I'm back! Yeah, I kinda fell off the face of the earth there, but I did have a reason! I got roped into doing a musical play. Yeah, a musical! With singing and dancing! The bad new is, I can't sing. The good news is, I played a mean old widow, and didn't have to sound good! :D

No, I really had fun. It was a musical comedy. The only thing was practice every night until ten, and then mountains of homework afterwards. But, the performance was a success, and I'm back! Oh, and before I forget, I don't own the Legend of Zelda!

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Chapter Five, Or The Time Zelda Spent In A College Dorm

Pairings: ? XD It's a secret!

Rating: T, for drinking and general drunkenness, but nothing bad

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"Zelda, I need to talk with you."

Zelda looked up and saw her father in the doorway. She turned to him with a questioning look.

"Yes?"

"As you know, I have to go to that convention in New York, for business."

Zelda merely nodded.

"It seems I'll be down there all month long. I won't be back in time for Christmas."

Zelda nodded again; it wasn't rare for her father to be gone during holidays. Her Aunt often came down to stay with her during these holidays.

"Well, your Aunt's not coming," Zelda's father said bluntly. "I know you're twenty-three, but I don't want you staying here alone, on a holiday no less," he mused.

"I can find someone to stay with," Zelda said. She didn't want to spend her Christmas all by herself, either. "I'll call Link and Sheik. They probably won't mind."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Of course we don't mind," Sheik said over the phone a few hours later. "You're welcome to come anytime, but especially Christmas. I've seen your house," he chuckled, "I wouldn't want to be there alone either. I'd get lost."

"Who's on the phone?" Zelda heard in the background along with some scuffling.

"Mmph... If you'd... stop... I'd tell you," Sheik finally managed to ground out. Zelda heard Link laugh.

"Sorry, I had to get my welcome home kiss."

"You went next door."

"It's a hard world. Who're you talking to?"

"Oh!" Zelda heard more scuffling, which she presumed was the phone being picked back up. "Zelda? Are you still there?"

"Yes," Zelda replied, laughing.

"Hey, Zelda!" Link called out.

"Anyway," Sheik said, "of course you can come stay with us for the holidays. Aryll and Echo will both be here, too."

"Thank you Sheik!"

"No problem. See you here next week."

XXXXXXXXXX

Zelda sighed, stretching, before glancing out the car window. She had a long flight before being driven to Sheik's house, and was ready to collapse on the nearest bed. She glanced at the driver.

"How much longer?"

"We're about five minutes away, Miss."

Zelda turned and watched the streets fly by. She was looking forward to seeing Link and Sheik again. She spotted them standing in the front yard of the house and grinned. Her smile faltered when she saw their faces.

The car pulled to a stop, and Zelda got out. Sheik turned to her with a sad smile.

"Hey, Zel."

He pulled her into a hug. She glanced at Link questioningly.

"Yesterday, there was a fire. The house is a wreck," Link said over Sheik's shoulder.

"Are you both ok?"

"Yeah," Sheik took a step back. "We were in town when it hit."

"It's going to take a while for it to be fixed," Link said, "but the important thing is that we're both ok."

Sheik grabbed Link's hand with a smile. Zelda turned to look at the house. The whole right side was collapsed in, completely charred.

"Right before the holidays, too," Zelda sighed. "Where are you two staying?"

"Impa's already cleared her guest room out. Aryll and Echo are back at the ranch with Grandma Daniels," Link sighed.

"I'd invite you back to my house, but I know you still have to work," Zelda bit her lip.

"Oh man, I completely forgot!" Sheik exclaimed.

"It's ok. I'll head back home..." Zelda said.

"No, we'll find somewhere. No one should spend the holidays alone..." Link trailed off.

"Hey guys! I've got the stuff!"

Zelda turned and saw Midna pulling up in Sheik's truck. She hopped out.

"Ok, I'll drive you to the subway," Link told her. Zelda looked at them. "Midna was down here visiting."

"Yep! We're officially off for Christmas break!" Midna pumped her fist.

"Off?" Zelda repeated blankly.

"College," Minda explained.

"Zelda was going to stay with us for Christmas, but this happened and... you know how Impa's house is," Sheik said.

"Yeah, cozy doesn't even cover it," Midna tilted her head. "If you don't have anywhere else to go, you could come stay with me."

"Really?" Zelda asked.

"Yeah. I stay at the campus dorms, but I don't have a roommate. You could just stay in the dorm with me."

Zelda watched Midna in confusion. Sure, they had been connected in high school through Sheik, but they had never really had much to do with each other. Still, Zelda realized she had nowhere else to go. Her plane ticket was set for a few weeks later, and she had no other way to get home. She refused to call her father for help.

"Alright."

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"Well, here we are: home sweet dorm."

Midna opened the door with a flourish. It was a standard dorm room, two beds, two desks, one bathroom. Midna's desk was littered with half-finished drawings and pictures of Link, Sheik, and a few other people Zelda recognized from high school.

"You can use anything you want, and let me know if need anything. I know it's not big, but it's livable," Midna helped Zelda carry her bags over to the empty bed. "I'll let you get settled; I have to go catch Komali."

When Midna was gone, Zelda set about unpacking. It didn't take her long, so she stepped over and glanced out the window. Even through the holidays, many people had stayed on campus. They were all down bundled up in warm clothes, trudging through the snow, socializing. Zelda watched the students, who all varied in race, gender, and age, as they laughed and cut up.

Zelda turned around as the door opened again. Minda stood next to a guy with dark, almond skin. He was talking, and Midna's eyes shone impishly. They both turned to Zelda

"Oh, Zelda. This is Komali."

"Pleasure to meet you," Komali said, taking Zelda's hand lightly.

"The sentiment is returned."

"Pfft, aristocrats," Midna scoffed. Zelda gave her a questioning look. "Komali's father run a very successful business like your father does."

"Yes," Komali said with a hint of a sigh, "and I'll take over after college."

"I know the feeling," Zelda mumbled.

"Oh, I must get going," Komali stepped out into the hall. "It was nice meeting you, Zelda, and I'll see you later, Midna."

When he was gone, Midna turned to Zelda.

"Well? What do you think?"

"Of him?" Zelda asked, confused.

"Of him as a dating prospect. He seems like he'd be nice to a girl."

"Oh!" Zelda nodded knowingly. "Yes, he seems nice. I don't know him well enough to say anything else."

"You're right," Midna said, grinning impishly. "I need to learn more about him."

Zelda didn't know much about Midna, but she remembered Sheik calling her a prankster, so the grin Midna had on was worrying her.

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"I feel like a stalker," Zelda said for the umpteenth time that day. A week and a half had already passed since she arrived, and she was learning more about Midna, and Komali, than she wanted to know. "Should we really be following him around like this?"

"Why not?" Midna asked. "It's not creepy if it's for a good cause!"

"So, a 'good cause' gives us the right to follow someone around spying on him?"

"Yep."

Zelda sighed.

"You need to loosen up. Stop being an uptight rich girl."

"What did you just call me?" Zelda stood angrily.

"Uptight rich girl. Which you're being right now," Midna said matter-of-factly. "All you've done is complain. You never want to go anywhere, and you avoid other people like they have the plague."

Zelda opened her mouth to retort angrily, but snapped in closed and stormed off. Using the spare key Midna gave her, she let herself in the dorm and threw herself on the bed. Flipping over to look at the ceiling, she huffed angrily.

"I wish I were back home, or with Link and Sheik."

XXXXXXXXXX

Zelda woke when the door opened. Glancing around, she realized that she had dozed off. It was three days after her argument with Midna, and she had been dutifully avoiding the other girl.

Now, though, Midna walked right up to Zelda's bed and threw something on it.

"Come on, we're getting wasted."

"What?" Zelda looked at the two cases of beer on her bed. "No. Are you crazy?"

"No, I'm a college student."

"Well, I'm not," Zelda retorted.

"No, but you've got problems."

"You think I've got problems?"

Midna looked up at Zelda.

"Yeah," she handed her a beer. Zelda looked at her openmouthed for a moment before opening the can and chugging half of it.

"You have no idea," she said.

A case and a half later, and Zelda was sure it was safe to say she was more than slightly buzzed. She and Midna were sitting on the floor, facing each other.

"You know," Zelda said, slightly proud that she wasn't slurring... you know, THAT bad, "I always wanted to go here."

"My room?" Midna asked with a giggle.

"No," Zelda swatted at her and missed, trying to play it off as swatting a fly. "College. I wanted to go to college."

"Why dinit ya?"

"My father," Zelda blinked. "My father said no. He want me to run his business. So I didn't go to college."

"But you don't run his business," Midna said, frowning.

"I know!" Zelda threw her arms up. "I'm 'in training', as he calls it. I've wasted the past five years of my life for nothing."

"You should come. To college."

"I wanna."

"Business?" Midna asked. "Were you going to be a business major?"

"No," Zelda frowned, shuddering, "never that. I was gonna major in History."

"History?"

"Yeah. I like reading about those people. You know," she waved her arm, "the ones who're dead. Yeah."

"I think you're drink."

"Drunk."

"S'what I said," Midna blinked.

"I think it's time to make a move on Komali," Zelda said.

"Yeah. Sleep first."

Midna promptly curled up on the floor and fell asleep. Zelda stared at her for a moment before following suit.

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"Ugh, never again," Zelda groaned, easing her head gingerly onto the table. Midna stumbled over and handed her a coffee, banging it down way too loud. Zelda glared up at her. "How are you not sick?"

Midna, who looked no worse for wear after a drunken night on the floor, merely grinned.

"I've had practice. And a cold shower."

"I hate you, I hope you know that."

"Enjoy your morning hangover," Midna said, hopping out of the way of Zelda's half attempt of a swipe at her head. "I'm running to the store."

"Ugh," Zelda simply groaned in response. She had only gotten drunk once before, and wasn't used to the morning after. "How did I let you talk me into this?"

Midna just waved cheerfully and walked out of the door.

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Another week later, and only two days before she had to go home, Zelda was introduced to one of Midna's friends, a small girl with long hair named Medli.

"Yeah, she's been with family for the holidays, just got back today. She's in the room right across the hall. She was surprised to hear that we hadn't even celebrated yet."

Both Midna and Zelda had agreed to wait to celebrate Christmas until Link and Sheik's house was fixed, so the simply spent Christmas day bumming around in pajamas, drinking hot chocolate and watching Christmas specials.

"Yeah, well, most people actually celebrate Christmas on Christmas day," Zelda replied with a chuckle, while Midna stuck her tongue out at her.

Zelda was pleased to meet another of Midna's friends. She had felt closer to Midna, almost like a true friend.

It was this thought that made Zelda approach Midna on the last day of her visit.

"Hey, you all packed?" Midna asked, looking up at Zelda. She was sitting at a picnic table situated on the school lawn. Komali was a few tables away.

"Yeah. Hey, don't you think it's time to make a move?" She nodded towards Komali. "We've seen more than enough to know that he's a good guy."

"You know, you're right," Midna said, tilting her head. "I'll be right back."

She ran inside, and Zelda turned to watch Komali. Suddenly, he glanced up as his name was called. Medli walked over to him, blushing shyly. Zelda watched as they spoke, and Komali smiled, nodding happily, and scooped Medli up in a hug.

"YES! Mission success!" Midna ran up beside Zelda, who was sputtering, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Don't they look cute together?"

"Wait, didn't you like him?"

"What? No! Ew," Midna stuck out her tongue. "He's way too boring for my tastes. Didn't you know? I was looking into him for Medli. She's a sweet girl, and I wanted her to find someone who would treat her right. I was the who talked her into moving states to come to college here; I've gotta watch out for her."

Zelda suddenly remembered a conversation she had with Sheik. He had called Midna a 'matchmaker', reciting how she had helped Link and Sheik get together. She shook her head.

"Next time you decide to stalk someone while I'm here, tell me who we're doing the stalking for, ok?"

"Next time? Does that mean you're coming back to visit?" Midna asked, almost looking hopeful. Zelda thought back on her eventful visit and realized that she had had more fun in the past four weeks that she had in a long time.

"Yeah, I think I am."

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Whew, chapter done. I like this one. Zelda and Midna would make good friends, I think. Midna could bring the wild out in Zelda. (I don't know, it may just be me.)

Well, what did you think? The review button wants you to share. Sharing is caring! :)

-Snow-