Story: Girl Talk (all chapters)

The flaxen-haired warrior walked down the hall to her shared dorm room. She currently resided here on this campus that was home to a spectacular arena. It was a special kind of world, linked to many other worlds, a sort of inter-deminsional nexus; a place where many strange types of people gathered to participate in grand battles. Taking some time off from bounty hunting for the Galactic Federation, Samus Aran would sometimes come here and participate in the competitions.

The purpose of the arena and the tournaments held there was merely to provide entertainment for the spectators, who not only included the stadium going fans, but also those that bet heavily on the outcomes of the fights. Most of the competitors, however, had their own reasons for crossing over from their own universes in order to compete. Some came because they enjoyed the competition and attention from the cheering fans, others because they had something to prove Some were here to support their friends who they followed to this place.

She though, being that she always had to be different, had another reason entirely. She viewed the whole thing as an elaborate training exercise. Fighting against unique warriors and bizarre creatures from alternate existences offered an opportunity to sharpen her skills and take her abilities to new heights. She was uncomfortable sitting still, and when things got quiet in the Federation, this was how she kept herself occupied.

Samus fumbled with the card key before managing to swipe it through the slot. She stood still for a few moments with her hand on the knob of the unlocked door, mentally preparing herself, knowing what most likely awaited her. Her head hung, she took a breath then pushed the door open.

Zelda barely picked her head up from the desk as Samus entered, then went back to resting on her forearms, folded on the tabletop, without saying a word to Samus.

"Still in a mood I see," said Samus, frustrated to see her friend in such miserable condition.

She had been like this for almost a week now, and had been getting worse day by day, though, the change from her usual, pleasant demeanor was very sudden and noticeable. She didn't smile anymore, and she was a lot less talkative than normal. She almost reminded Samus of herself before... well before she met Zelda.

It was her that was the grumpy-with-no-reason loaner for the longest time. That was until Zelda befriended her and brought her out of her shell, so it really bothered her to see the Hylian Princess this way. Though now Samus was more sociable with most other competitors here at the arena, Zelda was the only person she'd consider an actual friend. The rest were merely acquaintances that she got along with, or at worst, tolerated.

And the two of them truly were friends, doing all the usual things friends did together. Things such as going to the concerts infrequently held on the arena's campus, eating lunch together most of the time, just hanging out and watching TV in their room, or training together on occasion; Samus was teaching Zelda to be a better fighter.

Though she thought their friendship began when she accidentally discovered they had the same taste in music, upon reflection she realized that Zelda had been especially nice towards her long before that, she just never noticed at the time.

Samus stared at her from the across the room. After a short while, she felt her annoyance rising. Why couldn't Zelda just go back to the way she was before, the way she liked her. She was spurred to action and she made up her mind that she'd do what ever it took to cheer her up.

"Zelda... hey, want to watch Xena?" Samus said as she clicked on the TV. Xena was a TV show that Zelda had introduced her to, and that they watched regularly.

"Not really, I'm busy." Zelda mumbled.

She was busy? From what Samus could see, all she was doing was scowling at the table top.

"You're just lying there," Samus paused, waiting for the obvious truth of her statement of sink in, but Zelda remained quiet. "And besides we always watch it... Well we used to..."

"I just don't feel like it right now."

"Oh... well... you want to go train instead...?" she paused again, waiting for a response, but got none. "Or we could go to the commons for something to eat," she said, another paused. "How about we--"

"I have something I need to do," Zelda said, cutting her off and with a hint of irritation in her voice. She stood and left without another word.

"What- ...ok. I'll see you later... ugh..." she groaned that last part to herself as Zelda exited.

------

Samus went to the commons anyway to get something to eat. There she saw Peach sitting at a table and talking with Marth. She was blushing slightly and batting her eyes at him like a little kid with a crush. Peach flipped her hair then took a strand of it between her fingers, twirling it around.

"Tch, could she be more obvious?" Samus muttered to herself.

She hated Peach, God, did she hate Peach! "The other princess", as Samus often thought of her, just rubbed the bounty hunter the wrong way on every imaginable level. Originally she hadn't distinguished between Peach and Zelda. They were just "the princesses", and there was not a difference between them.

She was glad she was wrong about Zelda.

The two couldn't be more different. Peach could be so immature at times; prone to bouts of silliness, and if someone crossed her, her vengeance often came in the form of childish pranks. While Zelda, on the other hand, was one of the most mature people Samus had ever met. Wise and insightful, Zelda was often reminiscent of Samus' adoptive Chozo parents.

Peach was girly, not feminine; too pink, too frilly to be taken seriously. Her sickeningly sweet laugh was something that Samus found particularly grating. She was loud and boisterous, as where Zelda was soft spoken and reserved. She was too haughty about being royalty also, frequently taking the opportunity to remind everyone she encountered that she was a princess. Zelda on the other hand was modest about the fact. Only when the two were together did Zelda act at all 'princessy', and Samus especially hated Peach for that.

While Samus and Zelda did things together and hung out from time to time, Peach was really her best friend. There were things that Zelda would only do with Peach, and only talk to her about. Zelda would never let Samus in on the private little conversations they had, something the two of them referred to "girl talk" in the presence of any guys. Samus had no idea why they wouldn't allow her in or what they talked about, but it did seem like they were having plenty of fun. The conversations always involved plenty of whispering, giggling, and embarrassed looks.

She could recall countless occurrences in the room they all stayed in where the two of them would stay up late, talking; but always too quietly for her to hear from her bed. And they'd instantly shut up or change the subject whenever she tried to involve herself in the conversation. Or she'd catch a self-conscious look on Zelda's face whenever she'd walk in on such a conversation. It was as if she wasn't worthy of being included or confided in. She and Zelda didn't really ever talk about anything serious at all; she simply wasn't the close friend that Peach was. That jealousy of only fueled her existing hatred of Peach.

Another thing Samus hated about her was the fact that Peach, merely by acting silly and cute, got so much attention from the men, just like she was from Marth right now. Not that she was interested in Marth in the least, or any of the losers that Peach had wrapped around her little finger; she just couldn't stand that they would fawn over her like complete idiots despite her obvious shortcomings, obvious to Samus at least.

Thankfully, Zelda was above all that. Samus had never before seen her behave so brainless around a guy. She was decent, respectable, and far too intelligent to lower herself to such a level.

That wasn't the way a woman should behave as far as Samus was concerned. There weren't many females here, and she felt that Peach all too often acted as a very poor representative for her gender. She only hoped some of the guys were smart enough to see her for what she was, and to know that Zelda was by far the better example. On that note Samus certainly hoped no one looked to her as an instance of womanhood. Though she was sure no one did; she was a bounty hunter first and foremost. Of all the things she was an example of, woman was far from the top of that list

Samus watched them a while longer. Because he was busy staring at Peach instead of looking at his drink, Marth spilled it as he went to pick it up. Samus rolled her eyes at the ensuing commotion; no one would ever look at someone like her that way.

She huffed and folded her arms. "Humph... Like I care..."

Peach and Zelda were best friends however, which meant she was probably the best person to turn to for help with anything regarding Zelda. Despite her loathing for the woman, Samus resolved to stomach the sickening display until Marth finally left. Attempting to push aside her disdain of Mushroom Kingdom's princess, she went and sat down at the same table as her.

Peach stared at her stupefied as she pulled up a chair, she knew Samus hated her guts. They were both silent, each waiting for the other to speak first.

When it became obvious it wasn't going to happen, Peach blurted out, "Why hello there, miss super bounty hunter. What is it I can do for you?"

Samus groaned, loathing that sickeningly cheerful attitude. Though she wasn't sure how, she just knew she was being mocked from behind that sweet facade.

"Zelda's upset," she stated bluntly.

"Ya', I know..."

"Well... then... fix it," Samus fumbled her request, completely unaccustomed to asking for help.

Peach mad a face that Samus could only assume was a mock appalled expression. "Now, now, Samus dear, we must mind our manners. You shouldn't speak to me in such a curt manner."

"I'll speak however I want."

"We princesses are delicate creatures, you know."

"Yeah right. Screw you." Samus spat.

Peach started giggling at that and had to fight to keep composed. "Well I'm sure you'd love to, but I do have my standards."

Samus made tightly clenched fists under the table, trying with all her being to resist yelling. "Ugg... Look, I don't want to argue with you now, just help Zelda already. She's really depressed lately."

Peach let out a deflated sigh. "You know... You're more suited to help Zelda with her problems than anyone."

"What? Me? Why?"

Peach rolled her eyes, "Are you honestly that oblivious?"

'What's that supposed to mean,' Samus thought, shaking her head. "Come on, you know how to talk to people better than I do, and besides aren't you're like her best friend? Except maybe Link, there's no one she trust more than you."

Peach put her palm to her forehead head and let out an exacerbated sigh. "Oh... Silly, silly, oblivious girl. Silly Sammy, that's what we should call you; who can't see the forest because of the trees."

Samus clenched her teeth trying to ignore the insult. She needed Peach's help, and it wouldn't help to start a fight, though she was quickly running short on patients.

Peach continued. "Hmm... maybe you can only understand something if you are able to scan it. Have you tried scanning Zelda?"

"Do you at least know what's bothering her?" Samus said through her teeth.

"Yes, I do, actually. But why don't you try asking her that yourself?"

"Because you're here right now and I'm asking you!"

Peach sighed, shaking her head. "You're such an idiot."

That was all of Peach Samus could handle for one day. "Yeah well...!" Samus stood suddenly, knocking her chair over, "You're a bitch!" she shouted before storming off in a huff, grumbling something incoherent. That princess had no idea how close she was treading to getting a boot in her ridiculous round little face.

Peach shook her head sadly as the huntress left. "Honestly, what does she see in that Amazon?"

End Part One

Not in the dining room, not in the training hall, not at the bazaar; Zelda was nowhere to be found. But Samus wouldn't stop searching until she found her. Perhaps she would be at the park. Though, what the huntress would do once she found her was another story. Peach was no help at all; in fact she only made things worse. Now that Samus was in a terrible mood as well, how was she supposed to cheer up Zelda?

"God, Peach is so... arrggh!"

Though she hadn't caught Peach's last words to her, Peach used the term frequently enough for her to be familiar with it. Amazon: a freakishly tall, brutish, warrior woman. Of all the things she hated about Peach, she hated that most; the way the other princess could get under her skin and make her feel like a freak and an outsider, insecurities that Samus was already troubled by.

She knew she was different, that she was rough around the edges and the furthest in the world from a feminine flower as any woman could be. And she knew most everyone else shared that assessment of her; thought she was violent or brutish, and she was often mistaken for a man by those that only knew her armored persona. That's just how people saw her. And why shouldn't they? Most of it was the truth after all.

Though, she privately liked to pretend it wasn't the case. If only in her mind she liked to have some sense of normalcy, and as long as she could avoid interacting with the others too much, and too closely, they wouldn't have the opportunity to make her feel like she was so different. But that damn Peach, it was as if she knew Samus' doubts and deliberately attacked

She was, in essence, a bully as far as Samus was concerned. The Chozo raised bounty hunter wasn't very socially experienced, and felt inferior to Peach in that regard, which is why Peach is able to push her around her. However the princess wasn't just some monster she could shoot to make it go away, which was really the only way she knew to handle problems. Samus was at somewhat of a loss as to how to deal with her.

------

Zelda sighed as she tossed another pebble into the fountain. What was she going to do? This situation wasn't going to resolve itself, but she was far too worried and upset to do what she needed to. The more she thought about it, the worse things looked, which was only serving to upset her even more, when what she need to do was concentrate on the task at hand.

And then there was Samus...'It's like she doesn't even care,' Zelda thought. The only thing Samus saw in her was a buddy to hangout with; she wasn't a true friend. It wouldn't take much to make Zelda happy, all she wanted hear was: "Hey Zelda, I'm sorry you're feeling bad. Tell me what's wrong,"and maybe to hold her hand, and maybe a hug, maybe even for her to...

"Humph, like that would ever happen," Zelda mumbled.

Not that Zelda could spare time to focus on Samus right now; she had to think, had to prepare.

"I thought you had something important to do."

Startled, Zelda jumped, dropping her fist full of pebbles, but didn't turn around to face Samus. "I do... uh, not this."

"Well then let's go."

"Go where?"

"Anywhere... lets do something fun."

"Ugh..." Zelda groaned. That again? That really was all Samus cared about. She left the room earlier to get a way from such pestering, but apparently Samus was resolute enough to track her down. "I told you, I have important things to take care of."

"Obviously not that important if this is how you're spending your time. So just come with me already." Samus didn't wait for an answer; she took Zelda by the wrist and pulled her to her feet.

"Alright, fine... You don't have to be so pushy," Zelda grumbled. She pulled her hand away from Samus and followed closely behind her. "Where are we going anyway?"

"You hungry?"

"A little," Zelda admitted reluctantly.

"Let's go get some pancakes."

"Isn't it a little late in the day for breakfast?"

"Yeah, well... I noticed you didn't eat this morning, so let's go to that place in the bazaar we used to go to."

They did, and they both had their usual order of pancakes; Zelda's with maple syrup, and Samus' with butter. Zelda was moody the whole time, practically refusing to engage in conversation; she usually loved pancakes, but she only finished half of hers. With Zelda's mood now beginning to infect Samus as well, they both left the diner brooding.

"Oh look the theater, let's go see something," Samus said upon seeing the theater across from the diner.

"I'd rather not," Zelda sighed.

"Oh come on, we haven't gone in forever."

Zelda reluctantly agreed, thinking that maybe if she gave Samus more of a chance she'd eventually show some sign that she cared. As usual, Samus made comments to her about the show, which she normally enjoyed or even laughed at. But this time Zelda only sat staring down at the back of the see in front of her. Each time Samus spoke she hoped it would be to show some small sign of concern, but it never came. And with every comment Zelda's depression only grew, eventually becoming convinced she was right about Samus. They left the theater with Zelda more depressed than ever and Samus getting discouraged.

"So what'd you think of it?" Samus said as they exited.

"Eh..." Zelda shrugged.

Samus sighed. 'Zelda, what does it take?' Zelda always had an opinion to spare about whatever they had seen; it was like the girl she knew had gone entirely.

She wouldn't give up, though; she had much more planned, something had to work. "Hey lets go--"

"Have you had enough fun yet? Can I go now?" Zelda sounded annoyed.

'Why won't you snap out of it?' Samus sighed. "Come on, I still want to..."

"Is this all I am to you!?" Zelda finally voiced her concern.

"All...? What do you mean... all you are?" Samus was truly confused.

"You don't really care about me at all, do you?"

"What!? What do you mean?" How could Zelda think that after today? "Why do you think we're here?"

"You just want to have someone to hang out with... to do fun things with you. It doesn't matter how I feel," Zelda sulked.

"It does matter! ...This stuff usually makes you happy. That's why-"

Zelda cut her off. "Why haven't you even bothered to ask me what's wrong?" she asked, a definite note of pain in her voice.

Samus looked dumbfounded; it was so simple, but she never would have thought to do so; she had always felt that Zelda kept her at a distance and wouldn't let her in. "I... I never thought you'd want to talk to me about it. I thought you'd only want to talk about it with friends."

Zelda took a step back, a look of pained shock on her face. "Samus, you are my friend! ...at least ...I hoped you were," she said sadly.

"I meant good friends, ones you're close with, that you talk with normally... like you do with Peach... You told her," Samus said, sounding every bit as jealous as she actually was.

"I told her because she asked!"

Samus appeared to be at a loss, she didn't really have a response for that.

"Well that, and it involves her directly," Zelda continued, "so I had to tell her..."

"Wait... it's Peach's fault you upset?" This only angered Samus. "Damn her."

"No, it's not." Zelda again got annoyed, Samus always got difficult every time Peach's name came up.

"So... then what is bothering you?" Samus asked cautiously.

Zelda sighed sarcastically. "Are you sure you even care?"

Samus felt hurt, "Is it...Are you're mad because I haven't asked you?"

Zelda pouted and folded her arms. "Partly... Yes... A lot, actually."

Guilt and shame aren't feelings that Samus experienced often, but now they came in abundance. Here she had been worried about Zelda all this time when in fact she was part of the problem. "So it's my fault then. You're like this because of me."

"You could have at least shown a little sympathy!"

Samus shrunk away. "I'm sorry. I didn't know... ugh." Guilt was a terrible feeling. "I'm not good with things like this. I do care, really."

Zelda glared at her, half scowling, half pouting, considering whether to believe her or not.

"What... um, what were you upset about in the first place?" Samus finally asked what she should have long ago, knowing full well it was too little too late.

Zelda sighed and looked down at her hands while fiddling with her fingers. She sighed again. "They're going to send Peach home."

"Wait, that's it? That's not bad at all."

"Samus! Damn it. Can't you just get along with her?"

"With her? I'd rather eat broken glass."

"Ugh!" Zelda groaned in frustration. "Just forget it. I was a fool to think you'd give a damn. I'm going," she said angrily, then turned around to leave.

"Ah... Wait!" Samus stopped her. Crap, what the hell did she just say that for? "I'm Sorry! I'm uh... Don't go, ok. Zelda, just..." Samus fumbled around for something to say. She knew she was bad at this and that she screwed things up terribly, but she desperately didn't want Zelda to go away mad at her. "Why don't you tell me about it?" she said finally.

Zelda looked sternly at her, seemingly judging her sincerity. It was a sunny day and the weather was slightly warm; though the environment here on the campus was controlled to a degree so it was always a temperate climate. Crowds of stadium goers and spectators passed them on walkway as they stood silently facing each other, most probably not realizing the two were competitors in the tournaments. Samus shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then furrowed her brow and looked her companion in the eye.

Zelda sighed and gave in; she would give Samus one more chance. She looked to the ground briefly, brushed her hair behind her pointed ear, and then looked back up to Samus. "Well I asked her to help me get back at Link for being a jerk and forgetting... well a very important day for us Hylians..." Zelda sighed then continued "I can't believe I agreed to something so irresponsible...I was just so mad, and it seemed like a good idea when we talked about it..."

"What did she do?" Samus asked, her curiosity piqued.

"They were partnered together in an important match and she deliberately made them lose. Link was quite upset about that and complained a great deal. Eventually the people who run the tournaments found out and apparently there were a lot of people betting lots of money on him...Peach got in serious trouble and now they may send her back to her own world and never allow her to return."

"Oh... sorry about that, I guess... um..." Samus had to fight hard to keep from showing her delight at this news.

"It's ok; you can smile all you want. Go ahead and jump for joy."

Damn, Zelda read her like a book. "Zelda, I wouldn't... it's not like that. Ok, so, she's going away, but its not so bad right? Can't you still go visit her or something?"

"That's not the point. It's my fault, I'm responsible...if she gets sent away it will be because of me. I should never have involved her, I shouldn't have ever tried to get revenge on Link." Zelda sighed and stared at the sidewalk "That was the most stupid and petty I've ever done," Zelda said sadly and hung her head.

"I'm sure hanging out with Peach had something to do with that." Samus muttered under her breath. She was like a plague, ruining everything she touched; even Zelda wasn't immune. As far as Samus was concerned she was entirely to blame and was getting everything she deserved. She wanted to tell Zelda as much and that she shouldn't blame herself, but knew that wouldn't really help the situation.

"What?" Zelda looked at her not catching what she said.

"Uh... why don't you just tell them she did it for you... No, then they'd just send you away... Hmm..." Samus pulled on her left ear as was her habit when thinking too hard.

"Ugh... Well I do have a chance to prevent it." Zelda broke in. "Next week there is a hearing; I will be given an opportunity to convince them to allow her to stay."

"That's good then, right? You're pretty smart; you can probably convince them of anything."

"It's not that simple, the laws they have here are intricate and complex. I know Hylian law by heart, but this place is different. I've been studying them for the last couple weeks and forming my argument... but I... well it's just so much pressure, I don't think I can keep it together in there. If I fail, Peach will have to leave... and I'll never see here again. And that's just making me even more nervous and likely to make mistakes," Zelda ranted a bit. "I just can't seem to focus anymore," she added with sigh and hung her head.

"Well... at least you're not in trouble. You still get to stay even if you fail completely." Samus said smiling but then realized it was a dumb thing to say the moment it escaped her lips.

Zelda huffed. "I can't waste time here like this. I need to concentrate..." Zelda sounded irritated. "I just need to think... I... I have to go. See you later."

That could have gone a lot better. "Yeah, ok... See you..." Samus worriedly watched her leave, knowing she handled things badly.

"Damn," she sighed.

End Part Two

Samus lay on her bed tossing a small rubber ball at the wall and catching it as it came back to her.

'God, I'm so stupid. She probably hates me now.'

Zelda was concerned for Peach and focused the whole time trying to save her and correct her own mistake. The one thing she wanted from Samus was to know she cared, which happened be the only thing Samus hadn't thought of to do for her.

'I spent so much time worrying about her that I never let her know that I was worried about her. Damn it, I should have been more attentive.'

If she was bothered by something, the only thing she'd ever want from Zelda is a bit of sympathy.

'Such an idiot; she's got to be so mad at me. She thinks I don't care about her at all. How can I call myself her friend, no wonder she likes Peach better.'

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

'Oh screw you Peach. Why did you have to be right about this?'

In anger she threw the ball a little harder and it bounced away across the room.

'What can I do to make it up to her? There has to be something I can do for her.' Samus thought long and hard but nothing came to her.

As she was thinking, the door opened and Peach came in. Samus leaned her head back over the edge of the bed, viewing her upside down. Peach paused in the door upon seeing Samus and the two glared at each other for a time.

"Tch..." Samus shook her head and looked away in disgust. Now knowing the full story behind Zelda's depression, she had even more reason to hate the woman.

"Humph," Peach squeaked in her petite voice, turned her nose up, and shuffled silently across the room, clearly annoyed with Samus as well. She had just been offering good advice to the hunter earlier, trying to be helpful, only to have the other woman snap at her and storm off as if she had done something wrong. Well she was through being nice for the day. "Bitch," she muttered softly, throwing Samus' insult back to her.

"What!?" Samus shouted but caught herself from responding any further. The last thing she needed right now was another meaningless squabble with Peach; though that was apparently too much to ask for.

"Hey, keep your useless belongings off of my bed!" the princess whined.

"Huh?" A second later Samus' ball came back to her and ricocheted off her head. "Oww! Damn it."

"Honestly! I guess they don't teach proper manners in combat school."

"What's your problem? That hurt," Samus said, rubbing her head.

"Aww, is the big tough bounty hunter gonna cwy?" Peach teased her in a mocked baby voice.

"Why don't you go choke to death on whatever fumes you've been inhaling," Samus quickly shot back.

"Blwmmmm." Peach responded by sticking out her tongue, then giggled in her sickeningly sweet manner.

Samus groaned. "How does Zelda put up with you?" she muttered to mostly to herself.

"How does Zelda put up with you!?" Peach retorted.

"Are you copying me?"

"Are you copying me?" Peach did her best impression of Samus' tone of voice.

Samus clenched her jaw tight before more words escaped her mouth. That would only play right into Peach's childish game. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Not having gotten to her, Peach tried something different, and started singing, "Samus and Zelda sitting in a tree--"

"Can't you just go away!?" Samus finally lost her composure. "Just leave me the hell alone!"

"Well don't worry... soon you're dreams will come turn and you'll have her all to yourself... The poor thing."

"What's that supposed to mean? God, I can't concentrate with you here... Oh! Concentrate..." Samus swung her legs around to the edge of the bed and sat up. "That's what I can do."

"What in the world are you prattling about now?"

"I have something to do," Samus said then got up to leave. However, she stopped at the door and stood facing the empty hallway.

"What!?" Peach questioned her pause.

Samus took a slow deep breath; she couldn’t believe she was going to say this. "Thanks," she said.

"Huh?" Peach could hardly believe it either.

"For before. You were right," Samus said then quickly left.

Peach stared in disbelief for a moment. "Well of course I was right," she shouted after her, still having no idea what Samus was talking about.

------

Zelda stood watching the stars from the observatory lounge, lost in thought. The sun had only just gone down and it was still a little light out, so only the brightest stars could be seen.

"There you are," came the familiar voice from behind her.

"Samus?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you."

"I've been here and there... walking around... just thinking..." Zelda said sadly. "Did you need me for something?"

Samus looked a little embarrassed, still feeling quite guilty for how things went between them earlier. "I... I wanted to see how you were doing. Before... well it seemed like you were really mad at me."

"Oh, n-no I'm not mad..." She sighed and shook her head, smiling softly. "I realize now that you were only trying to cheer me up. I'm not upset with you," Zelda said. She hadn't noticed until now that she wasn't quite as depressed as before. Talking things over with Samus and getting everything out there went a long way to lifting her spirits. She must have been more fixated on Samus than on her true problem than she realized.

"I suppose I did leave very suddenly, I didn't mean anything by it. Sorry, I worried you," she added.

"Eh, no... It's fine." Samus waved her hand dismissively. "You have a lot to think about, you don't have to worry about how I feel." It was nice to see Zelda smile again, however. She did seem to be feeling a bit better than before.

"But... I do. I can't help but worry about that," Zelda said sweetly.

"Uh... well I um... that is I..." Samus stammered awkwardly, a little embarrassed by what Zelda said. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I also wanted to give you this." She reached into her pocket, produced a small pendant held on a simple black string, and handed it to Zelda.

"Oh..." She held it up and inspected it. It was a disk like shape that had a spiral to it, resembling a flattened out snail shell. The surface looked golden-metallic, but at the same time, translucent, and had many other subtle shades of colors that seemed to dance and change depending on how the light hit it. It was one of the loveliest things she'd seen in a long while.

"Samus... it's beautiful. Thank you," Zelda said softly, putting it around her neck. "Such a lovely gift; I'll wear it always to remember you wherever I go."

"No, it's... Zelda, it's not jewelry. It's an alpha resonator."

"A... what?"

"A Chozo device. It helps with concentration by stimulating brain waves," Samus explained.

Zelda gave her a perplexed look.

"You said you were having trouble focusing, so I thought it would help."

"Oh..." Zelda stared, mildly surprised. That was quite thoughtful of Samus. "T-thank you..." she said softly.

"It's the only piece of the Chozo I have left other than my powersuit, so please be careful with it. Don't break it or loose it or anything."

"Oh,you want it back." Samus detected disappointment in Zelda's voice. "I'll be especially mindful then."

"Well, I don't really use it much; it's just that it's kind of sentimental to me... But... if you like it so much, I guess you can keep it," Samus said, slightly unsure of herself.

"Truly... if even though it's so important to you?" Zelda said her eyes widening. Samus just nodded. "I... I don't know what to say. Samus I..." Zelda began to choke up, overjoyed to know how just much Samus cared about her. "Thank you," she said, barely a squeak.

A single tear rolled down her cheek, and without any thought Samus wiped it away, gently brushing Zelda's face with the back of her fingers. Embarrassed, she retracted her hand, and gave an awkward smile. Zelda, however, smiled warmly.

"Samus, come sit with me for a bit." She led Samus over to one of the cushioned benches that were common in the observatory lounge and they sat beside one another. Zelda folded one arm across herself, grabbing her opposite shoulder. She pouted cutely and tipped her head to the side, looking at Samus. Once she caught the huntress's eyes with hers she smiled softly and ran her fingers down the length of her own hair. Zelda just stared at her while playing with the same strand of her own hair over and over, not saying anything.

Feeling uncomfortable, Samus broke the silence. "So...uh... the resonator..." She started out and went to grab it from around Zelda's neck to show her, but awkwardly switched to pointing at it instead. "You just press you thumb on the surface to use it."

Running her finger over it, Zelda felt the resonator activate briefly; a tingling sensation on her scalp and behind her eyes. She smiled, then released the device and let the feeling fade. "You really want to help me even though I'm trying to save Peach?"

"If she leaves, you'd be upset," Samus said bluntly.

Zelda smiled as a warm feeling enveloped her, thought it wasn't the resonator this time; Samus really cared about her, more than she hated Peach, which was a lot.

"Samus... thank you." Zelda leaned back and glanced upward through the glass roof of the observatory. "The stars sure are beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yeah, I guess. So... you think you'll be able to do it? Convince them to let her stay?"

"I hope so... I have a good argument, and I think... if this thing works it will help me focus on what I need to do... But even so, just having it gives me confidence."

"That's good..."

"Or maybe it's you who gives me confidence," Zelda quickly added.

"Eh-heh..." Samus felt a blush come over her face. She folded her hands behind her head and leaned back, looking up at the stars as well.

"The stars are so beautiful," Zelda repeated.

"Yes..."

"They look different here than in Hyrule though; all the constellations are different. Back home I'd used to count the stars like this and see how many of their names I could remember. I don't know what any of them are called here."

"Me either. They're different than where I'm from too... But..." Samus had to agree with Zelda, "they're still beautiful."

"Yes."

It started getting darker and as they watched, slowly, more and more stars became visible.

After a long while Samus finally leaned forward and let her hands fall at her sides; without realizing it, her right landed on Zelda's left. Without a word or any other sort of response, Zelda turned her palm up, softly closing her fingers around Samus hand, surprising the huntress's a little. What was with her today? She kept doing clumsy things to embarrass herself.

"Why are you friends with me?" she asked quietly.

"Huh?" Zelda leaned forward as well, then turned to look at her. "Well why wouldn't I be?"

"Most people hate me." Samus said staring blankly ahead of her.

"That's not true, Samus!"

"They're afraid of me."

"No..." Zelda shook her head.

"And why wouldn't they be. I'm so different from everybody." Samus sounded distant.

"I like that you're different," Zelda said and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "But nobody's afraid of you, nobody hates you."

Samus let out an unconvinced sigh. "Tch... I don't care anyway."

"I think you do care... Samus, you're just a little stoic though; it makes it hard for people to approach you sometimes. But they don't hate you."

Samus finally turned to look at Zelda. "Peach does, she ... thinks I'm boorish and rough, she calls me 'Amazon'. She's always saying something to me. Everyone thinks I'm this scary bounty hunter that'll shoot them if they look at me wrong..." Zelda began shaking her head and started to say something, but Samus cut her off. "It's true. They all think it... she's just the only one brave enough to say anything."

"I really wish Peach wouldn't say those things," Zelda said sternly. "I'll put a stop to that as soon as I see her."

Samus smiled at how resolute Zelda just sounded. "I'm jealous of you," she said. She had always admired Zelda for that inner strength, something that she lacked; she only possessed outward strength.

"What- why?" Zelda looked confused.

"You're so strong."

"What are you talking about? You're much stronger than I am."

"Yeah, but you never sacrifice your femininity because if of it. I wish I could pull that off. I'd just look ridiculous if I tried"

"Samus..."

"Jeez, I don't even know why I saying these things. This is a stupid conversation anyway." Samus attempted to drop the subject.

Though with a mere look, Zelda pressed the issue. Samus huffed and looked away. "I'm... I'm just... uh."

"You're quite lovely too. You have no reason to be jealous."

"Tch... with my plain face and rough personality?" Samus rolled her eyes. "Right. You're just saying that. I'm too tall and muscular, more like a guy anyways."

Zelda reached across with her other hand and ran it softly through Samus' hair, again causing Samus to become self-conscious.

"That's a shame really. If only you could see yourself the way I see you."

"The... The way you see me?" Samus asked, her question posed with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"Yes," Zelda said softly, not much more than a whisper. "I see an incredible individual; strong and independent, but with a care free attitude, talented in many respects, and who is different, but in a good way." With a lock of Samus' hair still between her fingers, Zelda caressed down her cheek with the back of her hand. "I see a woman, an attractive one, a... a desirable one, with beautiful eyes... and a cute face... and believe me, who's nothing at all like a guy... at all"

"Really? Mean it?" It was embarrassing to hear someone describer her that way, yet at the same time she felt incredibly warm inside.

"Yes..." Zelda smiled softly and nodded then continued. "I see... a caring friend; a friend who was there for me when I need her, even if I didn't realize it at first."

Being complimented so was an amazing feeling; especially coming from someone she cared about. Samus wasn't used to this at all.

"And," Zelda spoke softer still, leaning a bit closer. "I see someone, who despite being so strong outwardly, hidden deep down, has soft side, even... a fragile side; delicate and beautiful."

Zelda's demeanor affected Samus in ways she didn't really comprehend. Her jaw quivered and her heart skipped. It was as if Zelda was peering into her heart, seeing right past all the walls she'd built for herself.

"But most of all soft..." Zelda continued, gently stroking Samus' hair. "So very soft..."

Without realizing how it happened, Samus found her lips pressing softly against Zelda's. For some reason strange she wasn't surprised by it at all, but it did feel surreal, like a dream. Her chest swelled and it felt like she was floating. She wasn't sure how long it lasted; it might have been a few seconds or a few hours for all she could tell; it was all a little bit dizzying.

When Zelda finally pulled away, Samus was left at a loss for words. She wasn't sure what to say, or if anything needed to be said at all. She stared at Zelda for a few seconds before turning her head to the side, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. What did she just do? Her mind raced, trying to grab words to put together into a sentence, but the more she thought, the more her embarrassment grew, completely preventing speech. Hopefully Zelda would say something.

She didn't though; Zelda just tightened her grip around her hand and let her head fall on Samus' shoulder as she leaned up against her. Samus tensed up, but only momentarily; there was no need for tension, not with Zelda. Despite what had just happened, she was strangely comfortable with the Hylian girl, she always had been.

"The stars are so beautiful," Zelda said quietly.

"Yes..."

They sat hand in hand, Zelda resting against Samus, in complete silence for quite a long while. Words continued to fail Samus, while Zelda was just content to sit quietly.

Eventually, they were interrupted by the clock chiming, signaling it was nine in the evening. "Zelda... I have to go," Samus said uneasily, slowly pulling away from her.

"Oh... alright." Zelda let out a small sigh of disappointment.

"I'm supposed to have a match against Falcon soon," Samus explained.

"I see...Will you fight without your armor again?"

"Eh," Samus shrugged her shoulders "I'll decide when I get there."

"So... uh... will I see you later tonight at the reception?" Zelda asked, a bit of trepidation in her voice. "We'll be welcoming all the newcomers, you should meet them."

"Maybe..."

"Ok... bye then.

"Yeah, bye."

"Bye."

End Part Three

The commons area had been setup to host a small party. All the tables and chairs had been arranged around the edge of the room and a large welcome banner hung from the back wall. Marth, Link, and Peach had organized this unofficial reception for all the new comers who had arrived at the arena recently. It was a small get together of about thirty or so people, yet it was enough to keep the room alive with chatter.

Among those chattering were a certain two princesses.

"No waayyyy," Peach yelped in an incredibly girlish manner, squealing as if she were still sixteen, earning the pair of princesses several awkward stares from the nearby partygoers. "Are you serious?"

Zelda just nodded shy, while blushing.

"Then what!?"

"We... we kissed."

"Really!? So she swings that way after all. I told ya'," Peach said smugly.

"Well, I don't know... maybe. She did seem kind of awkward and embarrassed... But then again, that could just be how she is generally."

"So then what happened... I want more, give details."

Zelda sighed and her eyes glazed over as she recalled.

"Ooohh." Peach perked up thinking it must be something pretty juicy.

"After we kissed, I rested my head on her shoulder while holding hands; and we watched the stars come out. We sat that way for almost an hour."

"What, that's it? That's all you did?" Peach said disappointedly. "Jeez Zel, that's boring. You're such a prude."

Zelda huffed. "It wasn't boring, it was romantic," she said with a pout on her face.

Peach shrugged. "If you say so."

"I do say so."

"You've been going on and on about her for months now, and you finally get a chance with her and you don't capitalize... Lame."

"It's a matter of opinion whether I "capitalized" on the opportunity or not." Zelda said folding her arms across her chest. "What we did was more than satisfying. And besides I wouldn't want to frighten her off."

"Well I seem to recall some fairly... explicit fantasies involving--"

"None of which you will repeat in a room full of people." Zelda said sternly with a stamp of her foot, her face turning bright red.

"I don't know. Just seems to me like a waste to have not acted on one or two."

"Can we... stop talking about this in public..." Zelda turned her blushing face towards the floor.

"Ok, whatever. ...Prude." Peach nudged her with her elbow. "Oh! Well look who's here." Peach glanced across the room to notice Samus staring in their direction, but she quickly looked a way when Peach saw her.

"Huh." Zelda turned around to see Samus trying not to look at them. "She made it!" Her face lit up. She waved to Samus to come over, but she pretended not to notice.

"She'll never come over when I'm here." Peach said smugly.

"Yes, you're right about that... Can't you get along with her better?"

"No," Peach said flatly.

"Listen, I don't want you to say mean things to Samus anymore. She's not as cold and uncaring as she appears, your words hurt her."

Peach smiled, "So you're defending her honor; that's really sweet Zel."

"Come on, I'm being serious. You don't have to be nice; just don't be mean, ok?

"Yeah ok, though it's not like it'll be an issue for much longer."

"Uh! Y-yeah..." Zelda looked down, ashamed. "Listen, I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I am that your stay here is jeopardized. I feel terrible..."

"Ahh It's alright Zel."

"I'll try my best to make sure it doesn't happen."

"Don't worry about it so much," Peach said and patted Zelda on the shoulder.

Again Peach noticed Samus through the crowd, staring at them, circling like a vulture, waiting for her to leave so she could approach Zelda. She was about to make a rude comment comparing Samus to said scavenger, but refrained because of Zelda's request. Instead she just waved to her with a fake smile, causing Samus to quickly disappear into the crowd.

"Well, I'll leave you alone so you can be with her, though I don't know what good it'll do since you're so boring and all."

Zelda narrowed her eyes and stared at her for a while before responding. "Ok then, I'll show you boring... How about you don't come back to the room tonight?"

"Ooohh!?"

Zelda blushed a bit "Uhh... that is... I hate to ask you this, I've already put though so much with my requests..."

Peach glanced again at Samus, who was still circling from a distance. "Well, I think you could do a lot better for yourself, but... if she makes you happy I guess that's all that matters."

"Thanks... and I'm really sorry."

"It's fine...Hmm... It could work out to my advantage anyway..." Peach said looking across the room. "See ya' later Zel." She waved while disappearing into the crowd.

--x--

Marth and a couple of the new comers were congregated around one of the food tables, chatting. He was joined by a similarly blue haired swordsman, though his was wild instead of neat like Marth's, and a guy with a scraggly beard smoking a cigarette.

He was in the middle conversation with the two when he received a tap on the shoulder and a familiar voice came from behind. "Prince Marth."

"Peach! Uh... Hi." He spun around to face her.

"Would you do a condemned woman a huge favor?" She asked sweetly.

"Of course, anything for you."

"I sort of got kicked out of my room for the night. Think I could crash with you?"

Ike's jaw nearly hit the floor while Snake scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Oh, yes of course."

"Good," She said slyly, and began twirling a lock of her hair round her finger. "If my days here are numbered I figure I should make the most of the time I have left."

Marth gulped and noticeably started blushing. Peach looped her arm through his and walked off with him, waving to the two left standing there.

"So," Snake nudged Ike with his elbow, "Think all the chicks here are like her?" he said in a gruff voice.

"I... wouldn't know."

"Hmm, I think a secret reconnaissance mission is in order."

--x--

"Why'd you want to leave the reception so soon?" Samus asked as she and Zelda entered their room. After about five minutes of the two of them, uncomfortably so for Samus, mingling with the other competitors and meeting several of the new comers, Zelda had pulled her aside. Samus assumed she wanted to talk more, but Zelda only said she wanted to leave.

"I'd just prefer spending time with you than attending some large gathering." Zelda said simply as walked over to her bed. She removed her gold shoulder pads, headdress and Hylian sash that hung down the front of her dress. She liked the look of all the ornamentation; however, it became uncomfortable to wear for long periods.

"Oh..." Samus was glad to here that; she though things might have been awkward between them after the incident in the observatory. She thought it odd that Zelda hadn't said a word about it. Perhaps she didn't know what to say either. Maybe she was just as embarrassed and simply wanted to pretend nothing happened. That would most likely be best. Relieved, Samus sat down on the sofa and turned the TV on and put her feet up, "So are you up for watching Xena now?"

"Samus... what kind of person are you attracted to?"

"Uhh..." That came out of nowhere. The question caught her off guard and Samus stammered her answer. "Well...I never really... though about... W-why do you ask?" Maybe things would get awkward after all.

"Mmm..." Zelda shrugged. "No reason... just asking." Zelda sighed and sat down beside her, folding her hands in her lap.

The show was something Zelda had put her on to, and that they watched it from time to time. It was about a warrior woman who traveled around ancient Greece with her companion, fighting monsters, demons, and evil gods. When asked, Zelda said she liked the mythology and gods, which were all very different from how things were in her world. That and another reason, but she wouldn't tell Samus what that was. Samus liked the action and thought the stories of good versus evil were interesting. The special effects were laughable compared to what they were capable of in her world, but she didn't mind.

Samus had been aware of the large amount of subtext between the two main characters, but never paid it much attention before. She only ever commented on it once in passing. But now, in light of recent events, when the two leading ladies got particularly close it became a bit awkward. Hopefully Zelda wouldn't notice. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to watch this particular show at the moment. Would it look weird if she just abruptly turned it off or changed to something else?

Though she didn't have to; at the first intermission Zelda turned the TV off. "Can we talk for a bit?" she said.

"Uh...sure, ok" Samus said timidly. This was it, Zelda would surely bring up what happened earlier, and then what could she do? She would have to explain herself, but how could she when she didn't even understand for herself

Samus waited a bit, but she didn't say anything. Maybe Zelda was expecting her to start. "So, uh... are you feeling better about that thing with Peach?" Samus said hoping to avoid the subject of their earlier encounter.

"Well I'm still worried about it, but, yes, I do feel better... Thanks to you," Zelda said sweetly and smiled softly at her.

"It was nothing really..."

"But it wasn't nothing!" Zelda spoke fervently. "It meant... today meant a lot to me. I found out that you really care about me."

"Of course I do." Samus furrowed her brow sadly. "I've never really had a friend before you. I wasn't sure how to handle things like that."

"I see that now." Zelda gave her a soft smile and took her hand. "Before I believed that you wanted to spend time with me only because we liked similar things."

"Oh..."

"But it's ok; I know how you feel now. You really were trying to help me today. Thank you, you did cheer me up. I'll remember and appreciate that for a long time... and... well," Zelda looked a her hands a bit nervously. "What happened in the observatory... I--"

"Hey look... about that," Samus cut her off. "I'm really sorry. It shouldn't have happened. I'm just--"

"What!? Why not!? That was-- It was very special to me... Don't say it shouldn't have happened. I... I have wanted that for a while now."

"But why? It's weird... I should never have kissed you like that...That was completely out of line. I have no idea what came over me... all those things you were saying... I--"

"Kissed me?" Zelda furrowed her brow in confusion. "Is that what you think happened?"

"Uh... It didn't?" Now Samus was confused, she had been absolutely certain she had.

"I kissed you. And I don't think it's weird at all."

"It's not?"

Zelda smiled and shook her head. "No."

Certain realizations came to Samus at that moment; Zelda's behavior around her, things she'd said, a flip of the hair, the odd wry smile. It was quite similar to how Peach would behave around Marth or Link. It became apparent why Zelda had had introduced her that Xena show. This must be the other reason she liked it that she wouldn’t tell Samus. "You... You've wanted to do that for a while?" she asked timidly.

"Yes," Zelda said with a warm smile, not even attempting to hide the blush spreading across her face.

"Does this mean you like me better than Peach?"

Zelda let out a soft chuckle "Let's just say I've never kissed Peach before, and I have no intention to."

"Well, how come it seems like you're much better friends with her?"

Zelda tipped her head to the side, curiously. "What makes you say that?"

Samus shrugged. "I don't know. You just talk to her more You're more open with her... You talk about things you won't talk to me about."

"I don't do that. You're just imagining it."

"Come on, you know what I mean," Samus protested, "Your little giggle sessions over in the corner. The two of you call it 'girl talk' sometimes. You would talk with Peach like that but always excluded me, or changed the subject when ever I was around."

"Oh, that. Well... I just didn't feel comfortable talking about that with you."

"About what? And why not?" Samus questioned.

"Samus 'girl talk' means we're talking about who we like, and why, and... well, you know... how far we've gotten with them."

Samus stared a little dumbfounded. "Oh... I never knew that."

"And besides, I didn't really think you'd like to talk about such things," Zelda added.

"Well not really, it just... it kind of hurt to be pushed away like that."

"I'm sorry, Samus. I didn't realize." Zelda took an apologetic tone.

"Oh wait. So... So you were talking about me?"

Zelda nodded. "Mm-hmm, I couldn't talk about it with you there, you're the one you like."

Samus smiled, but then it quickly faded. "Hey, hold on! You were talking about me... in that way... with Peach..."

Zelda nodded again, and Samus groaned uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that...Could you maybe... not do that anymore."

"She's not that bad you know... but if it makes you so uncomfortable, I won't talk to her about it anymore."

Samus smiled and nodded.

"You know..." Zelda continued "I've liked you in that way for quite a while now... I tried to get you to notice me too, but you never get my hints. I thought you didn't like me."

"I'm not good with subtlety. I just thought that's how friends were with each other."

"Well now you know, Samus," Zelda said and reached out, talking a strand of Samus' hair between her fingers. "And if you're open to such things, if you don't think it's too 'weird' being with another girl, well... I'd want to be more than your friend." Zelda paused and tipped her head to the side. "Is that something you'd want too?"

"Eh...M-more?" Samus chuckled nervously and glanced at her, but wouldn’t look her straight in the eye. "Well... How do you mean?"

"If you thought you were the one that kissed me, that means that you must have wanted to on some level."

Zelda had her there. She couldn't disagree.

"You find me attractive, don't you?" Zelda continued.

"I guess..." Samus nodded. "I mean... you are pretty... Yes."

"What's wrong? You're being so shy. What happened to the cold and confidant warrior we all know?" Zelda teased.

"I... Y-you have an effect on me... especially when you're acting like this."

"Oh, is that so... " Zelda smirked and leaned closer. "What kind of effect?"

Samus only blushed, turning slightly to the side.

Zelda found it incredibly adorable, loving the fact that she had the power to reduce the proud huntress to a shrinking violet. "You know, I find you remarkably attractive, Samus. I have since I met you." Zelda brushed the backs of her fingers across her cheek, and leaned closer still. "Would it be ok if kissing you were a regular occurrence?"

"Uh well... I don't usually plan for stuff, so I don't um...I- I don't know," Samus shrugged her shoulders.

"You don't know?" Zelda pouted. "Ok then, how about right now? Can I kiss you right now?"

"Uh, I guess... Ok." Samus nodded slowly, but looked away even more.

Zelda took her by the chin and turned Samus' head to face her. Leaning in, Zelda gave her a soft kiss. Samus closed her eyes, tentatively returning her affections. She didn't realize until it was too late that she was tilting backwards and ended up on her back with Zelda leaning over her, her hands on either side of Samus' head. Zelda smirked as she lowered herself down, and Samus realized it was no accident she was now on her back.

The princess got a ravenous look in her eyes as she renewed her efforts, vigorously assailing the other woman's mouth with her own. Samus was surprised by her aggressiveness, never expecting the normally reserved woman to be so passionate. This was a completely new side to Zelda

Starting with her lower lip, then her chin, and finally her neck, Zelda gently sucked on Samus' surprisingly delicate skin. Her hair fell forward, gently tickling the huntress's face. Samus breathed in deeply as Zelda nibbled on her neck, inhaling sent of her hair; lavender and something else she couldn't identify.

This was odd; this kind of behavior should be setting of all sorts of alarms in her head, but that wasn’t the case. She was strangely comfortable with Zelda. She realized she has been for quite a while, but never thought about it much

Working her finger under the collar of Samus light blue jump suit, Zelda stretched the elastic material aside and kissed down her neck to her collarbone.

However it was only this level of physical intimacy that Zelda wanted now which gave her pause. Sharing a room like they did, Zelda had seen her naked plenty of times; either coming out of the shower or when she was changing. It might have bothered her if it were anyone else other than Zelda. This was different somehow.

Zelda found the zipper that ran down the back of the jump suit and slowly undid it.

Maybe if she knew how Zelda viewed her then... but no... she still wouldn't have cared. She laughed inwardly, imagining all those times, it must have been quite the thrill for the princess. So why now was she...

Slowly the Zelda spread the jumpsuit open from the back and started sliding it off her shoulders.

"Mmff... Zelda... wait," she said, putting her hands on the princess's shoulders.

Zelda looked at her with concern. "Hmm? Sorry, am I moving too fast? You haven't ever considered being with another woman?"

Samus shook her head once. "I- I never gave much thought to things like that..."

"Hmm..." Zelda considered this. "So... is it scary to think that you could like girls? I remember it was a bit of a shock for me too... at first."

Samus shook here head. "I'm used to being different... that doesn't bother me."

Zelda tipped her head to the side inquisitively. "It's something else then? You do like me, right?"

"I do... It's just... well, I really haven't... I haven't done anything like this before."

"Never? At all?"

Samus just shyly shook her head.

"I didn't expect that from you of all people."

Samus wrinkled her nose and looked questioningly at Zelda.

"Uh, don't take it like that... What I mean is, you're just so beautiful and strong, and quite aggressive in what you want... well usually." Zelda smiled, ran her hand back through Samus' hair, then tucked the loose strands behind her ear. "I thought you would have... already... been with someone at some point in your life"

"Oh... no, I just... I've never had the opportunity, or a willing partner... I've been alone a lot." Samus lowered her head. "A lot..." she repeated.

"That's kind of sad... but you're not alone now. You have both opportunity and a very willing partner..."

Samus blushed and smiled weakly at her.

Zelda gave her a soft but brief kiss. "It's alright," she said as she traced her finger up the bridge of Samus' nose, then gently brushed aside a lock of hair from her forehead. "You'll like this. I promise," Zelda said as she slid one hand into Samus', squeezing lightly.

With her other hand, Zelda caressed her face as she again kissed Samus, though, a bit softer this time. Zelda's hand moved around, cupping the back of her neck, lifting up slightly, and tilting Samus' head back. To her delight she managed to elicit a soft moan from the hunter. Zelda couldn't control herself for much longer. Her hand went to Samus' shoulder, then slowly down her side to her hip. Samus inhaled deeply, arching her back in the process, as Zelda hand slid her hand, with firm pressure, over her ribs then abs and finally rested on her hip.

Slowly Zelda made a move for her...

"W-wait!" Samus said pulling her lips a way. "Peach might walk in," she said stopping Zelda's advances again. "I can't let her see me like this..."

Zelda sighed and frowned a bit; her shoulders slumped. Samus really was inhibited about this. She would have to put the huntress at ease and force herself to slow down some. This was new and sudden for Samus, but she had wanted it and wanted it badly for quite a long while. She found restraint difficult.

Zelda quickly smiled and shook her head. "She won't," she said reassuringly "I asked her to stay someplace else tonight."

Samus was stunned "Y-you planned this."

Zelda smiled and gave Samus another brief kiss "This isn't my first time with a girl."

Samus gave her an inquisitive and somewhat surprised look, then quickly checked it, deciding it wasn't her place to pry. However, Zelda had seen the question in her eyes.

"It's ok... I'll tell you. Her name was Impa. She practically raised me as a child; we were together always. When I got older, and much at my own behest, we started fooling around... and that was good for a while. It actually got pretty serious...and I... I loved her very much... but... well I think it got to be too much for her. Probably because she was more than twice my age, and technically a servant, though I never treated her as such. She said she loved me too... but not in the same way I did... It hurt... but I eventually got over it, and we're still close... just not the same as before."

"S-sorry."

"Anyway, she taught me how to love a woman."

"Taught you... how..." Samus repeated her.

"Different techniques; what works and what doesn't; all the things that feel good."

"Zelda... could you... could you teach me?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

End