Disclaimer: All rights to Mai-HiME and Legend of Zelda are reserved to Sunrise and Nintendo.

Author's Note: The Island will be updated shortly. The latest chapter is already finished, but it needs a lot of fixing. Creep is still in the works.

In the meanwhile, here is a slightly lighter story compared to The Island. This story is based on the setting and many of the important elements of the Legend of Zelda franchise. I don't know much about the game itself, but I was intrigued by it and wished to write a story based on it. Pardon me for any mistakes or alterations if you're a hardcore fan of this game.

I hope you like it. Make sure to leave any sort of feedback. I apologise for any grammatical errors I might have missed while editing this piece.

"Kuga!" screamed the voice of none other than the good shepherd Mr. Tokiha. Natsuki poked her head out from the hole of her window and looked down. Flaming red hair and a face lined with age smiled up at her gently. "We haven't seen your face all day! What have you been up to?"

Natsuki wasn't up to answering, so she said, "Stuff."

In reality, Natsuki was polishing her father's sword. Of course, if the other villagers of Solstia heard of a girl Natsuki's age handling a man's weapon, they would be enraged. It was best to keep it a secret, much like the other things her father previously owned. Such as his horse, Duran, who still lived in the back of the house, the stash of alcohol in the cupboard, and his wooden shield that she'd hidden away in one of the walls.

"My daughter kindly asked for your company," he told her. "Do you mind coming down?"

Natsuki sighed and hid the sword away under the puke green couch her father said that her mother had loved so much. Natsuki didn't know much about her mother other than the fact that she had died a year after Natsuki's birth and that her name was Saeko. Natsuki's father, Kunio, had died only a seven months ago, leaving Natsuki with his little fairy helper, Tatl.

Now, Tatl and Natsuki weren't the greatest of friends. They quarrelled a lot over suitors who came to Natsuki's door.

Natsuki decided to be difficult. She refused to marry anyone. Marriage was for chumps.

Tatl would say that it was for her own good, that she was being silly. Practically every boy in the village wanted her and all she did was reject them.

However, Natsuki relied on Tatl as her only friend. Certainly, she had the young Tokiha and her younger friend, Mikoto, to keep her company, but she hardly knew them anyway.

Natsuki went down the stairs, little Tatl buzzing around her head. Once they reached the ground, Natsuki followed Mr. Tokiha down to the smaller hut down the stream. Once they reached it, he told her that his daughter was inside along with Mikoto. She nodded her thanks and slipped inside.

Mai's house was less than spectacular. There was a couch in that corner, a carpet in the centre of the living area, topped by a table. The walls were made of bland wood and the flowers, which were originally taken in to liven up the place, sagged sulkily. Mikoto was sitting in the couch in the corner of the living room, playing with the kitten she'd found abandoned by the stream. She practically lived with Mai, considering her big brother was hardly around to take good care of her.

Mai was in the kitchen, cooking of course. There was no other hobby she loved most. She would make a great wife, unlike Natsuki.

She spent her time in the Tokiha household the same old way. They talked about trivial things and ate while Tatl (who was actually named Tate, Natsuki kept forgetting) tirelessly asked Natsuki if Mai liked him.

The day ended slowly. Finally, when Natsuki dismissed herself, she walked back home in silence, Tatl—Tate—continuously swirling around her head like an annoying firefly.

When she reached her front door, Tate suddenly said, "Something feels weird."

Natsuki paused, her hand wrapped around the wooden door knob. Whenever Tate said something like that, she couldn't help but hesitate. Whenever he got a 'weird feeling', something bad always happened.

However, she still swung her door open. There were the stairs that led up to her house. Nothing peculiar so far.

"Natsuki, seriously, something's not right," he went on to say.

"Then go and check!" Natsuki said through her teeth. Tate hesitated, but he fluttered up the stairs. If there was anyone up there tampering with her sword…

Tate screamed.

Natsuki quickly sprang into action and ran up the stairs. To her great horror, mud had been tracked into the house. She sped up until she reached the top where she was smacked in the face by the back of a hand. She saw stars as a cloaked man grabbed her and covered her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tate bustling around angrily in a jar. She tried to scream as she thrashed, but the man had a good grip on her.

"Shut up, you little slut," he snarled in her ear harshly before pulling her onto the couch. He threw her into it and got on top of her. Natsuki tried to push him off, but he pinned her arms above her head with one hand. He began to do away with her dress, his cloaked face unseen but his excited breaths very audible.

"I was gonna take your daddy's sword," growled the man as he passed a knife down the centre of her dress, cutting it to reveal her creamy white skin, "but I guess I'll take extra…"

"Natsuki!" cried Tate as he began to jitter around in his little prison. He banged on the walls and cried out helplessly. "Natsuki!"

Natsuki screamed for him to stop, but her dress was already in shreds and the man had just hooked his fingers into the waist band of her knickers.

Suddenly, Tate toppled over his jar, causing it to crack loudly. As the man turned to see what was happening, Natsuki ripped her wrists out of the attacker's grip, reached under the couch, and lodged the blade of her father's sword into his head.

"Uh…?" And, with that, he fell off of Natsuki and onto the floor, dead. Natsuki slowly rose to her feet and looked down at the man in horror. His eyes were wide open and blood pooled onto the hardwood floor.

She killed a man.

"Hey!" Tate cried out, banging on the side of his jar. "Get me out!"

Natsuki didn't pay attention. She slipped into her room and began to gather her things. She took her father's rucksack and stuffed it with her belongings. As Tate called out to her, Natsuki went over to Kunio's old dresser and quickly shed off her tattered dress. She slipped into her father's slim breeches and sleeveless white shirt before stepping back outside, rucksack slung over her shoulders. She removed the shield from its hiding place in the wall and moved over to the couch to slide the sword from her attacker's skull and into its sheath.

"Natsuki…?" Tate was obviously stunned by Natsuki's new wear, but quickly disapproved. "What the hell are you wearing? The village—"

"We're leaving," Natsuki told him as she uncorked his glass prison. He swiftly bopped her in the face.

"What do you mean we're leaving?" he spat. "What for? This guy tried to assault you and—?"

"No one would believe me," Natsuki reasoned angrily as she headed for the window outback. The people in Solstia were very strict and conservative. Natsuki's lifestyle was rough enough with the villagers condemning her for the lack of a male figure in the house. They couldn't possibly take her word for it if she were to say that someone tried to rape her. Hardly anyone knew the meaning of rape. There was that and her welcome in the village was outstayed, anyway. "Come on, Tate. I'm taking Duran with me."

"What?" screamed Tate. "You can't do that!"

"Why not?" Natsuki was beginning to think she should have just kept him in the jar.

"Women don't ride horses alone!" he said. "You'll get in trouble!"

"I don't give a shit," Natsuki shot back as she slipped out of the window and into the bushes. Tate buzzed after her wearily as Natsuki went over to her father's silver horse. He whinnied affectionately upon seeing a familiar face, totally unaware of what had just transpired.

Natsuki mounted him (with some difficulty; she was still quite new to horse-riding) and said, "Move."

He didn't budge.

"Uh… come on, move," she snarled at Duran, bobbing up and down on his saddle. He blew a raspberry, showing his irritation. "Damn it, Duran, get a move on!"

"You're supposed to give him a signal," mumbled Tate. Natsuki felt her cheeks rise in temperature.

"I-I knew that," she stammered weakly. She thought on this for a second and kicked his sides. Duran immediately got on his hind legs with a whinny and bolted out of backyard, hopping over the low fence surrounding it. Natsuki hung on tightly to his thick neck, eyes forced shut. They rode down the stream, past the Tokiha household and into the woods, never to see Solstia again.

Natsuki rode Duran through the forest and onto a concrete path.

It was a long path that never seemed to end. When morning arrived, they were still on the path, Natsuki and Tate bickering about whether the path would lead to something or not. They both hadn't left the village of Solstia for many, many years, after all. In fact, Natsuki had never left it until that very day. Tate just had a terrible memory.

"I just don't think this path leads us to anywhere special," spat Tate, sitting on Natsuki's shoulder. "It'll probably lead us to another village or something. If it's Bruma, then we're screwed. You know what they do to people from Solstia."

Natsuki knew exactly what they did and she couldn't help but tighten her jaw at the thought of stumbling upon an enemy so early on her journey to…

Her journey to what? Where was she headed to, anyway? What was the point, running away like this? She had no plan, no food, no anything. She couldn't live on wild animals. She couldn't live in the wild. Where would she sleep? In the trees? Why didn't she just stay home and hide the body or something?

Natsuki shook her head. Snap out of it, she mentally barked. Even if she did hide the body, there would always be the chance of someone finding it. She wouldn't be able to sleep properly. And once she got married, she couldn't imagine what her husband would do if he were to ever find the hiding place.

This was the right decision.

"I know what I'm doing," Natsuki said finally.

"Yeah, right," quipped Tate. "You can hardly ride your father's damn horse and now you're on a path to nowhere? This was a mistake. We should have told the villagers about what happened. They would have understood."

"Tatl—"

"Tate."

"What was I supposed to tell them?" Natsuki retorted.

"You were supposed to tell the truth!" Tate cried. "Tell them he tried to steal your father's sword—"

"I'm not even supposed to have that in the house," said Natsuki. "Either way, I'm in trouble."

"You would have been in way less trouble than you are now!" Tate shot back.

"Just shut up!" Natsuki hissed.

Tate crossed his arms and grumbled to himself. The two did not exchange words for hours.

Duran was beginning to grow tired. He was a strong horse, but, like many living things, he too needed his rest. Natsuki felt tired herself and decided to rest by the side of the road. She looked up at the sun and wondered if this really wasn't a huge mistake. Maybe the people of Solstia really would have understood? Maybe they would have even given her some slack after telling them about what happened? Maybe she wouldn't have gotten in trouble at all?

Her dark train of thought came to a halt when she heard the sounds of hooves. She looked up and saw a man in shining armour, riding a rare white horse. She was about to go up to him until she realised her predicament and shied away at the last instant. She was not only wearing trousers, but she had a horse and a sword without a man by her side. Well, there was Tate, but he was but a fairy that really looked like a ball of fluffy white light with wings more than anything else.

Natsuki went behind a tree and longingly watched the knight leave.

"What are you doing?" screamed Tate. Natsuki grabbed him to shut him up, but it was already too late. The knight had noticed something awry.

"Great, now look what you did!" Natsuki snarled at him.

"He could help us!" Tate shot back, wriggling out of Natsuki's grip.

"Look at me; I'm a fucking cross-dresser with a sword and a horse!" Natsuki hissed. "That doesn't bode well!"

"Well, your boobs are pretty small," muttered Tate. "You could be mistaken for a man—"

Natsuki whacked him out of the air.

"Hello?" cried the man as he slid off his white horse. "Is there anyone in there?"

Natsuki didn't speak.

The knight stepped into the foliage and spotted Duran. Natsuki held the hilt of her sword tightly, ready to strike if need be. Tate hid in Natsuki's shirt.

"There's a horse here…," he muttered, as if confused. He walked ahead and finally spotted Natsuki. There was a long silence as the two stared at one another. The knight lifted his visor to reveal sparkling green eyes.

"Uh… g-good morning," he said, bowing slightly before going completely erect. "M-my name is Masashi Takeda."

Natsuki didn't reply.

"Uh… what brings you to this forest alone?" he asked as he removed his helmet to reveal messy olive hair and a scar that ran across his left cheek. "Do you have an escort?"

"Why do you ask?" asked Tate, avoiding the question.

"The reason…" His speech trailed off once he saw that her shirt had talked. However, his eyes seemed to find the low v-neck of her top quite intriguing as his face went red. Natsuki suddenly blew up and punched him.

He fell back and stared up at her.

"W-what was that for?" he spat, caressing his cheek.

"Stupid pervert!" Natsuki cried, ready to unsheathe her sword until Tate intervened.

"W-what were you saying, kind sir?" asked Tate as he poked his head out of Natsuki's shirt.

"Well, if she isn't careful, she can easily get robbed by a bandit," said Takeda, rising to his feet.

"A bandit?" repeated Tate. "There are bandits on this road?"

"Yes, plenty," he said, eyeing Natsuki. "In fact, they're all over the place. I suppose you two are from a pampered family. Where do you come from? Surely I can take you back home, despite your behaviour."

"That won't be necessary," Natsuki said, waving it off. "I'll find my own way back."

"But a lady shouldn't be walking alone in these parts," said Takeda. "Please, allow me to take you home."

"My husband is here," lied Natsuki quickly. "He doesn't like to see me with other men either. I suggest you leave."

Takeda looked slightly shocked and upset by the news, but slowly nodded.

"Uh… alright," he muttered after swallowing. He walked away. "I bid you farewell."

Natsuki waved goodbye to him with a forced grin on her face. Then she paused and looked down the road where he'd come from earlier.

"Wait, Takeda," Natsuki called out to him. He turned to her, his helmet already back on. "Where does south lead me?"

He turned to the direction she was pointing and said, "A fountain. Nothing special about it, but the water there is fresh."

He mounted his white horse and nodded to Natsuki before riding away. Once he was out of earshot, Tate roared, "Why?"

"Why what?" asked Natsuki, stepping out of the foliage to get Duran back on track.

"He could have been so good for you!" screamed Natsuki's small fairy. "But then you decided to attack him! Stupid! Besides the prince, he's the best you could have had until you messed everything up! Knights don't come around easy!"

"Shouldn't I be a princess or something to marry a knight?" asked Natsuki as she mounted a tired Duran. "Besides, he was a pervert."

"You say that about every suitor," Tate stressed. "You're being difficult!"

Natsuki sighed and decided to ignore Tate for the rest of the journey.

Once they made it to the fountain, surrounded by limestone and sakaki trees. Natsuki got off of Duran and walked over to the fountain. She kneeled in front of it and unsheathed her father's blade. At this point, the blood of the blade had dried, but the sheath needed some cleaning out.

"Oh my God, Natsuki!" screamed Tate suddenly. "This fountain!"

"What about it?" grumbled Natsuki.

"This is one of the Great Fary Fountains!" he cried. He went over to the water and added, "I can feel it! Don't soil it with blood, you might make her mad!"

"Give me a break," Natsuki said exasperatedly. "If this was the Great Fairy Fountain, that Takeda guy would have seen her."

"I'm a fairy," said Tate. Many jokes concerning his comment arose in Natsuki's head, but she didn't voice them. "I feel things normal humans don't."

Natsuki sighed and was about to dunk her sheath into the clear water until she saw the water bubble, as if enraged. She paused and stared. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. She was more tired than she remembered.

However, once she opened her eyes, she saw two violet eyes were glaring straight into her soul. She cried out, dropped her sheath, and stumbled back. The incredibly tall woman with the long blonde hair and the violet eyes stared intensely at Natsuki. Natsuki analysed her and just realised that this woman was practically nude, save for the bits of sediments that covered her body.

"You!" the near-naked woman cried, pointing a finger at Natsuki. "I've been waiting for you!"

Natsuki couldn't reply. She could only stare.

"Fifty years, Kuga!" screamed the woman angrily. "I've waited for fifty years for you to finally arrive! I had better things to do with my time!"

"What have you been waiting for me for?" asked Natsuki as she grabbed her sheath and slid her father's sword into it.

"You don't know?" snapped the woman Natsuki predicted was the Great Fairy. "Kunio hasn't told you yet? What insolence! He should be punished at once!"

"He's dead," Natsuki said. "But what didn't he tell me?"

"Dead?" she spat, ignoring Natsuki's question. "When?"

"A few months ago," Natsuki said strongly, but her heart dropped slightly with sombreness. "Could you just tell me what he forgot to tell me?"

"You're the new Hero of Time!" said the Great Fairy. "A very late one, too!"

Natsuki blinked before turning to Tate who was usually knowledgeable with these sorts of things. However, he looked quite hit by the news himself.

"H-Haruka!" cried Tate. "You must have the wrong child! She's hardly seventeen!"

"I know when I see the Hero of Time, Agent Tatl!"

"I-it's 'Tate'," he corrected.

"Anyway," she said, ignoring him, "Kuga, do you at least have your sword and shield?"

Natsuki looked down at her father's wooden shield and small sword.

"This is an outrage," Haruka said. "You don't have the master sword? Not even a proper shield? You have much work to do!"

Master sword? What was that?

"Why do I need a Master Sword?" asked Natsuki.

"Because it belongs to you!" snapped Haruka.

"Where do we find the Master Sword?" asked Tate.

"Uh… you must… well, what I mean to say is… in other words…"

"You don't know where it is, do you?" Tate asked. Haruka's face went as red as a tomato, but not out of anger.

"It's been fifty years!" she claimed. "How am I supposed to remember anything at this point?"

"What are we supposed to do then?" Tate shot back.

"Ask people on your journey," Haruka said. "They're bound to know something useful! Speaking of, you should take this. It might help you fit in."

With the wave of Haruka's arm, Natsuki was suddenly donning a blue elf hat with a matching tunic, white leggings and brown boots. Natsuki looked down at herself and tugged at the material of her new costume.

It fit her quite snugly.

"Now go on!" said Haruka, trying to shoo them off. "I've told you what I had to tell you!"

"Uh… Haruka?"

"What now?"

"We don't even know what to do," Tate replied.

"Yes, I was just getting to that!" Haruka coughed. "Kuga, your mission is to defeat the Obsidian Lord and save the Faceless Prince."

"Obsidian Lord?" Natsuki repeated. She didn't even know who that was, let alone where he was. At least she knew the Faceless Prince… somewhat. The whole land knew about the Faceless Prince and his two sisters. Every girl wanted to marry him (including Mai), but the King and Queen kept him hidden away from the public for some reason. No one knew who he truly was.

"The Obsidian Lord is the King of Bandits," informed Haruka. "You must defeat him and retrieve the prince. However, in order to do so, you must free the six sages."

"Sages?" Natsuki didn't know how she was going to do any of this in a lifetime.

"This is quite a bit for a young woman, Haruka," said Tate, sensing Natsuki's doubt.

"I don't make mistakes, Agent Tate!" Haruka cried proudly. "Missions like this will build her character! I'm glad you took this derived child to me. Good work."

"Uh… don't you mean 'deprived'?" asked Tate.

"That's what I said!" Haruka retorted. "Go and start your journey or else you'll be fifty by time you're finished. Then you won't be able to marry the prince."

"She gets to marry the prince?" Tate squeaked excitedly. "Natsuki, this is great! You're finally going to get married! To a prince!"

"Don't I have to be a princess to marry him?" Natsuki asked with furrowed brows.

"If you save him in time, then that can be easily arranged," Haruka said with the wave of a hand. "Don't get killed, Kuga! The Faceless Prince owes me a lot of rupees!"

And, with that, Haruka sank back into the fountain.

Tate seemed to grow brighter with the news. Natsuki felt a bit of excitement, but she couldn't help but wonder why the Faceless Prince was faceless. Could it be because he was ugly?

"We should get started!" Tate said loudly as he flew over to Duran. "Did you hear that, boy? Natsuki's gonna marry a prince!"

Natsuki sighed and went over to her horse so that she may begin her newest journey. She didn't know what awaited her nor did she know if she was ever going to complete these tasks. However, she had Tate and Duran to rely on and surely with their help, she could overthrow this Obsidian Lord and save the Faceless Prince.

With that thought in mind, Kuga Natsuki rode away from the fountain, scratching her head. Her new hat was awfully itchy.

"Say what?" spat the King of Bandits, his face concealed by the shadows draped over his chamber. One of the younger bandits, Yuuki Nao, swallowed, surprised by his tone.

"The Hero of Time—"

"I heard you," he snarled. Nao nodded and took a step back.

"I let my guard down," he muttered, rubbing his left temple. "It's been fifty years… you'd think this whole Hero of Time business was finished."

Nao nodded, sweat beading on her forehead.

"Yuuki," he said.

"Yes sir?"

"I want you to call Fujino," he growled. "Kuga Natsuki needs to be stopped promptly. Shizuru's the only one for the job."

Nao felt her jaw tighten at the name, but she wisely heeded her master's orders. She exited the chamber with a bow and slammed the door shut.

The King of Bandits sighed and fondled with the handle of his great sword. He was a weary man with a weary soul. The last thing he needed was the next Hero of Time foiling his plans. The Faceless Prince was his ticket to fame and fortune and he didn't plan on giving this ticket away to some peasant girl.

However, he had faith in his apprentice. Fujino Shizuru, after all, had shown him that she did not have to be a boy to be a great thief. She was his best bandit. His prettiest too, he thought with a leer. She would do fine with doing away with the nuisance that was Kuga Nastuki.

"She won't stand a chance," he murmured as he set his sword down on the dresser next to his mattress filled with hey. Next to the drawing his younger sister, Mikoto, had made for him.