I'd like to give a HUGE thank you to Silverbreeze, Ria, Armageddon1, and PichuStar. I hope this fic can continue to deserve your nice, kind, wonderful etc etc etc reviews! Oh yeah and... PichuStar gets the imaginary thingymajiggy for guessing stuff right! And just what is the imaginary thingymajiggy? It's whatever you want! Alrighty... just like the chapter's name says, almost the entire chappie is Kira's story so just remember that it's one really long quote. There's gonna be only one more like it, I think. Anyway, just remember to review, and enjoy!
All right. This is one of the two chapters I'm warning you of! Major angsty past here, but just remember, it's all done for a reason! Maybe you can see hints as to WHAT that reason is. Haha. And to think, when I started out, I thought I was making Kira less of a Mary Sue just by making her a Hylian and giving her normal hair colors. Ahh... yes. The joys of being an amateur. XD
Disclaimer: Eek! I forgot it last time! Oh well... you can go and look at the first five chapters for the nice disclaimer(s).
Chapter 7: Kira's Story
Kira took a deep breath. "Alright then. Here goes. I am a wanderer, but I'm not lost, and I... I... don't have a family anymore. I'm fourteen years old, born in Kakariko a few months before the Great War. My mother named me Kira, using only four of the five letters in the name 'Kakariko' because she didn't like the sound of names like Kario or Kairo.
My father was the Hylian ambassador to the Sheikah people. He was sent on a confidential mission to convince them to open Kakariko Village to the rest of Hyrule. Although, as you probably know, it was customary for rich Hylian families to have at least one Sheikah domestic, thus learning about many of their traditions, few had ever entered their village, let alone live there. It was, at first, a rather intimidating idea for my mother, a true noblewoman, for she and my father were the only Hylians living in the village, the first to do so, in fact. But she quickly overcame it, finding that the Sheikah, for the most part, were kind and welcoming. During their stay there, my mother gave birth to me, the first Hylian baby born in the village of the shadow people.
My father had almost succeeded in his task before the war took his life. When the fires of combat neared Kakariko, my father, even though he was an ambassador, a high ranking official (A/N: remember the whole emblem on the sword thing?), took up his sword and helped the Sheikah warriors defend the village from the enemy. But, they were soon outnumbered and... slaughtered.
Kakariko was overrun, forcing the remaining villagers to escape. My mother fled with me, still an innocent baby, oblivious of the world, to a manor. It belonged to one of her childhood friends, whose husband was an important figure in the Hylian army. During our short stay there, an old traveling soothsayer visited and offered to tell our fortunes. She predicted doom and death for all, but no one believed her.
It was a mistake that my mother truly regretted. For the master of the manor soon fell in battle, and his wife, my mother's friend, was trapped in her room as the mansion was ravaged by fire. Again, my mother was forced to flee with me, this time back to Kakariko.
The enemy had left the village, and the Sheikah were gradually resettling. My family had been well-loved and respected by most of the villagers, so, as a tribute for my father, the Sheikah Elder sent the Lady Impa to Hyrule Castle. She was under the orders to sign a treaty with the new King, an agreement to form an alliance with the Hylians and to open Kakariko to the rest of the world. She never returned. Lost to the dazzle and bustle of Hyrule Castle Town, my mother presumed, for Lady Impa had always been very independent, unwilling to be tied down by employee-employer relationships of any kind, not the best kind of housemaid, but the best kind of friend.
We were settling back into our old life, but my mother could never overcome my father's death, and one day, her cold body was found by his grave. She left me her diary, from which I learned everything that I've just described for you, and my father's sword, the one I have now.
The Sheikah Elder took me under his care, and I was trained in the magic arts of the shadow people. I practiced day and night, night and day, never having anyone to talk to or talk to me, other than the occasional comment from the elder. None of the children in the village would play with me, not the Sheikah children, not even the Hylian children who were increasing in number every week. I just assumed that they were jealous because I was being trained by the esteemed Sheikah Elder. How wrong I was!
The day I turned five, I woke up to find that all of the Sheikah had disappeared without a trace. The only thing I had of them was a chest with this staff and pendant. I did not understand why they were gone... did not even try to understand. All I knew was that I had just been abandoned! Abandoned to the world! And to make matters worse, no one cared! Children refused to play with me, and adults would always turn away.
I once tried to approach another girl about my age, tried to be friends. But she only screamed and ran to her mother, who chased me with a stick, yelling 'Stay away from my child you dirty rascal! Go back to wherever you came from! The Great Impa opened this village for us honest folk! Not dirty little thieves like you!'
I... I was stunned. I ran back to my flimsy little shack, sobbing. They weren't jealous; they were scared of me; they hated me! Me, the child of the great Hylian ambassador! The great Hylian ambassador who would never receive any credit for his hard work! Whose only beloved daughter was being treated as a common thief, as an unwanted nobody!
I cried and cried for hours, but it seemed like days. Even when my tears ran dry, I still continued sobbing. Eventually, a kind retired Hylian soldier invited me to his house. I told him that my father was the late ambassador who had opened Kakariko to the world, but he didn't believe me. He only smiled and said that the Great Impa had opened the village, that the ambassador had disappeared mysteriously a few years ago with his wife, but without a child. Then he told me that he understood my not wanting to go back to the asylum, and that I could stay with him if I wished. I dragged him back to my shack to show him my mother's scroll, but he only commented that I had a very active imagination.
However, when he saw my sword, he promised he would teach me how to use it. I trained with him for two years, before he passed away from this world. I had lived happily with him, but now I was alone again. The villagers still shunned me, but I did not cry anymore. The Sheikah, my parents, the war; they did not make me sad any longer. After all, what's the use of crying if being sad everyday is just going to cause more trouble?
But still... I could never completely ignore the fact, that I, unlike all of the other seven year olds in the village, had no friends, no family. To make up for it, I practiced my magic and swordsmanship everyday in the graveyard. And to think, to think that I dared to believe that my problems had finally ended, that I would just live the rest of my life as a loner, like the graveyard keeper, Dampé.
One day when I was having my daily training, I was swarmed by a group of Poes. I managed to barely escape with my life, but the villagers didn't recognize me, with my entire body covered with blood and dirt, and my hair matted all over my face. They drove me out, thinking I was some kind of revengeful spirit from the graves. They left me to die in the wilderness, left me outside the village gates with only my sword, staff, pendant, and clothes.
But I couldn't make myself hate them, I just couldn't. I had lost all hope for a happy life long ago. I was used to people shunning me; I was used to people abandoning me, but nothing could prepare me for the things I was yet to face. Everyday, I would take various odd jobs to earn some money, barely enough to buy food, but every night I was attacked by either Stalchildren or Poes,always wanting a 'shiny treasure'. You would never understand the intense pain, the intense fear of being followed, of being hunted, hunted by things that are far from human, things with only one goal in life, to kill, to kill for something you don't even know you have.
When I was ten, I was ambushed by a group of Stalchildren, much like the one today, but a little smaller. They overwhelmed me, and I it hadn't been for Areon, then a sickly little colt, I would have died there, right in the middle of nowhere. Ever since that night, Areon's always been by my side, my only friend in all these years of running and fighting.
I guess I've always tried to stay cheerful about life, but sometimes... sometimes I remember my past... sometimes I remember the future that could have been mine. And that's when the whole world seems to be against me, when the whole world seems to want me dead... I used to... silently cry myself to sleep... because there was nothing else I could do...
But... I don't think that will happen anymore... because I've finally met people who accept me for who I am, not for who I might be, not out of pity. I... I'm sorry to lying to you before, I truly truly am. Will you forgive me?"
Finished with her long narrative, Kira burst into tears. Link and Zelda glanced at each other and nodded, as both had long ago realized that gaining Kira's trust would be essential to solving the mystery that they had been thrown into. After all, it's much easier to keep a close eye on a friend than on an enemy. "We forgive you. That's what friends are for, right?" Link said, his eyes bright and cheerful.
"You will? Y- You both forgive me?" Kira asked between sobs.
Zelda smiled. "Of course. Good friends don't hold grudges."
"T- Thank you so so much! I'm so happy that I have more friends now! I- I always thought that no one would want me and that I would make a horrible friend... An- And the only thing I've ever wanted was to have more friends... And now... and now... Oh... I- I don't know what to say!"
"You don't have to say anything. I'm just glad that you actually told us about your past. But I never knew that the Hylian ambassador had a child, or his fate, for that matter. Father always said that it was a pity he had no one to carry on the family name, and left it at that."
"As for me, I'm just glad that my questions are finally cleared up. But make sure that you don't attack without warning next time. That blast of wind really surprised me for a second," commented Link.
"S- Sorry. I- I was afraid th- that something bad would happen and it would be my fault and then everyone would hate me and no one would ever ever want me around anymore..."
"It wouldn't be your fault, and no one should blame you," Zelda said gently.
"I- I hope so... But um... w- weren't you about to attack too, Link?"
"Ehehe. I guess I have to start working on that little problem of mine." Link laughed, embarrassed.
Kira smiled at him, but her expression quickly turned to one of nervousness. "I- I'd like to ask one more favor of both of you. Could you... um... please keep my past a secret?"
Zelda looked at her confused. "Certainly. But do you mind if I ask you why?"
"Well... first of all, I don't think anyone would believe my story and I... I kinda want to start a new life here. But I suppose that it would be fine if the Sheikah lady in the castle knew about it. I think she seems like the type of person who would understand..."
"If that's what you want, then you have my word for it. And the Hero of Time always keeps his word."
"I wouldn't say 'always'. You're not keeping your marriage vows to Ruto, are you?" Zelda smiled at Link slyly.
Link blushed. "I didn't know what a marriage ring was! Besides, King Zora wouldn't want his darling daughter to marry some dirt poor Hylian, you should know that oh great Princess of Destiny."
Kira looked at Link and Zelda, surprised. "The Hero of Time? And the Princess of Destiny? Then- Then do you also have the Triforce of Courage and the Triforce of Wisdom?"
"Err..." Link glanced at Zelda, who nodded. "Yeah. But how did you know?" he asked.
"It's an old legend of the Sheikah," answered Kira. "But no one really believes it, or should I say, believed."
"Well... now that you know our little secret, will you make a promise to us? Promise never to tell anyone?" Zelda questioned.
Kira grinned, her tears nearly forgotten thanks to Link and Zelda's bickering. "Heehee! I swear upon my sword and staff that your secret will never be revealed to anyone. Under no circumstances will I speak of your oh so wondrous secret, not in life, not in-"
"Kira! Stop that! You're starting to act like Link!" Zelda laughed.
"What's wrong with acting like me?"
"What's wrong? I'll tell you exactly what's wrong! You're annoying! A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G!"
Kira sighed. They were at it, again, but luckily, a worried voice disrupted the bickering.
"Zelda! Princess Zelda! Are you up there?"
"Yes, Impa. And so are Link and Kira."
"Impa?" Kira asked confused. "The Lady Impa of Kakariko?"
Link nodded. "None other."
A/N: Well how was it? That should solve some of the mysteries. I'm sorry if it seemed a bit rushed. I'll be gone for like a week if anyone cares, so um... look for an update after about a week. Anyway... review away!