Disclaimer: This will tell you that I do not own LOZ (duh) or any other Nintendo trade marks. Most characters in this story belong to Nintendo, but names of most peripheral characters are my own. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters of this story.

...yeah...that works much, MUCH better...

Time's Scar

Chapter One: Memories and Nothing More...

Among the shadows there stands a light,
Among the weak there stands the strong,
Among the found there is still plight,
As told by the Ocarina's Song.

Among the good there stands the evil,
Among the cowardly there stands the brave,
Among the enemies there stands a Hero,
Whose victory is sure in the midst of the fray.

Through shadows, fire, water, and light,
The Hero stands tall and true,
Upon his hand is a mark of courage,
To awaken us all--to be made anew.

Over deserts sands, waters depths,
Pirate bands, and mountain steps,
Through the fire, and forest wonders,
And even through time the Hero sunders.

But what lies beneath his perfect frame,
A tattered heart, A tarnished name,
Visions of the past, feelings of rage.

Admist the desire for what he cannot reclaim.

He is only a boy in the form of a man,
A boy who is cursed by that mark on his hand,
A boy who has lost all that he has,
His only friends, and his beloved past.

We left him behind in that forsaken land,
And I, alone, share his suffering,
There is no one yet who dares understand,
The heart of the Hero...chained and broken.

For the land of Hyrule we carry our fate,
But when all is settled there will still be our pain,

Time's scar shall never heal,
Nor shall his or mine,
For never again shall we see each other,

As is destined to me…and the Hero of Time.

The immortal children of Kokiri Forest waited in their houses, waiting and praying for the day when they could finally venture back out in the open. They had waited in vain for seven long years, and yet no cure for the darkness had come.

"Its all his fault!" Mido would always shout, "He killed the Deku tree, he could die out there and I could care less. He deserves it!"

Saria was getting tired of defending Link from Mido's lies. She had done so ever since he left, but this constant berating of Link's reputation quickly became more than she could stand. So, Saria decided to leave Kokiri Village for the Sacred Meadow--that one place where she and Link had shared so many fond memories. All she wanted to do was just get away from the lies and rumors that destroyed Link's image in the minds of the rest of the children.

And so she left to the Temple, to wait for the day that her dear friend would one-day return. She had never given up hope, and never would.

A young man strode through the log opening at the West End of the village. His clothing consisted of a one-piece Kokiri Tunic with a white jumpsuit underneath, and an outrageously long green hat. The man's hair was a golden blonde, and his eyes were flashing like two sapphires. The Kokiri sensed his arrival, and peeked out of their doorways to look at the stranger.

The man's eyes were scanning the ground and walls of the village, and by the look on his face, the children could tell that he was horrified by what he saw.

Deku Babas and Scrubs were scattered all about the village, Guays and birds of prey roamed the skies freely, and Skulltulas lurked patiently in the shadows of the forest.

The man paid no attention to the children that were poking out of their houses trying to get a good look at him; instead drawing his sword and shield to face the first unfortunate Deku Scrub in his way.

The look in his eyes sent chills down all the spines of the Kokiri. He let out a cry of pure anger and rage, and jumped in the air. At the apex of his flight, he brought down his sword onto the doomed scrub and split it in two. The monster combusted upon its death and the raging warrior instantly turned to his next enemy, and slaughtered it with no less savagery than before.

The Kokiri children watched with awe as their new hero destroyed every last one of the monsters that haunted their town. As he kept his blade flying, his eyes grew evermore terrifying. The look in his eyes alone was enough for the children to question if this man truly was here to save them, or if he might turn on them as soon as he was done with the monsters.

Still, the children thought that the young man looked very familiar, as though they knew who he was…but just who was he?

The warrior stopped after all the monsters were slain, he stood tall and erect, his sword was lowered to one side dripping with the blood of his enemies and glimmering in the strong moonlight. The children hesitated to approach him when he turned his head slightly towards their advance. His eyes seemed to give off a luminescent blue light, freezing the Kokiri in their tracks.

They relaxed when he sheathed his blade and put his shield on his back. He nodded his head slightly at them and then walked to the vine wall that would take him up to the Lost Woods.

One of the children shouted after him, "Hey wait! Where are you going?"

Link, already up at the entrance, peered down at them from atop the cliff.

"I seek a friend of mine, of whom I was separated from for a long time," he said, and seeing the looks on their faces he added with a devilish smile, "Do you intend to stop me?" With that, the Kokiri scattered and re-entered their houses.

Link walked through the woods, the path to the meadow still clear in his mind. Yet he was troubled, forever had Saria's Song guided him through the labyrinth of trees. Now he heard no song, or notes…not even a whisper. Even the Skull Kid who he knew as a friend was gone; everything he once knew had disappeared in the flow of time.

Then suddenly, he came to one of the many of the small clearings with the different ways out of the forest when he came across none other than Mido, boss of the Kokiri, and a real pain in the ass. The man glanced at the boy, and for a brief moment, he almost laughed...it was too bad that time hadn't taken away this part of his past.

"Hold it stranger! I promised Saria I wouldn't let anyone pass here so you'll have to turn around and go home!" Mido said with forced courage.

Link's blue eyes pierced directly through Mido's heart, and he froze. Mido gulped and vainly urged his limbs to move. Link drew an arm behind his back and Mido flinched for the coming attack, but the blow didn't come. Instead, Mido opened his eyes when he heard the note of a rather familiar song.

What?

Saria's song echoed through the forest, by hearing it alone, the trees seemed to straighten, and the air was seemingly restored its once cheery atmosphere. But once the song finished, the trees slouched again, and the air grew cold with reproach. The entire forest around the two became disheartened again by the short-lived hope, and the Kokiri boy felt it.

"You..." Mido nearly whispered, "You dress like us, and you have a fairy, but...you can't fool me! Saria taught that song to only her friends…so how did you know, who are you, anyway?"

Link lowered the Ocarina from his mouth and stood thoughtfully for a moment, staring at Mido with a somber expression on his face.

"Me?" he asked, retorhically. "I'm the victim of fate and destiny, and all that I once knew is gone. Including that of which I loved the most."

The boy stared at the man with large, curious, but suspicious eyes. This man seemed so cold (and overly poetic for that matter), and yet he also seemed very famillar...

"Go home, Mido, and tell the other children that they will be safe," he continued, "Look for my return, but not for my forgiveness. You, too, played a part in making me what I am now, and for that I will show no forgiveness…or mercy."

Seeing Mido's face he laughed. He had long yearned for Mido to cower before his feet; perhaps this is one of the advantages he would get of being an 'adult'. But now wasn't the time to be taking advantage of these matters--his objective lay ahead.

"Don't worry, I don't have the heart. I wouldn't waste too much of my energy on you. Let me pass and rid the forest of these abominations."

Mido nodded and stepped aside. As the man passed by, Mido was given a better, stunningly clear look at him. Mido's jaw dropped, and stared after the warrior as he disappeared in the darkness.

No way…no possible way! He thought, and ran through the log opening that led back to the village.

Link came across the small labyrinth that led to the Temple entrance. He paused short of the opening through the outer wall when he heard a strange noise, and felt the earth tremble slightly beneath his feet. He looked to Navi to find her already investigating. When she came back she was flying at full speed and nearly knocked Link off his feet when she collided with his forehead.

"Ow…what is it? What are they now?" Link asked a little blearily.

"M-Moriblins," Navi said holding her head. And after seeing Links puzzled look, she added, "You've never heard of them? Ok, then picture armored giants with a bulldog's or pig's head."

"With spears," she added again as Link raised an eyebrow. "Oh and hit them in the rear when they walk past you in the corridors, or else they'll charge you and make you into a shish-ka-bob."

"I have an better idea," Link said pulling out his prized hookshot.

He pointed it to the metal gate barring the entrance and pulled himself up the hill beside it. He then jumped easily to the other side of the corridor, by-passing a Moriblin directly under him.

"I imagine that they come from a relatively flat place, because it doesn't even occur to them to look up," Link grinned as he jumped to the next side of the corridor and slaughtered the Monblin below him when he reached the other side.

"They really are dangerous…but they're stupid, and you're just cheating." She said indignantly.

Links grinned again and continued the pattern until he reached the steps that lead to the temple. A quarter of the way up, Link suddenly had the feeling that he was being followed, and looked behind himself. For the briefest second, Link barely caught a glimpse of a blue and black shadow slipping behind the alcove; he blinked, and it was gone.

He was about to draw his sword and investigate when Navi clouded his view. She had suddenly stopped flying and was as still and rigid as a statue.

Link turned to see what she was staring at, and what he saw was a beast the size of a two-story house; it was holding a giant mace with an iron ball and Link couldn't help but think that their size was only for intimidation.

Link turned to her and pointed his thumb at it; "Moriblin?" he asked. Navi noticed his pupils had shrunk slightly.

"Monblin." She replied flatly.

Link rolled his eyes threw his hands up exasperatedly, "And I suppose they're ten times worse?"

Navi nodded solemnly. "This won't be a piece of cake Link, you're going to have to weave back an-" She stopped as he saw Link hurtling backwards in the air and roll down the stairs.

She glided over to him fuming and cursing her partner's ill attention span.

"Well…what do you have to say for yourself this time?" She asked angrily, ready to pounce on him.

"Why wont those stars stop spinning?" He asked dumbly.

"Next-time-list-en-to-me!" She said hitting him furiously on every syllable.

As soon as Link came to his senses, he listened to Navi attentively. Needless to say, the wonderful experience of rolling backwards down two flights of stairs wasn't one he wanted to repeat.

"You have to weave back and forth in the corridor," Navi explained, "the line of his attack is always straight, so if you weave, you can dodge his attacks. He's too big to turn around in there so once your behind him, slash away."

Link nodded once and stood up. This was perhaps the first time he had ever underestimated a monster, but unfortunately for it--he had survived. Link's eyes narrowed and a devlish grin slowly drew itself across his face. In a moments calculation, Link coiled up and sprung down the center of the hallway.

The Monblin was waiting for the charge at the other end. After sensing the prey was close enough, it raised its giant mace high up over his head, and brought it down with the overwhelming combined force of sheer power and gravity.

The force of the blow sent the soil churning upwards as the shockwave moved through the earth like a tidal wave. Link quickly jumped to one side and dogged the attack as it streaked down the hallway.

Seeing that his strike missed, the Monblin raised his mace up and struck the ground again, this time with even more force. Once again the ground churned upwards as the shockwave moved down the coridor, but this time, the force of the blast comprimised the strength of the hallway's foundation, and whole stones began to fall from their places all along the walls. Link raised his hands and drew his sword and sheild at the same time.

With a calculated bound, Link front-flipped over the wall of kinetic energy and dirt. He landed off balance, finding that the ground beneath him was still trembling. The Monblin saw this fatal error happen at his feet, and raised his mace for the final, and fatal blow.

As Link stumbled forwards, he dove for the ground between the giant's feet and rolled forward under its legs, and before the Monblin could look to see where his opponent had disappeared to, he had the Master Sword jutting out from his chest. The Monblin looked at the blade stupidly and then its eyes rolled back in its head and it fell to the ground.

Link jumped off the Monblin's back and sheathed the Master Sword.

"Go back to the hells, demon!" Navi shouted, and with that the massive corpse disappeared in a giant ball of green fire.

"Nicely put." Link said.

"Sorry." Navi replied with a blush. "But I'm really mad that all these monsters are here, yeah the Deku Tree died and all, but I'll never get used to them being here."

"Me neither," Link admitted. To be honest, he hadn't even thought about why these monsters were here in the first place. "They shouldn't be here at all," Link thought aloud.

"Well, let's get rid of them then! They'll pay for ever treading in this sacred ground!" Navi exclaimed zealously.

Link wasn't paying attention to her though. He didn't give a damn about the monsters or what they were doing here. There was only one thing that mattered to him now, and nothing would stop him from reaching it.

They came upon the area where the entrance to the Forest Temple lay in ruins. Link looked longingly upon the stump where She always sat. He knelt before it as if it were an altar, and bowed his head.

I...I'm too late? Link asked himself in disbeleif. It had only taken the sight of the vacant stump to throw him into an unescapable doubt.

Suddenly, Link faintly heard something move behind him. Instantly he drew his sword and lunged at his stalker in a blind and sudden rage. A black shadow, seeing the attack coming, moved to the side and parried Link's thrust with a short sword that it drew from its back. With its other free hand, the shadow grabed Link's wrist as he passed, twisted it, and hit the hand that held his sword with a fast thrust. The Master Sword flew from Link's hand and landed upright in the ground a few feet away. Before Link could react the shadow then pushed Link away with a powerful thrust of its leg. Link stumbled to the ground some meters away.

Link pounded his fist on the ground and started to sob. "You didn't have to do that Sheik." He choked.

"Well, you didn't give me much choice." Sheik said with a flip of his hair. "Listen Link, Saria's fallen out of your reach. There is nothing you can do to bring her back to this realm, but you can still save her from the darkness."

"What's the use? I'll never see her again!" Link shouted through tears.

"You would leave her in the dark forever? I expected better from you..." Sheik uttered mercilessly.

"And what if I did 'save' her, then what?" Link challenged, "All that I am…all that I was is lost. The one hope that I had in this corrupted future is gone. I'm done playing the game, Sheik...I don't want to do this anymore."

"That is not for you to decide!" Sheik snapped. "How can you be so selfish? True, she's probably the only reason you carry your feet however it is not your place to give up this quest! Trust me I know how you feel, however that did not stop me from my duty!"

Link scoffed, "How could you possibly know?" He said haughtily, "You've never been forced into sorrow, you haven't lost anything! You don't even have anything to lose! You haven't carried on in search of a lost cause!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Link felt something cold press up against his neck. Sheik held his blade to Links throat and spoke softly, but with sorrow and pure rage in his voice.

"I never want to hear those words from your mouth again Link."

Link stared at Sheik's reflection in the sword, and was stunned by a fire that flared intensely in Sheik's deep red eyes. Link swallowed, sending a drop of blood down the edge of the blade.

"I-I'm sorry Sheik. I just…"

Sheik removed the blade from Link's neck and sheathed it. He walked a few steps away from Link and kept his back turned to him in disgust.

"They are memories now Link, nothing more. Your childhood is gone...and you'll never fully recover it again. Only you hold the responsibility of this quest, only you have the strength to carry the burden of suffering and pain, and only you can complete the tasks bestowed upon you by the godesses."

"But...why all this? Why me? No one told me this would happen..." Link whispered pathetically.

"This is the price Link, it is the fate of the Hero of Time, no matter what happened, you were destined to draw that sacred blade from the pedestal."

Link stood up and turned his attention to the Master Sword. "Fate…" he said staring morosely at the accursed sword. "Fate and Destiny?" Link gave a heartless laugh. "That sword is my very bane." He walked over to it and picked it up out of the ground. Then Link returned to the stump and once again gazed at it with intense longing.

"Memories…nothing more…" Link repeated.

"Indeed, without memories, we are nothing, Link," Sheik said walking up beside him, "They are what give us hope in the future--they are images of that better life we miss and want more than anything to recover. Those memories may disappear and start anew; they may flow in and out with time, and sometimes they might never return. There is an ancient melody, Link; one that will allow you to return to this place should you ever feel like you are losing track of what you're fighting for. It will remind you of that old reality to make anew. So, listen to the Minunet of the Forest, and remember..."

Sheik took out his golden harp, raised it to his shoulders, and played the magical song. Link nodded and copied the song that Sheik played. Together, they made a song that echoed through the forest like a beautiful choir that the forest drew strength from. The song strengthened the drive in Link's heart to reclaim what was rightfully his, and when the song ended, Link's eyes were once again flashing with the lust for vengeance.

Shiek noticed that familliar glare and frowned behind his mask. He backed up a few steps without a sound.
"Link, we shall meet again."Sheik said, causing Link to turn around. Before Link could say anything else, Sheik quickly threw a Deku Nut to the ground, blinding Link, and a second later, he was gone.

The sun began to draw itself over the horizon. Navi, stunned by the sudden appearance of Sheik and the fight that ensued, had stayed in the safety of Link's hat until now, when she peeked out and spoke to Link.

"Link, it's time to go now. I can still sense that Saria is alive...but she's scared. We have to help her! "

"Right…right." Link said turning his gaze from the stump to the Temple's entrance.

"Let's go." He said, and grappled to the top of the stairs.

Ok that's the first chapter. I have another one that I'll write and that'll conclude the story. This fic is based on the pain Link would've felt leaving his child hood behind. I also tweaked a few of the cinematics in the game to better suit the story…ok so I totally changed them but hey that's Fan Fiction for you. I'm gonna tweak the story too in the next chapter, ever hate how those Kokiris never recognize you? And how Mido never gets what's coming to him? Well no more! But I'm not gonna spill anymore than that. Please read and review, criticism is accepted!

Update Note:

I went back and revised this chapter because its been a long time I wrote it and whenever I looked back at it, it would always give me a good laugh. Basically, I've found myself at the point where it's not all that funny anymore. So, I hope it's safe to say that this chapter has been improved. I changed that horrid bit of poetry at the top to sound a little better...but most of it's still in the style you see in Dr.Seuss books...I'm going to update the following chapters with revisions as well so look forward to that.Oh yeah, and, in case you havent noticed, I put a permenant disclaimer at the top! No more disclaimer at the top of each chapter! (hell yeah!). I'll be updating the following chapters as well so look forward to some better scenes with more action (definitely), less cheese (hopefully), and less errors (unlikely) !
-Later