Link groaned quietly as he woke up. He felt like he had been hit by a charging Bullbo. His entire torso stung. He winced as he sat up and tried to remember what had happened. He remembered a guy with sand-colored hair and foreign outfit similar to Amaterasu's kimono. He cursed silently and looked around. That Ninetails guy was nowhere to be found. Neither were Amaterasu and Issun. Only Epona was nearby, and she seemed to be asleep.

He stood up rather shakily. It was now that he noticed that he was shirtless, and covered with small scars and bandages. He must've been out for a few days. But oddly enough, he didn't feel hungry or thirsty like he thought he should have. It was odd. Any other time that he had been that badly injured, he always woke up starving.

"Hey, Link!" called Issun's voice. The young hero saw the little sprite bouncing toward him. The Poncle hopped up onto his shoulder. "It's about time you woke up! Come on, we need your help with something."

"What is it?"

"You'll see. It's actually kind of embarrassing."

Link gave the tiny man a confused glance before walking in the direction that Issun had come from. It was calm and quiet in the forest again. The birds were singing, and the sun was shining brightly. It was a gorgeous day.

"Dammit!" shouted Amaterasu's voice. When she was finally in view, Link could see her crouched down, looking as though she was struggling to lift something. "How is this thing so heavy!?"

"What seems to be the problem?" Link asked curiously. Amaterasu turned to reply. Her face suddenly turned about three or four shades of red before she looked away from Link's shirtless form, leaving the young Hylian wondering what she was thinking.

Ammy cleared her throat. "I-it's your sword," she said. "No matter what, I can't seem to pick it up. How did you do it?"

Link walked over to Amaterasu's side – the goddess still looking away from him – bent down, and picked up the Master Sword like it was a feather, making Amaterasu's eyes widen in shock and confusion.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"What do you mean? I just picked it up. Simple as that."

"But I couldn't lift that thing at all! How could you lift it so easily!?"

"Oh. Well, it's because of this." The Hylian held up his left hand, allowing the Triforce mark on the back of his hand to glow brightly. "Only people who bare this mark are capable of even lifting the Master Sword. And I'm the only one capable wielding the sword at its maximum power."

"What is that mark?" Issun asked as he bounced up onto Ammy's shoulder. Link chuckled a little.

"I'm not that good at explanations about stuff like that," he admitted. "Princess – er, Queen Zelda is better at that."

"And I'm guessing she's still in Hyrule," Amaterasu stated. Link nodded. "Well, we'd better get going. And Link?"

"Yeah?"

Ammy turned red again. "Would you please put a shirt on?"

-o-

Two days later, they finally arrived in the Kingdom of Hyrule, riding on Epona. Amaterasu and Issun both looked out in awe at the great expanse of land before them. It was even bigger than they had expected. And Link was right about the scenery. The vast fields were rich with bright green grass, colorful flowers, tall trees, and the occasional wild animal. Not only that, but even the weather was perfect.

"Yep," Link said when he looked at the goddess and the Poncle. "This is my homeland. The great Kingdom of Hyrule. Accept no substitutes."

"It's beautiful," Amaterasu said admiringly.

"You can say that again, Ammy," Issun agreed. "Remind me to paint a landscape work for this place later."

Link nudged Epona forward and said, "First stop, Castle Town. Then we'll head for Hyrule Castle."

"Hey, Link," Issun spoke up, getting the Hero of Twilight's attention. "I was just wondering; what are the women here like?"

"I'm guessing more or less the same as the women of Nippon," Link replied. "Just with different outfits. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." Issun slowly gained a slightly perverted grin. He then received another death glare from Amaterasu. He immediately turned the other way. "Anyway, how long until we get to the castle?"

"Shouldn't be too long," Link said as he began estimating the approximate time. "About an hour maybe? I know a couple of different routes we can take. Would you prefer a short cut or the scenic route?"

"We need to save time," Ammy pointed out. "We should get to the castle as fast as possible."

Link nodded. "The short cut it is then. Hang on tight!" He cracked Epona's reigns, and the chestnut mare neighed as she bolted off. Amaterasu yelped in surprise and tightened her grip around Link's waist to keep herself from falling off the horse.

She looked up and was about ask him to slow down, but she stopped. He looked back her with a confident grin and those sharp, wild blue eyes. For some reason, she suddenly felt… safe. It was weird. She had innumerable enemies. She was never safe. But looking into Link's strong, confident eyes… she really felt like she could rely on him. Maybe it was just trust between fellow adventurers? Yeah, that had to be it. But that didn't explain why her heart had suddenly started racing.

She remembered that, as she was healing Link with the Brush Technique of Yomigami, her heart had started racing then as well. When she took off his shirt and saw his toned body, she had to resist the urge to just sit there and stare at him. She still wondered why she had to.

Well, she thought. He is kind of… She immediately shook her head. Why was she thinking these things? Aren't gods supposed to not feel like that about a mortal? "Look where you're going!"

Link blinked and faced forward. He yelped in surprise when he saw that they were headed for a cliff. Fortunately, Epona was smart enough to turn and head toward Castle Town again. The green-clad hero sighed and thanked Amaterasu for her vigilance.

They eventually made it to Castle Town's East Gate. Link was eager to get back to the castle, where Ilia and Zelda awaited his return. They passed through the open gates. The first thing Link noticed was how empty the street was. Though unusual, it wasn't surprising. The most activity was in the square anyway. But what really unnerved him was the fact that there was no guard posted at the gate. There was always a guard there, whether they were alert or asleep.

"Something's not right," he said quietly. Amaterasu nodded in agreement. Though she had never been to Castle Town, she had been to Sei-an City. Places like this were always booming with activity.

As they went through the town, they saw a couple of guards conversing. Link sighed with relief. If the guards were still in town, then things might not be as bad as he first thought. No monsters at least.

Link waved at the guards, one of whom pointed at him. The two guards approached Link and Amaterasu… with spears pointing right at their faces.

"What the?" Link said in surprise. "What's going on?"

"Link of Ordona Province," the guard whose spear was aimed at Link. "You and your accomplice are under arrest under the charge of triple homicide."