Chapter 33: All-Hallo-Kaioh

Kara-Throwing in Kaiohdrahl Arc

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, this is just a Fanfiction.

Featured Music: "Ranked Amongst the World's Best"The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass OST. Chapter Briefing.

"A Cold Wind In My Mind" - Black Lagoon OST. Scene 1 (First Half).

"Refreshing Morning" - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel OST. Scene 1 (Second Half).

"Cheerful Music Selection 1" - Tenchi Muyo OST. Scene 2 (First Half).

"Special Record Vol. 1" - Judgment OST. Scene 2 (Second Half).

"For Victory" - Fire Emblem IX: Path of Radiance OST. Scene 3 (First Half).

"Special Record Vol. 2" - Judgment OST. Scene 3 (Second Half).


"That's three grand finals you've qualified for already."

True to the Hylian princess Zelda's words, in Link's arduous journey across Aurelia he has somehow managed to certify himself for the grand finals of:

The Hylian Hyrax of Hyrule.

The Palashian Premier of Palashia.

And now, most recently, the Kaioh Bio of Kaiohdrahl.

In all these places, some far-off and neighbouring to his homeland of Hyrule itself, the former Hero of Time has spread his name to a deep corner of the world already and of the continent of Aurelia... and yet still his hunger is not sated. In every national championship he has taken part in, he has tasted the sweet taste of victory in each grand finals, having come so close yet so far. Raynard Van Garrick, Vassia Palashia and now, Ragnar Romanov, all current champions of Hyrule, Palashia and Kaiohdrahl; Link has clashed with each one of these fighters, now near-world class in their incredible skill, strength and speed.

Following their epic clashes and in his most recent escapade, Link finds himself near-completely outclassed by the much older and much stronger Ragnar; said to have been taught by the most renowned martial arts practitioner in the world and, indeed the very practitioner that taught the world's greatest soldier, Ragnar himself proves to be more than a match for Link himself. It is in that worrying fact that Kage Narumono once again surfaces his chaotic, hateful head.

Very quickly afterward the match-up evens up between them and Kage's anarchic ancient power sends Ragnar up against the proverbial ropes of the tournament ring. When pressured, he at last reveals the last trump card he was apparently saving; a seeming calming light made of magical Aegir directed from his conjoined fingers, pressed to his Hylian host's forehead.

Now, as with the Hylian Hyrax and the Palashian Premier, the Prima World Tour hold an after-party in Tiverpool Castle with the royal family themselves hosting it and all within the top eight qualifiers and even those in the audience are invited. Having been horrifically injured in their savage beat-down in the grand finals, Link and Ragnar lick their wounds as best they can in order to prepare for the inevitable festivities; an invite that all within the PWT and Link's rambunctious group of companions don't fail to pull them both into...


Scene 1

"Grnnngh... Mōhitotsu no sonshitsu wa soredesu...?"

The sound of Kage Narumono's demonic filter through his own tenor made the frowning Link re-open his eyes and take in his new yet familiar surroundings; he stood within a deep expanse of what seemed to be sheer emptiness laced with darkness all over. Only a steel-like cage, a fiery-like figure within it and the shallow watery ground beneath his bare feet made him realise he was deep within his subconscious.

Standing before him, within the cage's quarters with his back toward him, was the fiery-coated form of Kage Narumono; his demonic mirrored side.

When the lava-like figure sensed his approach, he slowly swung his crackling-haired head 'round to glare back at him, initiating a similar glower from the standing Link.

"So...," Kage began again, turning his whole host-less body 'round to face the Hero of Time once more; his true self revealed. "We meet here again..."

Link merely glared back at him wordlessly.

"And again we sit in failure...," he spat out in finality, his crimson eyes narrowing in glaring-eyed hatred as he did. "How many times is that now? Two? Three?"

"Three," Link answered the chaotic will, tilting his body and his blonde-haired head to the side as he did. "First Ray, then Vass and now that Ragnar guy."

"Hmph...," Kage huffed out, eyes narrowing a second time. "How...?"

"Maybe the Shinzui ain't nearly as strong as you thought," Link reiterated once more, eyebrow rising upward as he did. The watching Kage growled out in a noticeably angry glower. "I even used its Aegir myself to see if I could win, but..."

"There is no-one in your puny Light World strong enough to even approach the full potential of the Shinzui-et-Sanmiitai," Kage explained slowly and angrily, his fangs shining in the darkness. "To live... is to fight."

"Really...?" Link began curiously, eyebrow risen upward again. "So why did Ragnar-?"

"Tah...," Kage tutted out, single eye narrowing. "Luck... if we were stronger... if you had accepted your destiny... then perhaps you could have been champion of Kaiohdrahl."

Link's eyebrow dropped back down and his face took a stony turn when he realised exactly what Kage was referring to.

The harbinger of Aurelia's end itself and the only reason he came back from Termina alive.

The power of the Fierce Deity.

There's no 'perhaps' about it, Link thought...

"I'd have easily beaten Ragnar then."

But not just beaten... I'd have killed him.

"Exactly..."

Kage's self-satisfied words of superiority filled the air and made the narrow-eyed Link raise up his head to face him again, half-surprised. The demonic will stared back at him, fiery head lightly tilted as he re-opened his mouth to continue.

"Even the world's greatest martial artist or greatest soldier cannot hold even a wit's thought to the grand magnitude of the Shinzui's true potential...," he chuckled on knowingly. "We are fated to be gods, you and I..."

"Hyrule was fated to fall," Link fired back, quick as silver itself. "But Zel and I saved it."

"You put a stopgap in place is what you both did...," Kage countered, his fanged scowl soon returning to him as he growled back at the blonde boy. "Do you really think that just because you and that pathetic princess have jailed Power's chosen, that another won't take his place and attack your homeland?"

Link faltered this time and found himself doubting even his own mantle. His oceanic eyes lowered and they twitched when he realised not only the sense but the hard truth in Kage's words; true to form and history, he saw it already in action mere weeks ago with the likes of the ambitious Velkarez and his Templars of the Weeping Stars.

It was inevitable that someone other than Ganondorf would eventually surface and attempt takeover and not just his own country but of others too; Palashia, Kaiohdrahl, Stralanavia, Gylomecia, Draerith, Termina... the list could potentially go on and on and there was no feasible way to save it all.

Not with how strong I am now, he thought... or even in years' time.

"But with the Fierce Deity's power..."

Kage, somehow reading his mind as they stood within his subconscious, made him raise his head back up from his deep-minded thoughts, straw-haired eyebrows rising ever upward as he did. The demonic will stood in a lower stance this time, grinning back widely as he held up his bent left hand, palm-opened up and upside down. He narrowed his lava-like eyes back at his Hylian host as he closed the fiery fingers 'round his open-palmed fist, his grin growing wider as he re-opened his mouth to elaborate.

"The rest of the world would easily succumb..."

Link sighed through his nose in half-defeat, unable to come up with an answer; emotionally and vocally.

Kage was right, he thought. If all this effort is to look for another answer... then where has it gotten me?

I've had to use the Shinzui, again and again; even when I've been conscious of it, I've had to pull from its incredible power in my matches with Lyna and Ragnar.

"There's no escaping it."

Kage's knowing cackle made the frowning Link re-raise his head again to stare back in a hardened-eyed frown. His demonic second side shook his fiery-coated head as he grinned on smugly.

"Your power... your Aegir... your very existence itself... they all come from the legacy you inherited from Goddess Farore...," he explained briefly, his eyes narrowing a third time as his toothy smirk widened. "And from me."

Link's brow furrowed as he listened, unable to draw out a response again.

"Accept it... live with it...," he began again before his smirk very abruptly dropped in favour of a hardened scowl, his head leaning to the side as he spoke. "And begin to try and deal with it."

"Oh I will...," Link merely responded with, eyes narrowing on firmly as he re-opened his mouth to speak, his lower legs beginning to vanish and disappear from sight. "But pretty soon, Kage... you're gonna find out," he began himself, leaning his head to the side as he did. "I'm capable of way more than just the Shinzui...," he claimed, drawing out an angered and hateful-eyed glare from the caged demonic will. "And of you."

The words with which he spoke, so hard and rock-like, left the standing Kage with a spiteful-faced scowl even as Link at last dissipated from the realm within their shared subconscious. As he did, Kage re-opened his mouth to voice his hateful thoughts.

"Hanashi ni naran na..."


His oceanic eyes slowly opened up to the sound of what seemed to be birds singing behind him; Link allowed his cerulean-shaded orbs to wander lazily across his new surroundings and found himself encased fairly snugly within a quilt cover. He groaned out of effort as he pulled his top half upward, using his left hand to rise up out of the quilt underneath to place on his thumping head. He winced on in agony as it throbbed, most likely as a result of his intense match with Ragnar mere hours earlier, and made to pull his right hand up out of what felt to be some odd kind of blockage.

The young Hylian, irritated, swung his tired frown down on his lower right only to rise up his straw-haired eyebrows in sudden realisation when he saw the similarly slumbering form of Zelda resting next to him, sat in a chair and grasping at his right hand as she seemed to lay her very pony-tailed head down on it itself.

How long have I been asleep, he wondered silently, his brow furrowing down at the slow rising back of his blonde companion. His mind went back to the memory of speaking to Kage within the subconscious they shared together, seemingly a tradition he appeared to be doing more and more with the result of the national championships he took part in, and he tried with great effort to recall anything before it.

I remember fighting Ragnar and him breaking my neck, he thought...

But anything after that is a blank.

Kage must have woken up and saved my life again, he added silently, turning his eyes down on the blue-shaded quilt he rested in below him. His thoughts were largely mixed on the demonic will that had both saved him and become one of his biggest weaknesses; a presence within the chaotic Aegir of the Triforce of Courage that managed to murder not one or two but three of his companions in the time he originally came from.

I owe Zel from that time a lot for sending me back, he thought again, sighing through his nose quietly as he turned his frown down on the sleeping form of the Hylian princess next to him. His mind drifted over to his memories in his original era and he wondered with some lamentation how she was handling things, if she was even still there.

Is there even an era back where I came from? Is everyone still there and it's just me that's missing? Or has it vanished along with me?

Goddess knows how all this even works, he thought.

"I sure hope she ain't back there alone though."

"Mm..."

He rose his eyebrows a little in inclination to her voice, turning his oceanic-eyed gaze her way as she moaned very softly in her groggy state, seemingly slowly wakening. As she pulled her blonde-haired head up from rest, she faced him at first with a sleep-filled stare spiced with the odd blink before she soon put on a comfortable smile on her face when she recognised him staring back.

"Morning."

"Mm... mornin'," he greeted her, his frown half-shifting into a light smile of his own before narrowing his eyes and dropping it in suspicion. "Did you sit there all night?"

She put on a kind of sheepish-looking tint to her smile, eyes briefly wandering from his in anxious hesitation before soon re-facing him, her smile widening a little as she nodded in response. He rolled his eyes and mentally prepared himself for the inevitable chewing out his mentor would give him for the mistake she made.

"Impa-sensei know about it?"

Her smile widened ever further as she shook her head this time and he groaned, drawing out a notably amused giggle from her in response.

"You're gonna cause a serious injury one day y'know...," Link admonished the marginally older Hylian with a light tilt of his head and a mock-faced frown adorned on his facial expression, pulling another amused look from her. "I wouldn't mind fighting Ragnar again but Impa-sensei scares the hell outta me."

He felt her very tentatively and carefully thread her fingers softly through his own calloused fingers; a contrasting feeling that, while he secretly enjoyed, tried with great effort not to show it... especially to her.

"Maybe... she can help me keep you in line..."

Her words, so daring and so bold, could only surprise him; Link re-rose his newly re-furrowed brow to turn his shocked gaze back on her only to find her focused stare directly down into her slow snaking digits below her.

"I wouldn't mind... punishing you... if you ever did..."

Link's jaw fell in astounded dumbfoundedness, near unable to come up with a response to her audacious words and the tone with which she spoke them.

"Zel...!" He hissed out so quietly he darted his oceanic eyes 'round in swift search, hoping with great fervour that no-one else in the ward they sat in heard her. "Impa-sensei'd kill me if she heard you talkin' like-"

"It's your fault."

He blinked in genuine surprise as she interrupted him, and rather bitingly at that to boot. When he gazed back upon her, he found she lost her earlier smirk, now replaced with what looked to be irritation; a newly-gained crease marring her usually bright-faced complexion.

"M-My fault...?"

"Yeah...," she responded again, her frown slowly upturning back into the earlier smile she wore so well, ocean-blue eyes lowering as she played with his fingers slowly and softly within her own. "All that... 'yes mistress, no mistress'..."

A light of realisation suddenly went off in Link's head and his eyebrows lifted up to display it, surprised and near-unable to bring up words to convey his worry.

How is she able to say stuff like that to me at this point in time, he thought.

We're not even teenagers yet!

"D-Don't you like it...?"

Link very quickly felt his heart sink when he sensed her so confident touch on his fingers loosen and grow doubtful and meek; an emotion she conveyed fairly successfully as she re-rose her blonde-haired head to cast her injured expression back up at him. He winced and, very quickly in a jerk-like motion of regret, as if he had accidentally stepped on the tail of a harmless cat, he ignored the biting jarring of his recently-gained wounds and bent his body to sit up as he reached for her fingers.

"O-Of course I do!" He called back, forcing a smile through the single sweat-drop of effort that fell from his forehead, his wounds aching from his sudden movement. "It's... funny!" He complimented her with in an attempt to spare her feelings of any potential damage. She brightened back up and closed her own grip 'round his calloused digits slowly and softly, lowering her eyes to focus on them as she did. "Gotta admit though...," he began again, his own grin slowly returning to him as it did. "It's a pretty bold joke on your part."

"I guess your humour's sort of... rubbed off on me." She replied with, drawing out a smirking-faced chuckle from him in response.

"Yeah...," he answered. "Guess so."

The smile on her face was quick to drop however when she re-opened her mouth. "And what was that?"

Link's own face fell, unable to follow her. "W-What was what?"

"That last match!" She suddenly exclaimed or, exclaimed as loud as the soft-spoken princess would normally exclaim, a disapproving frown on her face. Link winced as he felt her manage to crush his fingers within her own, her grip suddenly becoming surprisingly strong. "You simply went too far!"

He put on a compromising smile, almost apologetic as he shrugged back at her, as if unable to bring anything else up as he re-opened his mouth to retort. "I mean to be fair Zel the guy was Ragnar," he grinned back at her roguishly. "What else was I supposed-ta do; keel over and die?"

"No...," she yielded at last with a defeated sigh escaping her lips, lowering her eyes as she did, her fingers very carefully playing and fidgeting slowly with his own as if in habit. She re-raised her head to cast her concerned frown back on him again however. "I know I can't stop you from doing all of this, just like when you left for Termina, but..."

His memory going back to when he left for the moon-doomed land made him smile again and he re-opened his mouth to cut her off. "I owe you a lot for that."

His sudden expression of gratitude made her widen her sea-shaded eyes in light surprise.

"And for sending me back here...," he pointed out, turning his gaze briefly 'round the room as if he were referring to the era they were in. "For pretty much everything." The blonde youth chuckled this time, grinning back at her in spite of the grievous injuries marring his youthful complexion.

Her frown very gradually upturned into an appreciative smile, pulling the fingers of his right hand closer to her own two-handed grip.

"I owe you one hell of a debt Zel," Link smiled on, tilting his head as he placed his free hand to rest on his newly-raised left knee horizontally, re-opening his mouth to finish his sentence. "So I'll do whatever ya say...," he began again, his smile deliberately swinging up into a mischievous grin of his own. "Mistress."

She gasped out an abrupt laugh as she re-rose her eyes to look into his, seemingly having held it in for a few seconds in response to his cheerful banter; their humorous inside joke he carried with him from his original era.

The Hylian princess' smile weakened but only a little as she lowered her light-blonde head, hesitantly re-opening her mouth as she did. "W-Well then...," she began again, drawing out a curious look from the listening young blonde boy. "Maybe we could just... engage in some rest and relaxation today...?"

He caught the uncertain and nervous look in her eye, even as she lowered it from his, almost as if she were terrified he'd refuse her somehow and found himself grinning even wider as he re-opened his mouth again to reply to her.

"Yes...," he started one last time, his smirk broadening to convey the playful look in his oceanic-eyed gaze. "Mistress."

Though it was repeated, Zelda laughed all the same, this time pulling her head up out of her earlier doubtful and tentative anxiety. He felt her grip on his fingers grow and yet still remain as soft and delicate as she had somehow become well-known in his mind for; a feeling that he couldn't help but requite for.

2

Even almost as soon as he recovered, which was fairly soon given his connection to the ancient and chaotic Aegir of the Triforce and its Shinzui, the ever-sociable Link was elated to be joined relatively quickly by his group of companions; while they were fortunate enough to join his bedside in Hyrule and Palashia to check on him as he recovered, the rules within Tiverpool Castle in Kaiohdrahl were much more strict and stringent. That said however, as the inevitable after-party for the Kaioh Bio began, the staff around the city all began to unwind their constricting hold on their surrounding security.

While Link was fairly grateful to have a period of rest and recreation to relax his body after his incredibly taxing workout through the national championships, he found very quickly that while his muscles were at least given time to rest, his nerves were not. When he at last aroused from his earlier slumber, he was dragged all across Kaiohdrahl's capital, all in search for last minute costumes for the after-party. Puzzled, Link questioned the girls on why he'd need a costume... and regret doing so he did; very quickly he found himself trying on all manner of fashionable and unfashionable clothing, soon leaving him in a mildly annoyed state, to describe the least.

When party time finally came and went, the group all travelled together in their new outfits, most within them excited. Link however had to admit his cheer had been dampened somewhat with his earlier falling out with Raynard as well as his loss to Ragnar in the grand finals.

I hope he's doin' okay, the worried Link thought to himself, oceanic eyes wandering down as he walked into the main party chamber.

"Are you listening mon amour?"

"H-Huh?" The young Hylian blurted out, blinking as he 'rounded his curious-eyed stare on the voice of Vassia to his right. When he did he was soon reminded of her all too over-the-top costume; a Palashian-style long white dress, holy Triforce earrings and her normally purple-shaded hair dyed a multitude of three colours; red, green and blue.

It was obviously an interpretation of the three goddesses of ancient history and one Link had to admit he saw coming from the high ego of his Palashian companion.

What surprised him, however were the fake small Hylian ears she managed to purchase to wear; it was such a small detail that he figured she'd just miss or forget.

"I said we should at least have one dance tonight, to celebrate your big win yesterday," the Palashian princess grinned over at him victoriously, drawing out a half-curious and humorous-looking limp-eyed look from the boy. "After all, it's not every-day an eleven-year old qualifies for three grand finals'..."

"You realise I lost, rig-?"

"Yes, three grand finals!" Vassia continued on unabashed and seemingly uncaring, eliciting a furrowed brow and a half-sigh from the blonde boy's nose as he resumed his pace forward to follow behind her. "The more time I spend with you the more I come to realise how deliciously correct I was in making you my husband-to-be." She smirked over her shoulder, pulling another humorously annoyed look from him in response.

"Don't worry."

His eyelids lifted in surprise and he swung his curious-faced frown 'round to his right, only to find the ever-smiling Zelda approaching him, also dressed differently; she wore what seemed to be a witch-like costume, complete with its overdone huge black hat. The dress she wore appeared to be tattered; a basic design choice to reflect the sorceress look, complimented by the striped dark-brown shaded stockings she wore and the basic black shoes, a lovely purple bow resting atop each of them.

Long ebony-coloured gloves sat across her hands horizontally as if to hearken back to his memory of seeing her at the Temple of Time in his original era, complimented again by what appeared to be a night-violet scarf across her left shoulder. Rather than wear her long blonde hair in a pony-tail as she seemed to be, the Hylian princess opted this time to wear it down, resting down beautifully across her small back.

Link had to admit she looked fairly contrasting to the hilariously ironically dressed Vassia; something he liked about the blonde princess.

I wonder if she did that on purpose.

"You can stay with me tonight if you like." She finished, this time in a quiet-voiced whisper, leaning toward him as she spoke with a smile. Realising very quickly his surrounding companions behind him were watching, and with some amusement in their expressions, he couldn't stop the inevitable blush that adorned his cheeks and darted his oceanic-eyed gaze from hers. As he had half-expected, the boisterously-entertained laugh that ever filled the room came from the outrageously-dressed Barkner behind him.

"Hey... that's a win in my book!" The dragon-dressed Goron grinned below at him as he leaned down to place a rocky-skinned palm on the humorously deadpan-like frowning youth's shoulder. As Link turned to face him he found him dressed in what appeared to be a fairly reminiscent outfit consisting of a scaly fire-haired dragon, reminding him of the fearsome foe within Death Mountain's crater and the Fire Temple itself; Volvagia.

All in all it looked fairly well-fitting, surprisingly for such a stocky-built man and suiting for his origins.

Well, he thought with a disappointed frown as he turned down to bemoan at his own costume.

It's better than mine anyway.

He wore what seemed to be an over-the-top lord's like white-shaded doublet, decorated with golden buttons and a small chain-like ornament that went diagonally up to join with another similarly-coloured area on his right shoulder, his left containing an analogous decoration. A halcyon belt sat across his waist, holding up the deep-red trousers he wore fairly well upon his lower legs, topped off with dress-like shoes ebony as night itself. His normally unruly curtained blonde hair was pulled forward a little, albeit still placed within the pony-tail he often wore in his karate-gi uniform, almost as if to highlight its lustrous quality.

While Link wasn't a fan of this costume, especially in how restrictive it was in moving, the girls appeared to enjoy it.

I'll never understand 'em, he thought comically, eyes lowering into the deadpan-like frown he seemed to wear so often around them.

"Could always be worse," Alwyn spoke up from the back, frowning on business-like as he always seemed to like to. He wore a similar outfit to his young blonde Hylian companion, however he, unlike Link, appeared to suit the rigid and uncomfortable costume. "Could be dressed like... that."

When he pointed his half-smiling Zoran head toward his right, Link blinked and swung his own straw-haired head 'round only to find the annoyed-looking Malon, dressed up in a priceless ensemble of her own. While everyone else appeared to at least be wearing some kind of normal outfit, Malon instead wore something a little similarly to her origins; a small and yet overly chunky-looking cow-like costume that oddly fit her rather well. Though her initial fire-red bangs at the front were visible in poking through the front of the costume, nothing else was seen of her within, giving her a fairly entertaining, if, endearing look about her.

Link, in great spite to his own unfortunate situation, couldn't help but snort for the umpteenth time in amusement as he looked back at the visibly-annoyed farm girl; she narrowed her cerulean-shaded eyes back at him warningly.

"This isn't funny!" She insisted angrily. "It's all they had left!"

"I think you look nice Malon," Zelda insisted welcomingly, joining her gloved hands at her front. "You look cute like this."

"Urgh," the irked Hylian responded frustratedly, her angered frown twitching as she turned her eyes away from the amused group's. "I look stupid."

Realising their group was short by two members, Link double-took around them all and furrowed his brow contemplatively before turning to face Barkner and Alwyn.

"Where the hell's Impa-sensei?" He asked rudely, his manners ever lacking as he propped up a curious eyebrow upward. "Normally she's-"

Almost as if the Sheikah herself were listening in, she stepped out from behind the huge group of people entering the large room, drawing everyone's sudden attention as Link's eyebrows lifted up in likewise surprise. To everyone else's curiosity, Impa appeared to merely be wearing her usual apparel; the classic armoured set she ever loved to sport sat on her as well as it did when the young Hero of Time first met her in Hyrule Castle's royal courtyard. Joined by her side however was the lavishly-dressed Shanaari, smiling in social contrast as she wore what seemed to be a jester-like attire.

"Normally I'm what?" The firm tone of the eyebrow-risen Sheikah shot out with, casting her glower down on the wincing Link.

"N-No-where Impa-sensei." He began worriedly, shaking his head fiercely and waving his hands back at her, almost as if to ward away a horrible beast.

"You didn't even wear anything..." The disappointed Zelda pointed out, a saddened frown on her face as she joined her gloved hands at her centre. Impa turned to face her charge with a limp-faced frown, business-like as ever.

"I'm busy enough," the Sheikah admitted before propping up a half-grin. "Looking after all of you."

"She came dressed as herself..." Link whispered as he leant in next to the frowning Zelda; while the young princess blinked his way and tittered very quietly to herself, it was the glaring-eyed Impa that made Link double-take in the Sheikah's way before wincing a second time. Rather than attempt to ward her off a second time the young Hylian thought it better to turn around and run off, presumably to flee to safety in a humorous show of anxiety.

"Merde!" Vassia cursed out in angry Palashian, eyes narrowing as she watched the blonde youth scarper off, soon swinging her white-dress form 'round to face the Sheikah in annoyance. "He's going to be impossible to find now!" She complained, drawing out a half-satisfied low-facing smile from the silent Zelda and a noticeably victorious-looking grin from the less-modest Malon.

"Well...," Impa began, tilting her silver-shaded head as a small grin of her own adorned her expression. "I imagine it's best you not waste any time in searching for him... isn't it?" She countered, eyebrow rising up as her smirk widened a little, pulling out a listening snort from the amused Barkner and Shanaari.

"Guenon!" Vassia hissed back angrily and frustratedly in Palashian again before sweeping her dress 'round to turn and presumably chase after the running Link.

"Never fails to bring a smile to my face when you do that Impa." Barkner observed quietly enough with a light chuckle from the side, an amused grin on his face as his Zoran companion on his left merely watched on in objective folded-armed silence.

"Me too Barkner...," the light-smiling Impa began, her smile widening to an unusual-faced smirk. "Me too."


When Link was fairly comfortable with the amount of distance he drew between himself and his intimidating mentor, he soon found himself recognised even in his ridiculous prince-like uniform that Vassia had made him wear hours earlier; a group of similar-aged girls within the tournament audience that very quickly began to surround and bombard him with praise and acclaim. While it was genuinely surprising for the young Hero of Time to receive such commendation, given it was Ragnar instead that won the Kaiohdrahl championship and indeed the very title of national champion itself, it also did well to feed his ever-growing ego.

Something he had become well-known for in his group of companions since he returned from his time-travelling adventure in Termina.

"I mean it ain't the first time I've had to fight for my life y'know," the grinning Link spoke with an emphatic shrug, his oceanic eyes briefly shut as he did, before swiftly re-opening them and lowering his hands to place one on his hip. "I've already been through two countries single-handedly and barely gotten a scrape." He smirked on, winking cheekily at the gaggle of girls surrounding him as he brought up two fingers, as if to emphasise the grandness of his exploits.

The encircling girls' perhaps inevitable scream of approval and cheer made half the room all turn and wince, as well as the growing smirk on Link's face grow ever wider. It was only when the canvassing Vassia a few steps away noticed the oh-so-obvious sound of their screams that she double-took in his direction before narrowing her eyes suspiciously and hurrying over to catch up with him. He only noticed, unfortunately for him, when she eventually made the very rapid approach toward his back; he double-took similarly to her and widened his eyes in what seemed to be worry before rolling them and groaning, turning his head from hers.

Oh joy, he thought.

"Excuse me...," she began, clearly annoyed as she reached forward to grapple rather roughly at his exposed left arm. "But he's engaged."

The collective sighs and imminently disappointed noises that they all made managed to rebound off the walls, leaving the standing Link growling in annoyance as he was pulled away by the pushy Palashian princess.

"I thought that deal was over?!" He asked her in an irked tone as she marched him across the room with a particularly proud look about her face. "Remember? Our match yesterday?"

"Please, I had to say something to get those pathetic peons away from you," she grinned over her shoulder, her eyes half-closing as she regarded him with what seemed to be a knowing and manipulative look. He narrowed a single eye of his own in response. "Now we can finally have our date!"

Link sighed through his nose harshly, his frown deepening into a low-eyed stare of disapproval and impatience. "You ain't givin' up are ya."

She swung around to face him, her doll-like complexion pulled into a wide and steadfast smile as she did, re-opening her mouth to reply. "Nope!"

The listening blonde inwardly groaned a second time, his face falling ever further if that were even possible, as she dragged him to what seemed to be one of the many tables littering the room. When she reached over to paw at a pair of cups and what seemed to be a pitcher of a suspiciously alcoholic-looking drink, Link found himself watching her with similar scepticism, a hardened look through his own oceanic-eyed gaze. She very quickly and skilfully poured them both a fairly generous portion of the unknown beverage before pulling both cups toward her and lifting them up to hang up at him, as if for him to take. He accepted the container with great discretion, eyeing her carefully.

"Cheers to a successful tournament, mon amour," she began, rising up the glass to softly clink with his own; he responded by raising his own glass of curious liquid before similarly rising up a blonde-shaded eyebrow at her. "And to a new start together, following my defeat..."

His hardened frown very quickly dropped in favour of a more softened frown as she spoke of her earlier loss to him so casually, her wide smile still enveloping her doll-like countenance.

What's her game, he wondered silently.

She can't still be serious about us, let alone be okay with losing so easily. Maybe she really has grown up a little?

"But so soon?"

His inward thoughts were about to be answered when she pulled the glass back down, presumably from taking a quick drink of the alcoholic liquid, giving him an opportunity at last to respond.

"I don't know if I'd call this tournament a successful one," he shot back half-mockingly at himself, a newly-gained annoyed-looking frown on his face as he tilted it at her, single eye narrowed as he did. "I still only hit grand finals."

"That's still an achievement, mon chéri...," she chuckled at him, mildly amused as she placed down her beverage on the table to her left before advancing on him. He watched her carefully, single eye narrowing a second time at her and briefly considered running before suddenly remembering he was currently holding an alcoholic drink in his hand. "Especially with the likes of me and you signed up here...," she breathed long and firm within kissing distance, pulling her soft fingers in a contrastingly hard and vigorous grip 'round the small of his back.

In growing panic and desperation, a single drop of sweat fell from his forehead as he darted it 'round in quick search, as if to be certain no-one else was watching. Fortunately for him, there was none, as most of the room appeared to already be presently engaged with one another.

"I want to be honest with you...," Vassia began again, a new frown adorned on her face, the rest of her expression switching similarly softly. Link drew his curious-eyed gaze back her way, genuinely quizzical. "I tried with great effort to let go of our engagement, but... after yesterday's match, I...," she began again, shaking her multi-coloured-haired head back at him in a briefly lowered gaze, soon re-rising it to face him again. "I just can't."

His straw-haired eyebrows lowered in what felt like some form of sympathy or pity for her, unsure on what to say in response.

"I realise you may never feel the same way about me, but...," Vassia started a second time, tilting her head as her frown winced a little, as if hurt in some way. Link's own contemplative frown turned somewhat melancholic, a tinge of wistfulness in his eye. "I think, ever since I met you in Palashia... I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

This time he turned his eyes from hers in a lamentable grimace, wishing very deeply to find some way to respond to spare her feelings and yet still finding nothing coming to him.

She's not wrong, he thought; I've never looked at her the same way she does me.

So why is this so hard?

I wish she was still just a stuck up, spoiled jerk; I wouldn't feel so bad then.

Maybe this is who she really is underneath, he added on silently, eyebrows rising up as he swung his eyes up to look at her in sudden realisation.

"Say something," she spoke again, this time in a much lower whisper, her frown creasing just a little as her hold on him grew similarly soft; it was something in her he wasn't used to and managed to catch him off guard. "Please..."

"I-"

"Ah... Firbrand from the land of Hyrule, yes?"

The pair of children, surprised by the sudden interjection, could only rise up their eyebrows and widen their eyes as they swung them 'round to the source. Standing tall and in his usual hard-staring glare was the ever-scowling Ragnar himself, still dressed in his classic topless outfit from the earlier match, his grievous wounds now sporting freshly-gained bandages. When Link realised he was referring, and indeed talking to him, he blinked and chuckled out nervously as he turned away from Vassia unconsciously, pulling one of his hands up to rub the back of his pony-tailed head sheepishly.

"That's me...," he greeted back, eyes briefly shutting in light anxiety before soon re-opening to cast his smile back at the contrastingly unsociable man. "'Sup?" He asked before double-taking to his back when he heard the footsteps of his Palashian companion turn, presumably to leave. "W-Wait, no, Vass!" He called on desperately after the fast-marching Vassia, facing her far-off back by the time he managed to turn.

Link's frown took on a weakened, remorseful tone and he groaned, rising up his left hand to rest on the bridge of his nose, as if to nurse a headache.

"Urgh...," he muttered out, wincing. "I'm gonna pay big for that later..."

"Girlfriend angry with you?"

Link grimaced again as Ragnar spoke to him and referred to her in such a way, turning again to face him, smiling wanly as he shook his head.

"She's not- um... nah, she's just goin' through some stuff," the young Hylian amended his sentence with a fairly quick nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his blonde-haired head a second time as he did. "Oh, uh...," he began again, blinking as he regained a zig-zag like frown upon catching sight of the man's horrendous looking bandage. "S-Sorry about that..."

Ragnar shook his short-haired head dismissively, the hardened unreadable expression still strong on his face. "I wanted to speak with you about that, actually."

Link's eyebrows rose up curiously. "What do you-?"

The recently-crowned Kaiohdrahlian champion turned his scowling-faced head out toward the very private moonlit deck of the main chamber, not far from their current position. "Out here." He insisted quietly, drawing another blink from the young Hylian.

One of Link's eyebrows rose upwards in anxiety and dread. "This is gonna be interesting..." He murmured out, following behind the Draerithian carefully.

3

"So... you are feeling better now... yes?"

Link turned his cerulean eyes up in response to the man's thick Draerithian accent as he stepped out into the balcony just after him, casting his frown upward as he did. "U-Uh... yeah...," he answered, stammering his initial response in a nervous-like chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head, twisting his curious-faced frown into a sheepish kind of smile. "I'm sorry about earlier... with the Shinzui and all-"

Ragnar shook his head dismissively and firmly, a hardened look still present in his eye as he re-opened his mouth to retort. "No... never apologise for hitting me with everything you had... I'm glad you did," the tall man claimed, drawing a half-surprised look from the young Hylian. "Though I am curious, I have to admit..."

Link chortled back half-amused in response. "S-So... what did you wanna know?"

"What is that power?" He questioned interrogatively, eyebrows furrowing as he narrowed both eyes down at the youth. "I've never seen it before in my thirty years of living."

Link lowered his blonde-haired head as if ashamed, his smile soon dissolving to a frown as he did. "It's... something old," he began uncertainly yet all-too-knowingly. "I've had it with me for as long as I can remember."

Ragnar folded his muscled arms curiously, tilting his short-haired head as he listened on in respectful silence.

The young Hylian thought briefly on whether Ragnar was trustworthy before re-rising his head to frown at the man. He soon switched his frown into a light smile and chose to trust him regardless, opting to rise up the back of his left palm to face the man with. Almost as if the ancient chaotic Aegir within him were sentient and listening in somehow, it reacted; on the back of his opened up palm shone the divine crest of his country's holy triangle. Only one fragment, the piece of courage lit up on the blonde boy's right, drawing out a slow-shocked look from the watching Ragnar.

"Zel calls it... the 'Shinzui'," Link began again slowly, turning his frowning-faced head to briefly eye the dimly-lit golden triangle on his hand, soon lowering it to match his contemplative gaze facing the ground. "I have little information on a lot of it, but..."

"The... 'Shinzui'...?" Ragnar parroted out inquisitively, eyebrow shooting up. "'Essence' in the old language, yes...? 'Essence' of what?"

"Um... I think it's... 'Shinzui-et-Sanmiitai'." Link answered from memory, eyes briefly rising up to the sky in recollection.

"Ah... of course...," Ragnar murmured out, turning his folded-armed body 'round to march out toward the balcony's edge overlooking the terrace and the dark-night air. "I always thought that the holy triangle was merely a fairy tale all my life, but..."

The listening Link found his half-entertained grin returning to him, tilting his straw-haired head in further amusement as he silently agreed with the older man, recalling the incredible stories that the Great Deku Tree and his country's princess once divulged to him.

"So..."

Ragnar's frowning word caused him to re-raise his own head to face him again, half-surprised.

"There is some truth to it all..." The Draerith native frowned back firmly, brow furrowing curiously as he did.

"Yeah...," Link chuckled back, raising a hand up to engage in his old bad habit. "Guess it wouldn't be the first time."

"What was that strange change in you... mid-way through our fight?"

The young Hero of Time's eyebrows lifted in half-surprise before he very quickly realised the answer to the man's understandable query and he nodded back in his light-faced frown as he did.

"That...," he began, eyes lowering as if in light shame. "Was Kage." He finished, oceanic eyes shutting as he did to match the grim-faced frown he now adorned.

The watching Ragnar propped up another eyebrow as he turned his head to the side. "'Kage'...? As in 'Shadow'?"

"That's what it calls itself," the boy answered, re-opening his eyes to face the older martial artist. "'Kage Narumono'. I'm not sure what exactly he... or it is, but it's something I've lived with for as long as I've lived with this," he added on, re-rising his glowing left hand. "Whatever that thing really is... seems to be tied to it."

"'Kage Narumono'...," Ragnar parroted out, eyes briefly lowering as if in pondering. "'Shadow of What-Will-Be', hrm...?" He murmured out quietly, drawing a curious look from the listening youth. "Well... thank you, Firbrand from the land of Hyrule." The older man nodded forward in a show of respect and gratitude.

Link found himself blinking curiously and quizzically. "W-What for?"

Ragnar twisted his normally stoic-faced scowl into a half-amused smirk. "For trusting me with this information..."

Link pulled his head back and lightly laughed upon realisation, nodding before slightly shrugging in a recently-regained smirk of mischief. "Y'seem like a decent guy... I figure I can trust ya."

"Hmph." The listening Ragnar smirked back, soon unfolding his arms to lower one of them to face the boy with. Link re-opened his oceanic eyes to stare back at him, blinking.

"H-Huh?"

"For a good grand finals match...," the smirking-faced Ragnar chuckled out in an unusually sociable look around his face. "It's not very often that my very torso gets pierced and I live through it."

Link winced in response as he took a quick look at the huge bandage across the man's broad chest, realising he was referring to the incredibly bloody ending of their bout and of Kage's violent Messatsu Goshoryu technique.

It was something he'd have rather forgotten about, in all honesty.

"S-Sorry about-"

His hasty apology was one that was rubbed off on him by a companion he once met in Termina's 'Stock Pot Inn'; a young woman by the name of Anju. When he realised it came out so haphazardly and the look he received from the disapproving Ragnar, he very quickly shut his mouth and put on a head-shaking smirk as he rose up his right hand to take his former opponent's own right.

"Perhaps we can have, how you say...," Ragnar began again as he, very firmly and powerfully, shook the youth's hand in his own, a light smirk on his face as he did. "'Runback'?"

Link chuckled, nodding his head in amused agreement. "Sounds good Rag."


As the blonde youth stepped out of the outside balcony and back into the main chamber, still unfortunately dressed in the overly showy outfit the girls made him wear to his own chagrin, he reminded himself fairly quickly of his social faux pas with his pushy Palashian princess companion. He winced on as he thought back to their oddly tender exchange a mere five minutes ago; it was something he was used to more with Zelda than with Malon or Vassia and it was a mistake that definitely seemed to cost him more than just an arm.

Somethin's definitely gonna kick off tonight, he thought.

Goddess only knows how I'm gonna for this one.

Almost as if reading his very anxiety-riddled ruminations, the wandering form of Barkner still dressed up in his dragon-like costume made him double-take in the Goron's direction a few tables away from him; the young man swung his head in Link's area before rising up his eyebrows and hurrying over, presumably having been looking for him. Link rose up his own eyebrow as he marched on toward him to close the distance between one another, eager to see why he was seemingly so panicked.

"Thank Din I found ya...," the Goron panted out, seemingly having been running all over the large party hall. "Party's taken a turn for the worse."

"How d'you mean?" Link questioned curiously, tilting his head up to the side as he rose his left eyebrow up to match.

"We ain't sure why but Vassia's been actin' weird," he gasped out, still attempting to catch his breath. Both of the young blonde's eyebrows shot up in realisation and recognition this time, soon realising why and he winced when he did. "Before any of us could even get her to stop she started fighting with one of other girls 'round here."

"Fighting...?!" Link hissed out, genuinely surprised by the Goron's words before he quickly rose up his pony-tailed head to frantically search around the room for her. "Why the hell is she-?"

Barkner shook his head unsurely, still gasping out for air as he did. "Can't tell...," he managed out. "Impa and Shanaari already left with the king and queen... so only the girls've been-"

Link shot up his right hand to softly quieten the Goron with, nodding in understanding. "All right...," he answered. "I gotcha Bark; I'll go look for 'em."

It didn't take him very long to locate the gaggle of girls; a large enough collection of them all grouped together by one of the many doors, most of them seemingly the very same crowd of young maidens he was feeding his exploits to in order to boost his ego. He winced on in growing regret as he attempted to manoeuvre his way through them all carefully enough that they didn't notice him before widening his eyes as he clocked why they were all circled 'round the door; situated around the door were the culprits, the yelling Vassia and one of the many screaming young girls of the group around them. Standing just above and behind Vassia as the Palashian princess straddled the poor girl beneath her, pulling mercilessly at her hair, were the seemingly worried Hylian pair of Zelda and Malon. While Zelda was having more success in attempting to pull her back from the exchange, Malon seemingly had a great deal more difficulty in doing so, her actions hampered significantly by the amusing cow costume she wore.

"Took you long enough!" The annoyed farm girl grunted out as she pulled seemingly endlessly at the shrieking form of Vassia below her, facing the wincing Link with a half-red face, as if having grown so in the effort she exerted. He faced her with a half-amused smirk as he stepped forward to take her place, nodding upwards in greeting and thanks before he nodded downward this time in quick greeting to Zelda on his left before the pair of Hylians pulled with all their might together.

Like rushing water against solid rock, eventually it gave way to the pair's conjoined strength and Vassia yelled out as she was peeled kicking and screaming from the young girl beneath her; a sudden and surprising sight that saw her sailing backward and crashing directly into him. Link grunted out as he fell to his back, grimacing in irritation more than actual pain as he nursed a side of his back in his sudden landing.

When he re-opened his oceanic eyes forward he widened them as he found Vassia staring back at him, similarly surprised to match the powerful crimson that adorned her cheeks. It was only when he found the aroma of what seemed to be a strong volume of alcohol on her lips, their distance together now a similar proximity to their earlier position, that he realised she was drunk.

Now it all adds up, he thought, holding back a groan as he shut his eyes and sighed through his nose.

"All right...," he began with some exertion in his voice. "Come on..." The youth managed out as he attempted, with great difficulty, to pull the gasping Vassia off him.

Unfortunately for him however, especially as he was currently surrounded by watching young girls, the erratically-behavioured Palashian princess opted to reach down and mash her face with his when she seemed to realise who he was. He widened his oceanic eyes in response and called out as loudly as he could, his tenor muffled poignantly by the powerful grip she always seemed to command over him; something that always managed to make him feel uncomfortable, especially as the surrounding young girls all let loose wolf-whistles and calls of approval.

He also felt the mildly amused stares of his other close-by companions; the smiling Zelda and smirking Malon, something that managed to make the tips of his small Hylian ears turn red with embarrassment.

"I get next kiss!"

"Piss off; he's mine!"

"What'd you say?!"

The sound of the arguing army of girls surrounding them all made the surprised Link, Zelda and Malon all swing their eyes 'round in genuine shock, perhaps at the notion of such a large amount of admirers and all for one person at that. Regardless of his rapidly-growing ego however, Link found himself heavily indisposed and as a result unable to lavish and lap up all the juicy praise around him, his attention fully focused on the fallen form of Vassia laying on top of him. After having forcibly kissed him, he noticed with some shocking surprise that she'd been crying when he felt his lower cheeks begin to dampen from an odd source of moisture; presumably tears from the young princess' eyes, having been pressed up against his face in her desperate kiss.

Somethin' ain't right, he thought worriedly.

I gotta get her out of here.

While Malon was watching him with an odd look in her eye, almost as if she were attempting to work out what was happening, it was the ever-intuitive Zelda that rose up her eyebrows understandingly and nodded down at him as a newly-gained frown re-adorned her expression. She leaned toward the blinking Malon to whisper in her costume's ear, soon receiving a blink from her into wide-eyed realisation. Very quickly the pair split off, apparently to thin the huge herd of girls surrounding them.

Thankfully, due to what seemed to be an an in-house very vocal dispute, the group of girls were already engaging one another in shouting and pushing matches. Working very carefully and quietly, the skilful Zelda and eager Malon managed to clear a small but wide-enough path for the pair of children to conscientiously wade through. As Link judiciously pulled up the sniffing Vassia, he ringed her limp left arm 'round his neck and grunted out quietly to himself in effort as he began to march forward with her dragging by at his side.

"Come on Vass...," he whispered out quietly, cobalt eyes darting to both sides anxiously as if one wrong move would awaken the entire wrath of the huge number of surrounding girls arguing with one another. "Nice and easy..."

When the young Hylian hero at long last managed to make his last escape with the Palashian princess in tow on his right, he turned his head as he stepped through the door Malon opened up for him to cast his grinning nod in their direction. While Malon sighed through her nose in disappointment, merely frowning in response, Zelda instead tilted her blonde-haired head back at him and nodded with a similar warm smile atop her countenance. Even while the surrounding young girls' argument grew worse and the pair of Hylians walked off to quieter territory, their job now complete, the Hylian princess kept the satisfied-seeming smile sinking into her face.

Malon stared at her curiously, eyebrow raised even in her amusing-looking costume. "What was that for?" She questioned.

Surprised by the abrupt query, Zelda could only blink back as she turned her head to face the fire-haired farm girl. "W-Wha-?"

"Just letting him go like that," she clarified before furrowing her brow contemplatively. "Letting them go like that," she amended further. "You do realise with a drink in her she's gonna be all over him like a cat on a mouse?"

Zelda let out an amused sound through her nose as her smile re-grew on her face, turning back to face the floor as she continued to march forward, her gloved hands joined at her centre. "I know."

Malon's inquisitive frown turned irritated and she re-opened her mouth to voice it. "And what the heck does that mean?!"

Zelda's smile dissipated but only a little; she turned her head to re-face Malon with, re-opening her own mouth as she did. "It means she deserves this time with him...," she admitted honestly and faithfully, drawing out a surprised frown from the listening young Hylian. "I like Link too, but... I can't just be with him all the time."

Malon turned her crimson-haired head away from her princess' as if in genuine thought even as she marched alongside her, before she soon re-rose her head to face the front, still walking in her charming outfit. "That's... a really mature way of looking at it," the farm girl murmured out, eyes facing the floor in pondering. Zelda's small smile grew back to its original posture as she listened on. "I almost wish I was that nice... or that Link was, to be honest." She growled out as she finished her sentence, re-rising her blue-shaded eyes to face the front when she folded her costume's hooves.

Zelda chortled in light amusement. "It's only fair... after all."

Malon sighed in defeat as she eyed the front. "Yeah...," she agreed on quietly. "I guess it is."

4

Link grunted out in surprisingly great effort as he pulled the dragging Vassia by her drooping left arm, still ringed 'round his shoulders and neck. The mixed smells of her exotic perfume and the powerful aroma of the alcohol she seemingly consumed, creating an oddly intoxicating, light-headed dizzy-like quality within his conscious that left him struggling to move her with. When he finally seemed to locate one of their bedrooms, notable by the different layout to the boys', he silently cheered and grunted out again as he dragged the Palashian princess across to one the room's beds.

"Here we go...," he began in effort as he turned them both 'round to sit down back the way. While Vassia kept her dyed-haired head down she seemed to have some kind of morose look to her face and it didn't go unnoticed; Link watched her carefully at the corner of his eye as he sat them both down carefully and gradually. "There... feelin' better?"

She sniffed out quietly enough that it was still barely audible yet, sitting close-by, the noise felt like daggers through his skin.

She's definitely bothered about somethin', he thought anxiously.

So what the hell is it?

"You can go now..."

"Uh?" He merely blurted out, surprised as he tilted his straw-haired head at her quizzically. "W-What are you-?"

"Oh stop pretending...," she spat out vindictively, turning her head away from his as she spoke, drawing out a raised eyebrow from the curious boy. "You've wanted to leave me like this ever since we met..."

"What are you...?"

He furrowed his brow back at her as left his unsure sentence hanging in the air, watching her carefully, all kinds of thoughts floating around in his consciousness. When she never responded to him, opting merely to keep her body turned from his stubbornly and adamantly, he decided to take the first step in order to close the growing distance between them both; the blonde youth shuffled closer toward her and attempted, with great effort in recalling through his memory, to treat her similarly to how Zelda did him.

It was very difficult however.

Not only due to how bad he was at initiating displays of affection but also in how poor his memory was in recollection; Link opted merely to stay careful in his attempt by reaching up with his left hand, placing it on her bare shoulder. She shuddered a little in response to his touch, perhaps feeling the same kind of apprehension, the rest of her mood fairly unreadable due to her current arrangement; more obviously a fact made bare and true by her tactical positioning, her back facing toward him, her face completely hidden from view.

At last she responded in a more positive light however; Vassia's shoulders very slightly raised up as he, very carefully, rested his left fingers across them before she eventually and gradually turned back 'round to eye him suspiciously and tentatively. The look in her saddened and morose expression was enough to nearly make him drop his own smile and wince.

I caused this, he thought.

Am I that much of ass? Or is it just that I'm an idiot?

Either possibility did little to ease the massive guilt weighing him down.

Rather surprisingly, Vassia's own left fingers came up slowly and softly grazing at his own as she stared back at him with her raven-black eyes, a fairly vulnerable look inside them; it was something Link was entirely unused to with the normally spoiled and overindulged Palashian princess. Sometimes he felt like he couldn't emotionally damage the young Aurelian girl with anything he said, let alone did.

And yet there it was, plain as day even to him deep down in the far expanse of her obsidian-black eyes.

"I'd never leave you like that Vass," he replied back, this time, his smile slowly falling into a similarly serious frown as he shook his head in response. "Ever."

She lowered her eyes from his in a brief gaze directed toward the quilt they sat on together, a kind of far-off look in her eye, before she soon re-rose them to face him again. "Really...?"

He looked at her in genuine bewilderment this time, as if surprised that she'd ask him to confirm it. "Well... yeah...," he chuckled back at her nervously, a kind of zig-zag-like smile across his similarly young visage. "Why would I?"

Vassia let a small, saddened smile sit sorrowfully across her own face as she lowered her eyes again and re-opened her mouth to retort. "I always thought you hated me these past couple months...," she admitted openly, eliciting a blinking head-tilt from the listening young Hylian. "Ever since we met in Palashia you've been... how you say... barré."

Link blinked a second time as he listened to her speak, unable to translate the word she spoke in Palashian.

If only Zel or Impa-sensei were here, he thought anxiously.

"I'm... sorry," he merely apologised with, chuckling similarly nervously as he rubbed at the back of his pony-tailed head with his free right hand, his smile soon dropping back into the concerned frown he wore earlier. "You mean how we always fight?"

She nodded, her curled-haired head still lowered from his and he resisted the urge to snap his fingers in joyful realisation.

At least I'm on the right track, he thought somewhat victoriously.

"I figured that was just banter," the youth shot back, this time in a chuckling grin as he lowered his head to her level. "Y'know, jokin'?"

She sniffed back and laughed back fearfully, using one of her own hands to paw at her eyes hurriedly, as if to ward off the tears that stained them. "Je suis désolé...," she murmured out in a small laugh of her own, drawing out another curious blink from the listening boy. "S-Sometimes I... I think too much..."

Link laughed back softly, his grin soon returning to his face as he re-opened his mouth. "Well I guess we balance each other out then huh," he shot back. "Impa-sensei always tells me I don't think enough."

Vassia laughed back surprisingly delicately and amused as she re-rose her head to face him again. When he felt her pull down his fingers from resting on her shoulder in an unusual gentle movement, he couldn't help but near drop his grin-turned-smile, blinking back at her.

"I think that I've... always liked you," she admitted fairly openly, her smile widening just a little as she joined her left fingers with his, pulling a genuinely surprised frown from the young Hylian. "Ever since we fought in Palashia."

"Coulda fooled me," he shot back, single eye narrowing back at her suspiciously and quizzically. "I always thought ya just liked to boss me around all the time."

She laughed again softly back at him. "Is... that such a bad thing though...?"

His brow furrowed at her doubtingly, neglecting to respond to her vocally as her entertained smile slowly switched to the superior smirk he knew her so well for.

"I think you like being told what to do...," she posed forward mischievously, grinning on knowingly as she ran her left index finger impishly 'round the chest of the pristine-white clothes that she made him wear for the party. "By a puissante femme..."

Argh, Palashian again, he thought.

Well...

"At least she seems to be feelin' better now."

Indeed, even as he thought it, the mood of the ever pushy Palashian princess had improved drastically since he had first opened his mouth to speak to her.

He genuinely thought it would have been more difficult to cheer her up; a pleasant surprise at that.

Maybe I can go back to my own room this time, he added silently and hopefully.

Put this day behind me.

"Well... you sound like you're feelin' better...," he began, eyeing her carefully as he peeled his hand from hers, drawing out a disappointed frown from her before he soon re-turned his frown back into a light well-meaning smile as he stood to leave. "Guess I'll see ya in the mor-"

"Stop!"

He did just that and near-stiffened when he felt her hesitant yet desperate touch on his left arm, stopping completely in his tracks.

"Please...," he heard her whisper back from the bed behind him. "Stay with me... just for tonight."

Link's oceanic-eyed gaze slowly shut in what felt like light frustration and realisation.

I'm sensing some kind of a pattern happenin' here, he thought, turning his limp-eyed frown 'round to his back in a humorous-looking expression.

He wouldn't have minded denying her if she was pushy and spoiled like always but when she spoke to him like that, so desperate and wistful, there was no way he could just walk away like that.

Maybe she knows that, he thought with light irritation.

"Mm... maybe not."

He sighed through his nose in softly-gained frown as he swung his body 'round to face her before briefly gifting her with a smile and reaching back down to sit on the bed with her again.

I'll just lay here 'til she goes to sleep, he thought.

Just like with Zel; nothing'll happen between us.

When he clocked the sudden smirk that flashed across her face he knew instinctively that he made a mistake and widened his eyes for it when he did.

"Too easy."

As she finished out her contrastingly confident-spoken words, the Palashian princess reached forward and grappled with him before pulling him across her side and knocking him down on his back with surprising strength, drawing out a light wide-eyed cough from him. When he re-opened his eyes he caught her grinning back down at him, hands resting roughly down on his shoulders, pulling out an annoyed look from him in response.

"Hey!" He called up, offended. "Not fair!"

"Aw...," she spoke back at him, turning her frown into what looked like some kind of mocking expression. "Don't like being outsmarted?" Vassia spoke on, tilting her curled-haired head at him derisively, her grin soon re-appearing across her face. "Or maybe... outsmarted by a girl."

"Urgh...," he uttered, irritated to his bones as he stared back at her, unwilling to force himself up from her grip. "I wish you weren't so damn rough all the time."

"Aww... but you like it rough, don't you?"

Her suggestive words made him turn his eyes from hers, his frown soon twitching to match the embarrassed crimson his cheeks took on.

I wish she wouldn't do that either, he added on silently this time.

When he heard her giggle in what felt like some warped kind of victory, he felt her hands' grip loosen from his shoulders before quickly slink down to his waist, eliciting out a surprised wide-eyed frown from him as he swung both down to get a good look at what she was trying.

"H-Hey!"

"Shh..."

He grunted out as she leaned down on her right side and pulled him closer toward her with her freakishly high strength, wincing out and swinging his blonde-haired head 'round in growing discomfort. While he wanted to push away from her with great will, he soon remembered how vulnerable she was nary but minutes ago and stopped himself.

I'd rather not do that if she's gonna cry again, he thought.

But still... laying like this is...

He began to shudder and quiver in her grip, her fingers callously closing 'round his rear, drawing a surprised yip from him in response.

"Shhh... it's okay," she smirked back at him, seemingly fully entertained by the worried look in his eyes. "Just lean closer to me..."

The scent of her Palashian perfume mixed with the strong alcohol she consumed earlier managed to create a sickening yet oddly pleasant combination, managing to somehow tire his efforts to escape; his eyelids soon grew heavy and he moaned out softly, his senses floating up into the ceiling overlooking them both.

"Shhh..."

He soon shut his oceanic-eyed gaze, his frown carrying him off to sleep as she watched him with an odd sense of triumph.