WHEN TWO BECOMES ONE
By Emerald Demuria
Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with Gundam Wing or Zelda. I just used their characters to write a small piece of fan fiction.
Just tell me what you think of this chapter. Read and Review so that I can have something to work on for the future. If there is anything wrong with it just tell me because I can go back and fix it during my spare time.
CHAPTER 5 So Close, Yet So Far Away
The next day dawned early. But something was wrong. The sky was as dark as the night, and the smell of rain hung heavily in the air. Zelda crawled from her bed and peered out the window. It was raining harder than she had ever seen it rain in her entire lifetime. The ground was drenched and muddier than ever. Something told her that this was not going to be a pleasant day. She almost had to will herself out of the room to prepare breakfast for herself, Quatre and Rose. After breakfast the rain stopped and for a moment the sky looked like it was heaving giant sighs of relief at the fact that the rain was over. The dark storm clouds were whipped across the sky like a child's toy. The wind picked up and blasted against the house. As Zelda walked up the stairs to feed Quatre and Rose, she thought that she saw a peek of shy sunshine from behind the clouds. But it disappeared almost as quickly as it came. She hurried into the guestroom with a strong feeling of dread hanging over her. Quatre and Rose were wide-awake, and Quatre looked tensed and nerved as he searched the room with his eyes. Something was bothering him too, and Zelda guessed that it was the same thing that was making her uneasy as well. As she gathered the bowls of broth from the floor and brought them over, she heard Quatre gasp and his eyes bugged out in horror. The sky changed suddenly from an almost sunny mood to a dark, greenish color. It lost its happy spark and took on one of evil. With every passing minute the sky grew darker and distant rumbles of thunder could be heard. Rose looked upward, a look of panic spreading across her face. At the same moment a few bursts of lightning touched the ground at the fringes of the forest, and the whole outer edge of it caught on fire. In just a few moments a huge wall of fire began advancing towards the house at a rapid rate, consuming everything in its path. Zelda knew that they were doomed if they lingered here any longer. With one swift movement she swung Rose up into her arms and cradled her gently. Running to the medicine cabinet she grabbed the bag of medicine that she had purchased for Rose and Quatre and made a mad dash for the back door. Along the way she stopped to pick up every pot and pan in the house along with every item of food in the house. She also picked up a portable stove. Staggering under the weight of all the objects in her arms, she walked as swiftly as she could out the back door. Making for a small cave not too far from the house she put Rose down and rushed back into the house to get Quatre. By then the fire had advanced to the front porch of the house. Smoke leaked in from the widows and the front door, making it almost impossible to see. She heard some continuous coughing coming from the upper level of the house and made for the sound as if her life depended on it. Bumping into almost every object in her path, she was afraid that both she and Quatre would be left to perish in the flaming house along with everything else. Somehow she managed to make it upstairs and felt around until she felt Quatre's body. With a careful heave, she picked him up in the same way she had done Rose. Then, heading as fast as she could, she tried to get to the back door. Blinded by the smoke she had to brush against the wall just to find the stairs to the basement. By then the inner part of the house was collapsing and burning portions of wood fell all around her. By some miracle she managed to make it to the back door of the house and then she dashed blindly for the cave. To her relief she made it safely and set Quatre down. And she was just in time for the sky once again clouded up and a torrential downpour came, drenching the fire. With the rain and the fire combined, the stress was too much and then the entire house exploded, sending charred bits of wood flying as high as ten feet into the air. Zelda lowered her head into her hands and cried. Everything that she and Link had worked so hard to get had been destroyed, burned to ashes. Nothing that the two misfits could say would cheer her up. In fact, almost everything made her mood worse. Rose stared with a puzzled expression on her face at the wall before she went to sleep. Quatra soon followed. "What have I done wrong to deserve this?" Zelda thought miserably. "I never even predicted this would come!" She sighed and sobbed even harder. The rain pitter-pattering outside the cave did nothing to help cheer her mood. Zelda wished desperately that Link were here. That way she could move on after the rain stopped and find a place to stay. Her hopes were shattered when the rain blew even harder and lightning began to crash a few feet off. She shivered and soon went to sleep.
* * * * * * *
Not too far away Link urgently rode Epona as fast as he could, looking for shelter. None was to be found because the field that he was in was wide and immensely flat, being almost barren of life except for some lush grass. The rain falling from the sky had him soaked and shivering, and Epona stumbled once in a while on the grass. Link's shoulder throbbed and he had a miserable feeling around him. Soon Epona slowed, the rain finally taking its serious toll on her. She began to cough and sneeze, stopping every once in a while to paw the ground anxiously. Link had trouble even keeping a steady trot on the horse. He had to get out of the rain as soon as possible. Suddenly, a small house loomed in the distance. It was at the edge of the field, right next to a four-way intersection. The lights were off, and nobody seemed to be home. Link, desperate, decided to try his luck out on the house. Riding slowly, he went up to the door and hopped off. Timidly he knocked with his right hand. From inside four voices were heard, and Link's heart pounded with both joy and relief. Footsteps echoed from within, and then the door creaked cautiously open. A tall, brown haired, brown-eyed boy opened the door. Behind him stood another boy with black hair and black eyes. Both eyed the strangers suspiciously. "What are you here for?" Asked the brown haired boy. "Have you anything against us that prompted you to venture here in the first place? A motive to destroy us?" Said the black haired boy. "Wolfei!" Reprimanded the brown haired boy. "He looks suspicious, but would he have ridden up to the house if he was part of Oz? We would be gone if this was OZ!" "Sorry Dou," answered Wolfei sheepishly. "My name is Link. I wish to seek shelter and stay until the rain stops and things get better in your house. Will you take my horse in too?" Link asked. "Sure, why not?" Answered Duo cheerily after he found out that this man was not with Oz. "Take your horse around back. There should be a stable there and then come in through the stable door. Relina will see to it that everything else is taken care of." Wolfei stated. Link thanked the two boys and then headed around to the stable. Upon reaching the stable and opening the doors, Link heaved a sigh of relief. The inside was warm and comfortable, with a wide, spacious interior. Epona could roam almost as freely as she could in the field back home. He then led the tired horse into the stall, taking off its bridle, saddle and other travel gear. After drying the things off and drying the horse, Link left some water and hay on the stable floor. Then he found the indicated door and opened it, walking in to a small room in the back of the house. A pretty, blond haired girl was already there, and she stared at him with her fair blue eyes. There was something about those eyes that made him dreamy, and a vision of Zelda popped into his head. Quickly the girl ran over to him and grabbed him steadily. She led him away from the door and into another room. This one had a shower and a few towels, bottles of shampoo and other toiletries in it. "Hi," the girl said artily. "My name is Relina. You must be Link, the one that Duo and Wolfei told us about. Why don't you get washed up, take a shower and all that stuff. Just leave your clothes outside the door. I'll deal with the rest of the things later." Then she walked away, tossing her golden blond hair behind her before the door closed. Link sighed, and then did as she told him. Nothing felt as good as that shower did. His whole body relaxed and his shoulder began to feel slightly less painful. The entire dirt and grime of his traveling washed away and he almost felt at home. Laughter and more voices could be heard outside the door of his room, sounding as if they were far away. He felt relaxed and in a dream like phase. When he came out, his clothes were on a bench in the back of the room, washed, pressed, ironed and dried. As soon as he re-opened the door of the shower, Relina popped in with a small bag in her hand. She walked up to Link and took a whole roll of white bandages out of the bag. With one skillful twist of her hands she had Link's shoulder once again properly bandaged and supported. By then he was feeling tired and had to get Relina's help in order to make it to his bed. Warm, content and happy, he drifted off to sleep.
* * * * * * *
Back in the cave by Link and Zelda's old cottage, the rain was still ceaselessly pounding down upon the ground. The sun was setting and Zelda moved about the cave making preparations for dinner. As she looked out the entrance of the cave, the whole sky light up in an array of colors. "Beautiful!" She murmured at the breathtaking scene. Quatre and Rose stirred, and then she went over to them with their medicine in her hand. After applying it to them, she went to the back of the room and gathered some cans of food from their supplies. Then, after helping Rose and Quatre eat, Zelda ate as well. Tired and upset with the day's events, she crawled into a mess of blankets that made up her bed. She was extremely upset and stared solemnly at the silent forms of Quatre and Rose. Nothing was working right and things looked bleak. She had to find Link and a place for Quatre and Rose to stay. Their injuries were becoming a rather large burden and it was slowing down everything. As the sun disappeared behind the hills and the sky turned black, Zelda drifted off into a light and uneasy sleep.
* * * * * * *
Back in the house were Link was staying, it was night. The rain poured ceaselessly down upon the ground as Link tossed and turned noisily on the bed. Voices of the rest of the household came to him in faint, dreamlike clips and catches. Suddenly, he started dreaming and it was the only thing that occupied his sleeping mind. The dream was a very disturbing one, and seemed extremely realistic. Link dreamt that a huge wall of fire sprouted up from the trees bordering the property of his house. The flames engulfed everything in their path and ripped through the ground, scorching the grass and the flowers. Once they reached the house, he saw Zelda, Rose and Quatre running out into the backyard. With horror all three of them watched as the house burned down to cinders. Abruptly the dream ended and he woke up, shaken and filled with an unknown fear. Warily he got up and heaved himself out of bed. His left shoulder was stiff, yet the throbbing had stopped. Stretching his body, he left the room in a hurry. Once outdoors a strange odor wafted out from the direction of the kitchen and tickled his nose. Until now, he hadn't realized the hunger he had that was picking ravenously at his stomach. Enticed by the strange smells, he headed in their direction and found Relina at the stove, stirring a pot of some type of soup. "Hello Relina," Link said as he approached the stove. "Oh, hi!" She said suddenly, turning around and spilling the ladle full of soup that she had in her hand. "Seems that you have slept well and that shoulder of yours is healing quite nicely." "Yes, and I thank you for that," Mentioned Link. "Dinner is just ready, and I set an extra place at the table, so why don't you go sit down and make yourself comfortable?" Relina motioned towards the table, at the same time shouting, "Dinner is ready!" Link heard footsteps, and then five boys and 2 girls trooped into the kitchen, each taking a designated place at the table. Relina came forward and then the introductions began. A bluish- purple haired girl sat next to Link, and she had a small face and small, queer brown eyes. She introduced herself as Hildie, a person with boundless enthusiasm and nonstop chattering. A rather quiet boy next to Relina introduced himself as Trowa Barton, a current circus performer taking a short leave from his work. Link recognized the two boys at the heads of the table as Duo and Wolfei, the ones he had seen outside earlier today. On his other side was a rather friendly girl named Catherine Bloom. She was here with Trowa. And then it was time to introduce him. With a deep breath he steadied his pounding heart and spoke out in a clear voice to the rest of the people at the dinner table. "My name is Link and I happened to stop by and take shelter here from the rain. This was a very nice household and it was my good fortune to stop upon this place. I came from a small cottage back north not too far from here and lived with a girl named Zelda until the strange, unexplained arrival of two blond haired strangers. Things from there went downhill and now I am on a quest to destroy a man called Ganandorf. He is causing terror and havoc throughout the land," Link finished and heaved an enormous sigh of relief. However, as soon as he finished, Trowa's face twisted surprise and he looked hopeful. "Was the guy that you saw by any chance Quatre?" Trowa asked. Link solemnly shook his head, replying that he had no knowledge whatsoever of his name or the girls. Trowa's face fell and he stopped looking hopeful. The conversation at the table dragged; Even Hildie and Duo made no effort to talk until Relina began clearing the dishes from the table. "Well, I'm off," Said Duo. He got up from the table, Hildie following him closely. The rest of them stared silently at each other before drifting away. With a single flick of the main power switch, all the lights in the house went off and peace and quiet prevailed over the little intersection house.
* * * * * *
Back in the cave, night came and the rain had slowed to a mist. Zelda was grateful for that because small puddles and rivulets of water were forming around the cave, threatening to block the entrance. Suddenly there was a noise coming from the direction of the woods that alerted her. It was an irregular clop-chopping sound that was going at an extremely fast and labored pace. Not even minding the rain she dashed into the yard and climbed to the top of the hill, were she could get an overview of the entire landscape for five miles. Straining her eyes she could just make out the forms of a rider, noticeable by the outline of his big nose and glowing green eyes. "Wait!" She thought. "That must be Ganandorf. He had a big nose the last time that I saw him! And those eyes! They suggest evil!" Without hesitating she dashed down the slope of the hill and fled after the lone rider, not even stopping to warn Rose and Quatre. She flew past the charred remains of her old house, not even stopping to look back before she disappeared on the main road.
* * * * * * *
Back at the small cottage on the road, things were amazingly quiet. Nothing made any noise, not even the sink, which was usually dripping at this hour. Suddenly, as if a storm had broken through the silence, a clop- chopping noise could be heard faintly down the road. It grew louder as the noise neared the house, becoming loud enough to wake Link and Relina. Both of them, frightened, jumped out of bed and dashed down into the rain, which was misting outside. A lone rider flew past, followed closely by a dark figure, which was slender and swift. Link's head swiveled as his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. "There is something familiar about that figure. It resembles Zelda." He thought. "Wait, that is Zelda! What the heck is she doing out here at this hour!" "Zelda!" Screamed Link loudly. A few more lights flickered on in the house. Without thinking, Zelda turned around and shouted as loudly as she could manage. Right as soon as Zelda finished screaming, the clop-chopping noise stopped. A horse snorted in the distance and then a plop echoed farther up the road. Zelda gasped as she realized what a grave mistake she had made. "Oh, no!" She shouted as Ganandorf turned, moving his hands in a double crossed motion. Attempting to flee, Zelda turned towards Link and sprinted forward to give herself a boost. However, in mid motion, she was caught and raised high in the air. A glass diamond began to envelope her whole body, forbidding any movement. Right before her hands got caught in the diamond, she thrust her hands into her pocket, picked up a letter and threw it violently towards Link. It landed a few feet from Relina. Then all went silent. With a final scream, the whole diamond enveloped Zelda and she hovered, motionless, in the air, a prisoner of Ganandalf's own evil creation. "So, Link, we meet again and I have gotten the trouble maker that has helped you so greatly in your journeys. Too bad that I have to leave. This, then, shall be my farewell." With that, Ganandorf took off, taking Zelda with him. Soon there was no trace of them left in the misty darkness of the early morning. "What was that?" Questioned Relina. She stepped forward and shook Link violently. He seemed to have drifted off into some kind of a daze. "I have no clue, but." Said Link. Then the door to the house opened and everybody else ran out onto the front lawn. "What happened?" they all shouted in unison. "Ganandorf has returned." Said Relina grimly. "What?" Echoed the rest of them in unison. All of them were shocked and seemed to stand there as if the news could not be believed. "I thought that he was dead long ago!" Shouted Hildie. "That is what I thought, too," Link said quietly. Suddenly he found everyone looking at him. "You see, a long time ago, he and I were caught in a fierce duel and I weakened him so that he looked dead. But I guess he has come back," Link explained. With a sudden shout from Relina, everyone was looking in her direction. She was holding up a small white envelope, which was stained with mud and torn in the corner. Handing it to Link, she told him to open it. After tearing open the seal ravenously, a small piece of paper floated gracefully out. Picking it up, he began to read it.
"I am sorry that I did not get this to you earlier. There were a lot of things going on that prevented me from telling you any of the things that happened while you weren't with me. The day that you left made things difficult and broadened the gap between us. Ganadalf made an appearance near the cave that sent me out after him. I know it was foolish, but with the intentions he has, it's never wise to leave him to do his own things. A lot of bad things have happened, and because of them I need to ask you a favor. There is a small cave tucked away behind the house that has what is left of our house. I want you to go there and get what is left. If there are any signs of life, then I wish you to save them too. I should have told you this earlier, and I'm sorry I didn't."
Zelda
After he was finished, Link passed the letter around to everyone else so they could read it too. A few thoughtful minutes of silence passed before Heero went around to the stables, bringing out a horse and buggy. It was decided that Heero and Link were going to go back to the cave. After Link gathered the meager supplies that he had with him, they both climbed into the buggy and galloped off at top speed. Everyone standing near the house looked at them with silent, expressionless faces. It seemed as if they were deep in thought, thinking of something that was going to happen in the future. During the next couple of minutes, the house grew smaller and smaller as Link and Heero flew by at a fast gallop. Everything seemed like small, blurry dots as they rushed towards the woods that came right before the remains of Link's house. The few trees that remained were charred and blackened by the fire that had engulfed the forest. Link stared in silence, not willing to believe that the once beautiful forest had turned this ugly. Heero, noticing Link's quite mood, decided it was best to say nothing. Soon a sharp bend came, and they rounded it, coming into an open, spacious field, which contained nothing more than blackened grass roots. Epona galloped steadily upwards, never once pausing, until they reached a small mound of burned wood, which was still smoking. Link jumped out of the buggy, going over to the mound. After examining it thoroughly, he shook his head, and climbed back into the buggy. With a quick command to Epona, they were off once again, and soon reached the cave. Even though Link and Heero had seen plenty of things in their lives, this came as a shock to both of them. The inside of the cave was cluttered with kitchenware. A kitchen and sleeping quarters were crammed into the small space, taking up nearly all of the room inside the cave. The room that was left was at the back of the cave was cold and clammy, with a dark, dreary feeling to it. As Heero stepped around to the kitchen part of the cave, and Link inspected the corners, a small rustle was heard coming from the sleeping corner of the cave. Heero turned in that direction and the grim look on his face immediately turned to one of surprise and horror. Right before him in a mess of tangled blankets and pillows lay Quatre and Rose. "Quatre!" Shouted Heero in surprise. "What are you doing here? Link, come quick!" With lightning speed Link dashed over to where the two people lay sleeping. Both of them looked down at the people, wondering what had caused them to come here. It was only when some far-off hoof beats were heard when Link and Heero decided they had to leave this place as soon as possible. Each one of them picked up one of the people on the ground and made a mad dash for the buggy. As soon as everything was loaded, an evil cackle was heard. Ganandorf pulled into view around the bend. He was galloping at full speed, pulling Zelda along in the crystal behind him. With a quick command to Epona, Heero and Link, along with Quatre and Rose, galloped off after Ganandorf.
* * * * * * *
Back at the house, it was mid-afternoon and the sun was struggling to shine through the dark storm clouds. The rain had finally stopped after a few days of endless pounding, and everyone was grateful. Lunch was over, and nothing much was being said. The only thing that was occupying everyone's mind was that Link and Heero were taking so long to come back. Only an hour had passed since they left, and the town they were headed was no more than half an hour away from where they lived. Suddenly Duo stood up, and with Hildie, he walked out the door. Nothing was heard for a few minutes, until a loud boom echoed from behind the house. Rushing outside, they saw Duo and Hildie struggling to attach bridles and saddles to their horses. Apparently both horses had gone wild and were disobeying everything that Duo and Hildie tried to tell them to do. With everyone's help, they managed to hitch up the horses. But just before Duo and Hildie took off, Trowa stopped them. With a questioning look in his eyes, he asked where they were going. "You see, we were planning on going out to see what happened. After all, nothing much is happening in this house, and it's about time we actually got out to seek some adventure. It's not like someone's actually trying to hurt us or anything." Hildie and Duo said together. "I guess you're right. We'll all come along with you two." The rest of them replied. Soon after a few more horses were prepared, they headed out on the same road that Link and Heero had taken.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with Gundam Wing or Zelda. I just used their characters to write a small piece of fan fiction.
Just tell me what you think of this chapter. Read and Review so that I can have something to work on for the future. If there is anything wrong with it just tell me because I can go back and fix it during my spare time.
CHAPTER 5 So Close, Yet So Far Away
The next day dawned early. But something was wrong. The sky was as dark as the night, and the smell of rain hung heavily in the air. Zelda crawled from her bed and peered out the window. It was raining harder than she had ever seen it rain in her entire lifetime. The ground was drenched and muddier than ever. Something told her that this was not going to be a pleasant day. She almost had to will herself out of the room to prepare breakfast for herself, Quatre and Rose. After breakfast the rain stopped and for a moment the sky looked like it was heaving giant sighs of relief at the fact that the rain was over. The dark storm clouds were whipped across the sky like a child's toy. The wind picked up and blasted against the house. As Zelda walked up the stairs to feed Quatre and Rose, she thought that she saw a peek of shy sunshine from behind the clouds. But it disappeared almost as quickly as it came. She hurried into the guestroom with a strong feeling of dread hanging over her. Quatre and Rose were wide-awake, and Quatre looked tensed and nerved as he searched the room with his eyes. Something was bothering him too, and Zelda guessed that it was the same thing that was making her uneasy as well. As she gathered the bowls of broth from the floor and brought them over, she heard Quatre gasp and his eyes bugged out in horror. The sky changed suddenly from an almost sunny mood to a dark, greenish color. It lost its happy spark and took on one of evil. With every passing minute the sky grew darker and distant rumbles of thunder could be heard. Rose looked upward, a look of panic spreading across her face. At the same moment a few bursts of lightning touched the ground at the fringes of the forest, and the whole outer edge of it caught on fire. In just a few moments a huge wall of fire began advancing towards the house at a rapid rate, consuming everything in its path. Zelda knew that they were doomed if they lingered here any longer. With one swift movement she swung Rose up into her arms and cradled her gently. Running to the medicine cabinet she grabbed the bag of medicine that she had purchased for Rose and Quatre and made a mad dash for the back door. Along the way she stopped to pick up every pot and pan in the house along with every item of food in the house. She also picked up a portable stove. Staggering under the weight of all the objects in her arms, she walked as swiftly as she could out the back door. Making for a small cave not too far from the house she put Rose down and rushed back into the house to get Quatre. By then the fire had advanced to the front porch of the house. Smoke leaked in from the widows and the front door, making it almost impossible to see. She heard some continuous coughing coming from the upper level of the house and made for the sound as if her life depended on it. Bumping into almost every object in her path, she was afraid that both she and Quatre would be left to perish in the flaming house along with everything else. Somehow she managed to make it upstairs and felt around until she felt Quatre's body. With a careful heave, she picked him up in the same way she had done Rose. Then, heading as fast as she could, she tried to get to the back door. Blinded by the smoke she had to brush against the wall just to find the stairs to the basement. By then the inner part of the house was collapsing and burning portions of wood fell all around her. By some miracle she managed to make it to the back door of the house and then she dashed blindly for the cave. To her relief she made it safely and set Quatre down. And she was just in time for the sky once again clouded up and a torrential downpour came, drenching the fire. With the rain and the fire combined, the stress was too much and then the entire house exploded, sending charred bits of wood flying as high as ten feet into the air. Zelda lowered her head into her hands and cried. Everything that she and Link had worked so hard to get had been destroyed, burned to ashes. Nothing that the two misfits could say would cheer her up. In fact, almost everything made her mood worse. Rose stared with a puzzled expression on her face at the wall before she went to sleep. Quatra soon followed. "What have I done wrong to deserve this?" Zelda thought miserably. "I never even predicted this would come!" She sighed and sobbed even harder. The rain pitter-pattering outside the cave did nothing to help cheer her mood. Zelda wished desperately that Link were here. That way she could move on after the rain stopped and find a place to stay. Her hopes were shattered when the rain blew even harder and lightning began to crash a few feet off. She shivered and soon went to sleep.
* * * * * * *
Not too far away Link urgently rode Epona as fast as he could, looking for shelter. None was to be found because the field that he was in was wide and immensely flat, being almost barren of life except for some lush grass. The rain falling from the sky had him soaked and shivering, and Epona stumbled once in a while on the grass. Link's shoulder throbbed and he had a miserable feeling around him. Soon Epona slowed, the rain finally taking its serious toll on her. She began to cough and sneeze, stopping every once in a while to paw the ground anxiously. Link had trouble even keeping a steady trot on the horse. He had to get out of the rain as soon as possible. Suddenly, a small house loomed in the distance. It was at the edge of the field, right next to a four-way intersection. The lights were off, and nobody seemed to be home. Link, desperate, decided to try his luck out on the house. Riding slowly, he went up to the door and hopped off. Timidly he knocked with his right hand. From inside four voices were heard, and Link's heart pounded with both joy and relief. Footsteps echoed from within, and then the door creaked cautiously open. A tall, brown haired, brown-eyed boy opened the door. Behind him stood another boy with black hair and black eyes. Both eyed the strangers suspiciously. "What are you here for?" Asked the brown haired boy. "Have you anything against us that prompted you to venture here in the first place? A motive to destroy us?" Said the black haired boy. "Wolfei!" Reprimanded the brown haired boy. "He looks suspicious, but would he have ridden up to the house if he was part of Oz? We would be gone if this was OZ!" "Sorry Dou," answered Wolfei sheepishly. "My name is Link. I wish to seek shelter and stay until the rain stops and things get better in your house. Will you take my horse in too?" Link asked. "Sure, why not?" Answered Duo cheerily after he found out that this man was not with Oz. "Take your horse around back. There should be a stable there and then come in through the stable door. Relina will see to it that everything else is taken care of." Wolfei stated. Link thanked the two boys and then headed around to the stable. Upon reaching the stable and opening the doors, Link heaved a sigh of relief. The inside was warm and comfortable, with a wide, spacious interior. Epona could roam almost as freely as she could in the field back home. He then led the tired horse into the stall, taking off its bridle, saddle and other travel gear. After drying the things off and drying the horse, Link left some water and hay on the stable floor. Then he found the indicated door and opened it, walking in to a small room in the back of the house. A pretty, blond haired girl was already there, and she stared at him with her fair blue eyes. There was something about those eyes that made him dreamy, and a vision of Zelda popped into his head. Quickly the girl ran over to him and grabbed him steadily. She led him away from the door and into another room. This one had a shower and a few towels, bottles of shampoo and other toiletries in it. "Hi," the girl said artily. "My name is Relina. You must be Link, the one that Duo and Wolfei told us about. Why don't you get washed up, take a shower and all that stuff. Just leave your clothes outside the door. I'll deal with the rest of the things later." Then she walked away, tossing her golden blond hair behind her before the door closed. Link sighed, and then did as she told him. Nothing felt as good as that shower did. His whole body relaxed and his shoulder began to feel slightly less painful. The entire dirt and grime of his traveling washed away and he almost felt at home. Laughter and more voices could be heard outside the door of his room, sounding as if they were far away. He felt relaxed and in a dream like phase. When he came out, his clothes were on a bench in the back of the room, washed, pressed, ironed and dried. As soon as he re-opened the door of the shower, Relina popped in with a small bag in her hand. She walked up to Link and took a whole roll of white bandages out of the bag. With one skillful twist of her hands she had Link's shoulder once again properly bandaged and supported. By then he was feeling tired and had to get Relina's help in order to make it to his bed. Warm, content and happy, he drifted off to sleep.
* * * * * * *
Back in the cave by Link and Zelda's old cottage, the rain was still ceaselessly pounding down upon the ground. The sun was setting and Zelda moved about the cave making preparations for dinner. As she looked out the entrance of the cave, the whole sky light up in an array of colors. "Beautiful!" She murmured at the breathtaking scene. Quatre and Rose stirred, and then she went over to them with their medicine in her hand. After applying it to them, she went to the back of the room and gathered some cans of food from their supplies. Then, after helping Rose and Quatre eat, Zelda ate as well. Tired and upset with the day's events, she crawled into a mess of blankets that made up her bed. She was extremely upset and stared solemnly at the silent forms of Quatre and Rose. Nothing was working right and things looked bleak. She had to find Link and a place for Quatre and Rose to stay. Their injuries were becoming a rather large burden and it was slowing down everything. As the sun disappeared behind the hills and the sky turned black, Zelda drifted off into a light and uneasy sleep.
* * * * * * *
Back in the house were Link was staying, it was night. The rain poured ceaselessly down upon the ground as Link tossed and turned noisily on the bed. Voices of the rest of the household came to him in faint, dreamlike clips and catches. Suddenly, he started dreaming and it was the only thing that occupied his sleeping mind. The dream was a very disturbing one, and seemed extremely realistic. Link dreamt that a huge wall of fire sprouted up from the trees bordering the property of his house. The flames engulfed everything in their path and ripped through the ground, scorching the grass and the flowers. Once they reached the house, he saw Zelda, Rose and Quatre running out into the backyard. With horror all three of them watched as the house burned down to cinders. Abruptly the dream ended and he woke up, shaken and filled with an unknown fear. Warily he got up and heaved himself out of bed. His left shoulder was stiff, yet the throbbing had stopped. Stretching his body, he left the room in a hurry. Once outdoors a strange odor wafted out from the direction of the kitchen and tickled his nose. Until now, he hadn't realized the hunger he had that was picking ravenously at his stomach. Enticed by the strange smells, he headed in their direction and found Relina at the stove, stirring a pot of some type of soup. "Hello Relina," Link said as he approached the stove. "Oh, hi!" She said suddenly, turning around and spilling the ladle full of soup that she had in her hand. "Seems that you have slept well and that shoulder of yours is healing quite nicely." "Yes, and I thank you for that," Mentioned Link. "Dinner is just ready, and I set an extra place at the table, so why don't you go sit down and make yourself comfortable?" Relina motioned towards the table, at the same time shouting, "Dinner is ready!" Link heard footsteps, and then five boys and 2 girls trooped into the kitchen, each taking a designated place at the table. Relina came forward and then the introductions began. A bluish- purple haired girl sat next to Link, and she had a small face and small, queer brown eyes. She introduced herself as Hildie, a person with boundless enthusiasm and nonstop chattering. A rather quiet boy next to Relina introduced himself as Trowa Barton, a current circus performer taking a short leave from his work. Link recognized the two boys at the heads of the table as Duo and Wolfei, the ones he had seen outside earlier today. On his other side was a rather friendly girl named Catherine Bloom. She was here with Trowa. And then it was time to introduce him. With a deep breath he steadied his pounding heart and spoke out in a clear voice to the rest of the people at the dinner table. "My name is Link and I happened to stop by and take shelter here from the rain. This was a very nice household and it was my good fortune to stop upon this place. I came from a small cottage back north not too far from here and lived with a girl named Zelda until the strange, unexplained arrival of two blond haired strangers. Things from there went downhill and now I am on a quest to destroy a man called Ganandorf. He is causing terror and havoc throughout the land," Link finished and heaved an enormous sigh of relief. However, as soon as he finished, Trowa's face twisted surprise and he looked hopeful. "Was the guy that you saw by any chance Quatre?" Trowa asked. Link solemnly shook his head, replying that he had no knowledge whatsoever of his name or the girls. Trowa's face fell and he stopped looking hopeful. The conversation at the table dragged; Even Hildie and Duo made no effort to talk until Relina began clearing the dishes from the table. "Well, I'm off," Said Duo. He got up from the table, Hildie following him closely. The rest of them stared silently at each other before drifting away. With a single flick of the main power switch, all the lights in the house went off and peace and quiet prevailed over the little intersection house.
* * * * * *
Back in the cave, night came and the rain had slowed to a mist. Zelda was grateful for that because small puddles and rivulets of water were forming around the cave, threatening to block the entrance. Suddenly there was a noise coming from the direction of the woods that alerted her. It was an irregular clop-chopping sound that was going at an extremely fast and labored pace. Not even minding the rain she dashed into the yard and climbed to the top of the hill, were she could get an overview of the entire landscape for five miles. Straining her eyes she could just make out the forms of a rider, noticeable by the outline of his big nose and glowing green eyes. "Wait!" She thought. "That must be Ganandorf. He had a big nose the last time that I saw him! And those eyes! They suggest evil!" Without hesitating she dashed down the slope of the hill and fled after the lone rider, not even stopping to warn Rose and Quatre. She flew past the charred remains of her old house, not even stopping to look back before she disappeared on the main road.
* * * * * * *
Back at the small cottage on the road, things were amazingly quiet. Nothing made any noise, not even the sink, which was usually dripping at this hour. Suddenly, as if a storm had broken through the silence, a clop- chopping noise could be heard faintly down the road. It grew louder as the noise neared the house, becoming loud enough to wake Link and Relina. Both of them, frightened, jumped out of bed and dashed down into the rain, which was misting outside. A lone rider flew past, followed closely by a dark figure, which was slender and swift. Link's head swiveled as his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. "There is something familiar about that figure. It resembles Zelda." He thought. "Wait, that is Zelda! What the heck is she doing out here at this hour!" "Zelda!" Screamed Link loudly. A few more lights flickered on in the house. Without thinking, Zelda turned around and shouted as loudly as she could manage. Right as soon as Zelda finished screaming, the clop-chopping noise stopped. A horse snorted in the distance and then a plop echoed farther up the road. Zelda gasped as she realized what a grave mistake she had made. "Oh, no!" She shouted as Ganandorf turned, moving his hands in a double crossed motion. Attempting to flee, Zelda turned towards Link and sprinted forward to give herself a boost. However, in mid motion, she was caught and raised high in the air. A glass diamond began to envelope her whole body, forbidding any movement. Right before her hands got caught in the diamond, she thrust her hands into her pocket, picked up a letter and threw it violently towards Link. It landed a few feet from Relina. Then all went silent. With a final scream, the whole diamond enveloped Zelda and she hovered, motionless, in the air, a prisoner of Ganandalf's own evil creation. "So, Link, we meet again and I have gotten the trouble maker that has helped you so greatly in your journeys. Too bad that I have to leave. This, then, shall be my farewell." With that, Ganandorf took off, taking Zelda with him. Soon there was no trace of them left in the misty darkness of the early morning. "What was that?" Questioned Relina. She stepped forward and shook Link violently. He seemed to have drifted off into some kind of a daze. "I have no clue, but." Said Link. Then the door to the house opened and everybody else ran out onto the front lawn. "What happened?" they all shouted in unison. "Ganandorf has returned." Said Relina grimly. "What?" Echoed the rest of them in unison. All of them were shocked and seemed to stand there as if the news could not be believed. "I thought that he was dead long ago!" Shouted Hildie. "That is what I thought, too," Link said quietly. Suddenly he found everyone looking at him. "You see, a long time ago, he and I were caught in a fierce duel and I weakened him so that he looked dead. But I guess he has come back," Link explained. With a sudden shout from Relina, everyone was looking in her direction. She was holding up a small white envelope, which was stained with mud and torn in the corner. Handing it to Link, she told him to open it. After tearing open the seal ravenously, a small piece of paper floated gracefully out. Picking it up, he began to read it.
"I am sorry that I did not get this to you earlier. There were a lot of things going on that prevented me from telling you any of the things that happened while you weren't with me. The day that you left made things difficult and broadened the gap between us. Ganadalf made an appearance near the cave that sent me out after him. I know it was foolish, but with the intentions he has, it's never wise to leave him to do his own things. A lot of bad things have happened, and because of them I need to ask you a favor. There is a small cave tucked away behind the house that has what is left of our house. I want you to go there and get what is left. If there are any signs of life, then I wish you to save them too. I should have told you this earlier, and I'm sorry I didn't."
Zelda
After he was finished, Link passed the letter around to everyone else so they could read it too. A few thoughtful minutes of silence passed before Heero went around to the stables, bringing out a horse and buggy. It was decided that Heero and Link were going to go back to the cave. After Link gathered the meager supplies that he had with him, they both climbed into the buggy and galloped off at top speed. Everyone standing near the house looked at them with silent, expressionless faces. It seemed as if they were deep in thought, thinking of something that was going to happen in the future. During the next couple of minutes, the house grew smaller and smaller as Link and Heero flew by at a fast gallop. Everything seemed like small, blurry dots as they rushed towards the woods that came right before the remains of Link's house. The few trees that remained were charred and blackened by the fire that had engulfed the forest. Link stared in silence, not willing to believe that the once beautiful forest had turned this ugly. Heero, noticing Link's quite mood, decided it was best to say nothing. Soon a sharp bend came, and they rounded it, coming into an open, spacious field, which contained nothing more than blackened grass roots. Epona galloped steadily upwards, never once pausing, until they reached a small mound of burned wood, which was still smoking. Link jumped out of the buggy, going over to the mound. After examining it thoroughly, he shook his head, and climbed back into the buggy. With a quick command to Epona, they were off once again, and soon reached the cave. Even though Link and Heero had seen plenty of things in their lives, this came as a shock to both of them. The inside of the cave was cluttered with kitchenware. A kitchen and sleeping quarters were crammed into the small space, taking up nearly all of the room inside the cave. The room that was left was at the back of the cave was cold and clammy, with a dark, dreary feeling to it. As Heero stepped around to the kitchen part of the cave, and Link inspected the corners, a small rustle was heard coming from the sleeping corner of the cave. Heero turned in that direction and the grim look on his face immediately turned to one of surprise and horror. Right before him in a mess of tangled blankets and pillows lay Quatre and Rose. "Quatre!" Shouted Heero in surprise. "What are you doing here? Link, come quick!" With lightning speed Link dashed over to where the two people lay sleeping. Both of them looked down at the people, wondering what had caused them to come here. It was only when some far-off hoof beats were heard when Link and Heero decided they had to leave this place as soon as possible. Each one of them picked up one of the people on the ground and made a mad dash for the buggy. As soon as everything was loaded, an evil cackle was heard. Ganandorf pulled into view around the bend. He was galloping at full speed, pulling Zelda along in the crystal behind him. With a quick command to Epona, Heero and Link, along with Quatre and Rose, galloped off after Ganandorf.
* * * * * * *
Back at the house, it was mid-afternoon and the sun was struggling to shine through the dark storm clouds. The rain had finally stopped after a few days of endless pounding, and everyone was grateful. Lunch was over, and nothing much was being said. The only thing that was occupying everyone's mind was that Link and Heero were taking so long to come back. Only an hour had passed since they left, and the town they were headed was no more than half an hour away from where they lived. Suddenly Duo stood up, and with Hildie, he walked out the door. Nothing was heard for a few minutes, until a loud boom echoed from behind the house. Rushing outside, they saw Duo and Hildie struggling to attach bridles and saddles to their horses. Apparently both horses had gone wild and were disobeying everything that Duo and Hildie tried to tell them to do. With everyone's help, they managed to hitch up the horses. But just before Duo and Hildie took off, Trowa stopped them. With a questioning look in his eyes, he asked where they were going. "You see, we were planning on going out to see what happened. After all, nothing much is happening in this house, and it's about time we actually got out to seek some adventure. It's not like someone's actually trying to hurt us or anything." Hildie and Duo said together. "I guess you're right. We'll all come along with you two." The rest of them replied. Soon after a few more horses were prepared, they headed out on the same road that Link and Heero had taken.