Chapter 2: An Unlikely Duo

Link had always been considered a gifted person, living the kind of life every teen would kill for. Money, looks, athletic abilities, everything had always been handed to him in a silver platter yet here he now stood, face to face with a dreadful nightmare only recognized in legends and stories. How had this perfect teen's life taken such a turn for the worse in such a short amount of time? He could barely comprehend how he was standing right now, but there he was, heart racing, pulse rising, and beads of cold sweat cascading down his face as the giant spider thrashed in pain at the light that blinded it. He could feel the warm sensation from his left hand slowly soothing his anxiety and the large blade he held radiated brightly somehow giving him the courage to stand his ground.

"Just… what is going on?" He huffed as he raised the Master Sword in order to get a better look at it. "This sword…"

A loud screech coming from the skulltula brought Link back to reality. It had already recovered from its temporary blindness and it looked even angrier than before. The blonde teen placed one foot behind him and tightened the grip on his sword. Running away was definitely not an option, but could he really win against something so huge?

The skulltula let out another screech as it began making its way towards Link in a more vicious manner than before. Link gritted his teeth and held his ground awaiting the oncoming attack. A shinning light suddenly rushed over his shoulder hitting the spider square on the face making it rear back in pain.

"What the… an arrow?" Link mumbled to himself as he turned back to find the person who had shot it.

"Link!" Zelda shouted from a few feet behind him. She stood erect holding a golden bow in one hand and an arrow in another. If the fact that she suddenly appeared out of nowhere with a weapon in her hand wasn't enough to make anyone question her, her seriously calm expression definitely was. It was as if she had dealt with things like this before. Just who was this girl? "Finish it off now!" he heard her shout.

Link wasn't sure just what was happening at the moment but for the time being he decided to follow her instructions. Raising the Master Sword high in the air he began to run towards the distraught skulltula and with a loud yell he brought the blade down against the spider's head, a bright flash suddenly engulfed everything once more.

The skulltula let out one last defining roar before exploding into a cloud of purple smoke. Link stood recovering his breath as the smoke dispersed around him. Somehow this whole experience seemed so familiar to him, to the point where he automatically flung the sword over his shoulder almost as if to place it in a nonexistent sheath.

"You did well," Zelda said as she came up from behind him.

Link turned towards the girl and gave her a sincere smile and a thumbs up before collapsing on the ground out of fatigue. Zelda stood awkwardly as the teen curled up at her feet soundly asleep. She sighed as she flung her bow over her shoulder. "I still can't believe a guy like this is the chosen hero," she mumbled in annoyance as she spotted the Master Sword lying next to him. As she bent down to touch it the blade suddenly disappeared in a flash of light leaving a dumbfounded Zelda to contemplate what had just happened.

"Hm… I guess he still isn't ready to be named THE chosen hero… figures," she glanced once again at the boy's peaceful face. "I'm going to be here a bit longer than I thought Rauru."

Link stirred in his sleep. Somehow he felt the heaviness of sleep slowly drift away despite the warmness and comfort he felt in his peaceful slumber. He took his time as his cerulean eyes adjusted to the bright light coming from the far window. A small yawn escaped his lips as he stretched his arms forward. He looked around as soon as he regained his eyesight and realized he was back in his familiar room lying on his familiar bed. The events of the previous night came flooding back to him, but he quickly dismissed those as dreams resulting from some heavy drinking at Marin's party.

Now realizing he was back in the safety of his home he decided to go back to his sleep, but he suddenly felt something moving beside him. That warmness he felt wasn't simply a product of his dreams, it was real. Slowly turning his head to his right he came face to face with a cascade of golden hair.

"What the…" he mumbled before the long strands of hair parted revealing a young light skinned girl softly snoozing beside him.

Link blinked a couple of times before quickly sitting up. "THE NEW GIRL?!" he exclaimed just a bit more enthusiastic than normal.

Zelda stirred as well and slowly opened her sapphire eyes noticing an excited Link sitting next to her. She made a small whining sound. She knew what was coming next.

"Why are you in my bed?" Link asked. "Did we… yesterday?" A big smiled crossed his face, the same stupid grin Zelda hated.

"No… we did not," the girl began, her voice barely a whisper.

Link quickly frowned as he suddenly noticed he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, the marks and scratches from the fight were visible as well. A small shiver ran down his spine. "Wait," his eyes widened. "Yesterday… that spider… it wasn't a dream, was it?"

Shrugging off the last bit of sleep she had left Zelda sat up and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. So perfect was her hair in fact that even after sleeping a whole night it remained relatively perfect, a luxury most girls lacked. She closed her eyes and softly exhaled as she prepared to answer the pile of questions Link surely had for her.

"No Link, it wasn't a dream."

Link flinched. That wasn't the answer he was quite expecting. His mind went back, double checking that horrible experience. Part of him refused to believe it and told him that it was all a lie, but the small wounds were there. It was the proof he needed. Utterly confused, he tried to organize all his doubts but to no avail.

"Why are you here?!" Link asked.

"I had nowhere else to go," Zelda replied casually.

The blonde haired teen growled in annoyance. "You can't just go crashing on other people's houses! Just who are you?!"

The young girl sighed and stood up. This was definitely going to take some time, another luxury she just didn't have. It was moments like these that made her wonder if the Goddesses were testing her. "You just don't get it. You and I, we are partners now. My name is Zelda… Princess Zelda."

Link retained a blank expression. "Princess… Zelda?"

"Yes, listen to me. Long ago there existed an evil man named Ganondorf who wanted to rule over Hyrule. To do this he sought to find the ancient relic known as the Triforce, which granted its user any wish he or she desired. His plan backfired. The Triforce, sensing the evil within him, divided into three fragments and each found its way to a person who best represented its essence. Ganondorf got Power; the Princess of the land received Wisdom, and a young boy, later known as the Hero of Time received Courage."

The young girl paused for a second, making sure Link was following her story. The young teen, however, retained a dull expression, yawning every two minutes.

"I've heard this legend before in Hyrule history," he spoke as soon as he noticed her glare. "The hero and the princess then sealed him away in the dark realm with the help of the seven sages. So what? It's just a stupid legend."

Zelda shook her head. "It's not just a stupid legend. This happened for real and now this Hyrule is in danger of facing Ganondorf's evil wrath once more."

Link merely scoffed before throwing the covers off of him. "Uh huh, sure, I bet. Listen new girl, I have better things to do than to listen to you going on about heroes and princesses now just get the hell out of my house," he replied coldly before making his way towards the bathroom.

"You don't understand!" Zelda exclaimed as she followed him. "The sages are no more and the seal that keeps Ganondorf at bay is weakening. We have to find the new sages that will uphold that seal for future generations. If we don't the seal will break and Ganondorf will come back!"

Without so much as glancing at Zelda's direction Link picked up his toothbrush and paste and began brushing his teeth. "What does that have to do with me?" he said with a mouth full of paste. He had to admit, though this girl seemed crazy, her story was somewhat intriguing. The monster that attacked him the night before was real, that much he knew for certain.

"Link," Zelda eyed the young teen through the bathroom mirror. "You are the descendant of the hero that locked Ganondorf away. It is your destiny to aid me in the quest to find the new sages."

Link spat in the bathroom sink before grinning towards the girl. "Oh really? I'm supposed to be a hero and you're the princess? I'm starting to like this game."

Zelda growled menacingly towards him. "I hate nothing more than having to work with someone like you… and this ISN'T A GAME!"

"Whatever you say princess," Link shrugged as he went over to his walk-in closet and closed the door in Zelda's face. "So… what makes you think I'M the hero?" he asked from behind the door.

"You posses a piece of the Triforce," Zelda replied. "The mark is in the back of your left hand. I'm sure you've seen it before."

Link took off his shirt and paused for second glancing at his hand. There was no denying it; he had seen that mark before, once in the cafeteria and later on with the fight against the giant spider. That little voice inside his head began pestering the young teen. She was telling the truth. Yesterday's events DID happen and he was no longer just an average teenager.

Zelda heard a small groan coming from inside the closet before the door suddenly flung open revealing a fully dressed Link. His defeated facial expression caused the girl to smirk slightly. "You believe me now?"

"I suppose I do." he replied unenthusiastically.

"Perfect!" Zelda smirked.

"Still!" he suddenly cut her off. "I will not help you."

Zelda's eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously. "What do you mean you won't help me?"

Link threw his arms behind the back of his head as he passed by the girl. "I have more important priorities right now than to play hero."

"LIKE WHAT?!"

The jock looked away and started rubbing his chin in mock thought. "… Basketball… Girls… oh! There's this neat beach party I was invited to next weekend…"

Zelda felt her eyes twitching in annoyance. "You're… kidding… right?"

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" Link shrugged.

The young princess closed her eyes and clenched her fists. Link could hear every deep breath she took in order to maintain her composure though it did little to change his opinion. "This… isn't happening right now…" the girl thought to herself.

"Yes… well, I have things to do so when you're done playing around feel free to just leave my home, ok?" Link smiled a little too widely before walking away towards the door.

"Link!" Zelda shouted causing the teen to stop as he reached for the doorknob. "The fate of this world depends on us… many innocent people will die!"

Link remained silent for a brief moment before turning the knob and exiting the room leaving Zelda all alone. The young girl took one last defeated breath before turning towards the window pane. The sun shone brightly, another perfect day, but just how long was it going to last? Time was running out.

Not wanting to hear anymore of Zelda's babbling Link decided to simply walk around his neighborhood in order to clear his head and set some things straight. As he walked along the sidewalk he felt the vibration of his cell phone coming from his jean pocket. Stopping for a moment he picked it up and noticed the call from his friend Leon. It suddenly struck him. After the attack from the giant spider he hadn't spoken to his friends. Were they alright? Did they know about the monster? Wasting no time he quickly flipped open the phone and pressed the green button.

"Leon!"

"Link! About time you picked up! Where the hell are you?"

"I'm fine Leon, where are you now?"

"I'm at the old basketball court at the park."

"Be right there then."

He heard his friend hang up the phone before doing just the same. "He seems normal enough," he thought to himself.

Leon Cloud stood in the middle of a worn down basketball court at the old neighborhood park where he and Link used to play as kids. He checked his phone one last time and sighed before placing it back in his dark green Hyrule High jacket pocket. He picked up his basketball and began dribbling down the court taking random shots here and there. He growled in annoyance as the ball once again hit the old rusty rim and bounced back towards him.

"You gotta practice that jumper more," Link said as he crept up behind the tall teen.

"Pshh whatever you say captain," Leon brushed it off as he took another shot, this time making it. "So, where the hell where you when the earthquake hit?"

Link ran over towards the ball and picked it up. "The earthquake?"

"Uh… yea, bro. Didn't you hear the news? It was 3.1 I think. Not much to cause any bad damage, but it's been years since we've had one. So where were you?"

"Me… um," Link paused for a moment as his friend waited for his answer. "Doesn't seem like he knows about the spider… better not tell him yet," he agreed to himself. "Well, I pretty much hid until it was over… then I went home."

Leon glared at the young blonde. "You didn't even have the decency to call your friends to make sure we were ok?"

"Uh," Link stammered as he placed his arms in front of him in defense. "It's not like that… you see, I temporarily misplaced my phone… it wasn't until you called me earlier that I found it." He tried giving Leon his most sincere smile, but his best friend was far from sold.

"Right, well, atleast you're fine," Leon mumbled as he motioned for Link to pass the ball. "If you're wondering, everyone else is fine too."

"That's good," Link smiled as he passed his friend the ball. "So… how bout a game?"

Leon caught the ball and smirked. "You sure you can handle it?"

Link smirked back as he took off his jacket. "I think I can manage pretty well."

It was already sundown by the time the two friends had finished playing their game. As expected, Link had won the game but only by a few points. Defeating the team's center on a one on one game wasn't exactly easy, but Link was Hyrule high's MVP after all.

"Good game," Link breathed as he watched the beads of sweat fall off his face towards the warm ground.

Leon quickly made a face. "Please man. You only won because you made shots from long range. Try beating me down the post."

The young blonde laughed. "Don't be such a sore loser."

Both teens continued laughing and making jokes about one another until a voice called out Link's name from afar. Both Link and Leon turned to find an annoyed Zelda making her way towards them.

Leon raised an eyebrow and turned to his friend. "The new girl?"

Link simply sighed and handed the ball over to his friend. "I'll explain everything later just let me handle this."

The large brunette seemed confused, but nodded. "Sure, no problem. See you at school tomorrow." He waved towards Zelda and smiled sheepishly before turning and walking the opposite direction.

Link watched his friend leave before turning towards the girl. "What is it now princess?"

"How can you be playing around at a time like this?!" Zelda growled as she pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I already told you I'm not doing your little hero thing!" Link spat back.

The young princess sighed. "You don't have a choice Link! It's your destiny! You can't run away from that!"

"Watch me," he brushed past her without so much as glancing at her direction.

Zelda turned. Raising her voice, she called out to him. "Can't you see many people will die?! Can you seriously live with yourself after that?!"

Link turned abruptly, his face glowing with anger. "I didn't ask for this and I don't need it! Go find yourself someone else!"

He stormed off leaving Zelda once again with her words in her mouth. This was getting bad fast and she was becoming desperate. Without Link's help it would be near impossible to find the other sages and even if she did, Link's Master sword was the key to keeping the seal strong. Without it, the seal won't last. She had to find a way to convince him, but how?

"Who the hell does she think she is bossing me around like that?" Link mumbled to himself as he walked around the lone streets of the suburbs.

The sun's silhouette was already barely visible behind the tall mountains in the distant save a few rays that shone through the purple sky. The cold autumn air was already beginning to settle in. Most of the people had made their way home for the night by that time. Adjusting the collar of his dark green varsity jacket, Link continued his way walking around trying to calm himself down. It wasn't until he had decided to return home that he heard a scream coming from the park near where he was. Wasting no time he ran towards the source of the scream only to find a little girl sitting on top of the monkey bars crying out for help. On the ground, circling the monkey bars was a dog, but it was no ordinary dog for it was a lot bigger than any dog Link had seen.

"What is that?" Link mumbled to himself as he felt the same cold shiver he felt the moment he faced the giant spider.

The dog's ears perked up as it turned to face Link, its golden eyes glowing menacingly towards him. It let out a loud howl causing Link to flinch slightly. This dog, was no dog, it was a wolf.

"Oh… shit," Link cursed as it began rushing towards him. He quickly rolled out of the way as the wolf lounged past him though the beast simply turned and rushed at him once more. Link quickly sidestepped, but the wolf managed to slash through his jacket barely grazing his skin.

"My jacket!" Link growled as he stumbled back from the attack.

The wolf turned slowly and crouched in preparation for its next attack. Link gulped and narrowed his eyes. "C'mon," he breathed as he grabbed a handful of sand. As if on cue the beast lounged once more towards the teen, but Link quickly threw the sand against the wolf's face temporarily blinding it. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly ran towards the little girl in the monkey bars. In his current position there was no way he could take on something like that. "I'll just climb the monkey bars and call the animal shelter or something," he thought triumphantly. Just before reaching the safety of the monkey bars, however, he felt a hot sensation run through his back. Next thing he knew he was on the floor with the wolf towering over him, its hot breath caressing his bare neck.

It wasn't until he heard the little girl scream once more that he realized the wolf had somehow slashed his back and was now pinning him down ready to end his life. He struggled against the beast's might, but it was no use. The pain he felt as the blood oozed out of the wound wasn't helping him either.

"Not like this… I don't want to die," Link thought in desperation as he struggled to free himself from the wolf's grasp.

"Link!" Zelda called out as she aimed her bow at the wolf.

The wounded teen felt relieved as he heard her voice though the beast towering over him seemed only annoyed at the girl's presence. Zelda arched her bow back and swiftly shot her arrow at the wolf which in turn quickly leapt out of harm's way freeing Link in the process. The golden haired girl cursed slightly as the arrow completely missed its target.

"Link! You have to make the Master sword appear again!" she shouted as she notched another arrow and shot at the wolf.

"The… what?" Link asked as he struggled to sit up despite his wound. His eyes suddenly widened as he recalled the bright sword he held against the spider the night before, but just how had he made it appear? He stared doubtfully at his left hand and held it forward trying hard to concentrate into making the blade materialize in front of him. "Tsk… c'mon!"

"It's no use… he doesn't have the skill yet," Zelda thought to herself as she eyed the monster as it ran circles around her. "It's up to me."

Crouching slightly she waited until the beast suddenly lounged towards her with great speed. She jumped back slightly and swung her bow hard successfully knocking the wolf back several feet. Quickly taking out another arrow from her quiver she leaped high in the air and fired it without hesitation. Zelda watched carefully as the arrow struck true making the wolf cry out in pain.

"Got it," she smirked victoriously as the beast remained motionless on the floor.

Meanwhile the little girl had rushed toward Link's side and had helped him up. "You ok, mister?" she asked receiving a small smile from the teen.

"I'm ok," Link smiled though the pain was clearly visible on his face. "Are you ok?"

The little girl nodded before suddenly running towards Zelda hugging the girl in the process. "Thank you big sis!" she shouted causing Zelda to blush slightly.

"I…er…" the teen stammered.

"You saved me and mister too!" the little girl continued. "You're the coolest!"

Zelda smiled and kneeled down next to the girl. "I'm glad you're safe. You should hurry back home now."

The little girl nodded. "Thank you big sis and mister!" She hugged Zelda once more before running off. Zelda waved merrily at the girl while Link retained a sour look still processing the fact that he was saved yet again by Zelda.

"How is your wound?" the young girl asked as she gently ran her hand through his bloody back.

Link winced at her touch. "I think I'll live."

"That's good to know… we should head back home then," she replied before turning around.

Link glanced at the back of his left hand before turning back towards her. All she had said, he had now realized what she meant. "Zelda wait!"

The girl stopped and turned towards him. "What is it?"

"If it wasn't for you, the little girl would've surely…" he paused for moment. "This is going to continue… isn't it?" He knew the answer to that question but somehow he hoped it would be wrong.

Zelda frowned grimly as she lowered her gaze. "Unfortunately monsters like this will continue appearing until the seal is completely broken. Once that happens… the Hyrule you know will cease to exist."

"Unless we find all the new sages… right?"

Zelda' eyes suddenly lit up, a small glimmer of hope emanating from them. "You mean you'll help me?

A high pitch howl suddenly caught both teens by surprise as they covered their ears in pain. Turning around both Link and Zelda found the wolf back on its feet though this time it stood erect on two paws. Its eyes shone more fiercely than before and its claws seemed to extend slightly farther as well.

"What is that thing?!" Link asked as he took a step back.

"That is a wolfos," Zelda replied as she prepared her bow once more. "Link stand back you're not ready for this."

The wolfos extended his arms to his sides as it ran towards Zelda with speed even greater than before. Zelda closed one eye as she aimed at the monster as it neared her. She fired another arrow, but this time the wolfos evaded it with little effort. She gasped as the beast leapt into the air ready to strike her down with its powerful claws.

"Zelda!" Link quickly rushed towards her and managed to push her out of the way, but the wolfos' claws managed to slash diagonally through his chest in the process. The young teen let out a cry of pain as he landed on the ground hard. He struggled against the excruciating pain, but the amount of blood loss was too much for him to bear and he felt his consciousness slowly drift away.

"Link!" Zelda called out as she crawled her way towards him.

The wolfos eyed the unconscious Link down before turning towards the young blonde girl as she lay on the ground next to him. Its glowing orbs flashed with bloodlust as it raised its claws once more. Zelda tightened her fists and closed her eyes waiting for the oncoming attack.

All of a sudden three shinning shards of ice flew right past the girl stabbing the wolfos straight on the chest, one piercing its heart. The wolfos let out one last defining howl before exploding into a cloud of smoke just as the skulltula had. Zelda blinked incredulously before turning around to find the source of the attack. For a brief moment she could have sworn she had seen a silver glint through the dark trees behind her.

A small groan suddenly brought her back as Link struggled with the heavy wound inflicted by the wolfos. "Link!" the girl quickly and ripped a piece of her skirt in order to hold off the bleeding. "Hang in there… you're gonna be fine."

"YOU... CURSE YOU ZELDA... CURSE YOU SAGES... CURSE YOU LINK! Someday when this seal is broken, that is when I will exterminate your descendants. As long as the Triforce of Power is in my hand!"

Link awoke with a start. He was back in his home, lying on his familiar bed with Zelda standing near the window looking outside. Sweat drops cascaded down his face as he took very deep breaths. The image of that man still burned in his mind, that dark man with the golden eyes of a beast. Such power, he could feel the rage and desperation behind his venom like voice as he shouted those words that haunted his sleep. It had not been the first time he had that dream. It had always plagued him ever since he was small though he could never tell just who was that man and who Zelda was… until now.

The young girl noticed Link and quickly went over to him "Link… are you ok?" she said as he sat on the bed next to him placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

The startled teen breathed in slowly trying to regain his composure. "Yea… I'm ok."

Somehow he could tell Zelda was not truly convinced, but he wasn't in the best mood to talk about it. It all made perfect sense to him now. Zelda was the girl the man mentioned, the sages are now the ones he has to find in order to keep that seal strong, and of course he was the one Zelda had mentioned… Ganondorf. He had a sinking feeling he wasn't going to return to his normal life ever again.

The princess lowered her gaze for a moment before speaking again. "How are your wounds?"

"My wounds," Link raised his blanket noticing the bandages that were wrapped around his chest. Running his hand across it he awaited the stinging pain that never came. "It doesn't hurt."

"I gave you some red potion for the wounds," Zelda explain. "It seems it did the trick. I'll go make us some food now." She stood up to leave but suddenly paused before reaching the door. "Hey Link?"

"Yea?" the teen lifted his gaze to meet hers.

"Thanks for helping me back there."

Her voice was barely a whispered, but Link had heard her well enough. A large grin suddenly appeared on his face. "Soooo, does that mean we will be sleeping together now?"

Zelda blinked before clenching her fists tightly, her face suddenly becoming red with anger. "Not on your life!" she screamed before closing the door behind her.

With a disappointing sigh Link laid back against his bed. "I guess life won't be as dull anymore," he thought to himself as he stared at the bright rays of the morning sun that shone outside his window.

A/N: So there you have it! Link and Zelda finally team up to save the world! How do you guys like their personalities? What is your opinion on the different OCs? How do you guys expect this story to proceed? Have any ideas you'd like to contribute to the story? Feel free to leave a review with your answers or comments… seriously… FEEL FREE! Till next time!