"Queen Gohma?" Konatsu asked in a worried tone of voice. "You... you made a pact with that gruesome creature? Why?"
His stepmother grinned. "Because... this allows us to take over leadership of these woods. We just had enough of that silly old tree and his foolish children..."
"Yes," one of his sisters nodded. "Once the curse has destroyed the Deku Tree, the Kokiri won't have a protector, and we can rule over the forest."
"That's wrong..." Konatsu whispered. "You cannot... Whatever did the Kokiri to you? How could you do this?"
"And you, Konatsu?" his stepmother snapped back. "How could you leave us after how we treated you? We let you stay with us, even after your father's death... And this is how you repay us? By siding with those brats?"
"Who's a brat, you ugly witch?" Tatl snarled. "Ukyo, let's get them!"
Ukyo nodded in determination and gripped her spatula. "Right."
"Wait!" Konatsu shouted. "Wait a minute, Ukyo!"
Ukyo frowned. Konatsu had called her 'Ukyo'. Not 'mistress' or 'Ukyo-sama', as usual... Which means he was very serious about something.
"I have to take care of this..." the small Deku grumbled, before he lowered his head and closed his eyes...
----
The massive form of the Moblin towered over the fallen Deku, who felt miserable. After being forced to run away from home, he got lost within the woods and soon stumbled over this aggressive brute.
The Moblin raised his enormous stone club. "Any last words?" he grumbled in his gruff voice.
Konatsu closed his eyes and waited for the end... but instead, a loud 'clang' could be heard, accompanied by a battle cry.
And when Konatsu opened his eyes, he saw how the giant groaned in pain and fell down to the ground, like a cut tree.
"That's that!" the long-haired girl wearing green Kokiri clothes smirked. "You all right, little guy?"
He watched how she twirled around some metal weapon that was almost as big as herself, and he instantly realized: This had to be a dedicated warrior... just like he was a dedicated ninja.
And she had saved his life, which he could repay only in one way...
He knelt down in front of the surprised girl and lowered his head. "Mistress, I am your loyal servant..."
"Hey?" she asked in surprise. "What the...?"
The Deku looked up at her pleadingly. "Please, take me as your loyal vassal, and I will do anything you desire."
"Now wait just a minute, sugar," she protested. "I don't just take servants like that. After all, I couldn't pay you... the only Rupees I ever have are the ones I find here in the woods, by fighting monsters..."
"I don't care," he said. "Please, take me with you, I'll do anything... as long as you take me far away from my home." He again lowered his head. "I couldn't bear it any longer what they do to me..."
"Whoa, wait a sec... Don't tell me your family mistreats you..."
"My... my stepmother and stepsisters..." he whispered.
Ukyo pondered about it. She really didn't like the idea of taking a servant or something similar, and she wasn't kidding when she said that she could not pay him very well... But then she got an idea.
"Listen," she said. "You can come with me and do as you wish... but remember, whatever you do, whatever you say, I won't see you as a servant."
"W-what...?" he asked in confusion. He looked up... and saw her hand reaching down to him. Confused, he took it.
"But I think what you need more than a mistress... is a friend."
----
Yes, that was how they had met for the first time... And yet, Konatsu couldn't stop thinking of her as his mistress. After all, he had no other place. After all, most of the other Kokiri didn't like his species too much...
But still, he would never hesitate to protect his friends.
"I won't let you get away with it," he said in a very serious voice. "The Great Deku Tree is not just the protector of the Kokiri... he is the protector of all living beings within the woods. The trees, the animals... even of us Dekus!"
"You fool!" his stepmother hissed. "Why do you think the Kokiri despise us? Why are we the outcasts of the forest? It's all because of that overgrown stump with a beard. Getting rid of him is the ONLY way of getting some respect from his little brats."
"You're wrong..." Konatsu whispered. "We simply have to... adapt."
"Don't listen to him!" the ugly old Deku yelled and gestured at Konatsu and his friends. "Get them!"
Her two even uglier daughters crouched down within their Deku flowers and each spit a hard Deku Nut at their opponents.
"Watch out!" Navi shouted, and Link took cover behind his wooden shield. Ukyo did the same with her spatula, and the two nuts got reflected from the smooth surfaces, flew back to where they came from, and hardly smacked against the tube-like noses of Konatsu's stepsisters.
"Mom!" they cried. "Help!"
"My darlings!" the old hag shouted. "You'll pay for this!"
Like a living missile made of leaves and wood, she shot out of her Deku Flower. Konatsu, imitating her, shot up in the air as well, showing that a good Deku Ninja did not have to rely on a Deku Flower...
They met each other in a clash of hard, wooden limbs, swirly leaves and flying nuts.
"I've got you now!" the old woman shouted and prepared to throw a stunning Deku Nut at her stepson.
"Konatsu, look out!" Ukyo shouted.
Reacting in the last moment, Konatsu retracted in his protective, wooden shell... A defensive maneuver that only the strongest Dekus could learn. The stunning nut bounced back, hit his stepmother, who got instantly frozen.
"Uh-oh..." she muttered through her clenched tube-mouth, and then she could only yell, as Konatsu's body came swirling towards her like a small tornado... and smacked her down onto the floor!
Swiftly, Konatsu landed next to his unconscious opponent. "I'll make sure that you'll never set a foot in here again..." he muttered. "As for the rest of us Dekus... we have to earn respect, not force others to obey us. That's all!"
"Ko-chan!" Ukyo shouted in joy and relief. "You did it!"
Konatsu smiled back at her... but then, he hesitated. How did she call him?
Not 'Konatsu', like usual... No, she clearly said 'Ko-chan'.
He smiled, made a step backwards and bowed in front of the confused Okonomiyaki chef. "Ukyo-sama, it has been an honor being a ninja in your services..."
And then he came running to her and grabbed her in a big hug. "And I'm very, very glad to have you as a friend!"
Ukyo didn't say anything, but nodded and returned the hug.
Navi and Link nodded at each other, while Tatl gave her friends the thumbs-up. "Nice going, you two!"
Later, Konatsu scooped up the unmoving bodies of his stepmother and her daughters and wrapped them in a big bundle, consisting of a giant leaf.
"I'll make sure they'll stay outside," he said. "You take care of Queen Gohma... and be careful! We Deku know her very well... and she's not only one of the most dangerous forest dwellers, but also a servant of evil."
"Don't worry," Link assured him. "We'll be fine."
"Yeah," Ukyo nodded. "And, Ko-chan... thanks again for the help! You did great!"
Konatsu smiled back at her. "I only wanted to help my... friend!" And then, he took the bundle and leapt upwards, bouncing off the walls of the vertical shaft they came from and soon vanished from their sights.
Ukyo and Link then turned around to face the dark entrance of the parasite queen Gohma's lair.
"Watch your back, Gohma..." Ukyo growled. "Here we come!"
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(Posted Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:00)
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