Her small hands gripped the sword tightly as it slipped through her grasp from the building perspiration. He swung again. She ducked, just missing the shiny blade whizzing past her head. She saw the opening and took it. Her own gleaming blade swung toward his legs, crippling him with the blow. Impa rushed to his side and healing his legs, relieving him of the throbbing pain of a broken knee cap. Link stood, shook his legs, and looked at his youn "niece."

"Your lucky I went easy on you," he said uneasily. "You could have been the one with the broken knee caps."

"Right," Zelda scoffed, "You broke a sweat. I know you only break sweats in challenging battles, you know, the ones that you almost lose?"

"No," Link said, and stuck out his tongue at his young wife. "You just haven't seen me- . . . . Oh . . . wait . . . damn!"

"Would you like me to finish your phrase? I believe it would have been along the lines of: 'You havent seen me in action.' But, if you recall, I was there," she said, quoting him with extreme sarcasm. Sakaratte looked between the adults and wondered what the hell they were talking about.

Impa laughed, "You two know each other way too well." Link frowned, but zelda wrapped her arms around his thick neck. He smiled.

"Can I go now?" Sakaratte asked. "Mom's probably waiting for me at home." Link nodded. She mounted her horse and galloped out of the court.

"I'll make sure she gets home safely," Impa said sullenly. "I'm still not sure she can take care of herself." Impa galloped off after the girl.

Impa quickly caught up, having little to no trouble getting up enough speed to ride beside the galloping young girl. They made their way back to the forest, where, at the entrance to it, they stopped and said their temporary farewells.

"Go straight home!" Impa said like the old person that she seemed to be to Sakaratte. Even though the King himself was frightened in her presence.

"Fine," Sakaratte said as she turned her horse around to face Impa.

"And no stopping at Aikoka's house either!" the graying lady said.

"Yes ma'am, I promise I won't run off into the Lost Woods at midnight looking for some evil thing to slay, or sneak into Aikoka's house to . . . well, I'll leave the last part up to your imagination!" Sakaratte said and galloped off into the forest.

******

She was planning to go straight home. She stabled her horse at one of the posts set up at the entrance to the village. She started toward her home to the east.

She walked past the small houses of her neighbors occasionally smiling at a random person standing outside their home, finishing up their daily chores. She continued past Link's old, considerably smaller, home. She was almost within spitting distance of her own home when she felt a small pressure on te back of her head. She looked around, but decided to continue. Again, she felt a small pressure on her head. She looked aruond, but decided to continue. Yet again, the pressure came, but this time it hurt a little bit. She turned around and spotted Aikoka hanging out of his window with a handful of rocks. She smiled and waved to him, then picked up a pebble and chucked it.

"Ow!" Aikoka yelled, "That hurt!"

"Serves you right, Aikoka!" Sakaratte smirked.

"Can you come in?" he asked.

She opened her mouth to say of course, but then remembered Impa's words and shuddered. "Umm . . . no, I promised Impa I'd go straight home."

"Can you at least check with Saria?" he asked hoping.

"I'd probably have more luck just coming in, but Impa's patience should not be tested," she said. Aikoka's face turned sad, she couldn't stand to see him sad. “Fine, I’ll try mom. Cross your fingers for me!” He held his finger sup as she ran down the road. She sped down the walkway to their small tree house. She practically skipped rungs in the ladder and inevitably ran right into the closed door. Saria opened the door a few seconds later to find her daughter standing there rubbing her head.

“You okay?” Saria asked.

Sakaratte nodded and remembered why she sacrificed her body, “Oh! Can I go over to Aikoka’s place?”

“Fine . . . but be back soon, or are you staying for supper?”

“Probably, but I’ll sprint back and tell you if I am.” Sakaratte replied.

“Fine, just try ot to hit the door next time, youcoud have put a dent In it,” Saria scolded sarcastically.

“It’s always nice to know that I’m loved,” the excited girl said even more sarcatically than her sage mother.

“See you soon!” Saria yelled as Sakartte sped down the ladder. She missed a rung in the ladder and, yet again, felt the consequences of speeding.

****

The two sat down at the small table opposite of each other.

“So, how was your lesson with Link?” Aikoak asked , smiling.

“Fine, I really managed to do some damage today. I broke his knee caps!!” she said excitedly.

“Good thing he’s got realtives that can heal easily. Are you going back tomorrow?”

“I think so,” I told Impa I would . . . but I think I might give Link a day off.”

“Good, I was hoping we could go into the market tomorrow morning. After that, I was planning on maybe going to swim with the Zora’s in the lake,” he said.

“Sounds like fun!”

“I’m hoping it will be,” he said mischeviously.

“Can I stay for dinner?” she asked, thinking of his wonderful cooking.

“Sure, do you need to tell Saria?” he asked.

“Umm . . . yeah, want to walk me?”

“Fine,” he said, “if your that scared.

“Scared! Hah!” she laughed. “I’m not the one that won’t even go to the market by themselves!”

“Enough already! I’ll go with you, but only because I don’t want to sit here waiting by myself,” he said.

“So you don’t want to be alone?” she persisted. “I think you are scared!”

“Let’s just go now, so neither of us will have to be fearing Saria’s wrath,” he said.

“Eh, mom’s wrath isn’t all that bad, but Impa-“

“Yes, yes, Impa has a nasty temper, she isn’t to be crossed. She’ll throw fireballs at my head. Blah, blah, blah. I hear it all the time! Let’s go! I want to be back before our dinner is finished cooking. You don’t want burned cucoo do you?” He didn’t even wait for an answer. He pushed her through the door and closed it behind him.

Making it down the ladder safely, they walked toward the largest house in the town. They approached the ladder and Sakaratte made a mental note to herself not to go quite as fast as she did the previous time. Aikoka leaned on the trunk of the tree as Sakaratte opened the door. A pleasant aroma wafted out of it and the girl was immediately hungry.

“Can I stay at Aikoka’s for supper?” she asked.

“Fine. Why didn’t you knock this time? I could gotten used to that!” she said sarcastically.

“I decided that I should save my body for better activities than using the whole thing to knock on the door,” Sakaratte replied.

“Ah, anyway, be home soon . . . unless you’re staying the night there?” Saria asked.

“Can I!?” she asked.

“It’s fine with me, you might want to make sure it’s okay with him though.”

“It is . . .. he . . . uh . . . he already asked me. I wasn’t going to bother asking and just come home, but since you offered, sure!”

“Sakaratte turned and ran for the door. Managed to get through the door unhurt, but the way down was a rough landing.

“You okay?” Aikoka asked. By that time she had already gotten to her ffeet, appearing to be unscathed.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Mom says I can stay for dinner. I can spend the night too if it’s okay with you.” She asked with the biggest please, please, please, please look on her face.

“Of course you can.”

*******

A.N.- How’d ya like it? Read the next one! What will happen at this “sleepover?” Does Aikoka have something planned, or is Sakaratte who is the naughty one? Find out next time!!! (Oi!! Ths sounds like a really bad action cartoon.) Anyway! R&R!!!!

A.N.2- This is another edited version. W00t!!! w00t!!!!