Sorry it's been taking me so long to write these kiss scenes lately! Grad school has been chaotic, and even though I've finally graduated, finding a teaching job has been more complicated than I thought! Oh well...at least it feels pretty good when I do finish one of these!

As always, feel free to leave a review if you have any ideas for how I can write better kiss scenes! I hope y'all enjoy!

The sun hadn't quite begun to set over the town of Kakariko when the small troop of Zora militiamen had appeared at the door of the Elde Inn. Nine-year-old Colin, originally of Ordon Village, had been awakened from his nap by their knocking. The other occupant of the room - Ralis, a young Zora boy - had already been awake for several minutes, and seemed to have an expectant look on his face. The two boys had both been through a lot, though not together, and the stresses of the recent invasion had made them wary of anything that broke the routine of the past month.

The pair of armed Zora that entered the room, guided by Renado, the acting headman of the town, certainly counted. Ralis' relaxation upon seeing them helped steady Colin's nerves, despite the odd circumstances. The two older Zoras had asked Ralis if he'd fully recovered from his injuries back in Castle Town (he had), before delivering the shocking news that his parents had fallen in battle against shadow beasts, and he was to be crowned king of the Zoras as soon as he felt ready to return to the Domain.

Colin had watched Ralis' face throughout the conversation. It had gone from pleasant to devastated to overwhelmed in the span of less than a minute. The young Ordon lad could sympathize. He had no idea how he'd react to the news that his parents had died, but he suspected it would numb him to anything else for several days. Ralis certainly seemed that way, too shocked to audibly cry, even though several tears rolled down his cheeks. For several minutes the prince had stared blankly into space, hunched forward as if the enormity of the news were a physical weight. Colin and the two newcomers refrained from speaking, letting Ralis come to terms with it all.

Then the Zora prince had broken the silence. "I'll come home," he'd said, his voice just as hollow as his eyes. Hearing that had struck Colin hard; during the whole time the two boys had been convalescing here at the inn, Ralis had always sounded unshakably content. To hear his voice now was jarring.

Another half hour had been spent in preparation for the journey back to Zora's Domain. Ralis hadn't brought much to Kakariko - not that he could've after being rushed there from Castle Town under hot pursuit - but what he did have was packed. The other children currently residing in Kakariko had met him in the main room of the inn to bid him farewell and good luck. By that time, the prince had pushed his emotional turmoil down enough to say his goodbyes. He'd thanked Ilia for saving his life in Castle Town, then Beth and Luda for taking care of him as he recovered. Then he'd come up to Colin and thanked him for keeping him company over the last month.

After extending an invitation to all of them to visit him in Zora's Domain whenever they wished, he finally took his leave, the other youngsters following him outside to watch him depart.

…

As the sun was halfway through setting, Colin was still leaning against the rail fence around the inn's front yard, looking to the north, in which direction Ralis had gone with his retinue. He was not alone; Luda had stayed here too, staring vacantly in the direction the Zoras had gone. Colin wondered what kept her here.

So he broke the silence that had settled some the others had gone back inside. "He was pretty good company, wasn't he?" he ventured, and Luda nodded. Her lack of a verbal response made the silence rather awkward now, so Colin continued, "Still, it's nice to see someone recover so quickly, right?"

Luda nodded again. "Yeah," she sighed, her tone conveying a but in her response.

That intrigued Colin, enough that his gaze now turned fully over to her. As she sensed his gaze, she elaborated: "I've never had anyone my age to hang out with. You guys, and the prince, are the only ones. And now he's left. Soon your friend Link is going to fix everything that's made Hyrule dangerous, and you'll all go back to Ordon."

So it was loneliness, or at least, the expectation of it, that had dampened the girl's spirits today. Colin tried to think of something that might cheer her up. "I'm sure he'll come visit," he tried.

Luda gave a hollow smile in return. "He's a king now," she replied. "I know running a town is a lot of work for Dad. I can't imagine how much work it must be to run a whole kingdom. I don't think he'll ever have time for anything else."

"Well, if he doesn't, I know Beth will," Colin returned. "I think you're her best friend now, so of course she will. And so will I."

Luda looked back at him now, appearing slightly surprised. "You will?" she asked, as if for confirmation.

Colin nodded emphatically. "Of course," he responded. "You're really nice, and you're fun to talk with, and you're really pretty, and…" He paused, realizing what he'd just said, and promptly flushed bright red.

Not that his companion was any better off. That last statement had caught her by surprise, and brought out a blush in her. It took several seconds for her to find any words, and when she did, she came out with a rather shy "Th-thanks."

And then the two fell silent again, both processing the exchange. Then Luda remembered something she and Beth had talked about once. "So, you want me to be your girlfriend, then?" she inquired.

Colin blinked several times. "I mean…that's not what I meant," he replied, "but if you want to be…I know I wouldn't say no. And if you don't, that's fine, we can still hang out with each other."

Luda smiled warmly back at him. Then she leaned over and laid her lips softly over Colin's. The kiss was neither long nor passionate; the two of them were still children, and neither had the confidence for anything more than a simple, five-second peck on each other's lips. But they both felt the exhilaration of it all the same.

They pulled away, both of their faces quite rosy now. Luda's smile hadn't wavered. "You'll write to me too, right?" she prompted softly.

Colin smiled back. "Every chance I get," he answered.