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~Chapter One- The Black Knight~

It was a fantastic day to be a traveler! The sky was blue, the sun was bright, and the temperature was just perfect. Nothing could make the day any better!

"This day can't get worse!" Warro exclaimed as he stumbled backward, out of a bush, an onto the ground. A thorn protruded from the black cross upon his cheek. It had been just over a year since he had first started his adventure with Kuro and not much had changed other than growing an inch in the months that had passed. He still wore the outfit that bore an uncanny resemblance to Princess Zelda's friend--Link's tunic, if it were not for its yellow and black color-scheme.

"Warro, I told you that those bushes had thorns in them," Kuro sighed, placing the thorn between her fingers. "Just hold still." She quickly pulled the thorn out of her friend's cheek and threw it aside. In the year that had passed, her hair had grown noticeably longer than it was to start with. Her bangs were now hangings over her eyes, so she frequently had to brush her hair from her eyes as she did just now as she bonked Warro on the top of his head with the side of her fist. "You're so dimwitted."

"S'long as it doesn't kill me, right?"

"That looks like it hurts, Warro," a red haired, tanned woman said, sitting next to Warro and resting her head on his shoulder, running her finger down his cheek, which was bleeding from the wound. She turned to Kuro and smirked, and then turned back to Warro. "Want me kiss it to make it all better?"

"No, Devon! Don't!" Kuro exclaimed, hitting the woman on the head. Devon was a Gerudo, and Warro was the one she had chosen to be her partner in life. Over the year, Devon and Kuro developed a friendly rivalry in many ways, although Warro is entirely oblivious to what is going on between them. During her time traveling with Warro, Devon used his money to buy new clothes that were more durable than those she had, in Gerudo Valley. They exposed her midriff and cleavage, in the obvious attempt to win Warro with her body. Devon did not heed Kuro's warning and as her lips neared Warro's cheek, she was hit again and fell flat on her butt.

"Ow…" Devon rubbed her head. "I think he deserves one, though. He did go and get my hairpin out of that bush." Another thump was landed upon Devon's head and then upon Warro's.

"The only thing he deserves is a hit on the head!" Kuro exclaimed.

The three had been near the southwestern coast of the Hylian continent. where they were heading was a cave, where they would try and obtain the item inside of it. While in a nearby port town, the three struggled daily, and spent the months saving up ruppees to get a ship to Labrynna. This morning, however a sailor had offered them a ride to Labrynna, if they could retrieve an ancient artifact known as the Wind Waker, from the depths of a cave in the nearby forest.

"Oh, and one more thing," he had said to Kuro. "You're all from near the castle, so I'll have you know this: the monster in that cave aren't like the ones you are used to fighting. Rumor has it that there is a Darknut guarding the Wind Waker."

"So, what's a Darknut?" Warro asked as they walked. The area, where the thorn had been plucked-- right over the cross on his cheek-- was covered by a white bandage. The skin under the bandage crawled as if the cross itself was alive.

"Well, if you were listening," Kuro said, in an excited tone. "Linebeck--"

The name brought Warro's eyes to the ground. Linebeck. Linebeck, Linebeck, Linebeck; that was all Kuro would talk about, when it came to going to Labrynna or anything remotely related to that sailor.

"Linebeck said that we'd encounter a few monsters that we've never encountered before," Kuro said. "We have to watch out for that monster that broke his leg, though. Linebeck--"

Oh, how he hated hearing that name from her. "Was acting." Warro stared at Kuro.

"No, he wasn't," Kuro said. "Did you not see those crutches, Warro? He clearly broke his leg and he was in pain, even with them on! He said that his leg was almost healed, but it'd never be the same again!"

"She has a point, Warro," Devon said. "I don't know why you think that."

"I saw him put those sticks down and walk back onto his ship without them!" Warro exclaimed. "Honest!"
"Warro, you also thought that you saw Link, when we went by Lake Hylia," Kuro said. "For all we know, he, Zelda, and Impa are most likely dead."

"AND," Devon added, "you nearly got Kuro and I violated by a Baba Serpent!" The girls shuddered at the horrible memory of Warro slashing all of the Deku Babas, in one sweep, and their stems wrapping around the girls like tentacles. "Warro, every time it was up to you, something bad happened."

"How was I supposed to know about that second thing?" Warro asked as they neared a cave on the side of a cliff. A sign stuck out from the ground, near the entrance.

"Okay, test time, Warro," Kuro said, pointing at it. "Read what this sign says." Warro approached the sign and bent over, squinting his eyes to read the Hylian letters etched into the wood.

"Boo-are: Dang-er-ows monsters inside," Warro said, almost questioningly. "It's hard to read this."

"Well, you read the whole thing, just half of it's not right," Kuro laughed. "It says, 'BE-ware: Dangerous monsters inside."

"He sounded cute though," Devon said, pinching Warro's cheek. "He is getting better."

"It wasn't cute! That'll just encourage him to keep doing it wrong!" Kuro exclaimed.

"Don't deny it, Kuro. You thought it was, too!" Devon pulled Warro closer and pressed his cheek against her chest. Kuro's face puffed up and turned red; Devon had obviously hit the nail on the head. With a huff, she turned around and started into the cave. Devon released Warro, content with her victory over Kuro, and the two followed her in. Torches lit with a blue flame illuminated the inside of the cave as the rocky interior slowly transitioned to blue, stone slabs.

"This place reminds me of the Forest Temple somewhat," Kuro muttered as they entered a large room with a bunch of pillars inside of it. It was unnaturally illuminated by the light given off from the torches around the room.

"Except the Forest Temple--"

"Shaddup, Warro." Kuro bonked Warro on the head with the shaft of her halberd. Devon stifled a laugh as she brandished her swords.

"Warro, get ready," she said. "You know what happened last time you weren't ready to fight." The two girls shuddered at another bad memory of Warro nearly getting them all killed, when it was all up to him-- one memory in particular: the day when Warro's shield was eaten by a Like Like and they spent the whole day trying to get it back.

"Okay." Warro pulled his sword from his scabbard and held it in his right hand with his Hylian Shield--the three of them had managed to retrieve Warro's shield, back then-- in his left.

"From how this area is just very large and I can see down this long corridor…" Kuro examined the area ahead as Warro mouthed out the word "corridor," trying to say it just as she had and putting its meaning together with the context it was in. "Keep your guard up. I'm betting there will be monsters later--you got that, Warro?"

"R-right," stuttered Warro as his foot came down on something that let out a click, which echoed down the cave. The sound of stone moving above them indicated that a trap had been sprung; hissing came from the new hole in the ceiling.

"For Nayru's Love, Warro!" Kuro yelled as snakes fell from the ceiling and slithered around them. These were not ordinary snakes, they were as limber as ropes and they darted towards the trio with surprising speed. They jumped up and Warro lifted his shield to defend himself and Devon from their bite as Kuro batted them away with her halberd. "This is why you can't lead, Warro!" The snakes began to slither towards them again, speeding up once they got within a certain distance.

"There are a lot of them," Devon muttered as she crouched. "Warro, just focus on keeping that sword in motion--I mean, just keep swinging it."

"But that'll tire me out!" Warro held his shield in front of him as the snakes headed towards him once more.

"I'll help you with your stamina, when we get out of here!" Devon replied, lunging forward, chopping up the snakes with a propeller-like, slashing attack. Kuro let the snakes wrap around her halberd, before she flung them across the room. She turned around briefly to see Devon's face, after he comment, and eye eyes narrowed. As usual, Devon was being--well, Devon.

"If you're training Warro, I'm helping," she said.

"I'm liking the sound of that!" Devon said as Warro cut down the last snake on his end. Kuro stomped on the lone snake on her end and then the trio saw something shiny fall from the hole in the ceiling. "What was that?"

"A key," Kuro said, picking the object up and showing it to Warro and Devon. "There's a door up ahead; let's use it." After unlocking the door, they entered the next room, which was empty with the exception of a pair of blocks on either end of the room.
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...next part will be up eventually!