Yay, a new chapter! :)
There'll probably be one or two more after this one.
Wafflegirl0304: You're welcome. :) Ha ha; they'll do their best!
Hawk of the Cherrywood Vines: Same here! They're so cute! ^^
Thanks. :)
Dimentio's Epic Girlfriend: OMG PLEASE TURN OFF CAPS LOCK!
Nah, I'm just kidding; I don't mind. :)
Have no fear, Fawful and his friends will do their best to save him!
ME IS A BUNNY: lol XD
.music156: lol, eww is right!
the evil guest: And this whole time I thought you hated him. :)
Friend of Fawful:(First time) Thank you! ^^ It's fine. :)
Clearly he didn't.
(Second time) Cool. I can't wait to start on the next chapter. :D My Fridays have felt so empty lately. :'(
I know, right? It's like when ever I start to really like a villain, they end up dying!
Why, Nintendo? Why do you make me kill my fandoms?! DX
*Cough* Anyway, do I look like a cruel people to you? *Does awesome face*
RoseMarie Fanfics: Yes, things weren't looking good in the last chapter. But, things always get worse before they get better, right?
Thanks. :) Ha ha, sorry you found that to be awkward. :P
Rather gross, isn't it? XD
"Was…was a cure ever found?" Mimi asked. She tried to keep her voice steady, but it was obvious she was scared.
"Um…" Fawful started reading the book again.
Dawn, Mimi, and Star waited quietly.
It felt like hours before Fawful finally closed the book and looked up.
"Well?" Dawn looked hopeful.
"A cure was discovered," Fawful answered with a sigh.
"That's a good thing. Why are you sighing?" Star asked.
"It doesn't say what the cure is. For now we have nothing to go on."
"Then maybe it's time to put the books away and start using our brains," Dawn said. "Plants!" Mimi said suddenly.
Everyone turned to her, looking confused.
"Plants," she said again. "Back then people made their own medicine out of plants. I'll bet they started experimenting with different plant and things when everyone started getting sick from the Sockop honey, and eventually they found a cure!"
"…"
"What? Didn't that make senses?"
"That," Fawful said with a grin, "is brilliant. We still have to figure out which plant we need to find, but at least we have something to go on now."
"Attention please; due to an oncoming storm, the library will be closing early. If you have any books to check out, please do so now. Thank you."
"Guess we should go now." Star stood up. "Call me and keep me updated, okay?"
"Wait! Why don't you guys come to my house?" Mimi asked. "I have to tell my family what's going now; it…might be easier if you could help me."
Fawful shrugged. "Okay. I'll have to let my mom know first, though."
"Come on," Dawn said to him. "Let's go outside and you can use my cell phone."
"Should we check out the book?" Star asked.
"Might as well. It could be useful later."
Dawn and Fawful went outside while Star and Mimi went to the front desk.
Dawn shivered.
"Sure is cold out," she commented as she dug her cell phone out of her coat pocket.
"Dark, too," Fawful added.
Star and Mimi came out a few minutes later. At the same time, a bus to Dark City pulled up the bus stop outside the library.
"Awesome timing!" Star exclaimed as they hurried to get on the bus.
As they sat down, she asked Fawful, "So, can you come over to Mimi's house for a while?"
"For a little while," he answered. "I have to be home before the storm comes, though."
"Okay then."
For the rest of the ride, the four friends were silent.
Fifteen minutes later as they were getting off the bus, Dawn's cell phone rang.
"Oh, crap," she muttered as she checked the number. "My parents are calling. They're probably wondering why I'm not home yet."
"You better let them where you are then," Star said.
"No kidding." She answered the call. "Hello?"
"Dawn!" her father, Mario, said sounding relieved. "Where are you? You should have been home almost an hour ago!"
"Sorry; I should have called. I was at the library and now I'm at the bus stop in Dark City."
"Dark City? What are you doing out there?"
With a sigh, Dawn began to explain the situation.
The whole time she was talking, the four friends were walking so they would stay warm.
"Shokuchu flu, huh? Good Grambi! Have they never taught you about Sockops in school?"
"Apparently not. Now we're trying to find a cure…" Dawn's eyes lit up. "Hey, Dad? Didn't you used to be a doctor?"
Mario chuckled. "I was for a few years."
"Do you know anything about Shokuchu flu? Could…could you help us?"
"Yes, I know a lot about Shokuchu flu and how to treat it. I'll be over as soon as I can. For now though, you better go let Blumiere and Timpani know what's going now. Then there's something else I'll need you and your friends to do."
"What is it?" Dawn asked, feeling excited. It looked like they would be able to save Dimentio! Not that she ever had any doubt they couldn't, of course.
"Growing somewhere in Dark Land Forest, is a fruit. It looks like an Oran berry, but it's dark green with white spots. Also, it's twice as big. That fruit is the cure for Shokuchu flu. I'll need you to find it for me."
"I understand. We'll find that berry."
"Good. I'll see you in about half an hour. Good luck, Dawn."
"Thanks, Dad. See you soon."
Dawn hung up and noticed her friends were staring at her. Knowing they wondered what was up, she said, "I have amazing news, guys. My dad used to be a doctor; he says he can help Dimentio!"
Mimi clapped her hands together. "Thank goodness! I'm so happy right now!"
Dawn smiled. She felt the same way. "He said he'll be here in about half an hour. In the meantime, though, your family needs to know about this. Then we have a little mission."
"Mission?" Fawful asked. "What kind of mission?"
Star raised her hand like they were back in school. "Question: does this mission involve beating some senses into Dimentio?"
Everyone laughed.
"No, we'll save that for when he's feeling better. For now, our mission is to find a berry. It's twice as big as an Oran berry, dark green with white spots, and it's the cure for Shokuchu flu."
"So I was on the right track when I guessed it was some kind of plant!" Mimi said happily.
"We'll have to get some flashlights when we get to your house…" Dawn stopped talking when something cold landed on her nose. She looked up. "I…think it's starting to snow, guys. We better hurry."
After the cold wind and snow outside, the warmth of Castle Bleck was welcomed by Mimi and her friend as they entered her home.
Dawn and Star had been there many times before, but this the first time Fawful had been there. It seemed everything in the castle was black; making the castle seem rather sinister, but at the same time, it felt homey.
"I'm home!" Mimi called out to whoever was listening. "And I brought some friends with me."
They all heard a door open in another room.
"That you, Mimi?" a male voice called out.
"Yep!"
"I thought so." The door that had been opened was now shut and a young man walked into the room.
He looked a lot like Dawn's Uncle Luigi, but this man's eyes were silver, not blue.
"Were you working Brobot in the garage again?" Mimi asked with a sigh.
The man laughed. "Well, I'm not going to work on him outside! It's windy out there today."
"Isn't it cold in the garage?"
"You wanna find out?" The man made a move to hug Mimi, but she backed away and squealed.
"Don't touch me, L! You're covered in oil and Grambi knows what!"
The man, whose name was L, just laughed again.
"You need a job or something, L," Star said, rolling her eyes.
"F.Y.I., I do have a job."
"Since when?"
"Since two weeks ago. I have the day after, though."
"L, where's Dad?" Mimi asked.
L shrugged. "Probably upstairs taking care of Dimentio. Why?"
"I have…something important to tell him. Can you go bring him down here, please?"
"Okay…" Feeling uneasy by Mimi's anxious tone of voice, L hurried up stairs.
"Well, I guess me and Star will start looking for that berry," Dawn said.
"I'll get you some flashlights." Mimi went to find flashlights for the two girls.
"What about me?" Fawful asked.
"Stay here with Mimi. I get the feeling she might need you."
Dawn's words made Fawful blush slightly, but he understood what she meant.
Mimi soon came back.
"Good luck, you two!" she called as Dawn and Star went deeper into the dark forest. "And be careful!"
She closed the door then turned around to see her father coming down the stairs.
"What's going on, Mimi?" he asked, sounding a little anxious. "L said you had something important to tell me?"
"Yes." Mimi sighed. "I have some bad news, but I also have good news. Why don't we go into the living room and sit down for a minute? Me and my friend Fawful here will explain everything from the beginning…"
It only took the two children about five minutes to explain about the Sockop honey and the Shokuchu flu.
When they finished, Blumiere was quiet.
"Dad, are you okay?" Mimi asked, taking his hand.
The dark blue skinned man nodded. "Yes, I'm just…a little worried, is all."
"Mario's coming over soon," Mimi added. "Dawn told him about what's going on because he used to be a doctor."
"Ah, I remember those days well." Blumiere shook his head and sighed. "It's a shame he quit after he got married; he was quite good at what he did then."
Fawful glanced out a window.
"I should go," he said. "I don't my mom to worry."
Mimi stood up. "I'll see you out then."
Fawful also stood up. "Okay. Uh, it was nice to meet you, Mr. Bleck."
Blumiere smiled at him. "It was nice to meet you, too, Fawful."
"Thanks for coming," Mimi said as the two children walked towards the door. "You really seemed to know what you were doing when we were explaining what Shokuchu flu is to my dad."
Fawful smiled at her. "It was nothing. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay. Try not freeze on your way home."
The Beanish boy chuckled. "I'll do my best."
Mimi opened the door then gave a startled yelp when she saw Mario standing there ready to knock on the door.
The red-clad man laughed. "Sorry, Mimi; I didn't mean to scare you."
"It—it's alright. My friend here was just leaving so I was seeing him out."
"I see. Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure." Mimi stepped aside to let Mario come in then turned back to Fawful.
"Bye, Fawful."
"Bye."
The girl closed the door then went upstairs.
She had heard Mario and Blumiere chatting in the kitchen. For now there was nothing Mario could do until Dawn and Star came back with that berry.
After stopping at her room just long enough to drop off her backpack, Mimi went to Dimentio's room.
Standing in the doorway, she couldn't tell if he was asleep or not.
He was lying on his side facing the doorway with his eyes closed. Mimi noticed he had brought his knees close to his stomach, probably in hopes that curling up like that would help ease the discomfort in his belly.
If he's sleeping, I'm waking him up, she thought to herself. He has to know.
"Hey," Mimi whispered. "You awake?"
Her brother opened one eye drowsily. "Yes; I have been for a while."
Mimi walked into the room and gently sat down on the bed.
"Is your tummy still bothering you?" she asked quietly.
"Ugh, yes."
"Aww, poor thing." Mimi reached out to rub the older boy's stomach, hoping she could make it feel better.
The moment her hand touched the boy's stomach, Dimentio let out a startled cry of pain and backed away from her.
"D-don't do that!" he yelled at her.
Startled, Mimi, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, fell to the floor.
"What did I do?!" she asked, rubbing her head. "I barely touched you!"
"Sorry," Dimentio muttered. "My stomach's been really sensitive all afternoon. Just touching it slightly hurts a lot."
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was that bad…"
"It's fine." Dimentio slowly—and painfully—sat up. "Just…please don't do that again. It really hurts."
"Sorry," Mimi said again. She stood up. "I-I have to go get something quick. I'll be right back."
She had almost added "Don't go anywhere", but realized that would have been pointless.
Her brother wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon. That much was obvious.
The young girl hurried downstairs to get The History of Dark Land Forest. If her memory was working correctly, it had been left on the coffee table in the living room.
Ah, yes; there it was! Right where she thought it was.
Retrieving the book, she went back upstairs. At the same time she was walking, Mimi was also flipping through the book to find the chapter she needed.
"We really should have put a bookmark in here or something," she sighed. "Ah ha! Here it—ouch! Is." For the second time in five minutes, Mimi rubbed her head then looked up to see what she had walked in to.
Four more feet, and she would have made back to Dimentio's room without any problems. But she had turned too soon and hit the wall of the hallway instead.
Shaking her sore head, she went into the room and found Dimentio looking amused.
"Perhaps you shouldn't read and walk at the time," he teased.
"Whatever." Mimi sat down. "So, uh…I have some stuff to tell you. Fawful told me about the Sockop you two saw last night. He got a little worried when I told him you're sick today, so we went to the library after school. Dawn and Star included."
"I'm assuming you're telling this for a reason?"
"I'm getting there! Anyway, we found out the Sockop honey is…poisonous. Eating it causes an illness called Shokuchu flu. That's why you're sick right now."
"I see…"
"But on the bright side," Mimi continued, "Mario used to be a doctor, and he knows how to help. Dawn and Star are out in the forest looking some sort of berry that will cure you. They should be back soon. And that's about everything!"
Dimentio raised an eyebrow. "About everything? What aren't you telling me?"
Mimi turned away. "It…it doesn't matter now. Don't worry about it."
It really doesn't, she thought. We caught this in plenty of time; as long as Dawn and Star find that berry soon, there's no reason Dimentio ever has to know his game could have ended. Out loud she said, "You should lie down and get some rest; you look exhausted."
"You have no idea," Dimentio sighed as he laid down and closed his eyes.
Mimi smiled. Her brother looked so cute when he was sleeping.
She reached out and slowly stroked his sweaty black and white hair.
His head feels so warm… Poor thing; he must have been feverish all day.
"Sleep well, Dim," she whispered. "When you wake up, Dawn and Star will be back, then this will all be over."
Ha ha, they have Oran berries in the Mushroom Kingdom, it seems. XD
Things to be Explained:
Um...I got nothing. =/
~Dawn