Disclaimer: Me no own Zelda. Capeesh?
Notes: Alright, this story will eventually be Link/MSheik. So that means: Yaoi, shounen-ai, slash, whatever you call it, this story will involve two homosexual main characters don't like? Leave. Think Sheik is "OMGLYKITSTOTALLYZELDA!"? Leave.
AuthorsNote: Alright, everyone! This is rather...sloppy, as you can clearly see. I sort of rushed while writing this, because even though I imagined the story itself, the beginning wasn't there and I had to think of something...So I did this. Meh. I'm not happy, overall, and a little bit ansty to get to the actual plot. IF you guys like it, that is. This is just an idea, and after I've got everything more sorted in my head, I'll probably come back and rewrite this. Review, let me know what you think, etc.

~

Perched in the shadows, on an outcrop of rock, I watched the final battle unfold.

The Hero was exhausted, barely managing to scramble out of the way when Ganon's blades slashed at his chest. His green cap was long gone, lost in the rubble that was once Hyrule Castle. It was becoming an obvious nuisance to have his hair free, and his eyes would narrow slightly every time a lock of sweat-soaked hair came into his vision.

Zelda, who had just recently revealed to Hero that it was she who had accompanied him on his quest, rather then I, was standing as close to the fire as she could without being burned, her feet constantly shuffling. She was distressed, with good reason, and looked very close to running into the fire in an attempt to help her friend. I prayed to the Goddesses that, despite the stress she felt, she would see reason and not do something that would get her killed.

As her body guard and sworn protector, I wanted nothing more then to leap down and push her away from the flames, but I could not.

I absolutely could not, under any circumstances, show myself. According to the Hero, Sheik did not exist, Zelda had disguised herself as the last of a dying race in order to protect and guide him.

Which is why I never allowed the Hero to approach me during his quest. I had always backed away, blinding him with a deku nut and jumping to the safety of the shadows.

If Hero had truly seen me, he would have realized the subtle differences in my, supposed, appearance. The Sheik that he met with in the Temple of Time had paler skin, a more delicate physique, and strawberry-blonde hair, while I-

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Ganon gave a final, boar-like squeal, collapsing to the ground and sending mud flying in every direction with such force that it actually knocked the Hero over on impact. It would have been comical had the situation not been so dire.

After enough time Zelda seemed to notice, as well as I, that the Hero wasn't getting back up. The Princess was at his side in a heartbeat, and even though I could not see her clearly, I simply knew that she was trembling.

When she began to laugh, however, it was definitely not what I was expecting. Hero soon began to chuckle as well, though he was soon wracked with a fit of harsh coughs that caused him to cry out in pain; most likely a broken rib. They were both in shock, I noted, and their emotions were causing them to laugh through their anxiety. Probably not the best idea in Hero's current state.

With adrenaline still coursing through his veins, he would be numb for some time, though still too weak to properly stand.

However, once that rush was gone, he would be in enough pain to cause the largest and strongest of men to double over.

I had been keeping note of injuries that had befallen him throughout the battle. His ribs would be severely bruised -if not broken- from a rather harsh stomp on his chest by Ganon's massive hooves; one of his arms had a thin and shallow cut running from his shoulder down to his elbow, which wasn't life-threatening or immensely painful, but had a high chance of infection if not treated promptly; his fight with Gandondorf had left him with burns placed randomly on his body, which I had noted from the seared holes in his tunic, and one of his arms has possibly crushed...

Nothing severely drastic had occurred during his fights, which surprised even me, but all of the tumbling and dodging would leave him very sore once he had acquired a proper rest. Come to think of it, he may have twisted his ankle.

Other minor wounds were littered over his body, such as a gash on his forehead and temple where he had been hit by falling debree, but those were simply minor and would most likely heal within a day if potion was given.

I resumed watching them.

Zelda slipped an arm around the fallen Hero's shoulder, gently lifting him into a sitting position, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close for the briefest of moments and giving him a reassuring smile.

I casually looked around, my mind elsewhere, when suddenly Hero's hat came flying out of the rubble, zipping ungracefully onto Hero's head. Navi emerged, flying around the pair in a frenzy of blue.

Both Hero and Zelda akwardly tried to calm the panicking fairy, easing her onto a green-clad shoulder, where they continued to sit in silence.

My mind drifted, yet again, to the near future. Zelda, using the Ocarina of Time, would send herself and the Hero back to their childhood, where the evil would never occur in the first place and they could try to continue with their lives. It was highly unlikely that, after everything, they would ever be children again, but I knew that the Princess felt responsible for the Hero's 7 years of wasted life, and would do anything to right her supposed wrong.

She was the first to stand, gingerly helping the hero to his feet, Navi hovering anxiously nearby.

A resounding 'crack' echoed throughout the clearing, causing both Hero and Princess to twist around, eyes wide with panic.

The Hero took another step forward, and the sound was heard again. It was coming from his tunic.

Zelda gave him a look of concern and, with a quick nod from the Hero, reached into the pocket that the sound had come from, directly on his chest. Her expression quickly turned to horror.

In her hands was the Ocarina of Time, crushed and broken beyond repair from the impact to Hero's ribs. Even in the chance of it's repair, all magic qualities were lost forever. Meaning that they had no way of returning Hyrule to it's original time.

They were stuck, trapped in time with no escape from a harsh world that was in desperate need of repair.

And what of me?