Ike laid on the princess's bed, curled up in a big blue ball of fluff, his tail over his nose. He watched the rather bitchy old lady Impa as she helped Zelda from her dress, his eyes following the golden clasps as they caught the light. If he wasn't so comfortable on her bed he might've chased after the sparkles they cast on the wall, but damn was he comfortable. He opted instead to pay close attention to her dress falling to the floor, a simple white shift hiding most of her body from view. Impa droned on about various upcoming events as Zelda stepped from the gown over to her vanity. Ike hated to move, but rolled over to keep her in his sight. She undid the simple braid that bound her hair, her locks spilling free like living things with their own free will. With a look at the hovering Impa, Zelda picked up her brush and began running it through her hair, Ike wishing he was in his human body to run his fingers through it.

"Damn you're beautiful," he meowed at her and she gave him a smile through the polished mirror. "The rumors don't do you justice."

"Impa," she said casually, her eyes still on Ike through the mirror, "send for the royal jeweler tomorrow."

"Of course," Impa bowed her head once in acknowledgement.

"Well then," Zelda stood from her vanity and slipped on a silky robe, Ike very tempted to paw at the sash as it dangled there tauntingly, "the bath should be filled by now."

"Bath?" If Ike had eyebrows to quirk up, one would be halfway up his forehead at that. Zelda and Impa moved to leave her room and Ike lithely hopped to the floor to follow.

XxX

If watching Zelda slip out of her dress wasn't an impressive enough sight, watching her pull the shift from her form just about made Ike's day. Her lean body was his idea of perfection with her pale skin and not so ample chest, not a blemish in sight. He leapt from the tiled floor onto the side of the massive bath, sniffing the water curiously to distract himself from the vision. She laughed lightly and he turned his head to see her right beside him, his eyes level with her flat stomach. "They scent the water with oils for my skin," she said as she dipped one hand beneath the surface. She withdrew the hand quickly, a scowl coming to her lips.

"What's wrong?" he meowed at her.

"They always make the water so cold," she explained as she shook the drops from her fingers. Ike moved along the side of the tub and licked at her forefinger, her giggling as his rough tongue scraped against her soft skin. "It's supposed to be good for my complexion... Watch this," she gave him a wink and moved her hand from where it was by Ike. He watched curiously as she held her hand palm down over the still surface, not sure what she was up to. A small bloom of fire leapt from her outstretched palm, Ike jumping in shock. It wasn't that wide of a perch on the side of the tub, and Ike felt the solid ground give way to wetness as he went over the side. The water rushed up to greet him and Ike scrambled for the surface, the shock spooking him more than anything.

"Kitty!" she laughed as his head broke the surface again, Ike sending her a glare as he found his footing in the massive tub. He shook the excess water from his head, noting the warmth of the water around his shoulders.

"You warmed it up," he mewled at her and she giggled as she put one foot and then the other in, Ike's discomfort about being surrounded by water forgotten as she eased herself into the steaming tub.

"I didn't mean to startle you," she explained as she leaned against the back of the tub. "But at least it was warm when you fell in."

"Yes," he meowed sarcastically, "thank you for that." He watched her eyes close as she tilted her head back, finding himself annoyed that the water floated just high enough to hide her chest. Deciding to push his newfound freedom with this form, Ike moved over to her, rubbing his head against the exposed skin of her upper chest, a loud purr rumbling from his body. She smiled down at him, her hand running over his damp head.

"Look at me, bathing with such a handsome man and I don't even know his name," she laughed lightly at her own joke and Ike huffed as he turned his back to her.

"If I were in my regular body this situation would be scandalous," he meowed as he scampered up the side of the tub, finding his body twenty times heavier with water clinging to his fur. He set about licking his chest and paws, feeling Zelda's eyes on him. After a futile attempt to dry himself that way he turned his head to her, letting out a pathetic meow.

"You poor thing," she cooed as she moved to sit up, her hands wrapping around his wet body. She pulled him from the side of the tub, his attempts to cling to it going unnoticed as she sat back with him held tightly to her chest. "Let me soak a moment, then we'll get you dried off."

"I'll never be dry again," he whined forlornly and she placed a gentle kiss to the top of his head.

XxX

She stepped from the tub, Ike rather enjoying watching her naked backside as she dried off with a plush towel. He sat there for a moment, watching her dab at her skin, wishing he could help. After she was sufficiently dry she turned back to him and held out the towel. "Come on, I've got a busy day tomorrow and need to sleep... Well busy assuming that lord shows up." He scoffed as he scampered out of the tub, landing on his feet with a wet plop of fur.

"I'm right here," he muttered, his meow making her smile. She wrapped the warm towel around him and he let out a shudder, happy when she hoisted him into her arms.

"We'll cuddle up until you dry my sweet," she cooed lightly, Ike shivering in her arms until they made it to her bed. She eased him onto the blankets and he sat there, hoping he didn't look as pathetic as he felt. She sat beside him and ran a different towel over his fur, him shutting his eyes against the sensation. "You'll be dry in no time," she commented and he looked back at her, noting the soft smile on her lips as she took care of him.

"A man could really fall for you," he admitted as she worked, a sigh working out of him at his meow.

"You're a talkative little thing... Well, not so little," she amended and rubbed the towel down his back slowly. "I know male cats can be more vocal, but you seem to almost respond to me sometimes... Maybe I'm just being ridiculous."

"You're not being ridiculous," he meowed. "I am responding to you."

"I wish I could understand you," she sighed as she tossed the towel to the floor and climbed under her covers, Ike moving to follow. She smiled as he settled in next to her, her arm wrapping around his middle. Ike couldn't help but purr in content, not oblivious to her naked body warming his.

"I like you Princess," he meowed softly as her eyes began to droop. He rubbed his face against hers a little and shut his eyes, his own purr lulling him to sleep.

XxX

Ike dreamed of running in a field he had never seen before, the princess laughing at his side. He realized with relief he was in his normal body, their hands were clasped together, and when she finally stopped to gasp down air she wore an intricate band on her left hand ring finger. The white gold spiraled from the base of the finger to the middle knuckle, diamonds littering the surface. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the cool metal, his eyes locked on hers.

"This could be us," she said and her voice held such sadness Ike wanted to kiss it away.

"If I can break this curse and win your unwilling heart," he said with a scowl and she smiled at him, a cool hand touching his cheek.

"You'll find a way," she said with such earnest honesty he wanted to believe her.

"How? I can't talk to you and tell you-"

"Try harder Ike," she said firmly, her eyes now glaring. "Fight the urge to be what you are now... You'll find a way to tell me." She backed away from him then and he tried to grab her.

"Don't go," he begged and she shrugged.

"I have to."

XxX

Ike jumped into consciousness, feeling his fur standing on end. He relaxed slowly, feeling Zelda's arm around his middle tighten protectively. He looked over at her beautiful face illuminated by the pale moon hanging high in the night sky, trying to process what his dream was telling him. How could he tell her who he was?

XxX

The next morning dawned with Ike sitting on the window sill, watching the birds flutter to and fro, his tail flicking despite his best efforts. "What are you doing silly boy?" Zelda's voice pulled him from his silent thoughts and he turned to see her sitting up in the bed, not a care in the world that her chest was visible.

"Enjoying the view," he meowed at her and hopped from the window to the floor. Just as he was considering hopping into her bed she stood up and grabbed her robe from the small seat at the foot of the bed.

"I had the strangest dream last night... It's fading now but I was in a field with a man I've never seen before," she shook her head as she slipped the robe on, smiling at Ike. "It's gone now whatever it was."

"We had the same dream," he let out a tiny meow of shock.

"I wonder if the lord has shown up yet," she mused, completely forgetting her very important dream and Ike ran in front of her.

"I'm Ike," he meowed insistently. "I. Am. Ike." Every meow made her eyebrows crease farther.

"Are you hungry my pet?" she asked and he felt like dropping his head in exasperation.

"I'm Ike, I'm the missing lord, I'm..." he trailed off and moved to the vanity, an idea coming to him. He leapt to the small vials of makeup; light colors meant to tint the skin he would never understand. With a determined paw he reached out and smacked one to its side, the pale pink powder coming out in a puff.

"Kitty," Zelda sighed as she walked over to him and he quickly swiped his paw in the dust, trying to form the letters of his name. He barely made out the line for an "i" when he felt her grip him.

"Dammit," he growled and tried to wiggle from her fingers.

"Come on now," she pulled him to her chest and he huffed. "Let's not make a mess."

"I'm not I'm trying to spell my name," he snapped, her staring at him curiously. Very slowly she set him back on the vanity, Ike moving back to the pile of powder. He did his best with an uncooperative paw to spell out his name, the "k" was almost unrecognizable and the "e" looked almost like an "o". He sat back to see if it was legible at all and found he could read it, so he turned to Zelda. "Read this." His meow made her walk to the vanity, her brows furrowed at the shapes drawn in the pink dust.

"I-K-"

"Good morning Princess!" a very chipper maid waltzed in, not a care in the world for the pink powder flying up in a pink cloud that made Ike sneeze. He kept sneezing, his entire body shaking with them, and heard Zelda stifle a giggle. One very annoyed cat glare at the intruder had the poor maid frozen in fear, Ike feeling like ripping her throat out in pure annoyance.

"It was fucking hard to write my name you imbecile," he growled, his tail slapping the vanity with force.

"Princess wh-what is that?" the maid asked and Ike raised his head, the perfect picture of a proud cat.

"I'm the Radiant Hero bitch," he said with a slow blink as he felt Zelda's hand caress his back gently.

"This is my cat, I found him in the gardens yesterday," she explained and the maid just stared at Ike.

"I don't believe it to be a normal cat m'lady," the woman barely breathed the words and Ike felt like rolling his eyes.

"No I'm sure normal for Hyrule includes blue gigantic cats that were originally lords!" he meowed sarcastically at the pale blonde girl still standing there staring at him.

"He's most certainly not normal," Zelda said as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Now then," she dropped all the warmth from her voice and moved to the maid, "fetch me the dress I set out last night, with the gold belt."

"Yes m'lady," she bowed her head and with one last worried look at Ike, vanished into the side room.

"You were spelling something," Zelda whirled on him, her eyes shining curiously. "I don't know everything about cats but I know cats cannot spell."

"Put it together, come on," he begged with a meow.

"I... K..." her brow furrowed in thought and Ike rubbed his face against her hand, silently encouraging her. "You meow every time the lord from Crimea comes up," she said distractedly and he tried to bow his head in a nod.

"Come on beautiful," he coaxed with a soft meow.

"I know Crimea has many creatures we don't know about here..."

"You're going in the wrong direction," he meowed in exasperation.

"Are you... Are you Lord Ike's cat?"

"Are you shitting me?"

XXX

So close Zelda! Ha, I wanted to write a scene where she's so close to the mark but so far off. Anyway, thank you for reading and thanks to my reviewers last chapter: guest, concisponci, robotortoise, and Chibi-Aibou-Midna! Also, side note: today is my birthday yay! Show some love by leaving a review? Much love, Leigh