Luigi sat alone in his bedroom as drops of water raced down his window. He silently watched, betting on which one would make it to the bottom of the glass and seep into the windowsill beneath the just barely cracked glass. It was amazing how quickly the chilling air rushed in through such a small space.

He rested his forehead against the cool glass, looking out at the deep gray sky. He didn't feel much pain, but he knew the bliss was only temporary. His body went in phases, sometimes feeling almost normal. Those days were nice. 

"Breakfast," Mario chimed, knocking on his door briefly before walking in with a tray of food, which consisted of soup and some water. Luigi had gotten tired of soup months ago, but he never complained. He didn't want to be more of a nuisance. After all, Mario was the one taking care of him day in and day out. He occasionally disappeared for a week or so for an adventure, but that was happening less frequently than it used to. Luigi preferred it when he was out adventuring anyway because that would usually mean Daisy coming over and taking his place. She always served a larger variety of food.

"I'm going to help the search parties," Mario explained. "So I'll be heading back to Flipside for a few days. You don't mind calling Daisy to come over, do you?"

"Yeah, I'll handle it after I finish eating," Luigi muttered, keeping his gaze on the window, where he could see his reflection. There was a sunken expression on his face. His skin felt looser. The dark circles beneath his eyes never went away, no matter how much sleep he got.

Mario nodded, then left the tray and closed the door. He never spoke much anymore. Not that Luigi could blame him. He could tell that it was hurting Mario to see him like this. It was hurting him too. He couldn't even look at his own reflection without feeling lost.

The man in green placed a hand over his chest and let out a sigh. He waited until he heard Mario grab his coat and leave, then set the still-full cup of soup on his nightstand. He was lucky his bed was right next to the window. 

It was hard for him to get up most days. That window was his doorway to the world outside. "I'll be back soon," he said, taking his hand from his chest and placing it on the cool glass that separated him from everyone else.

Instead of calling Daisy as Mario had requested, he stood up, reaching out to the wall for support. He planned on taking advantage of the empty house for a few hours before bringing her over. After all, Mario and Daisy never let him walk on his own anymore. Not after he fell down the stairs and fractured his wrist a few months back. He couldn't blame them. He was always a little clumsy to begin with, and the sickness that had spread throughout him wasn't helping.

Well, it wasn't quite a sickness, but that was how everyone treated it. There was a time when Mario and Daisy even wore masks around him, although they said it was because of a bug going around the Mushroom Kingdom and them not wanting to infect him further. He didn't have the energy to tell them that he wasn't technically infected with anything, he didn't have a disease - he was simply missing something.

Something that had still yet to be found, even after months of searching.

It was drafty in the house, so he decided to find his favorite green sweater and put it on instead of his usual green shirt and overalls. He liked it because of the small compass stitched onto the upper corner, symbolizing adventure and exploration. It had been a while since Mario had done laundry, so the only pants left which weren't overalls were black jeans. He was almost tempted to choose his silver steel-toed boots instead of his usual brown ones, just to remember what it felt like when he was someone else.  For a moment, he contemplated putting on a black jacket over his sweater and adding a green scarf to complete the look.

But he didn't. He would have looked ridiculous anyway. 

There wasn't much good that came from his time as Mr. L.

The wind roared outside, making the windows and doors rattle. Luigi stumbled toward the dining room so he could peer outside, past his own reflection. Despite the wind, he could see no storm. It was invisible.

He hated to think of everyone searching outside for his benefit. It wasn't so terrible during the spring and summertime, but winter was approaching. Princess Peach had sent out half her toad guards to help with the search, as did Bowser. It was a strange feeling, really. His suffering had practically brought the two kingdoms together. Bowser hadn't kidnapped her once since the whole disaster started. The only adventures Mario had to go on were related to searching for Dimentio in far-off places.

Polterpup trotted next to Luigi's leg and happily barked at him, demanding food. Luigi looked down at the small ghost dog, then smiled and shook his head no, though he was grateful that Polterpup had finally started to warm up to him again. When he initially returned with no heartbeat, the dog treated him as if he were a stranger. It hurt.

"Sorry, buddy," Luigi muttered. He sat down in the singular chair that remained in the dining room, feeling a deep swell of grief from the fact that the only chair that remained was Mario's. A lot of small items from the house had disappeared and been replaced with all kinds of books on magic and tracking. Mario was really giving it his all to find Dimentio.

Still, Luigi wished his brother didn't get rid of his chair. It was as if he was already dead.

He stopped believing that his brother would ever find Dimentio months ago. Mario never knew the jester. No one did. Dimentio always kept to himself. He kept his enemies close and his true intentions closer. 

Blumiere would occasionally visit and talk to Mario about the missing jester, though he never walked into Luigi's room to see him. Luigi assumed that he was too guilty to. He didn't blame him, though. 

In fact, Luigi didn't blame anyone. Sometimes, it felt like blame was what was wrong with the world. Everyone always searched for something to put the fault onto, as if identifying the source of trouble would somehow make it better. It didn't matter if it was Count Bleck's fault or Dimentio's fault or even his own fault. Sitting and placing blame was nothing more than a way to fuel hatred, and Luigi didn't have the energy or time for that.

He let out a breath and pulled up his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he found Daisy, which didn't take all that long. Mario was known for being popular and having a ton of friends, but Luigi wouldn't go as far as saying he was very close with them all. Not close enough to get their numbers, at least. The only contacts he had were Mario's, Peach's, Daisy's, and the hospital on speed dial, though the hospital couldn't help him. 

He pulled up his and Daisy's messages, which had gotten drier and drier as the months passed. He missed the times when they used to joke with one another and make each other smile. Ever since the incident, no one would laugh with him anymore. It's like the whole world thought he was fragile, which to be fair, he was, but he didn't think being fragile would mean losing all those wonderful things.

He was just starting to form the message: "Hey Daisy. Mario left to search and wants you to babysit," when the wind stopped howling, bringing him to look up at the window once again, at his reflection.

It seemed wherever he went, his reflection followed, reminding him that he was smaller and weaker than he used to be. He wasn't the daring adventurer who followed in Mario's footsteps anymore. Although, daring never really was one of the words he used to describe himself.

Polterpup quietly barked from below him, begging for more food. Luigi quietly shushed the dog, then looked past his reflection, out to the forest that lay just a few yards from his house. 

He and Mario had been lucky enough to live close to town, but near the woods as well. He remembered a time when he and his brother would run out into that forest on sunny days and climb all the trees. Days in the sun where they spent hours living life to the fullest.

Now, all the leaves had fallen, leaving the trees bare and dry. When he was younger, he used to wonder about the autumn leaves. It was one of the prettiest seasons, yet there was so much death surrounding the world. Since when was dying beautiful?

There was snow in areas with higher elevation, but it wasn't cold enough yet for the winter weather to reach the Mushroom Kingdom.

He turned his phone off, then reached over his black jacket, grasping at the green scarf. He quickly wrapped it around his neck a few times as Polterpup circled him, chasing the end of it.

"Don't tell Mario," Luigi said. "He'll kill me."

Mario wasn't what he was worried about, though. If anything, his main concern should have been walking too far and passing out somewhere no one would ever find him. Mario only forced him to stay home in order to keep him safe. Being cruel was never his intention.

It just felt like a prison. If Luigi really was dying, he wasn't going to spend what was left of his life cooped up in a room fearing the inevitable.

Besides, Mario didn't know Dimentio. Not like Luigi did. Not that Luigi knew the jester very well either, but he liked to believe that he had just as much of a shot at finding him and curing himself as anyone else did. Flipside had been searched nearly dry, as did Flopside. If Dimentio really was alive and wanted to stay hidden, he wouldn't go there of all places. Luigi knew that Peach had the castle and Toad Town on high alert, but he doubted Dimentio would be there either. Dimentio was smarter than that. He'd go someplace different, someplace no one would think of going. Maybe someplace no one ever even heard about. Luigi had no idea. All he knew was that despite the countless search efforts, Mario was never going to find him.

He dug through a few drawers and put together a small backpack. He made sure to bring a few essentials; water, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, matches, snow gear in case things were to get bad, extra batteries, a few snacks, and an emergency blanket.

"I should be back in a few hours," Luigi promised the ghost dog, who had gotten distracted by a fly buzzing about. The dog yapped at the small insect, which Luigi took as a bark of agreeance. Then, the man in green grasped the wooden door handle. Something he hadn't felt in his hands in longer than he would have ever thought. Oddly enough, it felt rougher and less round than he remembered. There were a few dents and places where the wood had chipped away.

"If I'm not here by tonight, I'm probably dead," he joked, thankful that Daisy wasn't around. She always hated it when he joked about himself and his condition.

He felt fine, though. Well, as fine as he could feel. There was still that empty feeling inside him, but all the burns from the initial explosion that destroyed Super Dimentio had been healed long ago. The only pain he had to fight was the sharp throbbing that replaced his heartbeat, and he had started to grow used to it. Besides, he had taken enough painkillers when he woke up to at least get him through a few hours, and there were extras in the first aid kit.

"Time for an adventure," he smiled to himself. "I'll see you tonight, Polter."

With that, he pulled the door open, allowing the wall of cold air to greet him. Despite the windstorm briefly calming down, the breeze he was met with upon breaking the barrier between the outside world and himself almost shoved him right back to the ground where he belonged.

He didn't let it, though. He wasn't going to let it.