A/N: This is an AU/Next Gen fanfic that is set in somewhat of the modern age. This WILL have major variations from the game, Ocarina of Time, so don't complain after you read it because I'm warning you now.

…

Groaning because he didn't want to wake up yet, a boy with cropped blonde hair and narrow dark blue eyes slowly looked over at the ten-year-old girl with dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes who had shaken him awake. She was already dressed and ready for the day, wearing a thin-strapped light green knee length dress and matching ballet flats, in her hair was a light green headband that kept her hair out of her face, and hanging around her neck on a thick band of brown was a clear stone with fairy wings coming out of it, a Fairy Stone. Every kid in the village had one, given to them by their guardian, Declam. That is, every kid except for him.

"Big brother," the girl said, "get up."

He groaned and turned onto his side, facing away from his sister and towards where his Ipod was resting on its docking station, charging and softly playing rock music. The clock on the docking station said that it was only seven in the morning on a Saturday, one of the few days of the week he didn't have to wake up early to go to the high school in the next town over, Castle Town. "Sarah, it's too early. Come back in three hours," he mumbled.

Sarah shook her head and put her hands firmly on her hips. "Liam, get up! Declam wants to talk to you!"

That caught Liam's attention. Declam had rarely ever spoken to him, and those few times had actually been because of something school related, (bad grades, a suspension once, and even why he couldn't go to a middle school dance with his best friend.) Even so, Liam groaned as he sat up - mostly because he thought he'd be getting lectured again - sending the dark brown comforter sliding down off of his white t-shirt clad torso and into his lap. "Okay, I'm up."

His little sister smiled a cute smile that could only belong to an adolescent girl. "Good! I'm going to go now, but I'll come back in a few minutes to make sure you've left. Declam's at his home at the edge of the forest near the Sacred Tree."

"Alright." Liam stood up from his twin sized bed and turned on the light, adding to the bit of light pooling into the room from the small hallway. "Did he say what he wanted to talk about?"

"Nope."

He sighed and reached for a discarded light green t-shirt that fit loosely over his lean form. "Okay. When will you be getting back? Before dinner?"

Sarah nodded. "Of course. See ya, big brother." She turned and ran down the hallway and out of the wooden front door of the small house.

Liam stripped off his nightshirt and slipped into the light green t-shirt before grabbing a pair of clean blue jeans from the bottom drawer of his dark brown wooden dresser. He was still tired, and he really wanted to lay back down and go to sleep, but he hated the idea of getting lectured by Declam for that too. I wonder what I did… He honestly had no idea, seeing as since starting high school he hadn't done anything bad that was noteworthy. (Only a couple of minor pranks, really.)

Once his hair was fixed from its slight bedhead state, he switched the light in his room off and went to the door to put on his brown tennis shoes. He flipped the hallway light off and locked the front door as he stepped outside into the small village. Most of the houses around were made of the trees left over from the Kokiri Forest that stood in that area generations ago. A few were made of bricks, and one of concrete - these, of course, were custom built by their inhabitants. Liam and Sarah's home was made of a large tree set in a nook near the small ancient sword training grounds that had been there as long as the Kokiri Forest leading to the Sacred Temple. There was a single small shop set on the other side of the village, an old shop that was restored some years ago and has been passed from child to child ever since.

Just as things were generations ago, only children could occupy the Kokiri village, though it wasn't because of some spell of a pure spirit, but merely because Declam said that at twenty, they had to leave. Declam was the children's guardian, the only one most of them would ever know. All of children were orphans who were more content with living among their friends than being adopted by a family in Castle Town or Kakariko Village. (Liam and Sarah's parents were actually separated before Sarah's birth, their mother died in childbirth and their father had never come around after the separation.)

Liam walked calmly through the village, crossing under the large bridge that had been constructed recently by Mark, (Sarah's best friend, though he hated Liam), as a way to impress Sarah. (He had a crush on Liam's sister and it was obvious, especially to Liam, and everyone thought that was why Mark hated him.) He glanced up at the ending support stone of the bridge and saw Sarah and Mark - a thirteen-year-old with spiked blonde hair and light green eyes - talking and laughing like always. Ignoring them, Liam continued over the small bridge crossing over to the small area where the shop was and then turned, jumping over a stream of water. He continued to the beginning of the path that would lead to the Sacred Tree where Declam lived.

"Stop!" A boy with spiked blonde hair and light green eyes jumped between Liam and the path. He wore a black t-shirt and baggy dark blue jeans. Ipod ear-bud headphones were in his ears, and a black skull digital watch was on his left wrist. His Fairy Stone was hidden beneath the neckline of his shirt though the band that held the stone was visible near the back of his neck.

Liam sighed. "Miles, move. Declam needs to talk with me." Miles was Mark's younger cousin, he looked up to the older boy and often mimicked him. Actually, their dress and attitudes were so alike that it often scared some of the other children.

Miles shook his head and held out his right arm, showing the black and white checkered wristband there. "Mark told me not to let anyone past here."

"Miles, just let me past." Liam could've easily pushed past Miles, but didn't because it'd only piss off Mark and then Sarah. He really didn't want to deal with that today.

"Well…" Miles thought for a moment. "Okay! But only if you get a sword and shield. You know as well as anyone else that sometimes flower monsters appear on the path to Declam's house."

"Miles," Liam groaned.

"You're the best practice swordsman in the village, so it shouldn't be hard to find a real sword. If you get one and then a Deku Shield, I'll let you pass."

Liam's mouth dropped. A real sword? The Deku Shield wouldn't be a problem, that was sold in the shop, but a sword…? He didn't even know where to begin looking since Declam rarely allowed the children to leave the village on weekends. "Have you gone crazy? Look, Miles, just let me get past. Declam hates it when I'm late."

"I can't."

"If I go get my practice sword, will you let me pass?" After someone turned fourteen, they were given the choice of being given a practice sword by Declam and then training to become a swordsman, (or swordswoman). If they were deemed worthy by age seventeen, they were given a real sword and allowed to stay in the village for two extra years - very few have managed it, certainly no one from the current generation.

Miles shook his head. "No, it has to be a real sword!"

Liam growled. He was getting so sick and tired of playing this stupid game with this kid, if he was late getting to see Declam, he'd never hear the end of it. "I'm only fourteen, I don't have a real sword!"

"Well… Here, let me tell you something Mark once told me: There's an ancient Kokiri sword in an old part of the ancient Kokiri Forest that's still standing. It's just past a crawlspace at the back of the training grounds."

"If it's back there, why haven't you or Mark, or anyone else taken it?" It seemed really odd that Mark knew about a sword and hadn't taken it yet.

"We've both tried, but there's a sign next to the chest where the sword is supposed to be that says that only the chosen one may open the chest and take the Kokiri sword." Miles shrugged and then looked back up at Liam. "If you can get that sword plus the Deku Shield, then I'll have no choice but to let you past."

Liam rolled his eyes but nodded. As tired as he was of what was being told to him, he figured it would be easier to try to get the Kokiri Sword out of the chest. Chances were that he wasn't the "chosen one," but it never hurt to try, he supposed. "Fine. I'll be back in a few minutes then."

With only a nod from Miles, Liam turned and began walking back the way he came, jumping over the small stream and walking across the bridge. As he turned to walk to the training grounds, he spotted mark and Sarah again out of the corner of his eye and considered just telling them about Miles' stupid policy of him having to find a real sword to get past. But he knew that Mark would just side with Miles, and Sarah, as much as he loved her, he had to admit she wouldn't be of any help whatsoever. So, with that in mind, Liam kept his course for the training grounds.

He wove through the awkward fencing and ignored the various signs that were put up for beginners - how to dodge or put their entire focus on one object or enemy - nothing he didn't already know.

"Hey Liam!" A boy with straightened, shoulder-length hair and deep green eyes greeted. He had his practice sword out and he was into front of a scarecrow one of the other boys had made to use as a dummy.

"Hey Randy," Liam said simply, turning his head only slightly to look at his friend. He stopped and blinked though when he noticed that Randy wasn't wearing his normal goth attire, but instead was wearing a white button-up shirt and a pair of black slacks. "What's up with your clothes, dude?"

"Oh," Randy chuckled and turned light red, "I've got a date later."

"With who?" Liam was genuinely curious, not to mention surprised. Though Randy was a nice enough guy, he just wasn't the dating type. Even when Liam went on a few dates and told him how much fun or how boring they were, he just didn't seem interested.

"Rebecca." Rebecca was an older Kokiri, sixteen, two years their senior, but she did always seem to like Randy a little more than everyone else.

"I see. Well, why are you practicing with your sword in your clothes for later?"

"I got nervous," Randy chuckled. "But, anyway, why are you up so early? Got some plans with Zehira?"

Liam sighed. Zehira was his best friend, someone he'd known since elementary school, but they'd only hung out outside of school once because she was the Princess of Hyrule. They tried making plans all the time, and even tried sneaking her out of Hyrule Castle once - that Liam lectured and nearly arrested - but no plan ever fell through. (The fact that they'd managed to stay best friends through it all just showed how deep their friendship ran.) "No, Declam summoned me."

"Uh, you're going the wrong way," Randy raised an eyebrow, "you know that, right?"

"It's Miles, he won't let me pass to get on the path to get to Declam's without a sword and shield."

"Did you leave your practice sword over here or something?"

"No, it's at home. I have to find a real sword or he won't let me go to Declam's."

Randy's eyes widened. "A real sword? Where are you gonna find one? You're too young to own one that Declam would give you!"

"Well," Liam's eyes turned to a wooden box set in the center of the back of the training grounds, "there's supposed to be an ancient Kokiri sword on the other side of a crawlspace at the back of the training grounds. I wanted to see if it's still there, or if Miles was even telling the truth."

Randy's lips tightened into a doubting straight line. "Alright, just be careful. If you find the sword though, hurry back so I can see it before I have to go with Rebecca."

Liam nodded and turned to the box as Randy turned back to the scarecrow. He shoved the box to the side, revealing a crawlspace that looked like he could just barely fit through. He groaned at the thought of his favorite shirt getting covered in dirt, but got down on his stomach slowly made his way to the other side of the crawlspace.

Once on the other side, he stood up and found himself in what looked like a maze. Moss covered rock walls rose up all around him, but despite it seeming like a manmade maze, it looked very much natural, as if it had just happened one day.

Calmly and without bothering to look even though he heard a rumbling noise, Liam walked forward and turned left, finding himself face-to-face with huge boulder. He yelped and then quickly dove back towards the little nook that the crawlspace occupied, narrowly averting getting squished. "What the hell?" He held his chest where it felt like his heart was about to explode. That had been unexpected!

After he allowed his heart to get back to beating regularly, he walked forward again, this time looking before going. Not seeing the boulder in either direction, he turned left again and ran to the corner turning right. He saw a wooden chest directly up ahead, but had to quickly dive into a conveniently located grassy nook to avoid the boulder. When he did, he found a green Rupee, only worth one but better than nothing. "Cool!" He smiled and stuffed the Rupee into the back pocket of his pants - he'd forgotten to grab his wallet when he left his house.

Liam looked around for the boulder again and then ran for the chest, only stopped when he was safe in the nook the chest sat in. He looked at the wood sign standing next to it that Miles had said would be there. It read "Only Hyrule's chosen hero may open the chest and retrieve the Kokiri Sword."

He shrugged, not entirely sure what it meant but realizing that there was truth in what the little kid had said. He had a lot of doubt he was the "chosen hero," but walked forward to the chest anyway. Liam grabbed the edge of the chest's lid and pulled up, finding the chest opening without any resistance.

Once it was completely opened, Liam looked inside and saw a sword with a silver hilt wrapped in dark leather in dark blue scabbard sitting at the bottom of the chest. He picked it up and looked at it with amazement. "The Kokiri Sword… Wow…"