/Gentle Rain/



Talon scratched his head in confusion as he looked at the tree. Why would the branch just fall off like that? It seemed as though something had snapped it.
He sighed as he picked up the broken branch and hauled it away.
As he walked back towards the chicken coop, he noticed someone standing at the ranch entrance... it was a man, dressed in all green... what odd clothing.
"'Scuse me, sir," he said, "Is there something you need help with?"
"No," the man replied, "I can help myself."
Talon frowned on that.
"Now, I don't mean to be rude, but this here is my ranch, and I don't want you snoopin' around without me knowin' why!"
The man threw up his hands in submission.
"Don't worry," he said, "I come here all the time. I'm friends with you're daughter and I help take care of her horse!"
"You mean Epona?"
"Yes. Malon let me keep her as long as I take care of her."
Talon looked carefully at him, and took his story and his garments into consideration.
"Your that Forest Kid, ain't you?"
"That I am," he said, in a 'you got it' kind of tone.
"Well, I'll be darned! I haven't seen you in a good few years!"
"Well, I'm here now."
Talon gave Link a hearty slap on the back, and a big grin.
"I suppose you're here to see Malon," he said. "She's sick in bed, has been for a few days. But she's up in her room if you want to talk to her. Be sure to drop on by sometime, maybe I can fix you up with that job I promised you back when you were a kid."
"Well... I'll consider it."

Link opened up the door to the chicken coop, and climbed up the stairs. Was this Malon's room? He wasn't exactly sure, but he knocked on the door and called her name.
"Go away!" she yelled from inside.
Link pressed his ear up against the door... was she crying? He couldn't tell...
"Malon, what's wrong with you! First what happened the other day, then this!"
"Then take a hint and leave!"
He tried to open it... but it was locked...
"Malon, please!" I just wanna talk!"
Link heard soft footsteps... didn't he? He couldn't really tell, the door was so thick...
The door suddenly swung open, and Link fell in surprise. He quickly snapped back up, and looked down at Malon... her face was dry, so she probably hadn't been crying. She was wearing a white nightgown that dropped down a bit below her knee's... she was barefoot... that's why her footsteps were so quiet.
"What do you want?" she asked quietly.
Link looked intently at her face... for the first time realizing how short she was...
"I just wanna talk..."
Malon sighed and opened the door wider, inviting him in.
"I'm sorry," she said solemnly.
She went and sat down on the foot of her bed, while Link pulled up a chair and plopped down lazily.
"Listen," he said, "something's happened and I... what's that?"
He got up and walked over to Malon, grabbing her chin sharply and lifting her head. Malon realized that he had noticed the scar, and she grabbed his wrist and forced his hand away as she leapt up from the bed.
"It's nothing," she declared angrily.
"That doesn't look like nothing!" Link yelled, yanking his hand out of her grasp. "That looks like a serious cut!"
Malon began to feel the familiar inevitable sadness. When she had woken up that morning, she had limped over to the mirror and realized that the rope had left a shallow scar across the front of her neck.
She knew she was about to cry. She tried to resist it, but she couldn't.
Link gently grasped her shoulders, realizing that he had been a little rash.
"What's wrong? Please tell me..."
Malon looked up at him with shaky eyes, then burst in to tears and threw her arms around him and buried her face into his chest.
"I tried to kill myself yesterday!!" she screamed.
Link felt a lump rising in his chest and lightly pulled away from her as she sobbed loudly.
"Shhhh!" he whispered. "You don't want your dad to hear you! Does he know about this?"
"No," Malon sobbed, "I did it last night, and he hasn't seen me since then. I told him I was sick."
Link pulled her up to him and tightly hugged her for a minute.
"Come sit down," he said, as he eased her down onto the bed. She sniffled as she wiped the tears away from her face.
"Shhhh..." Link said soothingly. "That's a good girl. Don't cry."
Malon let out a short cough before lightly nodding.
"Why would you try to kill yourself?"
"I don't know. I'm just..." She shrugged her shoulders and trailed off.
"Just what?"
"Sad..."
"Why?"
Malon closed her eyes and shook her head as she twiddled her thumbs. Link placed a hand on her thigh, not really realizing what he was doing. Malon gave him an odd look, but she didn't really object...
"Listen, everything will be alright ok?"
"Um..." Malon stated... she could feel her spine beginning to tingle.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" He started rubbing...
"Please don't touch my leg like that..." Malon piped in a high-pitched voice.
"Crap!" Link yelled, snapping his arm up in surprise. Malon burst out laughing. Link ran his hand through his bangs in embarrassment.
"That's funny," Malon said cheerily.
Link looked into her eyes, and the smile cleared her face.
"That's the Malon I remember," he said.
Malon sighed, and looked down at the floor.
"You bring it out in me."
She smiled.
Link grabbed her right hand and she looked back up at him.
"Listen," Link said, "I'm going to go now, but I'll be back later. Can I trust you not to die till then?"
"Yes."
"Alright then. Listen, over the next few weeks, we'll be seeing a lot of each other. Whether you want to pour all your emotions out to me, or whether you keep it all bottled in, I want to help you out, ok?"
Malon looked at him in bewilderment...
"Uh... Ok."
"Alright then."





Later that night, Malon wrapped her bandana around her neck, put her boots on, and walked outside, where her father noticed her immediately.
"You're out of bed," Talon said.
"Yeah, I feel a lot better."
"You look a lot better."
"I guess I just needed some rest," Malon said.
She walked over to the horse corral to lead the horses into the stables. She softly sang as she walked:


"When you left, I lost a part of me,
Is that so hard to believe?
Come back to me, please,
For We Belong Together."