Repaying a Debt

Disclaimer: [Whacks you with her N64] For Christ sake, when will you people learn? [Giggles].

Dear God, I really was mean to the guys last chapter. [Smirk] it was rather fun. And, to all those of you who have offered to kill the rude-boys...go right ahead. Bring along your own weaponry, and we'll have a regular 'let's scare l'il kids shitless' fest. [Evil cackle].

Sheik: O.o - Soda. You need coffee, don't you?

Soda: [Strained look] The doc said I wasn't allowed caffeine after five...

Sheik: [Mischievous smile] He'd never know [passes her coffee cup]

Soda: Aww. [Squick!] Thanks Sheik. [Drinks - is calm]

OK, last chapter, we had some gory tortury stuff, and then Nabooru and Felicity helped them to escape with an ingenious use of a Deku-nut. Go Nabooru! And now they're making their way across the Desert to the Spirit Temple. What will happen? To be honest, I don't know. I shall merely surrender to the muses now, it will make it all much more fun.

Tally ho!

~/*\~/*\~/*\~

[I'm so tired,] I groaned to Navi, who was sitting on the horn of the saddle before me. She just looked up at me, and a worried look crawled across her face. [What?]

{You don't look too good. You're damnably pale...I just hope we get there soon. It's ridiculous to make you three ride like this.}

[But what choice do we have? Either this, or go back to Ganondorf and say 'hey buddy, remember us?' I don't think so somehow.]

{I know, I know.} She settled back on the saddle horn, and looked out over the desert, which was beginning to light up with the first rays of the rising sun. The sand was a glittering sea of golden-red crystals, and shifted at every step our horses made. The creatures were skilled at picking their way through the sand though, and all we had to do was steer them in the right direction.

"What's that?" Sheik raised one hand to shade his eyes, and the other to point at something to the west.

"That would be the old watch tower. One time, there always used to be a squadron of guards there, to guide people to the Temple. But in recent years, there just hasn't been the time for such extravagant travels." Nabooru too had turned to see the small tower, and her eyes softened slightly at the obviously fond memory. "Now, come on, we've still a way to go."

But, Link had peeled off, and was heading towards the tower. In one hand, I caught a flash of purple and red, and the sunlight glinted from a polished lens. The Eye of Truth. Perhaps...I pulled my horse to follow him. "Where are you going?" Felicity asked, cutting across Link's path easily.

"To the tower," he said. "I just know I need to go there."

"What is he, some sort of psychic?" I heard Nabooru whisper to Sheik, who snorted.

"No. It's a lot more complicated than that," he answered, and then he too joined Link on the pilgrimage to the tower.

"How complicated?" Felicity asked, trotting along next to Sheik.

"This complicated," Link said, and he drew the Master Sword from it's scabbard. Felicity and Nabooru gasped, staring at the legendary blade in disbelief.

"The - the - Hero of Time!" Felicity said reverently, and bowed in her saddle at Link. He blushed, and quickly placed the sword back into the scabbard.

"Then we have no time to lose," Nabooru hissed darkly. "Ganondorf surely knows, and he'll be only too keen to take you out before you can do so to him." And she dug her heels into her horse's sides, and galloped over to the tower. Navi had arisen from her perch, and was flittering after Link. My horse trotted along steadily after them, and I lifted a small bottle of water that Nabooru had given me to my lips for a swift drink.

[Ahh, that's much better] I sighed as the cool water slid pleasurably down my parched throat. [Navi?]

{Yes?}

[Why exactly *is* Link taking us to this tower?]

{Well, when we were in the chamber with the sages, they said we'd meet a guide here. One that needs to be seen through the eyes that show only the truth. So, Link and I figured that we'd need the lens of truth to see whatever it was.}

[Oh. So, we've just got to follow Link. Since he's the only one that will be able to see...]

{Yup.}

[I hope he doesn't get us lost!]

{If he does, I'll help you beat him up!} she promised. I just grinned, and carried on towards the tower. The horse's flank beneath me was shimmering with a thin layer of sweat, and I wondered how much longer it could put up with this before it keeled over. Probably a lot longer than I could - I was about ready to fall off of the saddle.

There was a swishing sound, which I recognised as that of a Poe, and I lifted my sword, looking around me to try and see where it was. I pinpointed the noise as coming from the tower itself, but the Poe wasn't visible. "Link, watch out!" I called, and he looked around startled, the lens held limply in his left hand.

"What?"

"There's a Poe by the tower - use the lens to see it!"

"Oh - I already knew that," he said offhandedly. At my quizzical look, he carried on, "It's the guide that will lead us to the Temple."

"Are you insane?"

"You really need to ask?" Sheik cut in, and Link and I just grinned, shaking our heads. "Did the sages tell you the guide would be a Poe?" Link nodded. "Then we follow it. Link, go and talk to it - we'll just wait here until we have to leave."

"OK," Link trotted off, his shoulders tensed in anticipation. Navi followed after him, leaving Sheik, Nabooru, Felicity and I standing in a semi-circle watching him. "Eurgh, I'm getting off this bloody horse before I fall off," I grumbled suddenly, and more fell out of the saddle than anything else. "Ow," I picked myself up and dusted the sand off of the nightshirt I was still wearing. "Did anyone bring anything to eat?" I was prompted to ask this by a growl from my stomach.

"Of course," Nabooru smiled, and reached into one of her saddlebags. "Here, Sheikah, you have some too," she threw us both apples with vibrant green skin. I tucked into mine eagerly, and finished it in about sixty seconds.

"I take it you were hungry then," Felicity said, half-surprised, half- amused. I just nodded, and licked my fingers to get rid of some of the juice that was sticking to them. The sand beneath me was pleasantly warm, and I wriggled my toes in the sand. "You should get back on your horse," Felicity advised.

"Why?"

"Because Link's coming back," Sheik answered my question, and looking up, I saw that he was right. So, I jumped back up into the saddle (after a couple of failed attempts), and joined the others to meet Link. "So, will the Poe guide us?"

"Yeah, but we've got to make sure we keep up with it." Link said, and on the saddle in front of him, I saw Navi tying some cord onto the edges of the Lens of Truth. She handed it to him, and he tied it so that it rested over one of his eyes. "Which means you lot will have to follow me as quickly as you can."

"Will do cap'n," Felicity saluted, grinning, and Link smiled back at her. "So, let's get going shall we?"

"Good idea. Follow me." We all followed Link back to the tower. I felt a little bit anxious about following something I couldn't see, but it was probably the safest way to find the Temple, and the quickest. We didn't have time to linger around; Ganondorf could be upon us at any minute as it was. "You guys ready?" Link asked, and I tensed my legs to dig them into the sides of my horse. "Guide of the Desert, please show us the way," he called out to the unseen Poe, and then kicked his horse into motion.

{Here we go.} Navi sounded as anxious as I felt.

[Yeah. This is definitely going to be interesting to say the least,] I thought back, and she mmed her agreement.

~*~*~*~

[I hate riding, I hate it!]

{I feel sick.} Navi and I had been firing our complaints silently at one another for about half an hour. It had been three hours since we had set off from the tower, and the Poe had stopped in order to give us and our horses some rest. It had spooked me no end when the creature had spoken in an effeminate voice, reminiscent to the voice of...I am not sure who. It was a voice I knew, but did not know all at once.

"We shall stop here. You have no need to worry about Ganondorf for the time being - I have ensured that he will find it difficult to find his way." The Poe had sniggered softly at this, and I had shuddered, in some part pleased that I didn't have to worry about the Gerudo man finding us, but worried as to what the Poe had done. "Now, dismount, and over to the left, I believe not even a hundred paces away, you shall find a sink well, complete with a bucket on a rope. Fill your canisters from that."

After that, there we found ourselves, with only a slight hissing flutter to tell us where the Poe was waiting. I hurried over in the direction it had instructed, and sure enough, a hole about a foot across appeared from the sand, and dangling from a long rope which was attached to a chain from the ground, was the bucket that had been promised. I lowered the bucket down, and heard the splash, feeling the bucket get heavier as the water poured in.

I tried to lift it up again, but my arms gave out halfway, and I almost dropped the bucket. "Here, let me," Felicity had relieved me of the bucket, and yanked it up in five long heaves.

"Thanks," I said, before taking the bucket of water and dunking it over my head. It splashed down over the nightshirt I wore, which clung to me a little. With the soft desert breeze, it cooled me down immediately, and I didn't even care about the sand that clung to me when I sat down again. All of the others gave me odd looks, and the desert women looked in awe at the overt waste of water. "I was too hot," I gave as by way of excuse. I distinctly heard one of the boys snigger, 'well, it is a desert'.

To my great surprise (and abject relief), the desert sky above was studded with fluffy white clouds, which kept off most of the biting sun. The few shafts of light that did make there way through were falling upon the dunes way to the west, leaving us in a pleasurable shady spot. "I see that you are troubled," came the voice of the Poe, whispered into my ear. I bit back the urge to yell, jump up and run away.

"Aye?" I prompted. "And, what worry is it to a spirit if a mortal be troubled?" I regretted the tone as soon as the words came out of my mouth, but nothing could be done then.

"I do remember what it was like to be mortal you know!" the voice sounded wounded, and had lost some of the sure swagger it had had. "And I can also sense you are sorry for what you just said, so you are forgiven." The Poe was silent for a while, before suddenly gliding off; the floating sound seemed a little more melodious than it had before. Back by the horses, I saw Link sit up, and nod his head at thin air (then I remembered the Lens of Truth, still strapped over his eye).

He bounded over, and lifted the lens from his head. "She says she wanted to talk to you face to face," he whispered, and gave me the lens. "I warn you; she won't be what you're expecting." He looked at the patch of air where I assumed the Poe was, and dipped his head in a formal bow. "I'll see you a minute."

"Yes hero - go back and rest," the Poe said, her tone friendly. "You, leave that lens for now, and walk to that dune opposite us - I shall be with you in case you fall." I was assured, and traipsed across the sand. Looking back, I saw Link preventing Sheik from following, speaking to him tersely when he no doubt asked why.

"Stop here," the Poe demanded. "Now - I hope you are braced for this. Put the lens to your eye, and see what I am." I did as the Poe said, my hand shaking for no reason I could think of. The world took on a lilac hue as the lens enhanced my vision, and I dropped it again in shock at what I saw. "Pick it up," the voice said, and then added as an afterthought, "please."

Again, I lifted the lens shakily to my eye, and used the strings still attached to it to tie it firmly in place so I would not drop it again. There were ice-white wings which glowed against the background of gold-red sand, and a long flowing robe. Hair curled down to the angel's feet, a mass of violet and black curls. For it was an angel, not the hideous Poe I had been expecting. And it was not just any angel - it was Fleur, the very high angel I had seen fighting with Lucifer in a trance not some two weeks before.

"Hello," she smiled tightly. "I'm here because Loki cannot be - the Poe was more than happy to let me take over for a few days." She patted the sand, sitting down, and I sat down with her. More sand stuck to the sopping wet nightshirt, and I resisted the urge to brush it away. "You poor dear child," she began, and her eyes were bright. "I do believe that were this case not coming to you, Loki would see fit to allow you back to the station you were born for."

"You're only saying that to soften the blow I suppose you have come to deal me."

"No - I speak the truth. You haven't seen him recently - he is so tied up amongst books and old laws that it's hard to know where the paper ends and he begins." I grinned at that, remembering the times I had be spied Loki lying stretched across a table in the library, snoozing on an open book. "But, you are right - there is dark news for you this day."

"Tell me quickly, before I go mad with anticipation," I urged.

She took a deep breath. "Oh demons, Loki owes me big time for this," she muttered, then looked up at me. "Diabola returned from exile two days ago." I was overcome with an urge to be violently sick, and had to clamp a hand over my mouth to prevent myself from doing so. "And she is going to be on Lucifer's side for the case." I got up, un-chartered seas of rage boiling in my veins. The Mithril sword on my back was glowing so brightly that the rest of my party on the hill was looking over curiously.

I wrenched it off of my back, and threw it to the ground, where it dulled again. "Take it," I kicked the blade at her. "Take it and tell Loki to come and stab me through the heart himself. Because I am not going to be part of whatever shambolic idea of a trial that is in store for me. I would rather be killed than go through such a ridiculous load of garbage!" Fleur was nudging the sword back at me.

"I'm just the messenger, Alexis!" she said sharply, and I stopped my enraged rant immediately. Of course, she was but a messenger.

"I am sorry - for my outburst," I said in a level voice, picking up my weapon and putting it back upon my back. "But - when you go back. Relay what I have said. When this adventure draws to a close, I shall be making sure my life does so with it. Do you understand?"

"No, I don't, to be quite frank. Why kill yourself unless you know for certain that your case cannot be won?"

"Do you have any brain cells in there?" I growled, and she raised a fist angrily. "Sorry," I looked at the floor, and then boldly looked up once more. "But, you know as well as I do that with Diabola as *well*, there is no hope with all the powers of the Apocalypse that I could escape." Fleur was silent, and reached out to remove the Lens of Truth from my eye. It dropped to the desert sand with a thud.

"Go back to the others. At least see what a normal life is like. Because, if, by that miracle you claim it will take to win, you escape, then you may be granted such a life." She proceeded to flutter off, and I stood like a statue on that dune, a slant of sunshine tearing through the clouds and lighting up the land I stood upon. [A normal life?] I echoed in my brain, the door to Navi shut tight. [How long have I wished for it...though it will never happen.] I shook my head, and did as she bid me, trekking over the sand to where the other five stood (and no doubt, Fleur hovered invisibly close-by).

"Here Link," I dropped the lens into his hands.

"What did she want?" he asked in a low whisper.

"Just to talk about our mission," I said, and he seemed happy enough with the explanation. "Well, are we ready to set off again?"

"I believe so," Fleur answered, her voice coming from a few yards away. "Hero, put on once more the eye that shows the truth, and follow. The Temple is only a few more hours away now." Link tied the lens once more to sit over his eye, and mounted his horse. Nabooru and Felicity did the same. I had to entreat some help from Sheik, as my arms were not nearly strong enough yet to lift myself up into the saddle. Navi settled on my shoulder,

{I'm not riding with that bloody maniac anymore,} she growled, gesturing to Link at the head of the party. Just as she thought it, Link whipped his horse into motion.

[Here we go again. Did I mention how much I hate riding?]

{Only about a thousand times,} she laughed. {And did I mention Link is an insane fool, who rides a horse like a madman?}

[Hmm, I'm not sure. Wait, I think I remember you telling me something like that. Oh, it can't have been more than what - ten minutes ago?] She laughed with me, and I obstinately kept the news I had just heard to myself. Yes, normal life was a definite winner over the one I had had so far.

*

At last, we have ridden far enough to see the Temple far off, hewn into the rock of tall cliffs, the stone of which was the same colour as the sand all around it. It had suddenly come into complete focus as we reached the crest of a huge dune. From here, you could clearly see the design which the Temple was built to. It clearly depicted the face of a Gerudo warrior, a great shining stone set high up in the centre to be the stone that many of the women had in their head-bands.

As we got closer, the design became less apparent, and the Temple began to blend into the background once more. "The focus distance is set for a mile," Nabooru leaned over to tell me. "It's so that we always knew where the colonies of sand creatures started and finished. Not one has ever crossed the one mile line, so we always used to set up camp here." She sighed heavily, and bought her horse down the steep side of the dune that faced the Temple. "That was all a long time ago, of course."

"Here is where I leave you - I trust you can find you own way?" Fleur called, and Link chuckled up to the air where she no doubt hovered,

"Aye, I think we can cope from here."

"Then farewell."

"Farewell," he answered, and slipped the lens off of his eyes, and into his pouch at the belt at his waist. He still only wore the boxer shorts, cloak and weaponry. I wondered how on earth he could stand it. "Now, Lady Nabooru, I think it's only fair that you and Felicity lead the way to your Temple."

"Thank you very much," Felicity said with a gracious smile.

"We'd be honoured," Nabooru chimed, and she and Felicity quickly moved to the head of the pack.

"Wait - I'm sure that there must be the fountain of a Great Fairy around here somewhere," Navi tinkled. "I remember hearing about one of them moving here for a change of scene." Nabooru looked clueless, but Felicity's face had lit up.

"I think I know just the place," she said, and we followed her over to another set of cliffs which rose from the sand to the right of the Temple (as you looked at it). About halfway along the cliffs was a jagged crack in the rock. "I remember seeing fairies dance around this place at nighttime," she offered by way of explanation."

"Well, Link, you're the one with the bombs," Sheik prompted, and Link dropped down from his steed to go over to the crack.

"If I remember rightly, you're the one with the flint!" he called sharply, and Sheik followed him, with the said item ready. "Get back," Link warned just before they lit the bomb and set it down, and then ran backwards as fast as their bruised and battered legs would carry them. The bomb exploded with an almighty crash, and there was a startled scream. As the dust settled around about, and the sand was blown away by the light breeze that was still playing across the desert, a sight appeared which pushed all dark thoughts out of my head for a few joyous moments.

A Great Fairy, looking much like the one on Death Mountain (though this one's pink hair was cropped close to her head), was sitting in the pool of water before the Tri-Force symbol, surrounded by fluffy looking bubbles. The dust from the explosion had settled on her wet hair and face, giving her skin a red hue. And she was looking out at us with fear and anger plainly etched on her face.

"It's a bloody guarantee," she screeched, "That every time I try to have a bubble bath, someone will blow my door down. Now, tell me what you want quickly, before I liquidise you annoying people!" She had a lot more spunk than her cousin, that was for sure. There was a yellow flash, and she was standing there in clothes very much different to those that the other Great Fairies wore. In fact, she not only looked respectable - she also looked kinda scary.

Her pink hair, plastered to her skull and dusted red, came barely to her pointed ears. Those ears were pierced four times each, thrice at the points and once at the lobe. Next, a black choker wound around her neck, where the skin was glowing brightly. Her lithe figure was clad in a black body-suit, and a dark magenta cord was tied around her waist as a belt. To top it all off were a pair of ass-kicking boots, which rose to her knees, and were fastened with huge, heavy buckles.

"Hello, your greatness," Navi decided to go forwards first. "You sure have...changed...since I last saw you." She, now human sized, was looking the Great Fairy up and down in surprise.

"No shit," the Great Fairy answered. "And the name is Skye, not bloody great one, OK?" Navi nodded. "How are you anyway?" The Great Fairy's eyes shifted quickly to look at the five of us standing there. "Aha - that would be the Hero of time, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Aye, that's him. And Sheik of the Sheikah, as well as Blaise from across the waters, the Lady Nabooru and Felicity of the Gerudo."

"Yes, yes, introductions, nice to meet you and such like. Next time, could you knock instead of blowing up my door. Bye now," and she made to disappear.

"SKYE!" Navi yelled, and the Fairy stayed her hand. "We blew up your door because we needed your help."

"Oh - well, why the hell didn't you say so?"

"Because you were bloody rabbiting on, and generally acting like a spoilt brat!" Navi bit back, and I was surprised she was allowed to get away with. The Great Fairy just looked at her toes guiltily. "Right, now, Blaise, Link and Sheik are a little bit worse for wear, so would you kindly heal them?" The Great Fairy looked anguished.

"I can't."

"What?"

"I said I can't."

"What do you mean, 'you can't'?" Navi's skin was flushed with a dark surge of red light.

"Well, ever since the fairies fountain across the way dried up, I haven't been able to use my powers for anything other than teleportation, and rebuilding of course." Navi was breathing heavily, and she reached out to grab the wrist of the larger Fairy.

"That's it - you're coming with us. Link, get the Ocarina out, and let's go to this dry fountain shall we?" Link did as he was told, and we all followed Navi and the petulant looking Skye over to a dip in the ground which I took to be the empty fountain. "Play the song of Storms Link," Navi commanded, and I realised what she meant to do.

And, within minutes the sky was filled with black clouds, which threw rain down upon the hard, dry earth, and filled the hollow in no time. Swirling lights danced across the surface, and dozens of fairies appeared. Skye looked down at her hands, in which were glowing twin balls of ice-white fire. "Thanks!" she exclaimed, and quickly directed beams of healing at Link, Sheik and I. I felt the pain leaving me, and the strength flowed back into my tired body. "So, can I go now?" she whined when our wounds had been dealt with.

"All right, you can go," Navi smiled.

"Hang on, before I forget - you do know you have to go back in time to gain something you will need here, don't you?" she queried. My mind was hazy, but Link just nodded.

"Aye, we know."

"Just checking." She fluttered off back to her own fountain, and proceeded to put it back together again.

"Ahh, that feels so much better!" Sheik said, running a hand over his forehead, from which had been removed of all evidence of the beatings he had received. Link stretched his arms above his head, and gave out a similar sigh of contentment. Looking around, I saw that Nabooru and Felicity were trotting off to the Temple.

"Hey, where are you going?" I called after them. Nabooru turned back.

"You have a quest - we'd just get in the way."

"We shall stay here until Ganondorf has been vanquished," Felicity said, and then turned back with Nabooru to the Temple.

"I suppose now that they're gone, and we're all better, I'd best teach you the Temple melody Link." Sheik was already hefting his lyre in his newly repaired arms.

"That'd be good. Then, when we go back seven years, we can get ourselves some clothes," Link quipped, lifting his ocarina to his lips once again. I sat down on a boulder by the fairies fountain, and Navi landed on my shoulder.

"That was interesting," Navi said, holding back an amused giggle. I just nodded, and did my best to smile. It didn't quite work however. "What's wrong?" she asked, placing a small hand on the side of my face to comfort me. "Blaise?"

"Oh - it's nothing Navi," I answered distractedly. I could tell from the silence that followed she wasn't going to accept that as an answer. "Oh fine, if you must know, that Poe told me some things that I would rather not have heard."

"Oh?"

"That's all you're getting I'm afraid," I said, and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry - it's just another of those things you shall have to wait to find out."

"All right...I say, why don't we go for a swim whilst those two are playing around?"

"Sure - I could do with a good wash as well as a swim to cool me down." I got up off of the boulder, and dove into the clear water that had so recently rained down from the heavens. It was cool and refreshing, and I took a handful of it to drink when I surfaced again. Navi was floating just above the surface of the water in her human size, and I grinned up at her through strands of wet hair. "C'mon in, the water's great!"

"I'm not so sure," she said, looking doubtfully at the water. I took the opportunity to grab her legs and physically pull her in. "ARGH! You're going to pay for that!"

"Blaise, Navi, why are you two trying to kill each other, if I may be so bold to ask?" Link called from the shore.

"Oh, no reason," we both grinned at him. Then, I turned to Navi, and thought [he looks like he could do with a bath too.]

{So does Sheik.}

[I say we get them.]

{Seconded.} "Link," Navi called innocently.

"Yeah?" he walked even closer to the edge of the pool, and I followed Navi over to him, clouds of fairies dancing around me, chattering away in their own tinkling language.

"Did you ever wonder," Navi began, "what it might be like," she edged closer, and then grabbed hold of his arm, "to be thrown into a fairies fountain." And she yanked him into the water. He sank with a great splash, and came back up again spluttering. "Sheik!" Navi called, and Sheik backed away.

"No way Navi - back away!" he said, holding his hands out before him. She just clicked her fingers, and he was lifted from the ground, to be flown to hover right over the very centre of the fountain. "Cripes," was all he managed before she dropped him. Navi and I laughed loudly, and swam hurriedly to the edge of the pool to escape the *very* annoyed looking Sheik and Link.

"Now, now, you wouldn't want to do anything too hasty," I said nervously as they both hoisted themselves out of the pool.

"Wouldn't we?" Link growled good-naturedly, and grabbed Navi from where she was hovering in the air. She squirmed to try and get free, but was soon thrown back into the pool, closely followed by Link, who canon-balled his way in. Sheik did pretty much the same to me, and I was flung into the pool, closely followed by him.

"Well - this is fun," Navi muttered dryly as she came up from being dunked under the water by Link.

"Isn't it just?" Sheik asked, ducking Link's head under the water.

*

Finally, we decided we'd had enough of messing around in the water, and clambered out, the clothes we were wearing dripping over the sand. I wrung as much water out of the nightshirt as possible, before collapsing, panting, on the sand. "C'mon, back up," Sheik said, pulling me up from the sand. "We'd best be getting back to the Temple of Time soon. I don't want to stick around here to wait for Ganondorf to find his way." I agreed with his sentiment with a small shudder. He squeezed my arm reassuringly. "Don't worry - he's not going to get any of us again...I promise," he whispered, and I nodded.

"Well, everyone, come and join the one way express to the Temple of Time. No refunds available, and the refreshments trolley is empty I'm afraid," Navi called from where she sat on Link's shoulder. I smirked at her, and she giggled back. "I always thought I should be a holiday rep."

"You'd certainly suit it, the amount you talk," Link muttered, and she pulled his ear hard. "Ow. Point taken Navi, sorry," he grumbled, and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. "Well, let's go and save some more stuff shall we?" Sheik grabbed onto Link's free shoulder, and then snaked his hand over to meet mine. With a slight blush (which I'm sure I mirrored, from Navi's incessant giggly thoughts), he grinned at me, and I grinned back. "Here we go then," Link breathed, and played the Prelude of Light.

The portal came down over us, and as a group, we were whisked away to the Temple of Time, to land on the Tri-Force symbol there. We walked to the Chamber where the stand for the Master Sword lay, and I noticed with delight that Sheik was still holding my hand. Link paused before the pedestal to fiddle with the clasps on the sheath for the Master Sword, and Sheik pulled me away to the bottom of the steps.

"I don't know when I'll get the chance to do this again," he whispered, "so I figure I'll just do it now." I raised an eyebrow, and he grinned sheepishly, before leaning down to kiss me.

{Blaise!} Navi had obviously spotted us, and sounded shocked.

[Sod off, I'm having quite the enjoyable time here.] I thought back at her in annoyance, and returned my attention to the kiss at hand.

"Are you two quite done?" Link asked, sounding amused, and we broke apart to look guiltily up at him.

"Uh - heh - yeah, I guess so," I stuttered, casting a sideways glance at Sheik, who winked. Link rolled his eyes, and swung the Master Sword to point downwards.

"Back in time we go," he said in a sing-song way, and we clambered up the stairs to stand next to him. Again, Sheik's hand and my hand found the way to one another, and were clasped together. "Annoying squeaky voices, here we come," Link said, and plunged the Master Sword into the pedestal.

~/*\~/*\~/*\~

There you are, a new chapter people. I'm sorry it took so long - and is so horribly sappy - and generally not much happens. I promise to make up for it in the next chapter!

Oh, and the Great Fairy back there was definitely changed around by me. I decided I was bored with ivy covered whores with long, funny looking pink hair, so I made one of the Great Fairies vaguely interesting (though a little wussy). As I keep saying, this is fanfic, and A/U, so I can pretty much do as I please.

Review. This has taken me three hours after all!

Luv Soda