Hello fellow readers! I deeply appreciate you reading this far, and if you're looking for good material, well,

this wouldn't really be the place to look. I mean, this is my first fanfiction that I am posting. I wrote one before, but it was so terrible that I deleted it before I got to the third chapter. Please be gentle if possible when criticizing me because I have a habit of taking judgement in a very extreme way. Of course, I don't want your opinion to seem different than it really is if you're trying to be as gentle as possible. I'm basically just writing now because I feel like it, so I should probably stop. However, before I go, I'd just like to say that our main character, Akatsuki, is a girl character that I made up. And yes, the male character is Link, from none other than the Legend Of Zelda series. I'm a little obsessed... :) So, enjoy!

The wind lifted the sand between the crumbling huts, and stung my eyes. Underneath small blankets were people, huddling in small clusters, desperately trying to get the attention of the passersby. I am doing my best not to stare, but I can't help it. I feel so horrible for them. This is their entire life- always afraid of what will happen next, where their next meal will come from, or if there will even be one at all. Having been in and out of that situation myself, I feel a pain in my heart whenever I step outside. My long, red braid bounced against my back as I jogged down the street, occasionaly . It was surprisingly cold here. It is normally hot and dry here. My stomach feels twisted- something isn't right here. I begin to approach the market, which is near the center of our village. I dug around in pockets, searching for a coin or something for trade. I didn't find any.

I looked longingly at the shiny, red apples. Just sitting there, unattended. I felt my stomach rumble. No one was watching me. I took a few steps back, and then started into a run, making sure to hit the box with the apples. Many of them fell to the ground, causing quite a bit of commotion. I fell to the ground, behind the cart, where I grabbed the apples. I darted between the villagers, trying to "disappear" somewhere within the crowd. My knees began to ache, but I didn't dare stop. My pointed ears tingled for a moment. They were following me. They were right behind me. I could feel their rage from here.

My legs felt as though they were being trampled by the kings horses. I felt a tear gather in my eye, but I pushed on.

" Look out!" The world was spinning and blending together. Many silouhettes were above me, looking down. The apples I had had gone everywhere. The people were wrestling eachother to the ground in a futile attempt to get food. Only one person remained standing above me. I couldn't make out much of their face, but I knew that, whoever this person was, was very kind. I felt a gloved hand fall on my arm. I opened my mouth to speak, but no noise came out. I tried to sit up, but I was too dizzy. I fought against the approaching darkness, but it seemed so inviting. I eventually gave in to the darkness.

When I awoke, I was in my small hut again, curled up on the floor, underneath a ragged quilt I had made in my childhood. It must've all been a dream, I thought to myself, and I stood up, shaky on my feet. I folded the blanket, and put it at the back of my hut. I turned back towards the door, and I nearly passed out. A figure clad in a green tunic with a sword and shield strapped to his back. His sandy hair fell just past his eyes, but his pointed ears, not unlike mine, poked through. He had warm, blue eyes, accented by his smile. My heart fluttered for a moment, and I felt my face turn pink. I took a deep breath, and looked straight in his eyes.

" Wha...What are you doing here?" I tried to use my fiercest voice, but it was difficult when looking at him.

" You hit me on the street, and you ended up in a heap on the ground, so I brought you here."

I looked around for a moment. Hold on- this is my house! How did this stalker know I live here?

" How did you know I live here?"

" You live here? I've been visiting this hut for years, every time I pass by here. I've never seen you here before." He raised an eyebrow.

End of chapter 1. Thanks for reading this far!