A/N: I am aware that a lot of people hate Ilia. This fic is both anti-Ilia and pro, so IT APPEALS! it does!

coming in two parts... Here's the first.

Disclaimer: Everything Legend of Zelda belongs to Nintendo, the story below belongs to me.

Part I

Ordon village acquired a new sort of solidarity after everything had been done and gone. The agriculture they depended on was rebuilt and improved, and everyone just seemed to get along better.

There was, however, a hole in the community that no one cared to talk about. Or perhaps they wanted to, but were afraid to discuss. It had everything to do with the very person who had once lived in Ordon, lifted the perils from the land, and then rode away afterwards on his horse without an affirmative for returning. He left on good terms, undoubtedly; his goodbyes were sincere and regrettable, but there was a certain spark in his eye, and haste in his stride when he left that assured them he wasn't dying to stick around.

Most notably, when Link said goodbye to Ilia he didn't dote on her like he used to.

By the time Ilia developed the way she did, it became less like an easy friendship, and more like a delicate infatuation between two long acquaintances. Link figured the relationship was awry, but he couldn't help but always strive to be on her good side whether she felt the same way or not. Always in hopes of something more.

He would always be there if she needed help, and to be constantly agreeable to all her opinions and ideas. That's what it's like when you adore someone so unrequitedly. Ilia foolishly kept her admiration for him hidden beneath a mask of self-entitlement.

Naturally, Link figured it was indifference, and with time, found it to be condescension.

When she and the kids had gotten captured, Link's shepherd instincts mixed with his shortened love for her kicked in, and he wouldn't stop until she was back, physically and mentally. That's when he got dragged into everything. At that point he had seen so much, there was no reason to settle for Ordon anymore. Even after Ilia was recovered.

"Ilia, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," he said, annoyed, after her plea to not destroy himself on the land.

"I'm afraid you're biting off more than you can chew," she said placing her hand on her hip and glaring at him patronizingly, trying to make up for how taken aback she was from him defending himself.

"You are insufferable," he paused. "I don't know when I'll see you again," he said, and then left a disgruntled kiss coldly on her cheek and mounted Epona with one big jump, cantering off through the path in the trees.

Illia sat at the spring and cried that night.

X

Ilia's returned memory was different. It was all fixed and fabricated. The clearest memories she had were the ones talked into her, making nostalgia harder to come by.

She sat in bed one night trying to conjure up some irrelevant memories without anyone's help, and found that very many of them involved Link. She began to write them all down.

There was a time when Link tangled himself in fishing wire and then fell off the dock into the river. I tried to help him out, but it was muddy, and we were both laughing too hard. My father wouldn't let me in the house until I cleaned myself up, so I went and found Link, and we went to the spring. We stayed there so long that I got a terrible cold the next day.

On a sunny day I had a picnic with Colin in the forest. We fell asleep and it got too dark to try to walk back. Link came and found us and brought us home on Epona

There was also a time they found an old peach tree. They were throwing them at the side of his house, when a large raccoon came around the side of it. They ran after it throwing peaches, and Ilia slipped on one. Link carried her back because her ankle hurt, and this was the first time she realized that he was becoming a man. She left this one story out of her collection.

X

"Well as much as I would like my ranch hand around, I'm happy for him. He's not stuck here like we are anymore," Fado said to her one day when she was helping him sheer goats at the pasture.

"That fool is going to get himself killed," she muttered bitterly in response.

He lent her an exasperated sigh. "You don't ever give him enough credit, you know that Ilia?"

The surprise this statement made her speechless for a while. The sound of the clippers was the only thing heard until something finally came out of her mouth.

"He's not the same Link," she sputtered.

No," he corrected, "he's still the same old humble Link. Only… with a bit more skill and…" he paused and looked at her, "and experience. After all, he did save us. And a lot of other people too."

Days had gone by since that conversation, and Ilia found herself wishing he would come back more and more.

Months later found her spending her time sitting at the edge of Hyrule Field, sort of waiting in a way, although she knew he probably wouldn't be coming around every time.

One morning some time after, though, upon walking past Link's tree-house she saw Epona tethered to a post.

The old part of her decided after a moment to take Epona, like she used to do, instead of trying to find Link himself.

I'll make him come to me, she thought. She didn't get very far when Link caught up to her.

"Ilia!" he called. She turned and stood still for him to reach her, and he hugged her. His chest was harder than she remembered and his shift was rough on her forehead. She began to cry into his shoulder, and he didn't flinch once, he just stood there at her disposal, just like he always used to. There was the same compassion but without the feeling that he was completely gone for her.

For once something un-accusatory came out of her mouth. "Are y-you okay?" she said shakily, between heaves.

She felt his arms around her shake and realized he was laughing at her. "Are you?"

She pulled away from him and started walking with Epona again. Link walked beside her. "I'd be fine if it weren't for the constant feeling of abandonment," she joked and at the same time entirely serious.

"Who has abandoned you?" he asked.

She almost called him an idiot, but stopped herself when she realized he was kidding. "Where've you been exactly anyways? I bet you've been running around getting tea for the princess, and fencing with hoity-toity nobles."

He looked at her with a stern eye, almost reprimanding her, and she felt herself an unusual attraction toward him upon realizing he didn't hold her so highly anymore. "I've been living here and there. Princess Zelda has given me a title."

There was a long pause where Ilia only looked at him with her mouth agape.

He blushed as he looked down. "They call me the protector of Hyrule. They call me a hero."

As they walked in silence, Ilia grabbed his hand. He let go soon after.

"Please come home," she said.

"This isn't really my home anymore," he replied softly. Ilia had a sudden cold feeling of loss in her, and then anger right after.

"So you're just going to leave me here?" she cried. "We grew up together, you're just going to forget about me?"

"I could nev-" he began, but was shut up upon having Ilia's lips put fiercely on his. All of his senses told him to push away, but one thing woke up inside of him and told him to relent. And he kissed her after so many times in the past that he wanted but wouldn't let himself. He cupped his hands on the sides of her jaw-line as they continued and she arched her back into him.

He regained himself after a few moments and broke away. Their faces were only inches away. "I-I can't," he trailed off, still holding her face in his hands. She broke out in a whimper, letting her head fall against his chest.

"Please don't let this affect you," he continued nervously, suddenly getting the urge to throw her out of his arms. No one could be in two places at once; he couldn't bare staying in Ordon, and on the other hand he felt too guilty being away. He might have left with a bad impression of her, but he did miss her. Ultimately, there was no compromise for him, and although he wasn't impressed with Ilia these days, he would always love her.

"Link," she laughed pathetically, "you've always been central to my happiness."

And there it was. She admitted it. Never had she caved in to actually articulating her feelings for him. Never once had he received an 'I love you,' or 'you were right,' or even a 'good job.'

He had always felt that she did love him the way he wanted her to, but was somehow embarrassed to admit it. This affirmative took him by surprise; there was not an ounce of that notorious stubbornness in the statement.

Even though this was enough for him to kiss her one more time, it still wouldn't establish his permanent return.

And she knew it, and locked it inside like some secret personal tragedy.

A/N: Please don't hesitate to review!