A/N: Oh my gosh, it's been a bit of while since this one was updated. Anyway, I hope you don't find it too anti-climactic or anything. But this story really had to be moving along, so that's my excuse.

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Flynn fell to the floor with a gasp and a loud clunk. Nabooru's eyes bulged in a frightening way as she slowly drew her sword out from his shoulder.

"Hey, do you mind?" Link asked. "He and I are having a fight, here."

"Exactly," Nabooru hissed. "Flynn is no real match for me, not so long as he has his crew around... with him so wounded, I do not need to engage in useless combat with him. But you, Sir 'Black Bandit', or should I say Link, are a much more threatening adversary."

"Thank you," Link said with a short bow. "I take that as a compliment, coming from a swordswoman such as yourself."

"I see that Flynn has already managed to get a cut on you," Nabooru commented, eyeing Link's chest briefly. "Tut, tut. Let your guard down, did you?"

"For a moment," Link admitted, shrugging a shoulder

"A moment is all it takes," Nabooru said, lifting her weapon once more. "You'd better be on your toes with me, Link." She stared him down for a minute or so, then let out another blood-curdling battlecry and lunged at him.

Link barely succeeded in dodging her as the attack had come at surprise. He skidded quickly to the left, allowing her to ran straight past him. Fortunately she was able to come to a stop before slamming into a wall, and she turned to face him again.

"That was bad form, my good woman," Link informed her.

"Shut up about your stupid form, you animal!" she growled. "Prepare yourself this time!" Inhaling deeply, she ran for him again, emitting yet another battlecry, but tripped on her way over Flynn.

"Let...me...finish him off," Flynn panted, on his hands and knees as Nabooru got back to her feet. "I must end my battle ... with him. It is a matter of saving face! Of saving my manhood, my reputation!"

"Manhood, eh?" Nabooru asked, one corner of her mouth turning up in a crooked smirk. She nonchalantly brought up her foot and kicked Flynn hard in the stomach, causing him to grunt and fall on his face once more. The Gerudo jumped over Flynn and slid brilliantly on her back down the newly washed deck. Upon nearly reaching her opponent, she asked, "Ever fancy being a eunuch, Link!"

"NO!" Zelda, Saria, and Malon cried in unison.

Blanching with disgust, Link slammed his sword down just as Nabooru was bringing hers up underneath him. "Curse you!" she hollered as she continued sliding on.

"You have interesting techniques," Link observed, as Nabooru consequently crashed into the wall on the other side of the ship. "But I'd advise you to keep our battle to trying to actually kill each other."

"I don't get it," Zelda whispered, still dazed from thinking about Link as a eunuch. "Why is Nabooru so angry with him?"

"He killed her best friend," Darunia answered.

The Princess, not realizing anyone had heard her, turned to him. "He what?"

"It was an accident," Darunia assured her. "All the kid's fault. Link's felt sorry about it ever since, but she won't believe him that it happened inadvertently."

"Nabooru, I think you should know something," Link said, now having the woman pirate in a deathly headlock. "I did not kill your friend!"

"This isn't just about that anymore!" she yelled, struggling in his grip. "It's about my honor! You've eluded me too many times, Link! I have to kill you now not just for vengence, but for my own reputation, as well!"

"If that's your drive behind all this, then you should be able to understand why I want to fight him, too!" Flynn called, heaving himself onto the deck railing.

"Get your arm off me, you bloody sea monster!" Nabooru shrieked. "THIS is bad form, Link!"

"I disagree," the Black bandit said carelessly. "You still have your sword, and you could be using it to great effect right now if you so wished. I, however, have decided to take the Beowulf approach and drop my weapon. You have the advantage."

"You dare treat me as a Grendel!" Nabooru screamed in fury. Finally she got an idea, and she dug her unnaturally sharp teeth into Link's arm. He cried out in agony, instantly releasing her. "You fool!" she hissed. "As if you believed that you had the strength of thirty men in each hand!"

"I've twice the strength of Beowulf, and you know it!" Link snarled, picking up his sword where he had dropped it.

"Do you?" Nabooru asked curiously. "I'll have you know I did battle with him, once! And I shall shamelessly say that he did manage to defeat me, albeit after much strenuous fighting."

"And yet here you stand," Link snorted. "With what did you agree to compensate him with in exchange for your life? A night about town?"

"That's none of your business!" Nabooru said darkly.

"Um, Link?" Darunia said.

"Not now!" Link barked back.

"Link, it's the Princess," Darunia persisted.

Link turned towards him and noticed with horror that Flynn was presently attempting to put a gag around Zelda. At least, that's what it looked like. Grinning victoriously, he removed the handkerchief and caught the Princess before she fell.

"Chloroform!" Link yelled, moving to run towards Flynn.

"No you don't, laddie!" Nabooru said, quick-stepping in front of him. "You'll have to get by me, first!"

"Out of my way, Nabooru!" Link said. He raised his sword and brought it down heavily at her. She blocked him with her own sword, but the energy of his attack was enough to cause her to fall.

Link immediately sheathed his sword and ran towards Flynn. But he didn't make it in time to stop the pirate from giving Zelda's mouth a small, gentle kiss.

Issuing an infuriated yell, Link slashed his sword at Flynn. The captain, however, quickly grabbed Zelda and moved out of the way just in time; Link's weapon made a deep crack in the railing where Flynn had stood seconds before.

"How dare you use the Princess as a shield!" Link shouted at Flynn, who was indeed standing behind the unconscious royal.

"You wouldn't dare attack me so long as Zelda is blocking me," Flynn said.

"You're a coward!" Link barked at him, gripping his sword's hilt tightly. He had to think of some way to attack Flynn without risking hurting Zelda.

"Call it what you like," Flynn sighed.

"If only those other sailors knew what you were truly like!" Link growled angrily. "They all respect you, they all fear you! If only they knew the true coward you really are! You've no esteem to hold to yourself!"

"Your words bore me," Flynn said, though his insides were burning. Slowly he dropped to his knees, gently lowering Zelda to the floor with him. He glanced back up at Link with a smirk. He saw hatred mirrored in the bandit's eyes. Breathing hard, Flynn bent down and kissed her lips again, this time slower and little braver.

"I see you're not making a move to try and stop me," Flynn said, looking up at Link again through the corner of his eye. "Wise choice."

"There's a reason," Link whispered, who was indeed standing motionless in his spot. He was looking at someone standing behind Flynn, and he nodded.

Before the pirate captain could turn around fully to defend himself, Nabooru's sword was already upon him again. He swore in pain as he clutched his arm, blood oozing from the place where the Gerudo had hit him.

"That's what you get for distracting my foe in the midst of battle!" Nabooru spat. "Now that I think of it, I should just kill you off right now, so Link and I will have no further interruptions."

"You've already a head start," Flynn said darkly, gradually stumbling to his feet. Slowly he unsheathed his sword. "Let's go."

Link dropped his blade and threw himself onto the deck next to the princess. "Zel? Zelda, wake up!"

"Link, c'mon," Darunia said. "It's going to take a while for her to become conscious again."

"Why didn't you do anything to stop him?" Link asked with annoyance.

"Hey, I couldn't attack him with my bare hands," Darunia said. "Not when he's got a saber ready! And I mean, Nabooru's crew is totally neutral."

Rolling his eyes, Link looked down again and gently shook the Princess. "Zeldaaa, come on, wake up ..." He jumped when someone suddenly splashed a bucket full of sea water at them. "Ack! What the-"

"Well, I thought it might wake her up," Darunia said, putting down the bucket.

Indeed, the Princess began to cough loudly and sit up. "Oh my Goddesses, what just happened?"

"It was Flynn," Link answered darkly. "He knocked you out."

"Ugh...why?" Zelda asked, rubbing the back of her head.

"Because if you were concsious, he wouldn't have been able to kiss you," Link told her, looking somewhat upset at the idea.

"You mean he...he kissed me?" Zelda asked in horror, a hand going to her mouth. "That is disgusting! Quickly, Link, kiss me to get his filthy mouth's aura off m-"

"In a moment," Link interrupted, getting to his feet. "I need to stop Flynn's battle right now before he ends up getting hurt-or worse."

"Why do you want me dead!" Flynn asked furiously, thrusting his sword at Nabooru. "What have I ever done to you?"

"What've you done? You tried to kill me once!" she yelled back.

"And with good reason!" he ejaculated, dodging one of her attacks. "You were seeing somebody behind my back! And I liked enough so that I wouldn't normally have tried to murder you, but I was drunk at the time! I'm telling you, I wouldn't have tried to kill you otherwise!"

"That's a lie!" Nabooru hissed. "Because every time I come aboard your ruddy ship, you try and attack me!"

"No I don't!" Flynn defended. "You're the one who always attacks first!"

"Then...we've no true reason to fight?" she asked with confusion, her sword action gradually slowing.

"I don't know...have we?" Flynn asked, also slowing down slightly.

"I mean, can you truly blame me for just ... maybe thinking you weren't the right man for me?" the Gerudo asked.

"I guess not...although you really should have told me first."

"Holy Din, I don't believe this," Link muttered. "Are they both just going to walk away from this unscathed?"

"Well I'd hardly say they were unscathed," Zelda said. "I mean, she's heavily wounded Flynn's shoulder, and he in turn has given her a rather bad cut on her leg, it seems. See how she limps slightly?"

"Oh yeah."

Flynn and Nabooru slowly walked towards each other.

"Let me guess," one of Nabooru's men muttered. "They're going to kiss, now."

For a second, that seemed as if that was truly what was going to happen. But the man was oh so wrong, and what did happen next was caught as a total shock.

"GOT YA!" Flynn and Nabooru both shouted, grinning victoriously. In horror, they looked down-to see Nabooru's sword in Flynn's chest and his in hers. Link and Zelda stood there dumb-founded with their mouths slightly open.

"Well, I did get you," Nabooru chuckled ruefully.

"Yeah, well...I got you," Flynn said. "I was hoping to lower your guard down ... so I could attack when you were least expecting it ..." He laughed shortly as well. "Looks like you were thinking along the same lines."

She tried to speak but found she could not, so Nabooru merely nodded. Then the two of them collapsed onto the deck floor, gasping for breath. They lay in their own blood and in each other's blood.

"Sorry," Flynn croaked. And then, with Nabooru painfully lying on his stomach, he took his last breath. The Gerudo followed suit, resulting in complete silence from the other members of the ship.

"Oh my...Goddesses," Zelda squeaked. That had all happened way too fast.

Link sighed and pulled her into a hug as they looked down at the newly dead couple. "Both of them scurvy to the end."

"Well...at least it means that you are all right," Zelda murmured. Link nodded gently, rubbing her arm.

"Not for long," Darunia said. Link and Zelda turned to face him. He was holding a telescope up to his eye and looking off into the distance.

"Whose ship is that?" Zelda asked. "Do either of you recognize it?"

"Can't tell from here," Link said. "Who is it, Darunia."

"Well, I don't know whose ship it is, but Kishik is on it," Darunia sighed heavily.

"Oh perfect," Link groaned. "Just what we need right now, another adversary. And here I was, thinking both of them had just been eliminated."

"Don't worry, we'll think of something," Zelda said. She put her finger to her chin. "I'm called the Sage of Wisdom for a reason."

"You have a plan?" Darunia asked. "As to how we can get rid of him?"

"I doubt anything will keep him from getting on this ship," Zelda responded very matter-of-factly.

"So why don't we just hide you?" Link suggested. "And when he gets here, we can just pretend like we haven't seen you."

"He must already know I'm on this ship," Zelda sighed. "I mean he clearly sees his own, right over there."

"Point taken, milady," one of Nabooru's men piped up. "But what would be the harm in insuring your safety by hiding you first? Then, if the Prince should ask for your whereabouts, we can use a back up plan if necessary."

"Good idea," Zelda said, raising her eyebrows at the sailor. "Thank you very much, Sir."

"Just a thought," he said, shrugging."

And so the group of them tried to ignore the stench of corpses as they plotted how to evade giving the Princess over to the tyrant approaching.

-

A/N: UGH! I probably shouldn't have added the whole Kishik thing at the end, but oh well. I felt this chapter was too short otherwise. Please review! Because if you do, you'll get personally thanked in the next update! Like these people!

StoryWeaver1: Zelink fluff rocks the world. I just I was better at writing it! Thanks a mil for the review!

Moonbeam: Okay, you're not being nice anymore, so I won't be nice anymore. What do you know about up-dating if you're not an author? Believe it or not, some of us do have lives, and some of us do have homework to do. Some of us do have brothers who are on the computer night and day! If this was like AIM and I could block you, I would! Your reviews always discourage me! If you want authors to update, be nice about it!

Becca: Bru ha, ha, cliffie! Wow I'm glad you liked the sword fighting stuff, because I thought I was terrible at it! XD I hope it wasn't awful in this chapter! The re-uniting scene was kind of awkward to write, because I didn't really know ... how to! And yes! Read my other stories or else! (jk, jk)

LadyAkki: Awww, thanks for the compliment! Oh, and yes, all Gerudos are female except for the odd one every like billion years or w/e. Nabooru's men aren't Gerudos, I just call them that because she is and like ... stuff. But you didn't miss anything, I just didn't feel like explaining. Because I'm a lazy bum.

Skyflame2: When I read your name I was afraid I met be getting a flame! XD But thanks sooo much for the nice review! It was very sweet, hun! And yes, the Princess Bride rocks! (I have a total crush for the dude who plays Wesley)

zelda's baby girl: whom did she stab? well, if you read this chapter, you'll know! lol. thanks for your reviews, I seriously really like getting them!

ari-aly: I'm glad you were wondering who she hit, because I was afraid the answer might've been obvious. But maybe I just thought it was because I wrote it. Anyway, thanks for the review!

Neji-kun: well, hello to you, too! I'm happy you that like this. Really. It totally makes my day. I love getting new readers:)

Hylian Princess: Omg I'm totally blushing right now! Thank for you compliment that was within the brackets. Stuff like that really, really makes me feel good about the stuff I do. And I love reading fluff as much as I love writing it! And I thought the Jack Sparrow thing would be a nice touch, Aussie!