A/N: I totally meant to get this up sooner, but life is really just very busy right now. I'm really sorry about that. Believe me, I wish I had more free time to work on this too. More time to work on this and to get sleep. I love sleep.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda. Seriously, I really don't.

~8~

- It is something that grows over time... a true friendship. -

Malon awoke to Ingo's yelling again. She wasn't used to his early hour demand for breakfast. She rushed to create a breakfast and fled to the barn. Ingo was still as nasty as ever, ever since he obtained possession of the ranch weeks ago.

She began feeding and milking and mucking and all sorts of other chores. By noon, she finally attended the cuccos. As she carefully fetched eggs, Ingo barged in to inform her that he was going to Kakariko and that he was going to lock her in the ranch again and that she better not try to leave. This was not new to Malon. The scratches on her arms from alarmed cuccos were new.

Ingo was gone within the hour. Malon finally relaxed and ran into the corral. The horses greeted her with affection. She was petting Cobalt when she realized Epona wasn't there. "Epona!" she called. She heard a neigh from the far side of the corral. Sighing at her horse's trouble-making personality, Malon swiftly mounted Cobalt bareback, despite being in a skirt. Looking over the herd of horses, she found her mare.

With the Sheikah boy next to the flaxen horse.

Malon gasped happily and waved. Taking a fistful of Cobalt's mane, she rode him over to her mysterious friend.

He regarded her blankly and his face masked, like always. Malon grinned at him. "You're back! I missed you. It looks like Epona did too." She laughed at her horse and dismounted.

Sheik glanced at the horse, who nickered and trotted over to greet her mistress as the other horses dispersed. He still wore his mask over his lower face. He seemed more guarded than the last time she saw him though. His visible red eye held impassiveness. Malon shifted her weight uncomfortably. "So how are you?"

He gazed at her quietly just long enough to make her feel uneasy. Finally, he blinked and said "Fine. How are you?"

It felt like she was talking to a brick wall. She needed to find some way to get him to loosen up like the last time he visited. She smiled teasingly "Just 'fine?' You don't seem to have a great vocabulary." Still no response. "I'm alright. Busy with work, but I have a free day today, thank the goddesses."

Sheik nodded but said nothing. Malon was seriously wondering if it was the same boy that joked with her that night she had sung her sorrows to the sky. Feeling awkward, she blurted "So did you come here to talk, or to stand impassively in the horse's pasture?"

His eyes finally flashed with a strange mix of irritation and mirth. "I came to get my torn shirt back."

Malon grinned. "Oh, that. Yeah, I was wondering when you'd want that back." Suddenly a plan to loosen the Sheikah came to mind. She walked to the other side of Epona. "Are you busy today?" She asked, seemingly to change the subject.

He shook his head haltingly. She beamed. "Good." She swung up on to Epona's back. The horse, feeling her mistress's playfulness, reared. "If you want your shirt, come and catch me!" With that, Epona took off.

Sheik gaped at her. He glanced at Cobalt next to him. The horse considered him expectantly, shaking its head and pawing the dirt, ready to take flight as well. With a shrug, he jumped on to the horse and together they chased the laughing red-head.

They galloped around for hours. Finally, Malon and Epona stopped. Malon slid off and rolled on to the ground, laughing. She sat up to look at Sheik and yelped, ducking as the blue roan jumped over her. She pouted at the rider as he stopped and turned the horse towards her. His hair was a mess and his mask had fallen away from his face. Both of his eyes shone with exuberance.

Her pout melted as she realized he was laughing. It was a low, deep laugh, with a beautiful ring of music to it. It sincerely delighted her.

Sheik dismounted and walked over to her, smiling, to her amazement. "I want my shirt back, now." She smiled sweetly and held up her hand. He grabbed it to help her up, only to have her yank him unsuspectingly to the ground. She rolled away from his fall and snickered as he hit the ground. He fell with skill, landing just so to break the fall. Rolling to look at her, a slight frown tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Malon looked skyward and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sunlight. She was so happy. Her one friend was back and was opening up to her. This had been the best day in a month.

"You're a good rider. Cobalt likes you. He tries to ditch most riders." She allowed a comfortable silence to descend between them. They listened to the gentle breeze and light noises from the horses.

"Hey Sheik." He hummed in acknowledgement. "Sheikah know a lot of gossip, right?"

He sat up warily. "Yes."

Malon fiddled with her brooch. "Have you heard about … a boy named Link?"

Sheik's eyes became blank again, like it was a business persona of his. "…What about him?"

Malon's heart fluttered. He had heard about him! She had so many questions, but she resigned to just one. With a simple expression, one that didn't betray her thoughts, she asked "Is he okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

She should have seen that one coming. "We used to be friends. But he disappeared about five years ago. I remember that he was always busy with dangerous tasks, but I just want to know if he's alive."

Sheik leaned back into the cool grass. "…one could say he's okay."

Malon was ecstatic. She hoped to see him again. Smiling, she smiled at Sheik playfully. "You ready to try again?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?"

She jumped up, ignoring the grass that clung to her skirt. "To catch me, silly! You didn't win yet. You were just taking a break." She whistled for Epona.

Sheik smirked. "As I recall, you stopped first." He lunged to grab her arm. She dodged and mounted Epona as the mare flew past. Laughing, Sheik ran to Cobalt, mounted, and began to chase her down again, never able to reach her.

It was sunset when Malon stopped again. She dismounted her exhausted horse with a sad look. Her free day was over and Ingo would come back soon. She had to get the horses inside before he came back.

Sheik stopped near her and noticed her expression. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Malon shook her sad thoughts away and smiled. "I'm okay." He dismounted and stroked Cobalt's neck, eyeing her warily. Sighing, Malon surveyed the sky to find the first star of the night. "I…really enjoyed today. It was such a thrill to be able to ride that much again. Especially with a friend." She smiled at him and reached into her skirt pocket. Gingerly, she pulled out his folded shirt. "I repaired the tear as well as I could."

He took it from her with a small smile. "Thank you."

"I could say the same." She responded. "You'd best be going now. Ingo will come back soon."

Sheik nodded and started trotting to the ranch wall. Malon bit her lip and shouted. "Sheik!"

He stopped and turned. She waved. "Come back again sometime! I want to ride with you again!" From the distance and the sun's glare, she couldn't see him well, but she could have sworn he was grinning. He gave his little salute and ran off, disappearing behind the wall.

Short, but kinda fun. This is roughly the halfway point of the story here. Things are about to pick up and the drama ensues. Yay!

As always, thanks for reading! And thanks for staying tuned!