Escorted safely through the dark far regions of the Mushroom Kingdom, the party arrived at the castle of the king of koopas.  James was unsure what to make of this guy when he had a kingdom reminiscent of Hell.  As they walked in the middle of the expansive Koopatrol, with prisoners and lower guards behind them, Bowser strode ahead as the castle loomed over them.  A huge black shadow with a crowning of stone parapets, rising above a sea of lava.
Shimmering murmurs of fire could be heard all around them.  Thunderclouds of pyroclastic ash rose above them, striking across the horizon of the dark jagged mountains surrounding the kingdom.  Every strike of lightning lit the area ablaze, offering a glimpse of the true grandeur of the ancestral home of the Koopas.  It was truly intimidating to all who dared approached.
Despite being the total opposite of the fair-skied garden-trenched castle of the Mushroom Kingdom, Koopin was not as terrified as James expected him to be.  The only one not even the slightest bit afraid was the lord of the castle himself, his huge spiked back shifting back and forth with each huge step.  Across the wide drawbridge they went, across the heated netherworld they stepped, and into the castle itself they would go.
Corridors of pure stone, hardened with fire and greyed with age, were navigated by the party, passing by a multitude of various creatures.  From goombas to boos, to shy guys to the koopas themselves, all performing various duties.  One or two magikoopas would pass in robes and hats, wielding wands with devious eyes behind thick circular glasses.  An even stranger creature James saw came in the form of a living ball-and-chain, with wide white eyes and a row of vicious teeth, barking like a ferocious dog.

Claws gently shuffled on red carpets deeper within the palace, as James and Koopin kept close together before reaching the throne room.  A large resplendent hall with the carpet thicker than anywhere else, gothic candles illuminating the place with fine portraits and granite statues of the king himself.
God this guy's got an ego, thought FG.
As the prisoners were divvied up into the cells below, the Koopatrol dispersed to their various duties, ordered military-style by their commander.  When all but a few of the guards remained, the commander bowed before his king, who preceded to sit onto his luxurious throne.  With one foot raised across his leg, he sat back and ordered:
	"You two, approach!  Bow and then say what you wanna say."
The raptor and the koopa walked forwards tenderly, kneeling before his powerful thick clawed feet which stiffened occasionally before their eyes.  James could only give an estimate as to how tall the king could be, certainly more than 7 feet but perhaps less than 10 feet tall.  His weight would be a mystery, but he had the build of a rhinoceros.  Koopin spoke first.
	"Your Majesty, thank you so much once again for saving me."
	"Heh, don't worry about it, just all in a day being the greatest king of the land.  I've been trying to find those punks fer a long time now.  Yer buddy made things easier though for not bein' too subtle about finding 'em."
	"My...buddy?"
	"Your uh, boyfriend musta spooked one of 'em to come running all the way here an' confess what his whole group was doing.  Lead us straight to where you all were cuz he was scared of 'being killed by the scaly brown yoshi who made me come'."

James suppressed a smirk of satisfaction at hearing this, as the king continued to question them.
	"So where you from koopa?"
	"I'm from Dusty Dunes originally sir, but I live in Koopamuir."
	"Nice place, pretty far, lotta sand.  Not big on sand myself, gets into my shell like ya wouldn' believe.  Whut about you?"
He pointed at James who replied:
	"I'm from a place very far away."
	"...you wanna be more specific about that?"
Even with his vocabulary being not as austere as expected of a king, his voice was all that was needed to command absolute authority.  The bass ferocious power that could tear the very earth open with a roar.  The voice of a dragon.  James did not want to test such an egocentric beast, as he said:
	"Well...I come from a far away island from a city called Chicago."
	"...heh...Shikago?"
	"Y-yeah?"
Bowser glared down upon him.  The way he spoke and threw his weight around spoke of brute strength and dull mind, but the raptor didn't bank on the fact that he had advisors around him.  One magikoopa who stood by Bowser's throne, murmured something to his ear, the koopa king nodding with a chuckle.
	"Guess whut?  The eggheads here have mapped out the whole world, there ain' no such place as Shikago!  ...you REALLY wanna lie to the King?  Yanno who lies in my kingdom?  Spies.  You better explain yerself quick or else I might make ya regret bein' saved by me."
Koopin looked at him with an incredulous stare, as well as also knowing in the back of his mind that his suspicions had been right all along.  James had been caught, as he tried to explain:
	"...okay...that's KIND of not true.  See, I could explain, but I don't think you'll believe me."
	"Heh, I seen a lot of weird stuff, s'whut happens when yer king of the world.  Try me."
	"Well...okay...uhh Koopin, I better tell you too."
	"Oooh you ain't told him the truth either?!  This'll be fun!"
Bowser settled into his throne, wiggling his haunches to get ready for the shocking announcement.
	"I...I come from another dimension."
Silence reigned awkwardly over the hall for a short while.  Koopin stared with eyes widening even more at the raptor, the phrase just not clicking in his head for a good while.  Bowser merely stroked his chin thinking on what to make of it, himself only slightly surprised by the news as he said:
	"Yeah?  Go on."
	"Well...u-um...I've been trying to get back home to my own dimension for years, but I can't seem to do it on my own with my own powers, and I don't know why.  So I've been looking for someone who can help me get back with science or magic or anything!  I went to professors, tried going to every place in the kingdom.  I ended up here and tried to stay awhile and...well..."

He gently looked at Koopin to indicate why, the king nodding with a smirk.
	"Hehehe, li'l distracted were ya?"
James smirked back and looked away a little bashfully, not even sure of the king's preferences and opinions.  He noticed this and shrugged as he laid back.
	"Hey, look, I don' care what you guys do long as yer not trying to mess up my army with any distractions from my plans, whutever.  Besides, I got way more important stuff to worry about as king than who's datin' who, what am I, paparazzi?!"
	"Hhehehe...we...really appreciate it your Majesty."
	"But you been talking about dimensions an' stuff like that so I gotta hear about this.  Where didya first arrive here?"
	"Where?"
	"Yeah, where in the kingdom didya first wake up at?!"
	"I...it was west of Toad Town, that's all I can remember."
	"Hmmmm...lissen, I wanna talk to you in private.  That okay by you, li'l guy?"
He asked this last question to Koopin, who nodded vigorously with utmost respect.
	"A-ah, y-y-yes your Majesty, please, take all the time you want!"
	"What am I, second prize?" said James with jest.
A nervous chuckle from Koopin before the raptor got up to walk with King Bowser through a door behind the throne, while Koopin was kept under guard.  As he saw his friend and saviour disappear behind the doors, the two koopatrol guards gazed down upon him behind knight-like helmets.  But he was alone with his thoughts, which turned over in his head again and again, barely able to possibly comprehend that he had been with someone not of this world.
What did it mean?  The king took it so seriously so it HAD to be true surely.  He needed time to himself, the guards noticing his rather shaken behaviour.
	"Do you require anything else?" asked one of them.
	"Um...n-no thanks.  But...is there a place I can wait for him?  Somewhere I can...think over things privately?"
	"We know a good place.  But we will have to escort you at all times, you understand."
	"O-oh, no, of course.  Just...I need to...think awhile."
Koopin's eyes slowly went down towards the floor, as the two guards nodded to each other softly, before escorting the koopa towards a stairway.

The corridors were more well-lit than the entrance ones had been, as the raptor walked somewhat behind the royal koopa.  He was still amazed at the size and brutish weight of the biggest thing he had seen in this world, the voice only further adding to the great weight of power that he had.
	"So," began King Bowser, "are you REALLY from another dimension?"
	"Yes your Majesty, no joke."
	"Hmph.  I got a way to find out if yer lyin' or not."
	"I hope I pass then sir.
	"See this whole stuff about dimensions, I know stuff about it, but I got someone who can explain it a lot better for ya."
	"Yeah?"
	"Yeah, I got magikoopas to do the math for me, they got glasses, they gotta be smart.  I can point a wand and say boom sure, but all this stuff?!  That's too much!  I'm a king dammit, I got way more important king stuff to worry about than that!"
	"Hehe, I dunno much on it either sir.  I mean I never finished high school so I'm dumb as fuck."
	"Heh, I know some stuff, don' get me wrong.  I ain't an idiot which a lotta people think just cuz I'm huge an' ugly.  But yanno what, WHO'S RULIN' THE KINGDOM HUH!?  Haha!"
	"Well, you're big yeah definitely, but ugly?  I wouldn't say that."
James was starting to see why Bowser was someone that those like Koopin would admire of greatly.  Those thick muscles, the cocky sneer, the huge clawed feet, that muscular gut and the striking red-maned snout.  He had to try not to lose focus when looking at him, the king merely grinning with hardened eyes.
	"I'll take that as a compliment but nothin' else."
	"Wouldn't dream of it your Majesty."
	"Alrigh' we're here."
He turned towards a door in the middle of the corridor and bellowed out a name.
	"KAMMY!"
	"WHA-Y-yes your Vileness!?"
The voice from the other side was a rather crackly old voice.  Opening them was an old wizened female koopa, wearing a purple steeple hat and a matching purple robe.  Horn-rimmed glasses hid her crow's-feeted eyes, her rather gummy beak occasionally numming itself toothlessly.
	"This lizard we picked up's from another dimension, wanna give 'im the info about all this?"
	"Wha-bwah-...another dimension!??!"
	"Eeeeyup," said FG.
	"Wh-why this is...y-your Ruthlessness, surely there would have been more fanfare for such a strange arrival!"
	"Uhhh NO," said Bowser sternly, "because only I get to have fanfares in this place an' you know that!"
	"OH yes of course of course, forgive me sire it was merely a figure of speech!"
	"Heh, right.  Anyways, you two talk it over while you walk with me."

James did so, walking in step with the huge lumbering pace of the mighty koopa king, with Kammy gently behind as she shuffled beneath her cloak.  She turned towards the raptor, studying him with unseen eyes.
	"I must say, for a creature of another world, you're quite the striking figure."
	"Heh, thanks.  You don't seem that bothered I'm from a whole other world though."
	"Oh yes...there is a group of us in this very castle who study dimensional abnormalities.  You see, this world is...connected as it were."
	"...connected?"
A trigger came to his mind, bringing the briefest flickers of another world into his sight, with a dark voice he once recognised from a dream, striking in a flash of light to his mind.
	"This world has been connected."
He struggled not to collapse from such a blinding sharp light, the faintest false memory flashing before his eyes before disappearing once again.  He stifled it however, ignoring the spark of his mind to focus on Kammy.
	"Over the years, our army has noticed many strange things happening within this kingdom.  Sometimes it's minor, like a rare type of mushroom growing in the mountains or so...but then come the stranger cases.  Stranger ones like you."
	"Wait, you saying there were others like me who came before?"
	"In a way yes, definitely from another world.  Most of the populace, simple as they are, do not even know or perhaps comprehend another dimension out there, let alone an infinity of them, and we DID run the math on this that there can only be an infinite number of them."
	"Ah huh."
	"And as such, it is up to US to make sure this kingdom is safe from any extradimensional harm.  From what I heard about your little venture through our world, you've not been TOO great a danger."
	"I'll take that as a compliment then."
	"Not unless you wanted to spend your life in the dungeons, hoooo ho ho ho!"
Kammy chortled to herself before coughing slightly, tapping her wrinkled beak upon the underside as she pondered.
	"But these dimensions.  People like you are more common than you think."
James stopped in the corridor and turned towards the king and his vizier fully.
	"...what do you mean people like me?"
	"People who end up here out of this world.  Some of us have been trying to figure out why we get such strange visitors from other worlds now and again.  This stuff happens a lot more than you think young 'un, not a LOT but enough for us to record.  At first we thought it was some kind of madness, but now that you're here and you definitely aren't from this place...well, you're not even the decider."
	"Lemme tell ya a story," butted in Bowser, "about a young private we had."
	"Okay."

James leaned against the wall listening to the king as he put his back against the wall, spikes rubbing against stone.
	"Young guy called Toninjinka.  Purple koopa, real weird to see that, never really knew why he was like that, some sorta rare skin condition or sumthin' I guess.  Good with a hammer though, real promising to even make elite guard.  Anyways, one day a few years back, he was out on patrol with a few other guys, and then he disappeared.  Just vanished.  They couldn't say whut happened to 'im, they said he just walked off to investigate something and never came back, didn't even hear a warp pipe so it can't have been that."
	"Did they ever find him your Majesty?"
	"Not fer a long while after.  But then a few weeks later, he walks back into the castle, his eyes all weird an' unfocused, everyone tryin' to ask him where he's been, he don't make any sense until he comes to me on my throne.  He tells me right in my damn face that he no longer swears allegiance to me, found another king, this magnificent penguin ruler in a land of stars and fountains full of dreams, a place where he could be something bigger than what he is now!"
James realised who he was speaking of, much to his surprise.  He tried to cover his shock by looking elsewhere at a portrait nearby, silently gasping in surprise before returning to a normal expression.
You have got to be shitting me...he couldn't have...gone to Dream Land...could he?  No, no way tha-...maybe I should meet with Professor E. Gadd again.
Thankfully Bowser did not seem to notice, as the raptor turned back to him with:
	"Daaaaamn hhhhahah...he does sound crazy."
	"So we put him away to check if he was alrigh', but they saw he wasn't crazy at all.  He was able to get with everything, tests all checked out, he only said he came back to hand in his resignation and say goodbye."
	"What did you do?"
	"Well, he had the guts to say 'I quit' right in my throne room, I mean, what do you think?!"
	"...you had him flayed alive?"
	"HAH, well I thoughta that, but we just threw him in jail fer insubordination cuz it don't do well to have soldiers leaving yer army.  But then he disappeared, again, from the cells of my own castle!"
	"...wow."
	"So they been trying to study it all up, the egghead magikoopas and such about dimensions and stuff.  Say there's places in the kingdom that are unstable and when the time's just right, people can just disappear into another world!"
	"But I'm different from this Toninjinka guy, I came here of my own will, sorta."
	"Yeah?  Howsat work?"
	"I just...I have this power in me, I just think of a certain word and I get taken to a world related to it, I was thinking about turtles and ended up here because-"
	"Turtle?  What's a turtle?"
	"Uhhh they're animals from my world, lot like koopas actually, but only 'cause they got shells too."
	"Pfft, that's just stupid."
	"Well you did ask, your Majesty."
	"Well, shame ya can't shed any light on this dimension thing.  Coulda been that stupid Minus World theory people spout about, but even that means a rogue warp pipe's involved yanno."

	"Oh that's pure hokum your Viciousness," interjected Kammy with fine support, "naturally we discredited that."
	"Ahh huh..."  James stepped forward to ask more.  "Is this Tonin guy still around?  Does he come back here occasionally?"
	"Rumours come up now and again," continued the king, "he ain't exactly easy to miss, he's a freakin' purple koopa but it has been a few years...why?"
	"Maybe I can find out something from him...maybe...I'm thinking of trying to get home and all."
	"Heh...well, if you wanna stay here or shove off, I don't care, yer just one weirdo in a whole world of 'em."
	"Well...I still owe you one for saving us, so if you need anything-"
	"Don't worry about that.  Though if ya ever see a guy who looks like a plumber-"
	"...yeah?"
	"Don't suppose you could beat his pasty butt for me or sumthin' couldya?"
	"...why, did he pretend to fix the sink and end up fucking your wife?  Cuz I've seen a lot of vids end that way."
Bowser at first looked rather confused at such a statement, not sure what the particular word meant before he snorted a hearty laugh and gave James a heavy pat on the back that nearly knocked him to the floor.
	"FFFFFHAHAHAHA!  Yer funny kid, I like that.  But seriously, you see that guy, beat his damn face in."
	"Gotcha.  Anything else you wanna ask, your Majesty?"
	"Nope, I got all I need to know.  Just wish I knew what was up with this place to make it like some kinda...central place for guys like you.  Kammy, you gotta research that stuff better so I'll know about it!"
	"Yes your Brutalness, right away!  Actually, may I speak with our young traveller, after you two have finished speaking?  I'll gladly take him to the guest quarters after we are done."
	"What am I, his nanny?!  Go ahead kid, get some sleep."
	"Well hold up," said James.  "I'm kinda curious on some stuff about you, yanno, being a king and all."
	"Heh, really?"
	"Well yeah...I mean, you're a big guy, you rule a pretty huge-ass kingdom, everyone knows your name right down to the kids, so I gotta ask some things, not being from around here and all."
	"Sure, ask away, fellow scaly like you's always welcome."

The scaled emperor grinned at the chance to flaunt himself more, flexing his muscles handsomely so to tease the raptor a little.
	"What's your real name?"
	"Bowser, King of the Koopas."
	"Ah huh...how old are ya?"
	"I'd tell ya but then I'd have to kill ya."
	"Hehe...uhhh where's the Queen?"
	"Another castle."
	"What's your deal with this Mario guy?"
	"...wow you ARE new here arentcha?  But seriously, don't ask or I'll rip yer face off."
	"Alright then.  ...welp, I'm done asking so uh...yeah, I'll go speak with miss Kammy now, your Majesty."
	"Good, finally, 'bout time I got a good nap after all that bustin' up I did today!  Kammy, report to me in about five hours on whut you found out!"
	"Yes your Maliciousness!"
The king walked slowly away towards his own private quarters, his sharp pointed shell glinting away into the dark corridor hall.  James was reluctant to leave his side for some reason.  Despite the blatant ego and remorseless nature, there was something about Bowser he liked, but he couldn't say what.
Was it the demonic decades-honed physique?  The bass powerful voice that shook the earth itself?  The piercing eyes of a passionate simplistic ambition?  Maybe it was the presence he commanded, maybe it was just a sense of arousal for the mighty lizard king, but whatever Bowser managed to give out to others, he did in spades.  Kammy took James back towards the throne room, speaking to him further about his unusual presence.
She spoke with him about how the history of the world had been touched by others far away, the most significant being that of a faraway land called Subcon, where many creatures came from that are now ingrained into the Mushroom World itself.  Bob-ombs, shy guys, and birdos, all of which fascinated James to realise that not all creatures of this world were originally descended from here.  After that, they spoke on magic.
	"I hear from the guards that you were quite the mage in defending your friend."
	"Yeah?  Well uh...it wasn't pretty."
	"Ho ho ho, I suppose it was not.  You are not exactly suited to magic, are you?"
	"No ma'am, I'm a straight-up sword fighter."
	"Despite the clear aura of your...scissors, having some sort of magical presence?"
	"Yep."
	"Tell me, how DO you do your magic?  What sort of powers can you possess?"
	"It's not magic really, it's this...thing inside of me I can't explain right now, but I can kinda just summon it up whenever I wish real hard on something.  Like, I wanna burn something, boom, fire.  Same with wind or water or ice.  Can't do lightning though, but I think I can make stuff out of thin air, like...solid stuff.  It's not as good as when I can use my weapon but it does the job."
	"Oooooooh...you ARE an interesting little hatchling aren't you?"

James smirked at such adoration from the older sorceress, as she added:
	"You say you're not very accustomed to your magic correct?"
	"Well like I said, it's not magic."
	"...tell me, do you get tired after using it a lot?"
	"...uh...yeah actually, kinda get this warm headache."
	"And do you not summon it by the strongest of wishes?"
	"Yyyyeaaaaah?"
	"Then it's magic!  No need to split hairs dear.  Tell you what, I'm rather fascinated in you as being from beyond our world, so I would like to assist you."
	"Assist me?"
	"Why with your magic!  I hold a class to teach youngsters about how to properly wield it, special training for up-and-coming magikoopas in learning control and force and such.  You might be interested."
	"Well uh...that's great but um, can I think about it first?  I'd like to sleep first and check on Koopin."
	"Ohhhh yes...oh, dear."
By the time they returned to the main hall, Koopin was nowhere to be found.  James panicked again, but not as quickly as before as he asked the guards nearby:
	"Um, did you guys see the koopa who came here with me?"
	"Yes sir," said one firmly, "he went up towards the ramparts, said he needed some time to think about all that had happened."
	"Oh god...um...can you take me to him?"
	"Of course."
	"Thanks, uh hey miss Kammy?  I'll think about what you said, but...after I had some sleep okay?"
	"No problem at all dear," said Kammy politely with a bow.  "Go to your friend.  And sleep well."
	"You too ma'am.  Night."

Heading up towards one of the ramparts, spiralling around and around a stone-set staircase that stretched up towards one of the highest towers of the Koopa Castle, James found Koopin staring towards the sea of lava.  His green shell was darkened by the infernal horizon, as perpetual twilight hung above bubbling death, red and purple broken by the dark mountains of night.  Two guards stood beside the door, far enough from Koopin to let him feel he was alone, but close enough to assist or arrest immediately.  Seeing him hunched over all on his own, James asked the guards softly:
	"Uh...is it okay if I have a moment alone with him?"
	"Of course," said one guard politely, "We'll be by the door if you need us."
Walking away towards the passageway, they stood waiting at the other side of the door, allowing the raptor his time with the koopa.  He did not even turn, resting his small arms upon the battlements as he stared into the volcanic abyss, deep within his thoughts.  James did not even speak, merely standing beside him to rest his arms in turn, upon the strangely cold stone.  A minute later, Koopin spoke.
	"So...when were you gonna tell me?"
	"About what?"
	"About...where you're really from."
	"...when we knew each other long enough that you'd actually believe me."
	"I...I'm trying to, you didn't lie to the king surely."
	"Everything I said to him was true.  I'm not from this world at all.  Technically I never lied to you other than being from an island.  I really am from a city called Chicago."
He looked up to the stars as if expecting a sign, remembering to thank them silently for their aid, whether they did so or not.
	"I am an orphan.  I am recuperating from love.  ...I am a violent punk."
	"...James, I-...I'm sorry I-"
	"No.  You were right.  I am.  It...took me a long time to realise that but sometimes I forget.  Because I'm an idiot.  I've been trying to get back home for nearly five years, and I'm still nowhere close after all this time."
	"And...you're still searching?"
	"I was hoping that since I can't be able to do it myself, that there'd be a scientist or a powerful wizard out there in all the other dimensions that could help me with it.  Maybe that Professor Gadd, maybe a ghost...someone."
	"I see."

Koopin spoke with an almost monotonous voice, his shock still settling in as he tried to sift through James' answers.
	"...I'm sorry Koopin."
The raptor turned towards him slowly.
	"If I had told you when we met-"
	"No no you're right, I...I wouldn't have believed you."
	"I didn't want to insult you with something that sounded so stupi-"
	"I know I know and...thanks.  Stars, I can't believe this."
	"Hmm?"
	"The guy I love...the guy I fall in love with, who rescued me and everything...and he doesn't even come from the same world as me, literally!  It's...kinda scary."
	"Scary?  Whysat?"
	"Well...m-maybe if...if you really are the one true love for me-"
	"Oh Koopin, come on-"
	"I mean it, seriously!  Isn't that how true love works?  Th-that out there, in all the worlds that exist there's like ONE true love for everyone, separated by whole dimensions, and billions of them never get the chance?"
	"...Koopin that is such bullshit."
	"Wha?"
He turned around fully to rest his back upon the parapets, ready to offer his own world-weary spin on things.
	"True love is just some fairytale shit, everyone has plenty of weirdos that they can be friends and lovers with.  And why does it have to be true love?  Some couples have been happy enough with just having normal love, and even then with all their differences, they stick through it because they love each other ENOUGH.  Don't just think that there's only one out there for you.  If it wasn't gonna be me, it'd be someone else."
	"I...I guess you're right...I'm still kinda overwhelmed by you and all I mean-"
	"Well, I bet you probably have a lot of questions but, can they wait until tomorrow?  I'm kinda tired and all."
	"Oh, sure!  I think I need to sleep too."
	"Right.  Um...how are you after the uh-"
	"OH I'm fine, I'm fine...j-just...f-fine..."

He couldn't hold it back anymore.  He felt they had managed to clear the air enough that he could do this.  The koopa suddenly embraced James with a deep welling of tears, nuzzling his bare chest as he desperately tried not to break down into tears.
	"Th-thank you."
	"Wh-wha...?"
	"You saved me.  They...they were going to kill me.  But you saved me.  I love you James.  I don't care what you think or what you are, I love you!"
Realising this could not possibly wait until later, the raptor decided to finally say what he needed to say.
	"Koopin...I...I want to tell you something.  Two things actually."
	"Y-yeah?"
He sighed deeply before saying what he needed to say.
	"Her name was Daisy."
	"Hmm?"
	"My girlfriend.  I fell in love with her in a small town, we had a wonderful year together.  You were right that she knew about my anger problem, she also wanted to make me control it.  I did my best to make up for it, but in the end...it didn't matter.  Because someone killed her."
At this point he was tired of saying the same story over and over again, barely registering any emotion left in his voice as he spoke of this tragedy yet again.  Koopin barely gasped, feeling horrible for what he had accused James of before.
	"I...I'm so sorry, I never knew."
	"Course you didn't, I didn't want to scare you off by telling you about it.  I was also trying to move on.  Thing is...she died because of me."
	"Wh-what?!  No, no she didn't James, she-"
	"She was killed because a twisted psycho made me fall in love with her, made us this whole wonderful couple before he killed her.  Just because it was fun...because the town was boring.  ...she would have lived if I hadn't fallen in love with her."
	"You don't know that!"
	"Which is why I was scared of falling in love with you."
	"H-huh?"
	"I was afraid that...if I fell in love with you, something...s-something would happen to you."

James' tears began to flow down his cheeks, the very moment he felt that happen hours ago now resurfacing back in his mind.
	"That because I fell in love with you, someone would hurt you just to make me suffer...just for fun."
	"James...that...this wasn't your fault."
	"But it is!"
	"Wh-what?!"
	"It is my fault!  You heard it from Koopmar, we didn't mean to do all that to him but it was us TOGETHER that did it!  If you hadn't been guiding me, if you had never even met me, none of this would have happened!"
	"But I'm still alive James!  Because of you!  Because you saved me!"
	"But if I hadn't had that argument with you, you'd have been safe in your home, I'd have been there to protect you!  You're right Koopin!  I...I can't control myself, I'm sorry!"
	"Hey hey hey it's okay!  James it's all over now, you saved my life and everything, how can I possibly stay mad at you now?!"
	"But I'm still a terrible person for that!  It doesn't matter what I've done after, I shouldn't have done that to you!  I HURT you Koopin, and because of me, you nearly got killed!  Please...help me."
He grabbed Koopin by the shoulders with tearstruck eyes and hugged him close.  For the first time in his life, he was truly afraid of his own anger.  And he finally realised that he could not control it alone.
	"I need help...I...I get angry I know, I have a problem but I wanna get rid of it.  I don't want to lose you, I can't lose you to anything, not even because of me!"
	"You really mean it?"
	"YES I DO!  I...I even prayed to the Stars...I said I'd give them my own life so long as you were okay I...I love you."
	"Wh...Wh-what?"
	"I don't care anymore about what happens if I do!  I want to be with you Koopin!  No matter what, I want to be with you, please Koopin!"
	"I...I...J-j-james-"
	"I don't care how much you want me to change my ways, I've been through too much with you now.  I want to move on, I want to love someone again!  I've been holding onto Daisy for five years and I know she would never want me to do that!  But it's not about me...it's about us."

He gently stroked the koopa's cheeks, softly starting to wetten with tears as he desperately tried to express his love when James finished what he needed to tell him.
	"I can't hold onto that anymore because I have you.  I have someone right here, someone so sweet and wonderful and alive right here before me...and I almost lost him because of what I did.  I was so scared of losing you Koopin.  I thought that if I didn't fall in love with you, that you would be safe, that nobody would come to hurt you because we weren't together.  I didn't want to go through all that pain again but...it doesn't make any difference if I'm with you or not."
His eyes kept pulsating hard, and he couldn't help but give a kiss to the beak deeply to finish his words, before whispering shakily:
	"I love you.  I almost lost you...I can't ever lose you again...I'll even get rid of my anger for you, if I can, I'll try my best, whatever you want!"
	"I...you...you'd do that for me?"
	"I don't care what it takes Koopin!  I'll bury myself in the snow, I'll-I'll melt my claws in the lava if I have to, because I love you Koopin!"
	"I...I...James...I...I love you too!"
Koopin hugged the raptor tightly under the starlit night, a small excitable kiss to his lover's cheek as they rocked in each other's embrace, turning a little with each other in an unconscious waltz.
	"Oh god Koopin...I've been so scared, please-"
	"Don't James.  Please."
	"B-but-"
	"Shhh.  Just...calm down okay?"
	"O-o-okay.  Okay...I'll try."
	"We talk about all this tomorrow okay?"
	"Okay."
	"Good...now just...hold me."

Understanding the need to feel this special moment, he kept up the small circling waltz with the koopa, the stars seeming to gaze upon the two with a warm grace.  They seemed to stay that way for what felt like hours, completely oblivious to how tired their arms and legs were starting to feel.  Soon three minutes had passed, until they were on the point of collapse and they began to part, before James wrapped his hand in Koopin's and said:
	"Let's go sleep...okay?"
With an agreeing nod, they left the tower of the castle to be guided towards the guest rooms.  From that moment on, James Campbell resolved to stay within the Mushroom Kingdom.  All of his sorrows, his worries, his fears, melted away in Koopin's eyes.  Simply gazing into his new love's eyes, so clear and blue like the summer sea, he felt nothing could break his spirit ever again.
He was ready to begin a new life once again.  A new life in a land of hopes and dreams, for however long it would last him.  He did not forget about Sarah.  But he soon realised that if anything, Sarah would want him to be happy somewhere.  To be away from poverty, to become something better than the street punk he once was.  Now he had a chance.  With Koopin by his side, he believed he could become better.  Koopin believed this too.  His own trials had not yet begun.