Why Do You Push Me Away?

Early the next morning, Mario's eyes fluttered open against the heaviness of sleep. Grumbles unintentionally left him at the view of his given room that greeted him, a room he had noticed was distastefully similar to every other bedroom in this house: dimly lit, tastelessly bland, grossly dusty, carpet-less and colourless. To Mario who admired a good splash of colour to gaze upon in the mornings this area was utterly boring and unnerving to stay within.

Yet as he laid there staring at the ceiling he found his thoughts trailing else where other than the decor. Eyes narrowed into a glare at the ceiling as thoughts of the Count and his minions started to take over, and deep down he was frustrated beyond belief that these people came to his mind first rather than his own team. It...distressed him somewhat.

However, when his team did come to mind, all he was rewarded with was a sickening sense of concern. It was so overwhelming to the point it nearly made him sick as it tugged at his gut.

Sitting up quietly in his bed with the blanket draping lazily over his knees, his eyes gained a contemplative cloudy hue in the dimly lit room. There was more than these missing people clawing at his conscious. There was also an unexplainable dread inwardly tearing at him. Why, he could not decipher. Something just felt...severely out of place somehow.

"Hey, where are ya going?" A male voice called from outside the house.

"Nowhere, I just need some fresh air. Do not concern yourself." Yet another male answered, obviously brushing the other's question off.

Mario sharply looked to the window when the muffled voices resounded. A curious eyebrow slowly rose at the uncertain silence that followed. Those voices...they had sounded like Thomas and Count Bleck's. He frowned as he ran a hand through his brown locks, grabbed his hat hanging on the bed post, hastily slipped his shoes on, and went to peer out the filthy glass panes to find what the problem was. Maybe it would help distract his thoughts for now? Anything. Absolutely anything would be helpful really than staying cooped up in here where he was internally forced into his thoughts.

However, nothing unusual could be seen beyond the window but flowery fields, his room being awkwardly on the wrong side of the house to see anything, anyone. For some reason, Mario found this to be disconcerting...something was wrong about this land. A sigh escaped him as his forehead gently connected with the cold glass. Yes, something was just not right; he could feel it in the core of his heart. But he just could not put his finger on it. So he swiftly turned on his heel at deciding to venture outdoors and see for himself what was happening—to see Count Bleck—anything for a distraction.

No matter how frantic Mario was to find the others, he acknowledged that there were no clues. For now he just had to wait for what came his way...at least until he knew exactly what was going on.

Mario exited his given bedroom and gently shut the door behind him, turning on his heel and briskly heading for the stairs just to his left. His feet softly thudded on steps that occasionally creaked in protest in the silence as he crept down the stairs. As he drew nearer, ever nearer to the bottom, he heard the telltale clangs of Thomas making breakfast in the kitchen. Ignoring this he just opened the front door and snuck out.

XXXX

As the sun began to rise once again for the morning it was welcomed by the many melodies of the birds. They beautifully sang their song ever so perfectly to the dawn; nature's soothing sympathy to a certain person's pain...and Mario acknowledged exactly who that was. The white cheery blossoms calmly fluttered as the early dew gave the flowery fields a sense of tranquillity in the sunlight that made it glitter and gleam like diamonds of nature.

Only one thing disturbed the clear sky, its small form soaring through the blue. It was a single raven curiously circling the fields.

The sun warmly bathed the countryside, its casting glow illuminating the many flowers that covered every inch of these unfamiliar fields. Pastel pink petals swayed gently in the breeze that rolled over the hills, a breeze that was crisp, that was fresh, that had a delicate hint of frostiness to it. Was it truly nature's icy breeze, or a Count's damaged pride flowing over him? Mario breathed it in with a sinking heart at spotting a narrow trail in the pink flowers that littered the ground—where Bleck had previously walked.

Mario sighed and frowned before he also trudged through this etched path in pursuit. He traced it with his eyes to where it travelled steeply up the hill and beyond his line of vision, over its rim and beyond, far from his sight and far from him. Eyes narrowed at how it seemed the Count had a particular location in mind since trail never deterred from heading straight up. Not even thinking on it further, he began to travel that same path.

He climbed and climbed, the sudden icy wind blasting him painfully as it felt like freezing needles piercing his skin. It blew viciously down from beyond the hill, a foreboding wind that was trying to push him away. Mario rose a hand over his face with a grunt...no longer doubting that this was Bleck's doing.

Being unable to see above the hillside from his height however was proving to make the task of finding him more difficult. Despite his shortness, he did manage to spot the white canopy of a single blossom tree that grew over the highest point. Gaining distance from the house and drawing nearer to the top caused his heart to skip a beat. The unmistakable silhouette of a white hat beside the tree alerted him.

How the Count had known he was close was beyond him, because when he drew close enough another gusty gale hit him square in the face—wanting him to keep his distance. But in forcing himself through its power, he found that it was, indeed, Count Bleck's slender form leant against the trunk of the cherry blossom tree. There he lay with the pearly petals bathing him from the blossom flowers above. Mario halted a few feet away to stare for a moment, making Count Bleck sigh and elegantly pull up one leg to rest over the other. Irritation practically seethed from his expression.

"Can you not take a hint, hero," Bleck's tone was dark and mocking as usual, falsely dangerous yet calm. It was merely a mask of danger over his tone in an attempt to push the annoying other way. "Count Bleck will not hesitate to blow you off this hill."

Count Bleck raised an eyebrow when Mario merely rolled his eyes with a sad frown rather than a snarl. Expect the unexpected they say.

Unnoticed by the two, the hovering raven that had been circling them like a vulture to prey soared down to perch upon a branch high above the Count's head. Black beady eyes watched the scene in peculiar interest. Being unseen by the two it merely cocked its feathered head in curiosity.

"Why bother pushing me away, I'm not going back? Besides, I'd just climb back up again," Mario replied. Nothing answered him. Nothing except the peaceful rustling of the leaves. Mario closed his eyes, one hand resting against his hip. "You wouldn't do it anyway."

Count Bleck evilly smirked which Mario could not see from his angle. "Do not underestimate Count Bleck, you stubborn fool."

"If you had seriously wanted to, you would've done it by now."

Mario nearly chuckled out loud when Bleck inaudibly cursed under his breath, obviously having no retort. However, the hero reined it in at knowing it was the worst thing to do at this point.

After a moment of silence, of which the Count slowly turned his gaze to meet eye contact with him, he discovered a measure of guardedness present in those pupils. The sun over the horizon shone like fire in his already fiery orange orbs...but the flames were strangely dulled. Mario shivered as it almost felt, quite literally felt, like Bleck had forcibly yanked up barriers around himself...for the man's expression became heart wrenchingly cold.

Perhaps if I completely ignore him he will leave, Count Bleck thought, annoyed. No such luck graced him today.

The red clad plumber went to take a step closer. Count Bleck glared venomously up at him, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. The glare in his eyes literally demanded distance. Surrendering, Mario slowly lowered to sit where he was instead. Bleck pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine coming on.

"Pray tell, why did you follow Count Bleck?" Bleck asked, miserably looking into the rising sun.

Mario steadily stared at the side of his head. "For everything that's happened, I wanted to say sorry for—

"Do not bother," The Count interrupted, eyes to rival fire narrowing at the sun. Suddenly, he unconsciously grabbed his bandaged shoulder when it all of a sudden flared up in brutal pain. The agony was very, very distracting. Yet he expertly hid most of his agony from his voice, but slithers still managed to slip through. "I-It does not matter, but if you continue to irritate me I will blast you into oblivion. Make no mistake."

Why now? This wound is really getting on my nerves...that damn Dimentio, Was Bleck's mental hiss.

Unfortunately for Blumiere Bleck, Mario had detected the pained traces in his tone, had caught that near invisible flash of discomfort behind those eye's caged doors. Concern instantly grew present in the hero's expression, which only made more chips fly off of the Count's pride.

When Mario lifted to his knees to attempt to crawl over and examine the injury in concern, Count Bleck merely growled low in his throat—a warning. Mario ignored, breaking personal space, gloved fingers lifting for the still bloodied bandage. For some odd reason...Count Bleck appeared...afraid?

"Do not touch me, ordered Count Bleck," Blumiere snapped, smacking the hand away harshly and fluently standing up with a grace only he could achieve. "Leave me be..." He turned and quickly started back towards the house. He knew peace of mind would not find him here. "Just leave me be..."

Count Bleck could only let out a groan of frustration. The short man had instantly bolted up to his feet to run after him. Every one of Bleck's long strides was two from the other in comparison, but it was not enough to keep the distance he so desired.

"Where are you going?!" Mario growled.

He was thoroughly annoyed by how the Count always behaved towards him. He had not even been with the Count for forty eight hours and he was starting to grate on his patience. All he wanted was to help, was to metaphorically get back up on his feet and find the others, but in order to do that...he knew they needed to be on the same page. But every time he tried to stay on the same page, Count Bleck would forcibly turn it over—indignant and passive.

"Obviously, away from annoying pests. I am going to check on Nastasia," Bleck answered calmly before picking up his pace, but Mario just kept up strangely easily.

Mario's persistence was beginning to get very, very irritating on a number of levels. At feeling the other male get too close, Bleck glowered and kept his distance, he just didn't like people being too close to him and he never had. His life consisted of keeping everyone out of his life (apart from those important to him) and keeping them away. The annoying hero was no exception. In fact, he was on the top of the list of candidates to repel right now.

"Count?" Mario's tone was odd, curious.

"What?" Bleck snarled.

"Why won't you fly? Or teleport? If you really wanted to get away from me you would."

Those perceptive words made the Count falter in his steps. His eyes widened unknown to the other, and Mario tilted his head to the side in confusion when the man let out a peculiar sound. The sound was quiet and...Embarrassed? Mario could only blink suspiciously at the man when he froze in his tracks among the fields of flowers. He could only watch as the Count seemed to hesitate.

Ever so slowly, Bleck peered over his shoulder at him, a deadly glare in place, as he whispered, "...I can not."

Without even another word and before Mario could even object to his leaving, Count Bleck hastily turned his back on him, leaving no room for conversation, questions or suspicious remarks, his back straight and conserving what dignity remained. No, he just turned his back on him and quickly strode back towards the house to prevent the other bringing it up further. Without his cloak billowing behind him, he appeared more human than ever as he coldly walked away...and a human heart was controlled by emotions.

And when this thought wandered through the hero's mind, he detected a yanking chain of guilt on his own heart: holding true, squeezing, never easing. Turning blue, chilling, never warming.

Mario decided to give the Count some space. So he waited there a minute or two, collecting his disorganised mind, just standing there staring on, before also approaching the house with hunched shoulders. A niggling aggravation was tearing away at his conscious as he headed down through the flowers towards the door, and it wasn't the golden pollen that flew in protest around him at their flowers being disturbed once more. It was something far more intricate...

But why? Why can't you do it? Came his blurring thoughts, a mere one out of the hundreds that flew like a rampaging tornado through his brain. Why do you push me away, Count Blumiere Bleck?

Unbeknownst to Mario, the raven silently took flight in a flurry of black feathers. A single black feather drifted slowly to the ground.