Hello dear readers, and welcome to Codega! My newest Zelda universe story.

I really hope you enjoy since it is my first real shot at "action."

Also, this is rated M for content later in the story, such as blood, violence, foul language, etc. This story isn't too heavy in those areas, but it is definitely not a T rated work, it's more like on the cusp between the two. Thank you for reading responsibly.

Also, if you would please look at the cover art for this story. I drew it myself, and while it's not the best in the world, I'm still really proud of it! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda, or the quote by J.K. Rowling from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Happy reading!

Heist 1: Sheik

"Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there."

Officer Alfonzo stood out in the cold spring night air. It was about 1 o'clock in the morning, and he could feel his bones ache from standing all day. He just wanted to sleep, but he couldn't. He was on duty. He rubbed his hands together, trying to keep warm. His thin linen police uniform did very little to protect him from the cold, and he wished he was on the inside of the large mansion standing before him. Other Hylian officers were stationed in there, waiting.

The mansion was large, white and pristine. It looked like not even a bomb could cause its walls to fall. There was a large balcony overlooking the grounds, and pillars held the building in place. Out in the garden, where Alfonzo stood, fountains of forest fairies stood quietly bubbling with water. If it weren't for the tension in the air, the mansion would seem very serene.

So this is what it's like to live in luxury, the young officer thought. You just pay a bunch of people to keep your house clean for you, and you reap the benefits.

There was the snap of a twig to Alfonzo's left, and he jumped into a defensive position. He relaxed though when he saw who was walking toward him. It was his team member, Officer Ferrus. Ferrus had a dorky grin on his face, like he enjoyed seeing Alfonzo on edge. Ferrus had dark blue hair and brown eyes, with freckles and a plump face. But in the darkness of the night, the excitable kid appeared almost… normal. He was a good kid really, and he wasn't that much younger than Alfonzo, they were only three years apart, which made Ferrus the ripe age of 27.

Alfonzo ran a hand through his curly brown hair. He usually wore a bandanna, but his Chief had told him that for this sting, they all had to blend into the shadows. Which meant no bandanna, a fact Alfonzo really hated.

"Hey Alfonzo," said Ferrus, "how you holding up?"

"Fine, no activity here. What's up?"

"Chief said Sheik should be here any moment now, this is his time of night. Lord Sahasrahla is on edge. He doesn't want his book stolen no matter what."

Alfonzo cursed softly, "Hell, what does a thief want with a book of ancient translations anyway? Wasn't it last week that he stole some heiress' diamond necklace? Now he's stealing a history book, it makes no sense."

Ferrus' eyes lit up, if there was one thing that the officer liked talking about, it was Sheik. And trains, but that doesn't really fit into the conversation now, does it?

"There are rumors that Sheik is trying to break an ancient seal!" Ferrus squealed, sounding less like a man and more like a small school girl.

Alfonzo guffawed, "Seal? On what? Hyrule's been at peace for almost a thousand years now. The Avalon family's been in power since before the age of the Hero of Time, and they've kept the peace."

Ferrus just shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe the royal family's keeping secrets."

Wind began to blow, and the hairs on the back of Alfonzo's neck stood on end. He could feel them. Eyes watching his every move. Ferrus was still talking loudly, oblivious.

"Stop!" Alfonzo hissed, "Someone's here."

Ferrus tensed, finally feeling someone's presence. Alfonzo heard a gush of wind, which sounded almost like a chuckle, before a heavy metal object hit him in the back of the neck, and he crumbled to the cold ground, unconscious.

BOOK OF MUDORA STOLEN!

Last night, at 1:30 Am, the famous translation book from a thousand years ago disappeared from Lord Sahasrahla's mansion in North Castle Town. Police are investigating, but it seems to be the work of the famous thief, Sheik. No information is known about Sheik, not even his gender (but most agree that he is, in fact, male.) Sheik has evaded capture for three years now, and it seems that the once petty thief is getting confident in his ability and stealing from larger targets such as Lord Sahasrahla, who is a competent religious leader of the Hylian church for over three decades now.

Last night, Sheik knocked 15 officers unconscious, three having been admitted into the critical condition sector of the Castle Town Hospital, and one officer is missing. In Lord Sahasrahla's mansion, only one window was broken on the balcony, and it seems to the police to be where Sheik entered and left the mansion, the Book of Mudora in tow. Lord Sahasrahla has holed himself in his house, and refused to comment on the situation…

The old man flipped the newspaper out to read other articles, muttering under his breath about how incompetent the Hylian Police force is. Three years? And they still knew nothing about this thief? What was with young people these days?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone make their way down the courtyard path. The old man stiffened when he saw who it was. A young man, age 26, with dirty blonde hair and crystal blue eyes made his way lazily towards him. Quickly, the old man got to his feet and bowed, his old bones creaking in despair at the fast movement.

He winced as he said, "Good morning your Highness."

The young man chuckled, "Good morning, but please be at ease. Being that excited this early in the morning cannot be good for your health. Relax, and please sit back down."

Nodding swiftly, the old man sat. He had only seen the Prince once before, when he had started working at Hyrule Castle as a gardener. Now, to see him up so early was a surprise. The sun had just come up! Usually the Prince didn't leave his room until noon, what was he doing up so early?

Biting his lip, the old man thought about whether it would be rude to ask about it when the Prince questioned him suddenly, "Could I see that paper?"

Shocked, all the old man could do was nod. His hands shaking, he handed the Prince the paper. Quickly, the Prince folded it to the front page and began reading the story about the thief Sheik. The old man saw the Prince smile brightly and chuckle.

"Ah, Sheik. This is getting interesting," the Prince muttered to himself, "Do I really need to step in and apprehend you now? But your stories are so fun… You should really stop hurting my men though."

With that, the Prince handed the paper back to the old man, and walked off, still muttering to himself about Sheik. The old man shrugged his head and went back to reading his paper. What was with young people these days?

"Oh Nayru, I'm soaked!" complained Zelda. She was dripping head to toe with water, her waitress uniform ruined. Malon, her red-headed friend, could only laugh at her.

"I told you yesterday Zel that it was going to rain."

Zelda shrugged, "I know, but it was so nice this morning! How could it start raining so quickly?"

Malon shrugged too, throwing her blonde friend a clean towel. Zelda thanked her and began drying herself off with it.

"Lucky for you," said Malon, "Telma's not in today, So she won't know about this."

"Oh, you're a saint Malon. You really are."

Malon laughed and walked away, leaving Zelda to her own devices. She stood in the entryway of Telma's Diner, a pool of water already forming around her. The storm clouds had gathered quickly on Zelda's walk from her house to the Diner, where she was a waitress, and before she knew it, she was soaked to the bone by the fat rain droplets. It didn't help that she also had gotten much sleep last night either. She got to bed well after three in the morning, when the police sirens finally quieted from Sheik's latest heist.

"Zel!" cried Malon, "Hurry up! People are going to start arriving soon! The extra uniform is in my locker; you can go ahead and wear it."

Zelda smiled and put the towel in her hair, turban style. She made her way through the diner, which was fashioned to look as "Old Fashioned" as possible. The entire place was an ugly pastel green with chrome plating. At the counter, which was right in front of the entryway, seven bright red bar stools were lined against it, sticking out like a sore thumb. Directly to the left of the counter were the cash register and the stand where the hostess Ilia stood to lead customers to their seats. Ilia was a nice girl, but Zelda didn't really talk to her all that much.

Zelda walked past all the booths and tables to the door in the back of the diner. The door read "Employees only," and Zelda took a hold of the handle and opened it. She was in the kitchen now, the only new looking part of the diner (which was only five years old anyway.) Chef Groose wouldn't have it any other way though. The red-head chef refused to work in a retro kitchen. It apparently clashed with his "style." His "style" included everything labeled "cool" by the media and the upkeep of his ridiculous pompadour. Zelda didn't really blame him though. Retro meant no gas stoves, appliances, and absolutely everything done by hand. Even toasting bread.

Groose was preparing food for the lunch hour as Zelda walked past the large metal counter where the waitresses picked up their orders and placed their tickets. She followed the hallway all the way to the back, where the staff lockers and emergency exit were. She opened the door into women's locker room and saw Ilia and Malon were already in there. The two weren't speaking, just fixing their hair in the mirrors. Malon and Ilia didn't really click either; even though they were both originally farm girls. When Malon had moved to the city, the 24 year old had taken to it like a fish to water. She was in her element here. Ilia… not so much. She was a farm girl through and through, and goes back to the family farm in Ordon when she can. She only stays in the city for the work, since her father is sick and can't do it himself.

Zelda entered the room and said hello to Ilia, who only smiled back at her. Zelda saw that the extra uniform was sitting on a bench, and picked it up, taking it to one of the bathroom stalls in the room. She quickly changed, glad that Malon even had an extra pair of underwear for her. There is nothing worse than wet underwear, and Zelda thanked the goddesses that she and Malon were the same cup size. When she finished changing, she towel dried her hair to the best of her ability, and pulled the long blonde locks back into a braid. That would have to do for now.

Zelda heard the familiar ring of the doorbell, and knew it was time to get to work. She, Ilia, and Malon all left the locker room at the same time, ready to take on the long day of work. Zelda didn't really mind waiting on people, and sometimes it could even be fun. Although, usually customers were rather rude, or they tipped poorly.

The day went by quickly, Zelda and Malon immersed themselves in waiting on people, getting them their drinks, food, etc. By the time it was their break at 2 o'clock, the two women were exhausted. They crashed into one of the corner tables, salads and drinks in front of them. Romio and Marcy, two other employees, were taking over for them. Telma had hired the two recently, and it had lifted a pretty big weight off of Zelda and Malon's shoulders. Marcy, a 22 year old college student, was a nice girl. Zelda admired how she had enough confidence to pull off dark purple hair; since it wasn't something you saw everyday. Romio, a 24 year old fresh out of college, wasn't so nice. Especially to people he didn't know. However, the brunette was warming up now that he had a steady relationship with another coworker, Julietta. She was one of Chef Groose's sous chefs, and was a total sweetheart. She was a blonde, like Zelda, so it was nice not to be the only person catching all of the stereotypical 'blonde' jokes.

Zelda sighed, which then broke into a yawn. She was really exhausted, last night had been tiring.

"You okay Zel?" asked Malon, "You always look so tired anymore. Is Tetra getting into trouble or something?"

Zelda shrugged, slightly uneasy, "nah, I just get to bed late that's all. Tetra's fine too, she's at school now with Gonzo and her other friends."

Malon chuckled, "Ah yes, your precious little sister. She's really spunky and independent you know? I don't understand how she tolerates your ridiculous rules."

"They're not ridiculous! They're for her own safety, and she knows it."

Malon just shook her head, and continued feasting on her salad. Zelda sighed again, agitated. She was not being over protective, she knew that. If Tetra knew even half of what was going on since Grandma had passed away… Zelda shuddered at the thought. She'd probably disown her older sister or never talk to her again. So the rules were necessary, otherwise Zelda would be completely alone.

"You're getting that look again, stop it."

Zelda broke out of her reverie and looked at her friend, "what look?"

"The depressed look. Are you sure you and Tetra are okay? I'm really worried about you two. Ever since… well, ya know… you've been kinda out of it."

"Yeah…" was all Zelda could say. Malon frowned, obviously regretting bringing up the death of her and Tetra's grandmother.

"Anyway… Did you go see that Broker yesterday?" Malon asked, quickly changing the subject.

Zelda smiled, grateful for the diversion, "yeah, and guess what?"

"What?"

"I finally got Mom's necklace back."

Malon squealed with joy, "Oh Farore! Zelda I am so happy for you! Does Tetra know?"

Zelda nodded, "yep. I told her right away."

Malon leaned over the table and gave her friend a hug. Zelda laughed. She had fought that broker tooth and nail for that necklace, the last memento from her mother. The broker had never told her why he kept it, and it wasn't until yesterday that he finally gave it back. She intended to charge him for theft, but at the moment, she was just happy she had it back in her possession.

"Can I see it?" asked Malon, "I mean, only if you're okay with it obviously."

Zelda nodded, grinning, "of course. I'll bring it in to work tomorrow."

Malon grinned, "Awesome! I'm so excited!"

Zelda smiled and was about to reply when the bell chimed and seven people walked into the diner. Zelda paled. What were they doing here?

There couldn't be a more suspicious looking group than those seven people, consisting of six men and one woman, they all wore dark clothing and had permanent scowls on their faces. Their leader, whose name was Zant, was at the front conversing with Ilia. A self-proclaimed descendent of the long extinct Twilit race, he was the scariest of them all, and hence the reason he was their leader. Zant had pasty blue skin, and he constantly wore a mask that covered his eyes, so that Zelda didn't even know what half his face looked like. He was tall and lanky, and walked with a crooked slouch, so that it looked as though his arms were twice as long as they actually were.

A chauvinist, and masochist, Zelda shuddered internally every time she saw him. Which was, sadly, quite often. The fact that he was a chauvinistic pig meant that the woman in their group, whose name was Veran if Zelda recalled correctly, had either done something extremely evil, or she wasn't even a woman. Zelda didn't really care to know which was true. The other five men were just as menacing, all rejects of society, and all with nothing to lose and everything to gain. That group was the thing of nightmares, and it was extremely weird to see Ilia greeting them with a smile and showing them to a table.

Zelda wasn't hungry anymore; she had to get out of there. They were definitely here for her, and if Zant came himself, it definitely was about a job. She didn't want to see them now, or ever for that matter. She quickly stood, surprising Malon. Zelda said nothing to her friend as she practically dashed to the kitchen. As she went for the door, it opened, and out came Romio with a tray full of food. She slammed into him, causing him to drop the tray and splatter eggs and hash browns everywhere. There was a loud crash as plates broke and the metal tray fell to the ground. All eyes were on Zelda and Romio now, and Zelda could feel the fourteen evil ones boring into her back. Dammit.

"Oh my gosh! Are you two okay?" came a high-pitched female voice. Zelda looked up to see Julietta running over to her. There was a groan beneath her and Zelda looked down and saw she was still on top of Romio, who was glaring daggers into her face. Sheepishly she got off of him, apologized and ran into the kitchen. Usually, she'd clean up the mess, but usually those bastards didn't come to the diner either.

Groose gave Zelda a funny look as she ran down the small hallway to another door that led to the back alley, but she ignored him. She had to get out of that diner, pronto. As she stepped into the dirty alleyway, the air stank of rotten food and vomit. Covered partly by the roof of the diner, only half of the alley was wet from the rain, which formed into deep puddles as it pooled off of the roof. Out of the corner of her eye, Zelda saw a mouse scurry away. She sighed in relief, feeling truly alone. She didn't want to face Zant now; she was still recovering from their encounter from the night before. However, the goddesses just weren't on her side, because a minute later, the man of the hour appeared at the entrance of the alley.

Zelda's eyes widened in fear, and she grabbed at the door handle to go back into the diner. Too late did she realize that it locked from the inside automatically, as a way to keep out thieves.

How ironic.

She heard a low and airy chuckle, and suddenly, Zant was next to her, pushing her against a wall, his hands around her neck. Zelda gasped, obviously choking. Zant just chuckled again.

"What are you trying to do, bitch?" he asked, his voice sounding slightly insane, "Get my Children caught? Last night, a gutsy little officer followed you from that old coot's place with that stupid book."

Zelda, who was already pale from lack of oxygen to her face, blanched even more. Zant just smiled maniacally, finally letting go of her neck. Zelda collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Zant didn't give her a chance to truly catch her breath though, because he immediately began kicking her in the stomach. Zelda groaned, clutching her stomach with one hand and unsuccessfully trying to shield herself from Zant's feet with the other. Zant stopped for a moment, bending down into Zelda's face, his eyes wide and crazed, the black mask on his face casting a strange glow that turned them from a bright yellow to a dark red.

"You know what that means right?" he said, his voice rising, "I had to kill that officer! His death is on you! Ahahaha!"

Zant doubled over in maniacal laughter, and Zelda whimpered, terrified and in pain. How was she followed? She had been so careful not to show her position, using a metal staff, sleeping darts, and even martial arts so that all the officers at Lord Sahasrahla's were knocked out. Even his bodyguards!

Zant grabbed Zelda by her braid and yanked her up to his level. She groaned, her scalp burning along with her now bruised ribs, her breathing still hitched. Sloppily, Zant planted a kiss on her mouth, his snake-like tongue forcing its way in as he one-sidedly made out with her. She felt so disgusted, but resisted the temptation to bite his tongue. She had done that once before, and had paid dearly for it. She was beaten black and blue, and then was forced to lie to the police and her sister saying she had been hit by a car and left to die. Besides, if she struggled, Zant would win. This was one of his tactics to try and break her, to mess with her head, and he'd been using it for three years.

He released the kiss, and then slapped Zelda across the face, releasing her hair. She fell into a dirty puddle, and started to cry.

"Be at the meeting place tonight, I have another job for you, Sheik. If you don't show… Well, I wonder how your sister will react when I have to use her for collateral."

He disappeared then, and left Zelda to herself. The tears streamed down her face, but long ago she had learned to cry without making a sound. So many nights she had spent this way, crying in her room, nursing wounds caused by Zant and his Children. All of this, just for money. All of this, just because of her parents.

At the thought of her parents, Zelda's tears intensified. She loved them dearly, thought about them constantly, but there was one thing about them she didn't understand. How did her kind, loving parents get mixed up with Zant and his gang, Children of Darkness? Did Zelda know her parents at all? Or did she just think she did?

Pushing herself to her knees weakly, and then to her feet, Zelda touched her cheek lightly. Instantly, it began to burn and sting like fire itself and Zelda winced. Her ribs also ached, and she wondered dimly if one of them was broken. Finally catching her breathe, Zelda realized she'd have to sneak into the locker room without being noticed so that she could get her makeup bag from her locker. She had some healing salve in there. Her throat still burned from being choked snf her lips were clammy, but she'd live, for now she had to erase the fact that Zant had even spoken to her, otherwise worse punishment would come.

But how was she to do that? The only other entrance was the front door, and even if there were no customers waiting, Ilia was still there, and if not her, there was Bindle, the other host, and both were pretty vigilant She was screwed. Zelda sighed, touching her cheek lightly again. She needed that salve, badly. She was the famous thief Sheik, she could break into any house in Hyrule, if she could do that, how hard was sneaking into a lousy diner?

She was about to leave the alleyway, when the backdoor to the diner opened. Anton, Groose's other sous chef held a trash bag and threw it into a nearby dumpster. He didn't notice Zelda, who was still at the end of the alley. Quickly, without a sound, Zelda crept closer to the door. When Anton finished, he receded back into the diner, closing the door with him. Just before it shut though, Zelda grabbed the handle and held it slightly ajar. She peaked through the small crack in the doorway, and saw Anton going back to the kitchen. Taking this opportunity, Zelda opened the door and slipped in, closing it behind her without a sound. She then slipped into the locker room unnoticed.

Zelda inspected the room first, making sure there was no one there, either at their locker or in the bathroom. She glanced at the clock on the far wall, and saw she only had five minutes left in her break. Cursing silently, she moved quickly to her locker. Unlocking it, she reached in and grabbed her salve. It was made with organic fairy dust (meaning no faires were harmed), so its healing properties were extremely high. It was expensive though, and for the longest time, Zelda refused to buy it, instead she just put bandages on every injury she got, either from Zant or his Children. However, she got too many questions about the injuries, so she finally used one of her paychecks to purchase the salve.

Zelda applied the salve to her face, instantly feeling the burning fade away. She then lifted her shirt up to apply some to her ribs. The pain alleviated a little, but since it was internal, it still hurt. She'd have to wear bandages for a while, at least until she could get her hands on a heart potion, which was even more expensive than the salve. She then applied the salve to her throat too, in case Zant left any marks there as well. Putting the salve away and locking her locker, Zelda made her way to a sink. Running the water on high, she washed the salve off of her. When she looked in the mirror above the sink, her face no longer looked bedraggled and tear-stained like it had when she walked in. Instead her face glowed in health. She admired her reflection for a moment; the salve's ability to heal amazed her every time. Her cheek had puffed up when it was slapped, but now the swelling was gone, replaced with baby like skin. Zelda was pretty enough, with beach blonde hair and lavender eyes. She was also slightly tall, which left room for some imagination in the chest area.

Sighing, Zelda reached for a towel and dried her face. Once she finished, she undid her braid, letting her long blonde locks flow freely, before redoing to make it look like it did before her encounter with Zant. When she was done, she heard the door to the locker room open, and Malon stuck her head in.

"Oh, there you are Zelda. I got worried. You okay?"

Zelda nodded, putting on a fake smile, "I'm fine. Sorry I didn't help clean up the mess, I just felt like I had to puke suddenly."

A lie, obviously. Zelda didn't even flinch as she said it, like she used to do. She was getting better at lying, and telling half-truths, a fact that, quite frankly, didn't sit right with her, but she let the feeling go as Malon smiled at her.

"It's fine, I had thought as much. You had just suddenly paled and sprang up out of your chair. You looked as though you had seen a ghost. Romio's pretty mad though, and so is Julietta, although she'll probably calm down when you tell her the reason. She just didn't like the idea of you not helping in cleaning the mess up."

Malon laughed, but Zelda could only nod. An awkward air surrounded them, and Zelda didn't know what to do. She cleared her throat and wiped her hands on her black uniform. She glanced in the mirror, glad that it was hard to tell that she had a large damp spot on her back from when she fell in that puddle.

Pushing past Malon, Zelda said, "I'm going to go apologize to those lovebirds. You should probably get back to work too Malon, I'll be there in a minute."

Zelda didn't wait for Malon to respond and went directly to the kitchen. This was going to be a long rest of the day...

Zelda closed the oven door with a loud bang, after placing a large chicken inside it to roast. She stood up straight, and some of her hair fell into her face. She blew it out-of-the-way, and moved to chop up some vegetables. Tetra would be home soon with Gonzo, and Zelda wanted to have dinner ready by then. Things were less awkward between them when there was food around. She glanced at the clock which read 5:45. Had she really only gotten back from work 45 minutes ago? Felt more like hours. After she had apologized to both Romio and Julietta, Zelda had done her best to avoid the Children of Darkness' table until they left. Of course they hadn't left immediately, too suspicioius, but Zelda wished from the bottom of her heart that they would all just disappear for good. The world would be a better place. Zelda didn't dare think about the officer that died, and only hoped that when they found him, wherever they found him, that he would be honored as a hero.

Zelda threw the veggies into a pot of boiling water and covered it. Confident that nothing would blow up for at least a half hour, Zelda left the small kitchen in her one floor house and made her way to her room. Zelda didn't have a lot of money, and the money she did have went to keeping food in the house and Tetra happy. So Zelda could only afford this drab house, with two bedrooms right next to each other, one bathroom, and an incredibly tiny kitchen. However, Zelda and Tetra were content with this much, glad they at least had roof over their head, especially since this house had been left to them by their grandmother.

Zelda opened the door to her room, and walked over the carpeted floor to a small nightstand next to her bed. There was one drawer in the nightstand, and Zelda opened this, revealing a small metal box. She plopped down on her bed and opened the small box. Inside the box sat a golden necklace. It had a golden chain that held a large circular pendant. The pendant had a triangle-shaped hole in the middle, and eleven glittering diamonds circled it. This necklace was priceless, and selling it would get rid of all Zelda's problems. But she refused to do so; this was her mother's necklace. Both of her parents had died when she was twelve, so she did have a good many memories of them, but Tetra didn't. Tetra had been three when they died, and she remembered less of them everyday. It wasn't Tetra's fault really, their grandmother had pretty much raised her instead of her birth parents, and once Tetra had even called her 'Mom.'

Zelda would keep the necklace, so that Tetra would know she wasn't abandoned and that they did have something from their parents. Of course, the necklace wasn't the only thing Zelda had received from them. Somehow, for some reason, they got mixed up with the Children of Darkness. However, Zelda had been protected by her grandmother, because while she lived under her roof, Zant didn't mess with her. After she died though, it only took a year for him to show himself and tell her things about her parents she would've never imagined. Zelda still believed in them though, and if the chance ever presented itself, she would bring Zant down. She would make her parents proud.

Zelda sat up when she heard the kitchen door slam shut. Tetra was home. She was laughing, along with a deeper voiced male who was probably Gonzo, the kid who lived next door and was Tetra's best friend.

"Zelda?" Tetra called, and a few seconds later poked her head into Zelda's room. She was petite for a 15 year old, with the same beach blonde hair as Zelda. She had dark, ocean blue eyes and the same heart shaped face as Zelda. It was unmistakable that the two were sisters, and someone had even called them twins before.

"Hey, Tetra. What's up?"

Her little sister grinned, "You won't believe what Gonzo and I found."

Zelda raised her eyebrows, smiling, "what?"

"A giant frog! Farore, it was at least as big as my fist!"

Zelda laughed, "Awesome. Hey, I've got chicken cooking, ask Gonzo if he wants to stay and eat with us."

Tetra nodded and yelled to Gonzo, who was probably in the kitchen, "Yo, Gonzo!" before she left to go join him. Zelda smiled to herself before putting her mother's necklace back in her nightstand. She got up and left her room, joining the duo in the kitchen.

Gonzo was tall, with darkly tanned skin, which came from spending hours out in the sun every day. It worried Zelda that he hardly every put sun block on, but, since he wasn't related to her, she couldn't really say much about it. He had dark curly brown hair and the same color eyes. He was a very nice boy and Zelda was glad Tetra had a dependable friend. When Zelda walked into the kitchen, she found the two laughing about something again, and their laughter was intoxicating. Zelda found herself relaxing, and forgetting about the horrid day she had.

Once the laughter finally died down a bit, Zelda asked, "So, how was school you two?"

Zelda turned around to open the oven door to check on the chicken, and there was a pregnant pause before Tetra finally said,

"It was good. Boring, but good."

Zelda smiled, "That's good. Ah, the chicken needs a few more minutes, why don't the two of you wash up and I'll set the table? Then we can eat."

"Sounds good, sis."

As they walked to the bathroom down the hall, Zelda wiped down the kitchen table. She set plates, forks and knives down, and as she did this monotonous work, she remembered what Zant had told her earlier. absent-mindedly, she placed a hand on her ribs. She winced. They still hurt; she had forgotten to bandage them when she had gotten home. She'd have to do it before she left to meet the Children.

"Yo, sis. You okay?"

Zelda looked up and saw Tetra leaning against the door frame that led into the kitchen.

Automatically, Zelda said, "Yeah, just took a little spill today. I ran into Romio on the way into the kitchen, sent hash browns flying everywhere. You know, just another day at the office."

For added effect, Zelda added a goofy smile at the end, and it seemed to do the trick. Tetra visibly relaxed, also smiling back at her older sister. Tetra hated it when Zelda got hurt, so Zelda always made it a point to downplay her injuries in front of her.

"Romio's that jerk brunette, right?"

Zelda chuckled, "Yeah, its funny how he's dating sweet little Julietta. Although, she wasn't not too happy with me either for body tackling her boyfriend to the ground."

The two sisters chuckled, and a calm air settled over them both. In a comfortable silence, Zelda finished setting the table while Tetra got the chicken out of the oven and plated the vegetables. Once Gonzo returned, the trio sat down to eat. It was as Tetra was dishing out the chicken, that Zelda decided she needed to bring it up.

"Gonzo, is it okay if Tetra spends the night at your place tonight?"

Tetra glanced at Zelda, but said nothing. Gonzo just nodded, "Yeah, its fine. If you don't mind me asking, though… why?"

Zelda smiled, "I have an errand to run as soon as dinner is over. It shouldn't take me too long, but I'll probably get home around ten. That's why; I would like Tetra to spend the night at your place. It's safer this way, in my opinion."

"Safer from what?" asked Tetra, after sitting down with her own plate of chicken.

"This neighborhood isn't the greatest, you know that. I just don't want you to be home alone for so long, that's all."

Tetra shrugged, "Okay, fine. Then Gonzo and I'll walk straight to school tomorrow morning."

Zelda took her sister's hand, "thanks."

Tetra didn't look her in the eye, but at Gonzo, "Yeah…"

The three then ate their dinner in silence. When they finished, Tetra cleaned up her and Gonzo's plate and the two headed into Tetra's bedroom to pack. Zelda let out a sigh once they were gone. On the outside, she knew she looked calm, complacent, but on the inside there was a whirlwind of emotion. Just because she perfected a poker face didn't mean she was a robot. On the contrary, it seemed that Zelda felt everything everyone else felt as well, probably as a way to make up for her own inability to portray emotion.

Zelda stood and stretched, then took her plate to the sink. She'd do the dishes tomorrow morning, since Tetra wasn't going to be there for breakfast. Zelda left the kitchen and made her way to Tetra's room, where the door was closed. Tetra and Gonzo were talking about something, but Zelda couldn't really make it out through the door. Plus, eavesdropping wasn't her thing. Her sister was a good girl too, there really was no need to feel suspicious, so did why she? Before Zelda could think twice, she lightly tapped on the door and opened it. The talking stopped.

Gonzo was sitting on Tetra's bed, while Tetra was in the closet, probably grabbing some clothes.

"Hey, Zelda," said Gonzo. Tetra, who was bent over something in the closet, stood up and turned to face her sister.

"Ah, sorry I forgot to ask. Need any help with the dinner dishes?"

Zelda smiled, "Nah, its fine. I'll wash them when I get back. You two have fun, okay? I'm headed out."

Tetra nodded and grinned mischievously at Gonzo as Zelda left Tetra's room for her own. She closed the door softly behind her and made her way to her bed. Underneath, she found a gray duffel bag. She knew that inside it would be everything she needed to dress as Sheik. A tight blue bodysuit that made her look slightly masculine in all the right areas, a torn white shirt with the mark of the Sheikah, a large dark blue eye with a single teardrop and a red iris. The Sheikah were a race that long ago perfected the art of espionage and stealth, so it made sense to Zelda to tap into their race for inspiration, since everyone in the vast land of Hyrule knew of them. Apparently, long ago, in the age of the Hero of Time, one of them had been the Princess of Destiny's bodyguard. It made Zelda feel slightly righteous, in an strange sort of way. Also in the duffel bag was a large white cowl that Zelda wrapped around her head and neck to shield her identity, she couldn't be too careful in that retrospect, and large blue gloves to cover her hands.

She placed the duffel bag on her bed and made her way to her vanity mirror. She quickly pulled her hair back into a long braid, inserting hair extensions where needed. Her hair was already long, but part of Sheik's image was being androgynous, so the longer the hair, the better. She then placed red eye contacts in, in case her cowl ever slipped and someone saw her face. It was all an act, an act she refused to be caught in before the Children of Darkness were.

"Zel! Gonzo and I are leaving now, see you later!" called Tetra.

"Alright, bye!" Zelda replied before slipping to her door and silently locking it. Tetra had tried before to walk in on Zelda changing into Sheik, and Zelda knew now to lock her door when she changed, so as not to be too suspicious. She already knew her sister suspected something was up, who leaves the house at 8 o'clock and then returns at all hours of the night? Someone who was up to no good, that's who. Zelda wasn't sure how much Tetra knew though, for all she knew Tetra thought she was a prostitute. Which would be better than a thief.

Zelda smiled sardonically to herself, a prostitute better than a thief? What kind of life was she living? Shaking her head, she quickly bandaged her ribs and changed into the bodysuit and cowl. As quiet as a mouse, she opened one of her windows and hopped out. Closing it without a sound, Zelda brought the cowl over her eyes. She was Sheik now. A different person, one with no emotions.

Grabbing hold of a drainpipe, Sheik quickly scaled the side of Zelda's house, until he was on the roof. Located on the far side of the roof, Sheik knew he was out of sight of the whole neighborhood, and with the speed he could travel; it was dubious that anyone would see him until he got to his destination. Leaping with the ease of a wild cat, and the same silence as one, Sheik leapt roof to roof until he was in a part of Castle Town that anyone who valued their life wouldn't dare to travel; the slums. Filled with dilapidated shanties and cardboard houses, it was the smudge mark of the fair Castle Town. The royal family had tried many times to clear this area out and make these people's lives better, but they were too far gone. At least every person had done some illegal activity, be it drugs or theft, and more than half of them had killed someone before. The prisons weren't large enough for everyone, and Hyrule didn't have capital punishment, so they let them be. The slums were prison enough.

In the back, there was a rundown casino, and that was where Sheik was headed. He dropped down from the roof of some shifty hotel down into an alley. The night was young, the shadows were long. It was easy for Sheik to blend in, to disappear. In a few minutes, he was at the entrance to the rundown casino, the peeling paint and tacky neon signs a testament to its age. There was a large door that led into the casino, but Sheik knew that around back, Zant had built his stronghold.

Walking back through a small secluded alleyway Sheik reached a door only noticeable by a small incandescent light bulb above it. Since it was turned on, Sheik knew Zant was expecting him. Lifting a small keypad off to the side of the door, Sheik typed in the passcode to let them know he was there: 66-76-87. A few moments later, the door buzzed and Sheik was emitted into the belly of the beast. He walked down a narrow hallway before he reached another door. This one was newer, it was made of stainless steel and bullet proof. It was the final barricade against any cop activity, should there ever be any. There was a small slit towards the top of the door, and as Sheik approached it, it moved to reveal two beady eyes. Sheik only stared back, knowing his cowl revealed nothing about his face.

A cruel laugh erupted from eyes' owner, "Ah… Look who's come crawling back to Father Zant? Sheik… the world's most famous thief."

No response, Sheik made it a point not to feed the animals.

"Trying to be cool, hmmm? Well whatever you little freak. Father Zant's not here, he has more… important things to do. Like a little birdy that came by here earlier, and Father Zant hasn't had his dinner yet."

Sheik winced inwardly at the crude information, but again, said nothing. The one speaking was someone known as Cole, a new addition to the Children of Darkness. He was interesting in a messed up sort of way, and was a rather crazy devil, but when placed next to Zant, he looked like a saint. Then again, almost everyone does. There was a rumor on the street that his favorite torture device was using starved rats… and Sheik hated rats. Cole had red hair, beady eyes, and was rather short, kind of like a leprechaun. He was probably standing on a stool in order to reach the slit in the door, a notion Sheik found rather amusing. But of course, he didn't show it on the outside.

"Anyway… Father Zant did tell me to leave you with this tasty tidbit. Since he knew you'd show up, you always do."

Sheik could imagine a toothy grin coming from the leprechaun, and how his way too sharp teeth probably looked like a lion's maw. It took every ounce of courage and strength Sheik had not to shudder.

"He said that our…informant has picked up on some very interesting news."

For the first time, Sheik spoke, using a gruff manly voice that took three years to perfect, "Out with it Cole."

A maniacal laugh, and then, "Ohhhh, testy! Let's just say that a certain Hylian Prince has taken an interest in you Sheik. You should be honored! That means you're on Hyrule's Most Wanted List! Ahahaha, I wonder if it's because they found that officers body? Oh what was his name… Ferrus? Ah whatever, I hoped he liked swimming with the Zoras, I mean Lake Hylia is such a nice drop off, don't you agree?"

Sheik felt sick, Zelda's emotions were overflowing into his own, but he bowed anyway.

"Thank you for the info," he said, "I will take it into account. Will that be all?"

Cole laughed shrilly, obviously pleased, "Yes… for now. Father Zant has decided to be courteous and has given you a week off. He knows that you will need time to prepare in case the Prince decides to show up at your next crime scene. We don't want you to be the stupid idiot that you are and get caught, and then spill your guts to the police, now do we? Now off with you, you disgust me."

Sheik stood stiffly and then made his way out of the narrow hallway. Only for jobs is he ever allowed passed that door Cole now stood behind, and the fact he didn't have to see the horrors behind it eased his mind. No nightmares tonight at least.

So, what did you think? It was pretty long, I know! I tried to make these chapters longer, because in my other story they were too short. Also, I think it's important to note that there are no guns in Hyrule. Although it makes sense since there are never any guns in the LoZ universe, but I digress. Also, I promise to do weekly updates all throughout the summer. So same time next week? I'm looking forward to it! Oh, and don't forget to tell me what your thoughts on Codega are, reviews make me really happy!