Dimentio POV
Luigi was really happy. He got the last key. He grabbed my hand and we started making our way back. He wouldn't stop talking about how exciting this was.
I hated that last room. The terrified look on Luigi's face when we fought Super Dimentio. It only reminded me of everything I've done. And even worse, it probably reminded Luigi of everything I've done. I hope he knows that I wont do it again.
I wont do it again, right?
Ugh. Why was I feeling so conflicted? I guess it's because I didn't want to say goodbye to him. I've thought about asking him if I could stay once he freed Mario....but they'd never accept me. Mario hates me for what I've done to Luigi. Not to mention everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom.
I don't even know what's going to happen once this ends. Luigi seems to only care about freeing Mario, but what about after that? We're both wanted. He won't be able to show his face back home without someone trying to turn him in.
At least I'll hopefully have L.
And that's another thing. I don't know if I'm ready to see L again. He might still have hard feelings, not that I blame him.
Life had just gotten so simple. I was use to being on the run with Luigi and Daisy. I don't want to to end yet.....but everything has to end eventually. I was foolish to let my guard down and get this attached.
....But I'm glad I did.
Being out here with Luigi, it actually makes me happy.
He actually makes me happy. Just like L did. Only now I realize that.
Why did I have to blow L up?? Why did I only realize how happy he made me once he was gone?
"Dimentio?" Luigi asked me. I looked up at him. "Are you...okay? You look deep in thought." Ah, Luigi was giving me that concerned look. He was so good at checking up on everyone. Always putting others first. "Yeah. I'm good. Just, excited about having all four keys." "Oh. Well, you don't sound very excited." I laughed. "Please. I'm as excited as a child on Christmas morning."
He smiled and shook his head at my simile. I looked forward. We made our way back though the Maze. I had basically memorized where we came from, so getting back was not a problem. We made our way to Daisy.
She was still holding back toad guards. Only one remained. I chuckled. "You're still fighting them??"
Daisy was sweating. The toad she was fighting seemed to be a female, and the captain of that toad team. She was holding Daisy down on the ground as she spoke into a small device. It looked like a radio. "Backup! Requesting backup! I have eyes on the man and the clown!"
I crossed my arms. "We have names you know. How rude of you not to use them." Daisy rolled her eyes. "GUYS, HELP ME OUT WILL YA?"
The toad captain pushed Daisy aside, and headed towards me. "I was never told your names. I'm Toadette, and I'm placing you two under arrest under the Order of Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom." Luigi and I exchanged glances, before I burst out laughing. "Oh yeah? You and what army?" She clenched her fists. "I am the leader of the Princess's army. I don't need anyone else to take a bunch of criminals down."
She pulled out a taser. Luigi began to sweat nervously. The last time he was hit with one, it knocked him out for a while. Daisy quickly scrambled up and stepped in front of him, causing Toadette to laugh. "Don't worry, I was informed not to cause harm to the man. This is for the clown." She looked at me.
In this room my magic was already being limited, so why did she feel the need to even use this. I stepped back. Last time the taser knocked out my magic for a really long time. Who knew how long it would be out if I got hit again. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's put the taser down. No need to use it. I can't even use my magic in here!"
I wish the room was bigger. Daisy stood over on the other side of the room, protecting Luigi. Seriously, Toadette wasn't even going for him! Playing favorites I see, like always.
I wish I had my magic. All I could do was step back. I found myself in a corner. I could try throwing a punch, but I was never very strong. Yes, I was powerful when to came to Magic, but physical strength was never my strong suit.
"I'm sorry. But it'll be easier to detain you if I use this. Nothing personal," Toadette smiled. I could tell she was going to take joy in doing this. I glared back. "I doubt the sincerity of your apology," She flipped the switch, activating the taser. Luigi quickly yelled, "DAISY, HELP HIM!" I saw her nod, and run over.
She used the handle of her sword to hit the top of Toadette's head, knocking her out. But...she was too late by just a fraction of a second. Toadette had already used the stupid taser on me. I dropped to my knees and held my stomach in pain.
"You couldn't have done that a second earlier??" I asked. Daisy kneeled down next to me. "Hey, I was protecting him. Don't act like you wouldn't have done the same." I looked away and grunted in pain. She was right. If our roles were swapped, I would have 100% stayed over by Luigi and protected him, even if he was in less danger.
She roller her eyes and picked me up. "Wow. You're so light!" I tried squirming loose. "Hey, put me down!" She shook her head. "No. Look at you, you're clearly in pain. It'll be easier this way."
Ugh. I'm sure Daisy was only doing all this to impress Luigi, or to make me look like a fool. She did rather enjoy making me look stupid.
Luigi looked around. There were a bunch of knocked out toads on the ground, some with darts sticking out of them. "We have to give them the antidote." He said. Daisy looked over at him, me still in her arms. I was NOT enjoying this. I felt like a child. "What? Why," She asked. Luigi ran over and started giving the antidote to the toads. "Because they could die. We have to help them."
I smiled. Luigi, always the softy. Daisy and I watched as he gave each of the fallen toads an injection. Then he got to Toadette. "Was she hit?" He asked Daisy. Daisy shook her head. "No. She didn't get hit by any darts. I watched her basically use all the other toads as human shields." Luigi nodded.
"Okay, how how do we get back?" I looked around, then lifted my hand, pointing to a sign. "Read that for me please." Luigi walked over and read it.
"For the return trip, just press this button and the darts will deactivate momentarily." He looked behind the sign and sure enough, there was a button. He pressed it, then started speed walking down the hall. "Quick! I'm not sure how long we'll have before they turn back on"
Daisy trailed behind him, with me still in her arms. "Seriously, how are you so light?" She asked me. I shrugged. "Quit talking about my weight and pay attention." She laughed. "I bet it's because you're so short." "Oh, Ah ha ha ha, very funny. Insult my height. You're lucky I don't have my magic right now."
I could see daylight. I heard Luigi yell back at us, "We're almost there!" I looked up and saw Daisy smile. "I can't believe it. We actually have all four keys." She whispered. I whispered back, "Yeah, about that.... I never found out why you were originally searching for the Grey Prognosticus." She looked slightly uneasy. "Uhh, I'll tell you later." I smirked. "Sure you will. You always say that."
We made it outside, only to hear another group of toad guards. "Hurry, the captain called for backup!" We all quickly dove into a bush. I was still in Daisy's arms. Was I really that light? She was acting like it wasn't even difficult for her to carry me. Whatever.
We all hid away and stayed silent until all the toads walked into the door. I let out a sigh of relief. Daisy stood up, me STILL in her arms. Luigi looked over at us. "Dimentio, is your magic back? Can you teleport us away?" I snapped my fingers. "Nope."
Daisy looked slightly annoyed. I smirked. "Well, maybe I'd have my magic if SOMEONE was just a second faster." Daisy rolled her eyes and dropped me. I fell only the ground with a thud. I immediately winced in pain and held my stomach. I wanted to wipe that stupid smile off her face. I saw Luigi shoot her a dirty look. She continued giggling. "What? He told me earlier he wanted down!" I slowly picked myself up, but hunched over in pain. Luigi gave me a concerned look.
"Dimentio? Are you alright?" I nodded. "Yeah. I just hate those stupid tasers. It seems to be worse each time I get hit." He ran up next to me and pulled my arm around his shoulder, propping me up. "It's okay. We just need to hideout until our magic returns. Then we can teleport over and get the book."
Luigi helped me walk. I didn't like having to rely on others to do basic things. It made me feel weak. I was taught at a very young age not to rely on anyone, because people would let you down....but not Luigi. I could always rely on him. I smiled, and we made our way into the woods.
We couldn't go into town, since to many people were there. I didn't like being so close to the Mushroom Kingdom, but what could we do? I couldn't teleport, so we were basically trapped here for the time being.
Third Person POV
A beat up crew of Toads made their way into the Palace. Princess Peach turned around. "What? Captain Toadette, what happened to you??" A beat up captain limped forward, holding her head. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. The criminals, they managed to slip through my fingers." Peach walked down to her. "Nevermind that, we need to get you a medic. Look at you." Toadette held up a hand. "But first, I have to tell you. They weren't alone." Peach raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"There was a girl with them. I could tell by her expensive flower earrings that she was from Sarasaland. I don't know if she stole them or what, but she was helping the two criminals."
Peach looked down. An old friend she knew use to wear flower earrings, but that old friend was gone. She betrayed her trust. "Well, helping them is a serious crime. If we see her again, arrest her as well." Toadette nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."
Dimentio POV
We decided to sleep in shifts. Daisy volunteered for the first shift, but I couldn't sleep. It hurt to much. I'm not usually one to let physical pain stop me, but wow. Today was a pretty rough day. Not to mention the water.
I shuttered just thinking about it. Guess I gotta add that to the list of things I'm afraid of. How fun. I really hope Daisy doesn't make fun of me for it. In a few ways, she kinda reminded me of Mimi. Kinda annoying. But that was a long time ago. I pushed away thoughts of my old teammates. None of them cared about me. They all probably think I'm still dead.
Luigi was the only one asleep. I lied down on my side, looking at him. He looked so peaceful. I looked over at Daisy. She was also watching him.
She had that weird look on her face.
"You really do like him, don't you?" I asked her. She looked over at me, a slightly shocked expression on her face.
"D-Dimentio? I thought you were asleep." I sat up. "Nah. It hurts to much for me to fall asleep."
We sat there silently for a moment, before Luigi started stirring. He appeared to be having a nightmare. We were both use to this by now. He had nightmares often. It was usually best to just let him ride it out instead of accidentally startling him trying to wake him.
I smiled. "You like him." She smirked and shook her head. "No I don't." I laughed. "Wow. You are a terrible liar." She crossed her arms. "I am not!" I smiled. "Well, I've seen the way you two look at each other." I lied back down and looked up at the stars. "I think he likes you too."
There was a green star that caught my eye. Just a random thought.
She leaned back. "....Not nearly as much as he likes you."
I laughed. "What are you talking about?" I could see her look down. "You're honestly hard to read. I can't tell if you like him that way or not." I sat up again. "What??" She smiled. "Come on, the way you freaked out when he went in the river, and then you went down and saved him. I can't tell if you just care about him as a friend or if you're in love with him." I shook my head.
THE AUDACITY.
"Excuse me. We were talking about YOU. Not me. YOU." She smiled. "Oh, come on. You don't even like him a little bit?" I shook my head. "Nope. You got it all wrong." She started laughing. "Then why do you look at him that way?" I shrugged.
"He reminds me of L."
She gave me a condescending look. "Oh. And who's L? Why have I never heard of him?" I sighed and smiled. "Oh, he's the best. Hopefully you'll get to meet him soon."
I didn't really think of that. Once we get the Grey Prognosticus and bring L back, he could meet Daisy. I'm sure the two would get along. They both give off similar vibes. Daisy smiled. "Is that who you like?"
I hesitated before nodding. "Yes."
I've pretty much accepted it now. The fact that I liked him. Daisy leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Well, I can't wait to meet him." I smiled up at the sky. "Yeah...."
I looked over at her again. "Listen, if you like Luigi, that's fine. Just please, don't take him away from me." She looked over at me. "What makes you think I'd take him away from you." I shrugged. "I don't know. It's just....he's all I have. I don't want you two to become a thing and leave me behind." She gave me a small smile. "Oh, come on. This is Luigi we're talking about. He loves you to much. He'd never leave you behind."
I looked over at him. He was shaking. Still having a nightmare. I smiled a small smile. "Yeah...I guess you're right."
I didn't sleep. I pretty much stayed up until my shift started. Daisy fell asleep and I kept watch. Luigi still seemed to be having a nightmare. I sat down next to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. This seemed to calm him for a second.
He looked scared. He was shaking and sweating. Then, he quietly mouthed something.
"Dim, Please."
I stiffened. Did he just....
I took my hand away.
"Dim, Please."
His words kept replaying in my head, over and over. I could feel my hands start to shake, but I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. I gently placed my hand back on his shoulder. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm here. I'm not going to hurt you," I whispered to him. This seemed to put him at ease. I leaned back, and looked at the sky.
That green star caught my eye again.
"Dim, Please."
Those words, were the last words L ever spoke to me.
And here they were, coming out of Luigi's mouth. And the worst part?
He sounded exactly the same. If my eyes were closed, I'm pretty sure I would have thought it was L talking.
But it wasn't. It was Luigi.
He was having a nightmare about me.
Luigi POV
I dreamed a strange dream. This time, I was Mr. L again. I had just been defeated by Mario for the second time. I was feeling.....like a failure.
"I don't know what it is about those guys, but I just can't seem to beat them," I said, feeling defeated.
"Aha ha ha. Did they wound your fragile pride, Mr. L? Demolish your robot again?" A somewhat shocked look spread over my face, but I relaxed when he saw it was Dimentio.
"Oh, it's you again Dimentio. I'm stumped. You'd think a giant robot would be enough to crush these heroes." I turned away, looking somewhat defeated. "I'm a disgrace. There's no way I could show my face to Count Bleck after this." I was hoping he would try to comfort me, because I was his friend.
"Perhaps that is for the best," he said. A slightly hurt, shocked expression spread across my face. What did he just say? He waved his arms, making a minor explosion go off right next to me. My eyes went wide as I jumped back. Was he...attacking me?? "Whoa, Now! Hey! What are you doing?!" "You said it yourself! You can't go back to the count now. So get lost."
I glared back. "Not a funny joke, Dimentio. If I wanted to laugh, your face is inspiration enough!" I had never actually seen his face...but I knew that since he wore a mask, he was probably sensitive about it. He just laughed. "Such temper. Your nostrils, they flare out like the hood of a hissing cobra." I rolled my eyes at his simile. He continued, "I can't have you around the count. If I am rid of you here, I won't be found out." My eyes went wider. "And the others will never find you. Yes, this is my moment to grasp. It's time for you to take your final bow, Mr. L." He waved his arms, trapping me inside a transparent yellow box. I jumped and looked around frantically. "Hey, now! Whoa! What's this? You've lost your mind, Dimentio!" I started banging his fists on the wall. What was he doing?? Was he going to kill me? But we're friends. He's the only person I liked. My only friend. What was he doing?? He smiled. "Ah ha ha ha ha, Shhhhh. Don't worry. It won't be so bad, I promise. I'll send those heroes your way soon, just so you'll have someone to play with."
I looked into his eyes, actually afraid. I didn't know I could feel fear as Mr. L. Was Dimentio really doing this? Why?? Did he really want me gone? Did he really think I was that useless??
"Dim, Please."
He quickly snapped his fingers, and set of a series of explosions inside the box. "Ciao...Mr. L"
I watched as the world exploded around me, and then Mr. L was gone.
My dream then left me in darkness. I think I was shaking. Was that really a memory? Did Dimentio really do that to Mr. L? I mean, I knew he was a bad guy, but Mr. L was his friend. And he betrayed him.
Was he going to do that to me?
I could heard his voice. "Shh, it's okay. I'm here. I'm not going to hurt you."
This put me at ease. I was reminded that he had changed. He was different now. He wouldn't betray me.
Right?
Right.
I trust him.