Chapter 19: Zora's Sapphire, the Zora's Engagement Ring
He found himself on an oversized tree root outside of Jabu-Jabu; after he didn't see Ruto anywhere around him, he glanced around. Suddenly he felt two gentle hands push his back and he fell into the water face first. The water stung his face, chest, stomach, legs, and arms; he screamed out underwater in pain and tried to rub the pain away.
He surfaced and saw Ruto dive in beautifully.
"Oh Maiku!" she said. "You were so heroic back there!"
"Eh… ow…. It was… nothing…" he said, his body still stinging
"But, what did you come to Zora's Domain for in the first place? You said you're new to Hyrule…?"
"Yeah…. I came to retrieve the Spiritual Stone of Water."
"Spiritual Stone of…. Oh you mean by the Zora's Sapphire?!"
"Yeah, I guess…"
"What… did you need it for…?"
"…. To open the Door of Time in the Temple of Time."
"But…. The Zora's Sapphire is my…."
"….Most precious possession?"
"Yes… but how did you know?"
"…. Lucky guess…"
"But my mother told me to give this to the man I…."
"…. Intend to marry?"
"Yes."
"Well… tell you what… I'll marry you, Ruto."
She was taken aback, "What? Marry already? But… this is… all so sudden…."
He put his hands on her arms, "Well… uh… I know how to… convince… you to do so…."
"M-Maiku… you don't mean…."
"Yes…." He held her close, wrapping his arms around her.
"But… I haven't done anything like this before…. I mean… I've heard from the maids and nurses about those customs…. But I haven't experienced anything like it before…."
"Neither have I…"
"Oh…. Maiku…."
"Ruto…" He gently caressed her face with his hand, gazing into her brilliant amethyst eyes as she gazed into his dull black with a little bit of crimson eyes, "…. I want to… be with you forever…."
"As do I…."
"Are you ready?"
"Yes…"
They embraced each other and lowered themselves into the water.