AN: Here I come with another story. Unlike the last few that I had written for the Super Koopalings series, this one is very significant for the plot. I hope that you'll all enjoy this one. And don't worry, I still plan on working on the other stories (at least some of them).

Anyway, enjoy.

Chapter 1 Caretaker

"Almost done," Magnus whispered, the sound barely audible over the boiling soup on the stove. Magnus himself didn't exactly appreciate this dish or its flavor, but he was always willing to make it for dinner. If what he heard from her and others was to be believed, he was really good at making it. It was just a shame he wasn't better at making food he actually enjoyed.

Oh well. At least the cats liked it.

Magnus removed the spoon from the the pot. Rich cream dripped off the sides, creating ripples in the broth. Red, green, and purple mushrooms floated in the soup, their vibrant colors very attractive to both the sense of taste as well as the sense of sight. It was almost done; there was just one final touch that Magnus had to add. With a grin on his face, he took his wand out of his magenta robes. Clearing his throat, he held it over the soup.

"Deli Sensi." The bubbling of the soup became more intense. Each bubble that burst sent an alluring smell wafting through the kitchen. It smelt of spice, of nostalgia, of home. The soup also glittered now; the golden sparkles making the meal look like a precious treasure. Magnus smiled. It was perfect; all ready to be served. The magikoopa cook put his wand back in his robe and picked up the pot.

"Everyone!" he called out. "Supper time!"

When those words came out of his mouth, all thirty cats in the house came running down the hall. Each one meowed loudly, communicating both their hunger and their excitement to Magnus. He laughed, almost stepping on a cat with purple fur.

"Calm down, calm down!" he said. "You guys will get your food." He snickered. "But if I step on you, you won't be around to enjoy it." He gestured for the cats to move. "Make way, make way."

The cats obeyed extremely well. They each sat up against the wall, their hungry eyes following Magnus with an understanding and reverence that no normal cats would possess.

Of course, these were not normal cats in the slightest.

Once Magnus got to the end of the hallway safely, the cats followed after him in a single file line. The train did not stop until they got to the dining room. Once it halted, Magnus labeled the mushroom soup into the cats' dinner bowls. He took extra care to cater to these animal's preferences. Fluffy liked extra mushrooms in his bowl, Lucy favored the richness of the cream, etc.

Soon enough, Magnus had successfully fed all of the cats. All of them, that is, except for one. Hermie, a black cat with golden yellow eyes, waited near his food bowl, looking at the magikoopa with an expectant look. Magnus set the pot on the table and picked up Hermie.

"You'll get your supper eventually." He petted Hermie on the head before whispering in his ear; "but first, I want to take you to Aida. It's your turn to see her."

A soft purr sounded from the deepest corners of Hermie's throat. Magnus beamed, appreciating not only Hermie's will to cooperate, but also in the fact that he took pleasure in comforting Aida. Not many of the cats had; in fact, a lot of them struggled against this job. This was especially true in the beginning, when Magnus first brought them home. They bit at Magnus, scratched his face, all that good stuff. Fortunately, most of the cats had warmed up to the fact that this was their new home. And those that hadn't? Well, he wasn't just going to give up owning such special cats as these. He kept them around, treating them and pampering them in a way that they would never experience outside the walls of this house.

With careful steps, Magnus walked up the stairs with Hermie in his arms. Once at the top, he slowly opened the door to Aida's bedroom. He spoke with a hushed voice once the elderly Dragon Koopa was in earshot.

"Hi, Aida. Hermie's here to pay you a visit."

Aida lifted her head from the pillow. Her unkept, thinning mint green hair fell in front of her tan face, almost hiding the sparkle of her pristine blue eyes from Magnus's view. Those eyes gave Magnus a confused look. He could see the gears turning in her head.

"Aino? Are you home?" she asked, her voice as shaky as it was quiet.

Magnus felt a pang; he always did whenever this happened. "It's…Magnus, Aida."

Aida's expression grew more confused. "I don't know any Magnus."

Magnus held back a sigh. "I'm your caretaker." He approached, loosening his hold on Hermie the closer he got to the bed. "So is Hermie here, for that matter."

Hermie meowed when he jumped onto Aida's bed. The old lady's face lit up. She launched right into petting him, the light in her eyes becoming brighter with each journey her hand made down the cat's back.

"Is he mine?"

"Yep," Magnus said. He gripped onto his robe, mustering as much of a smile as he could. "He loves you."

Aida smiled. "He loves me?" The surprise in her voice was admittedly charming, at least to a degree. At the same time though, it was also incredibly sad. The lady hadn't been herself in so long. Magnus partially blamed himself for that; her head hadn't exactly been in the right place, so the process of memory removal by magical therapy had been deemed necessary. A lengthy process that had been, as well as unsuccessful one. Somehow, Magnus had seemed to take away too much. A little part of Aida had been lost during those sessions, a part that could never be retrieved.

Magnus kept his eyes on her, watching her pet Hermie with a kind of love that only a longtime animal lover could possess. She whispered to her pet, her voice sounding like the coos of a baby to their mother. Magnus looked out the window, wondering if the old girl ever felt trapped within the confines of these walls. Like her messed up mind, she could never escape from this house; only sit around while what was left of her life faded into the ether.

"Who are you?"

Magnus blinked. Aida stared at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. He put his smile back on and approached her.

"Magnus, Aida. I'm the magikoopa who was assigned to take care of you."

"Take care of me?" Aida's brow wrinkled. "Do I need to be taken care of?"

Magnus chuckled. "That's what I've been told."

Aida's eyes traveled between Magnus and Hermie, her confusion just as present as the light they possessed. Magnus sniffed, now feeling that him leaving was a necessity.

"Well," he said. "I'll go get you some supper. After that, I'll bathe and change you." He turned, just about to walk out of the room when Aida spoke up.

"Is Aino back?"

Magnus actually felt pain when that question was asked. He slowly turned back toward her. "No, Aida. Your son…he's not coming back."

Aida's mouth gawked open. "Did…did I something wrong?"

Magnus quickly shook his head. "No! No no no! It had nothing to do with you! It's just…!"

Before his very eyes, the elderly dragon koopa began to cry. The tears landed on Hermie's head, causing the kitty to lean against her in a gesture that almost resembled hugging.

"Why did Aino leave me?" Aida sniffled. "I didn't mean to upset him." She looked into Magnus's eyes, all sorts of emotions making themselves known. "When you see him, can you tell him…" she nearly choked on her own sob. "Can you tell him his Mama is sorry?"

Magnus pursed his lips. He wasn't going to cry. He had promised himself when he first started taking care of Aida that he wasn't going to break down. He had upheld that promise, but damn it, this poor girl's situation and mental state really made it tempting.

"I''ll…" Magnus swallowed a sob. "I'll make sure to tell him."

With a slow closing of the door, Magnus left the room. He bit his lip, hearing Aida's sobs coming from inside. He pinched his brow with his thumb and forefinger. This job was really hard sometimes. None of this was Aida's fault. She had been through the wringer during her life. And what made this extra hard to deal with was the fact that Magnus was to blame for a good amount of that strife. Sure, he hadn't been responsible for her nearly losing her sanity over being in possession fo false memories. But he should have known better. He should have known that he had taken one memory too many through the magical therapy sessions.

He slowly inched away from the door and down the stairs. The sound of Aida's sobs grew softer, but that didn't mean they were any less real. When Magnus returned to the room with the cats, each and everyone of them turned their head his way. The magikoopa chuckled, doing his best to put on a strong face.

"She's doing better," he told them. He came up and pet one of them on the head, hoping that the display of affection would cover up the bald faced lie. "She just needs time."

The brow of the cat he was petting furrowed. They knew that no amount of time could possibly fix Aida's wounds.

"Magnus!"

Magnus blinked, impressed by the fact that she remembered his name. He hurried up the stairs, and when he got there, he saw her holding Hermie in her arms.

"This cat," she said. "He needs food."

Growl.

Magnus blushed at the sound of Hermie's growling stomach. Of course. He had forgotten that he hadn't fed Hermie yet. He collected the cat, whispering in their ear that they were going to get an extra helping of mushroom soup. Just about he was about to leave was when he got an idea.

"Aida," he said. "Do you want me to get you another kitty?"

Aida blinked before smiling. "I love kitties."

Magnus smiled. "I know." He stood in the doorway, holding the door open so he could give her an endearing smile. "By tomorrow, you'll have a new cat all your own."

With the image of Aida smile stuck in his mind, he closed the door. He looked down at Hermie. The cat actually looked excited at the news that another feline friend was going to join his little herd.

Of course, the cat Magnus wanted couldn't come from an ordinary pet store. No. The way Magnus was going to get one…let's just say that it was going to require a lot of magic.