Here is Chapter 8. Wanted to do something more ambitious with it, but it led to procrastination, so I am going to split it up too.

Mario had been laughing merrily for a couple of minutes at a joke he heard his younger brother tell to their small group of friends, who were also laughing at the successfully executed punchline. Among these friends were Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Wario, Waluigi, and Donkey Kong. It had seven years since everyone last saw each other and it weighed down on the princess a little due to being the one that organizes many of Kingdom Wide activities they all participate in.

Yoshi had grown a little taller than Luigi and is almost always, if not always, ecstatic to see him, sometimes even as far as giving him a lengthy bear hug, not that the man-in-green minded it so much. He was also noticeably skinnier due to some type of diet that he placed himself on, despite Mario's insistence that the dino should refrain from doing that. His voice grew a little deeper in that period, though not by much since he does still sound like he has a high voice.

Daisy discarded the princess garments for a change in her wardrobe that included the current outfit of simple blue jeans, yellow short-sleeve skirt, and stylish short-heeled shoes in the color of light brown. She let her hair grow out a bit toward the middle of her back and kept the flower earrings and flower pendant that rested around her neck. She became much more of an outspoken individual and seemed much more lively then Yoshi, which most people thought was impossible, even if Yoshi had a small change in behavior.

Wario and Waluigi, while most considered them annoying hooligans on a major scale, have toned down the shenanigans in recent years much to the surprise of everyone else. This was mainly because of a successful business that Wario started up in selling games, all of which gave top notch quality and experience. Mario was happy that the duo finally found some honest work that they ventured into, despite having a few doubts himself that they were doing it because they had a change of heart in their ways.

Donkey Kong turned out to be a more intelligent individual than many portrayed him to be when he surprised everyone by speaking in clear English during the conversation, being the first ape of his group to do so. While he and the others have had their fights, most of them involving bananas, the primate has been on good terms with them and considers the colorful cast his friends, especially Mario. He knew that his father had some kind of problem with Mario's, but it was never explained and Donkey Kong did his best to maintain a good relationship with the human, which Mario was grateful of.

"Alright, everyone."

Mario stands up from his seat with all of his friends watching him. It was an amazing thing to the former plumber that his peers respect him enough to give him their attention. He hadn't figured out if it was because of his own influence or his connection to Peach that made it possible. In this instance, however, he knew it was because of the former idea that they were listening.

"I think it is time for us to celebrate this time we have together. I will be making the super drinks we loved so much."

The mention of the item earned Mario happy giggles and sounds of approval. It had been a long time since any of them had received the fantastic treat that they felt lucky to be able to indulge in when Mario made them. Some of their mouths started to water at the thought of sipping the chill concoction that bursts full of fruity flavor that no one else has been able to replicate much to Mario's surprise. With this round of cheers, Mario made his way to the door in the back that leads to the kitchen.

"Hmm, I guess this would be a good time to go to the powder room."

The yellow princess stood up from her place on the couch next to Yoshi and maneuvered gracefully around the table, heading for the hall at the other side of the room.

"God, to think it has been seven years since we had all last seen each other. I am safe to assume that Bowser's productivity came to a halt somehow?"

Peach nodded to the question Yoshi presented. "I know it makes me sound a bit pessimistic about this period of peace, but I can not expect this time to last long. With our history, it would be a surprise to the entire land if he waved the white flag."

In the shadow of the hallway, a figure stood near the walkway frame leading into the lounging area that held the guests of Peach's castle. It did not make a sound, taking in the information being talked about.

"How long do you think it will be before he gets the hint?" Yoshi inquired, tilting his head a bit.

"Hehehe, I think he will keep trying until he is successful. The Mushroom Kingdom is one of the most influential places in all of the galaxies. I imagine whatever power that is being held here is what he is after." Wario chuckled. He may not look it, but the evil-looking yellow man was quite intelligible about all sorts of tricky business due to his own experiences in them himself and could only wonder what kind of setup the King has up his claws.

"You know, if you are going to eavesdrop, you may as well introduce yourself."

The figure turned to see the Sarasaland princess standing behind it, her arms folded across her chest and a slight grin on her face.

"Hey, guys! Look what I found snooping around in our business."

Everyone turned their attention to Daisy and noticed the smaller individual whose hand was being pulled by the former. It was a little lanky Koopa, reaching up to Daisy's chest in height. His head was colored green and had unkempt Auburn hair that sat atop. His eyes glossed in the same room light and his irises showcased a beautiful crimson. He had an anxious expression on his face and crossed his knees together, feeling the legs shake slightly from the attention he had pulled to himself unintentionally.

Luigi and Peach tensed up at the sight of awe seeing the boy being shown in front of them and became worried about what the result of this encounter might be. The two were not sure how they were going to explain this particular situation if questions were asked. Moreso, they could see the apprehensive expression on the boy's face, which was reasonable to them considering he had never been in front of strangers

"Isn't he cute?" Daisy shouted affectionately as she pinched his cheek between her slim index and thumb. The silky texture of the gloves wasn't enough to soften the pain filling the young Koopa's cheek. He pulled his head away from her grasp and looked opposite to the direction of the group.

"Now, Daisy. You know it isn't appropriate to get into other people's personal space like that." The pink princess voiced aloud, earning an annoyed look from her trendier cousin. This earned Daisy a smirk from Peach.

"You're such a buzzkill, sometimes," Daisy complained as she returned to the couch she sat on with Yoshi, the boy in tow by her hand. She picked up the Koopa and placed him in between herself and the green dino as she beamed to the child.

"So is this what you have been hiding all these years?" The large ape spoke, directing the question toward her highness of the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach paused a moment to think about how she wanted to word her response. She wanted to make sure that her statement clearly covered over any questions that would follow.

"Yes, Donkey Kong. We found him when was young, roughly about five years of age and I brought into the shelter, though Mario insisted that he take on the parental duties and I'm sure you all understand how Mario rarely take 'no' for an answer when he has decided on something."

Wario gave a loud guffaw as if hearing what Peach said was amusing. "That idea is laughable. I have never pegged my cousin to be the father-type." The round man mocked as he crossed his arms, proud of the small jab at someone he considered a 'goody-two-shoes'.

"Well, despite not having experience in that particular field, Mario has become an excellent father figure for the young Koopa, which you would have known if you were around more often." Luigi pointed out in an annoyed tone. He never liked the so-called cousins due to their mean-spirited attitude and lack of understanding of anyone's achievement other than their own. Even more baffling, they believe that they were doing saints work while carrying around the idea that all others are self-motivated, especially people like Mario. The ideology rubbed Luigi off the wrong way since he knew them to be such hypocrites.

Wario moved his attention over the green-clad man and glared at him, gritting his teeth hard enough to see the darkened gums of his mouth. He wondered when the younger brother of the fungus named kingdom hero learned how to bark back at someone as intimidating as him when he has only known Luigi to be quite the wimp. The larger man turned his whole body around so that Luigi had his full attention, the chair creaking as he leaning forward to stare daggers at his opponent with a menacing expression. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"

Any other time, the younger Mario bro would shrink back in his seat, not wanting to cause any trouble, but this was about his brother and he wasn't going to sit there and let Wario of all people talk down to him the way he always had. Luigi turned his body so that it faced Wario, a move that surprised even Daisy, as he glared back. "...I have been on just as many dangerous adventures as everyone in this room. I am capable of holding my own. If you chose to fight me, it will be your funeral."

The energy in the room became tense as the boy watched his friend and a stranger take verbal wacks at each other.

"Hmph, crossdresser." Wario jabbed first.

"Walking garlic clove." Luigi shot back.

"Brother's Shadow."

"Failed attempt of anti-hero."

Wario was started to get pissed with Luigi sharp tongue, as was Luigi with the yellow-clad man's insisted that he would win this battle. They slammed their hands angrily on the coffee table, prompting Luigi to show off his own gritted teeth, which were much cleaner compared to Wario's

"ASS KISSER!"

"ASS EATER"

"BOYS!"

The two turned to Peach who was flustered and embarrassed by the insults that were hurled between the two enemies. A bright red blushed could easily be seen against her light peach skin color and eyebrows furrowed to help form a face of disapproval for their trivial differences in opinion of Mario. Silence filled the room, prompting the two to take their place back on the pink furniture as Peach exhaled a breath she had held in.

"I have never seen such immaturity from two grown men, who should have more respect for each other, if not all of us in this room, after all these years of not speaking with each other. There is a child in this room who is too young to hear such foul language and blatant disrespect and I expect the two of you to straighten up your acts when such a presence is in front of you."

The young boy observed Luigi backing down at the princess's request and the wider man just rolled his eyes. He felt really uncomfortable being in this room with other people, but from eavesdropping, he knows they are supposed to be friends of Mario. However, he immediately felt a chill go down his spine that seems to come out of nowhere and turn into a form of dread that couldn't be explained and terrified him on the inside. He slowly turned to his right with his whole body shaking at what he was about to face and saw the blue eyes of the green dino friend piercing his eyesight. Fear coursed through the boy's body and he yanked his attention away as he threw his face in his hands in an attempt to scratch the skin-crawling image in his head.

Yoshi stared at the boy throughout the conversation and was not fazed in the slightest at the actions of the latter, though he did find himself unusually concentrated on the smaller subject. It was a thought that had been nagging at him since the moment his eyes laid on the strange Koopa and he could not figure out why. His eyes scanned over every detail the Koopa had to offer from the golden reptilian skin to the fiery red hair that burst from his cranium, and yet somehow, he still couldn't solve the problem that was created in his head.

'Where have I seen that before?'

"Yoshi? Are you ok?"

The green dino was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Luigi call out to him, the brother having a concerned look on his face as did the princess that sat next to him. Upon glancing around the room, Yoshi saw that everyone was staring at him except for the boy in question, who kept from looking up at him. It was now Yoshi's turn be uncomfortable as he shifted in his seat to cool his lower body from the heat that had built up, but he felt that he needed to get some answers if only to ease his mind from trying to mentally dissect the newcomer.

"Uh, Y-Yeah, fantastic." He answered nervously, hoping that would be the end of the conversation. He rose from his seat. "I'm gonna go check on Mario to see how close he is to finishing mine."

"Yoshi?" Peach called out to him in a calming voice, getting the receiver of the call to turn around and look at her. Immediately, she noticed his troubled expression hidden under a curious one. It made her wonder what was on his mind, but she wasn't sure if he should be pressed for answers given how likely he was to panic if he was ever severely distressed. "...um, is that really necessary? I'm sure it will be fine."

The T-Rex simply shook his head in response to the question. While he knew in his head that it wasn't an aspect with enough importance to warrant a check over on the hero's work in the kitchen, he wanted to know more about the guest he just met and didn't feel at ease talking about his issues with everyone in the room. "I know it's rather weird that I am letting something as trivial as a fruit smoothie bother me, but it does mean a lot to me. I am very picky about the items that go inside of it, which I guess is ironic in a way since I am not super picky about what I stuff in my mouth. Still, it is a type of recipe that has to be done right if only to ensure the maximum amount of flavor is brought to it and I want to make sure he is doing it."

Most would mistake the princess as one that would believe anything that was told to her, but she was well aware, from the nervousness that her friend was trying to hide, of that Yoshi's intent to avoid the bombardment of questions he would receive if he stayed in the room. She knew of Mario to be such a capable man that simple mixing of drinks would not require an extra hand, regardless of the extensive list of what should be put in them, so she concluded that there must have been something else that he was on his mind that he was willing to share with Mario, but not the rest of the room. She gave a low, knowing sigh and nodded at the response. "Alright then. Just know that is something is bothering you, you can talk to us."

Yoshi nodded at the reassuring statement, humming a 'yes' in agreement. "Thank you, princess. I appreciate the concern, but I do want to make sure that he is getting it right. As my best friend, he has the obligation to please my taste buds." The dinosaur replied jokingly, giggling at the idea the seamed silly to him. He turned back around and headed for the same double doors Mario had gone into, his smile fading as soon as he was out of sight of the others.

The kid had watched with wonder at the stranger named Yoshi, who disappeared behind the kitchen doors, also concerned about what he may have been thinking.

"So! I'm Daisy!"

The boisterous voice immediately made the young one turn to the princess in casual attire, the latter eyeing the kid down with glowing eyes of blue color full of interest in the child.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"...J-Junior." the answered nervously.