Darunia: Disclaimer! Selphie Louise does not own the Legend of Zelda or any of its characters. They are the property of Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo.

Tingle: The characters she does own are Selphie, Iggy, and Jiji. The characters of Kage, Yugi, Mable, and Raven belong to Kearra. The character Ravick is the property of Selphie's friend, Patrick.

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Chapter 6

"Bird! You're going down!" Link shouted as he and Darunia grabbed Kaepora Gaebora by the legs before he could fly off again. If it had just been Link Kaepora Gaebora would have been fine, but Darunia was just a wee bit too heavy.

"Gah!" the owl exclaimed as he was dragged down. "What did I do!"

"You helped Kage get away!" Yugi shouted. She, Link, Daru, Iggy, and Jiji were on a lower part of the mountain where they had caught Kaepora Gaebora.

"Well, you guys were about to attack him for no good reason," Kaepora Gaebora said sheepishly.

"No good reason?" Link repeated. "How do you know we didn't have a good reason?"

"Well, it's Kage!" Kaepora Gaebora said. "He wouldn't harm a fly! The worst he's done to make you guys mad was the time he left Selphie to watch Mable and Raven because he didn't want to give them Cucco Pox."

"Heh. Do you want to know our good reason?" Din asked, she and her sisters having also been recruited into the manhunt. She waggled her finger beckoning him nearer. When he was close enough she took a deep breath and shouted, "HE RAN OUT ON HIS AND SELPHIE'S WEDDING!"

"He's out in the field," Kaepora Gaebora said immediately.

"Let's go!" Din said as she and her sisters disappeared for the field.

"Good idea," Darunia added, curling into a ball and rolling down the mountain. Everyone else started running to keep up.

Kage lay in the field, his hands tucked behind his head, his eyes closed. He hadn't had a chance to rest in a while. He closed his eyes, dwindling on the edge of sleep.

"Falling asleep in the middle of the day?" Selphie walked up. "I'm thinking no," she said as she nudged him lightly in the ribs with her foot before sitting down next to him. "Why are you out here all alone?" she asked. "I know someone who would gladly have kept you company."

Kage opened one eye, smiling as he watched her sit down beside him. "I haven't had the chance to relax in millenia," he replied, stretching, "Once Hyrule was created, I had to protect the Sheikah. Being a Deity is a stressful job, believe it or not. But now, I am living my life as a mortal and thus have much more time to relax. I have you to thank for that." He closed his eyes again. "As for me being alone, I guess I'm just used to being alone," he said, his smile fading. He opened his eyes, staring up at the sky above. "I am the youngest of my siblings, so I was often left behind in everything. Once we went our separate ways in order to maintain order in Hyrule, I was more alone than ever. But, as always, I got used to it. Eventually, I liked it that way. That's why I chose the form of a dragon, so any who came near me would be intimidated, and would flee."

He sighed. "At any rate, that would be why I have problems understanding emotions, and why I tend to say things without thinking how others will feel. I never had the chance to socialize with anybody..." He fell silent, biting his lip.

"Poor Kage," Selphie said sympathetically, but more in a way that was trying to lighten the mood. "Well, it seems to me that you'll be having plenty of time to socialize from now on. And as for your being alone all the time..." she laid down with her head on his stomach. "Not if I can help it."

Kage smiled, placing his hand on her cheek. "I'm glad," he said softly, "Daisuki, Selphie." He caressed her cheek gently, staring up at the sky. The air was getting gradually colder.

She smiled. "Daisuki, Kage." Selphie closed her eyes and blocked out everything. All she could feel was his hand on her cheek... and the air getting colder. She shivered a little.

Kage frowned, but didn't shift. He placed his hand on Selphie's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "...You may want to get out of here..." he said softly, "...Something's happening... I don't like the feel of it..."

"Hmm?" Selphie sat up. "What do you mean? What's going on?" She paused for a moment, looking around.

Kage sat up as well. "I don't know... It feels vaguely familiar... But..." He bit his lip. Could it be...? He hoped not. He'd had enough stress on his mind as it was.

"Kage..." Selphie was unsure of what was going on. "Is it something bad? You know I'm not gonna leave you if there's something dangerous going on. Especially not now that you're mortal," she said attempting a weak smile.

Kage was about to speak when, all of a sudden, the sky went dark. A force field appeared around them, nearly three miles in diameter, trapping them inside. A brilliant light appeared in the sky. Kage stared at it in silence, his eyes widening.

"Kage, what's going on?" Selphie asked. She slipped one hand in his and wrapped the other around her boomerang.

The light descended, and once it was approximately ten feet above the ground, it took the form of a woman garbed in black. She touched down, and they had a clear view of her face. Her hair was unkempt, a mix of grey, white and silver. There was a scarf over her left eye, and in her hand was a scroll. Kage's eyes widened in fear. "AH! YOU!"

Selphie turned her head to look at Kage, cocking an eyebrow. She had never seen Kage show fear so plainly. "I take it you know who she is?" she asked. "Care to make the introductions? Or is she bad and I should just, you know?"

"Nice to see you, too, Seiryu," the woman sneered, "It's nice to know that you turned me down for a mortal."

Kage backed away. "Ah, um... Selphie... This is... Shiori... The Goddess of Judgement..."

"And I used to be his fiancee. But he kept running away and hiding." She sneered, looking as though she wanted to hit Kage.

Kage looked like he had swallowed his own tongue. He crawled backwards, but chains appeared on his wrists, pulling him forward. "...!"

"I'm here on official business, Seiryu," Shiori said darkly, glowering at him, "I gave up chasing you centuries ago. You have to face your punishment like a man, or do you still think of yourself as a boy that you would take on such a form to try to back out of it?" Kage flushed. "I know your tricks, Seiryu. I'm not as dull-witted as you'd think."

"His name is Kage," Selphie said almost equally as darkly as she joined Kage at his side. "Time out, right now. Someone needs to explain this to me. What's going on?" Selphie asked. "What is she talking about with the punishment and crap? And what are these chains about?" she asked tugging on one a little.

"I would advise you not interfere, girl," Shiori sneered, "'Kage' here has broken quite a number of the Divine Laws. He's certainly made quite a mess, and caused us a lot of trouble. Now, it is my job to punish him for his crimes. The chains..." The chains suddenly jerked forward with such force that Kage felt like his arms were about to be pulled out of their sockets. "...are used to keep the offenders from fleeing. They are also used when one is about to be banished. Someone from this particular family was banished not too long ago... Yugi I believe was her name." Kage grimaced, swallowing hard, but said nothing.

"Don't. Hurt. Him," Selphie said through gritted teeth, putting a protective hand on Kage's back. "That still leaves a lot of questions unanswered, specifically, what Divine Laws Kage has actually broken."

Shiori smirked. "Then sit down and shut up," she said extending her hand, "I don't normally give out punishments to mortals but you are trying my patience... girl." A wave of energy was emitted from Shiori's hand, heading straight for Selphie with enough force to throw her back a few feet.

"Oof!" Selphie exclaimed as she was pushed back, but refused to be knocked down. "A simple please would have sufficed," she retorted as she regained her balance. "I'm willing to listen, if you're willing to tell."

"Unless you wish to share his punishment, I'd advise you step away from him," Shiori said coldly, glaring at Selphie.

Kage turned his head slightly, looking to Selphie. "Please... back away..." he whispered, "The last thing I want is for you to suffer for my crimes..."

Shiori laughed softly. "How sentimental he is, when all this time I thought he hated anyone and everyone around him." Kage just glared at her, but said nothing.

Selphie shook her head solemnly. "I'm not leaving you alone to this," she whispered to him. "Anything you've done can't be so bad that you deserve this severe of reprimand. Granted, I don't know what it is you're actually accused of, but I'm not going to let you be unfairly treated."

Kage shook his head. "These chains are created by magic, and only those with the burden of a crime can feel their weight. The worse the crime, the stronger the chain. I can barely move... I've committed many crimes... I'm just afraid to find out how many..." Kage sighed.

Selphie shook her head as well. "I don't know what makes you think I'm going to leave you like this. I don't care what it takes. You're not talking me out of it..." Suddenly she realized, "What exactly is she planning on punishing you with? As you must remember, I'm from Termina and unfamiliar... with..." she trailed off.

Kage shook his head, turning his gaze to Shiori, who had opened her scroll. "Then accept the punishment together. It means nothing to me," she said coldly, glancing at them before shifting her gaze to the scroll. "Seiryu... You are hereby charged with these crimes... Directly interfering in the lives of mortals... Taking the life of an innocent being for no logical reason... Tampering with time... Taking on an unregistered form for personal reasons... Allowing said form to take on a life of its own... Attacking innocents for no reason on a regular basis... And lastly, interfering with the life of a deity who has chosen mortality." She closed her eyes, chanting softly. The hairs on the back of Kage's neck stood on end. This was it...

"No..." Selphie whispered, finally realizing what was happening. "Nuh-uh! This isn't happening! How can you... you do this?" her voice sounded frantic. She slipped her hand into Kage's and looked into his face. "Kage, don't give up! We're going to fix this... we're going to! We...!" She lowered her voice again. "Kage... Daisuki," she shook his hand a little. "We're going to..."

Kage didn't reply, biting his lip in silence. Shiori opened her eyes, glancing at the scroll.

"Your punishment... Eternal banishment!"

The chains on Kage's arms tightened, and chains appeared on his legs. The ground beneath him began to glow. Kage grimaced, breaking the chain on his left arm in an attempt to free himself. He pushed Selphie away, the chain reattached itself to him, and he vanished, leaving no trace of him ever being there.

"You're doing it again!"

Kage jolted to awakeness. "How can you sleep standing up?" Ravick asked.

"I wasn't sleeping," Kage answered calmly. "I was thinking with my eyes closed."

"You were practically snoring," Ravick said.

"I don't snore for you information," Kage said.

"I'll bet," Ravick replied sarcastically.

"Hey. You can even ask Selphie-!" Kage started, but it made him think of the girl again, so he turned away, closing his eyes sadly.

"Hello, dear brother." The voice came from a few meters away.

He kept his eyes closed. "Not Yugi and Jiji again," he whispered.

"You wish," said another voice.

"Guess again, bro," said a third.

Kage's eyes snapped open and he stared in horror at the sight in front of him. Standing ahead of him were not two women, not one sister, but three rather angry looking goddesses. "Now I'm screwed."

"Mind your language, little Kage," Din said saccharinely.

"Hi, Din!" Ravick greeted cheerfully. Din turned somewhat surprised to Ravick. Then she rolled her eyes and growled slightly. Kage had started to take this chance to run away but was suddenly caught in a bright blue crystal.

"Not so fast!" Nayru called as the goddesses started to approach him. "You've got some consequences to face, little bro."

"Why are you guys in on this?" Kage whined slightly. Then he thought of something.

"You gave up your divinity for this girl," Din said. "We're here to make sure it wasn't for nothing." She summoned two scimitars.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Kage griped. "Just because you're older!"

"Don't you dare!" Din's eyes flashed fire. "No! You are not a little kid anymore!"

"You're not the boss of me!" Kage retorted. "Farore! Make her stop! She at least has to listen to me first!"

"I don't have to listen to you at all! I'm the oldest, I'm in charge!" Din responded. "Now you listen to me-!"

"Nope," Kage said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms."

"You little-!" Din screamed and brandished one of the scimitars at him.

"Lalalalalalalala!" Kage sang loudly, covering his ears.

"You listen to me, you-!" Din shouted.

"I won't listen to any of you until you listen to me first!" Kage yelled.

"Too bead, because I'm not gonna!" Din shouted, crossing her arms and turning her cheek. Farore touched her arm.

"Din, maybe we should…"

"NO! Nonononononono! No! You're not defending him this time, Farore!" Din bellowed.

"But, Din, maybe he-."

"Lalalalalalalala!" Din covered her ears and copied Kage's tactic.

"Nayru," Farore said, turning to her sister. Nayru sighed and got rid of the crystal. Farore looked back at Kage. "So, you had something you wanted to tell us?"

"Nope," Kage answered and sprinted away, disappearing before they could do anything about it.

"Hey!" Farore and Nayru exclaimed.

"I knew that would happen!" Din shouted.

"Kage! Wait up!" Ravick called, taking off as well.

"MAGE!"