Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda, otherwise, I would have made it sure that a certain shadow we all know would have greater parts.
Rated: PG for angst, small language, and whatever my mind thinks of…
Pairing: Only Shounen ai for now. Dark Link/Link. Pending whether or not something will happen in later chapters.
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Chapter Two: Childish Games
Link. Wake up, Link. Link-"WAKE UP!" Link jolted up from his dreams in a nasty manner, only to be face to face with the floor of his house, entangled in bed sheets. Outside a certain green haired girl huffed and tapped her foot on the ground. "It's almost noon! How can you still be asleep?" he called, placing her hands on her hips in a dignified manner.
Link yawned and rubbed his shoulder. Telling from the dull pain emitting from it, that's where he had landed. "I'm comin'! Hold on!" he grunted and stood up. He heard Saria sigh from outside and could only picture her with her arms crossed, waiting beside the ladder. Without thinking, he grabbed a random tunic from off the floor and sniffed it. "Clean enough," Link muttered as he flung it over his head and shot an arm through each sleeve.
Steps caught his attention while he was fastening his belt. Link looked up to smile weakly at Saria's stern, motherly expression. "It's almost noon and looked at you, not even dressed yet," she sighed and went over to start on Link's bed. "I was worried about you after…well, you know. I tried to look for you a little while after you ran off, but I couldn't find you so I just came home. I'm glad to see that your safe and sound, but do try to not make me worry like that. Also, what Mido said wasn't true- oh, could you get that corner? Good, thanks. Anyway, what he said wasn't true and none of the others believed him. Mido just intimidates them, so they're just acting-"
"Childish?" Link added in lazily. He got this lecture often enough that he could probably recite it as well as his Kokiri friend could. The Hylian faintly wondered in the back of his mind how it was so hard to find him, especially if he was with the loud and playful Onyx whom anyone could've heard from hundreds of yards away.
Saria nodded. "Yes, exactly," she said after the final sheet was perfectly laid over the bed and the pillow was fluffed to perfection. "So, all I'm saying is…Link, what's that?"
The blonde snapped his head to where Saria was pointing and kneeled down. A small yellow, little mush was on the floor. A moment hadn't even passed for Link to recall. The thought made him smile warmly. "It's just a flower. I must've rolled over on it while I was asleep, no biggie," he grinned up at Saria. After a moment of silence, his smile faded away. "What's wrong?"
Once the green haired girl realized she had been staring at Link for awhile, she shook her head and smiled back. "Oh, nothing! I just…Well, it's been so long since I've seen you smile like that. What's the occasion?"
Link shrugged, "Nothin', just feel like smiling."
Saria raised an eyebrow, but took this as a simple good mood and let it slide. The sun was bright and sneaked through all of openings in the house. Wind blew in from the barely covered door, carrying with it the sounds of children playing. "Well, c'mon now, then. You've kept me waiting long enough as it is!" And with a final wave, Saria disappeared leaving a noisy series of footsteps skipping down the ladder.
The blonde smiled, picked the crumbled flower up gently with two hands, and put it on his dresser. He looked at it for a final moment, smiled, and ran off, flinging the drape over his door aside and rushing down the ladder.
xXxXx
"The rules of the game are simple," explained the Boss of the Kokiri, Mido. "If you're tagged, you need to stay down for five Great Deku Trees() before you can get up and tag others again. Ya got that?" The small group of Kokiri children nodded. Towards the back, the green cap of the only supposed Kokiri without a fairy was spotted by Mido. He gave a cocky smirked with his hands on his hips.
However, the blonde in the back took no notice of this. Instead, his gaze was looming over the edges of the village or in cracks of shadowy corners. He said I'd see 'em today…Link thought as he tried to find a dark tunic out of all the green outfits of the site.
"Ready…" Mido began, eyeing his target that was currently scanning the entrance of the Lost Woods. "Set…" The Hylian turned his back on the group completely, wondering whether his friend was walking through the trees at this moment. "GO!" Link took a step forward, having decided that he'd wait it out in the game. If his friend were to show up, the blonde knew for certain that the brunette would serve as a loyal alley in the game. Suddenly, as Link was turning to beginning running, a fist collided with his right shoulder, knocking him down completely. "Hah! Got ya, weirdo!" Mido yelled as he ran off with the game.
Link bit his lip as he massaged his shoulder with his left palm. Mido always hit a lot harder than necessary when the Hylian was playing, for reasons Link understood all too well. He sat up straighter and crossed his legs, wincing as the new ache. "One Great Deku Tree, Two Great Deku Tree, Three Great Deku Tree, Four Great Deku Tree, Five Great Deku Tree!"
Link smirked and shot up, the pain temporarily forgotten as he was now back in the game. But all too soon, a hand smacked into his back, sending him down to the ground again. He looked behind him to see another Kokiri boy with hair covering his face. "Hah! Down again!" the Kokiri yelled, trying to brush some hair out of his eyes as he began running away.
Glaring after him, Link rolled over and sat up, clutching the grass as if the childish counting he repeated was actually cursing. "One Great Deku Tree, Two Great Deku Tree, Three Great Deku Tree, Four Great Deku Tree, Five Great Deku Tree!" Sadly, he hadn't even gotten up before his body was forced to the ground again from another hard tag. "C'mon! I've barely moved from where I started!" Link bellowed, flinging his head around to see the smirking face of Mido.
"Sorry, guess you're just not meant for this game either!" Mido cackled, holding his gut and pointing down to Link. "Only makes sense, seeing that you're not meant to be here at all! Hurry and go on home, frea-AH! Dammit!" The children immediately stopped playing once they heard what they would consider a very bad word. Mido was holding his forehead as some red liquid poured down the side of his face. A small Deku Nut fell to the ground next to him. "Who did that!" the fumed Kokiri screamed when he regained his senses. However, his only response was the faint zip of two more Deku Nuts. The first hit the Kokiri boy with hair in his face some ways off, and the other smacked into Mido's shoulder.
"We're under attack!" a girl with round pigtails cried. She and many other Kokiri sprinted away, knowing well enough that though old and wise they were, the Kokiri weren't fighters. Plainly speaking, a threat to them was enough to scare them away from the area. The site of blood was enough to send them into complete panic.
As for Mido and the other boy, they both yelped and sprang up, running away with the other children. Link had stayed, being the courageous boy he was, and grabbed the closest thing he could find that could fit as a weapon. Unfortunately, it was a used, and slightly cracked Deku Stick. A tree's leaves rustled, and a Deku nut popped out, hitting Link on the head. The different between Link's and Mido's blow was that this Deku Nut was simply tossed from the tree, while Mido's was a full fledged shot hoping to leave injury. Link rubbed his head and looked up into the tree. Glancing behind him, the blonde checked to make sure no one saw him, and then dashed into the bushes.
"Guess I tagged him a bit to hard, eh there, Link?" smirked the familiar face of Onyx. The boy sat up in a tree, tossing up in the air and then catching a Deku Nut. Swaying his arm from his side casually, his hand held what looked like a wooden 'Y' with a rubbery string attached to the top two outspread arms. "C'mon up!" Link grinned and took the hand Onyx offered to him.
Soon the boys were sitting on branches that were the closest to each other and dangling their legs over the sides. "Thank you…" Link blushed a bit. Saying 'thank you' for hurting other people wasn't the most polite thing to do, but he felt that in this situation, it was a sure thing to be grateful for.
"No prob," Onyx smirked, breathing deeply as he leaned against the tree and brought a leg up to his chest. "I wouldn't be doing my job if I let you get hurt right in front of me without showing those guys some discipline. Don't wanna get fired already," he winked.
Link chuckled and leaned back, his eyes trailing off to his friend and stopping at the strange thing in his hand. "What is that thing?" he asked.
"Dunno, really. I found it in the forest and I've just been tinkering with it. Turns out it's a weapon of some sort," Onyx said, holding the item up and eyeing it with a smirk.
The Hylian nodded and smiled. "Mido's going to be feeling that for awhile," Link grinned.
Onyx frowned. "They deserved it," he muttered darkly. A hand landed on his shoulder, and gave a squeeze. The dark child looked up and smiled at Link's smile. Suddenly, his body tensed, and then he jumped up in the tree enthusiastically. "Let's go swimming! Right now, down to the spring. It's perfect weather, all the Kokiri brats are scared out of their wits to come outta their houses, and-" he stuck a hand out and poked the Hylian's nose. "-I'll get to see ya naked!" At this, Link almost fell out of the tree in utter shock, while Onyx literally fell out of the tree holding his gut. His laughter echoed as he ran into the bushes, making his own path.
A few minutes passed and the ebony haired boy wandered back and stood by the tree. "Link?" he called up, waving his hand up in the air.
Meanwhile, several feet up with cheeks as crimson as a red rose in its prime, Link still sat. "…Onyx-"
"Hah! I was just kiddin'! No need to freak out! You're very gullable, ya know? We might have to work on that, 'cause it's not the greatest thing in the world. People'll take advantage of ya and, believe you me, that's not a good thing at all. A lot of dignity and pride is lost and-"
"Onyx!" Link yelled, catching the brunette during his babble. "Let's just go. Now. To the spring. Okay?"
The brunette nodded nervously, and then they were off. A steady pace through the woods, following an invisible path to where the spring was. Both children could've easily gotten lost, for they were barely paying attention. Onyx tried to steal some glances at the blonde, but looked ahead every time he saw Link's expression. It wasn't a happy one. The Hylian's ears drooped in embarrassment, but his facial features clearly showed irritation. Thus, from seeing Link's face, Onyx's grin disappeared completely.
"…Link?" Onyx finally spoke, trying to look casual, but staring at the blonde from the corner of his eye.
"What?"
The ebony haired boy went through his words, "Are you mad at me?" Link suddenly stopped his walking. "Sorry! Sorry! I was only asking, of course you're mad. That joke-wasn't funny in the least. Heh, I have that problem, talking so much that I pull random things out of the air and try to piece them toge-"
"Onyx."
"…Sorry."
"It's…alright. Just relax," Link turned and smiled, giving Onyx a playful, light punch in the shoulder. "'Bet I can beat ya the rest of the way to the spring!"
"You're on!" Onyx yelled, suddenly very relieved to have somehow settled his outburst from earlier on. His grin was back in no time as the two ran through the cluster of plants and broken branches. Onyx preformed another dramatic trip over an imaginary rock when they neared the end. He smiled warmly when Link announced he had won. Faintly, he thought in the back of his mind how winning was a perfect self esteem builder.
The boys sat at the edge of the spring with their bare feet dangling into the water, simply enjoying the cool waves in between their toes. From behind, two pairs of small boots were scattered carelessly over the grass. The spring itself was considerable small to an average sized adult. However, to a child, the spring was a perfect sized swimming pool that could entertain for hours in the right weather. They gazed into the water, narrowing their eyes to see as far as they were able. "Hey," Link pointed with his foot to a old, stone structure in the water. "What's that? I've never noticed it there before."
Onyx cocked his head and stood up, unfastening the leather of his belt. "Well, then," he grinned, taking his dark cap off. "Let's find out!" Then, without giving the Hylian a chance to cover his face, the brunette jumped into the water, making as big of a wave as he could with such a small body.
Link got up and squinted into the finely rippled water. His mind was working through whether it was better for him to wait for the brunette to emerge or jump in after him. Finally the blonde looked down and started unhooking his belt and sliding it off. Suddenly, some water droplets scattered on his face. The Hylian looked up only to be face to face with the soaked grin of none other than Onyx. "What…?" Link stared. Something in that devilish grin the brunette had felt very unnerving.
It was too late before Onyx had grabbed onto Link's shoulders and flung him into the spring beside them. Soon a blonde head surfaced, and as a hand reached up to wipe some bangs from his face, a pair of glaring eyes came into view. "Ya took long enough," Onyx grinned, leaning down at the edge of the pond. Link swam over to the side and grappled his fists into a cluster of weeds clinging over the shore. The brunette smiled and offered his hand. "Cold water's a great way to wake up, wouldn't you say so, Li-"
However, the boy's sentence was never completed because the Hylian took the hand offering as a chance to grab on to Onyx's hand with both of his, use his legs against the shore, and pull with all the weight of his body and might. The plan succeeded.
Link hoisted himself on the shore for the small fear that his hysterical laughter was going to cause him to take on water, or that the brunette was going to drown him himself. He held his gut and smiled innocently when his friend gasped out of the water. He coughed and looked up at the blonde. "Sorry," Link said in a singing voice, and waved, as if the 'sorry' meant nothing. "Couldn't resist some quick payback." Onyx chuckled and swam to the side, crossing his arms on the shore and sighing. The Hylian's bare foot tapped him on the side, causing Onyx to look up at the blue eyes. "Did you see what it was?" he asked, and once seeing the brunette's confused expression, grabbed his arm to help him onto the shore. "Here, get up. See? That, down in the water. That…thing. What is it?"
Onyx narrowed his eyes and peered into the water, wishing he hadn't made so shaky and unsettled at this point. "Oh," he sat back up and looked back into the Hylian's eyes. "It's a gate…kinda. You see, it's a portal that, if you swim into it, you appear in Lake Hylia. It's beautiful, and full of fish. Big ones, not like these.
"And there's this fishing place that holds records for the biggest fishes and the fisherman who caught 'em," Onyx grinned at this point, "My record has yet to be beaten or even come close to, if I may say so myself. The guy who runs it would've probably liked me if I didn't mess with him so much. I can't help it, the guy's just too weird to not mess with. Says I'll make 'em bald one day. I'd like to place a bet on that."
Link sat and listened, eyes wide and full of curiosity. Never before has an actual outsider told him about the outside world. Faintly in the back of his mind, Link concluded for the first time since meeting Onyx that his new friend was definitely not from around here. That only opened more questions, but the Hylian pushed them aside and scooted closer to listen as the brunette explained the size of the fish by extending his arms. "No way," Link shook his head.
"I swear."
"Fish can't get that big."
"How would you know? You've only had these lil' dinky 'ole springs your whole life. Bet'cha never even seen a lake before."
Link sighed. Of course, the golden rule among the Kokiri was that you never left the forest. That meant certain death. Or so, that's what they were told. "I wish I could see a lake then."
"Heh, you should see the ocean then. A lake's nothing compared to an ocean," Onyx sighed in a dreamy state. Staring out into the water, but seeing something entirely different than a small spring.
A poke on his cheek woke him up to reality again. "What's o-shun?"
"The ocean?"
Link nodded. "What is it?"
The brunette immediately swung his hands in front of his face and shook his head, grinning uneasily. "Nothing! Nothing! For now, let's just get you to a lake. Ocean time later."
The blonde's expression saddened at having to remind Onyx of his heritage and of his limits. "Don't you know? I can't leave here. Any Kokiri who leaves the forest will die."
The ebony haired youth raised an eyebrow and made a 'what're you, nuts?' face. "Die…You…sure about that, Link?"
"Yeah…" the Hylian said, looking away after a second. "Well, no…not really. But around here, you mainly trust what ya hear and stick to it."
"If you're telling me," Onyx's brow furrowed as he spoke, "that you simply do whatever that idiot with the orange hair says, then you must be out of your mind." Link shot him a small glare, yet the brunette just gave a sympathetic smile and placed his hand on Link's shoulder. "Link, you ain't gonna drop dead if you were to walk out of this forest. The reason those stories went around, so I've heard, is so the Kokiri don't leave. It's a dangerous place out there. Beautiful, but dangerous. A bunch of kids with no knowledge of how to properly protect themselves would get in deep trouble."
Link looked to the ground embarrassingly. "How do you know that Kokiri like me wouldn't die?"
"Whoever said you were a Kokiri?"
The Hylian's eyes shot up. "What?"
A sudden realization caused Onyx to wave his hands in front of him while giving a sheepish grin. "Nothing! Nothing!" He rubbed the back of his head. "Just, heh…babbling. Nothing, I was just babbling."
The blonde raised an eyebrow, but dismissed the outburst as some childish thought. Of course he was a Kokiri. That was a statement. What else would I be? he thought. A…oh what are those called. Hylitian, no…no, just…Hylian. Yeah. He smiled at coming across an immature thought. It'd be hilarious if I were really a Deku. Or a Zola…is that what they're called? Oh, who cares. Finally, Link looked up and smiled. "Well then, you gonna show me this portal?"
Onyx reached up and pulled the soaked, green Kokiri cap from Link's head, tossed it over to where his belt and their boots settled, and gripped his hand. "Right now." The brunette got up and tugged up Link's hand with him. "Let's hurry, 'fore it gets dark."
The blonde nodded and got up with him. Quickly, he ripped his belt off and threw it back, regripped Onyx's hand, and on the count of three, they jumped in together.
xXxXx
Link gasped and literally clung to the dark material of Onyx's tunic as they swam to the surface. Never would he be able to dive that far again, and he gave up thinking up how on earth the brunette seemed to do it without a sweat. Faintly, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and pull him up onto land. He lay panting for a moment, then opened his eyes to the familiar grin of Onyx.
"Hi!"
"…H-hi…" the blonde panted and tried to sit up. With the assistance of the brunette, holding him up by his shoulder, Link gave a final breath and relaxed. "Onyx?"
"Yep?"
"You are different," Link turned and smiled at him. "In a good way."
At that comment, Onyx beamed and jumped up. "Well, c'mon! We only have a few hours, so let's make the best of 'em!" The brunette turned and started dashing up the hill, stopping only when he reached a door to what looked like a huge building with no roof. Link followed at a slower pace, glancing up only to see a big sign on the side of the building.
Come One! Come All!
And Fish! Fish! Fish!
Rent a Rod!
Task Your Skills!
Catch the Lunker!
The ebony haired youth grabbed the blonde's hand and pulled him through the door. "Oh, no, no, no! Not you!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm back," Onyx smirked up at the owner. "And I'd like to rent two rods today."
The owner leaned over the counter and glared at Link, as though checking to see if the blonde had the same face as a criminal on a wanted poster. "You no good either. I can see it in your eyes. You no good. Kids today! No manners! No manners at all!"
Link held his tongue from laughing. This man's accent was anything but threatening. All the Hylian could do to keep from cackling in front of everyone with simply nod and look back at Onyx. The brunette smirked. He must have thought the same.
Onyx threw a few rupees onto the counter, caught the rods that were practically thrown at his by the disgruntled owner, and trudged over to the shore of the pond. He looked up at Link and smiled proudly. "Here," Onyx said. The brunette handed the rod to Link and held the other on his shoulder. "If you beat my record, I'll take ya out to see the sites." The familiar smiled Link first met when a real friendship was offered to him. "It'll be a date. Just you and me."
Link smiled. "I'll keep ya to your word."
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Notes:
()The equivalent of 'Mississippi' in our world. Example: "1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi," etc etc, and so on; A simple childish way of counting.
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