A/N: Sorry if I kept you readers waiting too long... school + my laziness = a double whammy for this kinda thing... ^.^; Anyway, there may not be any action in this chapter, but our little heroes deserve a break, don'tcha think? Enjoy the story~!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: DeaAradia, i-wish-a7x, and LittlePidgey~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!

Chapter 21: Why Green is Scared of Princess Ruto

~That night~

The four boys have returned to the guest cottage after being invited to dinner with Rutela. It has six beds arranged in three rows in a dormitory-style bedroom, a small den/living room with a few couches and comfy chairs, and a small kitchen. They're currently in the den. Green is laying on one couch and Vio and Shadow are sitting together on the couch across from him. Vaati is sitting in a comfy chair in the corner nearest to Green, looking slightly bored and half-asleep. Green has been much quieter than usual ever since they got here, and Shadow's sick of waiting for him to explain himself.

"(Shadow) Alright Green, spill it. You've been acting really weird ever since this "Princess Ruto" girl was mentioned, and it's obvious that you've been here before... Explain already!"

"(Green) I said I don't want to talk about it..."

Shadow glares at him.

"(Shadow) Do I look like I care? I'm the formerly-evil one, remember? Tell us already!"

Vio is trying to keep himself from laughing while Vaati looks faintly interested, perking up a bit as he decides that he doesn't want to take another nap after all. Green gives up, letting out a small sigh.

"(Green) Fine, you win. This isn't the first time I've been here, just like you guessed. It's actually the second. The first was several years ago, back when Zora's Domain was still isolated from the rest of Hyrule. I was around nine at the time and so was Zelda. Her father came here on a diplomatic mission to open relations with the mysterious and secluded Zora race, while Zelda tagged along. My father was part of their escort since he's the General and he brought me along with him. While Zelda's dad and the King of the Zoras were negotiating and everything, Zelda and I met and started playing with the Zora princesses, Ruto and Rutela. Ruto was nine, the same age as me, and Rutela was eight."

"(Shadow) So you kids were sent off to play together to keep you out of the adults' hair, huh? Niiice."

"(Green) Yeah... *sighs*"

"(Vio) What happened while you were here?"

"(Green) I'm getting to that. Ruto decided she had to force me to marry her the minute she found out my name was "Link." Something about some family tradition thing where the first Zora princess to be named Ruto gave this jewel called the Zora Sapphire to a young hero named Link, making him her fiance, but never actually managed to marry him... So now she thinks that she's fated to force me to marry her to avenge the first Ruto since her "Link" escaped her."

Green shudders.

"(Shadow) And Zelda didn't smack her?"

"(Green) No. Why would she? Zelda's like a sister to me..."

The red-eyed Link laughs, one of his fang-like canines showing.

"(Shadow) Green, you've sure got it tough with the girls... Not one, but two princesses crushing on you? That's gotta be some kinda record or something! Especially since you-- Mmph!"

Green gives Vio a thankful glance, his cheeks flushed. Said purple-clad hero just covered his mischievious friend's mouth, much to the half-dragon Hylian's relief.

"(Vio) Shadow, I don't think Green wants people to make any strange assumptions about him. Vaati's listening, remember?"

He uncovers Shadow's mouth and the grey-clad boy nods in agreement.

"(Shadow) Oh yeah, I kinda forgot the purple brat was there for a second. After all, he's actually being quiet for once... Sorry about that, Green."

Vaati seems even more interested than before, deep in thought as something clicks in his mind.

"(Vaati) ...Hihihi... Hihihi...!"

'Vio and Shadow are obviously crushing on each other... And from the way the Red and Blue "Links" acted at the Sanctuary, their situation is likely to be similar... Green is afraid of people thinking he might be gay! How hilarious! Hihihihihi...!'

Vaati starts laughing uncontrollably, shaking with each hysterical giggle that escapes his lips. He's obviously caught on to something... Green stares at him for a moment, then takes a deep breath and resumes his explanation, speaking so quickly that his words run together.

"(Green) ......... *speaking so fast that his words make absolutely no sense whatsoever*"

Shadow gives the hysterical Wind Sorcerer a disconcerted glance as his giggle fit starts to die down before turning back to Green.

"(Shadow) Uhhh, what? You talked waaaay too quickly just now."

"(Vio) He said: "Ruto said that she's going to challenge me to a duel the next time she sees me! And that if she wins, I'll have to marry her! I'm avoiding her because I don't want to marry Ruto!!""

"(Shadow) Oh. Thanks, Vio. Green, do you seriously think she could beat you? So much for being the fearless Left-Handed Hero! Hahaha!"

Green shoots his red-eyed friend an annoyed glance.

"(Green) It's not that! She has a tactical advantage!"

"(Shadow) What do you mean?"

"(Vio) It's probably related to her weapon of choice."

Vio goes into "teacher mode;" imaginary hat, pointer, chalkboard and all.

"(Vio) Different weapons have advantages over or disadvantages against other weapons due to differences in reach, power, mobility, speed, and other factors such as special traits specific to a weapon, like our swords' ability to collect Force. For example, take two fighters with equal skill levels with their weapons. One uses a boomerang, the other a bow and arrow. A boomerang travels in a curved arc, making it more versatile than a bow and arrow. However, a bow and arrow has a much greater range than a boomerang as well as being more powerful. Therefore, a bow and arrow may have an advantage depending on the situation, but the boomerang could also have an advantage, too."

Shadow sweat drops.

"(Shadow) Uhhh, right."

'I'll just pretend I understood all that while it sinks in...'

"(Vio) Anyway, what weapon does she use, Green?"

"(Green) All of the Zora warriors I've seen use custom-made javelins suited for underwater combat, so I'm guessing that Ruto uses one, too. Spears have a longer reach than swords, meaning that even if all she can do is simply keep me from getting close, that's still enough to make things really tough for me. Plus, knowing her, she'd probably force me to fight her in the middle of the lake or something just to give her even more of an edge. I don't want to give her any chance of possibly beating me at all, so avoiding her is my best bet. That way she can't ever make me marry her..."

Shadow stares at Green for a moment, then bursts out laughing.

"(Shadow) Ahahahahaha! Green's afraid of a girl! This is great!"

"(Green) I am not scared of her!"

"(Shadow) Really? 'Cause you sure sounded like it!"

"(Green) I am NOT afraid of Ruto!!"

Shadow grins.

"(Shadow) Prove it, then. Let her have her little duel and be done with the whole mess. Unless, of course, you're too scared of losing?"

He draws out the word "scared," his voice a lazy drawl laden with mischief. Vaati watches with interest, his giggle fit finally over with, and Vio just sighs.

'Why do I get the feeling that I'm the only "Link" who isn't an idiot in some way...?'

Green gulps nervously, then steels himself, falling for his friend's taunt.

"(Green) Fine, I'll do it. If only so you'll stop teasing me..."

He yawns, rubbing his eyes.

"(Green) Dunno about you guys, but I'm going to sleep."

Shadow yawns and stretches lazily.

"(Shadow) Yeah, it's gotten pretty late, hasn't it? I'm just about ready to turn in, too. What about you, Vio?"

"(Vio) Sleeping in a nice soft bed for once definitely sounds good to me. Looks like Vaati beat us all to it, though."

The purple-skinned youth is fast asleep in his chair, looking surprisingly cute with a peaceful expression on his face...

"(Shadow) Wow, the brat sure can sleep. He's been napping on and off all day!"

"(Green) ..."

'He's so exhausted because he wore himself out helping me and still hasn't recovered...'

"(Green) You guys go on ahead. I'll get him."

The other two boys head off to the bedroom and Green follows, carrying Vaati easily.

'He's so light... Even without this strange strength I have now, it would still be really easy to carry him... Isn't being so light for this size unhealthy...? Or is it just because he's a Wind Sorcerer? He can't really be a Picori, right...?'

He shakes his head, sighing quietly to himself.

"(Green) I'm overthinking this because I'm tired, that's all..."

The four boys go to sleep, Vaati and Green taking the two beds nearest the window and Shadow and Vio the middle pair of beds, leaving the two beds nearest the door empty.

~Meanwhile~

"(Ruto) Unnngh... Wh-what was that thing, zora...?"

The missing Zora princess and unnofficial warrior slowly picks herself up off the sand of the tiny island's beach, just waking up.

"(Ruto) Ouch...!"

She winces as she tries to stand up, rubbing at her ankle. It's red, swollen, and very sore. The kitten is curled up next to her and appears to be asleep.

"(Ruto) Looks like I was knocked out for a while, zora... The moon is out already. I won't be able to get back to Zora's Domain today, not with those insane water currents and a twisted ankle, zora... I guess I'd better just settle down here for the night and hope Rutela doesn't get worried and tell anyone that I went to investigate this island and the strange monster that's disturbing the peaceful waters of Lake Hylia. Father must be panicked enough about me already, zora. He'd just be even more upset if he knew where I was. I should get some rest..."

A/N: Ruto's a tough princess, huh? No crying or being scared for her; she just hunkers down and thinks rationally about the situation instead! Did you spot the Green-x-Vaati fluff? And should I have had Vaati just pretend to be sleeping? Ideas are always welcome, and I'm perfectly willing to go back and re-vamp chapters if they can be improved~! Anyway... Please review! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just please review! I even allow anonymous reviews, too! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes*