A/N: Thanks for waiting for me! Life has been hectic! (I'm getting closer to getting my degree. I've been focusing on school for the last few years.) I've been writing a bit of the story in my free time and I *aim* to have weekly updates in April in celebration of the Mario movie! For now, I leave this chapter for you while I work on the rest of the story! There's a lot more to write so I'll do my best to meet the goal. Thank you so much for your support and patience with me. I can't wait to post more updates for you! I hope these last few years have been safe for you!

I'll see you in April!

Peach lifted the lantern as she walked down the hall, desperate for a change of clothes and scenery. Her body was stained with putrid smoke but that didn't seem to be the main cause of her disgust, as her mind continued buzzing with a sickening dizziness as the words she had listened to echoed in her head.

It didn't take long for Peach to return to her room, surprisingly, as she had begun to memorize the twists and turns of the overlapping tunnels. She had returned in only a few minutes after finally managing to collect herself. Everything seemed to happen in a haze as she moved, as she was unwilling to be alone with her thoughts for more than a few seconds at a time; she didn't want to think about what she had just experienced, though she knew her feelings would soon catch up to her no matter how many distractions she would find.

Peach stood outside her door, taking a deep breath to fuel her crumbling body and mind, before pushing open her bedroom's door with her shoulder. It opened with a long, whispery creak, and revealed her dark, underwhelming chamber, just as it had been when she had left it.

She sighed as she stared into the familiar room, not exactly excited to be back where she'd be locked away with her thoughts, but eager to escape the filth that seeped through her.

Even so, the secluded silence was suffocating.

Her room was just as it had been when she had left it: her white comb sat idly on her table and her silk sheets were messily shoved out of place, as well as a pillow, which had somehow flopped onto the wooden floor while she was gone. She groaned as she noticed the pile of dirty dresses shoved in a corner, forgetting to grab them and keep them from getting more dusty before she left. She rolled her eyes and sighed as her eyes continued to digest the secluded room.

Her solitude seemed to only make things worse as anxiety creeped into the back of her mind. Peach's stomach fell as she felt her chest tighten with discomfort; a need to be somewhere, anywhere, that could distract her from her prison and the words that stuck with her. She looked around for a distraction.

One of the few candles beside her fizzled out with a nearly-silent crackle, cloaking the room in a deeper hue of darkness.

All the lit candles around her room had begun to dim while she had wandered off, filling the area with a hushed light in her place. How long had she been gone? What time was it?

She bit her lip as she carefully set the lantern on the small table right beside the entrance to her room, lighting up the walls in its blanket, and trailed her eyes towards the mess she had left on the floor.

She only took half a step into the room before she was abruptly pulled away with blunt force.

Peach gasped as she felt something wrap around her, entangling around her waist and tightly holding her still for a moment before she was gently lifted off of the wooden floor by the back of her dress. She clawed at the air for a moment, trying to find something to grab onto, but continued upwards as her fingers couldn't find anything to latch onto.

Looking down, Peach's stomach fell as she rose a few feet above where she had stood. She kicked her feet in shock, trying to fight against whatever lifted her by the back of her dress, but slowly fell still as she remembered the only creature capable of such a feat, especially without a warm welcome.

Her panic fell to an annoyed frown.

Peach groaned through her teeth before looking over her shoulder at the beast who eyed her with annoyed amusement; as if she were a pet trying to escape from its cage. She darted her eyes in embarrassment as he turned her to face him, no longer able to avoid his eyes.

The phantom held her like a porcelain doll that had fallen on the ground, lifting her up by the back of her dress, eyeing her accordingly. He held her carefully, well aware of how easily she could break, and clearly found some enjoyment in the way she squirmed.

"Do you have to sneak up on me?!" Peach gasped in frustration. She fought against his grip, pressing her fingers against her dress and trying to pull it out of his grip. But, her dress was too well-made to tear.

She groaned and fell limp after realizing how futile her attempts were, as all she could muster out of him was a furrow of his brow.

"H-How long have you been watching me, exactly?!" She squeaked.

The phantom seemed satisfied by her reaction which only pushed her irritation further. Though, he stared at her as if she had inconvenienced him, even though she was the one he had snatched in his hand.

He carelessly let her go and she clumsily toppled onto the hardwood floor. She almost tripped over her own footing before gathering her balance. Once she stood at her full height, she shot him an annoyed scowl from his lack of care.

"Long enough," he growled. "And I didn't sneak. You just aren't aware of your surroundings," he corrected with a casual shrug.

Peach huffed in offense. She crossed her arms, turning her head to the side.

"I happen to be very aware of my surroundings!" Peach groaned in defense, though it was a pitiful attempt at being confident.

He glared at her for a few moments.

"...Are you?" He finally asked in disinterested disagreement.

"Yes! I am!" Peach quickly cried with stubborn confidence as she glared at him in refusal.

The king released a small, sarcastic laugh under his breath.

Though his face remained emotionless, it was clear that he was not buying into her little facade.

"I'm surprised to see you still attempting to sneak around," the phantom muttered. "Well, I'm not too surprised," he corrected with a frown. "I feel as if every time I take my eyes off of you, you wander off."

Peach looked back towards him with an irritated glare.

"Why am I not surprised that you're still ill-mannered with greetings," she mocked with an upturn of her nose. Her response seemed to satisfy whatever he was hoping to get out of her, as she felt his eyes steady on her.

He seemed to prey on the way her movement subtly revealed her neck, as he paused, leaned down towards her shorter form, and carefully leaned his snout against her neck; like a hunter swooping in against its vulnerable prey, towering over her and taking pleasure in the way she froze and nervously allowed the contact.

Peach's posture stiffened as her nails dug into the hem of her dress; she tried to stop herself from reacting to the contact, as that was exactly what he was after. She felt her legs run numb as a deep rush of warmth centered itself at her pulsing core; she was once again at his mercy.

She felt a growl rumble from the back of his throat against her skin as he carefully took in her scent, coating her in his warmth with each coarse breath.

Her breathing heavied as she imagined how close his fangs were to her sensitive skin.

He released a subtle, dark laugh under his breath against her ear as he felt her tension grow. She shuddered.

"I didn't expect you to be the type to smoke," he muttered in amusement into her ear before he slowly backed away.

Peach's eyes dizzily trailed his movement as he returned to his full height, hardly able to process what had happened, let alone what he had said to her. She stood in an overwhelmed fluster, well aware of his ability to sense intense emotions, and tried to collect herself.

With a shake of her head, she finally managed to clumsily trip over her words in anticipation.

"I- a l-lady should not smoke!" She nervously cried in disbelief at his accusation.

He paused for a moment.

"So, do you?"

She groaned as irritation quickly began replacing his spell.

"I am a lady, I do not smoke!" She argued.

"It's hard to tell what you are sometimes."

Peach took a long, deep breath as she collected her temper and her faltering complexion from the way he had stood so close to her. She rolled her eyes and turned on her heels towards the mess in the corner of her bedroom. Though she tried to convince herself that she needed to tend to the mess, she really just needed an excuse to not look at him for a few moments. Though, she could still feel his eyes trailing every movement.

Once facing away from him, her facade faded, and any irritation was replaced with a flushed horror that she had hardly managed to hide from him when she had felt him so close to her.

Her skin ached from the way his breath had singed it, and her heart skipped a beat as her mind craved the way he made her mind numb with nervous anticipation. She vigorously shook her head as her mind began wandering towards thoughts plagued with a lack of restraint.

She broke the tense silence with an awkward clearing of her throat.

"My father always told me a list of things a lady should not do," Peach nervously rambled. "She should not raise her voice and is always meant to be docile, she may never smoke, or hang around ill-mannered men," she added with an accusatory glare over her shoulder.

He stood in silence, just his blank expression being more than enough to mock her: They both knew she was anything but a docile young lady when pushed to her limit.

She huffed and dropped to her knees to grab the dirty clothes.

She could feel his eyes crawling all over her figure. Her hands shook as she pulled the dresses into her lap, not used to the intense attention.

"Where did you go, exactly?" The king finally asked.

Peach pressed the clothes against her chest as she stood up and turned to him. It seemed as if he hadn't been monitoring her as long as she had assumed.

"I, well…" Her words faded to a whisper as she struggled to answer him. Peach bit her lip as she wondered if it was worth being honest with him, considering his temperament with her.

Her heart ached in an overwhelming need to confide all of her insecurities and worries to the phantom; he always protected her and kept her safe from any troubles, no matter their seemingly painful past together. Or, perhaps he was her only solace in that moment. She could not tell why her heart ached to tell him.

No matter how they argued or hated one another, a part of her craved his stern reassurance whenever she doubted herself.

Yet, she still hesitated.

Her mind pulled her wandering thoughts back into reality with a burning worry; she was contemplating confiding to the creature who ruled over the subjects who viewed her so disgustingly. Surely, he viewed her the same.

Right?

Peach opened her mouth to reply but bit her tongue. For whatever reason, she wanted to confide with him, but she was ashamed by what truth stood behind the guard's disgusting words. Ashamed of what the koopas had thought of humans, ashamed that she was human; that she was viewed as nothing more than an object or...as they had called her, a "play thing."

To a degree, didn't he view her the same?

She couldn't deny that he viewed her as some sort of entertainment; he played with her, didn't he? She was disposable to him.

After all, wasn't she a replacement for his past human company? Peach's throat burned with the need to beg for his reassurance that he didn't think of her in such a filthy way. Or, at least, that she wasn't replaceable to him, though the answer would surely only further upset her.

Peach looked away from him.

"I…" Her words trailed into insecure whispers as her eyes darted away from him.

As her confidence faltered, she looked up to see his eyes subtly softening behind his normal grimace. Though unsure, he seemed to have noticed her discomfort and stood patiently, waiting for her to continue, sensing something behind her words that was important enough to catch his interest. He stared at her cautiously with a distant intention of listening to whatever she wanted to tell him.

No, he was not like them. At least, not to her.

After a few moments of deliberation, she nervously continued.

"I wandered outside of my room. I happened to have come across some guards talking about…me," she quietly rambled, still in disbelief. "The Koopas said…quite awful things about me. They were smoking, if you're still curious about why I smell so filthy," she added with a sigh while rubbing her arm. "They didn't know I was there, but…"

His eyes hardened at the mention of Koopas, understanding the direction of what she might have heard, as the queen's guards had become terribly corrupt without his strict influence. He furrowed his brow and gazed through her, not exactly comfortable with the look on her face as she recalled the conversation.

"I'm sorry if I worried you," she whispered after sensing his discomfort.

He huffed.

"What did they say about you?" He asked with building rage, dodging her pleading eyes.

Peach flinched at how his voice had returned to its usual, darker tone. His voice was quiet yet seemed to boom through her room, demanding yet stern. She only realized how...less terrifying his tone had been with her moments prior after hearing his tone return to its default state.

It was frighteningly furious, though uncomfortably calm.

"You don't have to tell me. Most common koopas are bottom feeders with superiority complexes. What would they do? Get through me?" he scoffed with arrogance.

He paused, continuing with a glare of subtle possessiveness.

"Give me the word and I won't even let them look at you."

Peach's face instinctively flushed and she clumsily dropped her clothes on the floor with a gentle thump. She quickly dropped down to her knees to pick up the mess behind her table and collect her thoughts, once again feeling his eyes trace her every movement.

Though, at least she could hide her red face and trembling hands underneath the table as she cleaned up.

She snatched all the articles of clothing in a panic. With a deep breath, she collected herself, and then peaked over the table.

She stood back up, awkwardly cleared her throat, and began sorting her clothing into two piles on the table: lights and darks, all while avoiding his eyes.

"Koopas have a lot of pent up aggression and humans tend to be the punching bags. You'd best stop listening into conversations you aren't meant to be a part of," he warned. "You humans always get yourselves in trouble because you look for too many answers...you always end up with answers you aren't happy with or worse. You need to be cautious."

Peach shuddered, assuming he had sealed the fate of other nosey humans in the past.

"Perhaps they shouldn't say such vile things about anyone. Listened to or not," she muttered under her breath. "Humans are the same. They can be filthy, especially in the words I've heard them say about me. Perhaps I'm the problem."

The phantom's posture stiffened.

"I'm too good at being nosey and finding things that aren't meant for me," she sadly laughed. "Though, I'm less surprised hearing it from a Koopa. I don't know why I expected something different."

Even with her knowledge of koopas' destructive natures, she still confided in him, though she didn't have many other options. She couldn't lie, a part of her still reminisced over her kingdom's warnings of the king when she was close to him, worrisome of what truth lay behind his eyes.

But, he wasn't a being of destruction, at least not anymore.

"It didn't used to be this way. Koopas have always been strong and intense; we've always tried to defend ourselves, but we strived for honor. Now, this kingdom sacrifices everything for foolish ideologies. Mass control? Propaganda? I don't stand with what you heard those Koopas say about you, I assure you."

She gently smiled at his endearing reassurance.

"I know."

She knew that not all Koopas were similar to the way her kingdom had taught her, he was living proof of it, even if his past was shrouded in questionable, dark morals. Even though she questioned her own judgment of his character, oftentimes finding herself leaning towards disliking him, he never harmed her or made her feel how those guards made her feel.

Was there a world where the two were allowed to get along, considering things hadn't always been this way? A time period where humans and other creatures co-existed?

Peach's mind wandered as she tried to picture a time where humans and koopas existed without being at each other's throats. Not to her surprise, it was a bit hard to envision a setting without cold side-eyes and spreading rumors.

"Have we ever gotten along?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head.

He paused for a moment.

"With your kind? No."

Her hands tightened around the fabric as his words dripped with a blunt lack of care for her hopeful thinking. She looked down towards the clothing and laughed under her breath, awkwardly trying to pull herself away from how his response had stung her.

"I had hoped for a different answer."

"I simply wouldn't allow it," he spat without any hesitation.

Peach's eyes shot back towards him.

"That's a brutish way to think," she grumbled under her breath.

"Is that so? At least my kingdom wears it on our sleeve."

Her face paled at his audacity.

"What are you trying to say?" She questioned with a defensive frown. "My people are nothing like you," she huffed. "We have nothing to hide."

He frowned for a moment, as if what she had said opened a deep thought for him, before continuing with a confident stare.

"Let me guess, you're convinced your kingdom runs off of peace and kindness."

She furrowed her brow.

"I would assume we all aim for peace, do we not?"

A crooked, amused smile crept across his features as her defensive response seemed to be exactly what he had wanted out of her. Peach flinched at the way his face lit up, as she hadn't seen him so openly expressive; it was haunting how he showed his eagerness without his usual blanket of blankness.

"Tell me, Toadstool, has your kingdom ever done anything horrible?" He slyly questioned. "Something that keeps you up at night? Or is your history fabricated with perfectly happy endings."

Happy endings?

The Mushroom Kingdom was founded by her peoples' ancestors to bring peace and safety for humans, away from creatures like him who brought their plague of war and destruction wherever they conquered. But, of course her kingdom was full of flawed moments in history and missteps in the wrong direction, she was sure of it, for whatever reason he asked.

Right?

After a few moments, Peach's mouth opened to angrily defend her people's motives, but all she could muster was a faint squeak, as she couldn't think of a simple example to counter his strange claim. She thought to herself for a few seconds as she recalled her education and the historical moments she had been taught in her upbringing; she could not think of a moment in her peoples' past where there was a story of a lack of justice or a war where they were not on the right side of history.

Surely her kingdom had made mistakes, as every kingdom had, but her face fell, as no matter how hard she thought to herself, she couldn't think of a specific story or lesson where her people weren't aiding those around them or saving those in need. Was that truly a bad thing? Was it truly possible to be a flawless kingdom? She couldn't even begin to understand why he viewed such a thing as negative.

Peach grinded her teeth together at the way his eyes dripped with a dark cockiness as he waited for her to respond.

Her hesitation was enough to answer his creeping suspicion of her kingdom, but he still wanted to hear it from her.

"Tell me," he darkly beckoned.

"P-Perhaps you're not used to a kingdom founded on stable virtues and purity," she hissed with her arms crossed.

He snarled.

"It's impossible to run a kingdom without loss and war. You either own up to your flaws or bury them from those who are eager to forget."

Peach's eyes shot towards him in fury.

"The other kingdoms rely on us-"

"They fear you."

She stared at him in appalled confusion at his hypocrisy.

Fear?

Peach stumbled over her words as she struggled to even respond to such a ridiculous claim that he, for whatever reason, seemed so passionate about. He stared at her as she struggled to vocally compose her anger towards him, to which she scowled.

How could anyone fear a human? Did he truly think her people lied about what they were and what they had done? Who they were? What they were capable of?

To fear a creature without powers or abilities like every other species was the equivalent of a cat being afraid of a mouse; a hunter of its prey. What could her people possibly have the ability to have done to warrant any sort of fear or apprehension of her kind? She couldn't think of a moment in the past that fit his narrative or his dismissal of her disagreement.

"You say that as if nearly every living creature doesn't fear you!" She argued with an accusatory stare in his direction.

"I would hope they do," he snarled as he turned away from her. "I enjoy the smell of fear."

Peach crossed her arms as she tried to smother her ever-beating heart and racing mind.

"This is another game of yours, isn't it?" She asked under her breath.

He bitterly laughed.

"Is that what you call it?"

A/N: Thank you for reading!