Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Nintendo.

I got this idea from a favourite song of mine by a singer named Anne Murray. Partial credit goes to her.

You Needed Me

She watched helplessly as her hero battled the ferocious King of the Koopas. And she knew one thing for certain: That she was the cause for all of the violence…all of the suffering.

"This is all my fault." She said through tears as she huddled in the far corner of her cage. "If it were not for me, Mario wouldn't have to do this… If only I were not so incompetent…"

She knew that Mario went through Hell and back just to get to her, then on top of that, he had to fight a monster more than three times his size. She felt solely responsible for all of the strain Mario went through just to get to her. Now, if this were the first time, it would be a different story.

But no, this had happened more times than she cared to remember. But the most horrid thing of all, she thought, was the fact that Mario asked nothing of her but a kiss on the cheek. Even though she did bake that cake for him that one time, it still felt as if she could do so much more. It made her sick just to think about it.

Finally, the time came that she dreaded most of all. Mario, once again, against all odds, defeated Bowser.

Now she had to face him.

She saw him run up to the cage and open the door with the key that Bowser had around his neck. And as he walked in, she stood up and walked up to him with her head hung low.

"Peach! Are you alright? Are you-a hurt?" Mario said as he looked her up and down.

"Mario… Why?" She asked as she continued looking down.

"Huh? Why-a what?" He asked with a questioning and worried look.

He watched in pain as tears began flooding from her eyes as she spoke. "Why do you keep rescuing me?" She screamed through her tears as she sunk to the floor crying.

"Peach…I…"

"NO! It's not fair, Mario! It's not fair that you have to come all this way to save a princess who will do nothing but merely say 'thank you' and give you a little peck on the cheek! Why do you keep coming for me? Why?"

"Peach, stop-a this!" Mario said as he knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. "You don't know-a what you're saying!" Mario said as tears began to well up in his eyes as well.

"Yes I do!" Peach said as she slapped his hands away. "I know more now than I've ever known! And if I know nothing else, it's this: you don't need to travel all the way here, you don't need to fight Bowser, and most of all, YOU DON'T NEED ME!" She yelled at him as she moved away from him and began to cry again.

"Mario's tears began to flow as he took off his hat and looked at the ground. "…Peach… That's…that's not true…"

Peach stopped her crying and just silently looked at him.

"Peach… I was just a lowly plumber… I couldn't even make-a ends meet. Then all of a sudden, I see a poster saying that a Princess had been-a kidnapped… and I felt-a like I should do something. So I came and-a saved you… Ever since-a then…things have just-a fell into place… Without-a you, I'd still be…. A loser. Peach, I need-a you more than anything… You make me into somebody… You… Treat-a me like a hero.." Mario said as he closed his eyes and more tears fell. "Without-a Peach… There would-a be no Mario."

Peach didn't know what to say. She had never really knew much about Mario before he had began rescuing her. But now she understood why he kept coming back. It wasn't because of the reward, nor was it for the fame. It was only for her. Just as he completed her… she completed him. They had many things in common… but one thing they shared more than anything else was a mutual need. She needed a hero… and Mario just needed to be needed.

She had stopped crying by now and just sat there watching as Mario wept bitterly. It only took her a second to realize what she wanted to do. She scooted close to her broken hero and took him into an embrace. Mario clung to her tightly as he cried in her arms. As they sat there with each other in that cell, one last tear fell from Peach's face as she kissed Mario on the cheek.

"You…needed me…"

Well, I hope you liked it. Please review. This is my first REAL fanfic, so please be considerate! :D I wish you the best. Take care, and God Bless.

The Preacherman.

(Yes, I know I sign my name really big-like. It's my trademark.)