The Legend of Zelda: Children of the Gods

Epilogue

What caught her attention was the sniffling of a child. Someone was crying, probably a child separated from its parent. It was not that hard to find the source, as the child was to her right, huddled over near the wall, crouched down, his face buried in his hands. The child hardly seemed more than five years old, and he was a bit dirty, his knees scraped quite a bit. He had obviously fallen. Probably pushed. She made her way through the crowd, making her way over to him. She smiled at him as she knelt down in front of him, placing one gentle hand on the boy's head. The boy's head jerked up and he stared at her fearfully, his tear-filled eyes wide as he looked at her. She only smiled, hoping it would calm him somewhat.

"Why are you crying, young one? Are you lost?"

"U-uh…. Uh-huh…" he sobbed, rubbing his eyes as he nodded, "I can't find my daddy…"

"I'll help you look for him if you'd like." Her voice remained calm, gentle.

"…B-but Daddy said… I'm not s'posed to go anywhere with strangers."

"That means that he's very smart to give you such advice." She smiled again, patting his head gently. "How about this: we'll go stand over by the fountain in the center of town, where everyone can see us, and I'll just stand there and keep an eye on you while we wait for your father. Is that all right?"

The boy was silent for a long while, thinking it over long and hard. Finally, he nodded his head. "Yeah."

She smiled and held her hand out for him, and he placed one small hand in hers, and she helped him to his feet. They started towards the fountain, hand in hand, slowly making their way through the crowd, which was slowly beginning to thin out as the market was blanketed by the orange light of dusk.

"…what's your name, child?" she asked, looking at him.

"…Aki." He squeezed her hand lightly as they came to the fountain, and he sat on the edge. "What's yours?"

She studied him for a moment, a small smile appearing on her face as she sat next to him, brushing her hair away from her face, absently readjusting the scarf covering her left eye.

"Shiori."

'

It had taken Kage much longer than he'd expected to get the supplies he needed. There was a rather large crowd, and it was at least half an hour before it had thinned out. After making the purchase, Kage moved away from the crowd and looked over to where he had last seen his son, over near the tree. "Okay, Aki, let's head home--"

Aki wasn't there.

Grimacing, Kage looked around, hoping that he could spot the young child. It was possible he'd just wandered away, that he was still nearby. It's not like anything bad had happened to him… right?

Because the sun was finally starting to set, the crowd was thinning out quickly as people returned to their homes and retired for the night. At that point, it was easy to find Aki, sitting on the edge of the fountain. He wasn't alone, though. Sitting beside him was what appeared to be a woman, who appeared to be a young adult, possibly in her late teens or early twenties. She was rather tall for a woman, maybe about two inches shorter than Kage, and she was rather slender, and it appeared to be that she hadn't eaten for a while. Her hair was long, reaching her shoulder blades, and it appeared to be an ebony shade, although it looked like the hair that framed her face was a lighter color, a grayish tint.

Or silver.

His heart skipped a beat for a moment as he made a sudden realization. He jogged over to where the two sat, and the moment Aki spotted him, the boy pounced on him, clinging to him tightly. "Daddy!" Kage smiled, gently stroking the boy's hair as he returned the embrace. Aki certainly seemed well, although he did appear to be bruised and scraped in a few places. Kage was hesitant to look over at the woman, almost afraid of what the truth may be. However, the woman's voice, which sent a shiver down his spine, easily clinched it.

"…Hello, Seiryu."

Kage lifted his head at the sound of his given name, one that he had turned his back on for centuries. Sure enough, it was his childhood friend that stood before of him, the woman he had once been betrothed to.

"…It's been a while, Shiori."

"Indeed it has," she said with a smile, brushing her hair back off her shoulder, "But now isn't the best time to talk about such things, as the drawbridge will be up soon. I would advise we head out now, and we can talk there."

Kage couldn't help but smile. That was Shiori for you. The woman had a head on her shoulders and she knew how to use it. Kage nodded as he picked up Aki with one arm, and he and Shiori headed towards the drawbridge, to Hyrule Field. Aki lightly tightly on his father's hair. "Daddy, do you two know each other?"

"Yes, Aki. Shiori and I were friends for a long time, back when we were children." Kage looked over at Shiori, who smiled at the memory. She had been the first to actually accept him as a friend, even when she knew what he was. But then again, being a demon herself, it was not all that surprising for them to bond, especially when everyone hated them for what they were, even their own families.

"So she's old like you?" Aki asked curiously, and both adults laughed at the question. Ah, the innocence of a child.

"She's not really old, Aki, and neither am I," Kage said as his laughter slowly subsided, although a grin remained.

"But I am older than your father," Shiori said with a smirk, "We're a pair of old fossils. But you don't care, do you?"

"Nope!" Aki responded with a grin.

Not long after they had crossed the drawbridge, they heard the telltale groan of the wood, the rhythmic clanking of the chains as the drawbridge was lifted, barring all entrances throughout the night. It was then that Kage looked up at Aki, and finally decided to ask about the scrapes his son had acquired. "What happened to you, Aki? And why weren't you where I told you to wait for me?"

Aki frowned, clinging to his father. "Some really big kids came over and were mean to me. They kept hitting me and calling me names. I tried to wait for you, but they wouldn't stop, so I ran away. Then they pushed me, laughed at me, and then went away. But then I couldn't find you anymore."

"Which is when I found him, I suppose," Shiori added with a slight nod, "I didn't know he was your son at first, but it was probably the fact that he looks so much like you did at his age… that's probably what caught my attention at first." She simled. "He was a smart boy, refusing to go with me because he didn't know me."

Kage smiled and patted Aki's back. "That's my boy." Aki grinned and hugged Kage tightly. The trio proceeded in silence for a few moments, but the silence was soon broken by the former shadow deity.

"So, Shiori, do you have a place to stay?"

Shiori was slightly taken aback by the question, but she remained silent, lowering her head as she shook her head in dissent. "No, I don't."

"…If you'd like, you can stay with us until you find a place of your own." Kage smiled.

"…No… I… I don't want to impose…" Shiori said softly, shaking her head again.

"Nonsense. Aki and I would gladly let you stay with us, right?" He looked at Aki, who nodded excitedly. "Besides… it's the least I can do for a friend."

"…….Thank you."

'

By the time they got to the house, Aki had fallen asleep in Kage's arms. While Shiori sat at the table in silence, Kage went upstairs to put the boy to bed. Shiori looked around silently, taking in her surroundings. She really didn't want to be here. She was in pain, her chest tightening to an insane degree. It was excruciating, and she was half tempted to leave right now, but Kage didn't give her the chance to flee. The moment she rose from her chair to move to the door, Kage came down the stairs, and she froze in her tracks, and would not look at him.

"…I take it there's something on your mind, Shiori?"

She remained silent.

"…Why don't we sit down? It'd be nice for us to talk. We haven't seen each other in a while." She heard Kage pull out a chair, sitting down. "…I was rather surprised to see you today. Why did you decide to become mortal?"

Ah, so he'd noticed? Shiori was silent for a moment longer, hanging her head. "It doesn't matter. I was a failure in my position as Goddess of Judgment, so I decided to step down… let someone more suitable take my place." She clenched her fists, biting her lip uneasily.

"…you're lying, Shiori…" She heard him stand, taking a step towards her. "You were the best for the job, even the High Council knew that…You only made one mistake… and even the Council wouldn't banish you for that."

"They didn't banish me, this was my choice." Shiori's throat tightened painfully.

"Then please tell me, Shoiri. Why?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter."

"No, it doesn't--!" She felt a pair of arms close around her, and she tensed up, standing rigid as a board. She shut her eyes tightly, putting one shaky hand on his own. "…You're not going to be happy about it…"

"…That will have to depend on what it is…" He tightened his grip slightly.

"…" She pushed his hands away. "…I fell in love with a mortal."

Silence was Kage's response.

"…He was everything I could ever hope for… kind… compassionate… dedicated to family… but he was taken…"

"…Then why give up everything for him?"

"…Because it was better than never being able to see him again…" She slowly turned to face him, and was, to her surprise, pulled into another fierce embrace. From the strength of Kage's grip, he was refusing to let go. "…Seiryu…?"

"…Selphie went back to Ikana, Shiori. She isn't coming back."

Her eyes widened slightly as he whispered those words in her ear. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was immediately cut off by Kage's lips against her own. She felt her face burning, and the instant he finally pulled back, she averted her gaze. "What made you think I was talking about you?"

He laughed softly. "You forget, Shiori, I am telepathic. Your thoughts were rather loud, so it was hard not to know." He held her close, his embrace much gentler than before. "If you're willing to, I have one thing to ask of you…" He kissed her forehead gently, slowly pushing the scarf away from her eye, pulling it off completely. "…Look into your future… and tell me what you see."

Shiori was silent for a long time, staring at him almost confusedly. Finally, she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she began to search. This was the only time in her long life where she actually looked for the outcome of something. To make things worse, her powers were waning. It would only be a matter of time before her second sight was almost gone. However, it did not take long for the visions to come. She saw happiness, security, a loving family and friends, everything she had thought she would never have. She would see herself, two children in her arms, one beside her, all with soft, silver hair, and silver eyes, the spitting image of their father, who stood beside her, smiling. She could see him clearly, and she smiled, tears escaping her eyes as she saw his face. She opened her eyes, and that face was still there, even now, smiling at her. She then threw her arms around Kage's neck, hugging him fiercely.

"…My Seiryu…"

A New Beginning

Author's Notes: YAY! Happyness and fluff! Whee! -dances-

It took me a while to actually write this... At first I was going to have it be somenoe completely new, but after talking to EmeraldDestiny ((Thanks lots, hon! Love you!)), the idea of using Shiori came to me. And then, it all fell together. n.n Yay!

If anyone objects, you can bite me! I like this pairing. Plus it really fits in with the future stories. So nyah. XP

Now, off to work on more stories. I may wait until I finish Hell is for Children or For Whom the Bells Toll before I post Blackened Dawn, but I dunno. We shall seeeee. -flees-