A/N: Sorry I've been a while. Camp junior counseling. Grr. Stupid kids, trapping me in my tent…
Dia Newman: Yeah, it was. Midna is going to be more secretive and secluded now, because she thinks Zelda knows too much already…
Rauscser000: Prophetic dreams are awesome, aren't they?
GeekyZelda: Yay! New reader! Love the reviews. And thanks for the tip. I'll use that.
I brought in a couple of characters from another series in this chapter, one of which will come back. And before you ask, no, this is not turning into a Super Smash Bros. fic.
If anyone gets the musical reference for the time this chapter takes place, you deserve a cookie.
Also, I got an anonymous PM from someone I've never heard of before (who asked me to mention them, but not their name) who asked how old I actually am. Well, wouldn't you want to know?!
I dare you to review!
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One Year's Eternity
Chapter 23
December 31, 11:11 P.M. (Insert AAR joke here)
This will be the last time I ever listen to Midna, unless it's a life-or-death situation.
Turned out, her little 'New Year's Party' was a trip to a club for our closest friends. So Beck, Mikau, Lulu, Link, and I were forced to come to a club in downtown Castletown called 'The Sun Song'. Stupid name, if you ask me. But it was the highest class club in the vicinity of Castletown. To make matters worse, she forced me to wear a skin-tight, red strapless dress that only went halfway down my thighs. And the ratio of girls to guys in there was 1-5.
I made the decision to close off my mind from all but Midna.
As I squeezed my way through the sweaty, dancing crowds, many a man tried to touch me, all of them ending up with bloody noses and/or bruises. I got nasty looks from men, and many approving looks from the women. Even a few chuckles and shouts of agreement.
I found an empty booth, a rare thing in that place, and quickly claimed it as mine. I sat, catching my breath, for a few minutes, watching what was going on around me; girls refusing or accepting offers from desperate guys asking to buy them drinks, girls being used for toys for mens' entertainment, and a wet T-shirt contest in a corner stage. I swear, this place had everything degrading to women!
As my eyes strayed from the outside world, I saw a tan woman with red hair in an uncomfortable-looking high ponytail and amber eyes sit down next to me.
"You're the girl who's responsible for my boyfriend's bloody nose, aren't you?" she asks, in a kind of Gerudo accent.
Not surprising.
"I guess so," I answer hesitantly. "Why you ask?"
She then explodes in laughter. "'Cause! I wanted to thank you!" My eyes widened in surprise, causing the white-clad woman to erupt into laughter again. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known he had a wandering eye!"
I felt a sigh of relief escape my lips, and a smile followed after. "Well, now that I know you're not angry."
"Angry?" she slams her fist onto the table, making it shake a little. Her yellow-ish eyes are wide as she leans forward. "I'm the happiest I've ever been in a while! It's been a long time since I've seen a girl like you step up!"
"'Girl like me'?" I ask, somewhat offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She sat up straight, revealing that she was very muscular underneath her kind demeanor. "It means a girl like you; Hylians don't usually care."
"Oh, I'm not Hylian," I shook my head. "I'm Labrynnian."
"So, a neighbor to me, huh? You ever visit Gerudo Valley?"
I knew it.
"No, but one of my friends has."
Her silence is deafening. Her stare bores into my eyes, looking for something. "Friend, huh? Another Labrynnian?"
"No, h-" I stop. Remember the last time I said 'he' I had said too much. "They're Hylian. I think."
"You think?" She raises a crimson eyebrow at me.
"No one knows where h- they're from. Not even h- them." I stutter.
"It's a boy?"
Geez, I'm an open book aren't I?
I run a hand through my long, auburn hair, getting it out of my face.
"Boyfriend?" she begs.
I avoid her gaze, a shy smile curling onto my face. I look up for a split second to see Link at another booth, talking to a Holodrumian-looking woman as he stands up and walks away, much to her dislike. He doesn't see me, though. A voice rings through my head.
"I saw him, but he didn't see me."
I laugh to myself.
"Boyfriend," she says as if she was the first person to figure it out. She holds out a hand over the table. "I'm Nabooru Præsidium. You?"
I think for a second, debating if I can trust this woman. I come to the realization that if she deems me trustworthy enough for her name, I'll give her mine.
"Zelda H-" I freeze. I think. I breathe. "Zelda Harp."
She doesn't gasp. She doesn't leave. She doesn't give me a judgmental look. She just raises an eyebrow and gives me a sly smile.
"Awesome."
My eyes widen once again. She laughs again.
"Saras Harp, right?"
I nod.
"That's awesome! I mean, evil, but awesome!"
Something lights up in my head. I say it before I can think.
"My best friend Midna is Zant Twili's daughter."
Nabooru's jaw falls open. My turn to laugh.
"Now, how'd that happen?"
I hear a voice in my head.
Why?! Why did you tell someone?! I will kill you!
Midna's tone makes me cringe a little. I realize Nabooru has a confused look on her face.
"Fate, I guess."
She grunts a little. "I'll believe in Fate when it does something besides ruin my life."
She gets up and leaves without saying good-bye. I watch every guys she passes, all but one with blue hair, either whistle at her or try to grab her. She storms past all of them. The blue-haired one walks over to my booth.
"Never anger a Gerudo."
"Didn't mean to."
"I've never seen you here before."
If that isn't a pick-up line, I don't know what is.
"Never been here."
I see a girl staring at him, she also has blue hair. The man sees me looking past him and sees what I'm looking at. He turns back to me with a smirk.
"Don't mind Lucina. She's just my sister."
"Who brings their sister to a club on New Year's Eve?" I asked caustically.
"No one. The sister brings the brother."
"Good point."
He sits across from me, his dark blue hair getting in his face. He quickly flips his head and makes it go back out of his eyes.
Just like you, Link. Of course, you can't hear me.
"I'm Marth."
"Zelda."
Wow. I'm giving my name to a lot of strangers tonight, aren't I?
"Pretty name."
"Not really."
"Why not?"
I started talking in a mocking voice. "'Oh, you have the same name as the Princess of Destiny'! 'Do you really think you can do it, Princess?' Oh, you must be helpless, since your name is'!" I let out a huff of distaste.
His smirk changes sides of his face. "Hey, in my country, I'm teased for sharing the name of the 'Hero King'."
"Oh, you're from Altea?"
"That's what I'm told."
"What brings you to Hyrule?"
"My sister. What else?"
I laugh a little. "Good point."
"Do you have siblings?"
"No. Just-" I break off. Every time people used to asked me before if I had siblings, I said, 'No. Just my best friend, Nabu'. My eyes went dark and looked down at the table. Then I think for a second. "No." I correct myself. "Just my friends."
"Any of them close enough to be family?"
Is this an interrogation?
"Yeah. Midna, Beck, Lulu, Mikau, Link." I choke on the last name.
Marth seemed to notice my mishap, but shrugs it off. "Those are some colorful names."
"No kidding. There's also Saria and Marin."
"Wow. And I'm guessing the majority of those names belong to girls?"
"You know what," I look back at him, "yeah. I never thought of that."
We continued talking until about midnight. His sister, Lucina, called him back right before the people who were in couples starting kissing and the people who came by themselves were counting down from ten. I saw a hand reach out to me.
"Let's go," a familiar, soft voice says. I look up to Link, his trademark smirk adorned on his face.
"Are we really going to be one of those couples?"
"Yep," he says as he pulls me out of the booth. I had been sitting for so long, my legs were stiff and wobbly, but I walked along anyway, holding onto Link's arm for support. He guides me to a corner that was probably the only clean place in the club. But he didn't stop walking. He grabbed a rope dangling from the ceiling. A ladder fell from a hole. He started climbing. He turned back around, offering a hand to me. I reluctantly follow. We end up in a small room with nothing but a door. I followed him out, the brisk breeze chasing me once he opened the small door. I looked, seeing that I was on top of the building. I looked back at him, looking out at the streets with no one on them.
"How'd you know about this place?" I asked him. I grabbed my bare arms, searching for a warmth that wasn't there.
"Easy; this used to be Telma's bar. A couple of brothers, they called themselves 'the Composers', they bought out Telma and turned this place into what it is now." He turned back to me, smirk still intact.
"OKAY, EVERYONE!" the barkeep yells from a distance. He must have had one powerful voice if I could hear him on the roof. "It's almost midnight! I'll start the countdown! NOW!"
"TEN!" we hear the people from inside. I'm filled with anxious excitement.
"NINE!"
"EIGHT!"
"SEVEN!"
He grabbed my arm and tugged gently like a child. I stepped closer to him, to find that he was, miraculously, still warm. Somewhere in there, the people shouted 'SIX'.
"FIVE!"
I wrapped my frigid arms around his heated neck.
"FOUR!"
He wove his hands around my waist.
"THREE!"
He leaned down. I leaned up.
"TWO!"
I felt his breath cascade onto my face.
One more…
"ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
One more kiss, more magical than the rest…
.
A/N: Cheesy ending, I know, and I didn't feel like changing 'New Year's' to something else like I did Christmas. Sowwy. Anyway, please review! Two words is better than none! See ya!