Chapter 11: A Prince Worth Following~

The dust settled and the smoke cleared. Somehow the rest of Tokyo had slept through this entire battle in high places.

Now it seemed to the eyes of all those who knew her, that Cologne was changed in shape. She was young, no more than 30 years, and dressed like one of the warriors of the ancient Sheikah race, protectors of the Hylian royal family.

Shampoo came slipping out of the throngs of people who had witnessed all of this.

"Grandma? Look different, for sure."

Cologne turned to face her. "I'm not your grandmother, Shanpu. I am your mother. The story is a long and troubling one. But in another life, I was Queen Impa of the Hylians, a Princess of the House of Guardians, the wife of Ganon, King of the Hylians, the one we call the Master in our circle,Happosai..., I say your name because I want you to hear me... You are my daughter,Shanpu, my youngest child. My older children are the twin prince and princess, Link and Zelda, the Peace Children. And I would have been Queen in Hylia forever, and no nurse maid, had not a goddess and adultery ended my reign...And stolen the soul of my only son..."

She pointed down to the comatose boy laying in his own ashes.

"Wait. No understand. You mean demon boy is big brother? Tell truth now..."

Impa bowed her head, and the heavens began to cry. Zelda split forms from Ranma, and she ran forward, weeping bitterly, and fell down in a heap protectively kneeling over her brother's crumpled body.

Suddenly Kuno Kodachi also broke ranks.

"DEMON! THAT DEMON! HE BROUGH THIS UPON US!"

She started swinging her fists in the air, and suddenly Ranma moved without even blinking or forming thoughts, to use himself as a human shield against Kodachi's puny attacks, and whoever else would dare disturb the troubled dreamer.

"Talk about stupid! He just saved your worthless, dog meat lives! " Ranma spat, annoyed.

No sooner had the insulting words left his mouth, than he felt Akane crash into him like a boulder rolling off a mountain peak, and felt her lips fuse his shut. She kissed him so hard his eyes watered, and he felt his entire body flush tomato red, not really sure why he'd be so embarrassed,... she was his fiancée.

"You saved MY life, Ranma! Again! And Kasumi's life too!" she cried, hugging him so hard he made a loud choking chihuahua sound, and then laughed, hugging her awkwardly back. Even Ryoga was smiling at him, arms folded, and he nodded with a wink.

"Way to go, Saotome!"

Kasumi came, and gently kissed Ranma's cheek. He blushed again, confused. Yeah he had done awesome. But Link is really the one who had saved them all in the end...

"Zelda?!" he heard Link's voice gasp on a sudden.

"I'm here, brother!"

"Zelda, wait, no...don't get too close to me...I could...destroy you."

"You aren't a demon, Link. You are only wearing a demon's form, because of what Farore did to you...To all of us. We shall make Farore pay. You are going to lead us into battle against her."

Suddenly Zelda stood up, "BEFORE THE EYES OF THE MASTER!" she cried, and Ranma looked up and saw Happosai, now looking much younger himself, walk into the crowd,

"SHOW ME THE TRUE FORM OF LINK, PRINCE OF SHADOWS!"

She stretched forth her hand, and a golden light burst from it, and Ranma thought maybe it was her own life force attack.

The light hit Link, and instead of knocking him down, it baptised him in golden white light for a long moment.

And then before them all he stood, in armor as white as lighting, hair like white gold lighting, eyes like lighting and every time he looked at them it pulverized them.

He had a sword in his hands.

"Before it was the Master's sword...corrupted by the blood curse of the Goddess Farore...This was the Sword of the Prince, forged for him by Nayru herself, from the very heart of a star. That star she gave to Kasumi, so that it could live. The sword is Kasumi's soul, bound up in everlasting light, in goodness and purity eternal. That is why she wants to destroy Kasumi so badly,because the sword is sworn to her protection, and has the grace of the stars, only as long as Tendo Kasumi breathes. The sword is also the Soul of my Prince. Not a demon, Kuno Kodachi...No, but a dark angel of death...Kasumi's guardian angel, and the only one who can lift the curse that Ganon and Farore cast on us by their adultery."

Tendo Soun swallowed, meeting Link's eyes, "This is a story I think we should hear from beginning to end. Over dinner. The Prince our Leader will tell the whole thing."

Ranma came up to Link just then, and clapped an arm around his shoulders. Link looked at him in surprise, and everyone else did too. Usually Ranma made other boys his rivals. For once, and almost instantly, he had decided that this strange accursed boy was his friend.

"Heck, I'll follow this guy! It'd be stupid not to, did you see what he did to Din? Also, he's the only one who can call off the Shadow, and I hate that little freak more than I've ever hated anybody my entire life!"

"Well, that settles it then. Come on, sonny, you'll come into the Dojo and tell the whole sob story front to back, WITHOUT Happosai interrupting. Kasumi can make us some tea..." said Cologne ,who was really Impa, and they all crowded into the Dojo, Akane glueing herself to Ranma's side, and beaming. Everyone who saw her that day could swear she was actually glowing, though Ranma would never have noticed that about "uncute fiancée"...