Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ More Than Chance... ❯ "Closer Than You Think..." ( Chapter 5 )

Okay... Last Time Emmaleaves and Leon is left with the image of her black eyes... freaky!!!Anyway... Where is the “The Sacred Training Grounds”? And why is it important anyway? What has to be controlled? Ifyou're lucky, your questions maybe answered in this chapter... Notice how I emphasize the word:`lucky< u>'...

 

Chapter 5-

“Closer Than You Think…”

 

The moon shined in a starry sky; as if watching over two unknowing pawns, in a never-ending game of chance. A single star fell as the two hearts dreamt of an encounter that they both knew would not occur. An undying wish to be reunited, yet to be fulfilled, as one heart lies miles apart from the other. One, in the warmth of an old blanket surrounded by stone walls; while the other, lay on a cold floor under a starry sky. Their minds dwelled on the past, so many memories of hopeful futures with loved ones...

 

“Emma...” came a soft whisper. “Emma, wake up...”

Slowly Emma opened her eyes to find Impa looming over her.

“Emma, we're here...” Impa whispered softly.

 

Emma shook her head and stood groggily. “Where are we?”

 

“The STG... Sacred Training Grounds...” replied a raspy voice.

 

Emma looked around to see that she stood in front of a huge wall. Behind her a thick fog prevented her from seeing where they had come from.

“But...it's just a wall...” she said as she turned to look at Impa.

“I-Impa? Where are you?”

She stood alone surrounded by fog.

 

“Not everything is as it seems. Only you can enter the Grounds and only you can find the entrance... The question is: are you worthy? I shall be waiting for you...” came Impa's voice in a loud echo.

 

“Impa?!?” shouted Emma in vain as she ran to the wall only to hit the solid barrier.

 

A door...? No.... She said an entrance, but where?

 

Emma pushed against the wall, but it wouldn't budge an inch.

“Okay... Sacred Training Grounds... Hmm... This is another world... And if I'm right.... It's a riddle or some kind of magical barrier... Sooo, maybe if I think this is something like an illusion; then it should....” Emma said to herself as she walked towards the wall. The barrier disappeared and she then stood in the middle of an old temple. “Yeah!!! I did it!!!...I did it...I did it...I did it... Woo hoo! Yippee!” Emma danced around happily, ignoring the fact that three figures stood a few feet away from her.

 

“This is an embarrassment... You expect me to train that?!?”

Emma turned abruptly, blush covering her face rapidly. Impa and the King's advisor stood beside an old man who stood staring at her obvious stupidity, appalled.

 

“Hehehehe... Hey... Um... I can explain-”

 

“No need for explanations, Emelia. You obviously didn't believe that you'd find a way in...” interrupted the old man shrugging at Emma's gaping mouth.

 

“O...kay...then. Well, what's my training? Um.... Something like staff fighting or two-handed sword fighting or how to wield a shield...-“

 

“A few hours of meditation... Separation of the true soul and the elemental soul...-” replied the man.

 

“Blah...Blah...Blah... That's sounds soooo... Boring... (Fakes a loud and very disrespectful yawn) Is it really worth the travel?”

 

“Well, if you are successful... I just might teach you the art of Metamorphosis... Also known as shape shifting...” replied the man as he lifted an eyebrow.

 

“Sh-shape shifting? Now that sounds interesting! When do we start? Wait a second... Where's that guy? You know... Mr. Mysterious...?” The advisor had been standing there minutes ago, but now he was no where to be found.

 

“Zalex shall return later on to assist you in your training. Until then he has other things to attend to back at the castle. Now, about your training... The first order of business is identifying your element.” announced the man loudly.

 

“Ooooooh. My element... But wait, what element; and who are you?”

 

“My name is of no importance, but if you must know... I am Ryuu Yuudai. An element is the basic force or power within one that each person has. Some can use this power by their will, be controlled by it, or just pays it no mind. Having an element is nothing special, but being able to use it and control it is a very difficult and complicated task. Impa here, is the element of the shadows a lower branch of darkness.” Ryuu said as he casually pointing towards Impa.

 

“But isn't darkness bad, like, can't it grow and take control or something?” inquired Emma.

 

“Yes, it can; but only if the wielder uses it wrongly or seeks to overpower the other elements by taking a great amount of power. Since Impa has only used its power to help and protect others, there is very little chance of her being overwhelmed. Because of this, there is a balance between the elements, if any element at all gains too much power the balance will be broken and the world will plunge into chaos giving darkness a chance to gain power and destroy our world.” He answered in a dark and low voice leaving Emma in awe. “...but enough about the consequences. Let's get back to your element...”

 

“Hmm... I think she's fire. She gets quite a bit of a temper and is very stubborn. It won't hurt to give it a try... Or wait... *Nervous laugh* It does.” replied Impa with a hint of uncertainty.

 

“Wait what it h-hurts???” asked Emma.

 

“Not a bit...” replied Ryuu a he walked towards her with his right hand raised. “If you are fire...”

 

“Whoa.... uhhh... w-wait... I-I don't think- Ahhh!” groaned Emma as Ryuu placed a glowing hand upon her chest. A burning feeling immediately followed and became stronger each second. “I-it burns... Damn...” she whined with watery eyes.

 

“What did you expect? A cold feeling or something???” replied Impa from afar.

 

“No, I mean it really BURNS!!! Ahhhhhh! S-st-s-stop!!!! Please....” shouted Emma, tears slowly traveling down her red cheeks. The pain had become unbearable. At first, it had felt good, as if the warmth was apart of her. Then, it slowly started to burn her, literally; each second becoming hotter and hotter.

 

Hearing her plea Ryuu removed his hand and Emma dropped to the ground panting.

 

“Y-you, you could have killed me!!!!!! You bastard!” shouted Emma accusingly.

 

“But I didn't... Now, if you're not fire then what is your element?” wondered Ryuu.

 

“Don't you dare put your freaky glowy hands near me ever again! I don't care if I never find out what my element is, as long as you never do that again!!!” shouted Emma with an intimidating glare as she took a few steps away from Ryuu.

 

“Now I know why you assumed she was fire... But if I'm right she is air...” said Ryuu thoughtfully.

 

“Air, hmmm... I guess you're right... It's either that or light...”

 

“Actually she is light and air... If you know what I'm getting at...”

 

“Yes, I see...”

 

“Hello!?! I exist here! I'm kind of feeling left out!!! Ryuu, Impa; what are you talking about? Light and Air? Does that even exist?” exclaimed Emma who sat a few feet away from them...

 

“Oh! I thought you had left and had given up on your training... Well, now that I think about it you are air... Then that means you should already know how to morph, you just have to release the power.”

 

“Air, huh.... Yeah, score for Emma! Ha ha! Um...how do I release my power?”

 

Heh, heh, heh... You'll see.” snickered Impa.

 

X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x

 

Crickets chirped their mating calls as the nocturnes awoke to their element of night. The moon hid behind dark clouds and the stars twinkled brightly over a quiet castle. Restlessly a teenage boy climbed out of his window and hid in the shadows. His dark figure darted from shadow to shadow until he reached a high wall. Slowly he began to climb, hoping to reach the dark window above him.

 

“What are you doing up there?” came a female voice from below. The unexpected call surprised him and he lost his balance. He fell onto the cold ground with a thud.

 

“Ungh...” he groaned.

 

“Are you okay?” asked the girl as she looked down upon him.

 

“Yeah, just peachy. W-who are you?” he asked.

 

“The name's Zale, what's yours.”

 

“I'm Leon. Um... When I first got here I was never told there were other teens `round here. I never expected someone to pop up all of a sudden like you did.” He replied warily as he stood up to see her properly, but she had been standing in the shadows. “Hey. Why don't you step into the light so I can see you?”

 

“I know where Emelia went...”

 

“Emelia? How-“

 

“It doesn't matter how I know. What does matter is if you'd like to be a hero for once. Everyone seems to see you as a helpless victim.” teased Zale.

 

“I'm no victim. I may seem weak now, but once I gain my strength I will be the one protecting them.” Replied Leon calmly.

 

“What if you don't recuperate? Then what? Spend your life in a bed? Not a very honorable end for Leon Yamato, now, is it?” she said with a small giggle.

 

“Lies, they're all lies. Leave me be...”

“Even, if this is your only chance to chase after Emma, your true love?”

 

“Love?”

 

“You do love her, don't you?

 

“I-I...-“

 

“That's all I needed to know. Tomorrow an army shall attack the STG and anyone there will be slaughtered. Guess who their target...is”

 

“EMMA!” gasped Leon disbelieving.

 

“Bingo... Now, if you want to reach her in time you'll have to leave tonight.”

 

“Why should I trust you?” Leon shouted accusingly as he glared at the dark figure.

 

“You can't trust me. You can only trust yourself. You can only trust your heart. If you wish to leave and find Emma, follow me. If you don't, stay here; but Emma shall die.”

 

Emma. Are you really in danger? Why would you go on your own if you knew it? Unless, it was a trap... Awww, what should I do?

 

“Sorry to interrupt, but we don't have all night. It'll be sunrise in about six hours. I'm going, whether you follow or not.” The figure stepped forward and stared into Leon's eyes.

 

Whoa. She has beautiful eyes.

Dark bluish-purple eyes stared into his own reddish-brown eyes.

 

“You coming, Yamato?” Zale asked as she walked past him and towards the stables.

 

“Y-yeah.” He replied as he followed her.

Who would have thought? That the one to make me feel worthless and act as if threatening my love's life is a hottie. Well, I guess all I can do now is hope for the best.

 

“Are you here or do I have to get you a ticket back to Hyrule?”

 

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” the sound of Zale's voice brought him out of his thoughts and back to the stench of horse manure.

 

“Get on your horse. You don't need me to carry you, right?” replied Zale with a hint of sarcasm.

 

Zale sat upon a black stallion and held the reins of a chestnut mare. Leon struggled to mount as his sore legs hesitated and refused to cooperate.

“Need help mounting, Leon?” she asked with a giggle.

 

“No...” he groaned as he managed to swing one leg over the saddle. “See I did it!”

 

“Um, I hate to break it to ya, but you're sitting the wrong way.”

 

“WHAT?!?” Leon sat facing the horse's butt. “You've got to be kidding me!” He shouted in frustration and confusion.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*

 

He's weaker than I thought. Well, after that illness anything is possible. Hopefully this goes as planned. If not, one or even both of them could end up killed. Then I'll lose my job. It has to go right.

 

“Ummm... Zale, I'm ready to leave.”

 

“Huh, oh. So you finally mounted the right way.” replied Zale when she noticed that Leon looked tired from mounting. “Will you stay awake the whole journey?”

 

“To tell the truth, I highly doubt it... I haven't slept a wink ever since....” replied Leon sadly.

 

“Ever since Emma left a week ago?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Don't worry, you'll see her... soon enough.”

 

X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x

 

Where am I? ugh. Why am I so dizzy? Just a minute ago I was with.... with Impa....

 

Flashback

 

“Impa, how long is it going to take for me to master this? All I can do is turn one or two of my body parts into animal legs or a tail.”

 

“Patience Emma, You'll master it when the time is right.” Replied Impa as she stood beside Emma.

 

“But what if I don't?” she whined as she dropped onto the floor cross legged.

 

“With an attitude like that, you'll never master it. You have to believe you can and put all your energy into trying.”

 

Thump

 

“Impa? What was that?”

 

“Emma, stay here. Don't go outside. I need you to hide and no matter what happens, don't come out of hiding... Even, if you see someone familiar to you. I need you to give me your word.”

 

“B-but-“

 

“No but's, why's, except's or what if's... You must hurry. “

 

“Yes.” With that said, Impa walked through the `solid' barrier and Emma ran off, only to be hit on the back of the head.

 

End Of Flashback

 

 

Impa? Where are you?

 

Emma stood only to fall back down; she lifted herself and ended up crouching as she looked around. She stood near a burning building, it seemed very familiar...

 

*gasp* The Sacred Training Grounds!!! It's destroyed, but how and why???

 

Nearby she heard the sound of hooves coming towards her.

 

Horses? Yay! That means people and if I'm lucky they'll help me!!! Hello!!! I'm over here!

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*

 

*bark**bark*

“Is that a dog? What's a dog doing out here Zale?” asked Leon as he noticed a small dog running towards them.

 

“There shouldn't be any domestic animals this far out in the wilderness. I wonder what its doing here.” She replied as they dismounted.

 

Just as Leon's feet touched the floor the small brown dog pounced on him and started licking his face.

 

“Ah, gross! Ha-ha! Get off, that tickles!” Leon shouted as he fell to the ground with nonstop dog kisses.

 

“Leon, stop messing around with that dog and LOOK!” shouted Zale angrily.

 

The dog whined and got off of Leon. Leon stood to see a stone wall with a gigantic hole in it and flames burning everything in its path.

 

“No! Emma, it can't be... You can't be dead.” Leon shouted in despair as he dropped to his knees.

 

The dog whined in a confused manner and stared at Leon, as if it knew something. Then, it stared at its paws; the dog jumped up in surprise, started barking randomly and running in circles.

 

The moment of confusion distracted Leon from his troubles as he stared at the dog that had just tripped over its own paws; it sat whining and licking its right paw.

 

“What's wrong with him?” asked Leon once the dog had calmed down a bit.

 

“Don't you mean what's wrong with her? Looks like she didn't know she was a dog.” replied Zale thoughtfully as she gestured to the dog.

 

“How could a mutt not know it's a dog...? That's ridiculous!” replied Leon with a laugh.

 

*growl* The `mutt' stood up on its three good paws and began to growl at Leon after he had said the insult.

 

“Whoa, watch it... It's not like you actually understand me? Sorry?” said Leon as he lifted his arms as a feeble defense.

 

At sorry, the dog sat back down and continued licking its hurt paw.

 

“So what do we do now, Zale?”

 

“We return to the castle and hope that we missed them on their way back. With luck, Impa might have sent Emma back to the castle.”

 

*bark* *BARK* *bark*

 

“Hm?” Leon turned to find the dog wagging its tail and staring at them. “Is it just me or does this remind me of the movie Lassie?”

 

“Lassie?” asked Zale as she lifted an eyebrow.

 

“Don't ask Zale... The dog wants us to follow. Come on...”

 

The dog limped ahead and continued to look back at them. At seeing they were still following she would limp a few more steps ahead.

 

“To think, we've gone so low as to follow a dog...” said Leon sarcastically earning a low growl from the dog.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*

 

God, I can't believe that I've been turned into a dog! Leon can be such a jerk sometimes...Well, on the bright side, I know I can Morph... Now I just have to un-morph... When I do, Leon's gonna get a piece of my mind... *sniff* Hopefully, if my nose is right, Impa is nearby... Unfortunately, I can also smell that she's lost a lot of blood. I hope she's okay... MAN, this paw is killing me.... Ow!”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*

 

*WHINE*

The dog stopped, panting as she licked her now sore paw. When Leon and Zale approached, she tried to walk away; but ended up spraining her paw even more. A loud and painful whine escaped her small mouth.

 

Leon immediately kneeled in front of the dog and tore part of his shirt off. Using two small sticks he found on the ground he made her a stilt. Then, he picked her up and continued to walk in the direction she had been taking them.

 

“And I thought you didn't like that dog...” teased Zale.

 

“First of all, I love animals. Second, she's the one showing us the way to who knows what. Last of all, there's something different about this dog. Like if I knew her from somewhere, I just can't seem to remember where or when.”

 

“Whatever Lover boy...”

 

“Don't call me that...” he replied through gritted teeth.

 

“Whatever you say animal lover...”

 

At this Leon sighed and continued to walk. He looked down to see the dog staring up at him with huge watery eyes. Something glittered in the sunlight and he noticed a long chain around its neck. At closer inspection he saw that it was a diamond heart on a silver chain. The heart changed colors in the sunlight. It looked very familiar. Too familiar...

 

“Where'd you get this?” asked Leon as he held the heart gently.

 

The dog wagged its tail and barked happily and just as expected, she didn't answer. At least that's what Leon thought.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*

 

You gave it to me... Please remember Leon!!! *sigh* Its no use, he has no idea what I'm saying and his memory ain't kicking in either...”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*

 

The dog lowered its head sadly as Leon stared at it in confusion.

 

“This would be easier if I could actually understand what you were saying...”

 

“Well, it ain't impossible!” came the voice of Zale from behind them. Leon had actually forgotten that she was with them.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“If you're lucky you can learn how to listen to nature and its inhabitants, unfortunately not many have been able to master this complicated power...”

 

“Well it won't hurt to try... When we get bac-“

 

“HELP! Someone, anyone.... *groan*”

 

“Hello? Where are you?” shouted Leon.

 

The dog pounced onto the ground and ignoring the pain in its paw it ran to a nearby tree and began to bark frantically. Leon ran after her to find a gruesome sight. There against the tree, lay a very familiar face. A large cut across the abdomen, and many gashes across her pale skin; Impa struggled to keep herself awake.

 

“Impa! What happened?” cried Leon as he began to inspect her injuries.

 

Impa coughed up a few droplets of blood as she tried to speak. “We were attacked, I told Emelia to run, but I don't think she made it in time... Somehow a group of Stalfos, Stalchilds and Wolfos infiltrated the Training Grounds Ryuu managed to escape while I held them off as long as I could... At first I thought I could just defeat them, but something went wrong... They were so powerful... Too powerful... As if they were being protected and their strength was being enhanced... If Only I would have known I- wouldn't have left her alo-...... E-Emma?”

 

The dog jumped at the name and gave a soft whine.

 

“You did it.... No wonder I couldn't sense you.... I wasn't looking for an animal's essence... Thank the Goddesses that you're okay.”

 

The dog barked happily and continued to jump up and down.

 

“Emma? Is it really you? But it can't be, can it?”

Emma pounced on Leon and licked his face enthusiastically.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*

 

Yes!!!! Finally, how long was it going to take this idiot to get it!!!! Ugh, thank you!!!!!!

 

 

 

Who would have thought that Emma finally learned to turn into an animal... Unfortunately she doesn't know how to turn back... Will she ever learn, and Will Impa survive the trip back and recover her wounds? Will the two “lovers” confess their deepest feelings for each other or will they keep their secrets to themselves...? Chap 6 is going to be a memorable chapter for them and I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I do thinking this stuff up!!! Read & Review!!!!