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Enjoy!

Chapter Fifty-Four

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to

Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving

me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!

I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,

but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this

story to make it more interesting.

I also don't own anything related to Naruto if you see me throw a little of that in, too

"First of all, this isn't working."

Not the most cheerful way to start a meeting, but Daisy was nothing if not to-the-point. She'd called Zair and Boo in from the balcony and the latter leaned against the far wall while the General took up his former spot on the bed. He sat at the foot of it and I scooted over to the edge further down from him. With my feet on the floor I sat and glanced at Peasley, who lay on his stomach between me and the General. He had his head propped up on his hands and claimed he was listening.

Daisy said, "All this running around is just not working." She looked at King Boo and said, "Thank you and Iggy for the map but every time it's like as soon as we get to wherever the snake is, he's either gone or has moved by the time we get close to him."

"So you want a faster way of tracking him?" King Boo surmised, rubbing his chin with one hand.

Daisy nodded and said, "Not only that but we have to discuss what to do once we've caught up to him." She then looked down at her hands, let her lip slide between her teeth and stated, "I propose we get on the inside as soon as—"

"No."

Everybody looked at me when I interrupted but I wasn't budging on this. There was no way Daisy or anyone else could convince me to do what we did before. That was not happening again.

Daisy looked like she'd predicted my reaction and sighed. "Just…hear me out, okay baby?"

I shrugged; I'd listen but that didn't mean I'd change my mind.

She explained, "I'll be on the inside but so will you. With the map, you'll be able to stay right behind me while I go wherever he goes." She looked over at Boo again and said, "Am I wrong in assuming you can alter the device so that it's capable of transporting an entire army at a time?"

King Boo shook his head and said, "I can do that."

"Cool," Daisy nodded and told me, "That way you can travel more quickly and save both resources and time."

I frowned. That did sound appealing. If I could move my army all at once from place to place, then we really could be virtually right behind Daisy. Still.

"The map only takes us in the vicinity of where Bowser is," I reminded the girl. "What if something happens to you while we're trying to pinpoint where you are?"

Daisy said, "I thought about that, too." She pulled on the strap of her tank top and exposed her scar, then pressed her fingers to it.

"See?" She said when I looked down at my shirt. Daisy told us, "I'll use the mark to alert you if anything happens to me."

"And then what?" I asked her. "It's great that you can signal me, but how does that help me get to you or even know what's going on?"

To Peasley she spoke next, asking, "You said something about a two-way communication system you set up with Luigi when he was in prison at the snake's palace."

Peasley frowned and said, "What?"

I knew what she was talking about and nudged my friend. "The mirror, Peasley."

King Boo asked, "What mirror?"

Peasley said, "Oh, right. I'd nearly forgotten." He told Boo, "I gave little Bowser Junior a gift, a hand mirror that was connected to a compact of my own; I could communicate with him through the two items."

"That's quite impressive for a novice magician," King Boo praised.

Peasley said, "I wish I could take the credit but I had nothing to do with that. I wasn't even studying magic at that point." He tilted his head and said, "However…I believe I can duplicate the compact and set up a three-way comm system between myself and the princess and my friend here."

"Good," Daisy nodded. "That way we'll be able to talk to each other and see what's going on."

She looked at me, maybe to see if I was on board with all this. I wasn't. This still felt wrong to me. I agree, if King Boo could pull off altering the device and if Peasley could get us all hooked up with a system of correspondence, it would make things easier. But there was still too much room for error.

"King Boo," Daisy spoke, her hands steepled under her chin. She asked, "Can you…possess an inanimate object like how you possessed Luigi that night you got me out?"

King Boo lifted a brow so I answered for him.

"Yeah, he can do it. He's done it plenty of times before."

I thought about all the times he had his minions jump into paintings and chairs and fling themselves at me and my brother. If he wanted to, I had no doubt the king could possess a whole house or something.

King Boo said, "This is true. What do you want me to possess?"

Daisy reached behind her head and handed her locket to the immortal, who held it delicately and looked at it like ten-day-old garbage.

"Beautiful locket." He remarked. "But do you really expect me to fit in this tiny little…" he dangled the thing from his pinky finger and frowned at it.

It wasn't a matter of physical size. King Boo had a tremendous amount of magic and forcing all that into a small confinement was like trying to force a gallon of milk into a miniature test tube.

Daisy asked, "Can you do it?"

"Of course." He replied, then sighed and lamented, "But I'll have to kiss those late night tarts goodbye."

Peasley snorted, face down in a cradle of his arms.

"I know it's not ideal," Daisy winced in sympathy, "But it's only for the initial encounter with the snake. That way if things go bad, you can get me out of there."

Boo nodded and said, "I understand."

"But what do you plan to do once you're inside?" I asked.

Daisy shrugged and said, "We'll take him down like last time."

"That's your plan?" I deadpanned, unsure if she was serious or not.

She said, "More or less. The details will come later."

"If I may interrupt?"

General Zair chose now to speak. He'd been quietly listening and observing the whole time but now he was voicing his own thoughts on the matter.

He remarked softly, "You said the last time you attempted this sort of operation you were barely successful. With those odds, who's to say you will succeed again? And furthermore, who's to say the Dark King won't be wise to what you're doing?"

No one had an answer for him.

He did bring up a valid point. Why would Bowser let her in again knowing that she hated him and knowing that she'd tried to kill him before? This mission might not last very long if we're banking on him being fooled twice. I mean he was thick but come on.

"So what do you suggest?" Daisy asked openly, crossing her arms and sitting on the floor with her legs also folded.

General Zair paused, then asked, "Why not banish him to another dimension?"

"What, you mean like, Brooklyn?" I asked, turning my head to give him a miffed looked. I said, "If we do that we'll just screw over the other world, too."

General Zair shook his head and said, "The realm I speak of is one from which there can be no return."

"You don't mean to say the realm of the dead?" King Boo frowned.

Zair nodded and there was another pause.

Peasley mumbled something but he had his head down and no one understood him. Groaning, he turned onto his back with his head and hair hanging over the edge of the bed. I think that medicine Boo gave him was wearing off.

King Boo said, "To send a living being to the realm of the dead requires the use of the enchanted stakes."

"That's what I said," Peasley murmured, his tan face gaining a bit of color upside down. He added, "And do you know how hard it is to get a hold of those things?"

"I couldn't even say who has them right now." King Boo mused.

"I know who has them," Peasley stated. "But I don't know if she'd be willing to part with them. I heard she's been using them to make money."

Daisy and I shared a look and I could tell she felt like how I felt in that moment; left out of the conversation. I looked at Zair, who was quiet again but he knew what they were talking about.

"What are these stakes?" I asked him.

He explained, "Magical artifacts."

"…Thanks." I replied flatly, because I'd figured out that much.

Peasley said, "I could find out if I could make a trade for them, but it may take me a while to get in touch with the woman. I haven't seen her since my parents…just give me a couple of weeks or so."

"That long, huh?" Daisy asked, and I didn't know if she was referring to Peasley's slip up or the time frame.

Probably the time frame, knowing her. She had her arms around her middle and her knees up. Peasley closed his eyes and nodded.

"It may take me up to a month at the longest to contact her and get the stakes." He answered honestly. "But if I can get them sooner I'll let you know."

"And then what?" I asked. "Once we get them, what do we do then?"

Peasley waved his hand and drawled, "Then we set up the stakes, join them with wire, and find a way push the old tyrant in the middle of them."

"That's not quite how it goes." King Boo looked down at Peasley like he'd just spoken a line of gibberish. He asked my friend, "Where did you hear that?"

"Around the way."

"…Perhaps you should reevaluate your sources." The immortal suggested carefully. "You left out the part about slaying a mortal life: for the gateway from this world and the realm of death to be opened, death must be present."

"So we've got to kill someone?!" I blurted, looking at both Peasley and the immortal.

General Zair said, "Not necessarily. Any mortal creature will do."

"Alright," Daisy said, dropped her knees and clapping her hands together. "So we set up the stakes and kill something, cool. Then what? How are we supposed to get the snake to come anywhere near this…portal or gateway?"

"Lure him to a set location," General Zair offered. "Perhaps with a staged battle."

Daisy rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, well that won't be too hard."

I nodded and said, "I hate to say it but the perfect place would probably be the Mushroom Kingdom. It's the only place we can have a lot of control over. Like, if we get Peach and my brother in on this, we can have the place evacuated beforehand."

"Right," Daisy nodded. "And it's not like he'll need much of an excuse to come and attack." She looked at Boo and asked, "Once we get him there and push him into the gateway thing, will he be gone forever?"

King Boo told her, "There is no possible way someone who's been banished to the realm of the dead can ever return to that of the living."

Why did I have to glance at Zair after he said that? Because I saw a very strange look cross the General's sharp features, like he was thinking of something or like he didn't agree with Boo but he slated his face a second later and held his tongue. What the hell?

"Is that true?" I asked the General.

Zair just looked at me and said, "...Ultimately, yes."

So what? What was that supposed to mean? Could he escape?

The General looked at me and softened and said, "Don't fret so much, Commander. I only mean to point out that there are no true absolutes in life. Or death. So while in theory this should ensure that the Dark King never returns to this world or any other, there's no way to be certain." Zair looked off and remarked, "Technically a living soul should not be able to enter the realm of the dead. What we'll be doing is forcing something unnatural to occur and sometimes nature has a way of…straightening things out."

"So you think this won't work?" Daisy frowned. "You think he'll escape?"

King Boo said, "This has been done before. Not intentionally, mind you." He glanced at Peasley and said, "I, too, heard of the witch using the stakes for profit. What she's been doing is opening the gateway, for a handsome fee of course, and allowing unfortunates to communicate with their dead relatives." He stated lowly, "There have been cases of people getting trapped there and never returning."

Daisy relaxed and said, "Oh, good, so it works."

That was so inappropriate but I could understand her relief. She was like anyone else, she just wanted to end Bowser for good.

General Zair said, "The only real guarantee would be to first kill him and then force his corpse into the realm of the dead, but I suppose if killing him were so easy it'd have been done by now."

"You said it." I muttered.

"So how soon can we do this?" Daisy asked the room at large.

King Boo said, "It depends on how soon we get the stakes and other accessories for the ritual. Then it will only be a matter of securing the location and preparing for the—"

"Not to interrupt," I said, doing just that. "But when do we get Mario and Peach in on this?"

"Not until later," Daisy said. "If we tell them and they freak out or something it could compromise the entire mission."

Oh right. I'd nearly forgotten.

"You still wanna' go in there?" I frowned. "At this point is it really even necessary?"

Daisy nodded and said, "If I can stay near him I can monitor what he's up to and what his plans are. That way I can relay them to you and cut down on the destruction and loss of innocent lives—"

"That's not really your responsibility," I told her at the risk of sounding like an asshole.

So what if I thought her life was more important? I love her and I don't want her sacrificing herself for everyone else like some kind of martyr.

"Luigi," Daisy said gently. "How else are we supposed to stay abreast of what's going on with him? If I'm on the inside, I can influence the way he acts so that it's easier for us to pull this off."

"I know what you're talking about," I told her. "Do you really think he's gonna' appreciate you manipulating him? He'll kill you."

"No he won't." Daisy argued but there was hesitance in her response. She said, "You're overcomplicating things. If we just stick to the plan we've laid out, this won't take long and it won't be as dangerous as us going in there afraid and thinking the worst."

She then looked to Peasley and said, "Let me know when you get that three-way set up. As soon as you do," She turned to Boo, "and as soon as you're ready we can head back to Arid City. Did I give you the map?"

King Boo shook his head and she handed it to him. He took it with the same hand he held her necklace with and looked it over.

"Brilliant, that boy," He murmured, probably speaking of Iggy. He looked up and said, "I'll return when the prince does."

Peasley slid off the bed and crawled on his elbows onto the floor and then stood and stretched.

He yawned and said, "I'll return in no more than a couple of days. Or just one. Time is of the essence and all that."

Daisy said, "Thank you both. I appreciate your help."

Peasley nodded and vanished and Boo disappeared and General Zair stood slowly from the bed. He had a troubled expression on his face and I didn't feel as alone anymore. At least he wasn't totally comfortable with this either.

He went over to Daisy and offered her a hand up, then brushed her hair to the side and gazed at her solemnly.

"You know I will support you no matter what, Princess," He told her. "But I must warn you to be careful." He looked at me and back to her and said, "And remember that your life is just as important as anyone else's."

"Thank you," I mumbled, glad that someone else had said what I was thinking.

Daisy sighed and said, "I know, and I know that this world will go on whether we succeed or not, but frankly, I don't care what it takes. I want to finish this and I will finish this or die trying."

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that because wouldn't that just be a Pyrrhic victory through and through.

Ariadne was a smart girl, very smart. She knew better than to go anywhere alone these days, now that Rex was simultaneously 'Mr Celebrity' and 'Public Enemy No 1'. Just being affiliated with him was enough for her to get surrounded by fans or enemies as soon as she stepped out the palace doors. That's why she confined herself to the inside of the castle, particularly the Champion's bedroom with her two friends. But this was beginning to be too much for her to bear. The boredom, that was. Rex had many things in his room but few held her attention the way a book could, and there was one book she had in mind this morning that she wanted to retrieve from her room. That meant she had to leave the safety of Rex's and hope that nothing happened.

She woke before her two friends did, and she had mixed feelings at the sight of Eriana halfway on top of the eighteen year old. She knew how Eri was, the girl was just very tactile in the way she depended on and clung to Rex. He was a guardian figure to her. Ariadne felt the same way but she'd be lying if she denied there weren't any motivations other than protection and safety that drew her near the young man. She stared at him before she left his room and her heart beat faster the longer she looked.

He's just so handsome, she bit her bottom lip. He was only this peaceful in sleep because, while awake, he was either tired or scowling. She looked from him, laying on his back with the sheets down at his stomach, to the girl next to him. Eriana had her head on his chest and her hand near her face. The fans were going at full blast so for once the night had gone peacefully and it was no wonder those two were still sleeping. The wind from them stirred Eri's rich dark curls and she frowned, the tucked her head up under Rex's chin. He barely moved, just brought his other arm around her back as if out of habit. Ariadne sighed inside.

I know they both are my friends, she thought, but I can't help but feel like...like I'm an unnecessary person in this relationship. They'd be fine without me. Maybe I should just stay in my room today.

The girl's sadness turned to serenity, for that actually didn't seem like a bad idea. The book she had in mind was one that her uncle had given her and just thinking about it was making tears come to her eyes. She hadn't really grieved properly over his death. Maybe some time to herself would be a good thing. She rubbed her arms, bare thanks to the sleeveless white top she wore, then stepped backwards in her light sandals until she was out of the room. Then she closed the door as softly as she could behind her.

Then she stood in the hall and frowned. It was dead silent. That had to be because all the staff and officials and servants had been ousted a couple days ago. She didn't know if that was Rex's or his father's doing but it was creepy now in the dark, quiet palace.

She made the walk that was as short as her flyaway blonde hair to her room and slipped in and looked around. Her room hadn't changed but she'd avoided coming to it very much because it was like there was tangible sadness packed in the air, in everything she touched as she walked slowly around, dragging her fingertips over her dresser and over her vanity chair. When she got to the bed she froze and swallowed hard. Breathing became as difficult as that terrifying night when she'd almost been smothered. The girl suddenly decided she didn't want to be in this room anymore. She hurriedly moved over to the chest near her window, her billowing pants flaring out as she strode. She dug through it and pulled out the book and, with it to her chest, made a speedy start for the door. Right before she grabbed the crystal handle there was a loud smash, like glass breaking a few rooms over. She frowned.

Leaving her room, Ari contemplated going to investigate. Her first thought was to go get Rex, but then she recalled how he and Eri still slept, looking perfect together. She decided against that.

I'll just go and see what's the bother, she thought, confident in her ability to slink about unseen. Sometimes she felt invisible and there was no reason she couldn't use that to her advantage from time to time.

The girl kept the book to her chest as both an emotional anchor and a weapon as she stuck to the walls and pursued the sounds of life. The further she walked, towards the kitchens, the louder the noises got. She could discern several different sounds; laughing, cursing, singing? It sounded like what she didn't know was a tavern. And when the girl got to the doorway of the dining hall she found that's how the room was being treated. She blinked.

Who are they? Oh wait, she thought about it and did recall Rex's father bringing in a whole slew of strange men the other day. She didn't know why they were here, for all they did was lie about and make a mess of everything. That glass shattering noise had to be the cause of the mess of porcelain in the middle of the floor between two long tables. There were men in every chair and all of them were talking and laughing loudly. They were eating, too, but not any food the young royal had ever seen. She turned her nose up at them and left.

When she got back to the room, Rex was awake, half-leaning half-sitting on the vanity and Eriana was sitting on her heels in the bed with the sheets on her shoulders, rubbing one eye sleepily. They both looked over when she opened the door and Eri smiled. She immediately got up and hugged Ariadne, who moved the book out of the way and held the girl back. She was getting used to the girl's affections.

"What's that?" Eri asked, looking at the book curiously. She then gave Ari a stern look and said, "You shouldn't leave like that, though! We didn't know where you were!"

"I didn't want to wake you." Ariadne explained feebly, stroking the cover of the book with both thumbs.

Roy shrugged and said, "I'd rather you wake me up before something happens then get woken up after some shit's gone down."

"Rex," Eriana sighed. "Isn't it really early to be swearing like that?"

Roy shrugged again. He may have been asleep but he hadn't seemed to have gotten any rest. He was hunched over and his green eyes were hooded.

"So where did you go?" Eriana asked, hooking an arm through Ari's and leading her to the bed.

The two sat down and Ariadne realized it would probably always be hard for her to despise the other girl. Eri was just too good a person and too innocent in her ways for Ari to be mad at her for them.

The blonde set the book in her lap and said, "Just to my room." She then looked up at Roy and asked, "Do you think you could do something about those men your father brought here?"

Roy frowned and asked, "Why? Did they mess with you or something?"

"No," Ari replied. "It's just...they don't have any respect for the palace at all."

If she was waiting for him to respond to that, she'd be waiting a long time. After she'd replied in the negative to his question, Roy's mind went back to wandering and it wasn't even a guarantee he'd heard what she said. He stared at the wall, zoning out.

"Why are they even here?" Eri asked bluntly, putting an arm around Ari's shoulders. She made a face and said, "They remind me of the slavers. I don't trust them...or your father."

That got Roy's attention. He looked at Eri and asked a little defensively, "What you mean, you don't trust him?"

"I don't." Eriana crossed her arms at her chest.

"So what, you want me to kick him out?"

"Yes."

"I can't do that, Eri." Roy cut his eyes to the side, "He's my father. Besides. We have an understanding."

"What kind of understanding?" Eriana pressed.

Roy was quiet again. He looked down at the floor, his pink hair not falling in his face because it was hidden under a white cloth he'd tied back around his head like a du-rag. It was too hot to have it long but he didn't trust himself with a pair of scissors because of what happened last time he'd tried cutting his own hair back at the bunker. He used to have someone around the palace for that task but, like everyone else, they were gone.

"Rex," Eriana asked, forcing the worry out of her voice. "What kind of understanding do you have with your father?"

He didn't answer her.

"Did you sign away the kingdom?" The girl panicked.

Roy rolled his eyes and said, "Nah, Eri. Quit stressin', yo."

The three were silent and, unpredictably, Ariadne was the one to speak first. She'd been looking at the book in her lap and then started to think of the late king and then wrung her hands and made one small comment.

"I'm not sure my uncle would like this."

"Well he ain't here, now is he?" Roy muttered at once, bristling.

He'd only replied so fast and so moodily because that comment really got to him. But when he saw Ari's head lower and Eriana frown disapprovingly he winced.

"Sorry." He told the both of them, then rubbed his hands over his face.

There was a knock at his door and Roy got up. He was like Ari, wearing a white sleeveless shirt and white pants but, like Eri, he wasn't wearing any shoes. He opened the door and saw one of the men Ari was talking about.

"Yeah?" He asked.

The man said, "Your father wants to speak with you. He asked me to take you to him."

Roy frowned and then looked back at the two girls. They sat on his bed and he figured they'd be safest in his room. If they came with him and something went down, he'd have to worry about getting them out of there and taking care of himself, too.

He told them, "I'mma be right back," and shut the door behind him.

With the man he walked and he was glad he wasn't the talkative type. He didn't mean to be rude, but he didn't answer Eriana or Ari because telling them the truth would only make them realize he knew only a tiny bit more than they did about what was going on. He didn't know what it was his father had done to quiet the slavers. He didn't know who these strange men were.

League of something, he recalled, having already forgotten the name of their organization.

He and the League member arrived in a meeting room, not one the Elders used to use, and everyone there stood up. It was just his father, another man, and a teenager near Roy's age. As the member deposited Roy at the door, Bowser strode over and put an arm around his son's shoulder.

"Shut that door," The redhead ordered, then showed his son to a seat at his left at a small round table.

Roy sat and studied the other young man. He thought it was weird how the dark-haired youth seemed to avoid Roy's gaze.

Wait a minute, Roy frowned harder and was very close to figuring out why that boy looked so familiar.

Please don't recognize me, please don't recognize me, Munson thought, more out of his desire to avoid conflict than actual fear. He didn't think the other teenager would start a fight with him. Well he hoped not. It'd been a very long time since they last saw each other but the sorcerer was still sort of intimidated by the young Koopa.

"Rex," Bowser spoke, gaining his son's attention.

Roy forgot about Munson and looked up at his father. He didn't know how to feel about the man. He was an idol for Roy, for the man was very powerful, handsome, and took no crap from anyone; all things Roy looked up to. But still, something about his father put him off.

"You're my heir, Rex." Bowser told him, looking his son in the eyes. "You deserve to be a part of this meeting."

"What's it about?" Roy asked, looking around the small room.

He looked at the bare walls, the man he'd been introduced to who was the leader of the League, his nervous son, and then at the table with a bunch of papers and maps.

Bowser reached forward and slid one of the larger maps between himself and Roy. Callian looked on, his arms crossed. He glanced over at Munson, sensing his nervousness, and grimaced.

Weak, he thought, assuming Munson was nervous in the face of a more powerful and confident male his own age. The leader began to envy Bowser in that moment and wished his own son was as masculine as the white-clad teenager frowning down at the maps.

"What is this?" Roy asked, looking at the paper.

It was full of marks and arrows and symbols. Bowser stared over his son, from his scarfed head to his furrowed brow and saw himself. He wasn't the analytical type and knew he'd have to rely on verbal communication with his second oldest.

He told Roy, "Right now I'm just the Dark King. This is my kingdom." He pointed to the Badlands and Roy blinked.

"Yeah, that's where we were." Roy recounted.

Bowser nodded and pointed to other kingdoms in turn, saying, "I'm going to be conquering these lands very soon and joining them with the Badlands to form one territory, one Empire."

"So you're taking over the world." Roy deadpanned.

Bowser shrugged and said, "That's one way to look at it. But can you fault me for wanting to use the leadership capabilities I was gifted with to unify and better this world?"

Right, the teenager thought.

"Why not operate out of the Badlands, then?" Roy asked, giving credence to Eriana's concerns. He asked, "Why did you even come here?"

"I told you, I came here to help you." Bowser said smoothly. He sat back in his chair and said, "I want to straighten things out for you here, make it easier for you to rule."

"Took you long enough," Roy mumbled. "I been going through hell and where were you then?"

Callian narrowed his eyes at the boy and it was Munson's turn to feel envy, for he wished he could talk to his father like that. Bowser didn't seem to mind Roy's anger. Again, he saw himself in the young man and even more, he wanted to maintain good standing with his son.

He said, "I'm sorry. If I could have come sooner, I would have. But I'm here now and you do appreciate what I've done for you, don't you?"

Roy thought about how he hadn't heard anything from the slavers in a while and reluctantly nodded.

Bowser touched Roy's shoulder and said intimately, "You're my son, Rex. I'm here for you and I want you to succeed, like me. That's why I'm here. I'm going to make this kingdom the capital of my empire but first I need to teach you a few things about ruling on your own, alright?"

That don't sound too bad, Roy thought. He nodded and glanced over at the other teenager. Munson was rubbing the back of his neck and inadvertantly showing Roy the one thing that jogged his memory. Munson saw a stormy glare cross Roy's face and glanced at his wrist and put his hand down but it was too late.

"What's wrong?" Bowser asked.

Roy shook his head slowly, eyes narrowed, and Munson paled. Callian looked at his son suspiciously.

He asked Munson, "What's gotten into you, boy?"

"Nothing."

Munson had to play it cool because if his father got too suspicious he'd start probing around in his head.

And if he finds out that I know Rex and how I know Rex he'll find out about Wendy and from there I won't be able to hold back who she is and how I feel about her, the teen was panicking inside behind those placid sea-green eyes.

He did a desperate thing and shot a thought to Roy, just a single idea: he impressed upon him that if he didn't let this go his sister would get hurt. Roy took that as a threat, for his mind and subconscious was as aggressive as his active mind, but he let it go nonetheless.

"Rex?" Bowser called his name, a red brow lifted in question.

Roy rolled his tongue around like he had a bad taste in his mouth but he didn't say anything.

Bowser told him, "Come on. Come talk to me."

He stood and followed his father out of the room and Munson despaired. The door shut and Callian rounded on him, his sharp, washed out blue eyes scanning over him from long-haired head to toe. He frowned hard and creased his eyes into slants.

"What?" Munson spoke with an attitude, his heart pounding.

"What was that?" Callian demanded.

At this point Munson gathered the incident where Roy threatened him in the Badlands to the forefront of his mind because he knew his father was about to search his memories. There was no avoiding it.

"So you know him." Callian deduced, disgusted to find his son's face on the other side of the Koopa's fist.

Munson replied, "Yeah, I ran into him once."

Callian just shook his head, disappointed yet again.

Munson didn't care what his father thought of him, he was just glad he was off the hook. For now.

Outside the room, Bowser took his own son off to the side and crossed his arms over his chest. He was the only one in Arid City whose body seemed to agree with the heat. As he saw it, he could walk around without a shirt and be totally fine. He looked at Roy and saw the youth balling his fists.

Hm. Might need to do something about that temper of his, Bowser thought, then mused, it could definitely come in handy, though.

"You have a problem with Callian's son?" Bowser presumed.

Roy said, "Yeah, I do. I don't want nothin' to do with him, yo."

"Rex," Bowser stated calmly. "Sometimes, as a leader, you'll be forced to work with people you don't like." He glanced back at the room and said, "I bet you think I like Callian, don't you?"

"You don't?" Roy frowned.

Bowser shook his head and said, "Can't stand him or the League. Bunch of lazy, nasty, uncultured motherfuckers. But they're powerful and both Callian and I are benefitting from this arrangement." He frowned and amended that with, "No, that's not all."

Bowser took Rex by the shoulder again and said, "It's not enough that we both benefit, that doesn't justify an alliance. Only ally yourself with someone if you get the better end of the deal."

"I don't get it." Roy said flatly.

Bowser told him, "Cal thinks I'm gonna' set him and the League up after I establish my empire. He just wants to live in a world where he can get away with shit that's illegal now. So I promised him I'd come through but, between you and me, that ain't gonna' happen."

"You lied to him?" Roy asked, pulling away and looking turned off.

Bowser said, "Hey, hey. Do you really want to live in a world where it's okay for them to go around killing and raping women and girls? That's pretty much what they stand for. Isn't that what you're fighting against now?"

Roy thought about this and shook his head, then asked, "If you know that's what they stand for, then why are you even working with them?"

"To advance my own agenda." Bowser said. "I'll tell them what they want to hear now, but when I've got my empire established and I'm running things, I won't need them anymore and I'll be able to do what I want."

"What if they come at you for tricking them?" Roy asked.

"I'll be so powerful they won't be able to do anything about it." Bowser replied. He retook Roy's shoulder and said, "You're a good kid, Rex. You know how things should be run. You get that from me, you know. So if we both want to make this world a better place in the long run, we gotta' put up with some shit in the meantime. Get it?"

Roy shrugged and said, "I guess so."

Some things didn't make sense to him but he didn't feel the need to understand everything, he never had. He was the type to just move on. Bowser smiled down at him and clapped a hand on his back and nodded.

"Alright." He told the boy. "Now there's something I want you to see."

When there's something bothering Daisy, I give her space. When the tables turn, it turns out she locks us in the closet and holds me hostage til I tell her what's the matter. So much for equality.

"You already know what's on my mind," I told her, leaning on the wall between the two racks of clothes.

Daisy had her arms crossed in her best domineering stance but dropped them now and sighed in frustration because she really did know what I was talking about.

"You don't want me to go on this mission." She stated.

I said, "It feels like you're just putting yourself in harm's way for nothing."

Daisy frowned and said, "That's not the case. The advantages of doing this far outweigh the risks."

"Do they?" I challenged. "Or is that just the way you see things?"

"I'm not gonna' argue with you."

"Yeah, you'll just do what you want."

"Luigi."

"Daisy, no," I frowned. "I'm not gonna' cosign on this like-if you want to go out and just jump on the burning stake for everyone else's stake then fine. But don't get mad at me because-"

"I'm not mad at you," Daisy claimed, stepping over to me. "I just want you to look past me and see the big picture. The snake is out there probably hurting people who mean a lot to their families just like how I mean a lot to you." She said, "Now don't you think the right thing to do would be to stop him before he hurts even more people?"

"Stop taking this on like it's your God-given duty to protect everybody." I urged her. "We're not the only ones trying to do stop Bowser."

"No, but we're the ones with the best chance of succeeding." She countered. "The world will be better with my absence than Bowser's existence."

"Don't say things like that." I flinched inside at her cold phrasing.

She was totally prepared to lay down her life for the 'greater good' and she couldn't see how that might be a little disturbing to someone who loved her?

"What about your cousins?" I vied. "They need you to live."

"No they don't," Daisy remarked softly. "And even if they did, that'll just be motivation for me to be careful. Just because I'm prepared to die doesn't mean I will."

"You don't know that." I said. "What are you going to do if you do get inside and it's just you and him?"

Daisy was quiet. She may have said, "I'll be fine," but her body language begged to differ.

The girl wasn't looking at me anymore and she had her arms around herself in agitation. I felt guilty then. I didn't want to upset her, I just wanted her to think about this before she went launching herself back into a dangerous situation.

"You need to be sure this is what you want to do." I told her, coming closer and replacing her arms around her body with mine.

Daisy put her arms around me and said, "I'm tired of being afraid of him and what he can do to me. I'm not just some helpless little victim."

I pulled back and said, "You don't have to do this to prove that, you know."

"I'm not doing this to prove that," She stated. "This is in the best interest of the mission. I am sure about this and I need you to support me, okay sweetie?"

"I do," I told her. "If this is what you want to do, I'm right behind you."

It took a lot of strength for me to say that when all I wanted to do was keep trying to talk her out of this. But I had enough respect for her not to do that. I'd trust her and be there for her if that's what she wanted.

A/N: Thanks for reading, there will be more to come. Please forgive me for spelling or grammar mistakes I'll fix them later, promise haha.

Until next time!

~DymondGold~