Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who's read my previous works. This was a long time in the making, as I wasn't as focused this time around. But it should be something special nonetheless.


2nd Note: I'm a little too lazy to type out the whole chronology. I'll just say that if you haven't read "A Place Like Home…?" yet, then I encourage you to do so. I also realize that it's been a very long time since I last left you all and some may not remember me, so I'll help you all out with a * reference occasionally, which will point back to a previous story and not leave any confusion.


Chapter 1/Introduction

Usually the mood was much lighter at the Forest Temple. The Kokiri could often be seen going about their daily routines day in and day out since the day that they moved in to live with Saria. But something had happened.

It had been a month since Saria came back from…Mido still had no idea what to think about that*. She said she was in some parallel dimension and everything was just like Hyrule…but different. She said she saw Zoras living in the forest, Hylians living on the lake, and Kokiri ruling in the castle. It gave Mido a sense of satisfaction to hear that Kokiri were held in high prestige somewhere, especially since racism against them had been at an all-time high. Saria even told Mido that he was a king. Of course, Mido couldn't help but feel a boost of ego. The ego quickly deflated though. Something more serious had happened. The end of the world was approaching.

Mido looked around the temple courtyard. Nearly all the Kokiri were out. He could see Miso lying on the freshly cut grass. The twins, Fala and Ralo, were sitting by the pond. Rala and Domi were sitting behind them. They haven't been apart too much since it happened. Somi and Mira were sitting in front of Mido and stayed completely silent. They hardly said anything in days. The Know-It-All brothers were in the very back. Dore, Dila, and Sofa would often be training, but with this recent occurrence, it seemed pointless. Sodo was there earlier, but he walked out a few minutes ago.

Mido looked into the sky to see exactly what had been threatening their very world. It was the moon and it seemed to be headed straight for Hyrule. At first Mido thought that it would just be something else to keep Link occupied. He was always being the hero in these situations. But gradually, his hope began to fade. If Link hadn't done something by now, then was their world really doomed?

"It's true what they say," Somi said, finally breaking the long silence. "The waiting is the hardest part."

"I hear that," Dila added. "Can't that stupid thing just crash already?"

"Excuse me!" Rala cut in. "But I'm not exactly looking forward to total oblivion."

"That's just you," Sofa said. "But I can't take much more of this. I'm sick of having to see a grinning moon in the sky."

"All right, enough!" Mido snapped. "I don't want to hear anything even close to arguing."

Dore snickered. "Who ever thought you'd be the peacemaker?"

"W-Well, I'm just trying to keep some order," Mido stuttered. "Besides, don't you think these last few days would be better spent doing something other than arguing?"

"This wasn't exactly something I was expecting you to say, Mido," Ralo said in shock.

"Well, think about it," Fala countered. "Who else is going to do it? After all, our resident peacekeeper isn't here right now."

"Hey, that's right," Rala spoke out. "Where IS Saria?"

Everyone looked at Somi and Mira. For the past month, those two and Saria seemed to be inseparable, until just recently*. But maybe they'd know where she was.

"Don't ask us," Somi finally said. "We don't know where she went."

"She's probably in some place we don't know about," Mira added. "I mean, she HAS been here a lot longer than us. Or she might have just left."

"What else is new?" Miso asked cynically. "She's always leaving, even though she's supposed to stay here for the rest of her life or something."

"No, she's here," Somi responded. "We just don't know where. The only one who probably knows where she went is Sodo."

"Why am I not surprised?" Dore blurted out.

"I don't get it," Dila said. "The world's ending in a matter of days and she doesn't want to spend them with us?"

"She probably just wants to be alone to think about this," Mira replied. "Armageddon can really make a person think."

"Ah, let her be alone or with Sodo for now," Mido finally concluded. "I have a feeling she'll be back before it's all over."

Nothing more was said. Everyone just looked into the sky to see the slow, yet rapidly approaching moon. No one knew how it started towards their world and it didn't look like they'd find out. At least, not until it was too late.


Chapter 2

It was true that nobody knew where she was. Saria was in a well-hidden hole in the wall of the temple. It was near the entrance and she could see clearly out to the Sacred Forest Meadow. She would often come out to see the sunset in the forest, but with all that's happened, that was no longer possible. The moon had come so close to Hyrule that it had all but covered the sun.

For the last few days, Saria hadn't taken her eyes off the falling moon. As much as she hated to admit it, the sight was starting to scare her. She didn't want to think that the world was actually coming to an end. The other Kokiri were quick to jump to conclusions and were quick to talk about repenting. But Saria didn't believe that the end would come. She knew that this could all be avoided. She knew the moon could be stopped.

She didn't know much about the legend, but she knew just about everything about Link. After all, it was Saria who raised him in the forest. The moon wasn't falling naturally, it was being brought down by an evil force, a force she had seen when she in the other Hyrule*. And she knew the force could be stopped. If anyone could do it, it was Link. But why was Link taking so long? The moon had been falling for weeks. She was starting to worry that Link wouldn't be able to thwart this latest threat.

"Saria?"

The voice startled the Forest Sage. She didn't think anybody would find her. But she had underestimated Sodo. Since declaring their love for each other**, they basically had no more secrets. And sometimes that worked against Saria.

"Sodo, I didn't want anyone to find me," Saria pouted.

"Sorry," Sodo said sheepishly. "But you're starting to worry everybody. I mean, you've been a recluse lately. Is something bothering you?"

Saria didn't say anything. She just looked into the sky.

"Oh…" Sodo said in realization. "It's THAT, isn't it?"

"Not exactly…" the little Forest Sage said reluctantly. "…Well…maybe."

"I can't believe it," Sodo frowned. "It's just hard to believe that our world is coming to an end."

"Our world isn't coming to an end," Saria said with a tone of annoyance. "It can't end like this!"

Sodo shook his head. "This isn't exactly something we can control. I mean, we can't stop a natural disaster like a falling moon."

"But it isn't a natural disaster," Saria shot back. "It's something…more evil than that."

"Evil?" the young boy asked curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you ever wondered about my near-death experience in that other Hyrule*?" Saria asked.

"You said something about a near-death experience, but you never went beyond that," Sodo answered. "What did you mean?"

"I meant that there was a falling moon over there too," Saria clarified. "And it wasn't natural."

Sodo looked dumbfounded. "Another falling moon? How did that happen?"

"You remember that creep, Drekkin?" Saria asked.

"The wizard***? I remember him. That guy was scary."

"He was a lot worse over there," Saria continued. "He was the whole reason I got pulled into that portal. It was just some sick trap for him to kill us all with Majora's Mask."

Sodo looked on curiously. "What's Majora's Mask?"

Saria sighed. "Majora's Mask. It's an evil mask that's been around for many years. I didn't know what it was either, until Link told me. It contains an evil the likes of which no one would ever want to see. And it can corrupt even the purest of minds. The other world's version of Link wore the mask and he became evil. In the world of Termina, Link chased after a Skull Kid wearing the mask. The mask made him evil, even though his heart was pure."

"Sounds scary."

"It was. Even when we got the mask off, it still tried to kill everybody. It was far too dangerous to keep around. In fact, on our way back to this world, Link tossed the mask into limbo*. But there's one thing about that mask. The mask is always the source of a falling moon."

Sodo sat down next to Saria and looked up into the sky. "So you think it's the mask causing all this?"

Saria wore a grim expression. "I'm sure of it."

"But if Link threw the mask in limbo, then how did it get back here?"

"I wondered about that myself," Saria answered. "But then I remembered something. Every dimension or universe has a parallel version of everything. Whether it's a person or an object, there's one in each universe. The mask that Link disposed of was the Majora's Mask of the parallel Hyrule. But there was never anything said about a Majora's Mask in THIS Hyrule."

"So that means that somebody has the mask in this world?" Sodo asked, summing it all up.

Saria nodded. "Definitely. I knew it from the first moment that the moon started falling. And it can be stopped. It's just a matter of finding the mask and getting rid of it."

"So you KNEW it could be stopped?" Sodo asked indignantly. "Why didn't you tell us? We're running around the temple like cuccos with our heads cut off thinking this was the end of the world. And you knew it wasn't, yet you kept that from us?"

"I…sort of didn't want to say anything at first," Saria tried answering. "We've been taking our lives for granted lately and I just thought that something like this would help realize what we have."

"You could have let me in on it," Sodo growled, still feeling a little ticked. "You know that I've had enough traumas to last me a hundred years. But then again, I see where you were going with this." After a moment of silence, a smile grew on Sodo's face. "I might have done the same thing if I were in your boots."

Saria frowned. "Yeah, but…there's something else."

Sodo's smile quickly faded. "Something else? What do you mean?"

Saria took a deep breath. "Well, it's true that the mask and the moon can be stopped. And if anyone can do it, it's Link. But…"

Silence.

"But…?" Sodo asked grimly.

"It's been weeks," Saria continued. "If Link hasn't done anything by now…I'm starting to worry. What if something's happened to Link? What if he hasn't found the mask? We'd all be doomed."

"Maybe he's taking his time," Sodo tried saying.

"I want to believe that," Saria said solemnly. "But I'm not sure if that's the case."

Sodo shook his head. "Oh, Saria. We can count on Link. There have been plenty of times that Link's proved himself to be a hero, haven't there?"

Saria nodded. "I guess you're right. I sometimes think that Link was born to be a hero. Even when he just a little boy."

Sodo suddenly noticed where she was going with this. "You're not thinking of…"

"Oh, you DO remember." Saria grinned.


Chapter 3

Saria took a deep breath. "It was a long time ago, but I still remember every detail. You don't forget something like that. It was another near-death experience, but it showed that Link always had that heroic part of him. It was back in the Lost Woods, a few years before Link left on his quest…"

Saria looked up as she sat on her usual tree stump. She never went out into the Sacred Forest Meadow this late at night, but she couldn't sleep that night. But she never knew why she didn't do this before. The sky was absolutely beautiful. She never saw the stars the way she was seeing them that night. It provided the perfect mood for when she was playing her ocarina.

After a few hours, Saria began to yawn. The night began to take its toll on the green-haired girl. Putting her ocarina away, Saria got to her feet and started walking out of the Sacred Forest Meadow. But there was only one problem. Unlike the other times she came out to the Lost Woods, this was not a bright sunny day. The sky was pitch black. She could hardly see anything and she began to worry after she had been walking for over half an hour.

Saria looked around her to see that she was completely lost. She completely forgot where she just walked in and didn't know where she was going. The Lost Woods were extremely vast and Saria wouldn't be surprised if she were just walking in circles. She stopped in her tracks, not to see where to go next, but because the sky was literally pitch black. She couldn't see ahead of her anymore.

She made sure to step forward carefully. As she walked slowly, she heard the loud howl of a Wolfos. She froze and stood frightened. She knew that anything could happen. Maybe there was a Wolfos somewhere near her. Maybe there was a Mad Deku Scrub approaching. Even the thought of ghosts began to creep into Saria's mind. She moved carefully towards her, but the Wolfos howled again. She turned around to see if anything was following her. Shaking, she stepped backwards but suddenly lost her footing.

The next thing she knew, Saria was falling down a hole. She landed awkwardly and stayed down for a few minutes. She tried to get up, but quickly fell back down. It was her ankle. When she had fallen down the hole, all the pressure of her landing went right on her ankle. She tried getting up again, but she concluded that she had indeed twisted her ankle. She grabbed a strong Deku stick and used it as a crutch as she tried to get up.

The emerald girl looked around and saw that she was in a grotto within the Lost Woods. She started to regret coming out to the Sacred Forest Meadow this late. Next time, she would remember to do something else to cure her insomnia. The grotto she was in was definitely silent. Saria shook her head. It seemed to be common for them to fall into holes. One day, they'd have to map out the Lost Woods.

Just then, the silence was broken. It was a loud rustling sound. Saria looked in front of her to see that there was a Gohma in front of her. Startled, she threw a rock at the cycloptic spider creature. It moved back in a panic, but the rustling began to grow louder. Out of the shadows, suddenly came a bigger Gohma. This one was more than twice Saria's size. It was now hissing in her direction and looked menacingly at her with its one eye. Usually, Saria would quickly climb out of the hole and away from danger. But her ankle was twisted. The young girl was stuck.

"SARIA!!!!"

The terrified Saria looked up to see that standing outside the grotto was Link. She couldn't believe it, and she didn't want to either. The eight-year old Link jumped on top of the Gohma and Saria felt her heart sink. She couldn't stand the thought of Link risking his life just for her. Then she saw that Link had something in his hand. It was…a blanket. He draped it over the Gohma's eye and blinded the creature. It shook its head in confusion trying to see ahead of it, but it ended up crashing. Having temporarily knocked out the Gohma, Link jumped off and ran towards Saria.

"We've got to get out of here," Link said quickly.

"I-I can't," Saria said painfully. "My ankle."

Just then, the Gohma seemed to be coming to. It meant to take her, but now it pained her to see it would take Link as well. But Link didn't seem to be shaken, not like he would have been a few years ago anyway. He stood his ground.

"O…k…" Link said slowly. "I guess I'll have to go to Plan B."

"What's Plan B?" Saria asked as the Gohma started getting to its feet.

"Actually…I don't know," Link confessed. "I didn't even have much of a Plan A."

The vile Gohma started to inch towards Saria and Link. But Link stayed confident. It looked like he had a plan. He grabbed a rock and wrapped it around the end of the blanket. Instinctively, Saria ducked. Just as she thought, Link swung the blanket like a sling and accurately flung the rock right at the Gohma's eye. The Gohma stumbled around the grotto and fell once more, but it wasn't out. It was just shrieking in pain. Quickly, Link took something out of his pocket. It was…a fork. Armed with only the fork, Link stabbed the Gohma in the back of the neck. Saria looked on in astonishment as the Gohma fell dead.

Saria limped towards Link. She looked at the utensil curiously. "A fork? You killed it with a fork?"

"I thought I'd need something," the eight-year old Link answered. "The Know-It-All brothers never bothered to teach me how to use a bow…or even a slingshot. There aren't any swords in the village... not that I know of. So I looked for the sharpest thing I could find. And you always said if I swung a fork around long enough, I'd put an eye out…I just missed it by a few inches."

"Where did you get the fork?" Saria asked dryly.

"From…your silverware collection," Link said sheepishly. "Sorry."

Usually, Saria would explode at that. She worked hard to keep that silverware polished. But she didn't mind this time. "It's ok Link. I'm glad you took it. You saved my life."

"It's ok," Link responded. "I mean, how many times have you saved my life? I don't know what'd I do without you, Sissy."

Saria shook her head. Eight-years old and Link still hadn't dropped that habit of calling her Sissy. But she still had one more question. "But how did you know I was here?"

"I saw you weren't in bed," Link answered. "And I knew exactly where you'd be. I tried getting to the Sacred Forest Meadow…but it's dark out here. I just stopped because I was lost. But then I heard you and I heard the Gohma. And I just followed my ears."

"I'm glad you did," Saria said happily, hugging the young boy. "I'd hate to think of what might have happened if you showed up any later. You're a real hero, Link."

"You really mean it?" Link asked with a brightened expression.

Saria nodded. "Just don't let it go to your head, hero."


Chapter 4

"Of course, I opened up a whole new can of worms on that one," Saria continued. "It took days to calm Link down after that, he was so happy. I'm glad though. It was nice to give him some confidence. He needed it growing up around the forest."

"You see?" Sodo asked comfortingly. "Even when it doesn't seem like it, Link always comes through in the end. Maybe he'll just save the day at the last second."

Saria thought about that and smiled. She felt a little better, but she couldn't shake off the falling moon. It was still in the sky and was still falling towards Hyrule. She couldn't stand the wait. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

"Saria?"

Saria shook her head. She brought herself out of that trance. "Y-Yeah. What is it?"

Sodo peered down at the Sacred Forest Meadow. "Someone's coming."

Saria noticed it too. Someone was approaching the Forest Temple. She couldn't make out who it was until a few seconds later. It shocked her to see who it was.

Approaching the Forest Temple…was Malon…and she was alone.


*-See 'A Place Like Home…?'

**-See 'A New Evil: The Final Chapters'

***-See 'An Issue of Truth'


Any comments? Then mail me at HyruleKokiri13@hotmail/aol.com and don't forget to review below.