Realisation.
Disclaimer: Although obvious, I do not own anything to do with Mario, its owners or anything like that. I only own this story and a selection of their games.
Well, hello everybody. First story, and I'm feeling kind of nervous. I hope you all go a little easy on me, but any kind of reply is appreciated (yes, flames included). This story is based on one of the characters of 'Super Paper Mario', but be aware that there is, I think, an OC in here too. The characters will probably be OOC too, knowing me S. It's only a one chapter story, but please review. Well, here goes, enjoy!
(-SPOILERS-)
The battle of worlds had taken its toll on everyone, including the ones not involved in the fighting. Worlds had to be rebuilt. People had to overcome tragic losses. All in all, the very fate of the universe rested on a certain plumber, and his friends. The battle was harsh and violent, but they prevailed.
Three years on, the worlds lost to the Void had been rebuilt, some of which more advanced then what it used to be. People realised many truths about their lives, including the values of friendship, trust and even love. Love? Yes, there was one character who gained a deep insight into this very emotion.
The battle was waged against this very soul, the one who believed in power, which he sought. He betrayed and nearly brought about the end of worlds. Yes, this character, is Dimentio.
Although he had the cunning wit of the sly fox, he did not realise the power of the very emotion that he fell to. After being beaten by the heroic team, all thought he had gone, forever. Died, or been lost to the stars. Something...anything. This was, however, not true.
The beaten, and dangerously weak, body of Dimentio had landed on a cushion of long grass, after being expelled from Super Dimentio in the onslaught. He somehow managed to escape the velocity of the Void, and was flung for miles, until his unconscious self plunged deep into a grassy knoll.
His thoughts trailed in multiple directions as he lay, numb and paralysed from the shock. All of his entire body seemed too frail to even shiver, as a small gust of wind brushed by his hand.
'...Why am I...alive?'
Amongst the feelings pulsing through his mind, this was the victor in the struggle for clarity. Pondering, he heard a voice from afar.
"...Hey, are you alright?" the voice hummed, entering Dimentio's ears like a beautiful sonata. Mustering all of the diminishing strength he had left, he opened his badly bruised eyes.
Before him knelt a young woman. She was fairly tall, despite looking around the 20's in terms of age. She had long, shoulder length locks, brunette in fashion. She wore a one piece dress, light blue with a flowery pattern, as long as her slender body. She responded to Dimentio's movement by smiling.
"Oh, thank goodness! I thought you were a goner there," she said, as Dimentio still laid limp. His strength was returning, but in extremely small amounts.
"...Where...am I?" He asked, his voice in a whisper. The young girl giggled, before replying.
"You're in Petal Meadows, though how come you look so...beaten?" The response made Dimentio frown in confusion, before answering the impending question to the best of his ability.
"I...was foolish. I believed that...I could destroy all the worlds, or so I thought. Being able...to rule all worlds created thereafter seemed...like a good idea. How foolish...I was...to think-Argh," he explained, being caught halfway by a surge of pain in his abdomen.
"Oh, you look terrible...Wait here a second, I'll be right back," although confused at the response, our young lady ran to a small shack-like building, and emerged a few seconds later, holding some small bottles and some cloths, taking the side of Dimentio once more.
"Here, let me help, it may sting, but it should do the trick," she spoke, as Dimentio cringed at the pain on his arm. The lady had applied some amber liquid to one of the cloths, and began wiping his wounded arms, before waiting to see any effect.
"W-what is that stuff?" Dimentio asked, before seeing the lady giggle again. She replied with a simple 'Medicine' comment, although Dimentio could not take his eyes off of the young maiden's own.
She began working, applying cloths to act like bandages, on his wounds. There were many, uncountable even. She gasped as she lifted his shirt, seeing nothing but purple marks and bruises plastered across all of his body. Dimentio, unbeknownst of the pain, continued to admire the young lady.
His heart began to beat quicker, as he realised the young lady was now staring at him, smiling. His cheeks began to flush, exuding warmth like he never knew possible, before the lady began to speak.
"...There! All done. Those wounds look very deep, so try not to move much. I've bandaged every...uh, part that I could, um, reach, I hope it helps," She trailed, as she noticed midway that Dimentio was indeed blushing.
He noticed far too soon however, and shook his head slightly. He looked over to the young lady, and asked a question that had plagued him so.
"...Excuse me for asking, but what...is your name?" he felt his throat closing as the sentence did, before he was reduced to a murmur. The lady, slightly shocked from the display, replied.
"...M-my name is Violet, can I ask yours?" Dimentio sudden looked deep into her eyes, before giving his answer.
"Dimentio...my name is Dimentio."
As he said this, he began to lift himself with the new aids covering his body. It seemed like the pain had vanished, although some small tingles throughout his body remained. As he stood, fairly upright, Violet noticed him wobbling slightly. Dimentio looked as though he would have fallen any second, and on that thought, he did.
Violet witnessed him flailing, and moved forward a few paces, to catch the frail Dimentio. She was successful, much to his delight. They both smiled, before Violet began to speak.
"You're still weak...Would you like to rest at my house until you've recovered?" she spoke, a little hesitant. Dimentio looked up at her, with great happiness, before answering affirmative.
Lifting the harmed Dimentio from the ground, Violet moved his arm around her neck, and walked with him to the little shack. She opened the door, and led him inside, to the sofa. Laying him down, she sat beside him.
"This should be more comfortable, I'll be right back," said Violet, before leaving. Dimentio laid there, weak still from his injuries, but had too many thoughts plaguing his mind. His outlook from earlier had changed from a piteous, damaged wreck to a now confused, but happier Dimentio. Happier? Indeed, he felt good to have survived, and that, most of all, that lady had saved him.
He slowly looked about him as he lay, noticing the shack was made completely of wood. All the walls, the roof and even the doors were a dark timber, varnished perhaps. He also noticed a picture of a man, quite young, but with a strong smile. His face resembled Violet's in terms of shape, as the aforementioned lady walked back in.
She saw that Dimentio had been looking at the picture, and placed the bottle she had retrieved on the table beside the couch.
"That...is my father. We used to get along very well, and he even built me this shack for me to live in...but..." Violet trailed, before her facial expression turned from a smile to a frown. Dimentio had noticed.
"What's the matter, Violet?" he inquired, now seeing a tear fall from her left eye. He now thought whether it was a wise decision to ask that question. Clearing her throat, she began her explanation.
"It all happened three years ago," Dimentio suddenly realised what she was going to say. "The world was in a great peril. A large, dark space opened up in the sky. I had no idea what it was," Dimentio was right. "Our family used to live in a place fairly far from here, called Glitzville. I still remember it now, we used to watch the organised fights there all the time, but I digress. I had a row with my father, and stormed out, before I came here."
Dimentio had suddenly started to frown himself. He watched her figure as every word brought about more sadness.
"We saw each other again a few weeks later, but I still...hated him. He began building this shack, which I thought was for him. A change of scenery, so to speak. A week or so later, the large, black hole opened and...and" with that, violet covered her eyes. It seemed only too obvious to Dimentio what had happened.
"He went back home to Glitzville, and the whole floating city...disappeared...along with my family," she concluded, as Dimentio proceeded to sit upright, and lean forward to comfort the now sobbing Violet.
He realised that all this, and many more deaths, happened because of him. If it was not for him, perhaps Mario and company may have beaten Count Bleck in time. Guilt flooded his body, for perhaps the first time in his entire life. This unfamiliar emotion grabbed hold of him, as he let loose a tear.
"I...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry," he murmured, as the lady looked up through a blur of tears. Would he have confessed if it was the old Dimentio speaking? At first she seemed confused, but she had to ask.
"Why do you say that?" Dimentio looked away, unable to speak. He wanted to tell her, but also did not. Telling her, he thought, may jeopardise their feelings for each other. He then thought, what were these feelings?
'Does she mean...more to me then a saviour?'
Violet sat, still waiting for an answer, as Dimentio suddenly snapped back to reality. He looked at her, and replied with his answer.
"I'm sorry that your family perished," he said softly, as Violet tried to smile, before leaving the room.
"...By my hands."
He let his thoughts overtake him. Many rushed about, as he took a deep breath to ease the stress of a new found truth.
"What was I trying to accomplish? How many people fell by my hands? Why am I still alive? How am I still alive...?" Finishing with these questions, Violet entered the room, and held the bottle she put down on the table earlier. The label read 'Ointment'.
"Say...how did I get here? I have no idea where Petal Meadows is," Dimentio asked the now happier lady.
"Earlier today, I heard a loud boom outside this shack, just across the field. I wondered what it was, so I went outside, and there you were. You looked like you fell a long way, but judging from your bruises, after you were beaten badly," she replied, giving an odd look to him.
"But, it was three years ago...? How was this possible?" Dimentio said, not noticing Violet was even more confused now. She asked what the matter was, but no reply followed. Dimentio had to clear his mind with Violet, to hopefully get some answers. He begun to explain what the 'black hole' was to her, and with every word, her face turned paler. She now realised who started the whole affair, and caused the death of her family.
At first, she remained silent and still. She then rose, and walked away. Denial first swept her mind, then hate. She turned around and stared at Dimentio, as he let lose another tear. Her mind became torn between two emotions, one being anger, yet the other, sympathy.
"...Why did you do it?" she asked, as Dimentio looked down to his feet.
"I wanted to create my own worlds, and rule them at the time. Now, I see the error of my ways, but it may be too late," he said, as Violet remembered the world-ruling part from when they first met outside. She walked back over to him, and knelt by his side. Dimentio carried on.
"I felt powerless. I never knew of any emotions other then greed and power. I never knew how sweet others could feel, like love..." he spoke, whilst staring deep into her eyes.
"Love?" Violet responded, before Dimentio resumed.
"Yes. Outside, when I was powerless and on the verge of death, you came to my aid. If it weren't for you, I would have surely died. I have experienced many feelings as I've watched you, and how grateful I am to you for aiding me. One of those feelings I think is...love," he finished, as Violet began to blush slightly. Dimentio was still looking at her.
"I see. I helped you because you would have died, but I never knew that you felt this way," Violet said, although she was not entirely telling the truth. She had noticed the times that Dimentio had been blushing.
A silence fell across the room similar to a blanket, as the two sat still. Dimentio was the first one to break the proverbial ice.
"Thank you, for the help. I feel much better now...but I am so sorry for what I have caused you. If only there was some way I could repay you..." he said, getting up and on his feet with only a small amount of pain this time. He looked at her once more, before heading to the door.
Pure guilt made him move, for he would not have done otherwise. Violet quickly jumped up, and called his name. He turned, as Violet grabbed his hand.
"Do you have anywhere to go?" she asked, knowing very well the answer. Dimentio negatively nodded, as Violet smiled. "Would...would you like to stay here for a while?"
Dimentio gasped at the reaction, being unable to explain why she was acting like this. Surely the news that he had told her would have driven her away from him forever, but this odd scene made him feel loved. Being unable to deny the one who had saved him, he answered affirmatively. His mind was not clear though, for he had one question.
"Why have you asked me this? I thought you would've hated me for what I have done," he asked, as Violet giggled before answering.
"You remind me of my father, although I have no idea how. I feel...comfortable around you," With that, Dimentio released his hand from the door knob, and turned to face her. Violet smiled.
"Well then, welcome home," she added, as Dimentio now seemed confused.
"I'll be back in a second," Violet asked, leaving the room. Dimentio stood, baffled, at the outcome of that very afternoon. He had experienced true pain, guilt, sadness but most of all, love. He smiled heartily at the thought of being near the very lady that had taken him in, and virtually rescued him.
"Ciao," he finished.
(-o-)
Well, there we are, first story complete. Came to a rather odd end there, but may continue to explore the depths and the futures of the characters and storyline if people like the story so far, and are interested. Please say whether you think it could be longer, as I eagerly await your comments! If enough people want me to continue, I shall.
Disclaimer: Although obvious, I do not own anything to do with Mario, its owners or anything like that. I only own this story and a selection of their games.