Authoress: Okay! How's everyone doing? Welcome to my very first Zelda Fanfiction! I officially am doing Challenge Stories now, and my absolute FAVORITE thing to do in them is add my very own OCs---based on my friends, of course! Now, I've tried doing this in both my Naruto, first Kingdom Hearts, and second Harvest Moon Fanfics, but I'd enjoy doing it to others.

Anyway, the main pairing in this story was recommended to me by Magi Nova, and supported by Hikari of the Moon. Oddly enough, I had already started this tale before they messaged me, so I just went back and revised the Authoress' Corner. Anyway, back to what I was saying...

Magi Nova, you were the first to post a message on my DeviantART page. You have been a fantastic reviewer and have always brought something unique to and DeviantART. You are a great artist, and are very descriptive with your criticism (all constructive, btw). I am always glad to read your reviews because I can always get ideas from them. Thank you.

Hikari of the Moon...You were the very first reviewer to any of my yaoi Fanfictions. Each time you have reviewed, my confidence as a writer has soared. Because of you, I have a TON of reviews! Your words speak nothing but helpfulness and empathy, and you are very eloquent in your writings. You are the first person to also describe my stories in your profile---which, quite frankly, about made me cry! You are a great authoress---not to mention funny!---and your randomness inspires me to create more comedy stories! Thank you!

Now, for the BOTH of them, I would like to take this time to say that I have been blessed by their constructive criticism and their wit---not to mention their participation as my audience. No one could ask for two better people to read their stories, because both will always find something witty to say about your work and be understanding when you are too busy to review.

THANK YOU BOTH SOOOOO VERY MUCH! I HOPE I CAN ALWAYS FIND PEOPLE LIKE YOU TWO!!!!!

(if other reviewers wish Challenge Stories, yes, I will have dedications for them, too---and I only speak the truth when it comes to dedications, for lies harm more than help and shatter your credibility...plus, it's not nice! )

Please, enjoy the Fanfiction!

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TITLE: "The Wishing Cap"

RATING: K+, unless otherwise intended by the reviewers.

CONTENT WARNING(S): Yaoi, Shounen-Ai, Mild Language, and Mild Fantasy Violence---for now. That may change, however.

DISCLAIMER: If I owned the "Legend of Zelda" series or any of its characters, I would be working as a game designer right now instead of studying to be one!

SUMMARY: "Seven years have passed since Vaati wrecked havoc on Hyrule, and Link is beginning to have strange dreams about his former nemesis. When the gateway to the Minish Realm mysteriously reopens and he discovers a relic that can grant the most impossible of wishes, our Hero is faced with the dilemna of his life: choosing duty to his homeland, or following his heart."

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"PROLOGUE"

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It wasn't every day that someone wound up saving their whole land, much less from a crazed Picori wizard. But that was exactly what the Hylian had done. By using the legendary Four Sword and the aided magic of the miniscule sage Ezlo, he, Link, had brought down Vaati and rescued his homeland. The princess of Hyrule, Zelda, though transformed into stone for over a week, still managed to survive without so much as a scratch.

A week! Link still had trouble believing that was how long Vaati's rage had gone on. From the very first time he swung his sword as evil's bane, the endless hours had blended together seamlessly. For a time, the elf could almost believe that he had been born with a blade in his hand (obviously he knew that was false, but his instincts with the sword had formed a bond between himself and his weapon). Even though he had very little time to prepare, his ability as a fast learner---not to mention the fact that he constantly had to fight for his life!---had turned him into a seasoned pro by the time he and his nemesis met again.

But even though the little Minish had turned his best friend into a chunk of granite, possessed the king to sic the guards on him, commanded legions of horrible monsters the like of which had not been seen in Hyrule for generations, tried to enslave the populous of the entire world with magic stolen from his old teacher, and tried to steal the essence of the very land for his own behalf...

...Link knew the little guy hadn't meant to take it so far. According to his talks with Ezlo, Vaati had grown up an outcast. Rejected by the other sunny-fleshed and light-haired Minish, the poor little fellow had been taken in by the only one who had ever shown him kindness: Master Ezlo. Eventually, he must have had all he could take and, seeing the respect that the aged pedagogue had from everyone, strived for more---for revenge---by taking Ezlo's masterpiece: a flame-red hat embodying his most powerful magic. But when he attempted to use the Triforce he extracted from Zelda, the bitterness in his heart turned against the Picori and he had no control over his monstrous form. Somehow...Link wondered if the violet-haired child had lost control long before that...

After the final battle, when Link finally destroyed Vaati's darkness, the little mage's shell---both magical and emotional---had crumbled. But when Link, Zelda, and Ezlo forgave him, it was as if Vaati became a whole other person.

Thanks to Zelda and the remnants of that magical hat, everything that had been destroyed by Vaati or his monsters had been either repaired or revived. Amazingly, no one had been killed. It was as if Vaati had taken especial care to avoid as much permanent harm as possible (another reason that Link knew Vaati wasn't such a bad guy, after all). By the time Ezlo and his pupil had returned to their own world, everything was as if nothing had ever occurred.

Ezlo...

Vaati...

...Those two Minish...

...Even though Link had barely even met them, they had impacted him in ways that neither anyone nor anything had ever done before. While Ezlo did give the Hylian another hat---one the didn't talk, of course---as a parting gift, he kinda missed the old buzzard squawking in his ear...Well, okay, maybe not the squawking, but still...he missed the constant companionship of someone so close to him.

And Vaati...

...When the brainwashed king had sent his army after the youth, Link began to understand what Vaati must have felt like to have been persecuted the way he was back home. Link, of course, knew he was being fought so the mage could take over the world. But Vaati, on the other hand...he had been shunned merely because he was different. Before he stole Ezlo's cap, he hadn't done anything wrong---at least, nothing so horrible to deserve such injustice! The elfin youth had but a taste of what that child had gone through, but he knew in his heart that nothing could scratch the surface of the torture that poor child had gone through.

...That final battle...those panic-stricken ruby orbs, staring directly into his soul, BEGGING him to pull the mage out of the darkness before it was too late...

Thinking about the lavender-clad mage suddenly made a pang run through the hero's body. At first, he didn't know what the feeling was. As he lay supine on his bed, his arms folded behind his head, he froze---the exact same way he used to when he was sneaking through a dungeon and was about caught by a creature. When he could hear the demon's breath...when the very blood ran cold in his veins, fearing that his presence had been discovered...

...It was a frightening feeling. It kept the youth staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, unsure that when he moved what the consequences would be. Finally, after a few minutes---though it felt like hours to the boy---Link dared the twitch his feet. He moved a bit more, then a little more, until he was assured that sitting up would cause him no harm.

The hero sat straight up in bed. The darkness of the wee hours of the morning still plagued the room. It took him a few moments to adjust to the darkness before he moved further. He eventually got out of bed and, skillfully navigating his way through the darkness, he slipped over to the window and threw it open.

He was met by a cool rush of fresh spring air as the bright moonlight poured down from overhead. Link stood there with his hands resting on the windowsill, letting the breeze rustle through his long blonde bangs. He gazed out over the tops of the trees that surrounded the blacksmith's shop. Nothing but the wind skimming the trees could be heard, and yet the youth could sense the woods were teeming with wildlife. As much as the boy loved the sun, it was the tranquility of the early morning that he secretly loved the most. When the darkness masked just enough to make the shadows dance, yet illuminated the path so one wouldn't walk into a tree. It was an ethereal feeling...like the land was actually part of another world entirely...an unknown, hidden world where secrets abounded, just waiting to be discovered.

...It had been almost seven years since that infamous Picori festival. Link was taller now, and his hair fell just short of his shoulders. His body was beginning to reflect the musculature of an adult, and yet his frame still had the soft touches of baby fat. His face had more definition, and his rounded childhood face was now sloped into the lean face of an adult. His chin actually had been chiseled a bit and his ears were taking on the sharp points of maturity. He had even gotten stronger, too. In fact, with the exception of his brilliant cerulean eyes and selfless heart, he had long ago left behind the warrior-child of his former self.

Taking in the night air seemed to have cleared his mind, because he no longer worried about the pang he felt earlier. Now, with the wind blowing on his face, fanning away the sweat and frustration of his reminiscing. The pang faded into nothing short of empathy---nothing more, nothing less...

...Or so Link wanted to think. But deep down, somewhere hidden inside the innermost recesses of his heart, along with the pleading eyes of his former nemesis, that pang was still there...

...confusing, soft, willing...

waiting for just the right trigger to ignite the fuse to which it was attached.

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Authoress: Did you enjoy the 'Prologue'? I hope so...I tried to get a basis for the history of "The Legend of Zelda: the Minish Cap", from which this story is derived. I hope it did my two reviewers justice! Anyway, I just want to ask one wincey little question...This actually has nothing to do with this story, but I was just wondering...

Has anyone ever seen the movie "Pan's Labyrinth"? I know it's violent and very angsty/tragic, but I just LOVE that movie! I don't really know why, either...I just do!