Almost five months since I last updated. That's too long.
But here is the eleventh chapter! ^_^
I reread some of the other chapters on Saturday and that totally got me excited to write more. This chapter turned out way longer than I thought it would! xD
The only thing that this chapter changes from the MM game is Link's age. In this story, Link is between Grog's and Anju's age.
Also, for those of you who love Romani, she's in this chapter! :D
This chapter is wonderful in the fact that I enjoyed writing it and that it inspired two, new short LoZ stories. They'll be coming up soon, so keep your eyes out. ;) Both will have Grog in them! ^_^
Anyway, I shall reply to the review now! :)
Chaos Wielder: Goodness! Don't apologize! xD It took me longer to update than it did for you to review! It's fine, I promise. :) Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! :D
Haha. Yes. The love triangle is definitely there. xP But yes, Cremia and Anju will be best friends in this story. =]
LOL. XD That would have been hilarious! I can definitely see Granny doing that hand gesture. XDD
Link and Grog crossing paths... Hmm...
Aww! Thank you! ^_^ I really appreciate everything you said in your review, although I didn't reply to all of it. Also, I tried to read over this chapter before I posted it. I had to scan over some of it, but that's just because it's storming outside and I need to get off the computer. xD Hopefully there wasn't any typos, though. :)
Again, I really appreciate all of your reviews! They've really helped me - not only with this story, but as a writer. Thank you very much. :) 3
Oh! And I actually found a really well-written story about Grog on this site the other day. It was nice to see one like that. =]
Speaking of which, whenever you can, you should put that one you mentioned about him on the site. I'm sure it's lovely! ^_^
"So, what's it like working at the inn?"
"It's definitely... something..." The red head laughed a bit.
"Is it hard work?" the other girl asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Sometimes, but it also gets boring as well." She shrugged. "What's it like working on the ranch?"
"Messy, but really fun." She smiled. "I enjoy it."
Anju nodded at her. She had stopped by Romani Ranch that day while her mother stood at the front desk of the Stock Pot Inn. What Catrina had said to her the week before had bothered her a lot. She wanted to have some comfort in the fact that Kafei and Cremia did not have feelings for each other. Besides, Cremia was a nice girl. She wouldn't try to come between the couple, would she?
Anju found that she and Cremia were more alike than they'd thought, too. They both cared about their families more than anything - and their younger siblings meant the world to them. They were both hard workers, and did everything they could to help others.
Not only that, but they both loved cuccos.
Anju had officially made her first real friend in Termina. She was beyond thankful.
"What are your plans for the wedding?" Cremia's soft voice broke into Anju's thoughts.
The girl smiled. "Well, Kafei and I are both making masks for each other to exchange on the day of our wedding. I haven't made mine yet, though." Her big, blue eyes twinkled at the thought.
"I bet it'll be great," Cremia said, trying her hardest to swallow her emotions. She wanted to be happy for Anju, she really did. The girl was nice, smart, pretty - everything Kafei could wish for. But at the same time... Cremia couldn't help but be a bit jealous. She had liked Kafei for a while now, and thought that maybe he even liked her. Ever since Anju showed up, though, she had been nothing but a dumb memory.
"We should be sending out wedding invitations soon," Anju went on. "Once we get everything planned, I'll send you one."
"Thanks."
Romani poked her head out of the bedroom door upstairs. "Are you talking about weddings?" she asked.
"Yes, Romani," Cremia answered patiently, looking over at her little sister.
"Can I talk about it too?"
Anju laughed. "Sure."
The younger girl came down the stairs, already smiling. "When I grow up, I want a wedding on the ranch!"
"Oh, really?" Cremia smiled softly at her only sibling. "What kind of dress do you want?"
"A long, green one!"
"Is this about that boy again?"
Romani's face went red.
"What boy?" Anju asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"The boy with the green hat," Cremia replied. "He comes to help us out sometimes and Romani really likes him."
Anju raised her eyebrows. Could it be Link...?
She had a feeling that maybe it was; but then again, there were plenty of boys out there with green hats. "Why do you have a crush on him, Romani?" she asked, smiling at the younger girl.
"He's really nice! And strong! And handsome!" Romani explained, her face going pinker as she went on.
"I bet." Anju winked at Cremia.
"He has really nice eyes too," Romani said dreamily. It was nice to have some girl talk for a while. She and Cremia usually avoided it, but with Anju there, it seemed easier.
"Mhmm." Cremia was grinning so wide that her cheeks hurt. It was times like this when she realized that Romani could be incredibly cute and not as annoying as usual. She glanced out the window when she heard the sound of a horse running toward the house. "Speaking of Mr. Tall, Green, and Handsome..."
Romani turned to glance over her shoulder, noticing Link immediately. "There he is!" She pointed for Anju to see.
Anju leaned over to see out the window. "That's him!" she exclaimed.
"I know," Romani said slowly. "I just told you that."
"No! I mean... that's the guy that-" She stopped herself. "He's the one who-" She wasn't sure how to say it. "It would take too long to explain. He used to help me out with my cuccos back in Kakariko Village."
"Really?" Cremia asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Maybe this is a small world."
Romani jumped up from her spot at the table and headed outside. Anju and Cremia shared a look - both thinking of how adorable Romani was - before going outside as well.
"Hi, Link!" exclaimed the little girl, grabbing her bow off of a nearby box. "Do you wanna practice shooting the aliens?"
Cremia walked up behind her sister, taking the bow out of her hands. "Sorry," she said to the taller boy standing nearby. "She always talks about the aliens. She's not trying to bother you."
Link laughed. "She wasn't." He flashed his bright smile at her before turning to Anju. "Hey."
Anju could hardly believe that she was standing in front of the boy who had once helped her with her cuccos, a long time ago. The same boy who had once helped save her brother's life. She stared at his green hat, her eyes wide. It was him.
"It's been a while," Link finally said, when he had gotten no reply from the innkeeper.
"Oh! Yes, it has!" She smiled. "Where have you been?" In her effort to stay calm, the girl had failed to notice that a cucco was coming straight toward her.
Link was quick to reach down and scoop the animal up in his arms, saving Anju from an allergic reaction.
"Thank you!" She bowed gratefully.
He nodded at her, before answering her earlier question, "I came here from Hyrule. I just wanted to explore a bit. Besides, Clock Town is never boring."
Navi, who was hiding under her companion's hat, rolled her eyes. She, personally, found the town nothing but boring. It needed more adventure, more excitement - like Hyrule.
Anju smiled, finally unable to contain what she wanted to say. "Link, my brother has been looking for you."
"Why?" Link and Cremia asked in unison. They exchanged a look.
"He tried to run away just before we moved from Kakariko Village. He wanted to stay there and wait for you to come back."
Link raised his eyebrows. How had he not known this?
Anju opened her mouth to continue, but realized that Cremia and Romani were still standing there, listening intently. If Grog didn't want them to know, then maybe she should wait until later to speak to Link about that.
"I was still in Hyrule before your family left," Link explained. "I was visiting Princess Zelda. I wasn't aware that your brother wanted to see me."
"You visited the princess?" Cremia asked incredulously. Apparently he was more than just a nice gentleman who helped out a lot of people.
Romani crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. "She's not so great."
"Well, my brother would like to see you," Anju told Link. "He's at the inn right now!" She knew that Grog, above everyone else in her family, needed a friend. She also knew that Link was that friend.
Link wanted to say yes. When someone needed his help, it was hard to deny. He was, actually, about to say yes, when Navi whispered in his ear. "You promised the Rosa Sisters you'd help them out, remember?"
Link tried not to sigh. He'd actually forgotten about that. A promise was a promise. And as long as Grog wasn't in any life or death situations, Link had to put his promises first. "I can't," he said. "I was just stopping by. I have somewhere else to be now. But I can go to the inn later." He hated declining, but he knew he had to put first things first.
Anju's expression showed disappointment, but she was still really glad that Link had said he'd visit her brother later on.
And with that, the mysterious and kind boy hopped onto his horse. "See you guys later," he said, to all three of them, waving good-bye. Epona ran gracefully and the two headed out of the ranch.
"He definitely likes me," Romani said confidently as she watched the boy with the green hat ride off into the sunset.
The two older girls laughed.
"So," Cremia said, turning her attention to the girl who was becoming her best friend, "why was Grog looking for Link?"
Anju sighed. "It's a long story." It often bothered her that her brother had once been so willing to go into the Lost Woods.
He'd said he didn't have any friends, but... didn't he know that she was his friend?
And when the whole thing had happened, no one had asked her how she felt about it - they had only asked her parents and her grandmother.
Mutoh, of course, thought that Grog was an idiot and that he should have stayed in the Lost Woods if he was going to be so ungrateful.
Catrina had simply reasoned that her son was just going through a stage and would get over it soon enough.
Even Granny thought that what he'd done was stupid, that he was just a "bum" and a "fool."
No one had ever asked Anju's opinion, though. No one except Link.
And if she was being honest with herself, she was heartbroken that her brother had ever felt the way he did.
"Well, I can't really blame him for trying to run away," Cremia said, thinking back to the week before when the lonely teen had raced out of the inn, a larger boy going after him.
"Yeah." Anju looked sad. She made an effort to change the subject. "How's Cojiro doing?"
"He's great. I think he misses you guys everyday, though."
Anju smiled softly. She often missed the small, blue cucco as well. He was nice - and a good judge of character, too.
She looked toward the entrance of the ranch when she saw a figure through her peripheral vision. It was hard not to notice the pale skin, the eyes so completely white that they almost scared some people, and, of course, the mohawk that stood high on his head.
"There's Grog!" Cremia exclaimed.
"He's your brother?" Romani sounded incredulous, looking from Grog to Anju and then back again. "Do you have the same parents?"
Cremia smacked the back of her sister's head lightly. "Romani!"
Anju looked confused. "Yes."
Grog approached them, wondering why his older sister looked confused, Cremia was blushing, and Romani had that familiar, smug look on her face.
"Oh, it's you again?" the little girl asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Grog blinked. There were times when he looked really sad, and there were times when he looked really cold and... well, intimidating.
To anyone who didn't know him, he would look pretty scary.
That, in fact, is exactly how he looked now as he stared down at Romani.
Her blue eyes went wide and she went to stand next to Cremia.
Grog looked the slightest bit surprised to see Anju there.
"I didn't know you were coming here today," Anju told him.
"Neither did I," he replied. "I didn't have any work to do at the inn, so I decided to stop by."
"Well, we were just talking about you," Cremia said with a smile.
"You were?" His quiet voice barely captured the worry he felt.
"Link just showed up!"
The second time in two weeks. Grog would admit, he was surprised that his friend was so close by, but he didn't show it. "Really?"
"Yes!" Anju exclaimed. "He had somewhere else to be, but he said he'd stop by the inn some other time and say hi to you."
Grog involuntarily shot her a look, wondering if she'd mentioned the whole Lost Woods thing in front of Cremia and Romani. "Okay."
He turned to Cremia slowly. "My dad said that I need to get another job, so..." he trailed off, glancing at the grass below him. "I was thinking maybe I could help out in the Cucco Shack. You said you couldn't care for the cuccos individually and that a bunch of them were getting sick. I figured I could help with that." He glanced back up, just knowing that she'd say no.
She had only known him for a short amount of time. Why would she trust him to take care of the cuccos?
Cremia smiled, relief flooding through her. The cuccos would finally be taken care of and she wouldn't have to spend all her time feeling guilty. "Of course you can, Grog!"
"What? No!" Romani yelled. "He's the one who was being all creepy about the cuccos the other day! Why should we trust him?"
"Because I'm a nice guy," Grog reminded her, thinking again of Cojiro.
"Romani," Cremia said sharply, giving her sister a look, "Grog is going to work here and you're going to be nice to him." She turned back to Grog apologetically. "I'm afraid I can't pay you much, though. Ever since my father..." She stopped, sighing. "I just can't pay you a whole lot. We barely have enough money as it is."
Anju and her brother exchanged a look. "It's fine," Grog said. He felt really bad for them. "You don't have to pay me."
"But I thought your dad said-"
"I know. But it's okay. I don't mind working for free." Especially not with cuccos.
Anju smiled warmly, proud of her brother.
Cremia pulled the pale, skinny teen into a hug, making him blush. "Thank you," she whispered. It had truly been a long time since she'd met anyone as nice as Anju and Grog. She hoped that they'd live in Clock Town for a very long time.
Although Grog made no effort to hug her back, she smiled when she pulled out of the hug. "All right, Romani. Let's go. We have some work to do."
Romani nodded, rolling her eyes at Grog's scarlet cheeks. She offered Anju an innocent smile before skipping off toward the stable.
"Grog," Cremia began, "you can start work tomorrow. Depending on your shift at the inn, I'd like you to be here bright and early. Around here, everything starts at six in the morning and ends at eight at night. Got that?"
He nodded, already unsure if he liked the sound of that.
"All right. See you tomorrow." She turned to Anju. "I really enjoyed hanging out with you today. You should come back soon." She meant that, despite the whole Kafei issue.
Anju gave her a polite bow. "Thank you." She looked at her brother. "Come on, Grog. We should get home."
He nodded again and the two started out of the ranch.
The siblings were silent until they reached Termina Field. "Did Link still remember you after all this time?" Grog asked.
"Yes, he did." Anju laughed. "He even saved me from a cucco."
Grog was quiet for a while. "Do you think he'd remember me?"
"Of course he would. He already said that he'd visit you sometime soon. He must have remembered you!"
Grog stifled a sigh. A month ago, he would have wanted more than anything to see Link again. He would have said he needed a friend. But over the last month, he'd gotten more and more used to the idea of not finding the boy with the green hat. Anju was his friend as well as his sister. As long as he had her, no one else really mattered.
He'd become more comfortable with that thought recently. And besides, the thought of seeing Link again almost scared him. What do you say to a person who saved your life? Some of the nicest things that came to mind didn't even seem like enough. Grog owed Link a lot, after everything that had happened.
"Grog." His sister had the same tone of voice she'd had the night he had left Kakariko Village to go to the Lost Woods.
He immediately looked up at her.
"Why did you ever feel so lonely that you would... leave like that?" she asked, quieter than ever. The question had been bothering her for a very long time and she had never thought to ask him until now.
He stayed quiet for a while. He'd had no idea that she was so worried, that she cared enough to be worried. Back then, no one had cared - or so he'd thought.
"Anju, I-" He was interrupted by Ichiro as the two of them entered South Clock Town. "Dude, you better get home. Everyone's looking for you."
Grog narrowed his eyes. "Why would they be-"
Ichiro shrugged, walking away.
Anju looked worried and the two started toward East Clock Town at a quick pace. What they found was something that made them wish they'd stayed at the ranch.
Honey and Darling, as well as Mutoh, Catrina, Shiro, the mayor, and a guard, were standing in front of Stock Pot Inn, all looking furious. "There you are," Mutoh spat, glaring at his children.
Anju ran over to them. "What's going on?" she asked, concerned.
Catrina pulled her daughter over to her as Grog approached.
Grog's eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?"
"You should know," Shiro snarled, glaring at him.
"This is the boy," Honey said the guard, pointing. "That's him, the one who broke into our shop."
"What?" Grog asked in disbelief.
"That's right," Darling told him. "We know you're the one who stole the bombs last night. A window was left shattered and seven bombs were gone."
Grog's eyes widened, looking helplessly at the mayor.
"Grog wouldn't have!" Anju told them. "You don't have any proof."
"Yes, we do," Darling said. "We had a surveillance camera hidden in the shop. It captured him stealing all seven of the bombs."
"We also have proof from this young man, Shiro, that Grog has stolen things on many occasions," Honey added.
"Yeah. He stole my knife and my gun last week."
Grog's face was going paler, if possible.
"This can't be right," Anju said. She glared at Shiro, shoving him a bit. "What did you do?"
"Nothing, Princess." Shiro laughed. "Chill out."
The guard started toward Grog with handcuffs in his hands.
Within the next five minutes, Grog was handcuffed and being taken away, Shiro was smirking, and Anju was on the verge of tears. That had not been a great day for them.
Thank you so much for reading! Review if you liked it, please! ^_^
