A/N: Finished! Sorry it took so long. Enjoy!

Chapter Ten – Night on the Couch

Zelda opened the guest room door, gasped, then rushed and quickly, as usual, started a problem. As the other three slowly filtered in, shouts of "Mine!" and "I claimed it first!" echoed from the room.

There was a major problem with Rau's guest room. It was designed with one guest in mind. There was one small bed, a comfy-looking couch, and a recliner. There were also a few dozen books on a bookcase and other assorted furnishings. Zelda had her suitcase spread over almost every inch of the bed, Ruo was laid back on the couch, and Sarah had just popped the footrest on the recliner open. Link groaned.

"What about me? Where do I sleep?" All three girls pointed to his stuff on the floor. He groaned. "You're not serious, right? I mean, there's some inflatable mattress you are hiding or something, yes?" Zelda laughed, Ruo shook her head, and Sarah just sighed and shrugged.

"You gotta be kidding me! We have no idea what on this floor! Uh, not to say Rau is a bad housekeeper, but still, the floor?" he protested. Zelda merely shoved all her stuff except for a few things into her suitcase, closed it, and then sat upon it so she could lock the locks.

Link left the room and almost collided with Rau. "Rau! Just the guy I was looking for! Hey, you wouldn't happen to have, say, an inflatable mattress lying around here? No? A comfy chair? An extra couch? You do?" At Rau's nod toward the living room, Link smiled.

"You're a life saver. It's bad enough I've only had tent walls between those girls and me. I don't know if I could handle a night in the same room. See you tomorrow?"

Rau nodded and continued down the hall, Link going the opposite direction. He very quickly made a discovery about Rau's home. There were no light fixtures besides two lamps and the sun, now gone. Stumbling around in the darkness, he found what he hoped to be the couch, although with his luck, it would probably end up being the kitchen table or something.

Link set up his alarm clock after finding a lamp and making sure it was not in fact, the kitchen table he was getting on. After preparing his makeshift bed, he was about to get settled in when his alarm beeped the time at 10:00 PM. Yawning, he turned the alarm off and as the red digits faded, he got in and fell fast asleep, which has never been a sign of a long sleep.

-

Suddenly, Link shot up, then caught himself as he almost fell off the couch. He could have sworn he heard a door open ever so slightly. Sitting up, he heard the floor creak as someone walked into the living room. Whoever it was slowly approached and sat on the couch. He tried to see who the couch-stealer was, but it was to no avail. The two sat there for a moment, neither saying a word. The only sound in the room was the sounds from breathing. Finally, Link started to reach over to turn on a light to settle this nightly stalemate. Just as he was about to pull the cord, the person took in a breath and began to speak.

"There once was this kid. She was an ordinary kid, although her life wasn't. She grew up in a large house with people to help her with almost every aspect of her life. Sometimes it got so extreme she wouldn't leave the house for weeks on end. Then, on a trip to the mountains, this girl meets another girl. The two become friends. The second girl later invites the first girl to her house. I'm sure you can guess the rest." The stranger wrapped up the strange tale.

Link sat there for a moment, and then replied, "I tried, you know. I raced as fast as I could over there to try. Too late, though. I just want you to know that I tried. That and that I am sorry. Truly. I'm sure that won't make up for the years of anger, but maybe it will help."

The stranger sniffled a bit, scooted over to Link, and answered with a reply of her own. "It will, Link. It will..." And with that, Link suddenly felt the person grab him in a big hug, which he returned. The two sat there for just a tiny bit, one crying on the other's shoulder.


A/N: Ta da! It finally happens! I've been hinting at it since Chapter Five, and it has happened. Many can guess who the couch-stealer is, but I shall not approve or disprove anything yet.