Chapter 60 time! Jees, can't believe I've been keeping the story going this long! It's been a lot of fun to write and I hope you all have been having reading it!
Sometime after the meeting, the group decided take it easy for the rest of the day, at least until Link changed back into an adult again.
The problem though was that it was hardly relaxing for Link at all, as some of the girls couldn't stop fawning over the little guy. Ruto and Sarami eventually decided to take turns snuggling the small king.
"Oh I'm so happy to get to be able to see you like this Link-sweetie!" Sarami said with Link on her lap, once again hugging him so closely his head was stuck between her breasts, "You're just as cute as I thought you'd be!"
"Mmph." Link muffled from his position.
"Hey, you're sure you didn't make him a child with that mix drink on purpose, right…?" Nemisa asked suspiciously as she watched the doctor hold him.
"Why of course not!" Sarami said defensively, but then added, "... if I knew a chu jelly combination could yield such an amazing result I might have tried it on him sooner..." She giggled with her glasses gleaming, as she snuggled Link closer.
"This isn't the time for jokes! You turned my husband pint-sized!" Nemisa shouted, doing what she could to keep from whacking the good doctor upside the head.
"Ah don't worry about it Nemisa, I don't really mind as long as it's temporary." Link said, pulling his head out from Sarami's embrace and looking to his fiance, sporting his big goofy grin to assure her.
Nemisa's eyes widened at Link's bright expression and looked away grumbling, with a light blush on her face.
"Y-You're just saying that cause of how Sarami is holding you... perverted little moron..." Nemisa muttered.
"Well she is very comfortable." Link grinned, leaning back against Sarami, his head resting against her right breast.
"Hmph..." Nemisa pouted a bit.
"Why Nemisa… do you perhaps wish to hold our dear king yourself...?" Sarami proposed.
"I…. um, of course not!" Nemisa said in protest, folding her arms and turning her head away.
Link and Sarami glanced at each other and nodded. The doctor reluctantly released Link and he went right up to Nemisa, throwing himself at her and giving the dancer a good firm hug.
"L-Link?!" Nemisa exclaimed, looking down at him with a red face.
"You're such a pretty lady Ms. Nemisa!" Link said in a openly teasing and childish tone, "When I grow up, I'm gonna marry you!"
"S-Stop that you little brat!" Nemisa shouted out with her eyes closed tightly, yet found herself hugging Link affectionately as she did, "Y-You're acting like a damn child right now!"
"Aunt Sarami, Ms. Nemisa said a swear!" Link called out in the same childish tone, causing Sarami to burst out laughing like crazy and making Nemisa even more frustrated.
Meanwhile Saria and Aviel were sitting a distance away, watching everyone messing around.
"Link makes for such a cute kid, you were lucky to grow up with him!" Aviel said.
"I have to admit it's really nice to see him again like that, it brings back great memories." Saria said blissfully, "We used to have so much fun playing in the forest!"
Aviel paused and saw the look in Saria's eyes as she watched Link, and the bird girl grinned a little.
"Hmm... Well in that case, since we got the day like this, how about we go have some fun with him, just like back then?" Aviel suggested, then called out to the young king, "Hey Link, wanna play a fun game together?"
"Sure, why not?" grinned Link, getting up and running over to the two, "In fact I know just what we can do! We just gotta go get some berries first!" he turned to his Kokiri friend and grinned, "Know what I mean Saria?"
Saria sat there for a few seconds, looking up at the bright expression on Link's face. It then dawned on her what he meant, and she smiled brightly, nodding her head in agreement, "Okay!"
"Huh? Berries?" Aviel asked in confusion.
"Take this!" Link said, leaping through the air in the Gerudo Palace dining room, holding a slingshot in his hand as he fired off some small berries downwards at Saria and Aviel.
"Look out Aviel!" Saria shouted as she and the bird girl both darted away, the berries hit the palace floor and splattered into small gooey messes.
"I'll get him!" Aviel said, pulling up her goggles and firing off several berries she herself had at Link using a slingshot of her own. Link spun out of the way of them in midair, before landing down and running off away from more shots.
Aviel then turned to Saria, aiming her slingshot at Saria, "Alright then, I'll get you instead!"
"Eep!" Saria exclaimed, running off, dodging Aviel's shots, before she turned around and shot a few herself, one managing to hit Aviel in the forehead.
"Argh! I'm hit!"Aviel complained, looking up at the blush-purple spot on her forehead.
"Hee hee, that's a point for me!" Saria said, only to get hit on the back by another berry, "Hey!"
"And that's a point for me!" Link grinned, just before two berries smacked him in the face, covering him with the weird goop.
"That's a point for both of us!" Saria grinned back.
"So what did you say this game is called again?" Aviel asked, dodging a shot from Link.
"It's called Berry Blitz, a game we Kokiri play in the forest!" Saria said, taking a fruit berry from her pouch and shooting it at Link, "We shoot each other with these berries until all of us run out, and whoever has the most points wins!"
"Yeah, it's how I learned as a kid to be a good shot in archery!" Link said, shooting a few berries at Saria and Aviel.
"Nice! But I'm gonna show you two who's the real archery master around here!" Aviel said, adjusting her goggles and running to the side to avoid a shot from Link, shooting her own berries at the two in return.
Saria smiled warmly, happy to see Link retained so many of the fond memories the two of them spent together in the forest. Before he welcomed him into life in Gerudo Town, at times she would worry if he'd be so focused on his new life that he would forget about her and these happy times, but he never did, in fact, it seemed as though those memories just became stronger now then ever. She could only hope they could be like this forever...
It was then though a berry hit Saria in the dead center of her face.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Link grinned.
"Oh you are so dead Link!" Saria retorted with a smile, grabbing a berry from her pouch and running at her friend, tackling him over, before mashing the berry into the side of his face.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Link exclaimed, giving Saria a chance to then pop one of the berries into his open mouth.
"Hee hee, quit complaining and have a snack!" Saria giggled.
Link blushed heavily from the smile on Saria's face, and he wondered if she was even aware of the sensation he felt when she delicately popped that berry into his mouth. He recalled just the other day when she was had tackled him over and was rubbing herself against him, only now his thoughts were even more intense now that he was the same size as her...
But it was then the moment was cut off by Saria getting splattered in the back by another berry shot by Aviel.
"Unhand my king this instant you fiend!" Aviel said grinning, making the two get up and go after her.
The three of them continued to laugh out and continued to run and jump around the place, shooting berries at one another, as Nemisa and Sarami both sat and watched.
"Look at those three, they're playing like children." Nemisa said sweatdropping as she and Sarami watched.
"Aw, but it's so cute." giggled Sarami, "And it can serve as a nice little training exercise!"
"If we ever have to worry about getting assaulted by fruit." Nemisa said skeptically.
"Heh, just let them have their fun, Link looks like he's really enjoying being a kid again." Nabooru grinned, coming up to the two and sitting down beside them.
They watched Link sneak up and playfully press a berry against Saria's cheek to make it burst into juice, and she retaliated by mashing a bunch of them into his forehead.
"Ugh, just keep me out of it, that looks gross." Ruto said in disgust.
"That coming from someone who used to play in a giant fish's stomach?" Nabooru smirked.
"Hey!"
"Well I suppose it's alright then." sighed Nemisa, "I just hope they don't go too fa-"
It was then a berry flew through the air and hit Nemisa in the face.
"Whoops, sorry Nemisa!" Aviel called out.
"You little brats!" Nemisa shouted.
"Uh oh, Nemisa is angry again! Run away!" Aviel exclaimed as she, Link and Saria went running off with Nemisa in hot pursuit, while Sarami, Ruto and Nabooru were all laughing.
The game of Berry Blitz soon ended shortly after that, with Saria just edging out as the winner of the game, Link a close second, and Aviel in last place.
"No fair, you two are way shorter then me!" Aviel complained.
"Congrats Saria!" Link said, giving her a big hug.
"T-Thanks Link..." Saria whispered, blushing at the affectionate hug. She recalled all the times back when they'd play the game, often times with Link winning, and she'd hug him as a congratulations. Aviel couldn't help but pout at that, as she wanted a hug too, but didn't say anything because she wanted Saria and Link to have their moment.
Afterwards Saria and Aviel obtained wet towels from the servants to clean themselves off, while Link went over and sat down beside Nabooru to relax.
"Now you three know you're cleaning all this up later, right Link?" Nabooru said with a grin as she gestured to the berry splotches all over the palace dining room.
"Yep. It was worth it though." Link grinned back.
"Heh, you're taking this whole 'becoming a kid again' thing pretty well." Nabooru said as she handed him a wet towel to clean himself off with.
"Maybe it's just cause I know it's temporary... or maybe because it brings back a lot of old memories, but it's kind of a neat birthday gift in and of itself." Link said nodding as he wiped himself down.
"It definitely brings back some old memories for me. You look just like how you did back when we explored the Spirit Temple together to find the Silver Gauntlets." chuckled Nabooru, rubbing Link's head affectionately, "And later when you saved me from those old witches."
"Yeah..." Link said smiling. This experience was more nostalgic to him then he let on, as it also reminded him of when he returned to his original time form the dark future, and what he had set out to do when he got back...
Nabooru meanwhile glanced to Link, seeing the look in his eyes and grinned a little.
"So tell me something, how are things going with you and Saria?" Nabooru asked.
"Um... what do you mean?" Link asked, with his face a little red as he realized where she was going with this.
"You know just what I mean," Nabooru said smugly, leaning towards him a bit to tower over him, "I mean when are you going to ask her to be your next wife?"
Link gulped and covered his face with the towel in embarrassment at those words, "I... um... don't know about something like that..." he muttered, peeking out from the towel over at Saria who was wiping her face down with her own towel.
"Is there a problem?" Nabooru asked, "It's not like either of you are too young for each other."
"Well it's nothing like that, it's just..." Link paused, continuing to watch Saria as she ran the towel on her bare shoulders and along her firm stomach. He gulped again as he watched, trying to get the right words out, until he forced himself to look away, "It's just we go back a long way, I've known her for so long, and... well..."
"And how is that any different from me, Ruto or Impa? You've known the three of us since you were ten." Nabooru pointed out, amused at how much Link was forcing himself to keep his eyes off his friend.
"Well that's the thing, I've known Saria way longer then any of you. Heck, she's known me longer then I've known myself... " Link said, "She helped raise me after I was brought into Kokiri Forest; she taught me a lot of what I knew at the time, she'd protect me from bullies and monsters, she'd care for me when I got sick, she's always had my best interests in mind..." he leaned back and let out a sigh.
"...and in a way, being with her would be kind of like dating my big sister..." Link had a distant look in his eyes, "...or even my mother..."
Nabooru's eyes widened, remembering being told that Link never knew his real mother as he had been left in the forest as a baby, and she supposed if Saria cared for him like that all that time ago, it would come off as somewhat awkward to him. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Link never knowing his real family, and it would make sense he'd feel attached to whoever cared for him...
Link continued, "...well, at least that's what I've been telling myself for the longest time. But lately I've been noticing Saria more and more... Sometimes it's hard for me to be close to her without feeling those urges I've had with you and my fiances."
He watched as Ruto gave Saria a playful squirt with her water shot technique to help her get rid of some of the berry juice, and the Kokiri giggled out with a bright smile from the water tickling her. The water clung to her outfit, making her small, slim body all the more noticeable under it. She pulled at the top a bit to let some water spill out, and Link found himself unable to ignore it.
"I... I guess I'm just really conflicted about it right now." Link said.
"Hm, I see what you mean then." nodded Nabooru.
"So what do you think I should do about it?" Link asked.
"Link..." Nabooru spoke to her friend, "I'll just come out and tell you we all can see the love between you two. You might be trying to see that love as platonic, but I'm thinking you're just forcing yourself to at this point, out of fear of potentially ruining the relationship you already have with her."
Link gulped, Nabooru had pretty much called out exactly what was bothering him all this time, she had a real knack for that.
"I think the most important question for you is how do you truly see her now, as opposed to how you did back when you were a child?" Nabooru asked.
"I..." Link muttered.
"I'll just tell you to do whatever your heart tells you to do Link. I'm sure Saria will understand either way, and me and everyone else will support you in whatever choice you decide to make."
With that, Nabooru gave Link a gentle kiss on the cheek.
"T-Thanks Nabooru..." Link said with a blush, recalling her saying similar words to when he was conflicted about his relationship with Ruto back at Lake Hylia, and where that led to, making him go into deep thought about the love between himself and Saria... and just what that love truly was...
Ruto rose her finger into the air and sprayed off a water shot, impacting into a pile of berry mush and washing it away. She then aimed and fired at another mushed berry to clean it off as well.
"Ohohoho, I never knew menial cleaning could be so much fun!" Ruto laughed haughtily.
"That's cause you got mystical water power." Aviel said annoyed as she was just using a basic mop to clean off the berry goo herself, along with Link and Saria.
"Hm, yes, I guess so..." muttered Ruto with a pause, before laughing out again and washing away another goo pile, "But it's still so much fun!"
"Hmph!" Aviel with a jealous pout, "Wish my arrows could explode into water or something..."
"Come on Aviel, quit sulking. You all made this mess, so you're all cleaning it." Nemisa said, folding her arms sternly as she stared down the group to monitor them, she looked over at Ruto blasting away another goo pile, "And you shouldn't be helping them!"
"Oh come on Nemisa-dear, I'm just considering it part of Link's birthday gift!" Ruto said smugly, blasting another blob of goo, "You've grown a lot since we met, but you still need to liven up a little more!"
"Well..." Nemisa muttered, looking to the side.
Ruto smirked lightly, and then gave Nemisa a small squirt in the face, which annoyed the bodyguard/dancer.
"Hey!"
"Think fast Nemisa!" giggled Ruto, firing off more shots of water.
Nemisa started to duck and dodge the water fired at her in annoyance, until she started putting more sway into each dodge as she did, and started using her stylish dance techniques to avoid the water attacks as she sometimes used in more intense combat, and found herself getting more into it as she did. She spun in one direction to avoid a shot, then swayed her hips to the side to dodge another. One water shot came right at her chest, but she bent backwards to avoid it before gracefully swinging herself back upright.
'Wow, not bad...' Ruto thought to herself, seeing the warm smile on Nemisa's face as she danced around Ruto's water shots, clearly getting into it, 'She dances so elegantly... it's no wonder Link gets so captivated by it.'
She then stopped her shots and paused, looking downwards at herself.
'But I wonder if what he would think of me when I have to...'
"Ruto!" shouted Nemisa, snapping her fingers loudly while in the middle of an upright poise, with one arm into the air and her opposite leg bent upwards, "What are you slowing down for? Keep firing, I'm getting a groove from this!"
"Oh, of course!" Ruto said, snapping out of her thoughts, as she started firing off more water shots for Nemisa to dodge, with a small smile on her lips as she did.
"You two are getting water everywhere!" Nabooru shouted in annoyance of getting splashed herself as she was working on some notes.
Meanwhile, Link and Saria were continuing to wipe down the floor of the palace with mops. Link took a second to wipe his forehead.
"Whew, I'm getting a bit tired. Sarami was right when she said I don't have nearly as much strength in this form." Link said, looking down at his child body.
"Well we reap what we sow, right?" Saria asked with a small smile.
"Heh heh, yeah, but I don't regret it." Link grinned, "Sometime we need to do this game again, probably outside next time."
"That'd be nice, I'd love to teach the Gerudo children how to play it too!" Saria nodded.
Link paused on those words, as he turned back to watch Saria cleaning the floor, thinking back to the other day when she happily held Selil in her arms. It reminded him of the days back when she had cared for him as a child, as well as other new children who would be introduced to the village over the years he grew up there. He always thought she would had made such a great mother...
But then he'd force himself to snap back to reality of it. He knew it was impossible for her, being a half-plant being and all, and even if that wasn't the case, she probably wouldn't be able to properly and safely carry a child as she was with her small frame anyway...
He did take note of one thing about Saria in that moment, as she was cleaning at the floor, she was leaning over a bit to get at a tough stain, and he could see her firm rear end sticking out a bit. Maybe he didn't notice it before since she was used to wearing a loose tunic for so long, or maybe it was because she was working out more and eating better here in Gerudo Town, but it definitely stuck out a little more then he remembered, and he was taking trouble taking his eyes off of-
"Link, you alright?" Saria asked, snapping him out of his stare.
"Oh, yeah!" Link said quickly, before turning away and going back to cleaning.
Meanwhile, back with Ruto, she was using her finger to fire off several more shots of water out at the berry goop piles, blasting away one after another.
"Ohohohohoho! I could practically do this blindfolded!" Ruto said, as she closed her eyes and fired one shot that washed away a berry spot.
"Hey, watch where you're aiming!" Aviel exclaimed, using the mop in a defensive stance like a spear, "You almost hit me with that last one!"
"Oh don't worry about it, you're all safe with m-" Ruto started as she opened her eyes, only to cut herself off as she saw one of the water shots she fired fly out and completely miss her next target...
….and instead fly right at Link who had just been too distracted cleaning a particularly stubborn stain on the floor to notice it and dodge in time. The particularly strong blast impacted into him, which sent him flying right out of the palace from the balcony overlooking the town.
"AAAAAAHHHhhhhhhhhh...!"
Everyone else turned in shock and watched helplessly as Link went flying downwards into the multiple buildings of the town below. They didn't even hear so much as an impact.
The group all stood there blankly for a few seconds, trying to comprehend what just happened.
"Link!" Saria shouted out in worry, dropping her mop and running over to the balcony to look out at the town and figure out where Link may have landed.
"You got to be kidding me, Link are you okay?!" Nabooru exclaimed shouting out, joining Saria on he balcony, "Damnit, I can't see him anywhere!"
"No, my darling husband!" Ruto shouted frantically in tears.
"Ruto, what have you done?!" shouted Nemisa in anger.
"I'm sorry, it was an accident!" Ruto defended herself.
"It's cause you were showin' off!" Aviel shouted in a huff. "Do you not know how to control your power properly?!"
Ruto's eyes widened, she seemed to be stunned into silence at those words, looking oddly very downcast in that moment, which confused both Aviel and Nemisa.
"Wait, please don't argue like this!" Sarami shouted, "We need to recover Link-sweetie!"
"Yes, enough with this arguing!" shouted Nabooru, "It doesn't matter what happened, we need to find Link immediately! If that mole finds him out, he'll be helpless to fight back!"
"That's right, he doesn't even have anything to defend himself!" Saria added.
"Ugh… you're right." Nemisa sighed, "We need to start searching immediately."
"I didn't see where he landed, but I'll go fly out to find him!" Aviel said, pulling out her wings and taking off out the window, "I'll get Kesuta and Korume to help search too!"
"I'll go round up Togau to help as well, she can get around faster and hear better with her Lynel form!" Nemisa said running off.
"Everyone let me know as soon as possible when you find him, and I'll see to his injuries!" Sarami said.
"Okay then, I'll put my most trustworthy guards on full alert, and we'll all go split up and try to find him!" Nabooru declared, "Ruto, let's hurry already!"
"O-Oh, yes, let's go!" Ruto said snapping out of her daze and joining everyone in the search.
"Oooww…." Link groaned, he slowly forced himself to sit up, "Never knew water could hurt that bad…"
The young king took a look around to see he was in some kind of tall room of another Gerudo Town building then the palace, and he was laying on some burlap bags which cushioned his fall. He looked up to see a small high-up window that was just about lined up with where he had impacted.
"Must have fallen in here through there." Link deduced, getting up onto his feet. He took a look around and saw it was a storage room of some kind. He rubbed his sore head, of which he had banged against a crate that was behind him.
"Ugh, not used to an impact like that in this little body... I must have been knocked out for a little bit..." Link groaned. "I should get back to the palace before everyone gets worried about me."
He walked out of the room and into an unfamiliar hallway, taking a look around before picking a direction to find a way out…
"Hey! Where do you think you are going?" a voice suddenly shouted.
"Uh oh." Link froze up. He was about to make a run for it when he felt a hand grab his wrist and turn him towards the owner of the voice, which made Link gulp nervously.
It was the Gerudo woman he had bumped into outside of the diner yesterday. She was dressed the same way as the other day too; with the purple shirt over a white blouse, the black skirt and the gray stockings. She wore the same thin rimmed glasses and he could see the beauty mole on her cheek, and her hair was woven into the tight double bun as before. The big difference was she was much more intimidating then before now that he was in the form of a child, and she towered over him. Her sharp glare didn't help matters.
"So there you are, I've been looking for you..." muttered the woman coldly, "You thought you could get away, but you're coming with me..."
Before Link could say anything, the mysterious Gerudo woman yanked him away….
"Good morning class."
"Good morning Ms. Fareafu!" shouted a collective group of Gerudo children.
"Now that I've found our last absentee, we can start today's lessons." the Gerudo woman in the glasses and skirt, now known to be Ms. Fareafu said, as Link was standing beside her. He was at a loss of words as he stared out at the classroom of fifteen young Gerudo girls all sitting at long desks and looking at him. Link could only think of one thing at that moment in time.
'I'm in big trouble.'
And that ends the chapter. As if becoming a kid again wasn't bad enough, now he's facing the most horrible challenge he's yet to face, school!
Thank you all for reading so far, leave a like, follow and/or review if you're enjoying it!