hugged myself, and dropped to my knees. Why was my stomach hurting so badly. Is this what a panic attack felt like. "No, don't go. Don't."
Luigi POV
He was being triggered by the water. I had never seen Dim look so afraid. He was clearly having a panic attack. I'd stay up here with him, but Daisy couldn't swim. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner he won't have to worry. I walked over to her. I could hear him muttering, "No, don't go. Don't." But I had to. I whispered to her, "I need you to make sure he's okay. I'm gonna open the door."
I looked back at him. He was breathing heavily and holding his stomach. He looked like he was making himself sick. I wanted nothing more than to help him, but I knew that by getting this done faster, I'd be helping him. I smiled, then dove in. I could hear him scream, "NO! LUIGI, COME BACK!" Just as I jumped.
I swam down. Down down down. The water wasn't clear. It was murky. But that was alright. I eventually got to the bottom. I had to hurry, because I was running out of air.
I took the small key we got from Mario's room out. There was the door, standing in front of me. All I had to do was unlock it and it would rise up to the surface.
I looked at the key for a second. Mario....I missed him so much. Yeah, I had Dim and Daisy, but it wasn't the same. I desperately wanted him back. I needed him back. I took the key and tried placing it in the keyhole.
I was running out of air. I needed to hurry.
I accidentally dropped the key. Oh no. I quickly searched the floor. The sand was covering it up, but I was able to find it. I only wasted a few seconds.
Air, I needed air.
The world began to fade. Blackness was surrounding my vision. My lungs felt like they were going to explode. But I had to do this.
I unlocked the door. Yes! The door quickly shot up.
Now, all I had to do was swim back to the surface.
I began to make my way up, when I saw a small plant wrapped itself around my ankle.
Oh no.
I frantically moved my leg, trying to make it come loose, but I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough. I tried calling for help, but the water muffled my cries.
I began to feel a panic arise. I desperately tried grabbing the vine.
But I needed air. I was out of air.
A calm, peaceful feeling washed over me....then the world seemed to go dark.
Dimentio POV
I watched as he jumped in. "NO!" I screamed. Daisy ran over to me and tried to calm me. "Hey, hey, don't worry. It'll be okay." I pushed her aside. "DON'T TREAT ME LIKE A CHILD!" I stood up and began frantically pacing in the air. Back and forth, back and forth.
Water rushing.
Skeletal hands, grabbing.
Drowning.
Crying.
Trapped.
I wanted to take Luigi, and get as far away from that water as possible. That's all I could think about.
Daisy grabbed my foot and pulled me down so we were standing face to face. "Hey, listen to me. He's going to be alright."
I shook my head. It has already been 45 seconds. How long could he hold his breath for?
What if he drowned?? I'd lose both him and L. I'd be alone again. I can't lose him.
We heard a loud noise, and both looked over. "The door!" I cried out, tears of joy flooding my face. She smiled. "See, I knew he'd do it!"
But....where was Luigi?
I looked around. He hadn't come up yet. I slowly approached the murky water to see if I could see him, but immediately ran back. I didn't want to be anywhere near it.
She seemed to also be a little concerned. She stepped forward. "I don't see him..." She told me, a hint of fear in her voice.
I sat down, holding my hands to my head. "Oh, no no no! They got him! The skeletal hands, they drowned him! He's gonna drown, he's gonna drown! He-" She quickly slapped my face. "SNAP OUT OF IT, THERE ARE NO SKELETAL HANDS DOWN THERE, M'KAY?"
She was right. She was right. I looked up at her. There was no point in hiding the fear in my eyes. I was already freaking out.
He wasn't coming up. I looked at the water. The sounds of the rushing river made me shiver.
He wasn't coming up. We both knew what had to happen.
Daisy's voice began to shake. "I can't swim."
I nodded. I could swim. But, no. I couldn't go in. I couldn't. I looked up at her. "I can't do it." I whispered. She looked at me, with those powerful blue eyes.
"Please. You can't just let him die."
I wouldn't let him die. I could save him this time. I would save him this time.
I slowly nodded. She took my shaking hands, and let me towards the river.
I looked down at the murky blue water. It wasn't purple. It was blue. My heart was beating fast, my breathing, heavy. "You can do it." She told me. She slowly let go of my hand. I felt a panic rise in me, but I pushed it down. I didn't have much time.
Luigi could already be dead for all I know. I didn't have time to freak out about this.
I nodded, took a breath, and dove in.
I had to use all my will power to prevent myself from screaming out and wasting air. I hated the feeling of water all around me. The water above me, water below me, it was everywhere. I wanted to close my eyes and make it all go away, but Luigi was somewhere down here.
I kept swimming down. I could feel myself shaking. I already felt out of breath.
Then, I saw him. He was floating there, at the bottom of the river. It was unsettling. He didn't look good. I quickly swam down to him and grabbed his waste. I tried pulling him up, but something was caught on his foot.
I needed air, but I couldn't go up to get some. If I left him down here, he'd drown. Maybe it was already to late. I couldn't even tell.
I swam down a little. One thing I was horrible at was using my magic while in the water. The water often messed it up, blocking or muffling it, but I had to do this. I wouldn't be able to just teleport us both out, but maybe I could summon a knife and cut this plant. I concentrated everything I had, and snapped my fingers.
A small, sharp black knife appeared in my hand. I was about to let out a sigh of relief, but I remembered I was underwater. I quickly cut the plant, then grabbed his waste and swam upward.
I made it to the surface, and took a deep breath. I had Luigi with me. I could see Daisy's worried expression. I swam to the side and pulled us both out of the water. I collapsed onto my arms and knees, coughing and shaking. "Is....is he okay?" I asked, squeezing the water out of my clothes. I hated that. I hated that so much. The feeling of water all around me gave me chills. Daisy checked him.
"He's not breathing..." She said. My eyes went wide and I crawled over. I began to shake his shoulders. "Luigi?? Luigi?? Listen to me, you have to wake up. Please." Daisy stood up. "I-I don't know what to do! What do we do?? She asked. I closed my eyes.
I didn't just swim all the way down there only to lose him anyway.
"Step back. I've never done this before." I told her. She took a step back. I closed my eyes and waved my hands over him. "What are you doing??" She asked, before I shushed her. I had to focus. "I'm giving him some of my life force."
She shook her head. "What?! You can do that?!?" I nodded, not taking my eyes off of him. "How long is the average human life span?" I asked. She shrugged. "Umm, 80 years or something." I nodded. "He's about 25 I think, so if I give him an extra 70 would that be good?" Her eyes went wide. "Wait, you can just GIVE life?!?" I smirked, still focusing on Luigi. "Pfft, no. I'm taking these years off of MY life and giving it to him."
She seemed to stunned to even grasp what I was saying. "Y-your life, what?! How old are you?!? You look 20!" I shrugged. "I'm way older than 20. Now shush. I need to focus."
Once I was finished, I nearly had collapsed in exhaustion.
I looked over at him. I was on my knees, sitting next to him..
"Luigi?" I asked.
....
He suddenly started coughing. He spat water up at me. Daisy laughed. I shook the water off of me. "You could have done that in the other direction," I muttered, smiling like an idiot.
He was okay!
I pulled him up into a hug. "Don't do that again." He was still coughing. I'm pretty sure I was still shaking. "Are....you hugging me? Did you dive in and save me?" He asked. I slowly nodded. "Yes. And I hated it. Never make me do it again." He smiled and hugged back. "You...you really did that. I'm so proud of you, Dim."
I smiled back. My heart was still beating fast. We all turned and looked over at the door. I picked myself up.
Daisy ran over and hugged him as well. "You scared me Luigi!" I could see him blush a little.
Wait, he was blushing?
Oh no, he liked her back, didn't he.
....it doesn't matter. He's not L. He's just my best friend. I don't care.
He looked up at her. I saw their eyes meet. There was obviously a connection happening between the two. What was this feeling? It couldn't be jealousy. I don't care. I don't care. I shook my head and snapped my fingers, grabbing their attention. "Shall we move onward?" I asked, gesturing at the door. Luigi picked himself up and nodded.
"Yes. Onward."