Disclaimers/Claims: I do not own Zelda...sadly. If I did, it wouldn't be fanfiction.

Warnings: YAOI! Lots and lots of smutty man-sex (eventually). Mostly Link x Sheik, with a few other couples. If this bothers you, then discontinue reading.

Notes: Ok, I shall no longer try and predict next chapters. Bad things happen when I do. Anyways, again, I'm sorry for the hueg delay.

Ok, so this chapter was fun and a new character is introduced. Along with the other main character. Guh, I'm tired. ;-; Also, not proofread. Deal with it.

PCpencil


Lon Lon Ranch was about fifteen miles from Hyrule Market. At a full gallop, Epona could make it there in well under an hour, but pulling the cart Epona's break-neck speeds would be dangerous; doubly so with Link as a passenger. So Malon kept the horse at a brisk trot and after about ten minutes, the hot summer sun began to set. The ride was bumpy and jarred Link, but the sack of grain kept him relatively cushioned.

They sat in silence: Malon straight and beautiful astride her powerful beast; Link slouched and slightly filthy behind her in the rickety little cart. He thought of striking up a conversation, but could not think of anything worth-while to say. The silence was not awkward or uncomfortable, so he decided to keep his eyes forward, on the ever-nearing walls of Lon Lon Ranch.

Five minutes passed, and a terrible crashed boom ahead. With a startled grunt, Epona half-reared and Malon was soon soothing her with her voice. Link was at attention at once; he hopped up onto his feet, squatting in the cart, hands braced on the sides. Within seconds, several shouts emitted from Lon Lon Ranch, followed by the unmistakable squeals of many frightened horses.

Link held his breath. Epona fidgeted and snorted nervously. Malon seemed frozen on her horse's back.

"Daddy…" she whispered, and a dozen horses burst through the entrance to the Ranch.

Link watched as the terrified creatures were herded to the left, towards the general direction of the stream and Kakariko Village. Behind them, atop an elegant dapple stallion, a black-cloaked, hooded figure whooped loudly and brandished a riding crop. Link could tell from the voice that he was male.

Within seconds of the horses appearing and before Link could react, Malon had ripped the leather straps for the cart away from the saddle. The cart tilted forward and Link lost his balance ungracefully. "Bastard!" Malon cried and kicked Epona. With a great whinny, the horse leapt forward into a charging gallop.

"Malon, no!" Link called after her once her had righted himself, but Epona, amazing horse that she was, had already nearly caught up to the cloaked rider.

In Malon's hands was a long looped rope. The ranch girl twirled it over her head as Epona drew up beside the dapple stallion. The man hadn't even time to look over at Malon before she flung the rope at him. It caught around his torso, trapping his arms, and faster than Link's jaw could drop, Malon was wrapping the end of the rope around the horn of her saddle while gripping back on the reins. Epona halted immediately, snorting, her hind hooves digging into the earth. The rope snapped taut, and the thief was ripped from his saddle. He landed with a grunt and a dull thud, rolling several times before coming to a halt on his side. In a flash Malon was out of her saddle and running towards the downed man.

Link sprang into a run. What was Malon thinking!? His left hand instinctively flew behind his head, groping for a sword hilt, only to grasp air. Link gritted his teeth, knowing that, although he was a bit skilled in hand-to-hand, he really wouldn't be much help without a weapon, especially if the thief was armed. His mind raced as he ran and watched the red-head shove the cloaked figure onto his stomach, straddling his back and pinning his shoulders down. Horse thief…probably Gerudo. But he was herding them the wrong way… Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a slender blue-clad figure galloping astride a black horse towards the scene of Malon screaming at the still-dazed man. A voice inside his head scoffed,

Man!? The Gerudo are women! 'One man born every hundred years,' and he would be a king, not a petty thief!

Then who…? But his thoughts were cut short when the blue figure leapt gracefully – cat-like – off the black horse's back and landed next to Malon. With little effort, the person wrenched the girl off the thief and held a dagger to her throat. Link was nearly ten feet away when the figure pulled Malon up to stand over the fallen man and faced Link.

"Halt, or I slit her throat!" cried a high masculine voice…or was it a low feminine voice? Either way, Link obeyed immediately. His throat was raw and his lungs pounded as he sucked in deep, gasping breaths. He raised his hands to show he held no weapons and watched the person carefully.

Judging by height – about four or five inches taller than Malon – Link guessed the figure was male. His blue-and-white outfit was skin tight and showed off a muscled, albeit slightly feminine, body. A single crimson eye bore into Link from behind a parted curtain of pale blonde. The top of his head was wrapped in what looked to be bandages and the rest of his face was hidden by a strange cowl.

Link made a soft choking sound in the back of his throat. He felt his heart skip, his breath catch his head spin, his skin prickle with goose bumps. But…why?

Some one groaned and the three looked down. The thief had escaped the rope and was on his hands and knees. He stood slowly with another pained groan; his hood fell back as he straightened, revealing an exceedingly handsome face, shiny, violet shoulder-length hair with a thick lock on each side that framed his face, and elegant, blood-red eyes.

Again, Link nearly fell over, but this time he knew exactly why.

K-Kafei!?

So many thoughts swarmed through Link's head at once; questions, confusion, panic. He was older than Link remembered him being when they first met in Termina, but younger than he had been at his wedding to Anju. As he dusted himself off and ran a gloved hand back through his violet locks, Link swore he only looked a couple years older than himself. Then the Kafei look-alike stood straight with an air of authority and smiled.

Malon scoffed in disbelief. "…Prince Keifar?" She sputtered. "But—why would—you idiot, I'll have your ba—" she tried to lunge forward but the man in blue tightened his grip and cut her off.

"You will not threaten the Prince!"

"He tried to steal my horses!"

"I'd have gotten away with it, too, had you not caught up." Keifar stated matter-of-factly, crossing his arms. His ruby eyes traveled down Malon's form slowly, deliberately, and his small smile crooked into a smirk.

Malon could only stare, jaw dropped in disbelief at the situation.

Keifar continued, either unaware of Malon's disgust with him or ignoring it entirely. "I must say, I thought I was up against a man, with your strength. Such a fiery demeanor, m'lady…" Blood locked with sky.

The red-head struggled futily against her captor; the slight man behind her was apparently much stronger than he appeared. "How dare you!" she yelled. "You think that just because you're a prince you can steal horses? You hot-headed, arrogant bastard!" Her arm was twisted and she cried out.

Link growled in anger and rushed forward. He gripped the smaller man's arms, trying to wrench them away from Malon, but he only tightened his hold again.

"Let her go!" Link shouted furiously.

"Enough!"

The three froze and glanced to Keifar. His suave and charming countenance had been replaced with a stern face and tense posture. He approached them, stride straight and perfect and graceful, and placed his hand on the blue-clad man's shoulder.

"It's alright," he said softly. "Release her."

As soon as the command was given Malon was shoved forward into Link, the small man's red eyes glaring daggers at the blonde. He caught her and held her tightly, unaware of the sour look being cast his way.

"Are you alright?" Link asked urgently. Malon leaned into him for a moment, but then gently pushed away.

"I'm fine," she huffed, brushing off her tunic and pointed refusing to make eye contact with Keifar, who smiled handsomely at her anyways.

Link's eyes fell upon the small blonde. He was no longer glaring, but rather staring transfixed at Link. His expression was odd and caught the Hero of Time off guard; a mixture of confusion, pain, and recognition. Once again, Link's head started to spin and his skin prickled. The feeling was spreading through his chest to his gut and intensified the longer he watched the man. He blinked and quickly averted his gaze, settling his blue eyes on Malon instead, who had wandered away to try to round up her scattered and wary horses.

"I apologise for my body guard's behavior." Prince Keifar's smooth voice reached Link's ears. He tore his eyes away from Malon to look at him. The 'body guard' stood with unintentional elegance next to him, his eyes downcast. Keifar smiled when he had Link's attention and spoke again.

"Sheik tends to go overboard with his duties."

And suddenly, pain shot through Link's head. His eyes widened and he gasped out.

Sheik…?

His vision blurred and a voice erupted inside his head; soft and stern and articulate, echoing through his mind, followed by flashes of blonde and crimson.

"You really do look like the Hero of Time—"

"—sound concerned for my safety."

"—not something that was meant to be seen."

"I really like you."

"I'm so sorry!"

"Stay back, Link!"

"I'll always love you. No matter what."

Link gasped again, his stomach churning. He tried to grasp his head, to steady himself, to stop the pounding in his mind. He barely heard Keifar's concerned voice as he swayed where he stood. Tears welled in his eyes.

Sheik…how…I…I'm sorry…how could I have forgotten…?

Blurred, unfocused sight became black. His legs were suddenly gone and he was falling, falling into name on the stale air never registered in his mind; the only thing he heard, the only thing that mattered as he fell into oblivion was Sheik's perfect voice. Speaking clearly above the ringing in his ears.

"I'll never forget you, Link."

But I...forgot you...


A/N: Hope you liked that as much as I liked writing it. Plz reviewwww. Not sure when next chapter will be up. :(