Note: Italics mean Twili dialogue (the sound Midna makes when she speaks).

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda.

Still An Imp

"Am I so beautiful that you have no words left?"

Nothing could be further from the truth, for Link had an endless torrent of words left swirling through his mind. This exotic, otherworldy woman looked nothing like her, as she basked in the twilight glow that illuminated her features. Her skin was a subtle and soft tone of ashen blue, mirroring the approaching night. Her hair, on its part, was as bright as a sunset sky, her eyes reflecting the incandescent glow of the setting sun. Her lips were a pale purple, and as unusual a color as that was, it looked especially natural on her visage. She wore a black cloak with intricate designs with black fabric underneath, molding to her form like a second skin.

It was impossible for this person to be her. But from hearing her voice and her teasing manner, he knew that she truly was his cherished friend, despite how his eyes deceived him. The beauty standing before him was none other than Midna.

Unable to express his words in an audible form, all he could do was broadly smile.

But even with his unprecedented of joy and awe, there was still a small sense of hesitation that he felt. Who was he facing right now: the cold royalty of the Twilight Princess or the bubbly and eccentric personality of the endearing Imp?

The two had developed a strong, unbreakable bond of friendship throughout their journey, aiding each other whenever they needed it the most. They literally killed themselves for one another.

But those were times when she was still an Imp, and even though she regarded herself as hideous, Link couldn't help but grow attached to her. He even found her to be a little cute, despite how rare those moments were.

But now the question arose: did this dramatic alteration in Midna's appearance change anything? Was he supposed to think more or less of her? Although Link would never admit it out loud, there was a ring of truth to Midna's words. She was indeed very beautiful.

With this change in detail, there were now even more complications. Link was a quiet person and was generally shy around his peers, especially those of the opposite sex. He would find himself mumbling his words, always insecure of what to say next. However, he was much more charismatic with children, which was why he was unusually outgoing around Midna who often gave an impression of immaturity.

But now she stood before him, in the body of an elegant princess. And with that, it was Link's cue to retreat back into his little shell of timidity.

"Link?" Midna asked after a prolonged silence. "Don't be silly now, I was only joking," she replied with a soft laugh.

Link gave a small squeak as he tried to come up with a response.

"Yeah… you're… you know, very… I always thought… that…" the fact that Midna was nearly half naked wasn't helping the situation at all.

Midna walked up to him slowly and put a hand on his forehead. "Are you sick? You're acting quite strange," she commented jokingly, almost as if she were mocking him.

At that very moment, he could feel all the blood rushing to his face.

"It looks like you have a fever too," she teased, knowing very well that he was blushing at her aesthetic appearance.

Once again, Link tried to make a coherent statement with his tongue, but his words came out in a jumbled mess.

"Oh come on Link, it's only me… Don't get tongue-tied now," she said with a playful grin.

Link was still uncertain, however. He was unsure if she really was the Imp he befriended so long ago. With a sudden change in form, he found himself subconsciously treating her differently. It was absurd.

With all the courage he could muster, which is a tremendous amount given who he was, he spoke in a clear, undaunted voice.

"No, I am not ill," he replied, removing her hand from his forehead, "And you look…" Beautiful? Stunning? Eye-catching? Jaw-dropping? Drop-dead gorgeous?

"You look different."

A smooth choice of words by the Hero of Twilight.

He was rewarded with her signature giggle.

"I don't know about you," Midna gave a great big yawn with her hands above her head, like how she used to yawn when she was still an Imp, "but I'm absolutely exhausted."

It was a reasonable complaint. After all, they had just fought a long and epic battle against the very essence of evil.

But as he recalled the clear memory of the events past, it struck a chord in his heart, evoking the scene of Ganondorf crushing the helmet Midna wore, implying the destruction of not just an artifact, but her whole being as well.

As he realized how close she had come to the verge of death, Link could feel his eyes slowly begin to water. But he would never forgive himself if he let her see him cry, because then she would never let him live it down. As both a last resort to conceal his tears and a sudden urge to pronounce his joy, he leaned forward and hugged his friend dearly.

"I'm glad you're alright, Midna." He whispered into her ear, with a tone of the utmost relief.

Now Midna was the one with a loss of words, as she returned her embrace to the green clad hero.

Her Wolf in disguise.

"I'm glad that I'm alright, too."

"Should I ride on you as a Wolf to the city grounds?" Midna inquired with a tone of innocence to her voice. "I'm awfully tired, and just the thought of walking is too much to bear." It doesn't take a genius to detect the sarcasm in her speech.

Before, Link would have thought it to be perfectly fine for Midna to ride on his back. But now, the notion alone was too awkward to tolerate. After many sly innuendos and embarrassing comments, Link convinced Midna to rest in his shadow as they trekked back to Castle Town.

Princess Zelda had decided to travel to her resort home, now that the Palace was nothing more than a pile of rubble, and invited Link and Midna to join her. However, they refused the offer since neither of them had any desire to travel in their current state.

After Link collected the key from the hotel clerk, who was bemused why one person needed a room with two beds, they entered the spacious and luxurious quarters. It's a wonder how quickly the inn recovered and returned to business after all the events that have occurred. Once Link shut the door, Midna swiftly reappeared out of his shadow.

"It's so much more cramped than I used to remember," she complained, stretching out her stiff muscles. "I never realized how short you were."

"Short?" Link never actually thought about his height much. He figured it was insignificant, seeing as he was nearly the same height as everyone else in Ordon village. But now he began to think otherwise as he noticed that he was tilting his head up slightly when talking to Midna.

But then again, stature was never a concern for her when it came to empowerment.

"Mmm hmm. Look, you're only up to my nose." She pointed out as she stood in front of him, using her hand as a marker for their difference in height.

"It looks like you'll be the one tiptoeing to kiss me," she joked calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But, even she couldn't foresee Link's reaction to her remark.

He stumbled a bit backwards, almost as if her words gave him a slap across the face. It was then Midna saw a glint in his eyes that she never saw before.

Fear.

At first, she was afraid she might have said something to upset him, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how absurd it was. The look of fear in his eyes wasn't a fear of death or angst, but more of… embarrassment. As she came closer to her answer, a mischievous grin played across her face. She began to scheme her diabolical plot.

"Oh calm down Link. Don't get so wound up over such a little thing," she replied nonchalantly, ignoring the fact that Link was turning into a human tomato. "Here, let me get that…" As she reached passed Link to pick up a towel, she "tripped" on her robe and stumbled forward, knocking Link onto the ground and landing right on top of him. Her theory was confirmed as she saw the look on his face.

Link was terrified of girls.

Well, more shy than afraid. But still, it generated a small sense of fear out of him, and it was enough for her to tease him to no end about.

"Sorry! I guess I just… slipped," she mouthed slowly, savoring his priceless reaction of complete embarrassment.

"Oh? Link, you're burning up again. Has that fever come back?" she teased more, watching him sweat in uneasiness.

Midna took her sweet time as she gazed deeply into his drastically-widened, oceanic eyes. "What's this?" she asked playfully, "Is the great wielder of the Triforce of Courage… afraid?"

She couldn't help but notice how cute he looked when he was flustered.

"N..No… What are you talking about?" he replied with an unmistakable discrepancy in his voice.

"I wonder what was it I said that could have set you off?" The situation was about to become incredibly dangerous. "Could it be because… that I suggested you to kiss me?"

Link was practically spluttering now. He tried desperately to get up, but Midna was unnaturally strong for her appearance as she pinned his arms on the floor with relative ease. They were in a particularly intimate position.

"What's the matter Link?" she asked in her playful tone, batting her eyelashes. "Don't you like me?"

Link knew he was on the brink of crossing some illicit threshold in his mind. He would have to choose his next words carefully to prevent the situation from getting any worse.

"Well… it's not that I don't… but… I… I… I mean… it's… just… you're… and I'm…"

Indeed, they were very carefully chosen words.

"Oh, I get it." Midna's interest was now even more aroused. "This would be… your first kiss, wouldn't it?"

With such close contact, he could almost feel Midna's chest pressed against him; her eyes defined naughtiness and attractiveness. All of this shut him down, and control over his whole body faded into a paralyzing lock. With his options relinquished, Link did nothing more than hold his breath.

"Should I take your silence as a yes?"

She lowered her head to his, so close to the point they could feel each other's breath. Link closed his eyes as if to accept his inevitable fate.

Midna lowered her lips in a slow, almost agonizing pace. She leaned down in one final motion, and then…

Kissed him gently on the nose.

Link blinked twice with bewildered eyes, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Midna burst into mirthful fit of laughter as she quickly jumped off of Link and fell onto her bed, clutching at her sides.

Link didn't know if he should feel relieved or disappointed. It was a very odd feeling, to say the least. Midna, on the other hand, was overtaken by amusement.

"You should have seen… the look on your face!" she gasped through her laughter. Link was overwrought with mortification, scowling at the cheap trick she just pulled on him. "It looks like I've found your only weakness." she exclaimed triumphantly through stifled giggles. Link sat on his own respective bed, putting his arms across his chest in annoyance.

As her delight began to diminish, so did Link's resentment. After all, he could never truly stay mad at her…

…and then he realized: Even though she had changed physically, she was still the same person who would play tricks on him and he would immediately forgive her for. She was still the same person who would share with him her joys and fears and her opinion on everything in between. She was still the same person who would give her life to save him, as he would do for her. But most importantly…

"You're still an Imp at heart, eh Midna?" Link replied with a content look of epiphany on his face.

She frowned at Link's words. Midna resented her Imp form and hated being referred to as one. But as harsh as he sounded at first, she slowly understood what Link was implying. She was still the same person that he grew fond of through all this time.

She was still his Imp…

Just like how he was still her Wolf.

"Yeah…" She admitted, as her frown slowly turned into a gentle smile. "I'm still an Imp." She finished in a cute staccato.

-Fin-

A/N - I could of totally destroyed this story by adding a "I love you." quote somewhere in it, but I'm not that mean...

Review if you've got the guts. Yes, this is a challenge.