Princess Peach sat down across from him and gazed into his eyes. They were surprisingly close in age and had known each other almost all their lives. His eyes were small and dark, and the light reflected off of them, causing them to ignite with intensity.
"He's gone," Peach said. The figure smiled.
"I'll miss him," he said sincerely, "as Mario has helped both of us in the past. It is unfortunate that our best friend was our roadblock."
"Well, we're not doing this only for ourselves…it was time for him to move on, and we just sped up the process."
"Yes, I hear the poisonous mushrooms I planted in Bowser's Kingdom significantly decreased his army."
"Especially the goombas," Peach added, uninterested in the conversation's current topic. Her mind was drifting elsewhere…
"Princess," he said more softly, "I'm so happy to see you tonight." He smiled warmly, his tone more casual. "It felt good to be successful in assisting the kingdom, and anything we do to slow Bowser will result in more peace. Plus the overstressed Mario needs a real vacation, unlike what he got on Isle Delfino. But discussing these things isn't why we're here, Peach…" He stretched his hand across the table and placed it on Peach's hand. "It's a shame that our date has to be here, but as you know, it's not acceptable for us to be in love…"
"When you save me and my kingdom, then anyone would find you eligible… even the Chancellor would approve…" Peach murmured as he got up from his chair and pulled her to him.
The candlelight flickered on the couple as they kissed, and they both knew that he could never be a hero. Although he had grown tall and mature enough by eating special mushrooms, Princess Peach was in love with Toad.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those of you who have ever asked why Peach has kept Toad as her bodyguard, well… this is my twisted answer. *Laughs evilly*