Demonic Yoshi v2
Chapter 2: Descent into Madness
Yoshi continued to walk back to Mario's pad, the events of what had happened earlier in the cave still fresh in his mind.
Kill the culprit, Yoshi. Find him, make him suffer…No, I can't do that. That's…that's wrong. No matter how right it may seem, it's wrong to purposely take somebody's life. You are a fool, Yoshi, the police will think it's a freak accident and are closing the case…No, they can't be…they just can't be…maybe I should check, though…
His mind continued to rage back and forth, trying to figure out what was right. He felt in his heart that voice—whoever he, she, or it was—was wrong. Even Princess Peach herself told him face-to-face that she promised they would not rest until they found out what had happened.
Though, he had to figure, it could have been an accident. But, the support beams were sturdy! They were designed to last for years! A support beam just didn't collapse under its own weight for no reason….but then again, looks could be deceiving. Yoshi decided he would check in with the Mushroom Kingdom Police Department later on that day, when he was sufficiently rested and nourished. Stumbling into Mario's yard, the emerald dinosaur had to nearly drag himself up the small steps and through the front door.
Meanwhile, Mario was sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the local newspaper. Glancing up at hearing the door open, he was surprised when his friend walked in.
"Yoshi! My Stars, what happened to you? You look like-a absolute wreck!" The portly plumber proclaimed in his Italian accent. Getting to his feet, he crossed over to Yoshi, helping to support him and bring him over to the table.
"Got….lost….in cave." Yoshi meekly rasped out. He could barely find the energy to speak, let alone do anything else, allowing himself to slump into Mario's arms. "Must…suh…sle…" And with that, he lost consciousness.
Upon awakening, however, Yoshi found himself in a dark area…all he could see was mist, enshrouding him and obscuring his vision. He shivered, feeling cold. Where am I? he thought. Don't tell me I'm back in that dark cave again...
You'll come back, I swear it! You'll come back, I swear it…No! Please don't tell me I'm back…I thought I got…Mario? Where are you!
-Welcome back, my friend.-
NOOOO! I can't be in that dark cave! GO AWAY!
-Relax, Yoshi. You're not back there. I'm speaking to you through my magic.-
What do you want!
-You know why I'm here. Please reconsider…you are strong, my friend. Strong to punish those foolish enough to further the suffering of those that have already suffered.-
I've done that before; whoever you are…I can do it again! I don't need your help!
-Don't be stubborn, my friend. You are experiencing dark times, and as such the darkness in your heart is growing larger with each passing memory. You remember you beloved Birdo…how does it feel, to know that you will no longer enjoy her presence?-
Suddenly, Yoshi was hit with memories of Birdo. Good ones, bad ones, funny ones, sad ones. The time he surprised her, arguments, just romping around, playing tennis, and just having fun. Yoshi, painfully stricken with grief felt himself dropping to all fours, even though he wasn't aware he had been standing up in the first place. Each memory brought more pain, more cold. He couldn't stand it…
-Tell me, Yoshi! Do you REALLY want to LIVE with this pain, forever! Each day will be more painful…more lonely…you know in your heart this isn't right! Your soul screams for vengeance! I can hear you subconsciously raging for the sake of your Birdo!-
Yoshi shook his head, grasping it. She wouldn't want me to kill for her! She's not like that! No! I won't!
-You WILL! You MUST! Embrace the darkness, Yoshi! Let yourself fall into the darkness….the darkness will help you heal. The darkness shall set you free!-
No! I can't! No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The emerald reptile then felt himself falling….dropping through the blinding darkness as he screamed out in denial. Then, as he fell, he felt himself shaking, before plunging into a deep, dark sea, and found himself unable to breathe…his eyes snapped open, and he found himself staring into the deep sapphire blue eyes of Mario. His Italian friend stood over him, his gloved hands grasping his arms.
"Mario?" He breathed, before he realized he was wet, too. A bucket, that had been full of water, was discarded and on its side nearby.
"Yoshi…you were-a screaming. I tried to a-wake you up, but you didn't respond at all! I'm sorry for throwing the water on you, but…"
"No, no, it's alright, Mario. Thank you." Yoshi's eyes closed halfway, as he relaxed against the motherboard.
"What were you dreaming about that made you so upset, Yoshi?" The portly plumber in red inquired, as he brought a gloved hand up to his chin.
"I….I was in this…dark area. I don't know where I was….I couldn't see anything. And then I…I heard this voice, and…I don't remember what happened, but then I felt myself falling…and I landed in the cold sea. I think that was when you threw the water on me. But, honestly, that's all I can remember." Yoshi managed to stammer out, shaking his head. "It was so dark…and so cold. I still feel like I'm freezing…"
Mario nodded, still concerned. "Well, if anything, let's just hope it was a bad dream and nothing else. C'mon, let's get you dried up. You're probably starving, too…"
"What time is it?" The green reptile asked Mario.
"About 3:00 in the afternoon. You've been sleeping all day."
"That long? Geeze…though, you're right! I'm famished. I feel like I've wasted away to nothing!"
Mario laughed, smiling. Old Yoshi never seemed to be dispirited for long. "Well, come on then. I'll make something for you. Afterwards, you can help with the support group, if you feel you're up to it."
"Support group?"
"Yes. Some of the Toads around Toad Town have established a group dedicated to helping out families in need and rebuilding homes that Bowser destroyed in his various attacks. That sort of thing." Mario said, as they headed down to the kitchen. Pulling out some utensils and some food, he began to cut up some melons and cantaloupe among others to prepare a fruit salad. Yoshi took a seat, nodding a bit and speaking.
"Ah. Sounds fun! I could do something like that. Sure." He paused. "Though, I'd like to stop by the police department after this. It…has to do deal with the case on Birdo's death."
"Oh." Mario suddenly looked down, his moustache seeming to droop. He turned back to the food on the counter, beginning to place it in a large bowl.
"…Mario? What's wrong?" Yoshi pondered. He stopped suddenly, remembering. The Mushroom Police will think it's a freak accident. Even now, they are closing the case as we speak….
"The case on Birdo….it was closed." Mario said, placing the bowl of fruit salad on the table and placing down a fork for him. "The detectives could not determine a cause."
"No! That can't be!" Yoshi jumped from his seat. It can't be! It just CAN'T BE! "How? Those support beams were sturdy, Mario! A house just doesn't collapse in on itself for no reason!"
"You think I don't know that, Yosh?" Mario shot back, before sighing, his facial expression softening. "Look, I know Peach promised you they'd get to the bottom of it, but they couldn't find any evidence—"
"THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY EVIDENCE!" The reptile raged in disbelief. "How could they not find anything!"
"Yoshi, calm down. And don't cut me off! There's no evidence to suggest anything aside from an accident. The whole thing is completely enigmatic! Yours and Birdo's houses were in two very stable plots of land—even if an earthquake were to hit, which was unlikely, your houses wouldn't have fallen down. As even you said, the support beams were extremely sturdy, there was no way they would have just fallen over. The bases were erect, and everything was in order. Nothing short of an explosion could have knocked those houses down and unless your homes were wired with bombs, there's no evidence to provide a logical explanation!"
Yoshi was silent. Mario did have a point, after all. But, if there was no evidence, then, how did…It was no accident, Yoshi. Somebody KILLED her. This is no coincidence! This is murder! His thoughts raged through his mind, but he said nothing. He continued to just stare blankly ahead at Mario…almost through him.
"I'm really sorry, Yoshi. I truly am." The Italian man in red said after a moment, having received no response. "I don't know what to say that would make you feel better."
"Then don't say anything." Yoshi spat, his voice a bit cold. Mario flinched a bit, but nodded. Some time passed as the two ate in silence, before Mario got up from the table to place his bowl in the sink.
"Well, I'm going to be heading on out, Yoshi. You know how to contact me if you need anything, alright?"
Yoshi snorted a bit, his voice a bit weak. "Yeah, sure." He mumbled. Mario stared at his green friend for a moment, before he turned and left the house, heading over to the warp pipe to travel to the nearby town. Yoshi watched him leave, before he got up to place his own dish in the sink.
This had to have been a purposeful murder. But who would have DONE such a thing? Who…-I know who did it, Yoshi…- You…but you said…-There are certain things that have to be done, Yoshi. Do what must be done! Embrace the darkness!- No! I cannot…I will not kill…I can't, I simply can't…! Another mental battle began to rage in his head, and he felt a headache come onto him. I need some aspirin.
…Over the days, however, Yoshi continued to be plagued by nightmares. His memories of Birdo slowly shifted from giving him warmth, to paining him deeply with the knowledge he would never see her smile again, never see her face shine with happiness and beauty, never smell her sweet scent or feel the warmth of her hand on his. His heart ached with the loss…he felt he should move on, he knew she wouldn't want him to be like this, but he couldn't help it. He felt like he wanted to move on, but he felt a deep black feeling in his soul…a tar of sorts that he stuck to, unable to move. He also kept finding himself in that dark cavern in his dreams, with the voice returning night after night…gently coaxing him to find her murderer, and extract vengeance.
-Kill….KILL…KILL!-the voice would often repeat. It had at first been gentle, coaxing, assuringly, but as Yoshi resisted, the pressure from the voice would grow. At this point, however, it had grown to harshly commanding him. Yoshi continued to defy it, but as they days passed, Yoshi felt strange dark urges. Once, when Yoshi was washing dishes with Mario, he had found an odd desire to smash one of the ceramic plates upon his friend's head.
Another instance found himself with a nearly irrepressible urge to shove a trowel through Parakarry's head, delivering the afternoon's mail as Yoshi tended to the garden. The dinosaur was struggling to bash a PVC pipe through Luigi's heart as he came to visit from his mansion…one time, during dinner after a relatively uneventful day…Yoshi was helping Mario cook, a stir fry of various vegetables.
"Yoshi, hand me one of those skillets, would you?" The plumber asked his dino buddy.
"Yeah, Mar, give me a sec." Yoshi responded, opening a small area under the microwave and pulling out a rather large iron frying pan. Getting to his feet and turning to Yoshi's back, a cold desire gripped his heart, as the voice from before whispered in the back of his mind…
-You have the power, Yoshi….you can exact vengeance….just imagine the power you have, and how you're letting it go to waste. It wouldn't even be messy. Just a swift konk to the back of the head with a frying pan…it would be oh so very easy, it wouldn't have to be bloody at all…-
NO! GO AWAY! Yoshi's thoughts screeched.
-The darkness only hurts because it's telling you it cares, Yoshi. Submit to the darkness. Surrender to the overwhelming darkness, and it will all go away…the pain will end forever…-
Yoshi struggled with his mind, feeling another headache coming on, unable to bear it as he came under attack by the dark voice.
-Surrender…Surrender…Surrender…-
"NEVER!" Yoshi screamed, heaving the skillet with all his might at the wall, smashing a dent in it. Mario, surprised, leaped into the air with a yelp and turning around, his blue eyes wide as saucers. Unable to speak, he stared at Yoshi for a moment, blinking in confusion. The dinosaur stared back, twitching with his own eyes wide in shock and horror…"I'm….I'm sorry, Mario." He paused. "Please, don't…don't worry about me. I…I've lost my appetite…..I'm going to bed, I don't feel at all well."
Without really waiting for a response, Yoshi sighed and turned, heading towards the bedroom. Going over to the bottom bunk, he pulled down the green comforter and slid under the sheets, curling up. He had hoped, and thought, a nap would help.
However, the nightmares came back much more powerful than ever, and every night it was worse and worse. Another three weeks dragged on, and Yoshi was slowly but surely beginning to become sleep deprived in a desperate effort to avoid the nightmare. His once cheery face was a wreck of despair, and bags under his eyes. His once shimmering emerald scales were now a pale sickly lime. He rarely smiled anymore, and if he did it was only a sad one. He continuously trembled…and Mario began to get really worried. Every time he spoke to his friend, Yoshi would just lay on his side, twitching, mumbling "Gotta save space" over and over again under his breath. As a safe note, Mario suggested seeing a psychiatrist, but all that ended up doing was the doctor being unable to get much farther than having Yoshi admit over and over about darkness everywhere, consuming him, and feeling lost…
Nobody knew what to do, as Yoshi regressed farther and farther into this bleak state...
"Mario, turn the heat up, please." Yoshi whispered one night. Mario, sans caps and wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and an undershirt, just stared over at him in bafflement. It had been a hot day, and even the night only granted a minor relief in the 80º house. The heater was cranked up, the fireplace was raging, and even Yoshi himself was buried under two thick quilts and a large pack of hot water on his head. The green saurian had been complaining recently of being deathly cold, and unable to warm up.
"Yoshi, it's nearly 97 degrees in here! I can barely breath! I don't understand how you can still be cold!"
Yoshi shuddered again, whimpering piteously. "Please, I'm so cold…"
Mario grunted, before getting up to head over to the thermostat to crank it up another notch. He had experienced harsher temperatures before…though he had to admit—traversing Sarasaland, and the Koopahari and Dry Dry Deserts were nothing compared to the sauna like house. Isle Defino came close, but was just shy by a heat wave. The brunette man could only wonder what the people at the power plant would be saying about his place in this sort of weather. 'I can just imagine it now: a 1200 coin heating bill for July…'
Mario shook his head. "Eh, Yoshi, I'm goin' to bed…"
Yoshi nodded once. "Alright. Thank you, Mario…" He looked up with a weak, sad smile as his eyes glistened over. Mario paused, feeling yet another twinge of pity for his friend, before heading outside to the hammock he had installed between the trees next to the house. Normally, he wouldn't even dream of sleeping outside on such a stick night, but the climate outdoors was positively balmy compared to the sweltering blast furnace inside.
The green dinosaur whimpered, lying onto his side as he curled up and clutched the sheets tighter around him. He was sweating, beads of it nearly cascading down his forehead, sides, and back, but he felt like he was freezing to death. His fingers, toes, they all felt numb.
-Yoshi…- The voice came, as scheduled. By this time, he had no longer recoiled from it, having come to expect it…usually after Mario or whomever else that was nearby had left him alone as he was "safely" by himself. Yoshi was frightened, but despite his fear of being alone, he couldn't bring himself to muster the courage to ask anybody not to leave his side. -Yoshi…-
Yes….I'm here...
-As always. My friend, I want you to do something for me. A simple task. Nothing you wouldn't be able to bring yourself to do. A small favor. And I'll leave you alone. I promise.-
Yoshi did not trust the voice, but he nodded wordlessly. He felt himself get up to his feet, though he didn't recall ever pushing himself up to that position. The heat pack and the quilt slid off his person, the water pack bursting onto the floor and spreading it everywhere.
-Come.-
It was the only thing it said, before Yoshi felt an unseen presence coax him into moving forward. This time, like when he had first entered the cave so very long ago, Yoshi gave no resistance, allowing himself to travel forward and out of the house.
By this time, Mario had already curled up in his hammock and had gone right to sleep to dream of pasta and other Italian confectionaries. Because of this, he had failed to notice the loud SLAM of the door as it closed, as was blissfully unaware as Yoshi walked away from the house and down the small path leading to the warp pipe.
Yoshi noticed numbly as he traveled on foot for what seemed like hours out to the middle of nowhere in particular. Though, as he traveled he began to feel more and more uneasy as he slowly came to realize the path was walking seemed very oddly familiar to him. It was only when he spotted the gaping maw at the bottom of the cliff side did he remember it was the very same path he had taken that led him there in the first place so very long ago. Despite this revelation, he continued to walk forward still driven by an overwhelming desire to continue. Unable to stop himself, Yoshi relented and entered into the cavern…
And for the first time in several months, Yoshi found himself in the same dark pool with the shimmering black pool of dark light. He felt a heavy pressure lift off his person and he crumpled to the ground weakly. Gasping for air, his feet aching from having traveled such a long distance, he glanced up towards the simmering pool.
-Get in.-
Whimpering, Yoshi closed his eyes and began to cry. He weeped, shedding tears as he struggled to his hands and knees. His strength failing him, all he could was simply reach out towards the ground in front of him to claw at it and drag himself towards the edge inching his way to the pool. Yoshi no longer resisted the will of the voice…its raspy drawl burning into his mind so much it since melted away his will to fight back. He figured, maybe, if he just did this "little favor," the voice would go away, just as it had promised. Upon reaching the edge of the pool, Yoshi took a deep breath, gazing down into the endlessly midnight black, yet shimmering shining waters.
And then, he thought in the back of his mind he could barely hear a tiny whisper, among the lightest of the breezes, of Birdo, begging him not to do it.
I'm sorry, my love. I wasn't strong enough. Forgive me.
And with that, Yoshi plunged his head into the water…and felt his body slide in with him as he was immersed in the dark waters and began to sink. Then, everything went dark and Yoshi could no longer see or hear anything.
An eternity passed, and the next thing he knew, all he could feel was darkness. There was no warmth, but he was not cold. He was not breathing, but he was not short of breath. He no longer felt weak, but there was no strength. He did not know anything about where he was…..or even, who he was. There was no pain, there was no hunger. There was no desire.
There was nothing at all. And yet, there was.
In this void, he felt nothing. No urges, no emotions, no physical sensations. There was nothing, yet this was all there was. However, he knew there was something there; and that he was that something. He still had a sense of being. A sense of awareness.
I think…therefore I am.
It was a thought. A simple though, that came from the farthest reaches of nowhere. It was there for a second, and then it disappeared back into the depths from whence it came. All of a sudden, he heard the voice again, this time emanating from every conceivable direction—the very environment itself was filled with an unseen force that surged in vast amounts of…nothingness…that was still present.
-Yoshi….do you feel it? ...You don't, do you. You feel nothing…nothing at all. Yoshi, this is the sense of total liberation; a state of…absolute freedom.-
Yoshi….the name was…familiar, yet foreign to him.
Where…where am I? His response felt just as powerful. He could nothing….yet he felt like he was…everywhere at once. He could hear his own voice resounding not just where he thought he was, but from all corners of this plane of existence.
-You are…in another plane. Not quite another dimesion, and not quite a plane of death, nor life or death. Some people would incorrectly call this comatose. But, a more correct term would be….nirvana.-
Yoshi felt himself nod off. He didn't know what the term meant, but he was content in not knowing.
-I have brought you here…to show you that you do not have to life a live full of pain, suffering, and sorrow. This is the ultimate, and I'm merely giving you a taste of what people strive for. You desire this state…and you deserve it. But, you may have it, on one condition. You have a job to do…serve me. Serve me well, and this…I shall reward you with. Everlasting, eternal rest and peace that you so greatly desire; the liberation of all pain and suffering.-
Liberation of all pain and suffering…no more…pain…no more…hunger...
-No more war…no more hatred. No more. Just silence. And rest.-
There was a pause. Another eternity seemed to pass.
Yes. …Yes. I'll do it. I'll serve you.
Immediately, Yoshi woke up with a start. Aware of everything…he was Yoshi. His love, Birdo, had been killed in an accident. He was a resident of the Mushroom Kingdom. He was currently in a dark cave with a shimmering dark pool. He was standing…no longer tired. In fact, he felt…strong. Much stronger than he had ever remembered being. He no longer felt cold…
And he felt….free. His mind was no longer plagued with disturbing images of…of a pink female creature similar in ambiguity to his own. What was her name again? He suddenly recalled various faces….one of which being a portly middle aged man, wearing overalls and a red cap…who…fixed pipes for a living. Yet he couldn't recall his name, but he didn't feel like it was very important for the time being. He would remember; he was sure he would, in time.
However, his attentions turned towards the dark pool, which had begun to churn and bubble. The green dinosaur's eyes widened as he turned to gaze into the waters…as his vision was filled with a glorious, terrible sight. A wonderfully horrifying image, one that spawned command, respect, and fear as Yoshi cast his gaze upon him and immediately sunk to the ground onto his knees to bow his head.
"How may I serve you, Master?"
-TO BE CONTINUED-
(A/N: And thus concludes another chapter of the Demonic Yoshi saga. As darkness seeps into the heart of our protagonist, darkness looms on the horizon…and a new dusk falls over the Mushroom Kingdom.
Chapter 3: The First Kill coming soon.
--B. Kitsune)