-Kuroko/Ganon-

-Ganon's hut-

The morning rose on a new day. It was one of those days that left one with a sense of oddity. Like the world was off-center, luck wasn't quite on your side, or something was going to happen. Almost like the universe was taking its breath.

Maybe that was just the way it felt for Kuroko Dragmire. She woke and felt... off. Something was different. It took her a time to think about what it might be as she lay in Malon's bed. Her daughters bed? Odd thing to think about, but then she didn't remember anything past yesterday. Any memory screamed pain when she looked back. Her body shook as if it remembered for her and if it was any sign, she didn't want to know more.

Well... at least it was quiet. Malon and Ganon had spent most of the night arguing, yelling, bickering, being rude, and generally making as much noise as they could. Malon collapsed onto the other bed and Ganon rested his head on his chest in his chair. Even in the night without the bickering and yelling the two of them snored loud enough to wake the dead!

Kuroko rose, stretched, and looked around. She could see Malon resting in the other bed in the bunk above her own. Kuroko gulped and stared for a moment. Nothing. Her instincts said nothing. Before the sight of the girl had sent her into incredible pain and her instincts reacted by fleeing. Right now there was nothing.

The hut was a single room building of sorts. The bunk beds were against the wall and on a third bunk above Malon she could see a pile of clothes and other belongings. In the middle of the building was a table with some chairs. On the otherside from the beds was a fireplace. Above the fireplace was a bow with a quiver and a pair of very large broadswords. The sight of the the broadswords, with their jagged, protruding edges, and its black finish made Kuroko gulp. To the side in a small corner was a curtain. On the table was a set of clothes.

Feeling a tiny bit adventerous, Kuroko picked up the clothes, hid behind the curtain, changed into something clean, and left to get some fresh air. The sun looked gently down on her and its ray warmed her skin. She rubbed its warmth into her body and looked around. She heard some movement a small distance towards the valley, and moved closer. Below in the valley she saw Ganondorf Dragmire lifting rocks and placing them in piles. Curious, she moved even closer.

Ganondorf looked up at her and Kuroko froze. Her breath caught in her throat and her instincts screamed to hide. He was powerful, he was dangerous, he had very large broadswords for a reason, and he was a loud and violent man! His eyes were red against the shadow and his hair was red like fire! His every breath was with steam and his every mood shifted between angry and annoyed.

Even now, his eyes narrowed on her in annoyance.

"Here I was expecting to be the only one awake," He commented.

Should she run? Should she return to the hut and hide? Was her presence that bad? She wanted to move but her feet were stilled. Faint memory of pain and fire returned to her and her body shook as she gasped.

"Well, now you are here, might as well earn your keep a bit. Come, help me with this." He continued.

Kuroko blinked out of the memory. He wasn't going to hurt her? He wanted... her help? Ganondorf continued to stare at her expectantly, so Kuroko gulped, put one foot in front of the other, and took a step. She walked down the hill towards him. When she neared, he nodded in satisfaction and pointed to a large pile of rocks on the edge of the clearing.

"There is my rock pile. I will bring them here. I want you to take the piles here-" He kicked the pile at his feet that he had started putting up. "And arrange it into a pile like the others."

Around them were other piles of rocks. Kuroko glanced to them, saw how they were built up, and nodded. She bent down, picked up a rock, found it a bit heavy, but with a breath of preparation could lift it and move it. Ganondorf nodded, a hint of a pleased look passed his eyes. Giving evidence to it, he said, "Good."

Without another word, Ganondorf left her in the middle of the valley and started his work. He walked to the edge of the valley, looked down on the large pile of stones, selected one that satisfyed him, and brought it back to her. He chose stones of less weight than before for her sake. Kuroko took the stones and moved them into a foundation. Then he walked back to his storage pile and they continued on in this fashion back and forth.

As they toiled and built the structure one stone at a time, Kuroko couldn't help but notice there were more of the structures all around her, many of them. She had a mind to count their number, there were so many, while she worked, but when she counted as far as sixty-two she stopped. She saw no more, but from how some were distant and in the shadows, there was no telling just how many of these structures there were!

"How many of these are there?" She asked.

Ganon sighed. He heaved a rock onto his shoulder and returned to her. When he neared he looked down on her and said, "This will be the one hundredth."

"One hundred?!" She gasped. Ganon dropped the stone in her hands and she stumbled between its sudden weight and her surprise. She gaped at him. "How often do you do this?!"

"Every day." Ganon grunted with his back turned. He approached his pile and looked back at her. "Set it."

Right! Kuroko set the stone in her hands into its place. She panted a bit. She was barely done setting the stone before he was already on her with another. He set the stone at her feet and left. She gave him a dirty look behind his back. She set herself back to work, but her mind was racing. How could he do this every day? What was he doing this for? What were these structures?

"Why?" She asked as he approached again.

Ganon stared down at her. He breathed out. Now he was getting annoyed by the pestering. What was it about people and their need to put themselves on him? What made them think he liked answering questions? "I tell you what... Let us trade. I am going to ask a question for each you ask. I will answer your question for every question you answer. I do not enjoy being questioned, but I also have some questions for you, and it is only fair I answer some if I am to expect you to do the same. Do we have a deal?"

Kuroko gulped. She didn't know what manner of questions he had in mind and though her instincts said to flee from what he proposed, she felt she was stronger than that. He had yet to hurt her despite his appearance. He had been a bit rough yesterday, but despite his blunt, short, and annoyed manner of handling things, he had been gentle with her the last two days. Even took her into his home. What kind of a guest would she be if she wasn't appreciative?

She nodded.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

Kuroko blinked. This was his question? This was... amazingly normal in so far as questions go. She smiled a bit and said, "Yes."

"Good. I thought Malon would keep you up all night." Ganon nodded. He turned and returned to the large pile.

On his return, Kuroko asked, "Why do you build these things?"

Ganon answered, "It is prayer. Each day I build an altar and pray. Some days I will pray for hours, some days minutes, and at times I prayed the whole day through." He left.

"That is quite a bit of prayer and devotion." Kuroko commented. "You must be a high priest."

"That wasn't a question, so I don't see why I should answer." Ganon replied as he neared. Kuroko whispered a quick apology. Ganon looked at her hard and said, "My turn, do you remember Malon?"

The effect on her was immediate and complete. Her body spasmed in pain and her legs shook. A painful grunt left her lips and she felt her body be coated in flame. Ganon did not move, but Kuroko took a step from him all the same as if his presence was too hot. She wrapped her arms tightly around her chest and nearly fell to her knees. Ganon did not move, but only watched and observed her. Kuroko did not flee further because despite her instincts, he didn't press the issue nor approach her.

After a long moment, Ganon said, "You might want to remember to breath if you do not wish to black out."

Kuroko gasped. She struggled to breath. The world spun briefly and she stumbled. She put a hand out and held herself up by the stone altars. Still, Ganon did not move.

"Looks like you remember," He observed.

"N-no! Sorry, but I do not-"

"You may not remember you know it, but your body does. If you did not know Malon, if you were not Kuroko Dragmire, if you were not my kin, your body and mind would have thought of Malon as no one and not reacted, but your body remembers. That is enough for now. Let today be its own day. The rest will come of its own accord." Ganondorf Dragmire returned to his task. Kuroko did not move at first, frozen in the memory of pain and needed a moment to shake herself free of it. Ganon supplied his voice to the silence. "Malon has taken your appearance amazingly well. I think she knows you have been through a great deal. She has been well. I took her in as my ward since your..." Ganon paused. He changed topic. "She took it hard at first. Went silent for a year, though you would never know it with how vocal she is!"

Ganon supplied her with another stone and stared at her expectantly. She was still frozen. Gulping, she took hesitant steps forward and returned to the task. The structure was almost complete. Ganon nodded in satisfaction. He said, "Your turn."

Kuroko took a moment to consider and asked, "Why do you pray with such devotion each day after day?"

At this Ganon was silent a moment. His eyes fell. "It is a long story, but the short of it is that nothing else has worked." He brought her another stone. The structure was now complete. He helped Kuroko set it in place. He took an armful of sticks and arranged them on the stone. As he toiled, Kuroko looked at him curious and expectant. He tried to ignore her, but she proved persistant. He had given her the most vague answer he could come up with!

Finally he relented, "I was possessed by a demon at birth. I was born with the Mark of Power, but along with it came a curse because the spirit of power is corrupted. I lost my mind to unnatral hatred, anger, wrath, and bloodlust through my childhood. One day I was bathed in Fae waters and the curse was... damaged somehow. My mind became my own, but it wasn't complete. Anger and wrath still rested close to my heart. Then one day I encountered a man who awakened the full extent of my power, and along with it all of fire and hatred in my soul beyond anything I could ever hope to control. I became a demon in flesh. Since then I have been trying to find a way to free myself of it. It is a curse that has led to our kin being enslaved and our clan being shattered. I have tried bathing in a small pool of Fae water again. Even tried drinking some. Neither have done anything to help me as it once did. So I do this. I toil. I pray. I hope Din will answer."

Kuroko looked at him like he was insane. Who would be possessed by a-

A light flashed on the back of his hand, his hand burst into flame up to the elbow, and with a motion he set the entire altar on fire. Kuroko's eyes shot open wide and she took a fearful step back. Ganon did not move but stared into the burning altar. In his eyes were so many emotions. He was tired, he was hurt, he was sad, he was hopeful, but most of all, he was desperate. "This will be my one hundredth prayer. My one hundredth hope for an answer... Now, I ask that any further questions be put off till later. I ask to be alone."

Kuroko fled from him and returned to the hut. Ganon did not watch her leave. He was used to being looked at with fear, even from those he wished to have no fear. He set his mind towards Din and sat on his knees. His eyes did not leave the dancing flames.

-Later that day-

-Nabooru-

Nabooru listened to the words of the scout and gulped.

"Things are worse than we thought," She concluded. "How many survived?"

"About half, Chief."

Nabooru closed her eyes a moment and let the thought settle in her mind. Half of a hunting party was no small number. Their army was far greater, but that was still many lives lost without anything to show for it. They needed him. With the threat looming over them, there was only one man she could think of who would be able to go toe-to-toe with it.

The thought had barely left her mind before a loud explosion boomed in the distance. Her eyes wide in surprise, she rushed out of the chief's hall and looked in the direction of the noise. People all over stopped and stared. Wolves laid down and covered their ears with a whine. Nothing could be seen, but no one could deny what they heard. In the direction of the noise grew a smokestack.

Was the threat upon them already?

"Majora! Follow me!" Nabooru called. Those near with weapons looked to her and sprang into action. She whistled for her wolf, ran across the bridge, and dropped down into the woods with the ease and dexterity of a monkey. She dropped further onto the ground, drew her weapons, and ran toward the smoke. It was near.

What they found was a clearing nearby a wooden cottage. In the clearing was a hundred destroyed structures of stone and flame coating the ground. In the midst of them stood the physical embodiment of a demon. Ganondorf stood in the middle of his worshipping ground, huffing in fury, puffing in rage, and glaring at anything that moved with bloodshot eyes threatening death. His fiery hair blew in the smoke and fire coated his skin.

Nabooru gulped. She had not seen him this angry in a while.

"Check out the cottage. See if anyone else is there. The fire is spreading." She ordered. "Rest of you throw dirt on the flame. We need to quench it!"

A quick report found the cottage was empty. While the warriors threw water and dirt on the fire to quench it, Nabooru watched Ganondorf. He didn't move. He was passive, for the moment, but there was no telling what would set him off further. Something had happened because he had proven to have more control than this before he became Chief before her.

The flame eased as they worked. The clearing had been toiled and cleaned by Ganondorf's hand, so the fire did not spread easily. Nabooru stepped into the clearing, paused briefly as his red eyes snapped to her, and approached him.

"One hundred sacrifices." Ganondorf breathed angrily when she was closer. "One hundred altars. One hundred days on my knees. Nothing. Not a word. Not a sign. Not a vision or dream or... anything. What more does Din need?"

Nabooru licked her lips nervously. She had heard that he was actively asking- begging Din, but for him to build an altar every day, sacrifice an animal to Din, and be on his knees for most of the day, he had been abnormally diligent. She could understand why he was angry. Anyone would be frustrated by now.

She asked, "Ganon, where is Malon and the women from yesterday?"

His eyes briefly flickered up to his cottage before returning to her. "Out. Malon left to trade the furs in town. She took the women with her. We believe she is Malon's mother."

Nabooru's eyes widened. The woman had been caught in the birth explosion of a phoenix and taken by a mask. There was supposed to be no way to be freed of the mask, but if she had been, it seemed the only memory she had all this time was of being burned in phoenix fire. No wonder the woman was skittish and broken.

Ganondorf looked down into her eyes, and Nabooru knew what the look meant before he spoke. He said, "I need to kill something."

Nabooru nodded. "You are in luck. Majora needs a champion like you right now. The hunting party returned with news. It is not just a monster or two, but a dozen or more. The plains are in chaos. The villages of Qin flee into their fortresses and the phoenix returned to make Joket its nest. An army of Qin approaches."

"They will need aid," Ganondorf commented. He considered the situation. He huffed, "An army will take long to prepare. I will lead a hunting party against them."

Despite his tone deciding for her as if he was Chief again, she dared not say anything about it. She needed him doing this, wanted him going to fight, had asked him, and in his state, she had to be on her toes to keep from breaking what control he had left.

"Go with the fury of Majora."

"I won't need it. I have the fury of a Dragmire."

A short time later she watched him riding out with a pack of wolves and men on horseback through the valley path towards the plains of Qin. His flaming hair was easy to spot from a distance to the end.