'Unlucky' Thirteen: The Gig

She shifted.

Warm.

She slowly opened her eyes, taking in her bedroom. She was so warm, so comfy, and she'd just had the best sleep of her life. She yawned, burrowing deeper in the covers, and then stopped.

There was something warm and squishy wrapped around her stomach.

Stifling a scream, she peered over her shoulder, and, before she could help herself, she squawked.

Loud.

"ERRRRRRRRRRRAGH!" She clapped a hand over her mouth and squirmed away from the handsome young man whose beautiful blue eyes had shot open at the sound of her muffled shock. Still in surprise, he rolled straight off the other side of Zelda's bed, earning him a giggle despite herself.

"What are you doing here?" She peered over the edge of the bed at Link, who was lying cross-eyed in a tangle of sheets, very confused.

"What are YOU doing here? This is MY room," he mumbled into the soft white cotton.

"No, Link, this is MY room," Zelda contradicted, "and we're both still clothed, so I'm assuming we fell asleep on my bed. Is that right?"

"Um." He frowned and looked adorable, scratching his rumpled hair as he tried to remember. "I think so."

The night before came streaming back to both of them, sobering both up for a moment as they remembered. Finally, Link smiled wearily.

"I'm going to my room, gonna clean up and stuff..."

"I'll do the same."

Link stood, his white tank sliding sleekly along his smooth, firm muscles, causing Zelda to salivate. He sauntered attractively out, but as he closed the door, Zelda called out to him.

"Link?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for forgiving me."

"Anything for you," he replied, his beautiful eyes unreadable, and as Zelda smiled at him, he closed the door and whispered to the wooden frame, "my princess."

---

"So, Halloween's, like, this Saturday, right? And so Bree told me her uncle, who was gonna deejay for the party, got arrested for dealing pot and now she's got no music."

It was lunch on Monday, and Mikau was gobbling up the attention of his fellow band members like the cheesy fries in front of him as he told his story. "Anywho, I told her that it blows, and she said yeah, and then asked if we could perform. I told her I'd tell her after class today. What say ye, oh merry members of Volvagia?"

"Our first real gig?" Zelda stole one of Mikau's cheesy fries, cramming it into her mouth and munching, looking upward in thought.

Darmani rumbled from his spot, cracking his thick knuckles and drumming on the table. "I'm up for it. I was gonna go to the party anyhow; now I'll be the main attraction."

"Two-thirds majority of the party rules to perform," Mikau announced, grinning. "Shall we make that three thirds, bass?"

"Make it three thirds," she said. "But I don't know how I'm gonna look playing bass in a princess outfit."

"Well dude, you're gonna be a glam hard-rockin' bass princess so it's all good anyhow. This is excellent." Mikau grabbed a marker and banged it on the table like a gavel, all the while grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Verily, it is formally decreed that the wonderful band named Volvagia shall have its first gig five days hence."

"Huzzah!" Zelda and Darmani cheered.

"And, therefore, we shall be needing many an after school practice to prepare, my devoted fellow musicians. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" Zelda and Darmani chimed, looking excited. As they conspired as to what music to play, Malon and Lulu showed up from their group-trip to the bathroom. Zelda, who was too lazy to yield to the demands of feminine sociality, had voted to stay behind with the trusty men of Volvagia.

"What're you scheming up now?" Malon asked, plopping down next to Darmani and flicking a prefect strand of red hair behind one shoulder.

"Gig at Bree's," Mikau replied, shooting a smile at Lulu as she slid graciously into her seat next to Mikau at the circular table. "We are now the main music attraction."

"Really?" Malon squealed, wrapping her arms around Darmani's torso. "That's so great!"

"Looks like quite the party. Might I join in?" Came a rumble behind Zelda. For a moment, her stomach did an unhappy flip-flop- what would Link say if she saw him here?

"Hi Khail," Lulu said quietly. "But this is secret- for members of Volvagia and their significant others only."

"Zelda and I are tight." Khail slid his bulk- muscle, more than anything, football muscle- into the chair next to Zelda, casually looping a freckled, sun-tanned arm of ownership around her shoulder. "Practically like that, right Zel? Which reminds me, Bree's having a Halloween party, what say you that we go together like the charmed couple we're meant to be?" His blond hair hung into his blue eyes, eyes that were calculating, nearly suffocating Zelda in their depths.

"Um." Zelda looked to Malon and Lulu for help, but both gave her nearly imperceptible shrugs. Taking a deep breath, Zelda steeled herself. For Link.

"I'm sorry, Khail, but I'm performing at the party, and the band comes first. And really, I don't know you, so I'm afraid that you and I can't be together like that. We're totally different. Now, if you'll please..." She looked up to say something, trying to apologize with her eyes, but what she saw stopped her heart beating.

Cold fury shone in his gray eyes; cold, dangerous, unreasonable anger. She wanted to scream, run away, but she refused to back down, so she took a deep gulp and continued. "Please take your arm off me. Maybe once we know one another a little more."

"Ah. Right." His words were cutting like ice and he stood. "I'll be seeing you, Zelda." And he was gone.

"That was kind of creepy," Malon said, and Lulu nodded.

"Want me to get 'im for you?" Darmani pounded a fist into his palm, rotating it as though smashing a bug.

"No, it's fine. I can take care of myself." Ignoring the shivers running down her spine, she allowed herself to be caught up in the conversation with her friends again. They would keep her safe.

---

It was Friday afternoon, and Zelda was so ready. So ready meaning so not ready, of course. But she was going to kick but anyway. Not to be egotistical or anything, though.

Impa had finished both her and Link's costumes the night before, and now, Zelda was donning the beautiful pink gown, enjoying the feel of it on her skin. It truly was a gown fit for a princess. It was beautiful and ornamental, and she wondered where Impa had gotten some of the parts used in the gown- the gold, or perhaps faux-gold trinkets, the golden silk hanging over she shoulders, the golden earrings in the shape of three triangles and the tiara. Impa had told her, of course, that she'd found them at a flea market, but still. It was astounding.

Unfortunately, there was one problem- the costume was too good to belong to a bassist in a grunge band. So, grinning to herself, Zelda pulled a length of black ribbon out from one of her drawers and wrapped it all around her arms, furthering the decorations with black bangles, and then applied black eyeliner around her eyes- not too much, but just enough to make herself look good-gone-bad. Smirking, she tossed her cell phone and accessories into the front pocket of her gig bag, grabbed her guitar (Mikau was bringing their giant amp) and gracefully made her way down the stairs in the soft pink slippers that Impa had also found at the flea market.

"Lookin' good." Link gave a low wolf whistle from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, and for a moment, Zelda had to remind herself to breathe.

He was gorgeous- a fairy tale hero in chain metal, a green tunic, tan breeches and a white long-sleeved undershirt. He wore gauntlets, boots, and had a bow and fake arrows strapped across his back, as well as a sheathed sword at his side. Not to mention the green cap and the golden hoops hanging from the tips of two prosthetic elf-tips he had applied flawlessly to his ears.

He looked so yummy, Zelda thought, she could gobble him up right there.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she said, setting her bass carefully down and fidgeting with one black ribbon that wound itself up her right arm.

"You both look wonderful," buzzed Impa as she swept into the room, a brightly colored scarf tied around her head, completing her gypsy-style "costume". "I need a picture of you two."

"You taking the girls trick or treating, Mom?" Link looked up from where he was drumming on the table, yawning.

"Nah. Your father's taking them. I'm here to cater to the rabid masses. Up, up! I want a picture!"

Obediently, the two teens rose from the table and allowed themselves to be ushered outside by Impa to stand below a weeping willow not far from "the cliff". Zelda set her guitar on the porch, then allowed Impa to shove her into Link below the tree. His arm snaked around her shoulder, and she looped one of her own pink-gloved hands around his waist.

"Beautiful." Impa pulled out the digital camera and held it away from her face, peering into the screen. "Okay, I'm gonna take a few. Say cow pies!"

Flash. Flash. Flash.

It reminded Zelda of being with her father and his bodyguard as they'd been escorted amongst paparazzi looking for a good photo of the billionaire and his lovely young daughter. Zelda held her smile.

Flash. Flash.

"All done. Want to look?" Zelda and Link separated as Impa made her way over to them, then peered as one down to the camera where the smiling images of them were captured on that screen for eternity- eternity, of course, meaning however long Impa chose to leave them there.

"They're nice," said Zelda, studying the happy expressions on their faces. "We look nice."

"Yes, I thought so too." Impa seemed pleased with herself as she brushed a tendril of silken scarf over her shoulder, bangles clanging together. "When are you leaving, Zelda?"

"Umm..." Malon's black monstrosity turned the corner, and Zelda began to trot over to the porch. "Now. Link, are you coming with?"

"Nah," he replied. "Sheep's picking me up. I don't have to be there early, unlike the Volvagian princess."

"You're performing, I see," Impa noted as Malon pulled up the gravelly driveway and Zelda picked up her bass, her baby.

"Yup. First real gig. Ahhhh, wish me luck," she chittered, hugging Impa.

"Good luck, dear." Impa kissed Zelda on the forehead, and then released her.

"Good luck, Zel. See you at the party," Link called from below the tree.

"Thanks Impa, thanks Link." She smiled, nervousness just then kicking in, and then made her way over to Malon's big black H1, hopping in passenger and carefully sliding her baby into the seat behind her. Waving in excitement, she grinned as Malon pulled out.

"Mmm mm mm, Link does look scrumptious," she said. "Hot man, that one."

"Yeah," Zelda gazed dreamily at him for a moment, then shook her head. "But we live in the same house. It would be too weird. Like if we broke up or something. So he's off limits."

"I understand, but that doesn't mean I agree," said Malon with a nod as they drove down the pavement to Mikau's house. "Jeebus, the lots in this neighbor hood are so huge. There's only like three houses between you and Mikau but it still takes five minutes."

"People here are weird." Zelda shrugged, causing her outfit to tinkle, and, idly, she began to bat at a golden charm hanging off of the belt going around the middle of the dress.

Malon eyed Zelda up, and grinned. "Wicked costume. You look like a chinese emperor-cross-european princess gone bad."

"Impa made it." They pulled into Mikau's driveway, where two-thirds of Volvagia was leaning against a gigantic amp, panting.

"She's an awesome seamstress." Malon opened her door, leaving the keys in the ignition and hopped out of the hummer, and Zelda just then took in her costume- a tight, shiny black pleather cat suit, over which went a sequined red corset, also pleather.

"Daaaaamn." Darmani gave a low wolf whistle and nudged Mikau with an elbow. "Look at my woman."

"Nice costumes, ladies." Mikau really was a charmer.

"Where are your costumes?" Malon crossed her arms over her chest and eyed the two young men up, taking in their denim cargo shorts and white tanks.

"In Darmani's truck. We're changing at the party. Didn't want to deal with equipment in costumes. Let's get this amp loaded into Malon's car, Darm. The sooner we get there, the better."

"Right-o."

"Let's go open up the trunk, Zel," Malon said. "And put the seats down."

"Gotcha." The two young women ran ahead of the two grunting young men and opened up the trunk. Zelda pulled her bass out and allowed Malon to fold down the back seats, then stood back as, legs buckling under the stress, Mikau and Darmani did an odd crab walk up to the back of the H1 and pushed the large amp in. It barely fit. Panting, they leaned against it, Mikau pushing his sweaty onyx shag out of his eyes, Darmani flexing his muscles.

"Good job, gentlemen," Zelda said, pushing her bass on top of the amp. "How does it plug in?"

"Extension cord," grunted Darmani. "In my truck."

"Ah." Zelda shot a glance at Darmani's red truck, barely able to see the black coiled cable peeking lightly above the bed. "Anywho, let's get going. Do we have to pick up Lulu, Mal?"

"Yeah, but she's only about five minutes from Bree's so it won't be a problem."

"Excellent," said Mikau, looking sweaty in the damp, humid, sticky and hot October afternoon. "We'll meet you ladies at the party, then, to set up."

"Okie doke," chirruped Malon, hand resting lightly on a whip strapped to her side that Zelda hadn't noticed. "See y'all in a few minutes, boys."

"Bye guys," Zel added.

"Bye Mal, bye Zel," chimed the two young men out of sync as they slammed the trunk closed. Malon and Zelda climbed into the still-running car, and Malon threw the gears into drive and off they sped.

Lulu lived on the other side of town; rather, she was over by school, with Zelda at the very edge of the district and Malon somewhere close to Zelda but not close at the same time. The redhead and the blond made their way into the 'downtown 'of the small but ritzy planned-community, and then took an exit to get on the fast lane. Driving down the highway, they passed over the tracks of the train that Zelda normally took with Link to get to school, all the while chatting about nothing in particular.

"So, Zelda," Malon began, checking her rearview mirror then glancing over her shoulder as she changed lanes, "if you're not going to go out with Link, are you just going to not date? Because obviously, you've got feelings for him and that might get in the way of relationships."

"I'm going to date when I find the right guy," Zelda replied nonchalantly, sweeping a lightly-curling strand over her shoulder. "And Link and I- we're too different any way. I wouldn't let any emotions that I have for him get in the way. I live with him, for the moon's sake. We're close, but too close for something like that. Really, he's more like a stepbrother or a half cousin- might like him a little, but couldn't do anything. I'll just put it behind me when I find someone worthy of my attentions."

"Like Khail?" Malon snapped her gum.

"Khail's a little slimier by the light of day. I was just feeling lonely at the dance, I suppose."

"Mmmhmm."

Zelda's voice softened as she looked out the window, thinking. "You and Darmani are so happy together, and Mikau and Lulu are wonderful for one another. You all love one another so much... I just wish I had something like that."

"Oh, sweetie..." Malon removed one hand from the wheel long enough to pat Zelda on the shoulder, "you'll find someone eventually, I'm sure. Darmani and I used to hate one another, did you know? We were in the same biology class freshman year, and we'd always fight during labs. But he matured over the summer before sophomore year, and that was when Lulu moved in. She and Mikau started going out, like, right off the bat, and I was stuck with Darmani a lot, and I found out that he really wasn't quite so bad." Malon smiled, then shook her head as she exited the freeway. "You'd be surprised where love may find you."

"I suppose so." The topic shifted, and several minutes later, they pulled up in front of Lulu's house arguing over whether or not chickens could be lethal.

"My dad owns a ranch," Malon was arguing as the ascended the steps to Lulu's massive mansion, "and we go out there sometimes, and on the ranch there's this breed of chickens called cuckoos, and I swear they could kill a person. I provoked one when I was little- I didn't know what I was getting into- and they all came down on me pecking like hell and our ranch man, Ingo, had to run me into the stable and lock the door until they went away. I swear, they're deadly!"

"Hahaha, chickens that are deadly...." they knocked on the door, Malon glaring at Zelda without any real venom. Shortly, Lulu opened the door and both Malon and Zelda chirped loudly, "TRICK OR TREAT!"

"Hey guys," Lulu said, brushing a braid out of her face.

"Wow." Zelda looked at Lulu and grinned. "You look awesome. A pirate from that old crazy mythology that we're studying in history?"

"Yeah," replied the pretty girl, who had died her whole hair cherry-bomb red and put it up, the bright color making even Malon's sleek fire-engine locks look dull. Her costume was neon green; the top was sheer, translucent black sewn to neon green velvet that just covered her breasts and ended below them, exposing her tan, flat belly, and matching low-cut hip hip hugging harem pants, complete with neon green slippers, several jewels, neon green gauntlets and two fake scimitars. All in all, the effect was astounding. She looked just like the illustration in their textbook.

"You look hot," Malon said. "Mikau's gonna need to dump some ice water down his pants."

"You don't look to bad yourself," replied Lulu quietly, smiling as she shut the door behind her.

"What's Ruto dressing up as? I just know she's going to the party," Malon said as they walked to the car.

"Britney Spears." This sent the three girls into peals of laughter, but when they reached the hummer, Malon's laughter stopped short.

"Shoot," she said. "I don't know how we're gonna fit another person in, what with the ginormous amp in the back...."

"I'll sit in the back," Zelda offered. "I can squish, and it'll keep my bass safe."

"You sure?" Lulu asked, biting lightly at one neon green nail.

"Positive. It's only five minutes to Bree's anyway, right?"

"Right," affirmed Malon with a nod. "We're set, then. Let's get a move on." She slid into the front seat and turned the keys, Lulu sliding in beside her and Zelda climbing, slightly awkwardly, into the back to sit partly on the amp.

It was an uncomfortable five minutes for Zelda, but she didn't mind as Lulu joined in on the argument about deadly chickens. However, she was glad, albeit quite a bit nervous, when they reached Bree's.

Malon was opening up the trunk and Lulu was getting the door for Zelda when the panic fully hit.

"I can't do this, you guys."

"Of course you can," stated Malon, taking Zelda's bass from her as Lulu tried to pry the blond from out of the back seat. "Don't be silly. We've come to your jam sessions- you rule. There's no way that you can't do this."

"I can't do this."

"Yes you can. Get out of the car."

"But what if I mess up?"

"Zelda!" Lulu's voice shocked both young women into silence. "You can. You're a brilliant bassist and Volvagia's gonna skyrocket after this. Now come on- let's get you out of the car so the boys can get the amp out when they arrive.

Zelda gulped but allowed herself to be pulled from the back seat where she was squashed, and, shakily, she took her guitar from Malon.

"I'm going to die," she began to chant. "I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to die..."

"Oh, just leave her," Malon said cheerfully to Lulu as the 'pirate' made a move to comfort the girl. "She'll get over it once she's on stage with bass in hand."

Just then, the boys in their red truck pulled up and Mikau leapt out from the passenger seat before the truck was even stopped, dashing over to Lulu to sweep her up in a kiss.

"You look delectable," Zelda heard him growl intimately in her ear, his words carrying a sensual undertone Zelda had hardly ever heard him use, but she didn't let this temporary distraction pry her from her mantra of death. Lulu gave a giggle, and swatted Mikau away.

"Get the amp out of the back, then calm Zelda down. I think she's about to go into cardiac arrest." Upon hearing Lulu's words, Mikau shot Zelda a curious glance.

"...going to die going to die..."

"Ah." He nodded twice, then flexed his sleek brown muscles. "No need to worry. We'll get everything set up, then calm down Zelda."

"...going to die going to die going to die...."

"What's wrong with Zelda?" Darmani asked, twirling a drumstick he'd produced from nowhere.

"Stage fright," Malon replied. "Now get that amp out of my hummer."

"Yes'm."

---

Bree Hampton was a pretty, preppy girl with tawny silken hair and a perfect manicure. She only-too-happily propped the front door open for Mikau and Darmani, then showed them to the temporary stage that had been set up for them, in the elevated living room. Much of the house had been cleared of nice furniture- Bree confessed to a nerve-wracked Zelda that she'd put the expensive stuff in climate controlled storage for the night before getting the poor girl a glass of water from the kitchen. Quietly, Zelda unpacked her bass and attached the strap and plugged it into the cable, then greedily drank down the water Bree offered her.

"Your parents know about this party, Bree?" Malon asked from where she was leaning against the wall.

"Yeah. They don't care. There's only two rules- no cops and no damage. Shouldn't be a problem, as my neighbors are out of town, and anybody who damages the house pays for it. I'm going to make that clear."

"Awesome," said Lulu, plugging the amp in. Darmani came in, set down the case containing his cymbals, and then left again.

"So, honestly Malon," Bree said in a low voice to the redhead, "these guys any good?"

"They're good," Malon replied with a nod. "Better than good. Everybody who comes to the party today is in for a real treat."

"I certainly hope so." Bree inspected her long, fake, French-manicured nails, and then grinned. "As if that amp isn't crucifying my electricity bills anyhow." The two girls laughed and, in the meantime, Lulu was attempting to calm down a slightly-hyperventilating Zelda.

"Don't worry, Zelda," she said, nodding at Mikau as he carried the last of the drums in and began to help Darmani unload them, "everything will be fine. I promise."

"I hope so. Oh, god, it's getting dark." Zelda looked out the windows, pallid. "They'll be here soon."

"Excellent. I wonder how many people are bringing kegs?" Bree was bouncing up and down in place with ill-contained excitement.

"Mmph." Malon shrugged, then turned, smiling at Zelda. "Things will be fine." She turned her gaze on Darmani and shook her head.

"Boys, costumes, then drums, okay?"

"Okay, okay," they said, and first Mikau and then Darmani, trudged out to the truck and appeared several minutes later with plastic bags, then walked to the bathroom to change.

Five minutes passed and Mikau came out in the most ridiculous getup Zelda had ever seen. She snickered, and Mikau looked himself up and down, grinning.

"Like it?" he asked, adjusting his movie star sunglasses. "I'm Sir Elton John."

Darmani emerged a few minutes later dressed a little less originally as a world war II solider, a fake festering wound attached to the front of his green army surplus uniform.

"Nice," said Malon, eyeing the wound and then looking grossed out. "A bit too realistic, though..."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and the door pounded in and in came a flood of students.

"Oh, god." Zelda went pale. "They're here."

"Get ready," Lulu called, pointing a lamp on the "stage". "It's show time."

---

She wasn't even going to try to count them. She saw Link somewhere in the colored, smoky mass of students in Halloween costumes- the crystalline blue of his eyes flashed out at her before somebody moved in the way. She gulped, clutching the neck of her bass a little harder, and looked at Mikau.

"Let's start," he said to her, then turned and relayed the message to Darmani. He adjusted his microphone and looked out over the crowd.

"Hey guy-" the microphone made a horrible squeaking noise, and Mikau jerked away from it, grinning in embarrassment.

"Sorry 'bout that, dudes. You ready to get this party started?"

A semi-large cheer went up, and Zelda wanted to kick Mikau. What was he doing? This wasn't an actual gig. Oh, what everybody must think…

"Excellent! This is my band- well our band- Volvagia. My name's Mikau, for those of you who don't know, and I will be taking care of vocals and lead guitar." He slammed out a quick, powerful riff, and then grinned again. "That's my man Darmani on drums." Darmani banged on the set, tossing his drumsticks in the air. "And the beautiful princess Zelda, singing backup vocals and playing on bass."

Before she knew what she was doing, she shredded a note high, then grinned at the small cheers that followed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"Let's get this started, then," said Mikau, adjusting the mike with his free hand. "Since everybody's not here yet, we're gonna start this out with a little song called 'Two'." He took a step back from the mike and prepared to play. Darmani tapped on the drum set, setting the tempo, and the house exploded with sound.

---

They'd been playing and singing for hours- by request, they'd played a few songs over again, such as Beyond Abilities, their 'single' as Mikau liked to call it. They were taking a small break- water break, more than anything, and Mikau's voice was getting hoarse.

"Zel," he croaked. "Do you wanna take over vocals for a bit? We can play 'Cry' and our Smashing Pumpkins cover."

"Are you sure?" She nervously pulled at the lowest string, the E string, plucking in time to the fizzy rock music that had been cranked up on the stereo to kill the time while Volvagia rested.

"Positive. My throat's killin' me. Wanna do?"

"Sure, I'll do it," she said, and gulped. "I just hope I don't mess up."

"You won't mess up," Mikau scolded. "Just release. Sing. You can do it- you've done it before."

"Yeah, but only in jam sessions."

"Relax."

"Let's do 'Raindrops Sunshowers' first," she said, twittering slightly. "Eek."

"Right then," Darmani boomed, flexing his muscles. "Let's do it. Somebody tell Bree to turn the music off."

"I will." Malon and Lulu had been silent, letting the band be the band, but both were grinning. The redhead (non-dyed redhead, that was) rushed off to find Bree, and several moments later, the music was cut.

"Hey guys," called Zelda from her mic. "Hope you don't mind, but as Mikau's throat's a little iffy, I'm gonna be singing a few songs for you." A cheer went up. Zelda smiled, taking a rattly breath. "The first song I'll be singing is called 'Raindrops Sunshowers' and it's by the Smashing Pumpkins.... anybody ever heard it?"

A few people cheered.

"I think you're gonna like it." She turned her head to look at Darmani, nodding to the beat she wanted to set, and he rapped it out on his drum. There was silence, and Zelda began to sing, Mikau playing an arpeggio on his guitar.

"Raaaaaaaain falls on everyone,"

"Everyone," echoed Mikau, and the music appeared- drums, bass, and full blown guitar.

"The same old rain
And I'm just trying to walk with you
Between the raindrops

I send my echo out
To get your love without
Obscured reflections of
My love..."

The evening wore on.

---

It was nearly eleven by the time Volvagia left, even though the party was going to go on for several more hours. The band was just too exhausted to go on- both Mikau and Zelda were sung hoarse, and Darmani's arms were sore, an astounding feat considering the muscles the man possessed.

"Zelda!" Link caught up with her outside as she pushed her damp hair out of her eyes and loaded the bass on top of the amp. "You guys are awesome. How'd you learn to sing like that?"

"My mother was a singer," she stated hoarsely. "Put out two albums, both sold really well, but then she married my father and got out of the business before it destroyed either of them. You know," Zelda gave a little grin, "went respectable."

"You're amazing. The band is amazing. I just, I don't have any words, I..." Link realized he was raving and stopped, removing his cap from his head and running his hands through the messy wheat locks before shoving the cap back on. "I have a newfound respect for you. What was your mom's stage name?"

"Have you been drinking?" Zelda was leaning heavily against the h1, waiting for Malon to come out.

"No. I don't do alcohol. Why?"

"No reason."

"You're avoiding the topic."

"What topic? Listen, Link, I'm tired." Zelda rubbed at her eyes, her knuckles coming away with glitter mascara and eyeliner. "We'll talk at home, okay?"

"Okay. I'm going to go back inside, keep my friends from doing anything stupid, then shortly head home, as it's nearing curfew for both me and Sheep... I'll see you at home."

"Bye Link."

"Bye."

Malon came out just as Link was entering, and the two shot odd glances at one another before continuing on their separate ways.

"Excellent job, Zelda. Now hop in the back, will you? Lulu's gonna be out in just a minute, she's peeling Mikau off the floor. Tired?"

"Yeah."

"The performance was amazing."

"Thanks." Zelda crawled on top of the amp, yawning.

"You can rest for now if you want. Lulu may take a while."

"Okay."

And Zelda collapsed into sleep.

----

A/N: Helloooooo everybody! I'm still alive, isn't that exciting? I am SO SORRY that this has taken so long, as my beta was too busy to edit this and I've also been going through a very difficult time in life right now. No worries, though, because the story WILL continue on, if this isn't enough evidence. Everybody cheer! Yaaay!

Now, I have a short issue to address. To everybody who reviewed, thank you so much for your comments, as they really helped to inspire me. Keep it up! However, I was most shocked this evening to open up my email and find a review that was a total waste of time for both myself and for the writer.

Brokendreams, you have just won yourself a position on the wall of shame. I would like to tell you right now that I am not prejudiced against people of Indian or Middle Eastern heritage- in fact, one of my very best friends in the world is from Pakistan. Khail was not intended to sound like a Middle Eastern name; in fact, it's a play on the name "Kyle". Khail is not a Middle Eastern or Indian person, he is an iron-pumping white jock, and not that I have anything against football players or anything, but he's your typical spoiled white boy. And lastly, though I haven't stated it yet in the story for sheer lack of importance, Mikau's father is from Saudi Arabia, thus giving Mikau his dark complexion. His mother is of mixed Scottish-Irish descent. I intended no prejudice or offense in this story, and I feel that you're wasting your time pointing it out where there is none. I am very sorry if I have offended you, however, if you even read the story, you would know that Khail is not Indian or Middle Eastern, nor was he intended to be a symbol of the people. Please, if you have an actual problem with my story, say so, instead of wasting my time with empty accusations.

Breas Darkdragon, thank you very much for defending me and my character. I really appreciate it. ) And you're right, it is just a name. I very much appreciate you standing up in the face of sudden and often irrational anger. You, my dear, get a cookie.

Aaaaaaaand a thousand thanks to everybody who sent me a review. I'm sorry I can't list all your names here, but at the end of the story, I'll reply to all your reviews, I PROMISE. Thank you all so very very much, and keep those notes coming. They make me happy, and when I'm happy, everybody's happy!

That's all, folks.