Time seemed to slow down, freeze in place as it often does during times of
crisis. The seconds ticked by and Link watched in dread as the monster
descended toward Malon's prone form.
He began running, his feet flying across the water-covered floor while his mind hissed at him, contemptuously repeating, 'What will you do if she dies?'
He was in front of her now, his shield thrown up in a pathetic defense against the oncoming monster. He turned to her, finding his voice and yelling, "You have to move!"
She didn't seem to hear him, her eyes still watching the air at her side intently.
Pain surged suddenly through his arms as the Bigocto's bulk connected with his Hylian shield, the strain causing his muscles to spasm and perspiration to trickle down his skin.
Yet he did not back down.
His feet slipped across the slimy ground but he continued to push forward, refusing to let the monster gain ground. His eyes were narrowed in a deadly concentration, mind focused on keeping the Bigocto as far away from Malon as possible.
But Link was tiring, his small form failing against such odds. His vision began to blur and darken around the edges as his arms began to numb against the agony.
"Malon," his voice came out in a gurgle, "Move."
Then someone began speaking in a tone mixture of sorrow and pity.
"I did not think you would fail so quickly, I thought that you had a chance."
A shiver traveled down Link's spine when he realized that the voice didn't belong to Malon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Death's cloak billowed about him as he whispered those words to her.
"I thought you had a chance."
She stared at him, too shocked to speak for a moment. Navi had finally spotted what Malon had been staring at and her mouth dropped.
But they both roused themselves quickly enough when Death, silvery scythe raised, turned to Link.
"No!" Malon cried, "What are you doing?!"
She half rose from the ground and tried to grasp at Death's cloak at about the same time Navi flew into his hooded face. Only air met both of their attempts, almost as if he wasn't there.
"You can't!" Malon yelled, voice echoing off the walls, "You can't take him!"
The Hooded Knight half turned to her, even as he stepped closer to Link, "His life force is wavering," he said quietly. "If I do not take him now his spirit will be trapped in Life even as his body dies."
Malon began to shake, whether from fear or hopeless anger she was no longer sure. If Link died Hyrule's future went with him, the man with the burning eyes would win, and the Kingdom would be plunged into darkness.
Malon tried to stand, to cast a spell, to do anything, but her wound had sapped her strength and her magical core remained silent to her plea.
Tears of desolation blurred her vision and she bowed her head even as defeat reared its own.
She had failed.
Hyrule was doomed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link watched with a kind of fascinated horror as the metal of his Hylian shield began to cave in with a metallic screech.
He closed his eyes in pain as he realized he probably wasn't going to make it out of this alive.
He had heard the arguing behind him, but hadn't quite believed his own ears. He hadn't believed his own death was so near.
His mind froze for an instant and he gave a small cry as his wrist finally snapped under the pressure, forcing him to use his shoulder as a replacement.
The finality of his fate made him feel ill even as he glanced at his ruined wrist, detachedly examining his own white bone poking out of bleeding flesh. Nausea arose in him when his brain finally registered what he was looking at but he beat it back down.
He would win this battle, even if it were destined to be his last.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Malon flinched when she heard Link's pained yell and the sickening sound of bone breaking.
"Please," she whispered brokenly, speaking to no one in particular, "Help."
There was a sudden feeling in her head, like a kind of presence, and she realized that she was no longer alone inside her mind.
'Look into the water.'
The thought came suddenly, although it was soft, and with a start she realized she recognized the multi toned voice.
"You're the one who helped me get away from the Stalchildren." Malon whispered aloud, "So you weren't just a stray thought, who are you?"
'I am that which has passed but has not completely gone, I am The Sage, The Creator, The Mother, I am everything yet I am nothing."
Malon would have laughed any other time at such a ridiculous riddle but now was not the time for laughter.
"Why are you helping me?" she demanded, although her voice lacked conviction, strained as it was by her tears.
For a moment there was silence within the confines of her mind, and she wondered if she had miffed the invisible entity enough for it to leave, but then the voice returned, 'You are the last hope, my little Ayin.'
Malon blinked blankly at the last part, unsure as to what Ayin meant but not willing to ask.
'Search.' The voice insisted, 'Search the water.'
The injured girl felt confused but she began to sift through the water anyway, clouded as it was by her own blood.
"What is it I'm searching for?!" she called and almost immediately after the last word had left her lips saw what she had been seeking.
Three sky blue gems shown through the dirtied water, encased in gleaming gold and glowing with untapped power.
The Zora's Sapphire, one of the three Sacred Stones.
'It holds Power.' The voice within her mind said, 'You must use it.'
Malon picked it up gently, cupping it in both hands and wondering if it was real.
"Ruto must have dropped it."
It took Malon a moment to grasp the fact that the person who had spoken was Navi. The fairy hovered over her shoulder; squinting at the object that had begun to glow even brighter the instant the sorceress had touched it.
"Are you going to save him with that?"
The desperation in Navi's voice rivaled her own and Malon felt a sudden certainty of what she must do.
"I must use your power." She whispered to the Sacred Stone, hoping that somewhere deep within the gem understood what she was saying, "Will you allow it?"
There was a soft trill of musical notes, like that of a flute only sweeter, coming from the Zora's Sapphire. Malon smiled brightly at the song, realizing that it had understood, but more importantly, that it had assented.
As soon as the soft sound had died down Malon tapped into the power of the Sapphire, and felt an immediate response. Golden waves of power tinged with a bluish light flowed into her hands, circulating through her body, and awaiting her command.
Holding the jewel before her, clasping it firmly in both hands she began to call the magic out.
"Link!" she yelled above the fizzle of magic, "You'll have to move when I say so!"
Link turned his head in her direction, face going slack with astonishment when he saw the Sapphire. He nodded.
Death was watching Malon with interest, his scythe no longer hovering over Link. He waited.
Navi surveyed the scene before flying over to Link, taking her place above his head and glaring heatedly at the Bigocto. She held her breath.
The water around Malon began to sparkle and ripple as she called upon it with the power of the Sacred Stone. Water started to flow upward in great torrents, gathering about the Zora's Sapphire, forming a giant sphere of shimmering water.
She held it there for a moment, concentrating, until the sphere took on the shape of a watery lance, its point sharp with deadly intent.
"Now, Link!" she shouted, releasing the javelin of water straight at the Bigocto.
When Link didn't instantly move she feared the magic water would hit him, but the young kokiri was still nimble even through his pain, and he shifted to the side quickly to avoid her attack.
The Bigocto, taken by surprise at the sudden loss of equilibrium when Link had moved, was not so lucky.
The lance hit the creature with a resounding thud, followed by a stomach- churning crack as the magical water pierced its hide.
Bigocto blinked its neon eyes stupidly, shock taking over even as the viscid purple blood poured out onto the ground. The monster swayed on its feet for several seconds before falling on its side.
A final shriek of agony escaped the creature, although it was nearly drowned out by the triumphant music of the Zora's Sapphire.
Death glanced at Malon for a long moment before walking over to the Bigocto. Raising his scythe high above his head, he brought it down in a silvery arc, blinding everyone in the room for a moment with its brilliance.
When Malon reopened her eyes Death was gone, the Bigocto was dead, and Link was looking at her with relief, holding his bleeding wrist close to his body.
Malon smiled shakily, trying to keep the contents of her stomach down even through her nervousness.
The voice in her head whispered one more thing to her before the presence faded from her mind.
'When Death comes he will not leave empty.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"How did you regain your powers?" Navi asked curiously as she watched Malon attempt to heal Link's wounded wrist with the Zora's Sapphire.
"It isn't really my power, it's the Sacred Stone." Malon said distractedly, "It's more effective than my magic will ever be but I can't control it very well."
Malon had already healed her own wounds with the Sapphire and was beginning to tire from keeping the power focused. "The Stone kind of has a mind of its own, remember that music from before?"
Navi nodded as she recalled the sound, "So the music was like speaking?"
"Yep." Malon said, the word coming out in a great release of air, "It was saying I could use its power."
As soon as Link's wrist bone disappeared back into the skin and the tattered remnants of flesh fused back together the golden glow faded and the Stone gave one last little trill of music before falling silent.
Malon handed the Zora's Sapphire to Link and sat back against the slippery wall of Lord Jabu Jabu, closing her eyes.
"Thanks." Link said quietly, following the young girl's example.
"Just don't move it around too much." She warned faintly as waves of drowsiness washed over her. "It's still fragile, it will take a while to be as strong as before."
Silence met her statement, both kids too tired to say much else.
"I could sleep for a week." Navi declared finally, earning dirty looks from the children and laughing, "Knew that would get your attention."
"Are you ready to go?" Link asked after another moment of silence, getting up with a great effort.
Malon flinched, almost physical pain arising at his question. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."
"Now hold on just a second!" Navi howled, tapping her foot in midair, "Why are we still going on? We have the Sapphire," she pointed at the gleaming gem in Link's hands, "Isn't that what we came here for?"
Malon blinked and pretended to examine her ruined shoes while Link replied, "We have to get Ruto back, she may not have the Sacred Stone anymore, but we can't just leave her here."
Navi opened her mouth to unleash a burning retort before she shut it again, seemingly to consider Link's words. The fairy glanced at Malon who refused to meet her gaze and sighed. Navi knew the young girl wouldn't have minded leaving the princess in Lord Jabu Jabu either but she wouldn't go against Link just to accomplish it.
"We can't leave her." Link repeated fiercely, standing now as if readying himself to leave, with or without them. Then he paused, as if to consider something.
Turning on his heel he walked up to Malon and placed the Sacred Stone in her hands.
Perplexed and utterly worn out, Malon looked at him questioningly.
"I want you to take the Stone and get out of here," he sounded as though he wasn't so sure of his own decision, "And I want Navi to go with you."
"What?!" two startled and angry female voices rose in unison, the calm broken in place of a storm.
"I need you two to protect the Stone." He explained, even as he stepped up onto the platform, "Only you know how to use it Malon, and Navi you'll have to lead her out of here."
The platform began to rise into the next level and both Malon and Navi watched in a kind of stupor.
"Be careful!" he called, just before he disappeared from sight.
"Damn!" Navi cried, glaring at the bottom of the platform when it did not descend again, "I should have known he'd pull a stunt like this!"
When no agreeing screams of outrage followed hers Navi turned to see Malon's soft smile directed at her.
"What?" Navi questioned, anger draining away to be replaced be uncertainty, "Aren't you mad?"
"He's just trying to keep us alive, Navi." Malon said finally, still smiling, "This was the only way he could think of, it wasn't very clever, but he did it."
Navi sighed and glared up at the ceiling once more before sighing, "I hope he comes back alive."
The smile faded from Malon's lips and she glanced at the glowing Stone in her hands, "Me too."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link picked up the crate and set it on the switch, wondering all the while if leaving Malon and Navi alone with the Sacred Stone was wise.
It wasn't that he didn't trust them, it was just that he didn't trust the Zora not to take it from them by force, he could only hope Malon would have enough sense not to show it to everyone.
He passed through the door that opened, staring perplexedly at the room before him after he entered.
He spotted vines and shook his head, wondering what Navi would have to say about such things and climbed up.
Puzzled for a moment he stood on the edge, looking around until he spotted a switch. When he threw the boomerang it hit something invisible and came flying back, almost hitting its owner. Link almost laughed but took careful aim and threw it around the invisible obstacle, just managing to hit the switch.
A door opened and he hit the ground running, wanting nothing more than to be out of Lord Jabu Jabu. As soon as he was through he felt his battle instincts rising, the final monster had to be near.
Apparently the Bigocto wasn't the only boss around here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Barinade's jellyfish spun about, faster than before, and Link was just barely managing to dodge them.
He threw his boomerang swiftly not even having enough time to aim. Even though it was a wild throw it flew true, past the barrier of jellyfish and into the middle of Barinade.
The creature ceased moving and stunned, giving Link enough time to jump forward and hack it apart with his sword.
Barinade screamed in pain as green barnacles began to cover its body. Link watched patiently, wondering if this was another attack.
The monster exploded, green blood flying everywhere, covering Link and the floor.
Link gagged on the stench, waving a hand in front of his face in a half- hearted attempt to rid his nose of the smell.
He picked up his prize and began to walk toward the blue light to see someone had beaten him there.
Ruto stood in the light, tapping her foot and blushing a bright shade of pink.
"You're worthless!" she hissed, glaring at him as he stepped into the blue circle, "What took you so long?!"
He pointedly ignored her, wiping some of the sticky green glue off of his clothing and onto his hand, which he found didn't make things much better.
"I was lonely, that's all, just a little!" the princess said finally, looking up at the ceiling as they were transported out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link landed with a plop in the water, surprised to say the least, but pleased that the green guck came off; when he surfaced he was cleaner than he had been in days.
"Link!"
He turned at the sound of his name to see Malon standing on the altar of stone that held up part of Lord Jabu Jabu, waving like mad.
He waved back, and started to swim toward her only to find the princess in front of his face.
He gasped, which was unfortunate because he got half a mouthful of water down his throat, and backed away slightly.
Ruto smiled at him, the blush still there but not as pronounced, "You looked really cool out there." She said quietly, getting closer to him even as he backed away. "Really cool."
Link wasn't sure what surprised him more, the fact that she had complimented him or the fact that she had closed her eyes and was now leaning forward to kiss him.
A wall of water suddenly sprung up between them, crashing down on Ruto after hanging in the air for a moment.
The princess, sputtering water, looked around confusedly until she spotted Malon, clutching the Zora's Sapphire and grinning for all she was worth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Notes: Awfully rushed wasn't it? But it's still nice to know people like to read this rubbish *Smiles at The Pilot*.
Sorry this chapter took so long, (And that it's shitty to boot!), but I already have Chapter 11 in the works and I wanted to get this one out of the way.
Thanks to all those who reviewed the last few chapters, and to my regulars who are very, very brave souls. I'm already up to 46 reviews! Hurray!
Until I write again.
-- Alanna
He began running, his feet flying across the water-covered floor while his mind hissed at him, contemptuously repeating, 'What will you do if she dies?'
He was in front of her now, his shield thrown up in a pathetic defense against the oncoming monster. He turned to her, finding his voice and yelling, "You have to move!"
She didn't seem to hear him, her eyes still watching the air at her side intently.
Pain surged suddenly through his arms as the Bigocto's bulk connected with his Hylian shield, the strain causing his muscles to spasm and perspiration to trickle down his skin.
Yet he did not back down.
His feet slipped across the slimy ground but he continued to push forward, refusing to let the monster gain ground. His eyes were narrowed in a deadly concentration, mind focused on keeping the Bigocto as far away from Malon as possible.
But Link was tiring, his small form failing against such odds. His vision began to blur and darken around the edges as his arms began to numb against the agony.
"Malon," his voice came out in a gurgle, "Move."
Then someone began speaking in a tone mixture of sorrow and pity.
"I did not think you would fail so quickly, I thought that you had a chance."
A shiver traveled down Link's spine when he realized that the voice didn't belong to Malon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Death's cloak billowed about him as he whispered those words to her.
"I thought you had a chance."
She stared at him, too shocked to speak for a moment. Navi had finally spotted what Malon had been staring at and her mouth dropped.
But they both roused themselves quickly enough when Death, silvery scythe raised, turned to Link.
"No!" Malon cried, "What are you doing?!"
She half rose from the ground and tried to grasp at Death's cloak at about the same time Navi flew into his hooded face. Only air met both of their attempts, almost as if he wasn't there.
"You can't!" Malon yelled, voice echoing off the walls, "You can't take him!"
The Hooded Knight half turned to her, even as he stepped closer to Link, "His life force is wavering," he said quietly. "If I do not take him now his spirit will be trapped in Life even as his body dies."
Malon began to shake, whether from fear or hopeless anger she was no longer sure. If Link died Hyrule's future went with him, the man with the burning eyes would win, and the Kingdom would be plunged into darkness.
Malon tried to stand, to cast a spell, to do anything, but her wound had sapped her strength and her magical core remained silent to her plea.
Tears of desolation blurred her vision and she bowed her head even as defeat reared its own.
She had failed.
Hyrule was doomed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link watched with a kind of fascinated horror as the metal of his Hylian shield began to cave in with a metallic screech.
He closed his eyes in pain as he realized he probably wasn't going to make it out of this alive.
He had heard the arguing behind him, but hadn't quite believed his own ears. He hadn't believed his own death was so near.
His mind froze for an instant and he gave a small cry as his wrist finally snapped under the pressure, forcing him to use his shoulder as a replacement.
The finality of his fate made him feel ill even as he glanced at his ruined wrist, detachedly examining his own white bone poking out of bleeding flesh. Nausea arose in him when his brain finally registered what he was looking at but he beat it back down.
He would win this battle, even if it were destined to be his last.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Malon flinched when she heard Link's pained yell and the sickening sound of bone breaking.
"Please," she whispered brokenly, speaking to no one in particular, "Help."
There was a sudden feeling in her head, like a kind of presence, and she realized that she was no longer alone inside her mind.
'Look into the water.'
The thought came suddenly, although it was soft, and with a start she realized she recognized the multi toned voice.
"You're the one who helped me get away from the Stalchildren." Malon whispered aloud, "So you weren't just a stray thought, who are you?"
'I am that which has passed but has not completely gone, I am The Sage, The Creator, The Mother, I am everything yet I am nothing."
Malon would have laughed any other time at such a ridiculous riddle but now was not the time for laughter.
"Why are you helping me?" she demanded, although her voice lacked conviction, strained as it was by her tears.
For a moment there was silence within the confines of her mind, and she wondered if she had miffed the invisible entity enough for it to leave, but then the voice returned, 'You are the last hope, my little Ayin.'
Malon blinked blankly at the last part, unsure as to what Ayin meant but not willing to ask.
'Search.' The voice insisted, 'Search the water.'
The injured girl felt confused but she began to sift through the water anyway, clouded as it was by her own blood.
"What is it I'm searching for?!" she called and almost immediately after the last word had left her lips saw what she had been seeking.
Three sky blue gems shown through the dirtied water, encased in gleaming gold and glowing with untapped power.
The Zora's Sapphire, one of the three Sacred Stones.
'It holds Power.' The voice within her mind said, 'You must use it.'
Malon picked it up gently, cupping it in both hands and wondering if it was real.
"Ruto must have dropped it."
It took Malon a moment to grasp the fact that the person who had spoken was Navi. The fairy hovered over her shoulder; squinting at the object that had begun to glow even brighter the instant the sorceress had touched it.
"Are you going to save him with that?"
The desperation in Navi's voice rivaled her own and Malon felt a sudden certainty of what she must do.
"I must use your power." She whispered to the Sacred Stone, hoping that somewhere deep within the gem understood what she was saying, "Will you allow it?"
There was a soft trill of musical notes, like that of a flute only sweeter, coming from the Zora's Sapphire. Malon smiled brightly at the song, realizing that it had understood, but more importantly, that it had assented.
As soon as the soft sound had died down Malon tapped into the power of the Sapphire, and felt an immediate response. Golden waves of power tinged with a bluish light flowed into her hands, circulating through her body, and awaiting her command.
Holding the jewel before her, clasping it firmly in both hands she began to call the magic out.
"Link!" she yelled above the fizzle of magic, "You'll have to move when I say so!"
Link turned his head in her direction, face going slack with astonishment when he saw the Sapphire. He nodded.
Death was watching Malon with interest, his scythe no longer hovering over Link. He waited.
Navi surveyed the scene before flying over to Link, taking her place above his head and glaring heatedly at the Bigocto. She held her breath.
The water around Malon began to sparkle and ripple as she called upon it with the power of the Sacred Stone. Water started to flow upward in great torrents, gathering about the Zora's Sapphire, forming a giant sphere of shimmering water.
She held it there for a moment, concentrating, until the sphere took on the shape of a watery lance, its point sharp with deadly intent.
"Now, Link!" she shouted, releasing the javelin of water straight at the Bigocto.
When Link didn't instantly move she feared the magic water would hit him, but the young kokiri was still nimble even through his pain, and he shifted to the side quickly to avoid her attack.
The Bigocto, taken by surprise at the sudden loss of equilibrium when Link had moved, was not so lucky.
The lance hit the creature with a resounding thud, followed by a stomach- churning crack as the magical water pierced its hide.
Bigocto blinked its neon eyes stupidly, shock taking over even as the viscid purple blood poured out onto the ground. The monster swayed on its feet for several seconds before falling on its side.
A final shriek of agony escaped the creature, although it was nearly drowned out by the triumphant music of the Zora's Sapphire.
Death glanced at Malon for a long moment before walking over to the Bigocto. Raising his scythe high above his head, he brought it down in a silvery arc, blinding everyone in the room for a moment with its brilliance.
When Malon reopened her eyes Death was gone, the Bigocto was dead, and Link was looking at her with relief, holding his bleeding wrist close to his body.
Malon smiled shakily, trying to keep the contents of her stomach down even through her nervousness.
The voice in her head whispered one more thing to her before the presence faded from her mind.
'When Death comes he will not leave empty.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"How did you regain your powers?" Navi asked curiously as she watched Malon attempt to heal Link's wounded wrist with the Zora's Sapphire.
"It isn't really my power, it's the Sacred Stone." Malon said distractedly, "It's more effective than my magic will ever be but I can't control it very well."
Malon had already healed her own wounds with the Sapphire and was beginning to tire from keeping the power focused. "The Stone kind of has a mind of its own, remember that music from before?"
Navi nodded as she recalled the sound, "So the music was like speaking?"
"Yep." Malon said, the word coming out in a great release of air, "It was saying I could use its power."
As soon as Link's wrist bone disappeared back into the skin and the tattered remnants of flesh fused back together the golden glow faded and the Stone gave one last little trill of music before falling silent.
Malon handed the Zora's Sapphire to Link and sat back against the slippery wall of Lord Jabu Jabu, closing her eyes.
"Thanks." Link said quietly, following the young girl's example.
"Just don't move it around too much." She warned faintly as waves of drowsiness washed over her. "It's still fragile, it will take a while to be as strong as before."
Silence met her statement, both kids too tired to say much else.
"I could sleep for a week." Navi declared finally, earning dirty looks from the children and laughing, "Knew that would get your attention."
"Are you ready to go?" Link asked after another moment of silence, getting up with a great effort.
Malon flinched, almost physical pain arising at his question. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."
"Now hold on just a second!" Navi howled, tapping her foot in midair, "Why are we still going on? We have the Sapphire," she pointed at the gleaming gem in Link's hands, "Isn't that what we came here for?"
Malon blinked and pretended to examine her ruined shoes while Link replied, "We have to get Ruto back, she may not have the Sacred Stone anymore, but we can't just leave her here."
Navi opened her mouth to unleash a burning retort before she shut it again, seemingly to consider Link's words. The fairy glanced at Malon who refused to meet her gaze and sighed. Navi knew the young girl wouldn't have minded leaving the princess in Lord Jabu Jabu either but she wouldn't go against Link just to accomplish it.
"We can't leave her." Link repeated fiercely, standing now as if readying himself to leave, with or without them. Then he paused, as if to consider something.
Turning on his heel he walked up to Malon and placed the Sacred Stone in her hands.
Perplexed and utterly worn out, Malon looked at him questioningly.
"I want you to take the Stone and get out of here," he sounded as though he wasn't so sure of his own decision, "And I want Navi to go with you."
"What?!" two startled and angry female voices rose in unison, the calm broken in place of a storm.
"I need you two to protect the Stone." He explained, even as he stepped up onto the platform, "Only you know how to use it Malon, and Navi you'll have to lead her out of here."
The platform began to rise into the next level and both Malon and Navi watched in a kind of stupor.
"Be careful!" he called, just before he disappeared from sight.
"Damn!" Navi cried, glaring at the bottom of the platform when it did not descend again, "I should have known he'd pull a stunt like this!"
When no agreeing screams of outrage followed hers Navi turned to see Malon's soft smile directed at her.
"What?" Navi questioned, anger draining away to be replaced be uncertainty, "Aren't you mad?"
"He's just trying to keep us alive, Navi." Malon said finally, still smiling, "This was the only way he could think of, it wasn't very clever, but he did it."
Navi sighed and glared up at the ceiling once more before sighing, "I hope he comes back alive."
The smile faded from Malon's lips and she glanced at the glowing Stone in her hands, "Me too."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link picked up the crate and set it on the switch, wondering all the while if leaving Malon and Navi alone with the Sacred Stone was wise.
It wasn't that he didn't trust them, it was just that he didn't trust the Zora not to take it from them by force, he could only hope Malon would have enough sense not to show it to everyone.
He passed through the door that opened, staring perplexedly at the room before him after he entered.
He spotted vines and shook his head, wondering what Navi would have to say about such things and climbed up.
Puzzled for a moment he stood on the edge, looking around until he spotted a switch. When he threw the boomerang it hit something invisible and came flying back, almost hitting its owner. Link almost laughed but took careful aim and threw it around the invisible obstacle, just managing to hit the switch.
A door opened and he hit the ground running, wanting nothing more than to be out of Lord Jabu Jabu. As soon as he was through he felt his battle instincts rising, the final monster had to be near.
Apparently the Bigocto wasn't the only boss around here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Barinade's jellyfish spun about, faster than before, and Link was just barely managing to dodge them.
He threw his boomerang swiftly not even having enough time to aim. Even though it was a wild throw it flew true, past the barrier of jellyfish and into the middle of Barinade.
The creature ceased moving and stunned, giving Link enough time to jump forward and hack it apart with his sword.
Barinade screamed in pain as green barnacles began to cover its body. Link watched patiently, wondering if this was another attack.
The monster exploded, green blood flying everywhere, covering Link and the floor.
Link gagged on the stench, waving a hand in front of his face in a half- hearted attempt to rid his nose of the smell.
He picked up his prize and began to walk toward the blue light to see someone had beaten him there.
Ruto stood in the light, tapping her foot and blushing a bright shade of pink.
"You're worthless!" she hissed, glaring at him as he stepped into the blue circle, "What took you so long?!"
He pointedly ignored her, wiping some of the sticky green glue off of his clothing and onto his hand, which he found didn't make things much better.
"I was lonely, that's all, just a little!" the princess said finally, looking up at the ceiling as they were transported out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link landed with a plop in the water, surprised to say the least, but pleased that the green guck came off; when he surfaced he was cleaner than he had been in days.
"Link!"
He turned at the sound of his name to see Malon standing on the altar of stone that held up part of Lord Jabu Jabu, waving like mad.
He waved back, and started to swim toward her only to find the princess in front of his face.
He gasped, which was unfortunate because he got half a mouthful of water down his throat, and backed away slightly.
Ruto smiled at him, the blush still there but not as pronounced, "You looked really cool out there." She said quietly, getting closer to him even as he backed away. "Really cool."
Link wasn't sure what surprised him more, the fact that she had complimented him or the fact that she had closed her eyes and was now leaning forward to kiss him.
A wall of water suddenly sprung up between them, crashing down on Ruto after hanging in the air for a moment.
The princess, sputtering water, looked around confusedly until she spotted Malon, clutching the Zora's Sapphire and grinning for all she was worth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Notes: Awfully rushed wasn't it? But it's still nice to know people like to read this rubbish *Smiles at The Pilot*.
Sorry this chapter took so long, (And that it's shitty to boot!), but I already have Chapter 11 in the works and I wanted to get this one out of the way.
Thanks to all those who reviewed the last few chapters, and to my regulars who are very, very brave souls. I'm already up to 46 reviews! Hurray!
Until I write again.
-- Alanna
