CHAPTER 1>>

As we know of it today, there are four "worlds" One is a large buetiful place, where those who were holy, generous and valiant in life came to rest when the cold hand of death struck them. This place was boundless, with the sacred temple of light deep within the middle. It was here, in this place that the vessel of all that was holy was located. . . That seperated the other "universes".
The first world was a very distant place, possibly created by mistake. There was no knowlage of any sort of religion of any kind here, and there was a large town right in the middle. The second world was created from the sacred realm itself. This place was the gateway into the realm, with a temple surrounding the area to worship the gods. This place was aware of the realm, the gods, the triforce. . . It was truly no mistake. The third was small and unknown by travelers, just a tiny little island. . .
Where the town was in the first universe, it's alternate is a ranch. At the ranch, the owner's duaghter, a small girl, rather fragile despite her proffesion, had made it her job to care for the animals.
Her life had always been a happy one until recently, and now her only friends were the animals themselves. She had always played with the princess when her father delivered milk to the castle. The princess was a free spirit who loved the outdoors, but as she was older with more responsibilities, she could never talk. It was on such a delivery that she had met a boy. He became her best friend, though she never even learned his name. She just called him the fairy boy. But he had dissapeared two years before, when she was 16. . . So now her only friends were the animals. She was insanely lonely.


***

A window suddenly busted open from the upstairs window. Malon steped onto the window pane and stared down at the ground. . . She let a tear drizzle from the cornor of her eye. She closed her eyes and let her body go limp. She prepared to fall to the ground, and droped. As she fell, she waited for the sweet embrace of death. But suddenly, one thought crossed her mind, and she needed to stop herself. She screamed and grabbed the window pane. She stopped falling and let out a huge sigh of relief, happy to be alive.
"You okay up there?" a voice shouted. Malon looked down and let out a huge gasp. Standing there was a boy about a year older than her. He was wearing nothing but green. He had bangs that hung lose in front of his face. Malon looked down at the boy, her best friend who had dissapeared two years erlier. It was the fairy boy. She smiled down at him and let go, knowing that he would catch her, and he did. She embraced him, out of sheer surprise and happiness, and with a huge burst of emotion whispered, "Welcome back." He gently stroked her hair, with his eyes staring straight into hers. He kissed her on the forehead and they rode off into the distance on his horse.

CHAPTER 2>>
He carried her off to Lake Hylia.
Link set Malon down by the side of the fishing pond. She took off her boots and placed her feet into the water. She looked up at him and wondered how to start a conversation. "Where did you go for those two years?" she asked. "You just wandered away one day. . ." She scooted a bit closer to him.
"Well," Link replied, "I was walking off to the castle one day. . . and I found the guards to all be dead. I ran up to the gates blah blah blah. . ." Malon wasn't to interested in the conversation, she mainly was glad that he was back. She just wanted to be in his presence. She suddenly felt this strange connection to him. . .he looked so handsome and masculine. . . she started to scoot even closer, to the point where she could wrap her arms around him. . . Then she realized that he was still talking.
"I was knighted and I have been living in the castle since."
Malon looked up at him He looked back and smiled. "So how have you been the last two years?" he asked her. She breathed in his colonge, which he wore very lightly so you could only smell it if you got in close to him. "Well," she started off, "I-i've been fine. . ."
She stared up at him. "Who am I kidding?" She slumped down onto his shoulder. "I've been so lonely. I'm just the ranch girl. . . sure, people have called me cute before but. . .I live on a ranch. . . With no one else my age with me. . . It's like I'm alone on the edge of the world. . . plus when you dissapeared. . . I felt like no one, save my papa, cared for me anymore. I felt like dust in the wind without you. . . I've been so lonely . . . It's something I can't bare. So I threw myself out of the window."
"Then what made you stop?" Link asked.
"Huh?"
"When you were falling you grabbed onto the window pane to stop yourself. . ."
Malon sighed. My daddy. I love him to much to kill myself. Plus you. . . I admit that I love you. . . I see you and come completely unglued. . ."
Link stared at her, with a look of surprise.
"My friends would say that I was more than just your friend. . . that I must be blind. Which I admit I had seen you look at me with the cornor of your eye. . . But the truth was I wish you would confess your feelings for me,I was never brave enough to. . . But what If you said no. . . I would be devistated and embarassed. It's all just so complicated. . ."
Link stared at her. . ."So you mean that. . ."
Malon suddenly grabbed Link and slammed him against the wall. She closed her eyes, only partially, and steped in so close that there chests touched, and she could feel his heart beating. Or it might have been her own, she couldn't tell. She pressed her lips against his and grabbed both of his shoulders. He slid one arm around her waist and placed his other hand on the back of her head, and stroked her silky red her. He closed his eyes, living every precious second of the kiss.

***

The next morning Malon woke up feeling better than ever. She brushed her hair and put on her dress over her slip. She tended to the cukkos and fed the horses. After her work on the farm was done, she went off to the market. She bought a bouquet of lillies (She was a sucker for lillies) and a small ribbon. She was about to leave, when she decided to go see Link. She walked up to the castle gates, and requested the guard to let her in.
"What's your buissness?" asked the guard.
"I want to see a knight named Link."
"You're a cute girl. . . The guard said. "Mabye I would let you in the castle if you came over by that hill and pulled your skirt over your head."
Then the guard was suddenly slammed into the bars of the gate, the helmet broken and smashed, a small amount of blood on the gate, and a large amount on his face. Link was standing on the inside of the gate. "You pervert! Leave her alone."
They took a walk through the field, reminising on old times. Malon put the ribbon in her hair. They walked by the river and talked. Link started working at the ranch on his spare time. They grew into a heated relationship. Things continued this way.

CHAPTER 3>>

In the sotheastern part of the 2nd world, Hyrule, there was a forest. This place was a mythical place, were no one usually traveled. Rumor was (and is true) that anyone who entered these woods without special invitation would be converted into a demon within 2 hours. some would call the inhabitants of the forest Imps, but this is not true. The Kokiri elves never aged past 10 years old. He had one elf friend, a girl with green eyes, green hair, and green clothes. Link often came to her for advice and companionship, altough he was techinically 9 years older. She was always asking about his love life. . . Probably becuase she wanted to be a part of it.
On one of these companionship visits, the subject of a girl came up. He wouldn't say what girl, but Saria had to meddle. So she started asking questions.
"I like to stay confidential with this stuff," Link said.
Saria sighed and looked up at him. "Can you at least tell me If you've kissed her yet?"
Link sort of chuckled. "Actually," He said, "I have." Saria glanced at him akwardly. "Well. . ." she said, "tell all. You can't just say that much. Go into detail."
"Why do you want to know in the first place?" he asked. "You have always been so nosey about this stuff." He sighed. "Why do I always sucker up to you?. . Alright, I'll tell you."
"Yaayyy!" Saria yelled.
"Well," Link started. "She was the more agrassive than I was. . . She slammed me up agaist the wall and put her hands on my shoulders. And I really mean "slammed."
"So what did you do?"
"I slid my arms around her waist."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"Well, she did good, but honestly. . .you are completly lame."

***


That night, as Ingo put the horses in the stable and Talon was (continuing) sleeping, Link quietly snuck into the ranch. He looked around trying to find anything that might resemble Malon's room. He walked into the warehouse, only to find nothing of interest. There were a bunch of crates and cows. He was about to leave when he looked over at a crate. He tried to get himself to leave. But he couldn't help it, so thought to himself: "What the hell, It's for old times sake."
He walked over to the crate and grabbed the top of it. He placed his other hand straight in the middle and drove his shoulder into the crate, pushing it with all his might. He moved it, and had fun doing it, but decided to leave. As he was walking out the door, he was hit in the head with a peanut shell. He looked around mindlessly, still being assualted, trying to figure out who was attaking him. He heard a giggle. He look up twords the window and saw Malon carrying a bag of nuts. She smiled down at him.
"I heard some wierd noises downstairs," she said. "Are you playing with the crates?" She giggled a bit.
"Actually, I was. I've been trying to find your room."
"What do you want in my room for?!" She stared at him waiting for an answer, but didn't get one. "There's a trapdoor in the floor. The cow likes to sit on it, you might have to move it too."
"How the hell do I move the cow?!"
"You have to sit down on the floor then moo at it!" She winked at him. "This should be rather cute. . . You have to pet her too. Go on. Moo loud enough so I can hear you!" She luaghed loudly.
"I'll never let myself do that. . . "
Once Link had moved the cow (he felt rather emparessed, he gave into his pride and mooed like a 3 year old) he opened the trapdoor, leading into a basement. On the farside of the wall, there was a ladder that led to the second floor of the warehouse. He climbed up and into Malon's room.
"HOLY CRAP!" He yelled. The room was huge. There was a very large Round bed in the center of the room, with various fine dresses hanging from her walls, and a huge wooden dresser in the cornor. But what he really went for was the girl Malon was sitting on the bed wearing nothing but her slip, with her legs crossed and a big smile. The bathroom was nice too. It was very clean.The tub was huge, a hyrule version of a large spa. (If you really wanna know how a hottub would work in Hyrule, ask when you review and I'll explain in my response.) Link lit a fire in the fireplace to keep out the winter cold, and they fell asleep peacefully on the bed, Link's arms wraped around her shoulders.

CHAPTER 4>>

A gentle wind blew in through Link and Malon's window. The skys were crisp and clear, the stars glittering in the sky. Link shuddered in his sleep, and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked slowly, and pulled the warm, cotten, sheets up to his shoulders, trying to block out the cold to no evail. He looked over to the far wall, where the fireplace was. The wind had apparently blown the fire out, scattering dust around and making the room cold. It dark, with the moonlight shining in, creating a glowing presense to the room. It shimmered of the skirts hanging from the wall, shining ecoctic blues, greens, and yellows. Link shifted around in bed. The sheets were high quality egyption cotten (I know there's no egypt in zelda, but forget it.) and the comforter was soft rylon stuffed with polyester, further attempts to block out the cold, which wrapped the room in a cold embrace. 'She left the window open,' Link thought to himself. He wanted to get up and close it, he couldn't get up out of bed. Malon shifted around next to him. She very slightly opened her eyes. Just like the dresses, they glistened in the moonlight, shining deep, crstal blue. Her eyelashes were long, and curled upward. She blinked and looked up at Link. She groaned a little.
"What time is it?" she asked. Link rubbed her shoulders lightly. "I'd say it's about 2AM, due to the position of the moon and the tempurature."
"It's cold," Malon groaned, as she wraped the sheets around her body and shivered a bit. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"You forgot to close the window while you were pelting me with peanuts," Link said. "The wind blew through and put the fire out. I was about to go re-light it."
So, Link restarted the fire. Malon got up and sweeped the ashes that the wind had scattered around. She ploped back down on the bed when she was done, and tried to think of how to "arouse" Link. He was kneeling down, starting the fire. She decided it might be a good idea to take his position to her advantage. She walked over to the fireplace and sat behind him. She slid her arms around his shoulders and embraced him, kissing his neck, warming herself on his body. Link was a bit suprised bye this. He looked back at her, her eyes closed, her eyebrows calm and collected. Her body pressed against him felt warm, and he completely forgot about the cold. He forgot about nearly everything. He placed a hand on Malon's own, and suggested that they go back to bed. When they climed in, Malon crawled up next to him, burrying her head into his shoulders and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Link became a paid employee of the Lon-Lon Ranch, helping Malon with the Animals and Talon with the huge crates of milk. He frequently had to leave, for his duties as a knight, sometimes for several days. It was during one of these "dissapearances" that Gerudo thieves began to appear around the ranch. They would sneak around, appaerantly spying on something, their faces covered and there eyes narrowed. They were first brought to attention by a visitor to the ranch, wanting to buy some eggs. He notisted one darting into the stables, with the her hallberd slung over her shoulders. It wasn't clear what the theives wanted, or why they were carrying there wepeons. As a saftey measure, Talon hired a two knights to guard the stables and the warehouse, partly for the merchandise and animals, and partly for Ingo and Talon who slept in the building across from the stables. Not to mention Malon, who lived in the warehouse.
When the two men got there, one turned out to be Link. The other was a mysterious young man by the name of Gaara of the Sand. Of course, Link didn't mind, as he guarded Malons room!

CHAPTER 5>>


About one month passed. No one knew anything about Gaara, a young boy who had been assigned to guard the ranch with Link. He had brown hair, dark eyes, with large bold lines drawn around them, creating an even darker look to him. He had some strange writing on his forehead, written in some strange calligraphy that no one could read. When asked about it he said it read "love". This in no way fit with the rest of his look, and when asked about that, he said it represented his "love of killing." Even his name scared people. Gaara of the Sand was intimidating in every way.
"That kid scares me," Malon said one day. Link, tending to the cattle, looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "I think he means to," he said. "He believes that if you look fierce, you are fierce."
"Well that's dumb . . ." Malon replied sarcastically. She lifted a large crate and carried it to the door. 'How can she lift so much?' Link thought. 'She seems so frail and delicate . . . I can't imagine that she is so strong . . . She doesn't have an ounce of muscle on her . . .' Malon sat down and started to breathe softly, resting. "And, how come his name "Gaara of the Sand"? Why not just Gaara?" Link sighed. "Why do you care so much about him in the first place?"
"Because," Malon said, "he just seems so scary."
"That's sort of the point, I believe. He said he wasn't from here. That's probably how the sand thing came to be."


As Malon went to bed that night, Link went on a patrol of the ranch. It was rather dark that night, as it was a new moon. That's probably what they were waiting for, when they planned to strike. It is also the night that Link was supposed to routinely check for any thing suspicious. If only he had stayed there, then maybe everything wouldn't have turned into a bloodbath.
Link walked the coral several times, as this is where the thieves were most often spotted. It was believed that their goal was to steal the horses, as horses were sacred to Gerudo culture. Everything seemed ok. He called out to Gaara. No response. "Gaara!" he shouted sternly. "Get over here!!" There was still no response. He walked over towards the stables, bent on finding him, and chewing him out.
He found him to be gone. The stables, with all the horses were left completely unguarded. "Dammit!" Link yelled. "Where the hell did he go?!" There were loud sounds coming from inside, and then the distressed whinny of a horse. Gaara had left his post, and something had gone horribly wrong. The enemy had struck. "I'm gonna murder him!" Link yelled as he drew his sword and violently kicked down the door.
He ran in, holding the blade with both hands and looked around menacingly. No one was found, but two of the horses were gone!
The enemy couldn't have escaped that quickly, so Link started violently throwing, kicking, and slashing everything is sight, trying to uncover the crook. What he found horrified him. It was a bloodstained sword. Gaara's sword. There was also a severed hand, the blood pumping from his wrist. Link took of his hat and held it up to his chest. Gaara was definitely dead. He bowed his head and prayed. He then vowed to seek vengeance, and was born again with a vicious ferocity that could be matched by nothing.
There were spots of blood on the floor. Link groaned. He bent over and rubbed it a bit. He brought it up in front of his face and rubbed it between his fingers. It was fresh . . . He got up and groaned again.
As he ran outside, he heard a woman screaming. At first, he thought that something had happened to the thief. Then he realized something. Malon. He took of running to her room. He found the thief in the windowsill. Link pulled out his hookshot and aimed straight at the gerudo. He fired. The hook flew straight at the thief, who dodged it without difficulty. However, she lost her footing and came falling down to the ground.
She got up and rubbed her face. She looked up. Link was advancing on her quickly. He screamed and swung it straight for her head. She flipped backwards. The thief drew her halberd and flew straight at Link. He lifted his shield and braced himself, but the thief did a feint attack, and landed the blade right into his flank. She pulled it out towards her, and the blood came gushing out of his side. He shook it off and took out a bomb. He lit it and threw it straight at the thief. She caught it and threw it off into the distance. It exploded, lighting the ranch like daylight. The thief took her halberd and swung vertically. Link jumped to the side and attacked with a jump. He sliced the halberd in two. He pinned the Gerudo to the ground, and held his sword inches from her face. He said nothing. They stared into each other's eyes. Then, Links shriveled in pain. He began to cough up blood. He fell dead onto the ground.
Malon found his body about an hour after the fight. He had 4 knives lodged in his back. She scooped him up onto Epona and rushed him to town.

Gentle Rain: Chapter 6>>


Link sat on the bed at the castle reading an adult magazine quietly.
If one were to look through the window at him, he could be described as a "Uneasy looking man, with shiny skin, appearing as if he were perspirating, and lips parted in an expression of either pleasure or surprise." Until the door opened. Link quickly through the magazine into a hidden corner as Zelda walked in.
"Oh, my god! Link, I was so worried about you!" She ran into him, flailing her arms around her neck and positioning herself on his lap.
"Yeah . . ." Link grunted, with a surprised and annoyed expression on his face. "Whatever."
Malon had rushed him to the town after he was attacked. He was taken to the castle for treatment, in which he was recovering.
"When can I get back to work?" Link asked. "I wanna catch that bastard that hit me. And I still need to report to the King."
"What happened to Gaara?" Zelda asked, ignoring his question.
"He's dead."
"Oh..." Zelda said. "I, um... I..."
"Zelda..." Link said, his voice stuttering. He pulled her in closer into his chest and stroked her hair, the early-evening moon shining in through the window. "You are such a woman." He gripped onto her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She looked up to him, with her small, beautiful eyes narrowed.
"I love you so much."



ONE YEAR LATER

Zelda walked through the garden, waiting. She was a very elegant woman. She was small, but unlike Malon, was not fragile. She had a narrow face. Her chin was well defined, and she had deep blue eyes, a dark blue that created a penetrating enigma. She did everything with class. The way she walked could put a man to sleep. She was all about class.
And ended up dating a complete dumbass.
Despite his strong and silent type impression, Zelda discovered like Malon before her that Link was a doofus in every manner of life. He was very happy-go-lucky, immature, irresponsible, rash, and laid back. You couldn't call him lazy though. He was anything but lazy. It was easier for Malon to tolerate, because she was exactly like him. Zelda on the other hand was his complete opposite. However they always got along. They fit together perfectly, in fact.
Link arrived at last. He came up to Zelda, kissed her cheek, and took her hand. They walked down into the castle and said nothing. They talked a great deal in the market. The chatter of people, the vendors advertising their merchandise, and the cry of dogs in the air lifted the spirits of everyone.
"That reminds me of you," said Link, observing something on the table, "it matches your eyes." It was a small blue stone. Link reached down to it, but another hand reached . . . Link looked up at a woman in a straw hat. "I'm sorry," the woman started to reply, but looked up and saw his face. She had long red hair, with bangs hanging into her face, messed up and looking scrappy due to the hat. She had large crystal blue eyes, and a mouth shaped into a small O of surprise.
Malon.
She said nothing. She nodded at Link with a very sad expression and walked of, sitting on a bench on the other side of town. She looked down at her hand, soft as a gentle rain, on which a small bird had perched. Zelda pressed in closer to Link. She obviously didn't recognize Malon. "Who was that woman?" Zelda asked into Link's ear.
"Just some stranger..." Link lied.
"She seemed upset when she saw you,"
Link just brushed her off. Pretending to look at the merchandise, he looked at Malon. She sat there, hunched over, with her head buried in her arms. Link couldn't directly see her face, but he saw tears.
"Zelda, go back to the castle. I have... business to attend to. Zelda looked suspiciously at Malon on the bench, then back at Link. He just shrugged her off.
He walked over to the bench and sat down next to Malon. She said nothing. "My god," he said. "It's a small world."
Malon giggled a little, but started to cough instead, tears splashing from her face.
Link gently stroked her back, warming his hands and her back.
"I'm so sorry," Link said.
Malon turned to look at him, tears gushing from her eyes. Her eyebrows sloped down and she bit her bottom lip, creating a look of sheer anguish.
"How could you betray me like this?!" she screamed. "I loved you! Then you turned your back on me! You abandoned me! You just left me... with no explanation. You left me for... her."
Link looked down and shuffled a hand through his hair. He sighed.
"God, I hate myself right now."
Malon jerked up suddenly and grabbed him by the collar. She stared into his eyes. She was angry. Mad enough to kill. She stared at him, with a sad expression. She then jerked her hand up and smacked him across the face. She ran. People stared. Link cried.

Gentle Rain: Chapter 7>>


"I feel like sometimes you love that cat more than you love me."
Zelda was in bed watching Link pet her cat by her feet. Link didn't reply. He had been very upset by the incident at the market.
"Come crawl under the covers with me!" she groaned.
Link sighed and obeyed.
He had the most trusting relationship with Zelda. He was sure that she was "the one". After all, he had fought an army to save her.
But Malon had him doubting this. She trusted him. But it all amounted to nothing in the end.
Didn't it?





"Tell him to come." Said the monster. His skin was hard, and a shade of dark beige from many battles. He had strong arms with huge muscles. He had a large nose, which bridged across his face, and fiery eyes that would make a man mad.
"Yes, sir,"
"Hurry up."
The thief quickly left the room, and returned with a young boy of about thirteen.
"Here he is."
The boy bowed down and said, "I am here to serve you."
"Get on your feet. Tell me what I want to know and I will spare your life."
"What is it you desire?" asked the boy, standing on his feet.
The monster leaned back into his chair.
"Rumor has it you have gotten into the castle before."
"Yes. I was on a mission to"
"SPARE ME DETAILS! DID YOU MEET A MAN NAMED LINK?"
"The fool in green?"
"He is more intelligent than you think. Do not underestimate him. I've made that mistake before."
'You must be weak then . . .'
The monster threw his hand out and grabbed the boy by the neck. He lifted him high above his head.
"You have no idea about my strengths. I would crush your bones in an instant."
You go out and bring him to me. If he is dead, you will die."
He dropped the boy down to the ground.
"Yes, sir."
"You will lure him into the fortress. I want you to take him out. Leave him alive, however. I will kill him personally. "





"Give me the most expensive drink you have."
Link groaned and leaned back in his chair.
"Plan to get drunk as hell tonight?" the bartender asked.
Link ignored him.
He guzzled down his 200r$ drink and left.
He had been unhappy for the last two weeks, and everybody was noticing. He had started to drink to the point were he reeked of booze, as apposed to the mild cologne that had captivated his lovers.
He smoked constantly. He was rarely seen without a cigarette or cigar in his mouth. One of his co-workers at one point said, "Did you wake up with pride missing, cuz you've been in a f---ing bad mood all week." Link flipped him off.
He felt sick. In fact, the only time he was himself was when Zelda was there. He wore his cologne; he took mints to eliminate the smell of smoke and booze. He loved her. They would be seen walking around, holding hands. They never let go of each other's hands. They made a beautiful couple. Zelda was elegant and sophisticated. Link was strong and handsome. Soon, the whole town spoke of them on a daily basis. They spent time together on a daily basis.
But still, link couldn't shade the feeling of Malon. It would come to him while lying in bed, or eating breakfast. He knew she wouldn't speak to him if he went to her. But he did anyways.



Blood was spilt everywhere. It was splattered onto the walls and floor. I stared out on the scene. The ranch was gone. Something had happened. I walked out to the corral. There was a body. It was Malon. I went to her. Kneeling down, I placed a hand on her stomach. She was still living. She opened her eyes, and I remembered why I fell in love with her. She captivated me, with her piercing blue eyes. Not as piercing as Zelda's, but the color of crystals. A knife whirred past my face. I turned and saw Gaara. Blood was splattered over his face and he grinned maliciously. IN an instant he was behind me, and he had Malon by the throat. He flipped backwards and threw a knife at me. I tried to dodge, but it hit me in the leg. HE dropped Malon and flew towards me. He put his sword to my throat and grinned.
"I was instructed not to kill you. Feel lucky. I will take the girl to the fortress now. You will follow. I'll make a deal with you now. I'll let the girl live if you bring the magi to the throne of our master! There is no escaping! If you do not comply with our demands . . ." He flew back to Malon and picked her up with a knife pressed up to her jugular.
"I'll kill the girl, then hunt you down and sever your head!"
He and Malon disappeared.
The bastard had taken her. I couldn't comply with Gaara's demands. But I wouldn't let him kill her. So I would play dirty. I would strike first and sever HIS head.
I fell unconscious onto the ground.


The conclusion to Gentle Rain will be posted sometime in November, or maybe sooner if I feel like it. Don't blink!