Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda. =(

Hey! This is my first fanfiction so don't be too harsh on me! (Please!) This is a Malon and Link story so Zelda fans beware and please don't leave any flames (I'm afraid of them!) =*(. However, I might be nice enough to make her character dynamic and have her go through an important change later on in the story.

Oh yeah, I'm really slow when it comes to updating so don't expect to see a new chapter in about a month or two (he he). I know that it's summer but I'm planning to take a summer session for and my biology teacher assigned 8 chapters for us to study. He also told us to write a 10 paged report after telling us to "have a good summer." =( I hope that I've convinced you enough for being a slow updater. Eeeeek--well, enjoy my story all you Malink fans out there!

Note: The title might not be relevant for the first chapter but it will be in future. Don't worry you'll know soon enough.

Something in *blank* is what Malon is thinking.

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THE MISSING PIGMENT IN MY LIFE: Chapter 1

"I wonder what Link is doing right now."

Malon sighed to herself as she replayed past memories of her moments with Link in her mind. She was all alone in the ranch because her father, Talon, went to deliver some milk.

She remembered the time when Link confessed his true feelings for her. Her mind drifted back into the past--

________________________________________________________________________

~Flashback~

It was a cloudy day and Malon had her mind set on shopping at the town's market. She was looking for a new scarf to replace the old rugged one that she had since childhood. She wanted a new one because she saw Zelda wearing a white satin one with roses embroidered on one corner. It matched her flawless creamy complexion beautifully and she was envied her. Zelda was beautiful and had all the qualities to mesmerize any man she wanted, including Link.

Malon opened her window and peered out at the grey sky.

"Hmm…looks like it might rain today. I think I'll bring a jacket incase."

She took a hooded jacket from her closet, some money from her bank jar, and put her boots on. Malon decided to walk to the town's square since her father took the milk wagon with him .

*Maybe Link will notice me when I have a new scarf*

She glanced down at her old boots and scowled at all the patches she had sewn onto them.

"Looks like I need new boots too."

~Later~

"The town doesn't seem to be very crowded today--maybe it's the weather."

"Are you looking for scarves, miss? It looks like you need a new one."

Malon turned around and saw a middle-aged woman standing behind a table with scarves folded neatly on it. The scarves were organized according to the order of the colours of the rainbow spectrum, with black and white concentrated on one side.

"Can I help you with anything, Miss?"

The saleswoman forced a plastic smile on her face.

"I'm looking for a white satin scarf with little roses embroidered on one corner."

"You must've seen princess Zelda recently," said the saleswoman.

"How did you know?"

"Oh--I don't know, maybe because almost every young woman in Hyrule had asked me for that same scarf after they saw the princess wearing it!" said the woman in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh-- well, do you have one?" Malon asked her desperately.

"Well, let me see first."

The woman took out a hidden box from underneath the table and rummaged through it for the scarf.

Malon tried to peer over the top flap of the cardboard box but the woman quickly closed it.

"Here we are! Just one more left!"

Malon examined the scarf. It was pearly-white and had small roses embroidered on one corner. The colour of the roses resembled red wine and it contrasted the whiteness of the scarf perfectly.

"This scarf—it's perfect!" Malon exclaimed.

"How much is it?"

"700 rupees."

"WHAT! Why is it so expensive?"

"Hmm… I wonder why?" the lady rolled her eyes and said, "Maybe because princess Zelda has the exact same one and almost every woman in Hyrule wants it!"

Malon asked the woman, "How about selling it to me for 550 rupees?"

The woman shook her head and said, "No! Of course I can't sell it to you for such a low price—I'll lose business like that!"

Malon heard a faint giggle in the distant and saw a couple walking together. They seemed familiar to her but she couldn't make out their faces. She started to drift away into a fantasy, where she and Link were like the happy couple she had just seen.

"Miss?"

The saleswoman waved her hand up and down at her spaced-out customer. Malon snapped back into reality and shook her head lightly.

"Are you okay?" asked the woman.

It seemed that the saleswoman did have some compassion for her customers after all.

Malon heard another giggle just like the one earlier, but it was louder and less faint this time. She turned around and saw Princess Zelda with Link—LINK!?

*Why is Link with Zelda?*

Zelda spotted Malon at the scarf stand and quickly pulled Link along to "greet" her.

"Oh! Hello Malon!"

Zelda flashed a plastic smile that was similar to saleswoman's—only it was more evil.

"Hey! Isn't that the scarf that I have?"

"Yeah, this young woman here wanted the same scarf that you had, just like all the other girls in Hyrule. She was trying to bargain with me and asked me to sell it to her for a lower price. Heh! She must be another one of those cheap girls! Ha ha!" the saleswoman laughed.

*What!?*

Malon's face turned beet red and Zelda started giggling at her.

"Well, if this scarf is so popular then why do you still have a box full of them?"

Malon turned around to meet the eyes of the man whose familiar voice had just saved her from eternal embarrassment.

*Link*

Link smiled sweetly at her and made her melt like an ice cube on a hot plate.

The saleswoman was speechless and ashamed after her secret had been exposed. She had been hiding a box full of white satin scarves with embroidered roses all along. All that "rummaging" through the box and shouting had just been an act to make it look like she only had one left.

Zelda's countenance drooped to show disappointment.

"What? You told me that there were only a few of these scarves in Hyrule and that I was one of the few people who owned one!" yelled Zelda.

The saleswoman was speechless once again.

"Well, I'm still the richest and most beautiful woman in Hyrule anyway. At least, I don't have to imitate people when it comes to fashion!" Zelda remarked with extreme confidence.

Zelda tried to make it obvious that she was talking about Malon. In fact, Zelda was a little jealous of Malon because of her close friendship with Link. She had invited Link to many outings in the past and he had given her many excuses for not going. She actually believed him at first, until she caught him with Malon on the same days when they were supposed to go out.

"Malon, you don't just need a new scarf, you need a new wardrobe! But you're probably too cheap to even afford one. No wonder you're still single; who would want a girl like you?"

Malon's eyes started to swell up and she tried to hold her tears back. She can't lose to Zelda and she certainly can't be mocked by her when Link is there to observe the whole conversation! A single tear rolled down her cheek and she tried to blink it away. Her eyelashes became clumped with tears as more drops slid down her soft cheeks.

Zelda walked away and sneered at Link for helping Malon.

"Malon, are you okay?" asked Link. "Don't worry, Zelda didn't really mean what she said."

Link gave her another heart-melting smile.

Malon felt like a fool and she wanted to hide from the world. She had never felt so embarrassed before and having Link witness the whole event made her heart ache. She wanted Link to comfort her and erase all that just happened, but she couldn't—she was too embarrassed to look him in the eye.

"Malon…"

"No, leave me alone! I want to be by myself right now!" cried Malon.

She started to run away with both of her hands covering her tear-streaked face. She ran out of the town's gates and into Hyrule field. A drop of water on slid down her face but it wasn't a teardrop—it was rain. The light drizzling started to grow denser and soon the tiny raindrops became bullets, each collision stung her delicate skin.

Malon's hair was soaked and it was no longer auburn, but a very dark chestnut brown that matched her mood at the moment.

She ran to a nearby tree for shelter, crouched down, and hugged her knees tightly. The air was freezing and her hands were numb from the icy rain droplets. Her embarrassing moment kept replaying over and over in her mind even though she didn't want it to. She ridiculed herself for being so daft and actually wanting something that belonged to Zelda, her tormentor.

~A few minutes pass by~

Malon's eyes were tired from all the weeping and she needed a nap. She rested her back against a tree trunk, and then waited for her nap to come and rescue her from her miserable day.

~Later~

"Malon!"

Malon thought she heard Link's voice.

*Am I dreaming?*

"Malon! Wake up!"

She rubbed her tired eyes and opened them to see if she was actually dreaming.

It wasn't a dream--Link was staring straight at her. The piercing gaze of his sapphire eyes startled her and made her heart skip a beat.

"L—Link! Why are you here?"

"Malon, why are YOU here?"

"I don't know--I wanted to be alone."

"Oh, you want to be alone--I guess I'll go away then."

"No! Don't!"

Link grinned and looked at Malon as if he were saying, "I knew it!"

"Malon, don't be sad because of what Zelda and the saleswoman said. She was wrong when she said that you were just like all the other girls in Hyrule because you're not—you're unique."

"Really?"

"You have to trust me! I've known for so long and just staring into your eyes is enough to convince me even further; I've never met anyone with eyes more comforting and radiant as yours."

Malon felt very relieved after hearing those words come from Link.

Link pulled out a scarf from his empty wallet. It was off-white with a hint of pink and had some tiny gems on all four of the corners. It was even more beautiful and elegant than the one that Zelda had.

Malon was speechless.

"This time I made sure that it was a rare one," Link assured.

Malon couldn't find words to express her joy and just gave Link a hug.

Link was shocked by Malon's reaction but hugged her back anyway.

"Malon, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

Link hesitated for a moment but finally found the courage to speak.

"Malon, we've been friends for so long and well--"

"Well, what?" Malon said eagerly.

"I think I kind of like you but not like-like as in like-LIKE as in like-like--"

"Huh?"

"Malon, what I'm trying says is that can't we ever be more than just 'close friends'?" .

Malon remained silent because she couldn't think of what to say. She was absolutely in love with Link and she had never wanted anything else but for their relationship to be more than just a yellow rose, plain old friendship. However, she wanted to have more time to think about it because she wasn't exactly sure if it was right. What if something negative will happen to their relationship in the future, and even the friendship that they have now will be lost forever.

"Link, I don't really know how to answer you. I really like you too but I need more time to think about it. I hope that you can understand."

Link was disappointed because he thought that Malon had felt the same way about him. He looked down at the grass and felt like a fool for confessing his feelings to somebody who didn't even feel the same way.

~End of Flashback~

______________________________________________________

It was just a month ago since Link confessed his feelings to her.

Malon missed Link terribly and hadn't seen him since last month. She couldn't sleep for several nights because she was thinking about what to say to him the next time they meet.

"I'm home!"

*Dad's back!*

Talon pulled the milk wagon up the hill and parked it beside the corral. He looked like a bog monster, covered in manure mixed with cucco feathers.

"Malon, there's a hole—wait—one, two, three--there are hole-S on my jacket sleeve. Do you have the time to help me mend them?"

"What on Hyrule have YOU been doing?"

"He he--I was throwing pebbles at the cuccos again," Talon said nervously.

Malon sighed and rolled her eyes. She was more like a mother than a daughter to Talon.

"Yeah, I guess I do have time to mend your jacket."

"I promise that it'll never--ever happen again okay, sugarpuff," Talon promised with his fingers crossed behind his back.

Malon walked up to her room and searched for her sewing box.

"Hmm-- I thought I left it on my desk last time."

She stood on the tip of her toes and slid her hand across the top of her bookcase to see if her sewing box was there. Her hand brushed against something silky and it fell off the shelf; the beautiful scarf which Link had given her fell and landed gently onto the floor.

She picked up the scarf and ran her hand across its silky surface, trying to smooth the creases out. Malon walked to her mirror and tied the scarf around her neck. The scarf looked gorgeous on her and she started to remember the day when she got it.

*Link!*

Malon felt a dull ache in her heart.

"Why did I hesitate on that day? I'm so stupid! I have to tell Link that I'm in love with him too!"

(Clack!)

"What was that?!"

It sounded like a pebble had collided with the thin glass of her window. Malon opened her window saw Link holding a handful of pebbles.

"Hey, Malon!"

"Link! I have something to tell you!"

~To be continued~

I hope that you liked reading my first chapter! Stay tuned if you want to read more of this. Remember, this is my first fanfic so don't be too harsh.=)