A/N: As I mentioned in my edit on Chapter 3, there's nothing new about this (it's just been split in half). As you've probably guessed, we'll be having a couple stories. The first (and more important) - Peach/Bowser. The second involves the rest of the racers and the search for Peach/Bowser. I hope it works out well, never done this before so - I would totally appreciate any feedback! Thanks! :)

Peach only had one.

Problem, that is. But he was plenty big. Bowser's grip was stronger than iron, and although she tried to slip away – she couldn't. He even snarled in her ear that she ought to stop squirming. It was hard on him. The implication disgusted her, shocked her so much that she stopped moving entirely– and her propriety wouldn't allow her any comfort as the Flame Runner rocketed up a steep, narrow spiral staircase. Her teeth chattered together so hard, she nearly bit her tongue, but a headache was the least of her worries as they reached the hexagonal, stone surface of the tower top. Spires jutted out sharply from all directions and the Clown Car seemed so bright and out-of-place with its wide (and in her mind, frightening) grin and hemispheric orange eyes.

"It looks…different." She didn't mean to say it aloud, the words simply slipped out. She hadn't seen the Koopa Clown Car in many months and it just seemed…bigger than last time.

"Oh yeah, latest model," Bowser replied proudly, surprised and pleased that she'd noticed. He dismounted his bike and – with a heavy hand on her shoulder after some debate – allowing Peach the freedom to do the same. "Great storage space." Plus better cannons, and a laser gun in its mouth. "Check it out." He released her, if only to pick up his bike by the seat and handlebars as if it weighed nothing. The Koopa King was just trying to show off when he carried it across the North Tower with one hand to drop it in the back of the copter. Too bad Peach was a little too preoccupied with escape to admire the muscles of his forearms and the ease with which he handled the Flame Runner. The second his back was turned – she ran for the very staircase they'd just ascended, only to skid to a stop with a scream as it appeared.

No, not it, him.

Swelling in size with a toothy grin and a chilling laugh, King Boo sent Peach stumbling backwards, lest she collide with the menacing monarch. Where did he come from? He looked down at her, the signature smile fading – in recognition.

Then- "Guh!" gasped King Boo, baring his teeth in what must've passed for a ghostly recoil. Apparently she startled him as much as he startled her. A moment later, he eased closer to Peach, bobbing in the air with an intrigued expression. "I say, Princess Toadstool, you look…terrifying."

What? "What?"

Despite herself – and all of this – Peach wasn't above vanity, or the scarlet blush of embarrassment that stained her cheeks as the floating royal carried on in an amused, aristocratic creak, "Isn't it backwards? Terror is my raison d'etre, after all. But you-"

"Hey! Balloon Boy!" Bowser aggressively cut in, stomping over to the pair – he was already annoyed that Boo interrupted his chance to impress Peach with the new Copter, but nobody insulted his princess, "Lay off. She looks great." King Boo merely smiled broadly, seemingly unperturbed by the Koopa's tactlessness, and drew back from the princess with a shake of his proportionally smaller arms. Peach felt Bowser lumber up behind her, the way his body cast a shadow over hers – and she flinched when she felt a claw touch her back. "You do look great."

"No, I don't!" Peach snapped in response, jerking away from Bowser and stepping back from both of them, furious. The thought of him comforting her – or flattering her when she knew better – was unbearable. "My bike is gone! My suit is ruined! My hair is ruined! This ink stinks and it's all your fault!" There were far more important things than her wardrobe that she took issue with, but for now, it was the safest thing to mention.

"Whoa!" Bowser protested to her outburst, "You think I did that?" She just looked at him. "I'd never attack you, Peach!"

"No, just my kingdom. My friends." Bowser could be so…deluded, and while she'd always known this, it just seemed particularly evident right now. "Everything I care about. And what do you call this?" She indicated the very obvious stains with an angry flourish.

"Oh, Princess, I'm afraid the blooper was my idea," King Boo confessed mirthfully, lazily sinking down to eye contact level with the fuming Peach, "Forgive me, but Bowser was very specific. He didn't want you hurt, only…stalled." Stalled. She blinked once, putting the pieces together – first the Lakitu, now King Boo. All just to make him seem like the hero he would never be – she thought it was so…so pathetic. It was such a harsh word, but it needed to be used. She needed to be reminded of her mistake. Her lapse in judgment. She'd willingly gotten onto the bike with him, after all – it made her wince, the thought of what everyone would think, would say when they saw it. She should've been smarter.

Daisy would never have fallen for something so foolish.

While Peach very subtly wiped a would-be tear from her left eye, Bowser was eager to get rid of the kidnapping crasher. "I thought I told you to stick close to the Stupid Brothers," he demanded, "Find out what they know."

"That's why I'm here," King Boo replied, "They've found your Koopa Troopa."

"Already?" The Koopa tyrant was disgruntled, to say the least, muttering, "I have morons for minions."

"Mm," was the noncommittal reply, before the ghost added, "That's why I always say, never send…well…anyone to do a Boo's job. The little ones are so cute, too." He fondly believed that added an extra layer of deception.

Bowser scowled derisively in response. "I don't do 'cute'." He didn't need anybody else insulting his forces, alright? Especially not some puny bobble head without a body – like this guy.

King Boo glanced past the defensive Koopa to the petite and sniffling princess who, he knew, beneath all that wear and tear and muck, was quite…cute. By human standards. "Cleaaaarly," he drawled, unable to resist poking a bit of fun. But one glance to the Koopa King's face, and he thought better of further ridicule and added, "Those wimpy humans think you're still in the castle, skulking about somewhere – but don't you worry about that!" he cackled humorously, completely oblivious – or immune – to the fact that he was the only one laughing. "I've been working on my reptilian roar – I like my odds."

"You're going to lose," Peach declared steadily, having pulled herself together enough not to cry in front of them, "You always lose."

Bowser bristled – visibly – but King Boo eyed her with the selfsame good-humor that bordered on sinister. "Perhaps," he admitted – something the Koopa never would've done – "But not today." That was the only address he gave her, before two, much smaller Boos were willed into existence, flanking their master. "Take these," he offered to his scaly counterpart, and a thought was enough to command the ghosts to float over to Peach, circling the princess as they faded in and out of existence playfully. "As guards. She'll only try to escape again."

Instead of gratitude (did he even know the meaning of the word?), Bowser growled with a threatening step forward. "I know how to kidnap my own princess." He didn't need charity.

King Boo only chuckled, flashing a row of sharp canines and a sliver of pink tongue. "Your record speaks for itself." He didn't take the Boos back, but his beady eyes fixated on the princess once more. "Always a pleasure, Your Highness." Still laughing, the great ghost simply teleported away - and Peach closed her eyes briefly, squeezing them shut in frustration. Perhaps she was only fooling herself – to think these races could ever amount to anything remotely similar to peace. Just because everyone could play nice for a few days out of the year, pandering to the cameras – did it really mean so little? Now those arduous hours spent negotiating fractions of taxes and land rights...

"Let's go."

"No." Peach didn't inch towards the exit - Bowser was too close for that, but she did glance between it and the Koopa. And she did hold her ground.

"Wasn't an invitation, Princess."

"Please don't do this." Appealing to his 'better' half was hardly her brightest move - anything would've been better, for she already knew it would end in abject failure. He had no better half. "Bowser, please." She extended her hands in what was meant to be a placating gesture, empty palms, as she stood in front of him. It wasn't difficult for Peach to look as unassuming as possible, but she had hoped that in emphasizing it, she could somehow convince Bowser that this wasn't...the way. It- "You don't know what you're doing."

That was her mistake. The single tear-track on her cheek, sharply visible against the ink, the miserable plea behind her words, it did give him pause. But the second she said he didn't know what he was doing? "I'm a king! I always know what I'm doing! We're going!" He grabbed her then, tossed her over his shoulder with ease - and Peach's composure completely failed her...again.

"No! No- let me go!" She couldn't reason with him. It just wasn't possible! He only understood one thing - and that was her hero, just wiping the floor with him."Mario! Mario!" She thought her voice might carry over the top of the tower, but Bowser scarcely gave her the chance, dumping her into the passenger's side of the Clown Car. By the time she scrambled up, he'd already cleared the other side and, upon landing in the driver's seat - he hit a flurry of buttons and the transparent glass rose with a mechanical groan on all sides - not dissimilar from a convertible top. It connected with the windshield easily, encasing him...and his princess...in the airship. Even if she screamed, the only person who'd hear it was him.

She didn't. What Bowser hadn't seen was Peach hurriedly strip one long glove from her right arm - which she flung over the side of the Clown Car just before the windows raised. She only stayed quiet now so as not to draw his attention to it - another sequence of buttons, and the copter's engine rumbled to life. Seconds later, and the rotors kicked in lift them into the air. Peering out the window, she could see her glove, so out-of-place against the stone.She might not have been...relieved, but...it was better than nothing. Peach took in a shallow breath, attempting to ease her nerves, and covered her ungloved arm as much as possible. Please, Mario, please find me.

"Peach."

Bowser attempted to speak to her once he'd navigated the Clown Car's take-off from the tower top, rising up into smoggy, outcast skies that obscured their escape perfectly. He didn't have to keep both eyes on the controls, so he looked at her instead. Even her profile was pretty, and that was all she gave him.

"Peach." The princess steadfastly ignored him – and the intermittent giggle of the two Boos disappearing and reappearing in her periphery. Apparently they'd decided to tag along. She crossed her arms over her chest, comforted only by the fact that she'd left her glove behind – surely someone would find it, and once they did, they'd realize that Bowser would only take her to the top of a tower for one reason: escape. Her friends were smart, they would know how he kidnapped her – and that was one step in the right direction, wasn't it? They would know she wasn't in the castle anymore. If only she could've warned them about King Boo…

"Peach," he repeated impatiently, a few minutes later. All he got in response was the tittering of a Boo who, when he twisted to glare at it, merely covered its face with both hands coyly. Bowser wasn't in the mood for games. "Get lost!" he snapped, "It's cramped enough in here." Who knew if the ghosts were really gone – but they disappeared on command and that was all that mattered. Bowser didn't want to seean audience – hell, he didn't need the help at all. He could handle the princess on his own.

Even if she wanted to give him the silent treatment.

"Peach, I didn't bribe anybody, alright?" Still nothing. Bowser cleared his throat, annoyed, but barged on – as was his nature, "I mean, why would I have to do that?" When he could just threaten his victims into submission. He realized a little too late that probably wasn't what Peach wanted to hear, so he explained, "I just got rid of the ref, replaced him with one of my minions." Peach's gaze was downcast, into her lap, and she was grateful for it so he wouldn't see her reaction. Every referee was thoroughly vetted to prevent just this sort of thing – biases, or cheating – and she did feel some measure of relief to know that Bowser hadn't…infiltrated the racing competition so drastically. He'd never been very good at espionage, which was why she'd been so horrified at the thought. "Koopas all look the same to outsiders anyway – except for me, 'cause I'm the King. Nobody looks as good as me."

Nobody is as awful as you either, she thought. The princess was brooding. And she felt…filthy. The only recoverable parts of her entire wardrobe were…the boots, and even then, she dreaded the trouble it would cause her laundresses.

"Are you just gonna ignore me until we get there?"

Yes. She didn't even know where 'there' was, but the answer was still 'yes'. She wanted to ask about the referee, how horribly Bowser must have punished him for remaining loyal to the morals of his prestigious position – but she didn't think she could stand the answer. And she didn't want to encourage him. Once Mario rescued her, she would make it her mission to find that Lakitu.

Bowser had a mission of his own: to get Peach's attention. It wasn't an easy trip between kingdoms; he ought to know, he'd made it plenty of times before. And, uh, it'd be nice if she...would just look at him. Once. But he wasn't used to making repeat overtures - and he was getting annoyed. As a last ditch effort, he added gruffly, "'Cause...it's a long way to Mushroom Castle."

There. She raised her head - lips parting to form a small 'o' of surprise, eyes raised to his. "Mushroom Castle?" she repeated, and Bowser swallowed to mask how much his mood improved by such minor gestures. "But- why?"

Ah, this was even better. She was interested. And since she was already his captive, he didn't mind unveiling the genius that was his amazing plan. "Yeah," he said easily, his tone cocky, almost condescending, "You think I'm gonna keep you in Dark Land? Everybody's already there." The Idiot Brothers, her loudmouthed cousin, even her steward and best attendants. "I'm not that stupid." But her castle? Nobody would expect it!

"Bowser, you can't be serious." He'd anticipated her awe at his awesomeness - but in his mind, it wasn't with that tone. Or that expression. She just didn't get it. "You know as well as anyone that the season ends in Mushroom Kingdom. We have the awards ceremony at my home every year." Toad Town would be brimming with racing fans from all over the world - every hostel and inn booked for the next week, all in preparation for the great parade, the feast, the festivities to follow. This was one of the busiest, most lucrative times of year for the kingdom's tourist industry. An absolute blessing for the local economy. How could Bowser possibly think this was smart? He'd already attempted to take over her castle - and failed. That was before the population all but doubled! And it wasn't just Toad Town. Visiting dignitaries, guests, additional staff, all moving in and out of Mushroom Castle constantly. Bowser had no idea what he was doing - again.

"Yeah, yeah," details, details, he didn't care about those, "But they can't have the ceremony without the princess." By the time those stupid plumbers realized where she was - if they even figured it out - it'd be too late. But he didn't want to ruin that surprise for her just yet.

Still, with the information she had? Peach could make one objective judgment for certain. "This is a-" terrible idea. She stopped herself short with a small intake of air. Had she really been trying to help Bowser? Not intentionally, but his plan just sounded so…silly. If he took her to Mushroom Castle, she would be rescued within hours – she would have so many ample opportunities to sneak a message out to Mario through one of her subjects. Peach fell silent as her hopes weighed down on her thoughts, and she hid a very small smile. There was a way to salvage what Bowser had done: she just had to think smart, and he'd done half the work for her already. There was no better place for the Mushroom Princess to make her own move than in her own castle.

"It's a what?" Oh. Bowser was still waiting on the rest of her statement – and the way he shifted, shot brief looks at her, Peach might've thought he cared about what she had to say. But of course, that was ridiculous. He just couldn't mind his own business, as always.

"It's a…despicable idea," she corrected herself, a complaint that he took as the greatest of compliments, so much so that even his thick tail straightened up at the judgment passed.

"I am the most evil king around." And he really thought that was a 'good' thing.

Mario will come for me. He'll put you in your place – again. And she would do everything in her power to help him.