Start time: December 19, 2006; 11:49 AM, PST
Chapter eleven. NOTE: If you can't picture the triangular cut Link has, think about the one people like Usher have.
"Class is over, kiddies!"

The entire classroom erupted in loathing groans as Link looked at them with a slight sweat drop running down his cheek.

It was last period on a Friday afternoon, and the dismissal bell had just rung, signaling the last school day of the year and the official beginning of Winter Break. It was four days after Link's ordeal with Rauru in his apartment, and he thought that it was best that Zelda was kept ignorant of their little argument.

"Jeez, guys!" Link cried out through soft chuckles. "It's Friday and it's sixth period! Winter Break starts today! Two weeks of no school! You'd think you'd be out the door by now, thanking the goddesses that it's the weekend!"

The class laughed heartily in unison at his half-sarcastic remark.

"But we were having so much fun!" Nabooru responded, gathering her books as she spoke.

That day, Link conducted an in-class project that his middle school history teacher did to him when he was in school. It was kind of like a court case, where everyone assumed the roles of different historical figures in ancient Hyrule. It was trying the King of Evil for his unleashing chaos throughout the land versus the people of Hyrule to see if his actions were justified or not, with Link himself taking the role of the judge. A group of students were assigned as the jury; some were the lawyers and attorneys for the plaintiff- who was the Hero of Time and the Princess of Hyrule; the rest were assigned roles as townsfolk such as the Gorons, Kokiris, Zoras, and lastly the six sages, all of whom presented their own cases, urging the jury to convict the King of Evil. On the side of the defendant were the King of Evil and his lawyers, the Gerudo, and the surrogate mothers of the King of Evil, the twin sorceresses, who in turn tried to persuade the jury into acquitting the King of Evil.

"You guys were having that much fun, eh?" Link asked them, scratching his head. The entire class made like bobble heads and nodded up and down.

"Heh… I can't blame you, though; I was the same when my teacher did this project."

"So you shouldn't be talking!" Kafei snapped back smartly with a smile.

Link laughed and brushed a few strands of hair from his face. "Touché."

"Boy, you sure do like that term, don't ya?" Fado asked, walking up to him.

Link looked down at him with a smile. He had to admit that he and Fado had their share of resemblances and similarities; they both had shaggy blonde hair; they both had some sort of musical aptitude: Fado played the violin in the school orchestra, and Link played the guitar and the ocarina on a number of occasions; Fado was also one of his best students- as far as academics go.

"So what if I do?" Link retorted jokingly, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm just sayin' is all!" Fado defended, holding his hands in the air protectively.

"Good, now get outta here." Link stated, ruffling his hand rapidly through Fado's gold locks.

"Hey, watch the hair!" Fado snapped lightheartedly, slapping Link's hand out of his hair. The rest of the class laughed and slowly shuffled out of the room.

"Whoa there, mister conceited…" Link replied smiling, withdrawing his hand.

Fado rolled his eyes and started for the door to join the rest of the class, but before he left, he stopped shortly to speak to the teacher.

"Are you gonna stop by to see me and orchestra perform at the super pep rally?" Fado asked with a glisten of hope in his eyes.

"When is it?"

"The Friday after break ends. It's during lunch."

Link winked and gave him thumbs up. "I'll be there."

Fado nodded happily and started out the open door. "Cool! See ya later, Link!"

"Have a nice weekend, Fado!" Link called out after him.

He walked over to his desk to gather his papers and books and stuffed them into his backpack and set it slowly on the floor. He slumped down into his chair and rested his elbows on the desk, folding his arms.

Four days. In those four days he could have thought about something to remedy the situation with Zelda, but dismally came up short. Whenever Rauru passed him by in the hallways or the teacher's lounge, it was always the same taunting remarks. "How's our promise coming along?" "Have you found a way yet?" "How does it feel to be under so much pressure?" He was under enough stress as it is; he didn't need Rauru's badgering to make it worse- as if it could get any worse.

'As if it could get any worse.'

Then he thought about Zelda. She had skipped her last two periods to go to the doctor's to get a pregnancy test, after Link's much urging and pressing, as if she wasn't smart enough to do it without his asking. Zelda text messaged him during fifth period, saying that she would be back at the school around dismissal time with the news. Ever since then, he had been waiting impatiently, apprehensively pacing in his mind at what kind of information he would get from her.

"Knock, knock." He heard a voice speak softly.

Link abruptly turned to see Zelda at the door, smiling at him.

"Hello," she spoke.

He merely smiled weakly and waved. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"How did it go?" Link asked, getting up from his seat.

"The waiting was terrible, as always." The female joked.

He smiled and approached her, wrapping his arms around her. "Are you… you know…"

Zelda shook her head and looked at him. "Am I what?"

"You know… 'Knocked up'?"

She slightly cringed and swatted her hand against his chest. "Don't say it like that! It sounds so vulgar."

The male Hylian rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Whatever. But really, Zelda. Quit beating around the bush; are you pregnant?"

"…What would you do if I said yes?"

Upon her question, Link immediately turned a sickly sea green color. "Are you saying… you are?"

"I never said that," Zelda rationalized, "I just asked what you would do if I was pregnant."

"So you aren't…" Link whispered quizzically. "You wouldn't have emphasized the 'was' if you were."

"Just because I emphasize a past-tense word, it automatically means I'm not pregnant?"

"Damn it, Zelda!" He cried in frustration. He let her go and walked away; turning so his back was facing her. "You play around too much!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked through giggles.

"This is no laughing matter!" Link shot back, turning around. "My child could be there in your womb as we speak," he pointed to her belly area, "and you make jokes about it!?"

"Hold your cuccos, Link! I'm not pregnant!" Zelda exclaimed, laughing at his expense.

"Do you know how…" He stopped mid-sentence and his eyes widened. "W… what was that?"

"I said I'm not pregnant!" She repeated, marginally raising her voice.

The young man beamed widely and dashed over to her and scooped the poor girl into his arms.

"Link!" She squealed in delight. "Put me down!" She started beating against his chest, and he laughed in reply, proceeding to spin her around.

After much protesting, he complied with part of her request and stopped spinning, but didn't ground her.

Link felt as if a heavy burden was just lifted off of his shoulders. If it weren't for the circumstances he was under, he would have cursed the goddesses that she wasn't expectant. But at any rate, he would be more than happy to help her care for a child if she were pregnant; it would be indecent and immoral for him not to, since it would be his child that she would be laden with.

He looked down at the girl in his arms and smiled warmly at her, and she beamed in return. She encircled her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a passionate kiss. He moaned deeply into her mouth and trailed soft kisses down her neck and ended at her cleavage, which was amply exposed by her top, but not to the point that she looked promiscuous.

"I love you, Zelda…" He groaned, his voice filled with desire and need.

"I love you too, Link…" She whispered. "But let's just remember… that it was this kind of behavior that got us into this whole mess in the first place."

Her reminder caused him to stop almost instantaneously and looked up at her with a half smile. "…Right."

The female chuckled and buried her face in his neck, nuzzling his warmth. Link then sensed someone was watching them.

He looked up at the door, and through the narrow window on it was Rauru staring at him with a very serious face.

Outside the door, the aged man gazed intently at the young Hylian glaring back at him.

'So she is not pregnant after all,' Rauru mused as he overheard the duo's conversation from out the door. 'No matter… He still has a long way to go before he's out of the Lost Woods…'

Link hardened his gaze at the old man staring at him through the window. Time seemed to have frozen as they bored their fixated glares on one another. He saw an eerie, spine tingling malevolent grin appear on Rauru's face, and the older man slowly walked away, not taking his eyes off of him.

Zelda felt him tense and she lifted her head to look up at him with wondering eyes. "What's the matter?"

He snapped back to reality and looked down to see her staring at him concernedly. He shook his head and smiled.

"Nothing," he reassured. He slowly and reluctantly set her down on her feet, and she dusted off her miniskirt.

"…How about you and I go to Lake Hylia tomorrow to commemorate your non-pregnancy?" Link offered, quickly lightening the mood. "We could go swimming at the beach or something!"

Zelda laughed. "Are you serious? Swimming in December?"

"Sure! I mean, it never gets cold in southern Hyrule!" Even Link had to admit that he was overreacting just a tad bit, but then again, who wouldn't, especially taking the whole situation into account?

"Well… I have a lot of chores tomorrow…"

Link's smile faltered depressingly. "Aww, come on Zel! I mean, could you resist this face?" He put on his most charming grin and tilted his head to the side, poking his dimples with his index fingers and turning them slightly.

Zelda's resolved weakened and she gave in. "I… suppose they can wait..."

Link beamed widely and hugged her tightly. "Great! You'll have a fun time!" He kissed her of the lips softly and stroked her cheek with his thumb lovingly. "I promise."

Zelda put her hand on his back of his own and nodded slowly with a smile.

'And this is a promise I know damn well for sure I won't break.'

11:09 AM: ZELDA'S HOUSE

After much begging on Zelda's part, she talked her parents into letting her go to Lake Hylia that day, although they were quite reluctant to do so. Then again, Zelda has been working very hard in school as always, and they figured that she could use a break.

She sat at her desk, clad in a white short sleeved shirt that showed her midriff and a red plaid miniskirt with a blue bikini underneath, talking to Saria and Malon. Those two were the only people she told about what went on in Link's apartment last weekend, and being the faithful friends they were, did not tell another soul about it. She offered for them to come with her and Link, but they refused, with Malon saying that she was busy at the ranch and Saria was working later today, and even if they were available, they both told her that they would refuse anyway because it was "Zellie and Linky time."

"Zelda!" A male voice called from outside her open window.

She whirled over to look at her window to see where the voice was coming from. She got up from her desk and leaned out to see Link looking up at her from the front seat passenger window.

"Let's go, Zel!" He exclaimed, exuberantly.

The female laughed and nodded, closing her window. She picked up her backpack filled with sunscreen, a blanket, a towel, and other things, and quickly typed a farewell to Malon and Saria before turning off her computer. She ran down the stairs and past her parents so quickly that she almost made them spin.

"I'm going now!" She told them. She ran back and kissed them on the cheek quickly and started for the door.

"Bye, Zelda!" Her mom yelled.

"Have fun, sweetheart!" Her dad called.

Zelda waved goodbye and closed the door behind her. Her parents laughed softly at her antics and went back to cleaning.

"Have you seen that boy?" Her father asked.

"From the window," her mother replied. "Why do you ask?"

He stopped pushing the swiffer duster across the floor and rested his chin on the tip of the handle. "What does he look like?"

"He's a fine looking young man. The spittin' image of the Hero of Time himself!" She gushed.

The Harkinian patriarch chuckled and rubbed his chin. "That so, eh? How old does he look?"

"About seventeen or eighteen, I think. Probably no older than twenty-one."

He nodded and his wife went on. "He looks like he has a lot of knowledge in that head of his."

"Oh really?" He looked out the window to see Link helping Zelda into the car like a true gentleman. He looked back at his wife and continued to sweep the floor with his swiffer duster. "He does look like quite the genius… I bet he'd make one hell of a teacher."

11:32 AM: LAKE HYLIA

From Hyrule Castle Town, it would usually take a few hours to get to Lake Hylia on foot, but seeing as how this is the twenty-first century and not medieval Hyrule; it takes a little under half an hour by car.

When Link and Zelda got there, there were a lot of people, but not a ridiculous amount. It was mainly Zoras who travel through the tunnel that leads to here from Zora's Domain, a giant rock shelter grotto that is home to the Zora population, oh which there are a little over one million; some Gerudo who most likely are trying to escape the sweltering heat the Desert Colossus and Gerudo Valley experiences year-round, and some tourists from the neighboring countries of Termina, Labrynna, Holodrum, and Koholint Island.

Lake Hylia itself is the most expansive lake in the world; some parts of which are too remote to venture out too- even for the Zora. It's so vast that you can't see the lake's end from the main shore, and some even wonder if it's really a lake, or merely a small bay that opens out into the ocean that borders Termina; the horizon is that far out. The water is said to be blessed with small but strong healing powers, being that it is fed by the holy Zora's River, which starts southeast atop a high plateau above Zora's Domain known as Zora's Fountain, flows down a waterfall northwards passing by the entrance to Kakariko Village, then west across the northern border of Hyrule Field, serving as a now obsolete moat for Hyrule Castle Town, making its way south as it cuts through the deep canyon of Gerudo Valley, eventually ending up here. The Water Temple, a shrine built by the Zoras to honor the water spirits, is submerged beneath the lake's crystal depths, which served as a key point in the Hero of Time's quest to save Hyrule from the King of Evil. The Water Temple is off guards to all except the members of the Zora Royal Family, but even without the off-limits law, there is very little chance that anyone would be able to even reach it, since it is so far down the lake's deepness that only Zoras can reach it, or a human wearing a special garment enabling underwater breathing that is issued by the Zora Royal Family. On a map of Hyrule, to the north is Gerudo Valley, to the west is the Great Bay, a large ocean that Lake Hylia is rumored to be an inlet of, to the south is Labrynna, and to the east is the Lost Woods, a vast area of woodland forest that is aptly named due to the fact that many a traveler go in, but almost never do they come out. There is also a lakeside laboratory, home to an eccentric scientist who is rumored to have lived hundreds, maybe thousands of years past his original lifetime due to an "elixir of life" that he made, and it was said that he met the Hero of Time himself during his quest to emancipate Hyrule from the King of Evil's reign. There is a fishing pond adjacent to the lake that is home to a very rare type of fish: the Hylian Loach. Only five hundred remain in existence due to overfishing in Hyrule's history, with five living in the pond, twenty living in captivity at the Hylian International Zoo in Hyrule Castle Town, and the rest making its home in the pristine waters of Lake Hylia. Under Hylian Government jurisdiction, if you catch the fish in the pond, you are required to let loach back into the water, and failure to do so, or inflicted harm on these fish, will result in a fine that can reach as low as a hundred thousand rupees, and as high as a few million. There is also an affluent seaside resort village, filled with upscale designer stores and five star hotels and eateries, which is home to a couple thousand people, but are very wealthy as they control the tourism activity that goes on in this lake, and since Lake Hylia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, you can imagine that they rake in 'the big money' on a very regular basis.

"Have you ever been here before?" Link asked as he let a warm breeze sweep past him. He altered his aviator glasses so the sun's rays didn't get in his eyes.

"Only a couple times," Zelda replied. "How about you?"

"Once a summer," he responded. "Mainly with friends."

They walked down across the grass until it eventually became sand. Link stopped for a second to take off his Converse shoes and Zelda slipped out of her platform sandalettes, and they continued barefoot across the white sand, dodging the occasional beach ball here and there.

After a few minutes, they finally found the perfect spot to settle. It was within a short walking distance within the water, but not so close that everything would wash away into the lake once a tide sets in, it was far enough from the many beach volleyball nets and Frisbee games around so that they didn't get hit by anything, and it was fairly close to the restrooms and the numerous food stalls around the area. Link pulled a giant blanket from his backpack and laid it out on the warm sand.

Zelda slowly took off her shirt, causing many of the young men around them, most of who looked like high school seniors and college frat boys, to gawk at her toned stomach. She pulled down her short skirt to reveal her bikini thong and her sensual legs, which was more than enough to blind many of the males- including Link- with desire ten times over.

Link also pulled his tank top over his head, his taut muscles flexing as he did so, an action that caused almost all of the females around him; some of the girls in the middle of volleyball games were hit by beach balls due to their lack of attention to the game because they were too distracted by Link. He stretched out his arms quickly, loosening his limbs and pulled down his green cargo shorts marginally, revealing his triangular cut that went from his hips and went diagonally down his hips.

Zelda did the trust fall onto the blanket and landed with a soft 'oomph.' Link laughed at her and pulled out a giant umbrella and popped it open, laying it down so that the shade covered Zelda's face from the sun.

"Any better?" He asked. She nodded and opened her eyes to look at him. "Very much so," she replied.

Zelda reached for her backpack and pulled out a tube of sunscreen and handed it to the male blonde.

"Would you allow me to honor you by applying it to my back?" She asked with a stuck-up tone. Link chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, princess…"

She laughed and he took the sunscreen from her and helped her sit up. He popped open the cap with his thumbnail and squeezed a generous amount of the contents onto his hands. He set the container aside and rubbed his hands vigorously together and pressed them onto the girl's back. She yelped in surprise, to Link's amusement, and he rubbed his hands up and down her back.

"Mmm…" She groaned. She pulled her legs closer to her and rested her chin between her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs. She looked out to the water, watching the kids splash around freely.

"Done," Link told her. Zelda turned to look at him smiling at her. She thanked him and grabbed the sun tan lotion.

"How about we do the front side, now?" He asked slyly, reaching out for her chest. She squealed and swatted his hands away from getting any closer. "Eww, Link!"

He laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Just a suggestion is all!"

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small vial of sunscreen. "Can you put some on my back?"

The female blonde nodded and reciprocated his actions, applying the sunscreen over his lower back, up to his scapula, and massaged some onto his shoulders.

"There," she said, handing the tiny container to him.

"Thanks." He took the vial and set it aside. He leaned over to Zelda and took her hand in his, leading her to the water.

They spent the next few hours, wading in the water, playing water tag in the deep ends and chasing each other in the sand. The two fished over at the fishing pond shortly, and they ended up on a wooden bridge connecting the mainland to a small island. Zelda was standing over the edge, watching the waves lick the sand and the many children play in the tides.

Link approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I still can't believe I caught that giant lunker, and you got a soggy old boot!" Zelda cried in a fit of giggles.

Link rolled her eyes and shook his head. "Whatever, Zel. I just lost my concentration is all."

The young girl's giggles turn into a hearty laugh at his excuse. "You're too cute!"

"Is that so?" He asked, with a growing hint of playfulness in his voice. Zelda took notice and raised an eyebrow. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh, nothing…" The boy smirked. He took a firm hold on her shoulders and pushed her into the lake.

Zelda screamed in terror, her voice echoing throughout the area, causing some attention to her and Link, and just before she fell off the bridge, Link took her by the shoulders again and retracted her back onto the bridge.

She whirled around to Link caught in a ringing laughter at her expense. "You're hilarious!" The male cried out.

"That was so rude!" Zelda pouted, placing her hands on her hips in a sassy manner.

"I really needed that laugh," he proclaimed, wiping a tear from his eye as his laughter slowly died down. Zelda cocked an eyebrow and gave him a playful shove over the bridge. "Oops!"

Link stumbled back and fell head first into the water in a giant splash. Zelda laughed loudly as Link resurfaced, rapidly shaking his hair like a wet dog. He looked up at her and wiped the water droplets off his face.

"What the hell was that for!?" He yelled.

The female tried to suppress her laughter and answered his question. "You know what they say Link: karma's a bitch and so am I!" She stuck her tongue out and kneeled down.

Link raised an eyebrow and bushed a few strands of wet hair that was sticking on his face away.

"'Karma's a bitch' is right!" He exclaimed, and with a surprising display of physical ability, jumped out of the water and grabbed Zelda's hand. Her eyes widened like an owl and before she could do anything to defend herself, gravity came into play, and pulled both Link and Zelda down into the blue water, resulting in one giant splash.

Underwater, they both swam around one another, racing each other to the mainland to see who could swim faster. Link, being a varsity diver in college, easily out swam Zelda by a large margin, and it was a few seconds before she resurfaced onto dry land.

"That was no fair, Link! You're half-Zora or something!" Zelda complained playfully, grabbing a towel from her backpack as they approached their settlement.

Link laughed and wiped his face with his own towel. He was about to reply when he heard a child's voice speak his name from behind.

"Link?"

Both he and Zelda turned around to see a group of little children looking up at him.

"Yes?" He knelt down to the young boy before him.

"Do you remember us?" The boy asked.

Link took a long, hard look at the boy, when it clicked in his mind.

"Colin!?"

"Yeah!" The boy cried out. "You remembered me!"

Link took the boy named Colin into a warm embrace. "How have ya been, buddy!?"

"I'm good!" Colin replied smiling.

Link got up and looked over to Zelda. "Zel, these are kids that I subbed for a few days last year at Kakariko Elementary." He turned back to the group of children. "Kids, this is Zelda, my friend."

Colin and his friends 'ooh'ed and waved at her. "Hi Zelda!" They all said in unison. Zelda smiled brightly and waved back.

"She's really pretty!"

"I like her!"

"Are you two going out?"

The rest of the kids laughed at the last question, and both Link and Zelda blushed slightly.

"Well uh… anyway…" Link started, dodging the question. "They were all in kindergarten the last time I saw them," he told Zelda.

"Hey!" Colin yelled, getting both their attention. "We ain't no kindergarteners no more!"

"Yeah!" A girl exclaimed. "We're first graders now!"

Link beamed down at them. "Is that so? It must be really exciting, yeah?"

Colin nodded rapidly. "It sure is!"

"So what brings all of you here today?" Link asked them.

"It's my birthday today!" Colin responded happily.

"Oh, wow! Happy birthday!" Link exclaimed, giving Colin a high five.

Zelda smiled at Colin and knelt down. "Happy birthday, Colin!" She kissed him on the cheek, causing his face to redden goofily and many of the other boys laughed.

"I can't wait until it's my birthday!" A boy whispered to another, fawning over Zelda's beauty.

"That's cool! How old are ya, little man?" Link asked.

"I'm six now!" He replied, holding up seven fingers.

The young man laughed and ruffled his hand through Colin's hair. "How exciting! Ten more years and you'll be able to drive!"

All of them including Link and Zelda laughed.

"Mr. Link, won't you play with us?" Another girl asked him.

"Yeah, Link! Come and play!" They all started chanting.

"Well…" The blonde started, scratching the back of his head. "If Zelda here lets me…"

The group of children and Link turned to her with hopeful eyes. She laughed and nodded. "Go ahead."

All the kids began cheering and they pulled Link away. Zelda giggled and sat down on the blanket, watching Link and the children play.

They played tag, hide and seek, tossed a Frisbee around, and even played Marco Polo, with Link being 'it.' After two hours, Link was utterly exhausted, while the kids were still bouncing around, full of energy, much to Zelda's amusement.

"Guys…" Link huffed. "Let's take a break, yeah?"

The children looked at him and they laughed as he tiredly collapsed backwards onto the sand. They ran over to him and encircled him. He seemed to have been unconscious.

"What do you think he's doing?" Colin asked his friends.

"Is he sleeping?" One boy asked.

Link's eyes suddenly popped open and he hopped up to his feet. "Who wants to get eaten up by the monster!?"

The children all squealed and yelled playfully as they all dispersed in every which direction, with Link chasing after them, scooping them up in his arms. Zelda watched from afar, laughing as Link let his inner child out. She didn't know many guys who would enjoy playing with kids, and she thought guys who knew their way with kids was incredibly attractive, adding to his already overflowing sex appeal.

"I want a man like that," she heard a girl whisper to her friend.

"He's gonna be my baby's daddy!" The other whispered back.

"He's super sexy too!" The first girl commented.

"…Too bad he seems to be taken by that blonde chick over there…" The second girl lamented, diverting her eyes off Link to Zelda. She was about to look at the brunette duo, but she restrained herself, and kept her eyes on Link chasing the children.

…

It was five o'clock, and Link was lying of the sand again, with the kids huddled around him, burying his body in sand with their plastic pails and shovels, leaving only his neck and head above the sand.

"Hey Miss Zelda!" Colin called out. The girl looked up to see the little boy waving at her. "Come help us!"

Zelda hesitated at first, and Link lifted his head to glance at her. "You better do what they say; you might end up like me!"

She laughed at her comment and decided to play along, and ran over to them. A girl offered her a shovel, and they continued to pile sand upon Link's body.

"Oh no!" A boy cried out. "Link is bodiless now!"

At that point, all trace of Link having a body was under the sand, and his head was the only thing left remaining. Zelda and the children laughed at the boy's joke, and Link smirked playfully. He slowly got up, causing the giant mound of sand to disappear. He roared loudly like a dinosaur and many of the children started to run away, laughing all the while.

Link brushed the sand off his torso, and Zelda dusted off his back and shoulders. Link pulled back the elastic waistband on his shorts, letting some sand underneath the pants legs to fall to the ground.

"Hey guys," the young man started. "How about we all get ice cream? My treat!"

The children howled and jumped for joy at his offer. "Yeah!"

Link ran over to his backpack for his wallet and they all started for an ice cream stand.

Link asked for eleven ice cream cones from the man at the stall, one for each of the children and for Zelda and himself. He handed a red rupee worth twenty rupees and he took the last two cones from the man and handed one to Zelda and kept the last for himself.

"Keep the change, good man," Link told him. The stall keeper smiled at him and stuffed the red rupee into his pocket. "Thank you!"

"Thanks, Link!" All the kids yelled in unison.

"What's the celebration for?" The stall keeper asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That boy's birthday over there," Link pointed to Colin, who was practically inhaling his ice cream, "and her non-pregnancy." He gestured over to Zelda.

"Strange…" The man commented quizzically. "Most couples I know would dread the information that they weren't expecting a child."

Both Link and Zelda laughed at that. "It's a long story," Zelda said.

"I'm sure it is," the man replied. "I mean, I suppose I'd celebrate too if I had that many children…" He pointed his thumb to the group of nine kids.

Link chuckled at that. "Those aren't ours. They're students I used to substitute for."

Link, Zelda, and the stall keeper said good bye, and just before they left, Link heard the keeper speak.

"I'm sorry little girl; we're all out."

Link turned to him and saw him talking to a girl who looked no older than five.

"Oh… Thank you anyway." She lowered her head in sadness and proceeded to walk away.

Link's eyes were fixated on the little girl, and Zelda cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Link?"

He said nothing; he walked up behind the little girl and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to see him holding out his ice cream cone to her.

"You can have mine," he offered.

"Oh no," she replied gracefully. "I can't take it; it's yours!"

"No, really! I want you to have it," he urged. He gave her a genuine smile, and she smiled back.

"Wow, thanks mister!" She gratefully accepted the cone and kissed him softly on the cheek before taking off. He got up and headed back over to Zelda, who was grinning at him. They proceeded to walk back, when he noticed her smiling and he smirked. "What?"

"That was really nice of you to do that."

"Well…" he started, "I'm a sucker for the opportunity to do a good deed."

She chuckled and offered to share her ice cream with him. He leaned in to take a lick, tasting the strawberry, and thanked her. "Thanks, Zel."

"Hey; that's karma for you," she winked.

"Hey Link!" Colin called from behind them. The two turned around to see the kids dressed and packed up. "Our parents are taking us home now."

"Oh, okay," Link replied rather glumly. He knelt down and embraced the child. "It was really nice seeing you again." He let go of him and looked at his friends. "And all of you, of course."

He hugged the other eight, and Zelda did the same, kissing the boys on their cheeks softly, causing them to gush boyishly.

"Happy birthday Colin," Link and Zelda said to him simultaneously.

"Thank you!" He exclaimed. They all turned around to run back to their parents, who were waiting for them at the parking lot.

"Bye Link! Bye Zelda!" They called out from the distance.

…

It was twilight, and Link and Zelda were almost the only ones left at the lake, with a few other couples around, and a group of teen's far off, lighting a bonfire. Hylia Village, the seaside town that was ten minutes down the way was illuminated with bright lights, and they reflected off the glistening waters of Lake Hylia. The stars were beginning to appear, and the sun was slowly fading away into the horizon. The area was pretty quiet, except for the faint hustle and bustle of Hylia Village, the chattering of the teenage group around the bonfire, and a soft, whimsical melody that always seems to emanate from deep within the Lost Woods.

"Did you have a fun time?" Link asked Zelda, wrapping the blanket around them tighter.

"Yes, I did. It was wonderful," she replied, cuddling closer to his naked torso. Link was still without a tank top, while Zelda had changed back into her shirt and skirt.

He kissed her softly on the cheek and nuzzled her neck lovingly. "I'm glad you did."

"You know," she started, "You're really good with children."

He shrugged and yawned softly. "I dunno. I've always loved kids. They make me feel young."

The female giggled. "After seeing you with Colin and his friends this afternoon... it kind of made me feel bad that I wasn't really pregnant."

He made a half smile and looked at her. "Really?"

"Yes." She took his hands in her own. "You would make an excellent father."

"Hmm... Are you still trying to make the pitch?"

She shook her head slowly. "No, of course not... At least for now, anyway."

She pulled is head closer to hers and pressed her lips against his, catching him in a soft, passionate kiss.

As they watched the sunset fade into the distance, the Hylian Loach jumped out of the water, somersaulting in mid-air, and splashed down into the deep crystal waters of Lake Hylia.

I'm a real sucker for that trashy romance stuff. Could you tell at the end? Haha, I knew it. This chapter was more of a diversion away from the main storyline, rather than developing and continuing the main plot. I mean, it does that too; just not as much as the last two chapters did. I thought you guys might need a break from all the drama, since it was happening all so fast, but if you're one of those drama geeks, I apologize for not adding drama to your already drama filled lives.

"No, of course not... At least for now, anyway." What does THAT mean? Foreshadowing alert!

The project they did in history was based off a project I did last year in eighth grade in history, only it was an atom bomb trial with the US President against the Japanese people, trying the president to see if the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified. You learn more and more about me every chapter. Want my autobiography? Read my stories; there's bound to be something at least semi-autobiographical in one of the chapters. XD. Review please.

End time: December 19, 2006; 11:10 PM, PST