A/N: Wow. It's been a while hasn't it. Writer's block really sucks. Hopefully the next boss fight will make up for it, but until then, you'll have to make do with these chapters.

Short little recap: Cody has resolved himself to see the quest through to the end and has gained a new technique. He has also returned to normal for the most part.

And now for chapter nineteen.

Chapter 19: Aftermath

Cody:

"The Quick Step?" I asked. "It's not a very imaginative name…"

"I'm not the one that n-named it!"

We were making our way back down the mountain. I was still not feeling a hundred percent myself, but I was no longer moping either. Malon was hanging back with me. Via was being a little less shy today and was floating in between me and Malon.

I never realized it, but Via actually knew a lot about how the Zephyr Boots worked. Apparently, if you pour enough power into the boots, you can put on a quick burst of speed that would make it appear as if you teleported (to the untrained eye: i.e. mine).

"I still can't believe you did that," Malon said, sounding excited, "I couldn't even see you move!"

"But didn't he p-pass out shortly after using it?"

"Can we please forget about that?" I groaned. Shortly after I had used Quick Step, a wave of exhaustion had hit me so hard that I collapsed to the ground. Apparently, it took a lot of energy.

"Where are we going n-now?" Via asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I'm the guy from Earth, remember?"

Malon gave me a strange look, "You seem to be acting a little… different."

"Different?" I asked, confused, "I'm acting like I normally do…"

"Well, you're a little bit more talkative than normal," she said, smiling a little. "It's kind of refreshing actually."

"And you're a little bit more s-sarcastic."

"Was that a compliment or an insult?"

Malon and Via both laughed.

"So, Cody?" Malon asked, looking at me with a grin, "How do you like your new tunic?"

I looked down at the tunic I was wearing. The tunic was a simple affair. It was a plain white color, and it was also surprisingly comfortable. I also had on a leather belt that my sword's sheath could better attach to. I was still wearing my gray jacket and my jeans, but a goron seamstress had patched them both up rather nicely. They had also been thoroughly washed. I was quite surprised that there were no blood stains in either of the garments.

"It's rather nice," I said appreciatively.

Malon giggled, "I'm glad you like it."

She was the one who picked it out.

It had been a few days since the attack on Goron City. The attack was not nearly as devastating as the fires of Kakariko, but a few gorons did die. Thankfully, the shadows started out fairly weak, and they did not gain their combat skills fast enough to become truly dangerous (to be honest, I'm not sure why Malgum would really bother with them on a tactical level). I did not remember most of it because I had been completely drained. What Saria said about the Zephyr Boots was definitely true, in a big way. Most of the waiting time had been due to me not having enough energy to move. During this time, I had discovered the wonders and horrors of Red Potions. It had extraordinary healing properties, but it was also one of the nastiest things I had ever tasted. What was really weird about the ordeal was that Link had been pretty civil towards me.

Not necessarily nice… but definitely civil.

The road to Kakariko was surprisingly deserted. There were no four-legged spiders this time around (thankfully). It was like the time we were going through Lost Woods after we defeated Aviosis.

Was Malgum causing the monsters to act up?

And what was he after? Why did he need the Sword of Darkness?

Things were getting harder and harder to understand…

In the distance, I could see the burned husk that was Kakariko. Most of the standing structures had collapsed, but some had withstood the flame (well, at least a little). I grew quiet as we approached. The past few days had done nothing to dim the memories of what had happened here. I still felt the terror, the heat, and, most importantly, the guilt. I would probably take those memories with me to my grave.

As we entered the village, I saw that a fair amount of the villagers had come back to the village from Castle Town. Most of them were sifting through the rubble; they were probably looking for lost valuables in the hopes that they did not burn up in the fires.

Many of the villagers recognized our group as we passed through the village. I heard the sounds of greeting and thanks from many people that I did not know. I could feel their gratitude for all that we had done.

Did I really deserve any of it?

We were almost out of the village, when I saw her. I had only got a glimpse of her face the first time around, but there was no denying it.

The little girl that I had almost let die was chasing a chicken through the village, as happy as she could be.

"Is something wrong, Cody?" Malon asked.

I shook my head and looked ahead. When I had spotted the girl, I had come to a stop without realizing it. Nobody else had noticed and had kept on walking (or in Via's case, flying) on without me. After Malon spoke up, everyone turned to look at me.

I motioned to them to go on, "Keep going. I'll catch up." I ran off after the girl without further explanation. Via flew after me while the others watched, completely dumbfounded.

The little girl had stopped to catch her breath, allowing the poor chicken to get away and for me to catch up to her. She turned to look at me, her eyes filled with curiosity. She had some bandages on her face and her left arm, probably covering up her burns. She had long red hair that extended down her back and blue eyes. In fact, she looked almost like a younger version of Malon (though this girl's hair was a darker red). The girl could not have been more than five years old.

I tried to say something, but I could not bring myself to say anything. Why did I come over here anyway? I saw her and felt that I needed to do… something. Apologize? All I was doing now was making things awkward…

"Hiya!" The girl said cheerfully. I guess she did not find the situation as awkward as I found it.

"Hello," I replied back. I still was not sure what I should be saying. "How are you doing?"

Now I am starting to feel creepy as well as awkward. Maybe I should just leave…

"I'm doin' fine," she said, the same cheerful smile on her face. "I'm just chasing Mr. Cucco." She immediately started pouting, "He doesn't wanna play with me…"

I could not help but chuckle at the expression on her face, "Chickens can be mean, can't they?"

She looked at me curiously, "What's a chicken?"

… So that was not a chicken…

"It's nothing. Never mind."

She looked at me, clearly confused (and me feeling like an idiot), when her face lit up, "You're with Mister Link aren't cha?"

I nodded, returning her smile. Her cheerfulness was contagious. I could not help but smile. "Yeah. We're on a mission together."

"Are you goin' to stop the bad man?" she asked, her eyes filling with hope.

I assumed that she was talking about Malgum, "Yeah. We will definitely stop him. You have my word."

"Kay!" she said, her cheerful demeanor returning. "I know you guys can do it! You have Link with you!"

About that time, the chicken (or whatever it was called) named Mr. Cucco wandered back into view. Apparently, he completely forgot about the traumatic experience he went through just five minutes prior.

"Mr. Cucco!" the girl cried out joyfully.

The chicken-thing froze, suddenly realizing its error. The girl started running towards Mr. Cucco, but stopped after just a few steps. She turned and faced me again, smiling, "My name's Nadine. What's yours?"

I returned her smile, "I'm Cody."

She grinned, "It was nice to meet'cha Cody!" With that, she tore off after the poor chicken, Mr. Cucco squawking in protest.

I chuckled as I watched little Nadine chase after Mr. Cucco. Via was fluttering beside me. "Are you going to b-be okay?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

As I watched the spectacle in front of me, I started wondering if I really was okay. Why did I want to meet the little girl that I could not save?

Then it dawned on me. It was so simple that I could not believe it took me this long to realize it. When you hear about tragedy, you often talk about how bad it is, but you will eventually forget about it (at least, it will no longer be so prominent). It was not like it happened to you. They were just faceless strangers.

I did not want to forget though. The people that I was brought here to protect were real people, not faceless strangers. Nadine was a real girl. She liked to run, play, chase defenseless chickens… a good girl all around.

For the first time, I realized that I wanted to protect her and all the rest of the people here on this world.

Via was still hovering over me. She was starting to get anxious at my long silence.

"Yeah," I said finally, "I think I will be."

And for the first time since coming here, I felt that I truly meant it.

Link:

"What is he doing?" Malon asked as we watched Cody talking to the little girl.

"He's a glutton for punishment," I muttered to myself.

"How was your business in Goron City," said a voice behind us.

We all turned around to see Impa. The sheikah warrior had a smile on her face as she regarded us.

"Impa!" Zelda exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be staying at the Castle?"

"Yes princess, I was." Impa turned to face me, "But in all the excitement, I forgot to give Link something. I was going to go up to Goron City to give it to you, but since you are here…"

From behind her back she pulled out a large package. I took the package from her and looked at her questioningly.

She smiled at me, "It is the sacred treasure of the Shadow Temple. You might remember it."

The sacred treasure of the Shadow Temple…

I quickly opened the package and pulled out the two objects inside: the Hover Boots. I grinned at Impa, "Thanks. I'm sure these will come in handy."

Impa nodded at me, "It was no problem. Just remember our promise."

"I will."

Impa turned and bowed to Zelda, "I will take my leave. Please be careful princess."

With that, she turned around and walked away.

We stood there in silence as we watched her leave the village. "Hey Link," Zelda asked after Impa disappeared from view. "What promise did you make Impa?"

I shrugged as I put the Hover Boots away, "It's nothing."

"She told you to protect me didn't she…?"

I could sense something far more dangerous than Volvagia brewing. "You know… just in case…"

"Are you saying I can't protect myself?" she asked. There was a glint in her eye that I was not entirely sure that I liked…

"It's not that at all!" I said quickly, but I could already tell that it was too late.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cody walking up to Malon, Via close behind him. "What's going on?" he asked Malon.

Malon shrugged, "Link's busy digging his own grave."

"Ah, sounds like fun."

"You think I can't protect myself?" Zelda said with a smile. However, her eyes told me that the smile was definitely a lie. "We'll just have to see about that…"

Help me…

Cody:

I probably would have had more fun with Link being in the dog house, except that Zelda was scaring the crap out of me as well. Malon had driven the wagon without comment, singing to herself the entire time (it was a catchy tune: I might need her to teach it to me on my ocarina). Link had sat in the back of the wagon as far from Zelda as he could get. Zelda sat towards the front, pretending that nothing had happened. I sat between the two with Via (I regretted the seating arrangement the entire time).

According to Link, the next stop in our journey was the Zora's domain (the city of the fish people). We crossed a bridge over Zora River (don't look at me, I didn't name it). The bridge looked to be recently constructed. We traveled along the river for a while until we reached a point where the wagon could no longer go. It was getting late, so we decided to set up camp there until the morning.

Much to my chagrin, Zelda insisted that I help her practice her sheikah battle arts. I am quite convinced that she just wanted to blow off steam…

During our sparing, I discovered two things: I was much better at armed combat than hand-to-hand combat… and Zelda hits hard when she is angry…

"That was a good session Mr. Williams," Zelda said happily as she stretched.

"It's Cody…" I muttered as I rubbed my jaw. She had clocked me in the same spot that Link had hit me a few days earlier. And it had almost finished healing…

"Right, sorry," Zelda said, still smiling. At least she was feeling better now…

"Hey!" Malon shouted from over by the campfire. "Dinner's almost ready!"

"Well," Zelda said, "I'm going to go see if Malon needs help with anything."

I grunted as Zelda ran off. I could not help but wonder if, as a princess, Zelda was ever actually taught how to cook…

I felt something hit me in the back. It didn't hurt, but I spun around quickly all the same. Standing behind me was Link, holding a wooden sword. Like me, his weapon was stored by the wagon (I did not want the sword to get in the way while I sparred with Zelda). I looked down at my feet to discover that the object that was thrown at me was another wooden sword. I looked back up to Link who gestured at the sword on the ground. I guess he wanted me to pick it up. I reached down slowly to grab the blade and when I had it, I sprung back up quickly. Link rolled his eyes at me.

"I noticed that you seem to favor a sword and shield style of combat."

"Yeah."

"I also noticed that your shield breaks fairly often."

"Yeah…?" I said, wondering what he was trying to get at.

Link set himself up in a two-handed stance. "I think you would probably be able to fight better from a two-handed position if you aren't going to use a real shield."

Wait a second… was Link giving me… advice!?

As I stare at him dumbfounded, he raised his eyebrow at me. "Well…?"

Well what…? Oh! He wants me to copy him doesn't he?

Since Link was left-handed, I simply mirrored his stance. I felt the knowledge that had been placed within me react. There were apparently many different types of combat that involved two-handed swords. I decided to try and focus on a style that favored speed and agility over one that favored power (my sword is not exactly a zwei-hander and I am definitely not made of muscle).

Link smiled when he saw me finish setting up. "Good. Now, let's test you to make sure you've got it down."

"Wait," I said before Link could make a move.

He stopped mid-swing and frowned. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath before continuing, "About what happened…"

Link shook his head, "I may have been a bit harsh and for that, I apologize."

I blinked in surprise. I was not actually expecting an apology. "Actually, I wanted to apologize… and to thank you."

Link raised his eyebrow again, "Thank me…? For punching you?"

"Ye-, No," I said, scrambling to tell him what I wanted to say. "I wanted to thank you for the wake up call. I needed it. I'm no longer just fighting for myself now."

Link nodded. "Just don't repeat the same mistake again." Link then grinned, "But we're training now. You better focus or I might just hurt you."

I grinned back at him, "Bring it on elf-boy!"

"Tomorrow, we'll practice switching between two combat styles on the fly," Link told me sagely while Zelda tended to the cut above his eye. Our practice session had been less about training me and more about beating the crap out of each other with our wooden swords.

"You guys do realize that you're supposed to kill Malgum and not each other, right?" Malon asked as she wrapped my shoulder. My jacket and tunic were lying on the ground beside us. For the first time in, well ever, I did not mind having my shirt off in front of others. To be honest, the one great thing about coming to Hyrule would definitely be the Dimensional Sword's effect on my body.

"We weren't trying to kill each other," I said defensively. "Where I come from, beating each other up is considered a form of male bonding!"

"Oh really," Malon said sarcastically as she purposely pulled the bandage too tight (eliciting a yelp from me).

Via, who was floating near my head, muttered, "Male bonding is sc-scary…"

I shrugged and grinned. At least things appeared to be back on track…

A/N: They're now after the Orb of Water. It looks like Cody and Link have finally come to an understanding and are on the path to becoming friends.

And now that they are heading to the Zora's Domain, guess who poor Link is going to have to deal with ;) .

Stay tuned.