Dimentio didn't call Luigi up to help him down the stairs after he was done speaking with Mario. He wanted to, but he felt like that would be really sad, to call someone up just so they could help him down. He didn't want to ask Mario for help either because that would feel far too awkward. So he instead took on the challenge alone, tightly grasping the railing with all his strength and slowly taking it one step at a time. He felt a small sense of pride after each and every step he took and found himself thinking about how this could possibly be the last time he ever would walk down those stairs.

"Hey! There you are!" Luigi chimed once Dimentio finally got to the bottom, sweating slightly at the forehead. He looked up at the man in green and let out a small sigh of relief, happy that he made it to the bottom successfully, but slightly saddened that it was over. He was going to miss those stairs.

"Here I am," Dimentio answered as Luigi took his hand and helped him onto his back, walking outside with a smile. Dimentio was grateful that he didn't even have to ask to be carried now, and he was even more grateful that Luigi didn't seem to be questioning why he needed help walking now. Luigi carefully set him down in the go-cart, then sat in front, turning it on with the turn of a key and starting the engine.

"Okay! Onward, to everywhere!" Luigi chimed, driving forward and away from that house.

A small sense of melancholy filled the air as that little house disappeared from sight.

First Luigi drove through the woods, revealing the same sort of beauty. Though the road was bumpy, Dimentio didn't care about the bumps and turns. He didn't care that time was running low. He decided to stop worrying about how long this was taking and to just enjoy the present.

It was like the past and future didn't even exist anymore.

It was still dark when they started driving, but soon they could see the sun begin to stream through the branches, defeating the crisp chilliness the air was filled with and replacing it with a morning feeling of warm. The land seemed to almost look golden, as more and more leaves were turning a late august shade of yellow.

Eventually, they stopped at that same beach they had stopped at before. Dimentio knew very well that he couldn't walk very far, but he didn't want Luigi carrying him there. Both Luigi and himself kicked their shoes off, the man in green stepping out and offering a hand to help Dimentio out of the vehicle. Dimentio smiled and gladly took it as Luigi pulled him to his feet, not letting go until Dimentio nodded, signaling that he had his balance and wasn't going to tip over. The man in green then let go, turning and heading out to the water which seemed to glow in the shallow sections, but fade to a deep, dark blue miles out.

He watched as Luigi rushed out to the water, stepping in and smiling as he took his hat off and brushed his hands through his messy hair, which was brown but had a faint touch of red to it, though Dimentio wasn't sure if this was because of the specific lighting or because it was always like that. Dimentio himself stepped out into the warm sand, sitting down and feeling it sink slightly beneath him.

He briefly had that thought. The thought that told him, maybe I'd be satisfied dying here. Wouldn't that be a nice way to go? Just falling asleep in this warm blanket of sand and sinking away?

But, he forced this thought out of his mind, not wanting to think about death.

He let out a small sigh and leaned back, not worried about how much sand was going to be in his hair. He was almost happy about it. He wanted the sand in his hair because it mean the sand could be with him when he went. It meant that a part of this place could be there in his last moments to see him off.

He focused on the sky for a moment. He could see a few clouds, but nothing indicating rain. These clouds did block the rising sun, but not in a way that shielded the light, more so in a way that made the clouds glow. They looked like they were yellow, lined with pure gold. They seemed warm and soft.

As he lied back, he'd run his hands through the sand, occasionally picking it up and allowing the grains to slip and escape through his fingers.

They didn't stay at the ocean too long, since they still had so much to do, so next Luigi drove through town, just so Dimentio could see all the smiling faces before he left, Luigi silently hoping that maybe they'd convince him to stay.

The man in green wasn't sure what he was going to do. He wanted Dimentio to stay, he wanted to somehow make him stay. He just couldn't say what he needed to say. He always told himself to be brave, but he didn't feel brave enough to do this.

There were a number of things they did that day. Luigi still avoided driving by the castle, for obvious reasons, but he did debate going there anyway so he could show it to Dimentio since Peach's gardens were rather lovely. Plus, the thought crossed his mind that maybe if he brought Dimentio there, he would get seen and caught, then be forced to stay! But he quickly shook those thoughts away and moved on.

He later took Dimentio up to that spot where he could get a view of the entire Mushroom Kingdom, carrying him on his back while walking the trail, of course. Up there, Dimentio couldn't help but notice how different it all looked during the day. He could see every house in toad town, even Mario and Luigi's house. He could see the gardens from up there, the man-made lake and river which surrounded Peach's palace, and much more. He did miss the way this place would glow during the night, however.

He hoped that he'd get to see the stars later.

As they went back down to do the next thing, Luigi drove back through town, buying a small lunch. Dimentio did eat a little, but not much since it made him feel more nauseous than he felt before. He was worried he'd just throw up what he ate, but he thankfully didn't.

Next, Luigi parked the go-cart back at his house, which Dimentio was thankful for since it meant he got to see home one last time. He almost wanted to go inside just to see it all once again and say goodbye, but he didn't. Luigi then carried him out through the woods, taking him to that field of flowers.

Fall was approaching, so many of the flowers were either dying or gone, but there were still quite a few to see. Some blue, some purple, some red. There were fewer bees buzzing and fewer butterflies and hummingbirds flying around, but Dimentio didn't want to take time to focus on what wasn't there. He instead sat down, smiling at what remained.

The flowers smelled nice, they smelled like life. He gently sat down in the tall grass, looking around at all the colors which still remained and seemed to surround him. He reached out to what looked like a small white bindweed, gently picking it and holding it close to himself, smiling at the beauty.

He then looked around himself, picking more flowers, some red, some purple, some blue, some yellow. There were even a few black flowers that he could find. Each of them had different shapes, different colors, different smells, and different sizes, but he still couldn't choose a favorite. He picked more and more until his arms were full.

Luigi softly smiled at Dimentio, even though Dimentio wasn't looking at or paying attention to him. Luigi himself then sat down in the field, lying back and disappearing into the small grass and looking up at the crystal blue sky. He couldn't believe that summer was already ending. A part of him was always excited when the summer came to an end because it meant a new beginning was approaching, which was exciting.

But now, he couldn't help but dread the end. He couldn't help but feel saddened by the approaching fall.

"Please stay," Luigi whispered quietly.

Of course, he wasn't loud enough to be heard, but he wasn't trying to be. He didn't want to be heard because he knew that Dimentio's mind was already set. He knew he couldn't stop Dimentio from leaving, no matter how hard he tried. But, he wanted to say it anyhow, even if no one could hear.

"Are you ready to go home yet?" Luigi asked next, this time loud enough to be heard. Dimentio immediately frowned, looking worried as he looked over to where Luigi's voice came from.

"No." He stated.

"Are you sure? It's getting late," Luigi pointed out, yawning and sitting up, feeling slightly itchy from the grass he was lying on top of.

"I'm not going back," Dimentio replied, shakily standing up with all the flowers, looking down at them and realizing that he couldn't take them all with him. He would need his arms open for Luigi to carry him elsewhere. He let out a small sad sigh, then dropped most of them, keeping a small yellow one and storing it in the same place he stored the little cloth with the life shroom on it.

Special items he wanted with him when he passed.

"You're not going back... like now? Or... ever?" Luigi asked.

Dimentio took in a short, uneven breath. He didn't want to say ever, but he didn't want to lie either.

"I'm not going back," he repeated.

Luigi bowed his head, having got the point.

"Don't feel saddened," Dimentio told him, softly smiling. "Every story had an ending, and this most certainly isn't a sad one."

Really? Because it feels pretty sad to me, Luigi wanted to say.

"How so?" Luigi asked instead, looking up at him and frowning. "You-you're leaving! How is that not a sad ending?"

"Because you get to go back to your old life knowing that you helped me in a way no one else could," Dimentio smiled, tilting his head slightly. "Just because we go separate ways in the end... doesn't make it a sad ending. Sometimes, paths cross, but they eventually split once again. It doesn't have to be sad, it just happens. It's okay."

No, it's not okay, Luigi wanted to cry out. It most definitely didn't feel 'okay.' If anything, it felt the opposite of okay.

"I suppose..." Luigi muttered instead, looking down.

It depended on how one looked at it. Happy endings could mean a variety of things. The one he had always imagined was the ending where people lived happily ever after together, but maybe that wasn't Dimentio's happy ending. Maybe Dimentio's happy ending was going out into the world to find himself. Maybe Dimentio's happy ending wasn't there with him, and Luigi had to be okay with that. It wouldn't be fair for him to force Dimentio to stay if that wasn't what he really wanted.

Even if this wasn't the happy ending he wanted or imagined, it still could be a happy ending, right?

He was trying really hard to believe that.

"You can be sad," Dimentio told him. "Just please... don't be sad now. Wait until I'm gone to be sad."

Luigi supposed that was a fair request. Why would he want to waste the short amount of time he had left with Dimentio being sad? And besides, in his mind it wasn't like Dimentio was permanently leaving. He wasn't dying or anything, so he could come back and visit if he wanted to, right? Or maybe Luigi could go out and find him, just to say hi or to catch up. The thought of this not being the end helped put a smile back on the man in green's face.

It was more bearable to see someone leave when the knowledge that they could be seen again was there. Luigi was grateful for the fact that goodbyes were almost never permanent. He never liked the word permanent.

He's not going away forever, Luigi told himself. I'll see him again somehow. I'll make sure of it.

"Okay," Luigi softly smiled, getting up and walking over to Dimentio, holding his hand out to him. "Then let's keep going. It's getting late, and we've still got more to see."