Hello, this is my very first fan fiction ever, and wasn't able to find a beta and English is not my first language so it'll probably have mistakes, if you see any please don't hesitate to point it out so I can correct it, I hoped I did find, and if you think I didn't please say so without flaming, fire hurts.

Much needed sleep

It was nearing the end of the second day; link ,with tatl's help had finally obtained the last mask and met the fourth giant, all they had left to do was to get into the clock tower and face the skullkid for once and for all, now that they were ready for it…but that's when tatl started to think to herself "are we really?" or better said "is he?" her thoughts went to her companion, who had being going forward and back in time finishing one task after the other with almost no rest apart from playing some games (which prizes helped in their adventure so she wasn't sure if that counted as resting),listening to anju's grandmother stories or stopping to talk to people.

The point was that she didn't remember having slept since they started their quest, which actually was not really necessary because any injury or fatigue they had vanishes every time they went back in time, but sleep isn't just necessary to regain energy, it is necessary to give the mind time to rest too, that the all night mask they bought in the curiosity shop was said to be used as an element of torture by one of those creepy gossip stones was proof enough, but why torture? Because not being able to stop thinking for even one moment IS torture, that's when she decided to count how many days they've actually being going without sleep, she needed to count those 3 same days…7? 10? 20? Maybe 40 times?

"Oh my god!" she shouted suddenly.

"What is it?" link was startled but his face remained calm

She realized it was impossible to count them since she never kept count to begin with, but what she was sure about was that at least more than 2 months had went by, so she regained her grip and began to say…-"hey…aren't you tired? I think we should rest"

"not really but…ok" he wasn't feeling tired at all but he decided to go on with whatever tatl said, he knew too well how mad she got every time he argue what she said, that's why he stopped his peace and sat down on the grass, waiting for Tatl to sit beside him, but to his surprise she not just didn't, but he noticed she was somehow nervous too.

"No, when I said rest I mean…we should sleep"

"Sleep? Why would we need that?"

"It's mostly YOU who need that!" she wanted to say, but there was no way her pride would leave her say so

"Because I need it ok?" as mentioned, link knew Tatl too well already, and that's why he obviously realized that wasn't the real reason, but as he had done many other times he didn't ask for the truth and complied.

"…fine" he said and lied down on his back on the grass.

"Not here…let's go back in time and rest at the inn" well now that was asking a little too much now.

"Oh come on! What's wrong with here? The grass feels nice!"

"It does not! Now go back in time and get us into a bed"

"…fine!" agreed link for the third time that day, without saying any more he took out the ocarina and took them back to the first day in front of the clock tower.

They waited until 1pm to ask anju for a room at the stock pot inn, which coincidentally had a room reservation by someone named link as well, name which they had fount out belonged to a goron, the poor guy had to sleep in the streets at night every time they took his reservation, they would had felt incredibly guilty if the damage couldn't be fixed by going back in time as always.

Anyway, they received the key and got inside the designated room called the "knife chamber", link sat down on the bed, took off his boots, hat and got under the covers, since he traveled so much he had already gotten used to sleeping outside on the dirt, but even he had to admit that lying on a bed make a difference, while falling asleep he started wondering if it was the bed's softness fault of if he had being tired in the first place and didn't realized it.

"hey leave me some space too!" said Tatl after waiting for link to get comfortable, she waited some more but not reply came, the room had now gotten quit, the only sound being link's peaceful breathing, Tatl got slowly close to his face and studied it, all the things she had started wondering about him since they've met came back to her mind, being the kid's past the main one, though he had a child's body every danger they encounter link surpassed with a tranquility she had not even seeing on many adults, it was like he was incredibly used to it, heck, she had some hope that ikana canyon, or the death canyon as she unofficially called it would arise some fear on him, but no, it was the same as the previous locations they visited, he had the same determination when facing redeads as he did with deku babas or any weak creature, always facing them with the same cold eyes, eyes that were obtained just by lots, lots of experience, and right then those eyes were closed, so every bit of mature ness they showed when open were hidden, at that moment he looked like any normal kid taking a normal afternoon nap.

"Maybe…I'll ask him later" whispered Tatl, there was only one simple reason she hadn't done so already, same reason as she wasn't able to say they were in that bed because of his and not for her sake ,pride, which was also the cause that had prevented her from showing link how much she appreciated him already, so far the only ones she had gotten closed were her brother Tael and the skull kid, she didn't get closed easily to people neither was she interested in doing so, but how could she not get closed to a kid who was doing so much for some foreign land that had nothing to do with his? For all she knew he had already gotten his horse back which was why he ended up there in the first place and could had break the promised he did to that mask salesman and go back home, but he stayed, and Tatl was more graceful for it than she had being in her entire life.

She stopped her thoughts and tried to find a place for her in the bed, deciding the pillow next to link's head to be the most comfortable place, she could smell and touch a strand of link's blond hair there, which was quit long but the hat prevented that to be seeing easily, and that actually smelled quit nice and was soft, so she used the pillow to lie down and the hair as a blanket, some minutes later she had joined link in the dream world.

Link was the first to wake up; he stressed and looked at the clock, he got quit shock to see more than 12 hours had gone by, meaning it was the dawn of the second day, but there was no need to hurry so he lied down again and noticed tatl sleeping next to his head, carefully he slowly picked her up and put her on his chest," fairies sure feel warm" he though, he hadn't felt that warm since navi has left him, and there was no way Tatl would provide him of it if she were awake, but to his dismay the fairy started to wake up, she looked confused at first because she didn't remember having falling asleep there, and asked with a little voice what time it was and panicked with link's answer

"whaaaaaaaat? That late already?" link smiled at her reaction

-"we still got like 1 day and half before the clock tower door opens, and even if we didn't you know we have the ocarina of time with us.

"Ah…right" and she settled down, her thoughts were never clear when she just woke up; link kept his smile and started to talk after realizing something.

"Tatl…thank you"

"…what are you thanking me for?"

"With all we've going through I didn't realized I needed to sleep that badly, I feel new right now" that woke Tatll up completely, and replied with a nervous blush.

"And what makes you think I asked this for your sake? It was for me ok?"

"Right…" thought link to himself, even if she was not going to admit it he knew the truth, and decided to change the subject.

"Well then…I feel more charge than ever, what do you say if I take us to the night of the third day?"

"Do as you wish…" was the answer, link got fully dressed and started playing the song to move forward in time, while he was busy doing so and the noted of the ocarina could be heard Tatl said an almost inaudibly "you are welcome".

Finish! If you reached the end please review, I don't care if you have little to say, I'll appreciate it, I tried to keep this close to canon, but if you noticed or think I didn't feel free to say so, because I love canon arguments! And of course thanks for reading.