Ahhhhhhh! I am so excited to keep updating this to see your reactions. Also, do you ever get the feeling that characters write themselves? I love it :3

Chapter Six

Upon entering the Dark Lands, Bowser had decided something was wrong. Peach hadn't said a word - not one word to him! She had ignored all of his attempts at conversation and curled herself up in a ball of blankets. Maybe he had done his job too well and intimidated her into submission? No... She is Princess Peach! She is always… Peachy!

When they landed on top of Bowser's massive castle, Bowser gave a small sigh. Peach was still silently wrapped up in her pink bed sheets. Once he stepped out of the Clown Kart, Bowser poked Peach's side. An adorable squeak came from the ticklish princess and Bowser quietly chuckled.

"Peach?" Bowser called gently.

"What is it?" Peach asked, her voice muffled with the blankets she was cocooned in.

"Would you come out of there and have breakfast with me?" Bowser asked, offering his hand.

"Mmph…" she poked her head out of the blankets and answered, "I'm sorry, but I'm not hungry."

Bowser froze and his claw slightly tensed when her head popped out of her blankets. The princess's hair was a fuzzy mess, she had no makeup on, and her eyes were sleepy.

It had to have been the single most adorable thing Bowser had ever seen in his life.

Peach watched his reaction and rubbed her eyes drowsily. Maybe she shouldn't be so ungrateful since he gained nothing from being hospitable. "…Sorry, Bowser. I just don't like eating until I have had morning tea. My stomach doesn't feel good if I eat right after waking up…" she trailed off. Bowser's eyes remained on her face but unfocused. She could tell he wasn't listening.

"Bowser?" Peach asked, getting a little concerned by his unusual silence.

"Huh?" Bowser snapped out of his daze. "Oh yeah. Makes sense," he coughed nervously into his claw.

Mistaking his nervous reaction as a sign of impatience, Peach began to unwrap herself from her soft confinement until Bowser jumped and motioned for her to stop.

"Wait!" he said quickly, "Before you get out, I kindaaaa…"

"Hm?" Peach hummed, looking at him curiously.

"This may be a weird suggestion…well it isn't a suggestion. I guess it is more of a question. There is nothing that I could suggest to you at the moment, but I wanted to ask you something that you can totally say no to… I would really like it if you said yes but if it makes you uncomfortable then don't feel pressured. You don't have to…" Bowser rambled, his face heating up slightly as he twiddled his thumbs shyly.

"Is he acting bashful…?" Peach thought to herself quizzically. "What is your… question?"

"Canpishoursheeks?" he mumbled, rocking back and forth on his feet nervously with his eyes pointed towards the ground.

Peach blinked with some confusion. "Would you mind rephrasing that?"

"Can I pinch your cheeks?" Bowser asked again, lifting his head a little more so she could hear him more clearly. Peach didn't know whether to laugh or feel embarrassed.

"Why?" Peach asked warily, slightly hiding her face in the blankets again.

"Because I just realllllly want to," he answered with childlike impatience and a greedy look in his playful eyes.

Before Peach could answer, she heard yelling and rushed footsteps coming from inside the hanger. Bowser grunted as a bunch of small claws grabbed onto him taking a hold of his tail, horns, arms, and legs. Eagerly, they began fighting for his undivided attention.

"King Dad!" they cried at the top of their lungs. A barrage of questions and statements came from the Koopalings as they hung onto their father, refusing to let go.

"Shut up!" Bowser yelled, shaking like a wet dog to free himself from their grasp. "You can ask one question only and it can't be a stupid one."

Iggy, who had climbed on top of Bowser's head, hung his head down in front of his father's face and asked, "Where did you go? Did you bring anything back for us?"

"Didn't you listen? One question only! Besides, aren't the answers to both of your questions obvious with Princess Peach sitting right there in front of you, idiot?" Bowser pointed to the Clown Kart and all the Koopalings stared at the pile of empty pink bed sheets.

"Where'd she go?"

. . . . . .

Peach blinked and suddenly found herself sitting on a log in a forest. "What the h…"

"Do I really have to explain it or can you figure it out yourself?"

Peach froze. "Kamella," she stated coldly, a bitter taste filling her mouth.

"Princess Peach," Kamella answered back morosely. "Now that we have stated the obvious, let's get back to where we left off." With a wave of her wand, a scroll, and a mechanical pencil materialized out of thin air. Peach only stared at it with a look of contempt on her face.

"Oh, you may be wondering about the pencil. Quills are kind of overdone so I wanted to use something less typical. I wanted to use a regular piece of paper too, but a Magical Contract is only valid if you use the official magical contract paper. Also, whatever you write on the paper stays permanent so don't get any ideas about using the eraser on that pencil," Kamella explained casually and then began to wave the contract in front of Peach, "This is the contract that we, The League of Investors, are asking you to sign so that the prosperous futures of the Mushroom and Dark Land Kingdoms are set in stone. Yadda yadda yadda. Obvious, obvious, obvious… You get what I'm saying."

Peach gritted her teeth. "How can she make fun of me after ruining my future happiness? Everything I had planned, all of my dreams to become queen with Mario at my side were shattered because of this… bitch! I should hang her for what she has done," she thought angrily to herself. But the princess knew better than to let her emotions cloud her judgment. She had to keep a firm grip on reason and maintain her composure.

Though it was against her wishes, Peach knew she could not let Bowser be taken like Mario. She had a great dislike for Bower and she didn't trust him farther than she could throw him but, despite the kidnappings and his crazy antics, he had always treated her with the utmost respect. Granted, sometimes Bowser would tie her in chains and hang her from the ceiling, but it was only to spur Mario into fighting. Besides, the chains were never tight enough to really restrain her from escaping. She could slip out whenever she wanted. Peach just preferred to let the children fight while she hung safely in a corner somewhere.

Through all of these years and dangerous adventures, Mario showed no sign of fear or weakness. Even though Peach had a sneaky suspicion that Bowser let him win on purpose, Mario always found a way to beat Bowser and save her. No matter where she was, Mario found her. No matter how long it took, he always made his way back to her. Mario had been an invincible champion… but now he would only be a legend.

Mario's life had been shortened because she had been selfish. She had asked him to take care of something that was her problem, not his. Peach wouldn't make that mistake again. It was her turn to do the right thing.

"Let me read it."

"Atta girl!" Kamella said approvingly as she handed Peach the scroll.