In the dimming glow of the sunset, a pair of humans find some shelter in the shadows of the trees at the edge of the big forest.

Life hadn't been fair to either of them. After the death of the little girl's mother, she and her father had to take care of the family business by themselves. It was a hard time, but they've been happy. The young girl even found a friend, a young boy her age.

But then, another disaster struck in the form of the boy's greedy father: He swindled her father into signing a marriage contract in which he promised to hand over the family business cart in case she would marry the boy. Her father hoped that this way, the family tradition would survive.

But the gluttony father of the boy stole the cart after tricking his son... and they both left, leaving the heartbroken little girl behind.

Now that their main income had vanished, it was even harder for both of them to survive. The girl trained as hard as she could, so that the family's fighting style at least would survive. But she could do nothing to stop her father's illness, which started with a deep depression.

And now, two years after the disaster, the illness seemed to claim its prize...

"Leave me behind, Ukyo..." Kuonji Senior gasped with his final breath. "Go... go to the Kokiri! They would never refuse a young girl like you... The guardian of the forest will make sure that you are safe, and you will grow up to be a beautiful woman..." He smiled. "Just like your mother..."

"NO!" young Ukyo Kuonji sobbed. "Please, daddy, don't leave me! I need you! I love you! You can't do this to me!"

Her father smiled weakly at her. "Goodbye... my daughter..."

And then he closed his eyes.

A glittering ball of light was zipping through the forest, two insect-like wings sticking out of it. If someone would look more closely, he would see the body of a cute, if tomboyish girl within the yellow light.

"C'mon, Tael!" she shouted as she stopped in mid-air. "Don't fall behind, you slowpoke!"

Another ball of light, this one a dark purple, appeared behind her. "But sis," he whined. "Gimme a break... I can't fly as fast as you."

Suddenly, they heard a groan, followed by a sob.

"A human?" Tael said in fright. "Quick, we have to hide..."

"Don't be such a wuss," his older sister scolded him. "That voice sounds like that of a child... and it looks like it needs help. Come, follow me!"

And the two fairies quickly followed the sobbing, until they reached a small clearing, in which a little girl with torn clothes was lying.

"The poor thing," Tael said. "Tatl, can't you help her somehow?"

Ukyo looked up... and saw a yellow and a purple ball of light. "F-fairies?" She murmured. "Please... help me... my father..." Then she lost her consciousness.

Tatl gasped. "She looks like she needs help badly..."

"But we can't carry her by ourselves," Tael reminded her.

Tatl nodded. "Quick... we have to inform the Kokiri! I'll stay here and guard the kid. You go and fly to the village."

"Got it!" her brother nodded and flew away.

Tatl hovered near the ground and softly put a hand on the girl's cheek. The other fairies always called her brash and a tomboy... but actually, she was a very nice girl, with a soft spot for small children.

The girl opened her eyes and saw the smiling face of the fairy. "Who... are you?"

Tatl patted her cheek. "I'm Tatl! Don't worry, hon... My brother is getting some help. Hang in there!"

Somehow, Ukyo felt she could trust the words of the little forest sprite, and she nodded weakly. Then, she fell into a deep slumber...

Ukyo woke up with a gasp. As she sat up, she saw that she was lying in a bed inside some small, wooden hut. And everything... the furniture, the entrance... looked as if it had been made for a child her size.

"Am I... in the village of the Kokiri?" she murmured.

Suddenly, two young children came inside, a boy and a girl. They were both wearing green tunics, and the boy also wore a green cap. The boy was blonde and the girl had green hair.

"Oh, you're awake!" the girl said with a sigh. "What a relief! Tatl and Tael told us about you, and when we realized how weak you were, we brought you into our village. I'm Saria... and this is my best buddy, Link!"

"Hey there!" the blonde boy greeted her.

"Hello... um, my name is Ukyo. Thank you for saving me... Um, I hate to impose, but... I'm starving! Do you have something to eat?"

"Oh, of course! Link, could you...?"

"Yeah, sure!" the boy ran to a table and fetched a bowl with fruits. "Here ya go!"

"Thanks!" Ukyo said and began gobbling down the fruits.

"How did you get here?" Saria asked. "You've been lucky the fairies found you and we could bring here... A few more days within the Lost Woods, and you would've turned into a Skull Kid."

"Skull Kid?" Ukyo asked curiously in-between bites.

Link nodded. "Yeah, that's the magic of the woods: If someone who's not a fairy or Kokiri stays for too long within the Lost Woods, they're turned into a Stalfos, or a Skull Kid, if it's a child." He smiled. "But don't worry: In our village, you're safe. The Great Deku Tree protects us."

"Are you alone?" Saria asked. "Where are your parents?"

Ukyo dropped the bowl of fruits and looked down with a sad expression.

"Daddy... is gone..."

The two Kokiri gasped. "I'm... I'm sorry, Ukyo..." Saria said. "I didn't know..."

Ukyo had to think of her father, how he had smiled at her one last time and began sobbing. Saria came close to her and hugged the distressed girl. "There, there..."

"What am I supposed to do now?" Ukyo sniffed after calming down a little. "Where should I go?"

"Don't worry! You can stay here, in our village!"

Link nodded. "Yeah, we can be friends! How'd you like that?"

Ukyo sniffed and smiled back at him. "That... would be great!"

Link smiled back at her, not knowing, that a few years ago, an unknown woman had come to the Lost Woods, also leaving her child in the care of the Kokiri...

And that child was him.

Shampoo angrily sat down in the hot sand of the training arena. How long did she have to wait? After all, she was the great-granddaughter of one of the three elders...

When a shadow fell upon her face and blocked the hot sun of the desert, she looked up... and looked right into the face of a certain, high-ranked Gerudo warrior.

She smiled and jumped to her feet. ('Auntie Nabooru!') she said in her tribe's native tongue.

"Now, now..." Nabooru scolded. "What did your great-grandmother tell you about practicing your Hylian?"

The young girl sighed. "Shampoo is sorry, Auntie... But Hylian is so hard... Shampoo have trouble pro... prom... pronouncing it."

"Still, it's only good for a Gerudo warrior to know her husbands native language," Nabooru smiled. "After all, every member of our tribe is female, you know that, do you?"

"Yes, Shampoo knows," the warrior in-training sighed. "Have to take husbands from inferior Hylian race, so have to know their language..."

"Very good," the second-in-command of the Gerudo desert fortress nodded. Then she sighed. "I'm afraid to tell you that little Aveil can't join you on the training field today, Shampoo..."

"Why? She promised!"

"Yes, but her duties as chambermaid of the great Ganondorf is of a bigger priority... and His Highness..." Nabooru spat the title, as if it would be an insult... "Has informed us that he will come back earlier than planned, so she has to prepare his room for him."

Shampoo pouted. "Why that stupid brute king anyway? He is inferior MAN!"

Nabooru sighed as she sat down next to her niece in the warm sand. "I'm afraid our laws are very strict about this, Shampoo... and as legend says that only once in hundred years, a man is being born, this man has to be our king. And as much as I have to agree with you that he is an arrogant jerk... his magical powers are quite immense. You should be careful and let no one of his followers hear your opinion of him. Understood?"

"Shampoo understand," the little girl grumbled. She then looked up at her aunt. "Has Great-Grandmother returned from Spirit Temple?"

"I'm sorry... but she, elder Koume and elder Kotake have to prepare a special ceremony for Ganondorf. She'll come back tomorrow."

Seeing the disappointed look on the child's face, she decided to cheer her up. "What do you say I'm gonna be your sparring partner today?"

Shampoo beamed at her. "Really? But... don't you have guard duty?"

"Hey, I'm the second-in-command, right? Who says I can't change the rules a little bit?"

Shampoo grinned.

"WHAT?"

"You heard me!" Impa, nursemaid and bodyguard of Princess Zelda, looked down at the young, rebellious Sheikah girl in front of her. "You have been chosen to be the protector of Princess Kodachi, as I am the protector of Princess Zelda. And as it is the king's decision, neither you or me can do anything about it."

Akane grimaced at the idea of serving the snobby and - in her opinion - slightly demented younger sister of Zelda. "But Mom, she... she's a major pain in the ass! Can't someone else do the job? What about Nabiki? Or Kasumi?"

The Sheikah woman looked sternly at her daughter. "Akane, you know that Kasumi is no fighter... She's going to be a regular maid at the castle. And while I'm disappointed that Nabiki has visibly slacked off with her training, I need her assistance with our family's finances... after your father passed away, we have to make sure that we don't waste our money, and you know I'm not as gifted with money as Nabiki is..."

"But we're the protectors of the royal family!" Akane said in astonishment. "Surely you could ask the king for a slight raise..."

"Akane!" Impa sounded shocked. "You don't know what you're saying... No one DEMANDS something from the king! Also, we should be grateful for our place at the castle... Most of the other people in Hyrule look down at us Sheikah, they don't trust us 'Shadow Folk', as they call us. Surely you haven't forgotten how your father died?"

"No, Mom..." Akane said in a small voice. "I just thought..." She sighed. "Never mind... But still... Serving KODACHI? C'mon..."

Impa put her hand on her youngest daughter's shoulder. "I know you can do it. You're a strong girl, and I'm know you're gonna be a good warrior as I am. And in time, Princess Kodachi will become as wise and warm-hearted as her sister..."

Akane sweat-dropped. "I seriously doubt that..."

Suddenly, one of the windows above their heads opened, and a black-haired girl in a royal gown looked out into the courtyard. "AKANE TENDO! Where are you, servant? Come up here this instant! My royal corset needs adjustment!"

Akane looked at her mother pleadingly.

Impa smirked and gestured upwards with her head.

Sighing in defeat, Akane walked back inside. "My life is hell..." she groaned.

Little Ranma peered down into the pit his father had dug. "What are we doin', Pops?"

Genma Saotome proudly smiled at his son. "Today, my boy, I'll teach you an unbeatable martial arts technique, one that turns you into the most powerful fighter throughout Hyrule... no one will ever be able to stop you!"

The pig-tailed boy got excited. "Yay! I'm gonna be the bestest martial artist in the world! What shall I do?"

"First, we get you into this pit..." Just grabbing his boy, Genma threw Ranma down into the hole he just dug.

Innocently, Ranma didn't suspect anything suspicious. He rubbed his bottom, looked up and asked: "What now, Pops?"

"Just you wait, Ranma..." Ranma couldn't see what his father was doing, but he heard him rummaging around, and some strange squawks.

Then he let out a yelp of surprise, as an avalanche of white feathers, pointy beaks and sharp talons came down on him. He scuttled over into the corner of the pit and waited until his father had finished pouring all of the Cuccos out of the sack, into the pit.

Ranma grimaced nervously as he noticed how displeased the Cuccos were, and he gulped as the white-feathered chickens looked at him.

"Um... Pops?"

"Don't worry, my son!" Genma shouted from above. "It's all in this book I managed to acquire... This method will teach you the Cucco-Ken, an unstoppable technique." He smiled and picked up some rocks from the ground. "Just one thing to do..."

He aimed carefully, and then threw the rocks down at the chickens, one after another.

The Cuccos bawked angrily as the rocks hit them, and they furiously flapped around the narrow pit, hacking and scratching all the while. Ranma desperately tried staying out of reach, but it was no use, and very soon a large number of scratches and bruises covered his body.

Genma nodded. "Soon it's done... only one left..." And he smacked his final stone at the biggest chicken down there.

Glowing with fury, that Cucco opened its beak and let out a mighty: "COOOOCK-A-DOOODLE-DOOOOO!"

Ranma paled as he recognized the dreaded war cry of all Cuccos: The Cry for Help!

And then, in the distance, one could hear something that sounded like an upcoming storm, but much closer.

"Pops...?"

Ranma looked upward... and the sun seemed to disappear under the enormous flock of Cuccos that descended onto him like an army of demons right out of hell!

And when that angry horde came down of him... his world turned into a chaotic vortex of pain!

Ukyo was happily walking through the Lost Woods, humming a merry tune Saria taught her several days ago.

Her fairy friend Tatl nervously hovered near her shoulder. "Um, Ukyo... perhaps we should go back... You know what those woods do with kids that stay for too long within them, do you?"

"Yeah, I know," Ukyo replied. "But if we head back in time, the magic of the woods won't effect me. Besides, I'm itching for a fight with a Wolfos, or even a Moblin... I wanna try out the new moves I came up with."

"I have to disagree... I could imagine much more pleasant things to do than meeting up with a wild Wolfos or a brutal Moblin..."

Suddenly, Tatl's yellow light turned a bright red, and she tingled in warning.

"What's up?" Ukyo said in alarm. Such a reaction could only mean that there are some hostile creatures nearby...

"Over there..." Tatl whispered. "Hidden within the leaves of that tree... I can feel it, someone - or something - is there!"

Frowning, Ukyo pulled out her Fairy Slingshot, a birthday present from Link. Normally she would avoid using such weapons, but if there was something she didn't liked, it was being spied on.

She grabbed into her pocket and pulled out some Okonomiyaki flour (she always carries some of it with her, in case she would get into a battle).

She wrapped the flour into a tiny leaf and put it into the slingshot. She aimed, pulled the sling... and fired!

With a surprised squeak, something fell out of the tree!

"Bullseye!" Ukyo cheered and grabbed her Kokiri Spatula. "Now it's mine... whatever it is."

"Ukyo-sama, it's me!" a squeaky voice shouted. Recognizing the voice, Ukyo relaxed and put her spatula away.

"Konatsu, you really can give a girl a heart attack..."

Her friend looked out of the shrubs he landed in - nearly indistinguishable from them. "I'm sorry..."

Tatl yelped. "Ukyo, raise your shield! Don't tell me you never heard of the Deku Scrubs... he will shoot nuts at you!"

"Relax, Tatl," Ukyo told her fairy friend. "That's just Konatsu... he's a friend of mine!"

"Pleased to meet you!" the Deku said, jumped out of the shrubs and bowed.

Tatl peered out from behind her friend's shoulder and took a closer look at the little forest dweller: Like all Dekus, he was short and stout, his body made of wood, and leaves growing from his head. In the middle of his face, a small, tube-like appendage replaced a human's nose and mouth, and his glowing eyes gave him a melancholic expression.

Ukyo shook her head. "Konatsu, really... do you have to follow me around all the time?"

"It's a ninja's duty to protect his mistress," the Deku proclaimed and knelt down in front of her.

"Ninja?" Tatl asked curiously.

Ukyo grinned. "Yeah, Konatsu's pretty much the only Deku Ninja in existence... He adores the battle skills of the Sheikah, so he trained hard to become a ninja himself. And he's good at it, too... You really have to look hard if you want to find him." She grinned. "Well, but that could also be because he looks just like the scrubs he's hiding in..."

"But why did he call you 'mistress'?"

"Well, I once rescued Konatsu from his cruel stepmother and her two daughters... who are really ugly, even for Dekus! And he has been thankful ever since... I just can't get rid of him."

"Ukyo-sama... You're not rejecting me, are you?" the little shrub asked in a sorrowful voice.

"No, of course not," Ukyo sighed. "But at least try not to scare my friends like that any more, okay?"

He bowed his head. "Understood, mistress... I'll go back to do my duties, then."

He hurried back into the shrubs, dove into a big flower, vanished in the middle of the broad petals... and then he came shooting out of the bulb, vanishing in the treetops.

"You have some strange friends..." Tatl muttered as they continued to walk through the forest. She peered up into the treetops, and while she couldn't see the little plant-ninja, the knowledge that he was still following them somehow unsettled her.

"Well, he might be a little eccentric for a Deku... but he's a very nice guy." Another sigh. "I don't think we'll run into some Moblins today... let's head back to the village."

"Your first good idea this morning..." Tatl grumbled.

They turned around, walked through one of the massive, hollow tree trunks and immediately found themselves in the village of the Kokiri.

The female twins waved as Ukyo walked past them. Ukyo waved back as she continued past the hut of Mido, the Kokiri's leader. As usual, one of Mido's followers was in the front of his house, getting rid of the rocks that were lying within his leader's yard.

Suddenly, a small, blue blur came shooting through the air. Tatl yelped in surprise, but it was already too late: She and the other fairy collided.

"Hey!" the other fairy shouted. "Watch out! I'm in a hurry!"

"Well, you could watch where you're flying, Navi..." Tatl grumbled as she rubbed her head.

"Listen... I'm sorry, okay? Look, could you tell me where someone called 'Link' is living? I have an urgent message for him."

"Oh, Link's living over there," Ukyo said and gestured towards her friend's little tree house. "But I think he's still asleep... I'm Ukyo, a friend of Link... and I guess you already know Tatl."

"Hello," the blue fairy nodded. "Okay, I'll see if he's awake... thanks for the directions! Bye!"

And as the little blue blur zipped over to Link's house, Ukyo turned around to her yellow fairy friend. "Say, you know her?"

"Yeah, most of the fairies know her... She's a pretty smart girl... Almost as smart as me, heheh... And I believe she's the personal messenger of the Great Deku Tree."

"Wow!" Ukyo whistled. "She must be proud, being in the service of our protector..."

Tatl nodded. "Yeah, but sometimes, when I see her, she's just sitting by herself, looking at the ground... I think she's sad that unlike most of us, she hasn't got a Kokiri to guard."

"Well, she's not the only one," Ukyo said, with a side glance at Tatl.

"Hey!" Tatl said in annoyance. "It might be that I don't have a Kokiri to take care of, but..." She blushed. "I... I'm glad to have you instead..."

Ukyo smiled. Her friend was always acting so sassy, but on rare occurrences, she showed that she was caring for her brother and her friends.

"Mommy, mommy!"

The young Zora princess ran as fast as her little blue feet could carry her, until she stopped in front of her mother, almost slipping on the wet cavern floor.

The mature fish-woman looked at her daughter. "What is it, Ruto dear?"

The little girl was in distress. "Mommy, Lord Jabu-Jabu is acting weird again... He doesn't want to eat and is trashing around!"

"Oh dear... Ever since that dubious Gerudo king has been visiting your father, I've been having some bad feeling... as if something bad would happen soon."

"What are we gonna do, Mommy?" Ruto asked. "Without Lord Jabu-Jabu's protection, how can we Zora enjoy our peaceful life?"

"Don't worry, dear, I'll figure something out... Just keep on caring for his Lordship and be patient..." She went over to her coral-decorated dresser and pulled out a beautiful, blue kimono.

"You're going out?" Ruto asked her mother in bewilderment.

"Yes, Ruto!" her mother nodded while putting on the kimono. "I have to contact someone... Someone who might be able to help us. I don't know if I can find him or if we have enough time... But I have to try! Please, take care of your father during my absence... I know he can be... unreliable sometimes."

"Yes, Mom..." the young princess sighed.

The elegant queen of the Zora smiled and hugged her daughter. "I'll be back as quick as possible, I promise! And here, I'll give you this so you won't be sad..." She handed her daughter a beautiful trinket, composed of three small sapphires that were connected with a golden socket.

Ruto smiled and took the jewel. "It's pretty, Mom... what is it?"

"This is the most precious possession of our kingdom... The Zora Sapphire! Over generations, every female Zora of noble blood has been given this trinket as a token for that man that is going to be her betrothed... when I was younger, I gave this to your father. And now, I'm giving it to you, so you can some day continue our line..."

Ruto held the trinket close to her chest. "Don't you worry, Mom... I will treasure it until the day I'm meeting my true love... And until that day, it will remind me of you..."

"That's a good girl," the queen of the fish-folk smiled and patted her cute daughter's extensive head. "Now be a dear and tell your father I'll be gone for a while, okay?"

"Yes, Mom!" And the young princess left the cavern.

After leaving Zora's domain on foot, the queen stopped at the river's edge to pull one of several thermos flasks out of her travelling bag. She opened it and poured some of the hot water over her head.

In a smooth motion similar to flowing liquid, the queen's body transformed into that of a fairly attractive, middle-aged Hylian female with red hair.

"It's time to find my first husband... and tell my other child of its destiny," Queen Nodoka said to herself.

"What a haul, what a HAUL!"

The diminutive, perverted master of the martial arts school of Anything Goes bounded up the path of Death Mountain with the newest additions of his big underwear collection. The women from Kakariko village could be really angry at times... but it was worth it!

Happosai returned to his secret hideout within the cave he had discovered some weeks ago. Barely anyone was coming in there, because of the monsters (which weren't much of a problem because of his martial arts skills). Every now and then, one of the Gorons would come into the cave, to gather some of their 'tender rock fillet', and then they would leave. Happosai didn't know if the Gorons knew of his presence within the cave, and he didn't really care... He only knew that no angry girl would suspect him to be in here, and even if they did, they wouldn't be crazy enough to follow him.

After enjoying several moments with his darlings, cuddling with bras and ironing some panties (Happosai was the only man in Hyrule to own a modern electric iron), he was sitting down on the grass carpet within his little cave and enjoyed a nice pipe.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling startled him and made him jump to his feet.

"Now, what could've that been?" he mumbled and hurried to the entrance of the cave.

He was surprised to find the entrance blocked by a massive boulder, too big for even HIM to lift. And behind the boulder... he could feel something... some powerful, magic energy.

Happosai was furious. Who dared imprisoning the most powerful martial arts master of Hyrule? He would show them...

Well, if he found a way to move that rock...

Suddenly, he heard a deep growl behind his back. Turning around, he faced three of the biggest lizards he had ever seen in his life.

"Can it be?" he murmured. "I've read some ancient scripts about this species... but they were said to be extinct for hundred years now..."

While the Dodongos slowly approached their victim, Happosai tried remembering the special phrase he had read in that book... What was it again...?

Oh, yes: 'Dodongo dislikes smoke!'

Grinning, he pulled something out of his gi. The fire-breathing dinosaurs stopped in their tracks and stared at the object Happosai was holding.

"HAPPO DAIKARIN!"