-sniff- You guys are so awesome…

Pit: Thank you.

Not you, my reviewers!

Pit: -grumble grumble-

Chapter Sixteen

Roy followed Marth into the Smash Mansion, trying hard to keep up with the lightning-fast Altean as he shot up the stairs to his room.

"Oh, shit!" Marth cursed when he pushed open his door.

Everything was a mess. Clothes were scattered everywhere, the bed was messed up, and papers were everywhere.

"It doesn't look like anything important is missing…" Roy commented.

"Wait," Marth squinted and looked about the room, studying it from his spot. His closet door stood ajar. He walked towards it as Roy stayed in the doorway. When Marth threw open the door, eight balloons pelted his front, and the gang, excluding Young Link, scurried out of the closet towards the door. They slammed into Roy, who was standing in front of their escape.

"Nice day, what?" Roy said, grinning.

The gang stared at him for a second before letting out an earsplitting scream. Both Roy and Marth grabbed their swords and charged in on them, but since Roy blocked the doorway, they ran around the whole room, screaming like mad.

Young Link was sitting on the couch in front of the television, obviously happy. He knew Marth and Roy would go to Marth's room and get ambushed, but then the gang would most likely get slaughtered, so he was wise enough to stay downstairs.

Too bad some little kids think they've learned everything at so young an age.

"Ah!" Young Link cried as he felt himself being lifted off the ground, finding himself in the arms of his older self.

Pit and Samus stood not too far off, giggling at the sight.

"Otooto chan…what'd you do to Marth's room?" Link asked.

"Nothing!" Young Link cried. "The whole gang is up there but me!"

"Sure," Link smiled, still holding his younger self as they headed up the stairs.

The tide had turned on the two swordsmen. Yoshi, Ness, and the Ice Climbers sat triumphantly on top of Marth while Pikachu, Pichu, Purin, and Kirby crushed Roy. The two swordsmen struggled in vain to escape, but the gang merely laughed at them.

"Hold up," Pit called at the doorway.

Roy and Marth looked up at the angel that had come to save them…literally…

"If you guys don't free Marth and Roy," Samus took a step forward, then pointed behind her at the struggling Young Link in Link's arms, "then he's going down."

"So what?" Popo declared proudly.

"Yeah, get rid of him!" Ness cried.

Young Link's eyes went wide. "You guys wouldn't really do this to me, would you?"

"Maybe," Yoshi grinned.

Young Link looked about to cry. "But…but…I helped you guys so much…and…and…"

"You've got one shot!" Samus exclaimed. "Give us Roy and Marth and he won't be harmed!"

"You wouldn't really harm him," Kirby said, bouncing up and down on Roy's head, pushing it into the plush carpet. Roy squirmed, his voice muffled.

"It'll be easy," Link smiled.

Nana made a face. "Then show us!"

"No!" Young Link whined, but Link nodded and carried Young Link away.

"Just watch me throw him off the fifth floor," Link called from the hallway.

The teens tried not to laugh as the gang climbed off the swordsmen to go watch, totally forgetting the fact that they were letting them go. The swordsmen stood up, brushed themselves off, and glanced at Samus and Pit. An evil look passed between all of them.

"Just watch," Link said again, approaching the balustrade.

"No! No! No!" Young Link shrieked as Link got closer.

"Pika pi, chu pi pi, Pichu!" Pikachu laughed. He turned. "Pichu?"

The smaller mouse was gone. Pikachu shrugged, thinking that maybe his little brother was too scared to watch.

Link lifted Young Link above his head with little effort. "Ready?"

"I'm gonna die!" Young Link shouted.

Meanwhile, Marth held Pichu, Roy had Purin, Pit held Yoshi, and Samus had Nana as they stuffed them in the closet. The gang had been so excited at seeing Young Link about to get thrown over they didn't notice the other teens coming up behind them. The teens went back and got Popo, Kirby, Pikachu, and Ness until each member of the gang was comfortably thrown into the small closet in the hall. Link turned and saw the hall empty, save for the teens, and grinned.

Bringing the frantic Young Link down, Link handed him to Pit, who quickly opened the door, shoved him in, and closed it.

"It'll take them a while to realize there isn't a lock," Pit said, and the teens headed downstairs as small shouts came from the closet.

Zelda turned over and over in bed. She was trying to concentrate on sleeping, but she wasn't used to sleeping early and wasn't even tired. She stood up and began to pace in her nightgown, and opened her balcony doors for air. But memories of sitting up there nights before with Link, and how he had kept trying to reassure her that everything would be all right…

Zelda let out an angry grunt as she used magic to shatter a glass vase that had been sitting on her bureau. The shards caught the moonlight perfectly, glinting on the plush carpet of her floor. Water stained the carpet, making it a slightly darker shade then before.

Zelda collapsed onto the ground, sobbing, her head in her hands.

I'm going crazy…my imagination is just making these things up and making the matter worse…he does love me…he does love me…he does love me…

However, the more times she said it, the less she believed it. She stood up and sat on her bed. After sitting in silence, she got up, wove her way around the broken vase pieces, and opened her door. When Zelda had a problem, she usually ate something. She could make it to the kitchen and back with something, and teleport to safety if anyone saw her.

She pushed her door open only far enough for her body to admit, then softly closed it. Her slippered feet made no noise on the carpet as she made her way down the hall. She peered over the balustrade and saw Link and the others walking down the stairs. She immediately ducked down. Once it was safe, she got back up.

She treaded down the steps, two by two, as quietly as she could. She watched the teens go into the training arena, then ran to the dining room. Luckily, no one was there inside to question her. Making her way to the kitchen at the end, Zelda pushed open the doors. The warm oven greeted her with a cackling fire. She smiled at the fact that no one was in the kitchen either, and quickly made herself some tea and a sandwich. Satisfied with what she carried, she left the kitchen and dining room.

In the hall, as she headed back up the stairs, she heard Link approaching, talking with Roy. Worried, she rushed into the lounge, careful not to spill her tea or drop her sandwich. She threw herself behind the couch, breathing heavily.

"Are you hiding from the littluns, too?" a raspy voice questioned so suddenly Zelda let out a small shriek.

"Oh!" Zelda cried when she realized who it was at the sight of a cardboard box. "No, Snake, I'm not. How long have you been in that box?"

Snake ignored her question. "So who are you hiding from?"

"No one," Zelda said.

"So you just raced in here like your life depended on it, threw yourself over the couch, and hid behind it just to see me?"

Zelda had a strange feeling at first, but then she knew he was joking.

"You are hiding from someone, aren't you?" Snake challenged.

"So what if I am?"

"Well, I'll beat him up, if you want," Snake offered.

Zelda laughed again. Snake was almost like a brother, protective and funny. He was just a little…cardboard box-obsessed.

"Have you stolen anything from the littluns yet?" Zelda queried.

"Nope."

"Well, good luck with that."

"Thanks. So who are you hiding from?"

Zelda felt annoyed. "Why do you want to know?"

Snake lifted up the box, and crawled out. "Why not?"

"It's quite personal," Zelda sighed.

"You think I gossip? What's the worst I could do, laugh at you?" Snake shrugged.

"Well…yes," Zelda sighed.

"If I laugh would you regret telling me?"

"Of course."

"Okay then," Snake finished and went back inside his box.

Zelda said nothing. She fidgeted nervously, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore. She, after all, hadn't really told anyone what was going on, save for Pit when she had her outburst. She was in no mood to tell Peach because Peach always accidentally let her secrets out, and Samus never cared much for romantic problems and such.

"You're still here," Snake's voice came from inside the box.

"Well…I—I guess I want to tell you after all," Zelda said finally.

"Go for it," Snake said.

"You can stay in the box," Zelda smiled.

"Fine by me."

Zelda paused, twirling her hair. "I—I…well—Link and I…we...well…"

Snake came out of his box. "You're not pregnant, are you? Don't ask me to take your child or something because I won't have time to raise it and—"

"That's not the point!" Zelda said, irritated.

"Oh," was the simple reply, and he retreated back into his box.

"We're in love," Zelda said finally. "Or we were, once. I saw him in the Communication Room today, talking to another girl back home."

"Player," Snake interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind. Carry on."

"So, I assumed her fancied her. He tells me he doesn't love her, but she probably loves him, and I'm so confused right now, and I keep destroying things, and…"

Snake came back out of his box. "That's why that one screen in the CR was all shattered—"

Zelda concluded, "Yes, that was me."

"Wow, this must suck for you."

"Pardon?"

"You must feel bad."

"Of course!" Zelda cried. "I don't know what to do. I don't feel like going up to him and apologizing because I don't know if he's lying or not!"

"Has Link ever lied to you?" Snake asked.

Zelda stopped to ponder it. "Come to think of it, never. But…I don't know…what if he's lying this one time because he loves her?"

"You know what?" Snake stepped out of his box, and stood up straight, crossing his arms. He looked slightly intimidating and Zelda felt herself get smaller. "How do you know this isn't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"How do you know it's not your fault that this all happened?" Snake repeated himself in a slightly easier way.

"I don't kn—"

"Exactly. You don't know. It's almost like you want to believe he's loving someone else, though I don't know why it would benefit for you," Snake stated. He stopped, and looked hard at her. Zelda felt a bit self conscious, but then noticed he was looking at her tiara.

"You're a Princess, aren't you?"

"Y-yes…"

"I thought so…you dress nicely all the time, and you walk like you own everything," Snake said, more to himself than to her.

"What's your point?" Zelda said, becoming slightly angry.

Snake looked at her. "My point is that Link doesn't live in the castle with your family. He's some sort of commoner, isn't he? And you're not going to see each other when you get back. So, with that fact combined with the assumption that he loves this other girl, your mind—or rather, your heart—is playing tricks with you. I say the best thing to do is to talk to him."

"I have."

"No, you haven't, or else you wouldn't be like this. I bet you talked to him as Sheik, didn't you?" Snake guessed.

The only thing that was going through Zelda's head was, Goddesses, he's good at this.

"It'll be hard," Zelda spoke.

"No it won't. You only think it'll be hard. I know Link—well, in the few days that I have been here—and he'll listen, and he'll make a wise choice. Link doesn't do rash things," Snake stated.

All Zelda could do was stare at him. "How do you know how to handle situations like these?"

"It's what I do," Snake grinned. "I think outside the box."

"Excuse me?"

Snake rolled his eyes, knowing she wasn't used to his kind of language.

"I think differently, okay? Now, go talk to him," Snake urged.

"Thank you, Snake," Zelda stood. "Please, have my food. I'm not hungry anymore."

"You're welcome," Snake returned, and took the food. "Good luck, your Highness."

Zelda cast a jovial look in his direction and left the lounge feeling much better. She headed towards the training arena, trying hard to stay calm.

Another chapter done!

Pit: I'm barely mentioned again…

Think of it as a movie—you go from different scence to different scene, and in the end, they all come together. Like Crash!

Pit: I never saw Crash.

Too bad.

ptpeach

Romance, Action, and Thriller, huh? Hmm, nice suggestion. I still can't make up my mind. xD

tikitikirevenge

You have plenty of constructive reviews, so don't worry. I think. Haha...besides, I love reviews! I eat them!

Miss Lia

I actually don't like Romance that much. It's okay. I mean, I write some light fluffy stuff, but whenever I write, words like "kiss" or "hug" or even "Chapter 23 in the Life Science Book", I feel funny. That's why I make so many of my fights as long as I can. :D

Calder

Techochocolate? Hmm...sounds funny...hehe...it makes me think of that scary song Techologic...the music video gives me nightmares...I mean, come on, a dancing skeleton robot with a high-pitched voice that's a foot tall and has bulging eyeballs isn't scary?

Wd00d137

I love LoZ...especially OoT, and I want TP! -sigh- It's kind of hard to write alter egos...so I know it wasn't perfect.

LoneWolf92

Haha, I guess you're really anxious to see a little Captain Falcon/Pit/Samus love triangle. It'll be a nice little side story after Zelda and Link solve their predicament. ;)

sasukeuchiha180

Glad you like. I always say, "Glad you like." Haha...yeah...so we'll find out if Link and Malon really love each other...after all, this chapter didn't help out much...

foxdude33

Haha, cool, I'm on alerts now. It feels so good to be fave'd/alert'd. 8)

Hylian dragoness

LoL, I'm glad you like this fluff. Hehe...it makes me feel special. :)

Nintendo Nut1

Happy Belated Birthday! Heh...the cake was good. :)

Pit: You want us to make out?

Samus: Okay...

Pit: You think it's okay?

Samus: No!

Pit: Uh...yeah...

Samus: I'm scared!

Pit: I'm gonna kiss a hot girl! 8O

Samus: Help! 8O

?k.k

LoL, you like the mushyness:) Who doesn't like fluff? FLUFF! FLUFF! COTTON!

Slordrevan

Here's the Snake you suggested. :D Marth is good with anyone! 8) Like me...-sighs dreamily-

Electric Ammo

Hmm...what to say...IT'S PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME! PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME! PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME! (Insert rest of the song here)

R'N'Rer

Here's your Snake now don't kill me! -hides behind Pit-

Yoshizilla

Pit? You slept with May?

Pit: No...

May: We went through Chapter 23 of the-

Yeah we get it.