Hey there, readers! How've you been since my last update? (chirping noises) Oh for the love of...people, I know you're out there! Review, even if it's just a smiley face! Nothing mean though...I hate that. Anyhoo, the muse for today is...Princess Zelda.

(Princess Zelda appears witha poof)

Zelda: What the? Don't tell me...I'm the muse for this chapter?

Me: Yup! Now say the disclaimer, or I'll ruin your descendant in this story!

Zelda: Alright. The Wing Alchemist doesn't own any characters mentioned in any of the Zelda games. She owns Moriko, Taiki, and the OCs of Ordon Village, as well as characters mentioned below. She also doesn't own Itachi from Naruto, but that doesn't stop her from-

Me: OKAY THAT'S ENOUGH!! ON WITH THE STORY! Zelda, you know too much! (poofs her into her own game again)

--

Chapter 6: Travel

Time seemed to stand still as Moriko gazed out over Hyrule field. With the sun just beginning to rise over the hills, the field was graced with a pale light, casting shadows everywhere. The long grass bent gently in the breeze, whistling a song of peace. Birds flew overhead, searching for food in the early hours. Moriko lightly poked Meryl in the sides, urging her forward. There was a river running halfway through the field, so they stopped for a minute.

The water felt cool on her face as she splashed herself. She sat down on the bank and pulled out the letter addressed to her. Her fingers trembled as she unfolded the wrinkled paper, taking in her father's handwriting.

Dear Moriko,

If you're reading this, then that means I'm either dead or not there to tell you this. It seems strange, knowing that I won't be there when you spread your wings for the first time, but I have to defend the kingdom in my own way. I'm sworn to protect the princess with my life.

The legend is finally coming true. The ancient hero will be reborn, and when he is, I want you to find him. He's the one who will save us all, and I want you to help in any way possible. I know I have no right to ask this of you now, after what I've probably put you through, but I need you to be strong. The world really does need you, Moriko. I know what you're thinking, "Why should I listen to him?". Well, you should listen because it's true.

Anyway, I just want you to know how proud of you I am. If you're ever in Hyrule Castle, just ask for me, and I'll come running. If I'm there.

Love, Daisuke, your father

Moriko sighed and folded the letter, putting it in her bag. Her father had always been a knight in Hyrule Castle for as long as she could remember. He'd come home once a year and spend time with her and Karin. They'd be a happy family again. But he'd always go back to his duty, never turning down an order.

Moriko laid back on the soft grass, watching sunlight seep into the area. She'd never understand him.

She glanced up at Meryl, who was sniffing the grass around her head. "Hey, girl. We're going to have fun right?" The horse sniffed her face, then huffed, blowing Moriko's hair out of place. She stood up and fussed with the mare's mane, removing small leaves that somehow seemed to end up there. Simple things to pass the time until the sun completely rose.

A shadow flitted past Moriko, startling Meryl into rearing. Moriko calmed her horse down until she could see what had happened. The shadow stopped a few yards away, staring at them with brown eyes. The figure had a knife it its hand, reflecting the morning sunlight. It turned to go, but pivoted and made a running tackle, ramming Moriko with enough force to knock the breath out of her. Meryl neighed and reared up again as her master and the unknown figure rolled down the small hill.

"Thief! I'll teach you to steal my horse!" the figure yelled, stabbing its knife into the ground inches from Moriko's ear. She pushed the figure off of her and stood up.

"What is your problem?!" she shrieked, dusting herself off. "That's my horse! And my stuff!"

"No! You stole it! You-" The figure stopped to look at her, taking her in from head to toe. "Oh. I'm terribly sorry! I didn't mean to attack you."

The figure turned out to be a man of about 20, with dark brown hair and a square face. He had a thin mustache and a small beard. He was somewhat thin and had a long scar running over his left eye and cheek.

"I thought so. Come on. You can explain what happened to you as we walk back to my horse."

"Oh, thank you, miss."

"Sure."

Moriko listened as the man talked, explaining what had happened to him. He'd been on his way to Hyrule Castle Town to see his sister when he'd been attacked and robbed. He couldn't bear the thought of going to his sister's house without her gift, so he'd asked everyone he saw for help. He got no answers, so he went off on his own. He attacked Moriko because the thief had blonde hair as well. Not to mention, Meryl was the same pale brown as his mare Wendy.

"So, you're saying you've been traveling on foot all night?" Moriko asked when the man had finished. He nodded, looking down at his feet.

"I'm so very sorry about this."

"It's alright, sir," she said, looking up at the sky. "I understand your predicament."

"Thank you for listening to me."

"I've decided to help you."

The man did a double take. "What?"

"I'm going to help you. What good am I if I can't help one person out of the many surrounding me?"

The man scrutinized her expression, looking for any sarcasm. He tells one girl about his problems and she suddenly wants to help. There had to be a catch.

"You want something?"

"No, I'm just looking to help those in need of assistance. It's no scam."

The man thought about this until they reached Kakariko Village, then spoke.

"Alright. Thank you for your help. I'll meet you here tomorrow morning. Check your things into the inn, stock up, and come back."

"Thank you. I'll be back."

Moriko waved goodbye to the man and headed up the road, taking in the sights.

Kakariko Village was a sight to behold! It was more like a small city than a village. Each building was tall, almost three floors each, and all built into the stone wall. Whatever was positioned outside the rock was supported by rods connected to the rock, well over 15 feet high. What lay below were shops and curio stands. The streets were spotted with people of all ages. Children ran in between the shops, chasing a ball with a stick, old people talked near a small pond, and adults bargained over prices. It was like Ordon, except it was busier, and it had a lot more people.

Moriko stood there, staring at the strangeness of it all, failing to see the man watching her. His hazel eyes watched her with a curiosity he'd rarely felt before. He'd traveled nearly the entire kingdom and yet she seemed different. Her bright blue eyes displayed a somewhat childish demeanor, while the sword on her back gave off someone who'd seen a few battles. Her outfit looked strangely familiar, though he knew he'd never seen her before. He pushed a lock of his short, black hair away from his eyes just as Moriko began making her way down into the town. He quickly followed, not taking his eyes from her. He wanted to know her name, and where she was from.

As she made her way down the hill and into the town, she saw the rocks formations in the pond were similar to the ones in Faron and Ordona's springs. She stopped to look when a man came up behind her.

"Excuse me, miss?" he said politely. Moriko turned to the hazel eyed man, looking up at his triangle shaped face. He had a nicely curved nose, and thick straight hair that fell into his eyes. He quickly brushed it away, his cheeks tinged a slight pink.

"Yes?" Moriko said, surprised at how cute this guy was. She'd never seen a guy like this in her village. All the guys her age had been odd to her.

"I…uh…I was wondering…where did you get that sword?" Idiot, he thought to himself. He wanted to ask her for her name.

"Oh, this? I got it from my dad. A sort of "Good Luck on your Journey" present," she said, smiling.

"You're on a journey?" he asked. "So you're not from here?" She nodded, looking back the pond.

"I'm from Ordon, to the south. I came here because a few friends asked me to."

"Oi! We're still here, ya know!" Navi grumbled, zipping out of her bag. Moriko paled, then began trying to catch Navi with her hands, who dodged every attempt.

"Navi! If someone sees you, I might get in trouble! We'd start something!" she whispered loudly. The hazel eyed man stifled a laugh, watching Moriko attempt to catch her fairy friend.

"I'm Tanner," he said, holding out his hand. Moriko gave up with Navi and shook his hand, smiling.

"I'm Moriko. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," he said, kissing her hand like a gentleman. She blushed as he looked at her sweetly.

"O-okay then. You know where the inn is? I-I have to rent a room."

Tanner smiled, pointing to the first building on the right wall. "I'll escort you there."

"O-oh…uh, okay. Thanks."

Tanner smiled as he offered his arm, allowing Moriko to place her hand on it, and led her towards the door. He tossed a yellow rupee at the stable boy and continued, though Moriko had to stop.

"I need my stuff," she said, pulling her small bag off Meryl's saddle with a shuffle. She slipped a few rupees out of her purse and gave them to the boy, smiling. "Thank you," she said.

The boy nodded and took Meryl's reins from her, leading the pale horse away. Moriko rejoined Tanner near the door, which he promptly opened. Moriko nodded and went inside, heading up the stairs that wound upward inside the rock wall.

She emerged in a well lit bar, filled with sunlight that seemed through the tan curtains covering the windows. No wonder she hadn't seen any windows. The far wall was a bar, the shelves lined with bottles filled with different color liquids. The bartender was a large man, with muscles that looked like rocks. He was cleaning a glass, his eyes closed. Moriko saw the large hammer in the corner and shuddered, wondering how many had been hit by that thing. Tanner came up the stairs and walked to the bar, smiling smugly.

"Hey, Roland. How's the business been?" he asked, drumming his fingers on the counter. The bartender set the glass down and opened his eyes. Moriko silently drew a sharp breath. The man Tanner had called Roland was blind.

Roland sighed and shook his head. "It's been as slow as slow as three week old red potion. It's practically dead. Anyway, who's your friend?" Moriko jumped as Roland looked at her curiously, as if he could see her.

"I'm Moriko, sir," she blurted out, turning red. Roland laughed deeply, revealing a missing tooth on his upper jaw.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Moriko. As Tanner here has already said, I am Roland, the owner of this bar and inn. Did you need a room?"

"Yes, I do," she said. He bent down behind the counter and came up with a pair of keys. He held them up for her to see.

"If you want a room, it's 50 rupees a night."

"Aw, come on, Roland," Tanner drawled, rolling his eyes. "Can't you offer the pretty girl a discount?"

Moriko turned red for a second, then glared at Tanner.

"I don't intend to take Mr. Roland up on any offer that had something to do with my looks. I'll pay," she said, taking out her purse with a huff. Roland accepted the purple rupee and tossed her the keys with a flourish. She caught them and turned on her heal, heading for the door.

"Well, then, I'll be going," she said curtly, not even stopping to look at Tanner, who was glaring out the curtain-covered window. She turned on her heal and stalked out of the room, ignoring the loud sound her boots made on the hard stone floor.

When she was out of earshot, Tanner let out a groan mixed with a sigh.

"Women…an absolute mystery," he grumbled. Roland nodded and put the cleaned glass down, picking up the next one.

When Moriko was in her room, she set her pack on the dresser and flung herself out onto the bed. She shouted into her pillow, letting out a lot of pent up stress.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! Men! They are so-! UGH! What is wrong with-?! Agh! This sucks!" she vented, pounding the bed with her fist. She went silent, lying absolutely still. Navi and Taiki approached her cautiously, though Taiki got a little too close. Moriko sat up abruptly and snatched him out of the air. He squeaked as she held him up to her face, eyes full of anger.

"You, fairy, are male right?" she growled. Taiki froze, extremely scared.

"Y-y-yeah…I-I-I am…," he stammered. Moriko's eyes narrowed even more.

"So are men just stupid, or are they really that insensitive?"

Taiki twitched, then slipped out of her grip and rammed her in the face. She flinched as he bounced off her forehead. He began shrieking at the top of his tiny lungs in his little squeaky voice.

"We are not stupid, and we're not insensitive! I'll throttle you for that!"

"Then why'd Tanner say something so stupid?!" she yelled, swatting him away from her face. Taiki came right back, still yelling.

"It's you women who are insensitive! You're so confusing sometimes!" he bellowed, turning a dark green. "Sometimes we can't even figure you out!"

It was silent for a bit, then Taiki and Moriko sighed, their anger subsiding. They both knew they'd just needed to vent a bit.

"Sorry," they said in unison. Moriko looked at Navi, who was balancing on one of the lower bed posts. She was beginning to doze. Moriko cleared her throat as Taiki bumped the sleepy fairy off the post with a wing. She jingled as she flew up, shaking herself.

"Are you done?" she asked, flying close to both of them. They nodded sheepishly, glancing at each other. Navi continued. "That's good. We need to avoid fighting on this journey. Agreed?"

"Agreed," they chorused, nodding. Navi sighed and settled herself on the bed, fluttering her wings until she relaxed. Moriko laid back on the bed, beginning to doze. Her breathing was steady by the time Taiki settled on the windowsill, watching the area below.

He sat there, watching the sun slowly fall and the people below walking through the marketplace. Everyone had something to do, unlike him. He had to tag along with two girls on a journey to help the kingdom or something. Boring! He wanted to rescue fairy maidens from evil creatures and be someone important. He shook his head. He sounded like a human.

He closed his eyes for a second, then snapped them open, scanning the town again. There he was! That Tanner guy Moriko hated! Taiki knew he had a few questions for that guy! He puffed himself up and slipped outside the curtain, silently floating down until he was within earshot of the teen.

"Oi! Stupid head!" he yelled, zooming down to him. Tanner looked around, bewildered, until Taiki flew right into his face.

"Yikes! Oh, it's just a fairy," Tanner said, shaking his head. "Did Moriko send you as an apology or something?"

"No! I came to ask you a few questions!" Taiki stated, bristling at the thought of being a messenger for that girl.

"Right. Well go ahead, I've got some restocking to do."

"Fine!" Taiki grumbled, following Tanner into the crowds. "So what do you think of Moriko?"

Tanner let out a long sigh, then stopped at a fruit stand. "She's a nice girl. A little green for adventuring, but overall okay. She just needs to take a joke. Next?"

"Okay, do you like her?"

Tanner dropped the orange he was holding, his mouth twisting until it looked like he would explode After a few seconds, he burst out laughing.

"Are you serious?!" he asked, ignoring the strange stares he got. "She may be cute, but she's not my type! I like girls who wear dresses and like flowers. She wears pants and carries a sword. You wound me with that question, fairy!"

"It's Taiki!" the little fairy shrieked, glowing a bright green. This stupid guy was just…annoying.

"Right, right," Tanner said, paying for the few fruits he held. He dropped them in his bag and walked off, causing Taiki to zoom after him.

"Where're you going?!" he jingled angrily. "I'm not done with you yet!"

"Really?" Tanner smirked. "Then what else is there?" Taiki went silent, then noticed they were heading back to the inn.

"Why are you in Kakariko Village?" he asked, zipping up in front of Tanner. Tanner sighed and leaned up against the wall next to the inn door.

"I was recruited for an arrest, so I need to be here until morning, when the criminal will show."

"What'd the criminal do?"

"Something the king wants him caught for."

"You don't know?"

"No, I just don't see the point of telling a fairy. Now, then, I suggest you go back to your friend."

With that, Tanner turned and went inside, shutting the door before Taiki could follow. Taiki hovered there for a minute, then flew upward until he was in front of Moriko's window. Both she and Navi were still sleeping, so Taiki settled down on the cushions just below the windowsill, slowly falling asleep.

--

Oh-Em-GEEEEEEEEEE!! Readers! Chapter 7 is complete and shall be updated tomorrow! Maybe chapter 8, if I get a review soon. (stomach grumbles) I need foods...

Zelda: Not a bad job, I msut say...so are you going to do soemthign horrible to my descendants?

Me: I plan to.

Zelda: Perfect...just don't kill them or anything. We always need the Triforce fo Wisdom.

Me: Sure sure, just shut it for now, or you'll spoil the plot. Oi, readers! REVEIW IF YOU READ IT! Please!! Now I shall go and watch Code Geass...as soon as Death Note is over. (stomach grumbles again) Until next time, my readers! XD