Ummm, a little oneshot in my spare time! (Waiting for a plane to come after a 5. Hour. Delay.) Centuries after OoT, and I guess TP, too. Save for the fact that Nabooru wasn't in TP. Where'd all the gerudos go...?

He can't say exactly what it is, but as his eyes slowly flutter open, he knows something isn't right: the warm fire crackling next to him, the soft, if slightly worn blanket over him, the soft melody that fills the cave…nothing is familiar, and that is what causes him to struggle to a sitting position.

Another shadow flickers outside those of the flames as he grunts in pain, and before he knows it a pair of hands are helping him up and adjusting his back against the wall. "Careful, now," a woman says. "Don't push yourself."

She is young, maybe around his age, with bright, wild eyes and high cheekbones. Her dark skin shines in the firelight, somewhat too familiar as she watches him anxiously. "How do you feel?"

He numbly feels the bandages wrapped securely around his chest, wincing and giving another muffled groan. "It hurts," he finally manages to say. "And my whole body feels like it's been through hell and back. Moving's a harder task than it should be." He tries lifting his arm to show, only to find it shaking uncontrollably halfway to his eye level.

The young woman immediately takes his arm and places it back at his side, running a hand worriedly along it. "Don't do that," she says a little sternly. "And pain's good, at least for now. It means you're still alive and…somewhat well."

He snorts, looking away at the open mouth of the cave. Rain is pouring down outside, far more dismal and cold than where he sits. Closing his eyes, he grimaces as he is met by another stab of pain from his chest.

He was gasping for air, barely able to do that as he lay on the sodden ground. Above him, lighting streaked the sky again. He should've moved; the knife in his hand would only bring him more trouble in a few minutes. But he couldn't.

I don't want to die.

Did he really have a choice at the minute?

"Are you alright?"

He is snapped back to the present as she squeezes his arm gently, eyes concerned.

Suddenly he couldn't have been more comfortable, the fire in front of him and this girl, whoever she was, trying her best to help him. He smiles reassuringly. "Just tired. And in pain, but you already know that."

She smiles back, slightly relieved, and he feels unusually warmer, as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. "You have no idea how lucky you are," she continues, looking back into the fire. She hasn't found any damage on his one arm, but continues to fondle it absentmindedly. "The only reason I was out in that weather was 'cause I couldn't afford to stay at the inn just a mile back."

He frowns. "So you sleep out on the plains? I think an alley would've been somewhat safer. At least you would've been out of the rain."

"An alley isn't exactly safe for women to be sleeping in," she winces. "Almost learned my lesson the hard way once."

"That's true. I forgot." He isn't used to the idea of other people affecting him. It's probably why he feels so strange around her now. "You sound like you travel often."

"I do. It's what I've been doing for a very long time now, just as my mother did before me, and her mother before her."

"You're a gypsy?"

She shrugs. "If you want to call me that. More like a nomad; you see, I've been searching for…someone."

"Oh?"

She giggles. "It's hard to understand, I know. But my mother explained it to me: supposedly, I'm related to some guardian or other of some king. And because that guardian failed to protect her king, all of her female descendants are damned to travel until they find him."

She shrugs. "That's pretty much the condensed version. If I told you the whole story you'd fall asleep."

He smiles, readjusting himself so that he can lay his head on her lap. "Go on ahead."

For a minute, she seems unsure about his actions, but slowly brings her hands to his face, where she begins to smooth them across his rugged features. They are unusual for most Hylians in the area, and she smiles as she realizes how alike they really are. His skin is just as dark as hers, and as he looks up at her now his eyes are the same bright topaz. She has never felt this at peace with herself before, and she isn't ready to ruin it. "I guess you could call her a guardian: she was actually more of a right hand to her king, but she defended him with her life. And at first, they thought he would be a good king, kind and merciful. Some say that the two were even in love."

He closes his eyes, giving a small "hmm" so show that he is listening. He is just trying to concentrate on the story and not the feel of her fingers through his messy red hair.

"But the people hadn't seen a benevolent king yet, and they weren't destined to anytime soon. Like all the others, he became power-hungry and greedy, even more than his descendants. He even tried to steal the sacred power of the goddesses."

Crash.

He swore as the vase tumbled to the floor, smashing into a million tiny, glittering pieces. Already he could make out the sounds of someone stumbling down the stairs. "Theif! Anju, get my cane!"

The old man nearly broke his neck as he fell down the stairs, but he had no pity for him. Angry that he was making off empty-handed yet again, he dashed outside, pulling out his dagger in case of chasers.

The first lighting bolt clashed through the quickly darkening sky, and he thanked the gods as small drips of rain, steadily becoming larger and more frequent, began pattering down. It would be harder for them to track him now; all he had to do was make sure he was completely away.

"Thief! Stop!"

Like that's happening, he thought to himself, chuckling. Looking over his shoulder, he saw just two, neither of them seeming like they'd done a hard day of work in their life. He felt his feet flying behind him, kicking up mud, and laughed to the skies as he turned around to jeer at their slow, bumbling forms. They would never catch him.

"But then he was stopped, trapped in a prison by the legendary sages. His right hand could do nothing to help him; some say she was even one of those sages, though not by her own choice."

He grits his teeth sub-consciously, feeling his body begin to shake. She notices as well and stops talking. "Is something wrong?"

As the tremors subside, he sighs and shakes his head, opening his eyes again. "No, just the pain."

She goes quiet for a few minutes. "What happened to you?"

When he first heard the crack of a gun, he thought they'd missed. It was only when his legs suddenly felt heavy, when his chest seared with pain, that he realized what had just happened. He couldn't speak, partially out of shock as he collapsed to the dirt ground.

It still took the two young men a wile to reach him. When they finally did, they were panting. "You got him!" one cried. "I didn't think…brilliant!"

The other just laughed. "That's what he gets. Stealing from poor old Rauru; the man's too good to us."

He felt a foot nudge him, turn him over onto his back. He glared up at the two hatefully. "Look, he's still alive."

A click. "Shall I hit him again? I won't miss this time."

He spat. "Do it, coward. Then you can go back to your little village and say how you honorably killed me in armed battle."

The man hesitated. His friend shrank away, still scared despite his condition. Thunder rumbled through the air.

Finally, he kicked him one last time. "There's no need to waste another bullet on you," he snarled before stalking away. "Let's go!"

He laughed to himself as the two walked away, life slowly seeping out of him through the wound in his chest.

He doesn't say anything, just turns his head to stare into the fire. "All I know is that I'm better off here. I deserved what I did."

The way that king deserved what he did, he thinks to himself.

She goes back to toying with his hair. "I'm just glad you're alive. For a second, I didn't think you'd make it."

He chuckles. "Well I'm here, and doing as well as can be expected. If you don't mind, I think I'll be sticking with you for a while."

"You would rather travel with a nomad that has no idea what she's looking for?"

"I've always been alone; it'd be nice for once. Besides," he adds, grinning. "You can take care of me when I get into another big mess."

Something about those words make her smile a little broader, and she feels she's finally finished a long journey. "I'm Nabooru."

"I'm Ganondorf."

She watches him as he closes his eyes, a smile on his face as well. "I know."

And...yeah. That's it. Reviews, please!