Days and weeks continued to pass. Dimentio was hesitant about going outside, but Luigi was somehow able to still get him out every once in a while. Most days they wouldn't talk much, other days it would be completely random topics.

However, it was these random topics that Dimentio enjoyed talking about most. The meaningless words were the ones that somehow felt the most meaningful.

Despite Dimentio and Mario's advice, Luigi had still yet to ask Daisy out, saying that it just didn't feel right yet. He'd always say, "maybe later."

Whenever the man in green had said that Dimentio couldn't help but be jealous over the fact that Luigi had a "later" to wait for.

He wasn't sure what to do about the whole dying situation. He wasn't any closer to finding a solution. Some days he even found himself thinking that there wasn't one. He had snuck into the library with Luigi one night and got as many books as he could on the magic of the gods, but everything he had read had gotten him nowhere.

Sometimes, he would tell himself to accept the fact that there were no solutions. Queen Jaydes' word was word. He was sick and dying. Sometimes he could feel it in his stomach. On those days he would have less hope. However, on other days he would feel fine. Actually, there were days when he felt great and healthier than ever. On those days he would have hope, telling himself that miracles could happen. Maybe he could still find a way. There was still time.

Time moved too quickly though. He would keep wasting time telling himself he had time. He hated even thinking about the ticking timer he had because whenever he did he would get that feeling of panic, and he didn't want to waste any time being panicked.

"Hey, Dimentio," Luigi said that day around 6:30. It was after he had finished cleaning, but the sun was still out due to it being summer.

Dimentio didn't verbally reply, but instead looked up from his book on Jaydes and her magic, pausing his search for a solution to hear out whatever the man in green had to say. Luigi then grabbed his arm as he usually did, (a tight enough grip to make sure Dimentio couldn't escape, but not quite tight enough to actually hurt him,) and pulled him outside. "We're doing something special today."

That was slightly off-putting. Dimentio had assumed that every other place was special, so what made this one so different?

Luigi headed west, in a similar direction as the meadow, but not following the exact same path. He walked slower this time as if he was taking more time to notice his surroundings. The summer heat was increasing as the later months began to come. The trees seemed ever so slightly less vibrant than they were when Dimentio had first arrived, but they were still bright green and full of life. The flowers were also different. Some had already died because their time had come. Their season was over. However, others were just starting to bloom. A variety of red and yellow flowers were what Dimentio mainly saw on this walk.

"The flowers are different," Dimentio noted.

"Yep! That's what happens as time goes on," Luigi lightly laughed as if it was nothing. But it wasn't nothing. The fact that the flowers were changing showed that Dimentio was running out of time. He wished he could just freeze everything. He wished he could see the flowers from before. It almost hurt knowing he'd probably never see them again.

Luigi didn't take him out of the shade of the trees and into a meadow or anything this time. Instead, he trekked deeper into the woods until he found that shallow creek that Dimentio first arrived in when he came back into this world. Dimentio shivered slightly, seeing as the location looked nearly the same, but also slightly different. He didn't like how the plants surrounding the area had changed ever so slightly.

Luigi then let go, kicked off his shoes, put them in his backpack, rolled up his pant legs, and stepped into the water, turning and holding his hand out to Dimentio as if he was inviting him to join.

"Ah ha ha ha, no. No thanks," Dimentio told him, taking a step and holding his hands up. "Getting my feet cold and wet is not on my list of things I would like to do today."

Luigi lightly chuckled then shrugged. "Fine. Go the boring way," he teased, walking forward. Dimentio rolled his eyes, then followed him upstream, staying along the side of the creek instead of walking in it. Luigi was walking slightly slower now that he was in the water to his ankles, so Dimentio found it even easier to keep up. In fact, Luigi was almost moving too slowly now. It felt nice not to be the one falling behind.

The two continued heading upstream for what felt like an eternity. The creek seemed surprisingly steady and shallow, still noticeably flowing, but it was rather calm. The floor of it was mostly solid stone beside the occasional pebble. It was clear that it didn't hurt to walk on, but Dimentio still didn't follow. It was getting chilly outside as the sun was slowly lowering itself closer and closer to the horizon line and Dimentio didn't want to walk back with wet feet. Putting his shoes back on would surely be a hassle.

They continued walking for what seemed like another eternity, both miraculously staying silent the whole time. Luigi didn't try to start a conversation and Dimentio didn't complain about the seemingly infinite amount of walking they were doing, (or, he didn't complain out loud at least.) The sun had just set, giving the forest a faint glow as the world had not quite gone dark yet. That's when they finally arrived.

"We made it!" Luigi said, gesturing to a medium-sized waterfall in front of them, which fell into a dark blue pool of water that would eventually flow forward into the lovely little creek Luigi was walking in. "Just in time. Dusk is the best time to see it because the water seems to glow!"

Luigi was right. The water was a light blue/purple color and it did look like it was almost glowing. The pool at the bottom of the falls reminded Dimentio of a sapphire gem, so shiny and clear. Though the water below the falls was significantly deeper (at least fifteen feet, if Dimentio had to guess,) he could still see the bottom. If it were mid-day, this would likely be the perfect swimming hole.

Dimentio blinked a few times, then frowned. "Is... is this natural?" He asked.

It looked so beautiful that it had to have been fake. Water couldn't be that blue, and the waterfall couldn't be that perfectly sculpted by nature! It had to have been man-made or something.

"Yep! No one except me even knows about it!" Luigi chimed. He lightly smiled, looking at the water as if mesmerized by it. "If you wait for the stars to come out, you can see their reflection in the river. And if you walk in it, it's like you're walking in the sky."

Luigi then sat on the shore but allowed his feet to remain submerged in the water. Dimentio was surprised that he was able to even walk in the water at night. What if it was too dark and he tripped, completely falling in? He would freeze!

"I actually found this all the day after I got home from the whole... after the Ultimate Show," Luigi said. "I... back then I was feeling pretty messed up. And worse, no one would stop talking about it. Everyone was constantly crowding me and asking me what it was like. I really needed to escape everything that had happened. So... I came out here, found the creek, and walked until I found this," Luigi smiled.

Dimentio paused, thinking about everything that had happened. Luigi had seemed to avoid the topic of the Ultimate Show, especially when Dimentio was around. This may have been the first time the man in green brought it up.

Dimentio then looked down at the ground. "... I know Mario still thinks about it a lot. Do you?"

Luigi looked back at him with an expression that Dimentio couldn't really read. He too waited a moment, then softly smiled and looked at the water again. "Don't tell Mario, but yes."

Dimentio's chest tightened. He wasn't sure why something inside burned when that was said.

"... How often?" Dimentio asked next.

"Pretty often," Luigi answered. "I mean.... The whole fusion feeling is pretty unforgettable. It was almost like I was a part of you for a moment. I could feel you, which was weird because you never showed any emotion. But... I could feel you. I could tell that you were scared. I think about that a lot."

Dimentio remained silent, feeling nervous over the fact that Luigi could feel him during the fusion. He honestly thought that the fear he was feeling during the Ultimate Show was from Luigi, not himself. During that entire event, he couldn't even tell who's feelings belonged to who.

"I really love nature, if you couldn't tell," Luigi continued, knowing that Dimentio wasn't likely to reply. Dimentio was however silently grateful for the topic change. "It's not only an escape from everything else, but it's just so lively. It's kinda the reason I love wearing green so much. Nature is just... so alive."

So alive.

Dimentio softly smiled at that analogy, looking around. Even in the dark, he could see that everything was still living. He could hear the sounds of the forest coming to life, even after the sun had gone.

"...Are you afraid of death?" Dimentio asked.

Luigi immediately shrugged, as if this wasn't some sort of deep question regarding a very real fear that shouldn't be taken lightly.

"Nah," He said. "I mean... It happens to everyone, right? So what's there to be afraid of? I'd rather spend my time living than spend it being afraid of dying, you know?"

Dimentio nodded, trying to take those words in. He understood them, but how could someone just turn off their fears? How could he just ignore the impending doom that was getting closer and closer? Sometimes hope for a solution would cover the fear, but most days he would go to bed afraid.

A part of him really did want to tell Luigi what was happening. Why he was there. He wanted to say that he was dying and that he needed to find a solution before it was too late.

But... for some reason, he didn't. Maybe it was because he thought he could get more out of these three months if he said nothing. He wasn't sure. Or maybe he could find a way to fix this without ever worrying Luigi. That would be the ideal plan.

"I've been meaning to ask..." Luigi trailed off. "Do you ever miss how things were? Back at Castle Bleck, I mean?"

"No." Dimentio immediately replied, which somewhat shocked him. He didn't think he'd respond that quickly.

But it was the truth. Back at Castle Bleck, all that was ever on his mind was the fact that the Count was a filthy traitor and the fact that he had to live his life in secrecy, working against his teammates the entire time. He was never happy because he trusted no one, and never could let his guard down. One of the best things about this entire situation was the fact that he left that life behind.

"Okay then," Luigi shrugged. "I mean... you don't even miss it a little bit?"

"Nope," Dimentio repeated. "I had to hide everything. My face, my personality, my name-"

"What do you mean by that?" Luigi interrupted, taking his feet out of the water and spinning himself around so he was fully facing Dimentio now, sitting criss-cross. "We all knew your name."

"No you didn't," Dimentio shrugged, half smiling.

Luigi's eyes slowly went wide as he realized. "Wait a minute... your name ISN'T Dimentio??" He gasped.

"Ah, you've got me pegged," Dimentio sarcastically replied. "You know my secret now. Whatever shall I do?"

"TELL ME!" Luigi exclaimed, sounding giddy almost like a child on Christmas morning. "You gotta tell me your real name! Does anyone know??"

"No, and it's going to stay that way," Dimentio replied, really smiling now.

Luigi crossed his arms and pouted in a childish manner that made Dimentio laugh.

"Come on, now I'm gonna be wondering for the rest of my life," Luigi breathed.

Dimentio lightly smiled, then shrugged. "You know what... maybe someday I'll get bored and tell you."

Luigi's eyes lit up with hope, and Dimentio laughed.

But a small part inside him really did feel bad, knowing that he would be gone before that day ever came.