A/N: This is my favorite chapter so far! Enjoy! :D Please review/follow/favorite for more updates hehe!
Peach stepped out of her room, cautiously looking from side to side, hoping not to be caught. She hesitated before finally forcing herself to stand outside of the entrance.
She flinched, pausing as she waited for someone to catch and punish her. She closed her eyes as she awaited disapproval from someone, but slowly opened her eyes as no one seemed to notice.
She was still alone.
Peach let out a deep exhale of air as she relaxed. Escaping her room was easier than she thought. Well, if one could even call it escaping, as she was clearly not guarded or trapped.
Though, remembering her last attempt at escaping, she was not as free as one would guess. The phantom seemed to always have close eyes on her, whether it be from monitoring her or simply being able to tell when she ran off.
Peach shivered. It wasn't like she was going to run away, so why should she worry? She'd go for a stroll to clear her mind and quickly head back.
However, she would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little bit curious of what was locked away. What else was he hiding?
With a small candle in her hand, Peach closed the door behind her, enveloping her body in the darkness of the underground path. With the tiny candle, she could barely see enough to navigate, but enough to not walk into a wall.
With small, fearful steps, she walked away from her room, heading in the right-most direction. She knew the phantom's study was to the left, so she decided to keep her distance away from the monster. As much as she wanted to see him, he was part of the reason she needed to get away.
Peach bit her lip. What was with him and his arrogant hatred of her? Why did he hesitate to hate her at times? It was frustrating, having so many mixed signals thrown at her. Sometimes, she felt as if she were a burden, and others it felt as if he was forcing himself to be around her when necessary.
Peach's eyes fell to her shoes as she sighed.
Though, sometimes, she felt...important. He saved her life and even became wounded in the process. The way he had looked at her in that moment was…
Peach cupped her free hand over her chest as she felt a rush of embarrassment.
Whether it was toleration or a hidden likeness that caused him to behave differently at times, she didn't know. Perhaps that was why she felt so passionately about the beast; it was a challenge that made her beyond curious.
She picked up her pace as she continued thinking to herself, frustrations building.
"Why do I even care what he thinks?" Peach mumbled to herself as her voice slowly picked up in anger. "Not like a big, annoying, brutish, lizard of a ghost would be upfront with me, anyways-"
Peach paused as the path opened up in front of her, giving her a sense of uncertainty. Instead of heading in one direction, the tunnel seemed to branch in three distinct directions: Two on either side of her and one continuing in front of her.
The two on either side seemed smaller and more compact; as if they were not man made, but seemed to be carved out of the stone from natural causes. The one in front of her was slightly familiar and seemed to head towards a location she had been to before, instantly causing her to fixate on the other two.
Peach shook her head. Before heading out, she had decided to head in one direction so she wouldn't wander too far and get lost. Yet, the more she stood in the middle of the crossing paths, she felt herself wondering what rested beyond the natural entrances.
Even so, that was not a journey for that moment, as she was surely to get overwhelmed with curiosity and wander too far. After all, what was more exciting than exploring an uninhabited opening?
Peach took a step forward before being caught off guard by something that broke the silence, but only for a moment. She froze, trying to examine what it could be.
A faint, subtle dropping of water echoed in the distance and disappeared as quickly as it had interrupted the silence.
She held her breath as she waited for the noise to continue, quickly turning in the direction of the dropping water as it sounded once again. She turned her head to the right, realizing the small opening beside her held whatever water she was hearing.
It was distant and blocked away, but she was sure she had heard running water. It was the last thing she expected to hear in the Darklands, only further pushing her towards running in the wrong direction.
One quick little look won't hurt anyone! Peach thought to herself with a convinced nod. It's not like I'm running away...he can't get mad!
Peach shrugged. Even if he did get angry, she knew he wouldn't touch her. She could put up with a scolding, after all.
With little hesitation, Peach turned towards the right-hand opening, slowly looking all around her as she made sure not to bump her head on whatever was in front of her. She walked even slower than before, as the stone floor was rugged and dipped at certain points.
The opening seemed to widen, giving her space to breathe. Peach sighed, realizing how stupid she was being, but that didn't stop her from continuing.
She was too far to turn back, after all.
Bowser paused as his claw rested on his bedroom's handle. He frowned, realizing something in the back of his mind had distracted him.
His eyes wandered to the study's entrance, wondering what felt so...wrong; out of place. It was almost as if something were missing. Something that had been there before.
He squinted, curious to the sudden wave of uncertainty. It was almost as if his head was trying to warn him, but he didn't know what could be of such importance to subconsciously warn him. It was an annoying, ringing sense of dread that tried to force him to take action.
Something was gone, but the more he thought about it, the less he felt inclined to worry, as he couldn't find an answer. With an annoyed groan, Bowser turned away and headed to his bedroom, ignoring what seemed to be out of place.
Whatever it was, it wasn't his concern. He would investigate tomorrow.
He had nothing to worry about. Whatever was happening, it was surely out of his power. He shook his head as he ignored the nagging voice in the back of his head. No matter how he tried to turn away, he couldn't shift away from how afraid he felt.
Peach stood in awe, taking in the scene before her.
To her surprise, the opening was well-lit with natural light, allowing her to drop the candle with no worry of losing her sight. Looking up, she was shocked to find how massive the walls surrounding her were. They reached up impressively high, making her stomach drop, realizing how far away from the surface she was hidden away.
She felt so small, standing before such a grand opening. The area seemed to radiate with a sense of unknown and a serene, chilling calmness. It was almost as if she was entering an area where time stood still and away from peering eyes.
Peach's eyes continued wandering above her, landing on a narrow opening resting in the middle of the obsidian ceiling. It was too small for one to fit through, but just enough to let the moon's light leak through and onto the water, reflecting onto the walls in waving patterns.
The body was surrounded by jagged stones and stalagmites of varying hues that seemed to cage the water away from intruders. The stones crossed and weaved all around the water except for one slim opening to her left.
Peach felt her stomach drop at how curious the sight was. It was unlike anything she had ever seen in the Mushroom Kingdom...it was almost scary in its calmness.
It felt like a trap.
Peach took off her socks before clumsily throwing her shoes behind her. Though it felt like a stupid idea, she wanted nothing more than to feel water again.
The Darklands had many charms, but water was not one of them she got to enjoy often.
Peach bent down as she squeezed her way through the small opening, barely managing to fit through. Her dress nagged on the sharp stones, tearing the fabric with a loud rip. With a small shrug and no reason to be inconvenienced, she turned back towards the pool.
She held onto the stones around her, preventing her from coming in contact with the water below her. She pressed her feet against the slim remainder of stone, barely managing to fit. She hesitated as her feet stood inches away from dropping into the water.
What was she doing?
Peach gasped as a few of the damp stones beneath her gave out and splashed into the water. Barely managing to hold onto one of the stalagmites, Peach held her breath as she tried to regain her footing.
Why was she here?
Peach exhaled as she finally grounded herself against the wet stones. Her pulse doubled as she stared down at the water, meeting her reflection.
While she looked terrified, a part of her was beyond excited and loving the thrill. The rush of endorphins and adrenaline coursed through her as she looked down at herself.
The look in her eyes startled her. She was your usual, docile woman, but the Darklands continued bringing out parts of her she had never even known she had.
She had never felt like this before. She had never been afraid this often before.
Afraid of what rested in the water, afraid of who would come fetch her, and afraid of what would happen if she were to touch the liquid. So many fears held her back from giving into the need to dive into the water.
She was happy to be thrilled, but not exactly ready for the consequences of what would happen if she were to drop. She was here out of curiosity, not a death wish.
Peach sighed as she turned over her shoulder, eyeing where she had entered from. Maybe, with the phantom's guidance, she would have the confidence to leap into the water. But today was not that day.
Before she understood what was happening, the stone she held onto snapped against her weight, throwing Peach's body into the air. Peach screamed as the water crashed over her, consuming her entire form as she was pulled down beneath the surface.
She struggled for a few moments as she instinctively gasped for air. Peach desperately reached upwards as she tried to find something to grab hold of, but was only met with fistfulls of water as she was pulled further and further below.
She cried in fear, though her cries were muted by the water that filled her mouth.
Peach continued clawing at the water with silent grunts of frustration. The water was heavy and seemed to drag her down no matter how hard she kicked and struggled. It was almost as if she had dived head-first into a pit of tar that was eager to lock her underneath its body.
Was this how she was going to die? A stupid rush of curiosity? It was fitting to a girl like her; an unnoticeable death for an uneventful, bland woman. It was annoying how poetic such an end would be.
Peach's body drifted to the bottom of the body of water with a small bump as she landed against the stone. Her hair gently floated around her as her body laid limp.
Distant questions filled her head as she tried to regain herself.
Why was she there?
Why was she under water?
Why did she do this? Why?
A distant sadness ran through her as she rested.
It was a beautiful view: the light shining into the water, lighting up the pool around her. It was sad, but she wasn't sure what she felt anymore. She had felt afraid moments before, she knew that, but she felt numb as she laid under the current.
Peach continued staring upwards as a sudden shift in the water caught her fuzzy attention. Ripples of water disturbed the light's steady pattern and shook her body against the layer of rock beneath her.
It was as if something had fallen into the water.
Peach struggled as she attempted to shift upwards towards the discourse. With extreme effort, she reached up towards the figure, desperately trying to latch onto whatever came for her.
She had no idea what she saw or what came towards her, but she reached upwards. Peach's eyes widened as she felt her heart jump.
She could not see him, but she could feel him.
With the remaining air slipping out of her lungs, she weakly whispered one word to herself, unable to be heard through the blanket of water between them.
"Bowser?"