Seven Years part 18

a short but inportant section. Please comment.

Toran groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. He had pushed himself slightly harder then normal in practice the other day, and was paying for it in stiffness this morning. It had been worth it though; he had successfully completed the three most complicated routines he knew and, more importantly, he had noticed Shiek had been checking him out with Malon behind a few crates near the barn. Knowing Malon had been watching him was fun in a way, but realizing that Shiek actually found him appealing was like having his most wonderful dreams manifest themselves in flesh.

Brushing some clinging hay off his clothes, Toran walked into the morning sun, pausing to stretch expansively after exiting the barn. He figured it was around six thirty, but Malon apparently was already up. She was breezing around the corral, the largest smile Toran had ever seen plastered over her face. When she caught sight of him, Malon began giggling and flounced over to him.

“Toran!” she cried, obviously way too happy, “isn’t it such a wonderful day?”

Toran looked around; slightly cool, dew still on the ground, it all seemed perfectly normal. Malon bounded closer and wrapped Toran in a massive hug, giving an odd squeal as she pinned his arms to his sides. Toran shifted slightly uncomfortably in her arms, a little unsure of what was going on.

“Uh, Malon?”

“Oh Toran,” she let her arms come down from around her, grabbing his hands and spinning around in a circle, “the most wonderful thing happened last night!”

Ok, someone has wonderful stuck on the brain… Toran thought, allowing Malon to pull him around.

“An old friend of mine came back to visit, Toran… someone I haven’t seen in years and years. Fairy Boy, and my, has he grown up! He is soooo cute, with those blue eyes and the blond hair hanging in his eyes…” Malon stopped spinning and swooned. She fell back into Toran’s arms, and he had to grab her quickly to stop her from collapsing to the ground.

“Toran, everything is going to start getting better now!” she cried, squeezing him in another hug.

“Well, good morning, you two…”

Shiek was standing with her arms crossed, foot tapping slightly, red eyes flashing murderous fire. Toran groaned. It seemed as though any circumstance involving Shiek, Malon and himself had the worst possible timing ever.

Why Din? Why Narue? Why Naria? Am I just a bad person or something?

Malon was obvious too delirious about whatever it was that was making her so giddy to notice the tension that was forming between herself, Shiek, and Toran. She pressed a quick kiss to Toran’s cheek before bounding over to give Shiek a hug. She never actually got the chance though, as Shiek had already whirled and was storming off.

“Did she not sleep well or something?” Malon asked, obviously slightly confused. Toran did take the time to respond though. Shiek could disappear quickly if she wanted, and he wasn’t going to let her get away.

“Shiek, wait!”

She wasn’t slowing her quick walk, but she wasn’t running either. Quickening to a run, Toran tried to overtake her.

“Hey Shiek, come on, wait up!”

Shiek must have realized he was starting to run her down, because she sped her own pace a bit. Toran wasn’t about to give up though, and got close enough to catch the young woman’s wrist. She whirled, striking out with other hand, palm connecting squarely Toran’s sternum. Toran gasped for breath, stumbling backwards a step.

“Leave me the frick alone,” Shiek shouted, hurt and anger in her voice, tears filling her large eyes.

“S-huh-S-huh-,” Toran gasped, still trying to inflate his lungs, “Goddess Shiek, what the hell is your problem?”

“You,” she cried, emotion heavy in her voice, “you and that little red haired slut and the way she keeps taking everyone I ever cared about!”

“I, uh,” Toran was totally taken aback; his arms fell limply to his sides. Shiek was flat out crying now, a sight he had only actually seen twice before. Her face was buried into her hands, shoulders shaking slightly. Toran was hit with mixed emotions. On one hand he hated to see Shiek upset, but on the other it was a little flattering to know she was this insanely jealous over a hug and kiss from Malon.

“Shiek,” Toran soothed, reaching out to wrap her in a hug.

“No,” she sniveled, roughly pushing his arms from around her, “I said leave me alone.”

Turning, she made to sprint away still wiping at her face. Toran stepped in to stop her, but Shiek obviously had no intention of being stopped.

“I said leave me ALONE,” she shouted, whirling into a roundhouse kick to Toran’s gut. Toran felt his feet literally leave the ground as the force of the blow sent him flying backwards.

Well, that’s highly uncool, Toran thought as he stared dazedly up at the clouds from the sprawled position he had landed in. Pushing himself to his feet, Toran debated running after the obviously hurting Shiek. He wanted more then anything to try to explain what had happened, but was also wondering if that course of action would only result in more bodily harm to himself.

Women are the most confusing thing ever… Sighing, Toran scuffed the ground in frustration.

******

She couldn’t believe what she had just done. There was absolutely no excuse for striking Toran twice in as many minutes, but when she had seen Malon throwing herself at him that way something had finally snapped. Malon was slowly stealing Toran from her, and Shiek had a sinking suspicion that the red haired flirt had taken Link’s heart years ago.

That little greedy whore… she isn’t happy just stealing the man I’ve waited seven years for, now she wants to bed every man I’ve ever cared about… What is it about her? I mean, are guys so shallow that they can’t see through her breasts to what’s actually going on?

She stormed on, frustration, anger, confusion and hundreds of other emotions she couldn’t name or understand flooded her mind. She wasn’t sure were she was headed, but she was reasonably sure she wanted to be alone.

“Shiek, SHIEK!”

Sighing, Shiek turned around. Hadn’t he gotten the point the first time around?

Toran stopped in front of her and grinned lopsidedly.

“Um, please don’t hurt me, ok?”

“Yeah, whatever,” she growled. Feelings of guilt were still floating inside of her, but there was no way Toran was going to know that.

“Look, it’s not what you think… Malon’s just really pumped about something and wasn’t thinking. I mean, if it makes you feel any better I think she so happy because one of her old boy friends just showed up…”

Shiek winced slightly. That didn’t make her feel better at all.

“Why would I care about what you and Malon do?” she growled, hoping desperately that her voice didn’t betray the reason.

Toran growled in obvious frustration, running his hand through his tussled hair.

“Ok Shiek FINE! You need me to just say it? I love you, ok? You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up, you make my life worth living, I spend every moment I’m not with you wishing you were in my arms! Narue, Shiek, don’t you get it? I’d do anything just to be near you!”

His burning, passionate hazel eyes bored right through her. Shiek couldn’t look him in the face. Biting down on her lower lip, Shiek’s eyes fell away, tears threatening to spill.

“Please Toran, don’t say that…” she whispered, afraid that anything louder would cause her voice to crack.

“Why?” his voice still burned with emotion, and she was willing to bet his eyes still flashed fire, “don’t you love me? Even just a little?”

Squeezing her eyes shut, Shiek bit back down on her lower lip to keep it from quivering. Did she? Maybe a little, but she had to love Link; he was who fate had chosen for her, the one she had waited nearly a decade for. Still unable to look up, Shiek felt a tear squeeze out of her shut eyes.

“No,” she whispered, “I can’t…”

“Can’t?” there was a slight hint of confusion in his voice.

“Can’t,” she whispered again, feeling a gut wrenching pain. She knew what had to come next.

“I love Link, Toran. I’m Princess Zelda, he’s the Hero of Time, don’t you get it? I always knew he’d come back and we’d end up together after he overthrew Gannondorf… I never should have let us get as close as we did, Toran, it wasn’t right. Now please, go.”

“Go?” the shock in Toran’s voice was worse then anything he could have said.

“Yes go. We can’t go on like this, so I am relieving you of your duties on this team. Please Toran, just go…”

“Shiek, I-”

“JUST GO!” her gaze went to his face, the pain and sorrow of her heart unhidden in her red eyes, “please Toran, I can’t have you around me anymore.”

He looked down at her, absolutely no emotion betrayed in the hazel eyes that so often served as a window to his soul. His entire person seemed sorrowed somehow, but no one feature, twitch, or sound displayed it. It looked as though something deep inside the young warrior had snapped. Finally Toran spoke, his voice low and strained, yet strangely calm.

“If that’s how you want it, Shiek, then that’s how it’ll be. Look me up if you ever have a mind to, Impa will know where to find me…” reaching up, Toran pulled off his green cloth headband and held it out.

“I’ll always love you Shiek, please remember me…”

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow she was holding the green cloth strip. Looking back up she saw Toran walking slowly away, waving once without turning around. It didn’t take long before he was out of sight behind a rise. Clinching the cloth tightly, Shiek felt the first tear squeeze out, then another, then another, and soon she was crying for everything she was worth. Sinking to her knees, she felt sobs wrack her body.

Shiek was alone.