Note: Sorry about the underline! It should be fixed now. Thanks for all of the feedback! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

Chapter Twenty-Nine

There was nothing but stunned silence. Everyone on the crystal plane stood gaping at the three figures sitting motionlessly by Peach and Bowser's lifeless bodies. Did this mean that Bowser and Peach had a chance to go back? To be alive again? If Kamek, Kamella, and Toadsworth had really entered Heaven's plane of existence, where were they now and how long had they already been there?

"Bowser, the reality we have been watching is delayed. We just watched my death after I had already died. That means Toadsworth has been searching for us for a few minutes already," Peach said with an unmistakable hint of hope in her voice. Bowser grimaced.

"Peach, even if he does find us…" Bowser began, but he was cut off when Peach's family started murmuring and giving loud gasps of surprise.

"Toadsworth!" Peach exclaimed in amazement as the brown-capped toad crystalized into view. Toadsworth had doubled over with his hands on his knees. He looked as though he was about to be sick, but when he caught sight of the princess an anxious smile to his face.

"Princess! I found you! My goodness, what a tricky place this is! Take my hand, we will get you out of here in a jiffy," Toadsworth said as he quickly ran up to her and took her hand. She smiled and followed shortly until she realized Bowser wasn't moving. Peach stopped midstep, jerking Toadsworth to a halt.

"Wait! What about Bowser?" Peach asked uneasily.

"What about him? He is too heavy for us to take back with us!" Toadsworth said dismissively, tugging on her hand eagerly. Peach quickly took her hand out of the old Toad's grasp and looked at him with determination in her eyes.

"I am not going back without him," she said decidedly.

"What?! Princess, we are putting our lives at risk for you and you're going to worry about that monster now, of all times? Stop being selfish and come back home!" Toadsworth exclaimed. Peach was about to retort when Bowser cut in.

"Peach. It's okay. Really, you should go with him. My body may not even be able to hold me anymore, but you have a chance," Bowser said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

"No," Peach stated flatly.

"Peach, please. Don't stay in this boring place just for me. You have a life out there! Someone like you deserves to live," Bowser argued anxiously. He didn't know how long Toadsworth could stay, but the rope around his waist was quivering. Since the rope was purely made of Kamella and Kamek's souls, this wasn't a very good sign.

"Alone?" Peach asked, looking him in the eye. "Didn't you hear a word I said to you?"

"Yes! I heard every word! I made your family rewind the moment I died just so I could listen to you all over again!" Bowser said frantically, taking both of her hands in his while meeting her gaze intensely. "I would be lying if I… if I said I am not happy. I have been waiting for you for so long. But Peach I can't let you stay here just because of me. Besides, it's not like I won't be with you. Hell, I'll walk by your side for the rest of your life if you want me to."

"Peach! I can't believe I'm saying this, but listen to Bowser! The Mushroom Kingdom needs you!" Toadsworth stated, starting to panic as the ground beneath him started to shine. He stepped sideways slightly leaving two very bright footprints on the ground where he had been standing. His eyes widened, as his footprints grew larger until they consumed each other and formed a singular gaping hole.

Toadsworth tried to grab Peach's hand again but she pulled it away and he felt the rope begin to tug on him. He looked down as a loud sucking noise started to come from the hole and watched in horror as his purple and blue lifeline got sucked into the bright tunnel.

"Princess! We are running out of time!" he yelled, his voice becoming hoarse with fear.

"I'm not leaving him!" Peach shouted. Toadsworth began to dig his heels into the ground as the lifeline around his waist pulled him away from Peach. He didn't have time. He looked around frantically for something to hold onto until his eyes settled on a familiar face.

"My stars! Your Highness, what are you doing here?!" Toadsworth yelled in shock as he caught sight of the Mushroom King holding his wife's hand.

"Ahhh, Toadsworth!" the King exclaimed, scratching his hair awkwardly. He had tried to keep a low profile. "It is… good to see you!"

"The Kind is dead and Peach is the only heir to the throne. If she doesn't make it back, the crown of the Mushroom Kingdom will be broken," Toadsworth thought frantically. He watched as Bowser tried to convince Peach to go back, but the hole was becoming massive. Even worse, the lifeline that was pulling Toadsworth towards the hole was starting to make weird creaking noises as it pulled him slowly to the edge of the hole.

He couldn't leave Peach here.

With a groan, Toadsworth pulled and stretched the rope with all of his might to get it to let go of his waist. Once he was free, he threw the rope into Bowser's hand.

"Don't let go!" Toadsworth yelled quickly pushing Peach into Bowser's grasp. Before they could answer, the rope gave a strong jolt and pulled them into the hole. As Bowser and Peach were pulled through the hole they were thrown about wildly. The speed of their descent was alarming and there was a rush of powerful wind.

*Creeeaaak*

Bowser looked down at the rope in his claw. The blue rope started to crack and fray as it pulled them through the blinding tunnel. They were going too fast and he was too heavy. Even keeping a hold of the purple and blue rope was proving to be a nearly impossible task. He tried to twist Kamek and Kamella's rope around his claw, but it continued to slip through his fingers little by little until he was at the very end.

He looked down at Peach who was tucked under his arm with her face pressed against the breastplate of his shell.

"Just a little further," Bowser thought to himself as he willed his claw to close tighter around the end of their lifeline.

*ffffwwip*

The rope suddenly flung them harshly into the wall of the hole. Bowser took the blow head-on, saving Peach from most of the damage but, in that split second, Bowser lost his grip on Peach. He thrust his arm out to grab her but the rope was whipping erratically in the air.

"PEACH!"

In one last act of desperation, Bowser reached for her outstretched arms and let go of the rope. He flew towards her and she reached for him urgently, but it was too late. The tunnel suddenly ceased and she was gone.

.

. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Peach felt a dull ache returning to her body. Something bright was shining in her face, but she didn't know how to make it go away. It took her another few moments to remember that she had to ability to block the light. She just needed to recall how to move her arms. Peach focused all of her energy on moving her left hand, eliciting a small twitch from her pinky finger. This movement alone made her feel exhausted.

"Why did I want to move again?" Peach thought, slightly perplexed. She feebly tried to remember but gave up. Whatever the reason, it probably wasn't very important anyhow. With this thought, the princess fell back into a deep sleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The bright light was back again. This time it was accompanied by a strange buzzing noise. Irritation pricked Peach's consciousness and the light only seemed to get brighter. A sharp hiss exuded from her lips as pain ran through her chest, but the light had finally stopped shining in her eyes.

Peach opened her eyes and squinted slightly at the hand she had unknowingly lifted to block the light. She was about to close her eyes when she heard the buzzing noise going off again.

*Bzzzz….bzzzz...Bzzzz….bzzzz….*

I know that noise," the princess thought, vaguely aware of an itch on her nose. She screwed her face up as if trying to shake the feeling off, but the movement only seemed to make the itch worse. With a great amount of effort, Peach lifted her other hand and began to scratch the tip of her nose. A sigh of relief escaped her happy little nose and she allowed her arm to fall back to the bed with a dull thud.

"Oh, dear!" a voice exclaimed. Peach willed her eyes to open wider so she could glance across the room. Her eyes settled on a white Shyguy who was running out of her room in a hurry.

"Where am I?" Peach wondered to herself. She was lying on a white bed in a small room that smelled like rubbing alcohol. The wall on the other side of her room was filled with flowers, cards, and gifts. "A hospital? How long…?"

"….Wait! We haven't had time to check on her! Let Dr. Yoshi look things over before…"

"Get out of my way or I'll roast you!"

*Craaack!*

Peach's hospital door lock broke and wooden splinters scattered across the floor as the Koopa King himself flung the door open.

"Bowser," Peach thought, recognition waking her sleepy mind. Despite her heightened awareness, her eyelids began to droop and her arm began to tilt back. To her dismay, the sun began to shine in her face again and she could no longer lift her arm.

"Your Boisterousness, as you can see, the Princess isn't fully awake yet. She needs more time before…"

Bowser glared at the Shyguy in a doctor's coat and snorted angrily. "I thought you said she was awake!"

"She was but…"

The Koopa King pushed past the Shyguy and walked to the side of Peach's hospital bed. He huffed impatiently as he stood above her. She looked terrible. There were deep gashes and dark purple bruises on her arms and face. Bowser frowned when he took a closer look at the arm she had used to block the light coming from her hospital window. It was now bent back a very awkward and uncomfortable looking position.

Though the Shyguy nurse protested, Bowser drew the blinds on Peach's window and gently moved her arm to her side. A look of uncertainty crossed Bowser's face as he watched her for another few minutes. He was just about to reach towards her face when he heard a group of nurses enter the hospital room.

A growl rumbled in his chest and he stomped out of the room with a deep scowl on his face.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She was falling.

No matter how far she reached, there was nothing to hold onto. There was nothing she could do to stop her self from hurtling through the bright tunnel. She looked down and felt her heart stop and the blood rush from her face. The bottom of the tunnel was now in sight.

The longer she looked at it, the faster she fell. The ground was now rapidly approaching and her speed was gaining no matter how much she flailed her arms and legs. She fell faster and faster until...

Peach opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. She tried to bring her hands over her face, but something was restraining her. There was no way to see what it was. No matter what direction she looked, there was nothing but darkness.

"I can't see," Peach whimpered. "I can't..."

"Then open your eyes, moron."

The princess flinched at the voice but did as she was asked. Slowly, her eyes cracked open and she could see a thin line of light. A strong sense of relief filled her rigid body and her tension began to melt away as she opened her eyes further and found herself lying in her hospital bed. Her eyes widened even farther when they met a pair of red eyes staring at her.

"Bowser," the princess croaked with a frail smile. A wave of happiness overtook her. He was alive, and so was she.

Peach willed herself to lift her hand out from underneath her blankets and lay it on the large claw he had rested on the side of her bed. His eyes widened and he met her gaze for a long moment. Her smile broadened and her eyesight began to grow hazy. Bowser flinched slightly when a tear streaked down Peach's cheek.

"You're alive," she rasped weakly.

"Yeah. No thanks to you," Bowser said with a dry smirk. He leaned back in his chair, but he didn't take his hand away. Instead, he stared at their hands silently as if he was contemplating something. "It is good to finally see you conscious, Princess Toadstool. My whole castle has been a mess since Kamek brought you to our hospital. They will all be glad to hear that you have woken up and maybe they will finally stop sneaking to the hospital wing to check on you."

The princess's smile faded at his words. "How long?" she whispered.

"You have been asleep for ten days. Kamek told me that you used every ounce of magic you had trying to... bring me back to life," Bowser frowned slightly but continued, "You actually woke up sooner than we expected. The doctors and Magikoopa were sure you would be asleep for at least two weeks. Something about the relationship between magic and life force? Anyhow, I know you're probably mad that I kept you here for so long, but Kamek transported us to my castle after Kamella's attack and moving you again could have caused more damage." He smiled impishly at her. He was obviously not sorry at all.

"No. I am glad," Peach murmured. Bowser's eyebrows rose in surprise. "The Mushroom Kingdom Castle's hospital is fine, but yours has always proven to be more efficient." She coughed and sputtered after she spoke. Her throat was almost numb from underuse.

Bowser grinned proudly. "You can thank the Koopalings for that! The hospital would have been smaller if they weren't so prone to injure themselves and the servants," Bowser's smile faded and his expression became serious. "Princess… I came to tell you... some bad news. I did what I could but..."

"Toadsworth and my father are gone," Peach said, finishing his sentence with a sad smile. Bowser nodded. "Good."

"What?" Bowser said, confused by her statement.

"That means I don't have to fire Toadsworth and my father can finally rest in peace with my mother. He has never been the same since she died and, though the kingdom will miss him, I believe it was for the best," Peach stated matter-of-factly. Bowser mulled over what she had said in silence.

*Fwooooosh*

Kamek flew into Peach's hospital room at full speed and dismounted his broom with a grin on his face. "Hmmm, Peach you look awful, heeeeeeehehehe," Kameka stated impishly.

Bowser gave a low growl, "I don't remember calling you here, dip-shit."

"He is fine, Bowser. I figured I didn't look well when I found that there were no mirrors in my room," Peach said with a smile. "Kamek, I am glad to see you." Kamek bowed and walked closer to her bed.

Bowser's frown deepened into a scowl.

"You bow to a foreign leader but not to your own King?" Bowser spat in irritation.

"Your Nastiness, we both owe her greatly…" Kamek began, but Bowser cut him off.

"You always told me that you couldn't bow because of your bad back… but it seems your ailment has been cured…. Now bow to me," Bowser snarled. Standing up from his chair and facing the Magikoopa.

"I…"

"BOW! DAMN YOU!" Bowser roared and stomped on the ground in a fit of rage. Kamek stumbled and fell to his hands and knees as the floor shook and cracked under Bowser's strength. He looked up at his king in shock.

"Bowser, stop it! You should never treat your servants in such a way!" Peach said in surprise. Bowser stopped stomping and brought his angry eyes to hers. The color in her face drained away.

"Care to repeat that?" Bowser growled with a deadly glare.

Peach opened her mouth stubbornly as he walked closer to her bed. "Y-you shouldn't treat your servants that way."

Bowser took his fist and slammed it down onto her bed stand.

*CRASH!*

The stand completely broke apart under Bowser's violent strength. He lifted his fist and looked up at her with a menacing grin.

Then time seemed to stop, and Bowser's grin turned into a look of confusion.

Peach's face was contorted with fear. The look on her face made something twist in his chest. Without thinking, he reached for her, but she cringed away from his touch.

He remembered this…

Bowser quickly turned around and left the room, leaving Peach and Kamek in complete shock. The nurses and doctors that had heard the commotion kept their distance from him as he tore through the hallways.