"Hi there!" Ruto cheerfully said as she sauntered towards her fellow Sages. "I'm Ruto, princess of the Zora, and I'm heard you are in need of a Water Sage... do I get the job?"
Saria and Ryoga grinned at each other. Ryoga definitely could see the family resemblance to Ranma.
Rauru chuckled. "Welcome, Princess Ruto! I am Rauru, Sage of Light, and these are the Sages of the Forest and Fire, Saria and Ryoga.
"Hi guys!" Ruto waved. She then looked around. "Say, this is a pretty fancy place you've got here... what do you do around here?"
"Well, we mostly watch the progress of the Hero of Time," Rauru explained. "So we can see how close he is to find a new sage."
"Sounds neat," Ruto said. "I like the idea of watching my Linky-poo the whole time..."
Saria boggled. "L-linky-poo...?" she stuttered.
"Yeah, isn't he dreamy?" Ruto sighed. "Such a handsome man... I am really lucky to have such a good-looking fiance. Oh, I guess you probably couldn't tell, but just wait until you grow up..."
Now Saria was more than miffed. "Fiance!? What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you know?" Ruto asked in surprise. "It was me who gave the Zora Sapphire to him."
"Well, I guess that's obvious, but why...?"
"I think I see..." Rauru sighed. "In the culture of the Zoras, the Sapphire is a sign of engagement between couples..."
"You know your stuff, old man!" Ruto smirked. "That's right, Link and I will marry... hopefully as soon as Hyrule is saved."
Saria was a very kind and gentle girl, and usually nice to everyone she gets to know... but after hearing those words, she felt - a rare occurence - how a surge of anger rose up inside of her.
"Excuse me, but Link is my childhood friend, and the two of us are VERY close, so..."
Ruto blinked. "Childhood friend?" She then snickered. "Ah, I see, you mean you looked up to him like some sort of big brother. Listen, I can understand that even girls your age might develop a crush on older boys, but don't you think you should wait before you find yourself a nice boy, when you are older?"
"I... I am older than you!" Saria even raised her voice this time.
"Saria... is a Kokiri," Rauru quickly explained. He was getting worried after seeing how the two female Sages acted towards each other. "Kokiri never grow up, you see?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean we can't become as mature as an adult Hylian... or Zora, for that matter!" Saria proclaimed. "And, being the mature girl I am, I'm going to wait until Link is ready for a relationship... I would never rush him like you do!"
"Rush him? What do you mean? He accepted the Zora Sapphire already, so I guess that means he chose me," Ruto said with a deep frown. "No matter if you are a child or not, he chose me back when WE were children, which means he already made up his kind back then."
"Did you ever consider that he didn't even know what an engagement gift is?" Saria asked. "Link didn't even have the time to grow up like we did... he was forced into the adult body he has now."
"Listen, girl, puberty is something completely normal, and while I understand that you are a bit envious because you never will undergo anything similar..."
"It wasn't puberty!" Saria yelled.
For the first time, she realized how loud she had spoken. Embarrassed, she pulled back her head and blushed.
"She's right, you know?" Ryga decided to interfere. "I couldn't believe it either, the first time I heard... but Link and Ukyo were frozen in time after Link pulled out the Master Sword. He was given an adult's body, to fit in with the lost years, but he kept the mentality of a child."
"A... a child?" Ruto gasped. "That can't be... I clearly saw how he used that sword in battle. No child could ever look so dashing and skilled with a blade like the young man he has become..."
"Link has always been skilled with the sword," Saria said, this time a bit more subdued. "Did you know he and Ukyo killed a monstrous spider queen all by themselves?"
"And don't forget how he helped your sister when she saved you from Barinade," Rauru pointed out. "He was the Hero of Time, even back then."
"You... you know about that?" Ruto asked surprised. "But... but if he's still a child in mind... and never knew about our engagement..." She gasped. "Does that make me a pedophile?"
The other Sages all sweatdropped.
"I see you made it back," the Sheikah warrior said when the small group came wading out of the lake, which was once again filled with clear water. "Thanks to you, Lake Hylia and Zora's Domain are saved."
"Sheik," Link said in surprise.
"Did you just wait here to tell us that?" Ukyo asked while raising an eyebrow.
"I waited here for a certain, very serious reason, Ukyo," Sheik said. "I have to things for you. First, a gift..." She held up the two magical arrows she had received from Cologne.
Shampoo gasped. "Aiya! Those are Ice and Fire Arrows, sacred Gerudo relics! How mystery-boy get them?"
"I had an encounter with... a very interesting person," the Sheikah explained. "An old woman you might know pretty well, young Gerudo warrior."
"Great-grandmother!" Shampoo shouted. "She was here? Please, you tell Shampoo everything... what great-grandmother say? Why she came here? Why bring sacred arrows?"
"She... did not tell me all of her ambitions... but she made sure that she wanted to aid the Hero of Time's quest. That is why she is offering these magical arrows to you, Link!"
Link accepted the arrows from Sheik. "How... how do they work?"
"Just put them into your quiver with your normal arrows," Sheik said. Having studied ancient Hyrule history, she knew about many old artifacts. "From now on, you will be able to call upon their powers every time you draw an arrow... and engulf your enemies with ice or flames. Nor for the second part... Elder Cologne also wanted me to give you a message."
"A message?" Ukyo wondered. "What kind of message?"
"She told me that an old evil has awoken... disturbed by a battle that happened in Kakariko."
"Kakariko?" Link asked with worry. "Are Impa and her daughters all right?"
"I believe nobody was hurt... but the ancient evil, the Shadow Beast, is now free. It now is working for Ganondorf... and from what the Gerudo elder told me, it will go back to Kakariko, to finish what it started."
Tatl sighed. "We just don't get any break here, do we?" she muttered. "We take care of one problem, and the next one is bound to show up. Do you even know what she told you is true?"
"Great-grandmother is honorable Gerudo," Shampoo angrily said, glaring at the yellow-glowing fairy. "She would never lie about stuff like that. She say Shadow Demon Thing comes, then Shadow Demon Thing will come."
Link sighed. "I guess we should leave then, and try to reach Kakariko as quickly as possible... maybe they'll need our help."
"Yeah, I agree," Ukyo nodded. "I'm worried about those villagers that can't properly fight back, such as Akari... say, are you guys coming, too?"
"I'm sorry, Ucchan..." Ranko said. "I'd love to help, but I have to make sure that my people are okay... and I have to tell Mom what happened to Ruto. She'll be worried sick."
"Shampoo stay with Airen," Shampoo stated. "Is sad that great-grandmother didn't stay to see her, but also happy that she ready to help."
"I suppose you're right," Ukyo nodded. "Sheik, what about you, do you...?" She looked around. The Sheikah was gone. "Oh, where did he go now?"
"He bailed again?" Tatl groaned. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
Link then thought he'd hear a loud splash, but when he looked around to where the noise had come from, he didn't see anyone in the water... just a big bird that flew away from the lake.
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(Posted Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:47)
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