Dimentio found it very hard to keep up. He didn't want to take any breaks because he didn't want Luigi to notice his weaker condition, but it was apparent that Luigi noticed anyhow. About every fifteen steps Luigi would stop and turn around, waiting for Dimentio to catch up.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Luigi asked, stopping again so Dimentio could catch up to him.

"Positive," Dimentio breathed. "Sorry. My feet just hurt."

Not a lie. His feet DID indeed hurt. He just failed to mention how everything else hurt as well. Luigi nodded at Dimentio, then held his arm out, gesturing for Dimentio to come to him. "Well, then come here. Let me help."

Dimentio was going to protest and continued walking forward while claiming that he was fine, but he really wasn't fine. So he slowly trudged over towards Luigi, being careful with his steps so he didn't trip. As soon as Dimentio was close enough, Luigi turned around and kneeled down, holding his arms out. "I'll carry you the rest of the way. That way you won't hurt your feet."

Dimentio frowned briefly, letting out a sigh. "You don't have to do that. I can walk-"

"No, you can't. And it's no big deal. You weigh like, two pounds. Just quit wasting time and accept the help."

Dimentio stilled for a moment. He wanted to walk. He wanted to be strong enough to make it. He didn't want to need help.

But... Luigi was right. He didn't have time for this. So, he sighed and grabbed Luigi's shoulders, allowing the man in green to lift him up and give him a piggy-back ride.

Luigi adjusted his grip, then happily started forward while Dimentio closed his eyes and rested the side of his head on Luigi's right shoulder, trying his best not to fall asleep.

He couldn't go to sleep yet. He had to stay awake and alert for as long as possible.

"You're breathing heavily," Luigi noted as he walked. "And your heart is beating really fast. Are you okay?"

Luigi wasn't sure why he asked. He already knew what Dimentio was going to say.

"I'm fine," Dimentio replied, just as Luigi suspected.

Luigi nodded in response. Of course, he didn't truly believe Dimentio anymore, but he also knew that if Dimentio didn't want to tell him something, he wouldn't. Trying to force Dimentio to speak was essentially pointless.

Dimentio noted how calm this scene was. The forest was quiet and getting dark. The night air was not quite cold yet, but not blazing hot either. It would have been easy to fall asleep, but he didn't want that.

"Can... can you talk?" Dimentio asked quietly.

He wanted words to focus on so he wouldn't fall asleep.

"Huh?" Luigi asked.

"Can you talk, please?" Dimentio repeated, adding the please to the end as if it was a cherry on top of an ice cream Sunday.

"Um... okay," Luigi awkwardly chuckled. "About what?"

It didn't really matter. Dimentio just wanted words to focus on so his mind wouldn't drift off. He wanted something to listen to and stay awake for. Something to keep his mind alert.

"Life," Dimentio answered. "Tell me about your life."

"My life? Okay then," Luigi smiled, sighing and looking up. "What do you want to hear about?"

"Everything."

Luigi chuckled, then began explaining. He explained where he came from and who he was as a kid. How he and his brother had always been there for each other, looking out for one another and sticking together. He explained all the friendships he made wherever he went, he explained his relationships with his best friends, his relationship with the community, and how connected he was to the world around him.

He talked about how he loved the differences in everyone around him. There were some people who were almost polar opposites of him, but that didn't make him like them any less. It was an impressive skill in Dimentio's eyes. To stand to be around people with different views. But Luigi said that there was more to people than their goals. Everyone had their own stories and no one was purely evil. He talked about how he had even seen the rest of Team Bleck once or twice when visiting Flipside, claiming that they were all doing fairly well.

Dimentio smiled as Luigi spoke of his closest friends, talking about how fun it was to be around Daisy's competitive spirit and how he knew he'd never beat her at any of the sporting games they'd play, but how he'd still try and give it his all, despite the odds.

"You're so connected," Dimentio quietly noted, blinking tiredly.

"Hmm?" Luigi hummed in response.

"You. You're so connected to the world around you. You're connected to all these people, all these places," Dimentio described, closing his eyes. "I suppose... I'm jealous. I wish I had those kinds of connections."

To this, Luigi softly smiled, turning his head to the right so he could see Dimentio out of the corner of his eye.

"You're connected to me."

For some strange reason, hearing that made Dimentio suddenly feel a sense of security. He wasn't sure if it was because Luigi was confirming that he made at least somewhat of a mark on the world, or if it was just because he was no longer disconnected from everything. Even if he was only connected by a weak thread that could snap at any moment, it was nice to hear someone say he was connected.

But he still had to make a mark within himself.

"Thanks..." Dimentio trailed off as Luigi made his way to the creek. Instead of kicking his shoes off and walking in the water, he continued walking up and along the side of the creek.

Dimentio frowned, then raised his head. "You can put me down now. I can walk."

Luigi halted, then attempted to look back at him, a slightly worried expression in his eyes. "Are you sure? It's no problem, really-"

"I'm sure," Dimentio stated.

So, Luigi kneeled down, setting him down. As soon as Dimentio's feet felt the ground, he slowly stepped into the water. He didn't roll up his pants or kick off his shoes, but he didn't mind. He was sure he'd kick himself over it later, but he didn't have time to care about the future anymore. He only had time to live in the present.

"What are you doing? I thought your feet hurt," Luigi exclaimed as Dimentio slowly stepped into the middle of the creek, then held his left hand out to Luigi as if inviting him in.

"I'm walking in the water. Clearly. Care to join?" Dimentio asked, trying to imitate Luigi's soft, gentle smile. It was a different smile from the one he used to wear. This one felt far more real. It felt less like a mask to hide behind and more like a true expression.

Luigi waited a moment, squinting as if he was trying to figure Dimentio out. Trying to figure out why he was acting differently.

When it became apparent that Luigi wouldn't be joining him, Dimentio shrugged and stepped forward, nearly tripping as he did since he didn't think to himself how much heavier the water would make his shoes. Luigi quickly rushed in, grasping Dimentio's arms so he wouldn't fall, not even taking the time to take his shoes off either.

"Whoa, hey now, easy," Luigi said as Dimentio tried to regain his balance, feeling a small hint of embarrassment from needing to be saved like that. He blinked a few times, looking up at Luigi, then nervously laughing.

"Sorry," was all he could say. "I suppose I'm not used to walking after so many years of flying."

"That would have been a good excuse about three months ago. But I've seen you walk. You've been acting weird. You haven't eaten as much and you're losing weight. You're not sick, are you?"

Dimentio felt chills run up and down his spine as the word sick left Luigi's mouth. He didn't like hearing other people say it. "No, no. I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"Yeah, you say that a lot, which makes me nervous," Luigi trailed off, not letting go of Dimentio's arm, even after he found his balance. It was almost like he was afraid Dimentio would fall over and shatter at any moment.

"I'm really fine," Dimentio lied, using a tone that was almost believable, coming from him. It was one of those manipulative nice voices that anyone could fall for.

Luigi's eyes softened briefly, then he shrugged, still holding tightly onto Dimentio's arms. "Okay..." he muttered, though he didn't sound quite sure of himself.

It was silent for a while as they walked to the waterfall. Dimentio was slow still, but he wasn't as worried about his slow speed being noticeable because he was in the water now, so he had an excuse for being slow. His shoes felt soggy, but he didn't care. It felt weird, but not a bad kind of weird. It was more of a new kind of weird feeling.

Once they made it, they both silently stepped out of the water and sat down on the grass, just looking at the waterfall.

"You know... Nastasia likes waterfalls," Luigi said, interrupting the peaceful silence.

Dimentio furrowed his eyebrows slightly then looked to Luigi, not verbally replying, but looking as if he was confused. So, Luigi elaborated. "I saw her not long ago. I didn't tell you I was going to Flipside because... I don't know, I kinda assumed you wouldn't want to know I guess... but I saw her. She has a lot of waterfall books and pictures. They aren't her favorite thing or anything, but she likes them. Did you know that?"

Dimentio thought to himself for a moment, searching his memories to see if he did know that. But the truth was, he didn't. He hardly knew anything about Nastasia besides the fact that she was unbearably strict when it came to scheduling and she had an undying loyalty to the Count.

"...No," He admitted, feeling guilty.

He then started thinking about his time back at Castle Bleck. Back then he had a real home. He was surrounded by people who thought he was one of them. He had his own little community. Sure, it was built upon lies, but it was there. It was a horrible place, but it was safe. Back when he lived there he wasn't dying.

"I miss it," he breathed quietly, looking down at his hands which were situated on his lap.

"Huh?" Luigi asked, looking over at Dimentio.

Dimentio just sat there, his eyes slightly wider than before, as if he was just realizing.

"I miss it," he repeated, softer now. "Castle Bleck. Nastasia, Mimi, O'Chunks, you, the Count, I miss them all. I miss the way things were..."

"Really?" Luigi asked. "But I thought earlier you said-"

"I know what I said," Dimentio interrupted. "I... I meant what I said too. But I miss it now. I miss home. I... I want to go back," he breathed, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

He was failing, however. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so emotional all of the sudden.

"I..." he said, swallowing and trying to hold in the tears he could feel forming. "I want to go home. I want to go back and see everyone. But I can't. I left that life behind. I can never go back."

"Hey, shh..." Luigi told him, scooting closer and wrapping an arm around Dimentio's shoulder in a soothing manner. "Where's this coming from?"

"I don't know," Dimentio muttered, bowing his head and closing his eyes, which was a lie. He knew exactly where it was coming from. It was coming from the fact that even though he hated living at Castle Bleck, he wasn't sick and dying. He wanted to go back to that time in his life when everything felt so secure and safe. He wanted that feeling back.

Luigi's eyes softened, not because he understood, but because he couldn't fix this. He couldn't just take Dimentio back to Nastasia, because what Dimentio had said was true. He couldn't go back, he left that life behind. It must have been awful, not being able to ever make up with the people who used to be closest to him. But, knowing Nastasia, she'd never forgive Dimentio for what he did. Neither would O'Chunks or Mimi. They all moved on, without Dimentio.

He could never go back. Not after what he did.

"I'm sorry," Luigi told him because it was all he could offer. He couldn't offer a solution. All he could do was let Dimentio know that he was still there.

"No, I'm sorry," Dimentio corrected, softly sniffling while looking down and avoiding any sort of eye contact. "For- For everything."

"Dimentio..."

"I'm leaving in a few days, and I still don't know what I'm doing," Dimentio sniffled. "I still can't make a mark on myself like you said. I just feel so... I don't even know. I don't feel like anything!"

"Hey, listen," Luigi said, taking his arm off Dimentio's shoulders and scooting so he was kneeling in front of Dimentio. He then reached forward, grabbing Dimentio's left hand and placing it over Dimentio's chest where his heart was. Dimentio frowned slightly, looking up at Luigi with tears in his eyes.

"Feel that?" Luigi asked.

"Your hand?" Dimentio muttered.

"No, your heartbeat. Do you feel that?" Luigi clarified.

Dimentio shivered for a moment, then nodded. He did feel it. It was weak and fast, though, beating as if he had just run a mile. He didn't like it. The quick beating stressed him out, reminding him of how weak he was.

"That's called purpose. That's living proof of your mark within yourself. You're alive and you're here for a reason, okay? You just have to realize that." Luigi told him, softly smiling and letting go.

Dimentio just sat there with his hand remaining over his heart, staring at Luigi. He didn't know how to act or what to say, but it was almost as if he was seeing something he didn't see before.

"What is it?" Luigi asked after a moment, lightly smiling a slightly confused, crooked smile.

"Nothing," Dimentio quickly replied, looking away, which was odd, because it felt like everything.

"Okay," Luigi shrugged, turning away and looking back at the waterfall. "I never believe you when you say that though-"

"I like you."