Three Months

Lasts

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.