Well, here's my next fic! I have a lot of plans for it and I hope that it will be my longest fic yet. I hope you like twists, treachery, and trouble, because there will be quite a bit of it in this story.

Also, I would like to mention that parts of this story are "interactive". At the end of some chapters, I might leave two or more choices for you, the reader, to vote on. You can only vote on one choice, and depending on which choice wins, the story will progress down that route. These choices will greatly impact the very story itself, so when the opportunity presents itself, please remember to leave your choice in a review!

I suppose that's everything that needs to be said right now, but if you have any questions, please send me a PM. Now, on with the story!

Death is but a Game

Koops sighed and took a sip of punch from the glass in his hand. He surveyed the scene before him, not sure whether to feel nervous or excited.
He was at Princess Peach's castle, attending one of her famous parties. She had invited all of her friends and it had turned out to be a major event. Koops recognized some familiar faces, some of which he had been on adventures with previously, good friends of his, and others were strangers to him. He stood apart from the clusters of people who were mingling in the main hall, their voices indistinguishable from one another.
"You know, you should really go join them."
Koops jumped and turned to the voice just at his right. He saw the face of his girlfriend, Koopie Koo, staring back at him, a smile spread across her face and a playful twinkle in her eye.
Koops sighed, his gaze falling to the floor. "Nah, I'm fine here. I don't really know many other people here, and they'd probably just think I'm intruding on their conversations. Plus, what would I talk to them about? I-"
He felt Koopie place a finger on his lips and he fell silent, realizing that he had been rambling in a slightly shaky voice.
"It's okay, Koops!" she grinned. "Meeting new people is a scary thing! But you know what? It's fun too!"
Koops placed his glass on the snack table beside him, his eyes settling on the crowd once more. "Fun? How so?"
Koopie folded her hands behind her back and leaned on the table, observing the people before them as well. "Well, you get to learn all sorts of things about them! It's a wonderful experience!"
Koops scratched his arm, not so sure.
Koopie noticed and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, come on, Koops. It's great! I mean, haven't you ever looked at someone and wondered, 'I wonder where they're going', or, 'What's that person's story?' You see, that's the best part about meeting new people. You get to learn and do a whole bunch of stuff that you'd never know or do if you hadn't met them!"
'She's being awfully optimistic.' he thought.
"What if those people turn around and stab you in the back, though? What if you had been better off just not knowing them?"
He had meant to keep that comment as a thought, but it had somehow slipped out.
"Well, then you move on and learn from that encounter. Sure, I'm not saying that that isn't a possibility, but you gotta take chances, you know?"
Koops sighed and focused on the crowd again, watching the different people smile and laugh and talk. He wanted so desperately to join them, but he felt too timid. He knew that somehow he would mess things up one way or another and they would end up hating him. For a moment, he imagined himself among a group, sharing the same smiles and laughs that they were sharing with one another.
Koopie dragged him out of his thoughts. When she spoke, she stared into his eyes, and he could see the concern and love for him in them.
"Koops, you may be hurt and betrayed sometimes, but just know that you won't always feel like that. Because you have other people in this world who love and care about you, and whenever you need them, they'll be there for you."
Koops gave her a small smile and she returned it. After a brief pause between the two, Koopie grabbed Koops' arm and dragged him away from the table.
"K-Koopie, wh-what are you doing?" Koops asked his girlfriend, fearing what he would hear next.
"What do you think? I'm taking you out of your comfort zone! It's about time you make some friends!"
Koops tried to pull away from her, but it was no use. Koopie Koo was actually stronger than Koops (a fact that embarrassed him greatly) and had locked his wrist in her firm grip. He had no choice but to follow along as she approached a small group of people.
"Hey guys!" she called to the group. The members turned to her and smiled.
"Hey Koopie Koo, what's up?" a pink Bob-omb cheerily said.
"Not much. I just wanted to introduce you all to my boyfriend, Koops!" Koopie pulled Koops further ahead of her so that he was in full view of the group.
A bluish Boo with two bows on her head smirked at Koops and fanned herself. "What, this guy? Seems a little scrawny, huh? So, this is the kind of guy you like, Koopie?"
Koops was sweating. He had only just started talking to them and already he was being picked on. Koops opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. His gaze fell to the floor again.
"Geez, Bow, you're so rude." a woman in a yellow dress said teasingly.
Koops looked up and the woman looked back at him and beamed, extending her hand. "Don't mind Bow, she's always like that. Hi, I'm Daisy! Glad to meet ya, Koops!"
Koops smiled and shook her hand, feeling relieved and a little less nervous. Daisy had welcomed him into the group and hadn't shunned him. She seemed genuinely kind and friendly. Perhaps there were some truth to Koopie's words...
From that point on, Koops conversed with his new friends. He learned the names of everyone there and was welcomed by them as well. There was Bombette, a cheerful girl, Kooper, Bombette's boyfriend and a hyper fellow, Waluigi, a slightly snarky and lanky guy, Bow, a rich and elegant Boo, and Toad, a friendly and good-natured person.
Koops wasn't sure how long he had spent talking with them, but by the time many jokes and stories had been shared, he found that most of the partygoers had relocated to the gardens where some fire works were to be set off.
"Hey, Koops, let's go check out the fire works!" Koopie said.
Koops nodded and turned to his new friends. "You guys wanna come too?"
Bombette smiled apologetically as she shook an unconscious Kooper who had passed out on the floor with a drink in his hand. "Sorry, but I gotta wake this lazy lug up. He spends all his energy partying it up at the beginning and passes out later into the night."
Everyone else laughed and had to decline as well. Bow had 'some business that needed to be taken care of', Daisy wanted to meet up with her boyfriend Luigi, Toad needed to find his girlfriend Toadette, and Waluigi just didn't feel like going.
"Ok, you're loss!" Koopie taunted. Then she took Koops' hand and they made their way to the gardens.
Koops had a smile that stretched all the way across his face the entire way. Thanks to Koopie, he had made new friends and had a great time. He felt much happier and just couldn't stop grinning.
"Someone's happy." Koopie said, noticing her boyfriend's expression. "Didn't I tell you making new friends is a great experience?"
"You bet! I almost didn't want to leave them!"
Koopie chuckled and the two walked through the doors and out into the garden. The fireworks had already started, and they stared upwards as the bright bursts of color illuminated the night sky.
After a while, Koopie turned to Koops.
"Hey Koops, come to the library with me."
He glanced at her face, now glowing red from a firework's flash. "The library? Why?"
She flashed him a quick grin and then took off, not waiting for him.
Koops jogged inside and made his way down the almost deserted halls, wondering what Koopie was up to.
As he turned a corner, Koops bumped into someone else.
"S-sorry!" he apologized. He glanced at who he had run into.
She was a Boo, most likely in her later teens. She was snowy white and had coal black eyes. She was wearing headphones and had a blank expression on her face. She stared at Koops as if waiting for him to say something.
"S-so," Koops started, attempting to make the situation less uncomfortable. "Enjoying the party?"
"Actually, I was just leaving." the girl said in a monotone voice. She floated past him and down the hall. He watched her go, thinking she was rather odd. He noticed that he also hadn't seen her previously during the party. Then he remembered Koopie.
Koops walked down the hall again, but was soon stopped by a familiar voice.
"Koops!" Mario called out, waving to him from down the hall. His other arm was wrapped around Princess Peach's shoulder.
"Oh, hey Mario." Koops grinned. "Hello Princess."
Peach giggled and waved her hand dismissively. "Please, there's no need for titles. Just call me Peach, you're my friend after all."
Koops nodded and smiled sheepishly. Mario turned to him and asked, "So, you enjoying the party?"
"Y-yeah, it's been really fun. Thanks for inviting me, by the way, Pr-I mean, Peach."
Mario's expression hardened for a moment and he looked at Koops seriously. "By the way, you haven't seen any suspicious types here, have you? Just between us, we believe that someone might have snuck in here."
Koops nodded and pointed back the way he had come. "Um, yeah, I think I saw someone a bit suspicious back there. I might be wrong, but she did seem a bit strange. A white Boo with headphones."
Peach nodded to Mario. "Yes, I saw her earlier and had my eye on her. She seemed to be inspecting everything about the castle rather than enjoying the party. Perhaps she was a robber?"
Mario shook his head. "Now, now, let's not jump to conclusions. We'll just talk to her first before we call her a thief." Mario turned to Koops again, nodding in appreciation. "Thanks for your help. Also, I'd appreciate it if you could keep this just between us. There's no need worrying the other guests with matters like this."
Koops nodded and Mario and Peach said their farewells, strolling down the hall in the direction Koops had directed them.
Koops continued down the hall until he came to the library. It was large and had tons of bookcases. A second level that looked quite similar to the first was located above him.
"Koopie?" Koops called out, slowly stepping into the library.
He didn't see her, and there were no other sounds except the faint chatter and booms that were emanating from the gardens.
Koops felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck as if something was warning him that he was about to be ambushed. He spun around to see that Koopie was standing there. Her arms were raised as if she had been prepared to grab Koops' shoulders and scare him, but they dropped to her sides in disappointment when he saw her.
"Geez, I can never sneak up on you, can I?" she pouted. Koops smiled and shrugged.
Koopie looked around as if judging her surroundings. Finally, she said, "Hey, Koops, how about we play hide and seek?"
He looked at her skeptically. "Hide and seek?"
"Yeah! Don't you remember how we always used to play that as kids? You were always the best at hiding."
Koops nodded, thinking back to the old days when they played the game as children. He was incredibly good at hiding, often causing Koopie to give up on searching for him and call him back out.
"Okay then." Koops agreed.
"Great! You can hide first, and I'll count! Ready?"
Koops nodded and Koopie closed her eyes and put her head against a bookcase. She began to countdown from ten and Koops ran to his hiding spot. He stealthily climbed a bookcase and looked over the edge, peering down at Koopie as she finished counting. She looked around and under things, tapping her chin as she pondered where he was hiding.
After a while, Koopie gave up.
"Alright Koops, you win. Come on out."
Koops was about to hop down and expose himself, but a devious plan formed in his head. He decided to sneak up on Koopie just as she had tried to do to him.
He silently jumped down from his position and made his way to the end of the bookcase, keeping his body low to the ground and his footsteps silent. He leaned around the corner to make sure that Koopie's back was turned, and, when the moment was right, he jumped out and caught her shoulders.
"Gotcha!" he cried and she shrieked in surprise. He couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his girlfriend's face.
"That's not funny, Koops!" she folded her arms. "You really scared me!"
Koops kept laughing and eventually Koopie did as well.
They spun in surprise when they heard the sound of books falling. A large pile had toppled over and Rosalina was sprawled on top if them.
"My apologies." she muttered sheepishly. "I didn't want to disturb you two, so I was trying to sneak out quietly."
"That's ok. Are you alright? Here, let me help you." Koopie offered.
Koopie and Koops helped Rosalina gather her books and she thanked them.
"Why are you in here?" Koopie asked her. "The party is outside."
"Oh, I was just taking some time to search for a book that I was curious about. Peach said it would be alright for me to borrow some, so I just came here for a few."
Koops glanced at the cover of one of the books in her arms. It looked like some sort of medical book.
She noticed his gaze and quickly tucked the book under her arm. "Well, I'll see you two later, then."
With that, Rosalina left the couple alone.
"Hmm, do you think she was acting a bit odd?" Koopie asked, staring after her.
Koops shrugged. He was more interested as to why she had a medical book, but he could only link it to one thing.
Recently, a mysterious virus had invaded the Mushroom Kingdom. It was incurable and incapacitated victims, leaving them bedridden with a high fever, uncontrollable vomiting, violent tendencies, and a few other symptoms. It was quickly becoming a major threat, and people were panicking. The government was trying to reassure the people, but they weren't doing such a good job of it. Nevertheless, they did their best to find a cure and seek aid. In fact, the real reason behind Princess Peach's party was to invite and meet with some influential people in and around the kingdom, attempting to get help from whoever she could.
Koops was dragged out of his thoughts as Koopie pushed him against a bookcase, not hard, but playfully.
"Still, that wasn't nice." she teased. "You really freaked me out."
He smiled and gave her a gentle shove back. "Oh yeah? And what about you? You tried to sneak up on me earlier."
"Well, yeah, but..." Koopie tried to come up with an excuse, but failed. Instead, she gave Koops another push, and he returned it. They eventually got into a small shoving match, both of them giggling lightheartedly, but both trying to win at the same time.
Soon, Koops pinned Koopie to a bookcase. She struggled against him, but he had her arms firmly locked against the bookcase and over her head.
She stopped and stared into his eyes, and he quickly felt his heart beat faster. She closed her eyes and the ends of her lips twitched upwards ever so slightly. She seemed to be expecting something, something that Koops was so nervous about delivering.
He felt something hard bounce off the back of his head and he grimaced in pain. Whirling around, he spotted his friends looking at them over the railing on the second floor.
"Come on, man!" Kooper, the book hurler, shouted. "Kiss her!"
Luigi, who was standing with his arm wrapped around Daisy, chuckled and shook his head at Kooper's words. "Well, he probably would have, if you hadn't ruined the moment."
Kooper grinned mischievously at the green clad man and shrugged. "Hey, I guess I'm just good at messing things up! It's what I do best!"
The others chuckled and Koopie stepped forward, calling up to her friends. "Hey, how about we meet you guys back in the main hall? We'll only be a moment."
"Sure, we'll see you soon." Toad said, motioning for his friends to follow him.
"Have fun you lovebirds!" Bombette called back to them and followed the group to the exit.
Koops blushed and rubbed the back of his head. Koopie giggled and said, "Well, it looks like our alone time is over, huh Koops?"
"Seems like it."
"Well, I had fun. I always like seeing you really be yourself at times like this." She brought her lips to his cheek and gave him a quick kiss that sent his heart soaring. Then she took his hand. "Now, let's go see our friends, huh?"
Koops grinned and nodded, and they strolled out of the library together.

Sorry if this chapter was really slow and uninteresting, but it's supposed to set up everything that is to come. Next chapter will introduce the Game, so hopefully it will be a bit more interesting.