"Say, who's that new kid?"

Link's attention was brought to the person across the room that Vaati's finger was not-so-discreetly pointing at. Class was a few minutes from ending, and everyone had migrated towards their friends to socialize before the bell rang. However, the teenager that Vaati had singled out was sitting by himself, talking to no one and browsing through a History of Hyrule textbook.

"I think his name is Ghirahim," Link replied with a shrug, willing the bell to ring sooner. Lunch was next, and he had missed breakfast that morning. "I heard it during roll call."

"He looks different, like he's not from around here," Vaati continued his assessment of the new kid named Ghirahim. "White hair, dark eyes, purple rings under them, strange skin tone...his clothes are foreign, too."

"You look pretty strange compared to some of us too, Vaati," Link laughed. "Lavender hair, red eyes, pretty short?"

Vaati narrowed his eyes with a slight blush. "I was just saying..."

"Well, wanna ask him to sit with us at lunch?"

Vaati nodded. "I doubt he's got anyone to sit with, and everyone else will probably ignore him."

With that, the bell chimed, and the cluster of students escaped into the hall. Link and Vaati were delighted that Ghirahim had stayed back while the rest of the class scrambled for the doorway like uncivilized beasts. Link, a bit aloof to the situation and knowing it would mean more to his friend, let Vaati approach Ghirahim. Link watched from a few feet away. He wasn't the kind of person to become very involved with things or other people right off the bat.

"Ghirahim?" Vaati inquired.

Ghirahim's eyes narrowed slightly, but he replied with a polite, but strained, "Yeah?"

"I'm Vaati, and that's Link," he stated bluntly, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the blonde haired Hylian. "We wanted to know if you'd come with us to lunch?"

There was a slight moment of pause, where Vaati was sure Ghirahim would reject the offer, but he was slightly surprised, and a bit elated, when the white haired boy accepted.

The three exited the deserted classroom, heading down the hall and for the cafeteria. They were met with a few blockades of Gerudo girls around their lockers re-applying their makeup, and a few Zoras heading to the swim team's room. The courtyard, which had to be crossed to reach the cafeteria, was over-populated and extremely noisy. Vaati and Link were sensitive to its loudness, and they could tell Ghirahim was as well. He remained silent, so Vaati decided to break its curse.

"So what school did you come from?"

"Huh?"

"Where did you go to school before here at Hyrule Town Square?"

"Oh, er, I homeschooled," Ghirahim patched up his blunder over the obvious question. He smoothed his white hair down over the side of his face, suddenly anxious over his bad communication skills.

"I came from a Minish school a couple towns over," Vaati said, trying to keep conversation going. "I'm actually a Minish, but my old teacher, my master, helped me achieve a Hylian body. Do you practice any magic?"

A surge of discomfort pierced Ghirahim. "I suppose you could say I do. It's said to be a form of elite magic. I don't think it's practiced at schools such as these."

Link's attention, which had been focused on obtaining food (specifically hoping that they would be serving Octorok salad) was diverted at this. He wasn't an over-achieving student who excelled in every subject he took (in fact if it weren't for Vaati, he wouldn't have a chance at passing history) but asides from Combat & Weaponry, as he was the one who practically taught everyone how to use a bow and arrow while the teacher, Mr. Gaebora slept through each class, he was also top of his class in Magical Studies & Artifacts. It was such a fascinating subject to him that he spent his free time researching it through different cultures in his free time.

"What does it involve?" Link asked suddenly, cutting Vaati off before he could say more.

He could almost see Ghirahim cringe, and wonder what kind of magic Ghirahim knew that he would visibly try to hide; most of the more ancient, evil magics had been concealed by the Goddesses, and made illegal by most authorities across Hyrule. His reluctance made Link suspicious, but he decided to chalk it up to Ghirahim's obvious social anxiety.

"Er, teleporting, weaponry, that sort of thing," the white haired teen explained. "They're just uncommon forms of a probably similar branch of magic."

Link nodded, letting any clinging suspicions fade. "I don't know much magic myself as any type of sorcerer, but I do have the ability to use and control magical artifacts."

"I'm a sorcerer," Vaati chipped in. "But in my freshman year I went with the wrong crowd and used my magic for some bad things. I ended up getting probation for a year."

Link nudged Vaati with his elbow, winking at him. "Now everyone thinks you're such a badass."

"Shut up, Link..." Vaati hissed, his cheeks tinting red. "It was before I knew you." If he were a cat, his ears would have been laying flat against his head.

It was by then that they had waded through the crowds and made it to the lunch line. Ghirahim glanced around uncomfortably.

"Mind if I save us a table?" he asked.

"You want us to bring you something to eat?" Vaati offered.

"I don't eat at school. I, um, well you see, I just don't."

"S'cool," Vaati dismissed him. "We'll be there in a few."

Relieved, Ghirahim broke from the line of students and glanced around for a table, slipping into an empty one and pulling out a book to read. A Collection of Legends. Chapter One, Majora's Mask...

He felt the weight of something dropping onto the table, and look up expecting to see Vaati or Link, but was forlorn to see someone else; this person had a crop of fiery hair that contrasted deeply with his olive-green skin that signaled to Ghirahim that he was, in fact, a Gerudo. He was extremely tall and had well toned muscles for someone his height. He had slammed down a textbook on the table, startling Ghirahim from his concentration.

"Hi there, new kid," the red haired boy smiled in an unfriendly sort of way. "Whatcha doin' hanging around those two?"

"Link and Vaati?" Ghirahim asked, confused. "What's wrong with them?"

"Oh nothing, besides that one of them is a thug and the other is gay."

"I don't see how gay is an insult - "

"No, I mean gay as in kissing other guys, sleeping with other guys, sucking their you-know-whats."

Ghirahim felt his face go red for a split second, slightly out of embarassment but more heavily out of anger. "So what? He's a nice guy. So is Vaati."

"You just met them, how do you know?" the Gerudo sneered.

"Because they aren't trying to drag anyone's reputation through the mud," Ghirahim snapped. "I'd suggest you leave, right about now would be nice."

The Gerudo's nose wrinkled in a snarl. "Hanging around the likes of them will only lead you into more trouble, Sword Spirit."

Ghirahim froze, as his heart skipped a beat and his stomach quit digesting. His mouth went dry.

"What makes you think that?" he asked calmly.

"I can just tell," the Gerudo spat. "Maybe nobody else can sense your magical aura, most of the people in this school are magically disabled or inept at their abilities, but I come from a long and uninterrupted bloodline. I can tell what someone is by just looking at them. You're a Sword Spirit, and don't seem too keen on having anyone else know."

"Why would I care if someone knew? I'm rather proud of my exquisite deviance."

"But you're a lie. That isn't how you truly look, this isn't your true nature. You're lying to Link and Vaati. Do you think they'd accept you if they knew?"

"I wouldn't see a reason not to," Ghirahim retorted, but inside he felt himself falter and a few chips of confidence break away and fall into an abyssal hole. He had come here to attempt a typical school experience, among other reasons, and halfway through the first day he was already being threatened of exposure.

"I know what kind of race you are. It'd be a shame for Link and Vaati to see you as you truly are."

"I've nothing to hide from them," Ghirahim asserted once more.

The red haired Gerudo shrugged. "Well, I suppose we'll see about that." He stood, grinning coldly, and lef the table, throwing a smirk over his shoulder at the Sword Spirit.

Ghirahim shook his head, attempting to restore his composure. He could see Link and Vaati heading towards the table with their trays now, and was hoping with a burning intensity that they had not witnessed or heard any part of the conversation with the Gerudo.

"Hey, why was Ganon talking to you?" Vaati asked. Damn.

"Er, just giving me a "welcoming speech," I would presume," Ghirahim said with distaste.

"He's a pretty big jerk," Link shrugged, taking a huge bite of Dodongo tail sandwhich, lamenting that is wasn't Octorok salad. "It's best to just avoid him. He likes terrorizing anyone that he can get away with."

"I can tell," Ghirahim's tone with venomous.

"Did he try messing with you?" Vaati pressed. His red eyes narrowed to slits.

"He "tried," but he wasn't very successful," Ghirahim half-laughed.

"Well, good," Vaati nodded, and turned to Link. "So you wanna hang after school today, Link? Link!"

"Wh-what!" Link spluttered, startled out of his haze, Lon Lon Milk spouting everywhere. "Damn it, Vaati. Thanks a lot," he sounded cross and grouchy, as he used a few napkins to wipe up the mess.

"We wouldn't have this problem if you weren't staring at Sheik's ass," Vaati huffed, crossing his arms in annoyance. "He broke up with you. It's time to move on."

Link's long, elfish ears burned crimson through his hair. "Does this conversation have to be in front of Ghirahim?"

"If you staring at Sheik when I'm talking to you becomes a problem, then yes."

Link glared daggers at Vaati, then turned to address Ghirahim, "Well, now that Vaati has so graciously hinted at it, I might as well tell you that I am in fact gay."

"That Ganon guy kind of told me..."

Link was quiet. "Oh, he did, did he?" he half whispered. "I suspect you'll feel weird around me now?"

"Not in the slightest, actually. I don't see its relevance to our relationship - er I mean! Our developing relationship? Friendship? Um...I'm sorry. We've only just met, but I already like you both."

He expected the Minish and Hylian duo to give him strange stares, but they both only laughed light-heartedly. The fact that they weren't so uptight and critical provided him with an unfamiliar feeling of acceptance.

"So," Vaati tried asking again, "you wanna hang out today, Link?"

"I've got nothing to do, sure, why not?"

"Ghirahim?"

Ghirahim had the impulse to say yes, to accept their offer and begin developing the friendship between himself, Vaati, and Link, but he knew from the moment that he made his decision to start going to public school that he wouldn't be allowed to strengthen social bonds outside of school itself, to stay the night at anyone's house, to go on dates. With who, he wasn't sure as he didn't exactly have a preferred orientation, or one at all possibly, but nonetheless he couldn't experiment with that and attempt to develop one or which one he had.

He knew he couldn't, and he knew the exact reason why.

"I'm sorry guys, but Dad needs me home after school today."

He wished the circumstances behind it were as normal as Link and Vaati undoubtedly thought they were. He saw the disappointment in both Link and Vaati's eyes, but wish they knew that it didn't compare with the disappointment that he felt inside.