NOTES: Let's see... before we get started, I have several notes I want to mention. Firstly, the boring disclaimer that none of this stuff is mine. Now to the story notes, specifically in relation to the Cardcaptor Sakura portion. I like anime and manga, but I have no desire to become Japanese. As such, I have not attempted to put any Japanese words or suffixes on anything. Also, I watched the series with subtitles, so if you watch the series in English, you'll have to translate the names over yourself. Speaking of names, throughout the entire story I address Li Syaoran as Li. This is just a mental block I have. No matter how hard I try, he is Li to me, not Syaoran (and now that I've read Tsubasa, this is never going to change). Finally, no matter how many times I watch CCS, some things still confuse me. So, this story doesn't really fall within a specific time period in the series. Suffice it to say that it definitely comes after the first season (minor spoilers if you haven't watched all of it), but the rest is up in the air. Meilin is not in the story. I don't know where she is - maybe she went back to Hong Kong. It's not that I don't like her, she just had no part in the story to play. And Eriol hasn't come into the story yet. That's all that you really need to know.
Oh, just for those interested (and if you are, this will give away a tiny spoiler for the story), this story came about from a dream I had. It was really strange and extremely cool. It was a Super Smash Bros. Melee dream, actually. In my dream, I was playing SSBM, and I went to the Event levels, and there was a 51st level, called 'O, Master'. When I clicked on it, I found I was playing the level as Yue (yeah, weird, I know), and I had to fight evil Sakura and Li. And believe me, in my dream they were HARD. So, just as I was wondering how on earth I was going to beat them, the Master Sword appeared out of nowhere (cue the Zelda music). Well, that's basically where the dream ended (no fighting, sorry), but when I woke up I got to wondering, where did the Master Sword come from, and why were Sakura and Li evil? And that's how this story came about. For those of you who thought it would be impossible to write a Zelda/Cardcaptor Sakura crossover... here it is!
O, Master
Chapter 1: Memories
A wolf howled as the last drops of sunlight vanished behind a distant cliff. The first stars were appearing as Link, Hero of Time, crested a rise and stopped, huffing and puffing, to drop a load of firewood near his makeshift campsite. He smiled at his horse Epona, who was nibbling the grass nearby.
"That… is the last… time I accept the challenge… to race the running man… across Hyrule Field!" he said between breaths. Epona stared at him, unconvinced. After a moment of silence, Link gave in grudgingly. "Well, alright, so he did help me collect firewood afterward. And he is a nice person. But still," he said with a sigh, "I can never manage to beat him. I don't know how he does it!" A noise that sounded suspiciously like a snicker came from Epona. "Foul beast," Link muttered good-naturedly, and set to work making a fire.
Several hours and a satisfying meal later, Link and Epona lay relaxing on the grass, gazing at the stars. It was a full moon, and the field was bathed in a cool silver glow. Link laughed softly, content.
"To think, Epona, that it has been seven years already. We're right back where it all started. Or ended, I should say." He mused. "It's funny. After we destroyed Ganondorf, in that other time, I didn't want to go back. I didn't want to lose all of the friends I had made, all the memories we had shared. But it really has been for the better. After seven years of traveling, I have rebuilt those friendships, some of them better than they were before." He laughed again. "I guess Zel knew what she was doing, eh Epona? But," his face turned grim, "I miss her. Five months is too long to be away." Epona gave a whinny of agreement. It had been a long time since she had seen her friend Malon. She missed the comfort and safety of the ranch.
Link caught her mood. "I know how you feel, girl. Thanks for coming with me all this way. Tomorrow, we'll stop at Lon Lon Ranch to see Malon before we head to the castle, alright?"
Epona neighed an enthusiastic 'Yes!'
-0-0-0-0-
Zelda could not sleep. It was after midnight, yet she still paced restlessly at the end of her bed. She was not quite sure what kept her awake; she had had a busy day and was exhausted. But something kept her from sleeping.
She rubbed the back of her right hand absently. Lately it had begun to itch strangely, but it was not overly distracting. A slight tingling, really, somewhere below her skin. But if she scratched it occasionally, it went away.
Zelda slowed as she drew near the window. The moon was at its zenith, and the light pouring through the panes made eerie shadows in the corners of her room. Feeling suddenly cold, Zelda wrapped a shawl about her shoulders and built up a fire from the smoldering embers in the large stone fireplace. For a time, she simply sat, staring into the flames.
What's wrong with me? she wondered. Something was definitely wrong; she could feel it. But she did not know what.
It's this vague feeling of unease. Impa says she knows it's just a teenage mood swing, but I don't believe her. I can't see Impa as ever having been a teenager! She almost laughed aloud, but caught herself. Impa slept in the room right next to hers, and she was a very light sleeper. Zelda did not want her losing sleep too; her day had also been hard.
Zelda lapsed back into a brooding silence, watching the flames lick the stones. Perhaps it was due to her exhaustion, or perhaps to something else, but as she watched, she began to make out shadows in among the flames. The shadows seemed to coalesce and create a vague outline.
Entranced, Zelda unconsciously leaned closer. It's… a man… riding a horse! And he's… oh! She recoiled in horror at the sheer hatred on his face. But even as she was repulsed, she felt a twinge of recognition. Should I know him? she wondered. It seems that I should, but I don't remember… Her thoughts trailed off as the image changed. Her field of vision seemed to expand, and now she recognized the drawbridge of Hyrule Castle! A white horse pounded over the wooden planks, carrying two riders. The first, a young girl, seemed to look right at her, and Zelda gasped. Could it be? The vision continued. The man on the darker horse rode over the drawbridge, stopping to gaze out across the now-empty landscape. With a look of obvious frustration and anger, he turned in his saddle.
He's looking at me! But no, his gaze was down. His lips began to move silently. He's talking to someone! Oh, I wish I knew who it was! As if by magic, her sight swung around and down, down, down. It's a child! Then her heart skipped a beat. It's Link! The green tunic and overly large shield were as familiar to her as her own room. Her moment of pleasure at seeing her friend's face was shattered as she remembered the man on the horse. He would try to hurt Link, she knew that. She could almost feel his animosity toward her friend radiating from the flames. I've got to warn Link! But before she could do more than take a breath, the scene in the flames changed.
It was night, on a slight hill. Beside the remains of a dying fire, a young man lay curled up in a woolen blanket. Zelda knew it was Link, even before she saw Epona lying a ways off. This scene was from the present, perhaps even that very night. If she could just discover where Link was at that moment, she could go and warn him. But the hilltop scene did not offer much detail. And it began dissolving almost as soon as it had appeared.
The fire was dying. She must have been watching it for hours. In the last dancing flames, an image of two children appeared. They were not Hylian, or even Kokiri. One was a girl, with green eyes and short brown hair, and the other was a boy, slightly taller, with brown eyes and hair. They seemed to be trapped, but she could not see how.
And as Zelda watched, the girl turned and looked directly at her! The green eyes seemed to take on a deeper glow; her features became harsher. Then she spoke.
O, Master.
Zelda gasped as a violent pain went shooting up her arm and into her chest. The final tongues of flame died as she fainted to the floor, trying desperately to call for help, but only managing a single, whispered word.
"Link…"
-0-0-0-0-
Out in Hyrule Field, Link awoke instantly. He jumped out of his blanket, pulling his sword as he went. When no initial attack came, he circled for a few minutes, checking the area around the hill. Finally, finding no trouble, he returned to his bedding. Epona was awake, watching him peevishly.
"Sorry for waking you, girl, but I thought I heard something. It sounded like horses, and somebody calling my name. Strange, huh?" He sheathed his sword and settled back down. Epona came over to lay down and lean against his back. Warm and cozy, Link was quickly succumbing to sleep again. As he drifted off, he mumbled, "Tomorrow, Epona. Tomorrow we see Malon. And Zelda."
-0-0-0-0-
Deep in the Sacred Realm, beyond the ever-moving Temple of Light, past the insurmountable Black Mountains, and across the River of Lost Souls sat Ganondorf's Palace. It rose huge and impenetrable, and seemed to pierce the ever-night sky with its tall spires. High, high beyond the jagged crags that surrounded it, beyond the sparse windows that cast eerie red glows on the landscape, Ganondorf sat waiting.
He did not know how long he had been waiting. An hour, a minute, a decade, a lifetime? None of it mattered. Time was irrelevant in the Sacred Realm. The only thing that mattered was Link. Ganondorf knew that Link was responsible for his present situation. It had been Link who had defeated him, and who had gathered the Sages to help seal him away. And Ganondorf hated Link for it.
But he also had Link to thank for one thing. The Triforce of Power. The young, naïve boy had unwittingly allowed him to harness the Triforce of Power and keep it, despite being banished to the Sacred Realm.
He laughed hollowly. That was the second mistake, and the one that would prove his revenge. The Sacred Realm, being a sort of in-between place, was a gateway to almost anywhere. The Sages had sealed off the entrance to Hyrule, but left him free to wander in spirit among the other worlds. Ganondorf was certain he would find a suitable source with which he could combine his Triforce energy. Then he would be sufficiently powerful enough to destroy the seal to Hyrule and seek his revenge on Link.
So Ganondorf waited. Waited for the key he needed to unlock his timeless prison. And while he waited, his eyes glowed red, and the small, golden print of a triangle on his hand radiated waves of darkness toward Hyrule.