His Promise [July 17th, 2014]

A.N: This is gonna be fun! It's OC time! Hope you likey, cause I'm bored. It's sorta like a LoZ fanfic, except not...WEIRD. Anyway, enjoy! It's another sad one! :p

My name is Calvin and I'm 14 years old. I have blonde hair and green eyes. I have one younger brother, and his name is Leo. His hair is more of a dirty blonde, and his eyes are a stormy gray. He's one year younger than me, but we treat each other like equals. Besides, after our parents died, we've only had each other. Without that, we had nothing. When our parents were gone, I didn't think things could get any worse. I didn't think I had any more to lose. Of course, I was wrong.

It all started three months ago. It was just a normal day in Hyrule. The sun was shining bright, without a cloud in the sky. My younger brother and I were heading toward Kakariko Village, like we always did. We were never in a hurry, but we would always run to our destination, seeing who could get there the fastest.

"Hurry up, Leo!" I called over my shoulder as I shot forward with speed. "You're such a slowpoke!"

"Am not!" Leo called back as he continued to lag behind me. "And I'll prove it to you!"

"You wish," I teased. I was almost to the front gate. I was so close, I could taste the victory already. I pushed myself forward and slid across the finish line at last. I leaped into the air showing off my victory. I looked back, watching Leo head toward me, fake disparity showing on his face. He was trying to make me feel sorry for him, but it didn't work. It never did. I smirked.

"Told you so."

"It's not fair Calvin; you have longer legs!" Leo complained.

"You're just jealous because I'm faster. Longer legs doesn't have anything to do with it," I said, crossing my arms.

"It does too, and you know it!" Leo argued.

"Aww, come on. What do you want me to do? Give you stilts?" I teased.

"Very funny," he sighed, rolling his eyes. We shared a quick laugh and strolled into the village, searching for goods to buy. There were so many wonderful foods, with sweet fragrances that made our mouths water. There were so many choices today, I just didn't know what to choose. Shortly after we started browsing the stands, Leo gets my attention by poking me on the shoulder. Tearing away from the loaf of bread I had in my hands, I glanced over to him.

"What?" I asked curiously.

He pointed to the sky. "Look." I turned my head up to the sky obediently. As soon as I did though, I felt the load of bread slip from my hands. The sky was filled with a dark mist, which blocked out the sun. It was like one big dark cloud, but I could tell it was more than just a cloud. It looked dangerous. Snapping me back from the shocking sight, Leo spoke.

"What do you think it is?" he asked me.

"Heck, if I know," I muttered, still in awe of the black clouds. "D'you think we should get out of here?"

"I don't know if the other people are taking notice," Leo answered nervously. "If it's dangerous, they could be hurt. It's right overhead."

"Right." I gave a quick nod. "We should warn the town." Despite our efforts, the people refused to listen to us. Even though we showed them the sky, they acted as if it was clear and blue. It was like we were the only two people who could see what was going on. Since the people wouldn't listen to us, we gave up and headed out of the village by ourselves.

I could tell that it wasn't just me that was disappointed. We didn't get to be heroes like we always talked about how one day we would be. We were more like a couple of idiots who believed something was there when there wasn't. Maybe the black clouds wouldn't be a threat. Maybe the village would be alright. Maybe they would even do some good for the town. One thing's for sure, I had no idea.

"Calvin..." Leo trailed off. I was lost in thought, so I almost didn't hear him. Nonetheless, I replied.

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever feel like no matter what you do, it doesn't add up to anything?" I was a little confused by the sudden question.

"Uh, not really. Why?" He took a deep breath.

"That's sorta how I felt when we tried to tell those people about that strange cloud. No matter how much we tried to convince them, they didn't listen; none of them did." I thought about it for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But that's their own fault. They can't accept facts when they're standing right in front of their faces," I huffed. Maybe I was acting too careless for him. I couldn't tell what it was exactly, but there was definitely something that was worrying him. He always did his best to hide his emotions.

"If you say so.." he mumbled. Of course, I could see right through him. You would only expect as much; we're brothers.

"Hey, don't worry about it," I chuckled, lightly punching him on the arm. "I'm sure the wind will blow it away or something and everyone will be ok." He cracked a small smile.

"Yeah...ok." Even through that smile, I could tell he was still nervous. Well, I guess you can't change who a person really is, and that's Leo for you: always worrying. Even when everything is fine and it's a perfect day, he'll find something to be worried about.

We continued on our way home, slowly traveling along Hyrule field. It didn't really bother us that our home was so far away. The field was a nice landscape, especially when the sun was starting to set behind the hills. The sky was set with a vibrant orange, a bright yellow, and a hot pink. The colors blended so well together, and they seemed to glitter with the rays of sunlight glowing up against them. If it's one thing my brother and I loved, it was sunsets. I guess that's what kept us from noticing it that day.

We were so busy daydreaming as we walked that we didn't notice that there was something following us. It was coming at us quickly, and it had to be right behind us before I finally turned around.

I hardly had any time to think or even process what was going on. The same black cloud we had seen earlier was coming up on us. I took Leo's hand and jerked him with me as I sprinted forward.

"Run!" I screamed. Leo looked back to see what I was yelling about. His eyes got so wide, they looked like they were going to pop out of his head. He turned back to the path ahead, running as fast as he could. I guess I forgot how fast I was. Leo was lagging behind me from a pretty big distance. He pulled on my arm from behind, struggling to keep up. I slowed down so that we wouldn't be separated from each other's grasp. But since Leo still wasn't as fast as me, the smoke finally caught up to us.

As soon as it touched my skin, my body burned with pain. I could feel the darkness pounding on the inside. We collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain as the darkness continued to surround us. I could feel my breaths getting heavier; I was gasping for air. All I could think of was that this was the end for both of us. We were both going to die.

Suddenly, I felt a hand pull on my wrist. It dragged me across the ground, away from the dark mist, and I could feel the fresh air pour into my lungs. Choking on the mixture of air, I looked back at the smoke.

"Leo?!" I called desperately. I couldn't see him through the darkness. "Leo!"

"Over here," a soft voice replied to the right. When I turned to the direction of his voice, I couldn't believe my eyes. Leo laid on the ground, burning gashes tainting his entire body. His clothes were singed at the tips. His chest rose and fell as he forced every breath.

"Leo!" I cried, joining his side. I was so shocked, I became lost for words. "What...how...how'd you get hurt?"

"You're hurt too..." Leo muttered, pointing to my left shoulder. When I glanced over, I saw a giant burning gash, similar to the ones on Leo. But that was nothing compared to all of the gashes he had. They covered his whole body.

"Not as much as you," I mumbled. "C'mon, we need to get you fixed up."

"No, it's too late," Leo breathed. He winced with almost every sentence he spoke. I could tell he was in serious pain.

"It's never too late. Don't talk like that," I argued, readying myself to haul him on my shoulders.

"Calvin, stop," he pleaded before I could start carrying him. "Don't. Just don't."

"But, Leo, we have to try-" He held his hand up, keeping me from continuing. I still wanted to help him. I had to. He was the only family I had left ever since our parents died. We only had each other, and I couldn't let him go that easily; not when I had already let them go.

"It's ok," he assured me.

"No, it's not. You're hurt really bad and we need to get you to a doctor," I told him sternly.

"Calvin, it's getting harder for me to breathe by the second," Leo whispered. "The smoke was poisonous and I got too much of it. I'm...not going to make it." I could feel tears stinging in my eyes. Sure, it was probably true, but he didn't have to say it out loud.

"Don't say that. You're going to be ok," I lied, mostly for my own sake. Maybe if I lied to myself long enough, it'd become the truth. No such luck; Leo reminded me of that.

"No, I'm not...you and I both know that," he sighed. I frowned at the ground.

"Dang it..." I spat. I felt tears rolling down my face. Great, now he was going to see me cry. I'd never cried in front of him before, or not in front of anybody, for that matter.

"Brother?" Leo whispered. I couldn't bear to turn to him, but I still answered.

"Yeah?"

"Are you crying?" he asked softly. I took a deep breath.

"You're gonna die and there's nothing I can do; of course I'm crying," I replied harshly. I could tell he was a little startled by my tone, so I tried to fix my mistake. "There's nothing else I can do..." I mumbled. He crawled over to me, his form trembling. He laid his head on my good shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Calvin, you shouldn't be ashamed of crying. If you'd never shed tears in your life, you'd have no heart..." he whispered. My expression softened, as well as my attitude.

"I guess you're right," I chuckled quietly. I looked toward the sky, which was now dotted with brightly glowing stars. The sun was still disappearing on the horizon to where only a sliver of it remained. The weather was so perfect, it didn't match this depressing moment at all. My brother was going to die at my side. It was only a matter of time. "Leo..." I started. "I don't want you to die..." I paused, wondering if what I was saying made any sense. "Well, at least, not without me."

"Don't even joke about that!" Leo said, forcing a shout. His head left my shoulder as he sat up. "If neither one of us gets to live then what's the point of going through with this? What about our hopes? Our dream? Who's going to make our legend?" I froze at the last sentence. I guess I couldn't just die with him. This was his final wish. I was going to carry out our own legend; our own legacy; our story. I lowered my head.

"I don't wanna do it without you, Leo," I muttered. "But if it's what you want-"

"Do it for both of us," he interrupted. My eyes widened and I turned to him to see if he really meant what he said. His eyes glistened with tears and one slid down his face. He smiled sadly, and more tears rolled down his cheeks. "Both of us." I managed to smile with him.

"...I promise," I replied at last. "I promise you, I will, Leo." He continued to smile as he rejoined my side, resting his head on my shoulder again. We watched the sun set together, until it vanished beyond the horizon. It was so quiet now, that I could hear the leaves of the trees rustling in the distance. Wait a minute...it's too quiet. Why couldn't I hear Leo's heavy breathing?

I glanced over to him. He was completely still and his eyes were shut. His mouth had turned into a slight frown. Oh no...

"Leo?" I asked. I shook him lightly, but he didn't respond. "Leo?! Leo!" He still wouldn't answer me. He couldn't be asleep, but I wished he was instead of this current state. "Leo, wake up!" I crumpled to the ground, as low as I could sink. Hot tears streamed down my face, dripping onto the ground. "...Please." There was no point for me to beg. He was gone.

That's when I woke up. It's still been three months since Leo's death, and it still haunts me in my sleep. I can never forget that day, since I'm constantly reminded of it. There isn't a moment that passes where I miss him. Not a day goes by that I don't remember what he told me.

I'm gonna find that legendary sword and set things right. One of these days, I'll find it, and I'll be able to make our legend. I'll do whatever it takes. That, I promise.

A.N: Wow, this is a really long one shot... I really like this though. My first legit OC only story! Whoop whoop! *takes a bow and walks off the stage proudly* Btw, hope you liked this as much as I did!
...SHOOT, THEY'RE ALMOST JUST LIKE ED AND AL-AGHHGHGGHH! I'M SORRY WORLD-I TRIED TO BE ORIGINAL BUT IT FAILED EPICALLY! *sobs quietly in the corner off-stage*