A/N: @_@ This one took not only a while to start because I couldn’t find a suitable beginning, but I also procrastinated a shit load, and I do apologize for that, but I’m back now -^^-

===

Sleep. Something grand that always seemed to back away from you when you needed it most. It happened last night; Lirin tossed and turned, unable to sleep at all. She was lolling off the horses saddle, jolted to reality once more when she nearly fell off.

“Are you alright?” Link asked, it was noticeable from his tone that he was tired as well.

She rubbed her eyes before responding, “Slept in the infirmary... leg stung... no sleep’tall”

“Wow, Ani, you should really get that leg patched up...”

Lirin blinked and looked at him, quickly turning to Sheik. She saw him look away just as she turned to him.

He didn’t tell?

“I suppose he did not...” Lirin whispered back through her teeth.

Then how’d he get everyone to come along?

“I haven’t the slightest inkling.”

Zelda spoke; she was at the lead on a white horse, Link and Sheik just a bit further back adjacent to each other and Lirin was in the middle, both she and Sheik riding brownies, “Why exactly are we going to the Gerudo Valley, Sheik?”

“Ani needs an outlet of sorts, and the training ground may prove to be that catalyst she needs.”

“Let us hope...”

Link and Sheik nodded while Lirin was still speaking with Ani.


The sky darkened steadily, small droplets of rain falling onto them. Zelda had been prepared, as had Link, but Lirin and Sheik were getting soaked to the bone as the light drizzle turned into a strong downpour.

This is wonderful... Put my hair up, it gets so damned frizzy with humidity... like a fuckin’ racoon.

“A raccoon on your head?” Lirin cocked an eyebrow, but collected Ani’s hair that fell against her back and tied it up in a messy bun, bangs and the pieces that fell to her collarbone still hanging loose.

“How much farther? She asked any of the three who were listening.

“Just a few more minutes before we reach the entrance to the valley.”

Stupdeniforous!

Lirin didn’t voice any comments.

“The training ground’s pretty complicated... does she need any equipment?” Link asked, turning to Sheik.

“No. She will be fine. Each room is set to meet one’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s not meant to kill you, just train.”

Her thoughts had trailed off to what the Training Ground would turn out to be for her and Ani to truly test them. Ani, however, was listening through her scattered thoughts and the pouring rain.

It did only take a few more minutes to reach the entrance of the valley-to spot it, anyway.

Their horses glided down the steep decline, Lirin feeling a bit uneasy with her horse shivering. It was either from the rain, or fear because it had never ventured this way before. The chilly air turned frigid as they neared the desert and dusk took over them.

The bridge that connected the two sides of the deep chasm filled with three raging falls was drenched. The ropes creaked, the bridge swayed. The princess went across first of her own accord, and crossed just fine. Lirin went next, then Sheik, and lastly Link.

“Can we stop to rest?” Lirin asked, having to call through the pounding rain, just as Link finished crossing.

“Why?” he retorted loudly, barely able to hear anyone or even himself.

“I’m tired... and a wee bit nauseous.”

“Alright. We’ll see if they’ll let us stay in the tent...” Sheik said to her.

They led their horses beneath the towering piece of land that jutted out from the side wall so they could dry off as well. Using the blankets from the packs to help them dry a bit, at least that way they wouldn’t be too uncomfortable.

“‘Oo’s ‘ere?” a deep, scratchy voice called from within the tent just as the four came closer.

“The princess of Hyrule and her companions!” Zelda called in, awaiting a response.

Lirin was off in her own thoughts again, letting Ani to wonder why Zelda hadn’t said ‘Prince and Princess of Hyrule’. She let it go soon enough.

The carpenters to them in, lending them large wool blankets to dry off with and keep warm by the fire which had a stew burning. It was blatant that they were happy for the female company, but it was equally blatant that they were restraining themselves.

Let us hope your pickiness won’t go to me with this food, I’m bloody starving.

Ani ignored Lirin’s comment, watching through her own eyes-which still creeped her out to no end-the stew bubble disgustingly in its white froth.

“Wot brings ‘er ‘igness an’ ‘er companions to o’r ‘umble tent?”

Link opened his mouth to speak, but Zelda but him to the punch, “Just passing through, sir. I do hope our presence is not troubling you.”

“Nawt a all, me lady. Youre presence is a blessin’.” The leader laughed as the stew’s bubbling grew louder and louder. “Ah. Time to eat. Help yer selves an ‘ave as much as ya want.”

The carpenters and their leader scooped into the stew hungrily with their bowls, obviously lacking in spoons or a ladle. The four waited patiently until all of the carpenters were through, then Link and Sheik scooped out two bowls each for the girls, and then themselves.

It didn’t take long for anyone in the tent to finish the stew, though Ani regretted Lirin eating it when there was no meat to counteract the taste of the vegetables.

The pounding rain slowed so subtly that no one noticed until they were finished, mostly due to the whooping and hollering of the carpenters as they told old stories of encounters with supposedly ‘un-earthly’ creatures and near death experiences.

Lirin poked Ani’s head out, needing some movement anyway. The horses were still there, and most of the water seemed dried up alright, despite how much had fallen. The sand was probably scorching.

“I think we should go now...” she said lightly, crouching down next to Link and pointing with her thumb out of the tent.

“You’re probably right.” Link nodded his agreement and stood, dusting off his bottom.

“Aw, must ya?” one of the carpenters whined, only getting a curt nod from Sheik in return.

After saying their regards for the stay and meal, they walked back to their horses. “That may have been a good idea after all; we would have starved in the training ground had we not stopped.” Sheik spoke over Link’s yawn.

“What do you think the training ground will be like for me?” Lirin turned to Link as she mounted her horse.

“I dunno. It might be just like mine, in which case you’d need to borrow my equipment.”

“It won’t be the same, I’ve already said that,” Sheik snorted.

“What, then?” Lirin seemed more excited than Ani ever would've about this situation.

Training Ground. Training was the equivalent to work. This type in particular, the equivalent to hard labor. At least back home there were child labor laws-but she’d have to suck it up, no matter how lazy or out of shape the skinny girl was.

Quit worrying.

Why should I quit worrying? I’m weak and out of shape! My metabolism’s the only reason I’m so skinny! I’m a gamer, and gamer’s are-normally-lazy! I can’t do this...

Then this will be good for you. Don’t be a pessimist.

Pessimist my ass....

Lirin rolled her eyes, pulling back out of her subconscious and returning to reality.


A dry red earth, sand blowing every which way at the slightest breeze. And the heat. Lirin felt a sudden bout of nausea again-Ani’s body couldn’t handle a lot of heat without vomiting, but she prayed it wouldn’t get that hot. The Training Ground was partially beneath the earth, so it would be a bit cooler down there-unless there was a chamber containing magma. The mere thought made her convulse. The heat was sickening.

A box-like structure came into view, reminding Ani of numerous cardboard boxes stacked upon one another. The dark skinned guards slowly made their rounds about the sand each, golden eyes averting to any and all movement.

Zelda quickened her pace a bit and stopped next to one of them to speak. She had gone to far off for the others to hear.

Lirin turned to Sheik, head tilted as she silently inquired.

He just shrugged, and so she turned to Link who was occupying himself with Epona’s mane. She sighed and looked away again to watch Zelda’s mouth and hand move in time with the guard nodding along.

“How long will this take?” she sighed, shaking her head in a light huff.

“Not sure.” Link muttered.

Sheik sighed as well, “Not to long. The Gerudo’s can’t stall, especially when Nabooru is their leader.” She nodded, bowing her head and closing her eyes.

Let’s get this over with... Ani cringed.

Good move.

A quick sound made her head spin in the direction it originated from. It had been like leaves rustling in a light breeze, but only for a second as if it had been immediately silenced. She felt as though her ears should have popped, but they wouldn’t.

“What the hell?” she murmured out of habit from listening to Ani.

“What?” Linked turned to her with one eyebrow cocked.

She paused for a moment, and then shook her head, turning away. “Nothing.” Her horse snorted and swished its tail as Zelda approached.

She turned to Lirin and spoke, “We do not have a lot of time, the Gerudo’s are going to need it shortly for their own purposes.”

What are they preparing for, war!?

Lirin repeated the question with less enthusiasm.

“I do not know, but we only have two hours so we should hurry...”

Only took me ten minutes...

Different situation.

They hurried their horses on past the stairs and up the Training Ground entrance.

Wait, it costs money...
“Does it cost money?” Lirin turned to Link with her head tilted.

“It did for me, but I dunno about now...”

The white clad Gerudo stepped up and held out her hand. “Rupees, pass, or proof of identity.”

That was new.

Link took out his ‘membership card’ and Zelda merely pointed to her crown.

“And the others?” the Gerudo hissed.

Sheik spoke next, “She’s the only one”-he placed his hand on Lirin's shoulder-“who’s entering.”

The Gerudo tapped her lower lip with her index finger, slowly pacing around Lirin and staring at every inch of her. Her gaze lingered on the eyes and absence of pointed ears (though her rounded ones were hidden by hair).

“Very well.” she shrugged and looked back towards the chain fenced door to the Ground. “One hour.”

Guess that’s a good deal if it’s free.

Lirin nodded and dismounted, patting the horses neck lightly and received a nicker.

“I will wait for you out here,” Zelda said, “Sheik and Link will go back to the carpenters tent.”

They nodded, albeit in confusion, and bounded off back around and towards the tent’s area.

“I hope I do alright...” she muttered, gave a weak smile to Zelda and then grimacing at the door. “Or survive in this form...” the corner of her lip twitched.

Lirin stepped towards the Gerudo at the gate and sighed, “One hour?”

“One hour.” she repeated back firmly, clapping twice and the gate slid open from the side.

She stepped through, coughing for a moment as she was hit by a cloud of red dust air born from the gates movement. The air was much thicker even after just a few steps down into it, and she heard the gate close behind her.

Darkness was surrounding her for a few minutes, her eyes taking their sweet time to adjust.

The view of the two pillars that seemed to hold it up came, the only thing even close to white in this place, as well as the platform that surrounded her. Dark silver lion’s heads were now visible, in front of her, and on either side.

Doors were lined up in each of their mouths, and Lirin sighed when she was faced with the choice.

I dunno about this...

“Can’t back down now.” She took a step forwards.

It looks the same, but it’ll be different...

“Just re-“ that sound again; of rustling leaves that were silenced only a moment later. “...lax.”

What is it?

“You didn’t hear that?”

Mm-mm

“Strange... maybe it’s just me, then...”

Well if it is, then my ears obviously got fucked up.

Lirin shrugged. That wasn’t important right now. She took a few more steps forwards towards the large Lion head in the center and stopped before it. Something didn’t feel right. Not right at all.

Are you scared?

“No.”

Paranoid?

“Slightly.”

Why?

“...Some one is here with us...” she whispered sharply.

Ani fell completely silent. The air moved slowly in the cavern, which would make it difficult to fight if the person was hostile.

Lirin took a step back, fists clenched as they would be her only weapon for sometime.

Can you sense anything?

No...

Damn.

The air changed again. It became thicker for just a moment along side of the sound of water splashing against dry rock. Her head immediately spun to the right Lion Head entrance door.

“Shit.”

What? Ani whispered mentally.

Lirin didn’t respond, just clenched her fists tighter.

Water slowly seeped from beneath the door with-held in the Lion’s mouth, pushing at the sand in its path and slowly creeping towards Lirin. The door pushed itself up, allowing more water to flood into the room. It was still hardly enough to cover up the very top of the incline.

Lirin froze. Mismatched eyes widened, lips parted slightly, but she kept her fists clenched.

“You are a sight.” a male spoke, his form still concealed in shadow.

It was a light voice, but still deep enough that one could not immediately identify his age. There was a very prominent accent sliding along his ever word not like the normal hylian one.

It reminded Ani of Australia.

“A bit better than I expected.” there was a smugness in his tone that Lirin did not care for.

Finally, the male stepped out.

Golden eyes flashed in the darkness against dark skin off-put by pale hair, nearly silver. There was a small black gem on the center of his forehead, and most of his clothes consisted of black and red; crimson sleeves protruding from a black sleeveless vest that was connected at a zig-zagged angle with a long neck.

Two long black fabric tendrils in the back hovered slightly, not even touching the ground. His hands were covered in black and red gloves which stopped at his knuckles and allowed his fingers to protrude. Black pants and boots, slightly pointed at the toe, finished him off.

“What are you?” Lirin hissed cautiously.

He just smirked. “My identity isn’t important right now. What is, however, is that you come with me.”

The male turned his head, a few rings jingled on his right ear. One loop on the tip, one loop on the underside near the middle, and a dark one resembling a crystal that hung down a bit on the actual lobe.

“Why should I?”

“Because you’re the eighth sage...”

Lirin scoffed and crossed her arms, shifting her weight onto one side. “You’re mistaken,” she shook her head. “I was the eighth sage.”

The male lost his smugness as she spoke those words. Only for a moment.

“She must be somewhere in there, then, and we can test you while I draw her out.”

~~

Link dismounted Epona, and Sheik the brownie just in front of the tent.

“Why did she want us to go back here?” he asked, turning to Sheik as he dismounted.

“I do not know, but we’d best follow her wishes.” Link nodded.

Sheik sighed and turned, walking back the dusty path towards the large, carpenter inhabited tent. Link followed slowly, looking back at Epona for a few seconds. He didn’t like just leaving her there-but she was with another horse, so it wasn’t so bad.

He watched his boots kick up stray sand and silt, dust rising in small clouds with his every movement. Link lifted his head up, jumping slightly when he saw Sheik standing at the tent entrance frozen stiff. Good thing he looked up, or he’d have knocked him.

Sheik’s right hand was holding the tent open at one side, but Link wasn’t sure if it was the wind, or Sheik who was making it quaver slightly.

“...Sheik?” he said, stepping up and placing a hand on his shoulder. He was trembling. Raising an eyebrow, he looked inside the tent.

The fire had been put out, the pot pf stew they had was on the ground, on its side with water still dripping out of it, mixing with a bit of blood. The blood led back to one of the carpenters felled bodies. Dead. The other bodies were scattered around as well, blood pooling around their motionless forms.

One more thing was out of place.

A cloaked figure sat in the far back of the tent, brown hood concealing their eyes with shadow and hiding their entire form. Th skin was pale, a few strands of smoke black hair falling loose and ending at the waist from the front.

“Who’s there?” Link growled, pushing the stiff Sheikah aside for now.

A smirk crossed onto their features in the dim light, and the figure stood. “Where is the girl?”

The voice was feminine, bubbly, and an accent unfamiliar to Link. She couldn’t have been any older than sixteen.

“What girl?” Link retorted blankly.

“The eighth sage, of course.”

“I don’t know what your talking about.”

She took a few moments to respond now, smirk dying away. Slowly, she stood, and let her arms fall loose from the thin brown material. She was indeed pale, and hand black gloves that ended at the knuckles, where at the wrist seemed to be held tighter by a thin silver string with pale blue sphere’s.

“...That is a pity.”

Before Link had even blinked, the girl had thrown her cloak off and jumped at him for an attack.

She didn’t seem to have any weapons, as she fought with kicks, mostly, and a lot of the time she was just jumping on his shield-which he found annoying. Sheik had thrown a few needles, but she missed them, spinning on the rim of the shield with her nearly bare feet.

Her heels and toes were bare, the rest covered by a tight black material that ran up to a bit past her ankle-which again it was tightened by the same bracelets. One was around her neck as well, but this time it didn’t hold anything tighter. Her eyes were cat like, orange-ish it seemed, and her hair covered the ends of her eyes as it came down, separated at the top to show off a small black gem.

Her white shirt was folded slightly to one side, tucked in a bit, and a black tassel dangled off it at a tie. The shirt had no sleeves, they appeared to have been torn off at the shoulder, and the shirt ran down and was tucked beneath a black skirt, which parted close to her knee on one side, and seemed to be made of a much heavier material than all the rest. Her left ear, pointed, had three earrings as well-two loops and one black gem on the lobe.

Link pushed her off his shield, spinning so she’d loose her balance, but she back-flipped off and landed gracefully just after Sheik had tried the needles again.

She lifted her right hand, tightening the joints slightly so it seemed like they were sticking out a bit more then they should have. A red spark, and then her hand from the wrist up was engulfed in a red flame.

The girl laughed and ran at Link again, trying to punch her way through his defenses with the flame covered hand.

Sheik, with out much anything else at his disposal, let loose a chain from the armor plate around his wrist, and sent it flying at one of her ankles. She yelped and flew back, but flipped again and landed in a crouch, only to swipe at Link’s legs with her left hand and grab the chain with her right.

She tugged back and Sheik came flying towards her with the chain and jumped over her, kicking her in the side. The girl rolled and spun around, still keeping herself low to the ground as the two tried to charge at her with their weapons.

Link swung down, and Sheik’s needles hit, but there was a puff of black smoke in place of where she had been.

“What?” he blinked and looked back at Sheik with a surprised face as the smoke began to dissipate. Sheik looked just as confused as Link, until he received a swift kick to the lower back and lurched forward.

Link swung around, but she jumped over the blow and grabbed his neck, shoved her foot in his chest and flipped over onto her back to send him flying in the same position.

“Ready to talk now?” she asked the both of them, standing between the two with her arms crossed.

They didn’t respond, but tried to get back on their feet. The look in her eyes, Link noticed, was smug. She was strong, but had to be stronger than that with how smug she was. ...She was just messing around.

“No?” her smirk broadened, showing her teeth. “Well, I can’t really play with you anymore if you’re gonna lie there...” she shrugged. “Necrid’s probably already gotten her anyway.”

“Necrid?” Link repeated, staring up at her.

“My brother, of course.” she smiled, obviously trying to make her look more innocent. It didn’t work.

Sheik scoffed and moved to stand again, coughing slightly.

“Oh, no.” she kicked him back down lightly, pinning him. “You’re not leaving until my brother gets back with her.”

“Why do you want her?” Link managed to cough out, dust settling in his lungs.

She blinked, looking back at Link from over her shoulder with a curious expression. It didn’t take long for her curiosity to turn back to the innocent smile she tried to pull off earlier. “Orders.” she stated bluntly.

Great. Orders. That could have been from anyone at all. “Who gave you those orders?”

“That,” she started, taking her foot off of Sheik and standing straighter with her arms crossed, “I can’t tell you.” The girl’s eyes seemed to look behind Link now, but he didn’t really want to look, guessing what he would see.

She looked back at Link, her expression the same. “Lucky for you, my brother did find her.”

Link turned around to glance over his shoulder, and heard Sheik try to sit up.

“Naceal, come on, we’re going now!” a boy called with the same unfamiliar accent. They seemed opposites with his fair hair and hers dark.

“Dude, get the fuck off me, your hand is way to close to my ass!” was the next thing he heard.

Ani had been slung over this boy’s shoulder, and she was kicking and shouting more vulgarities, but they both seemed to ignore it.

“Damn.” Link clenched his eyes shut. That was it. Without Ani, they had basically lost, and it was doubtful that these two worked for anyone other than Ganondorf.

“Well, we’ll be taking our leave now, boys.” The girl, Naceal, smiled and waved at them as if they had just bumped into each other on a normal day. She disappeared in the same black smoke as she had before, and the boy, Necrid, as well as Ani were taken away by a fountain of water shooting up from the ground.

It fell back down, and there was no other sign of them save for the damp earth.

“Well... this does not look good at all...” he heard Sheik mutter, but gave no response. He just tried to stand up.

“Wait...” he thought out loud, turning around to look at the entrance to the Gerudo Fortress once he was back on his feet. “Where’s Zelda? Wasn’t she with Ani?” he turned back to Sheik.

He nodded, and then glanced towards the entrance as well. Another form was coming towards them-luckily this one was familiar.

“Link, a strange boy’s taken Ani!” she came, and stopped before them, looking back and forth between the two. “What have the two of you been doing?!” she shouted when she noticed how dirty they had gotten.

“We know, his sister attacked us.” Link snapped, sheathing his sword and placing his shield back on its strap.

“Oh dear... And you hadn’t... seen which way they had gone?”

They both shook their heads. “Disappeared with her...”

Zelda sighed, “Well... I suppose I’ll have to tell the other sages about this... there is not much else we can do, since we do not know why they captured her in the first place.” She started walking back to the entrance to retrieve her and Ani’s horses.

“Naceal said orders, right?” Link turned to Sheik.

He nodded, crossing his arms.

“Who else do you think would have ordered this?”

He blinked for a moment, and sighed, closing his eyes. “None other...”