Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING.

In this story, the Keyblade can open any lock. Deal with it.

The forest temple was just a little creepy to Link. Well, a lot creepy. He had lived in the forest for nearly all the time he could remember- and to think that this place- this strange place that echoed of passed civilizations before, to think it had been there the whole time… it sent a chill down his spine. But, with a new quiver full of arrows and a bow in his hand, he felt slightly more prepared. Only slightly, though. He walked through a door, seeing a short area that was the top of a staircase and there was a picture of a red ghost looking at him. And no, not just staring in the way any portrait would, it saw Link just as much as Link saw it. He knew this because there were three frames, and only one had the ghost in it. And when he got too close to the picture, it would disappear with a laugh. But knowing it was real, and knowing it would leave if he got too close, and knowing he had a bow and a quiver full of arrows, he knew what he had to do.

"You'll have to fight it if you free it." Navi warned.

"I had figured." He pulled back an arrow, and shot. "But I've got to do this."

It hit in the middle of the ghost, and the picture suddenly engulfed itself in flames. Two more shots, and the ghost materialized in front of Link. He had fought Poes before, and one armed with a torch didn't frighten him at all. He was ready, with every sword strike, precise and clean, the ghost was defeated, and the flame traveled from the torch of the Poe, to the torch by the door.

/o\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Sora was confused. He was getting used to waking up in strange new places, but it was always just a bit unnerving how he never knew anything about where he was. After shaking off his dizziness and getting his bearings back, he checked around himself, seeing that his normal companions were nowhere to be found. This wasn't strange, as he hadn't seen them for a while, but going to new worlds, it was always nice to have friends you could count on. He sighed, knowing that couldn't be the case here. Accepting that realization, he was up and looking around the rather strange setting.

It looked like some strange cross between an abandoned church or an old palace, or at least something like that. Next to him, there was an unlit torch and behind him, a door that had a big lock and chains on it. He knew that the keyblade could open any lock, but if someone had gone through the effort, he figured it might be better not to go through. Still reorienting to where he had awoken, he noticed a picture of a blue… thing with eyes- eyes that looked like they were staring right into him. It was holding a torch of some sort. At closer inspection, it looked like a ghost. "Uh-oh. Spooky!" He laughed a little bit, as he walked to the painting, about to touch it.

"HEHEHEHE!" The painting started to fade away.

"Wha-" Sora reeled in surprise. He turned around, seeing another frame with the exact same painting inside. He stared at the painting, and it stared back, as a smile crept across his face. "Well, that's weird…" Sora looked up, as there was another staircase leading to a higher level. He saw another empty frame. He looked to the ghost. "Oh, I get it!" He said looking to the ghost. "You're actually a ghost! Awesome! And you travel between these frames… I probably shouldn't… but sorry. I'm curious." He held out his hand and concentrated on a feeling inside of himself. "Fire!" A ball of fire built in his hand and ejected itself with force toward the painting. He could see the ghost escape as the picture burned. He looked up to the one above, and thrust his hand forward again, and fire flew. Then, he turned around, seeing the ghost only inches from himself. "There. Now you're trapped." He crossed his arms. "That was probably kinda mean of me." He tilted his head at the ghost. "Well, it would be, if I couldn't tell that you're up to something…" He stared, and could feel the eyes staring back. "So let's get you out of there." He held out a hand on fire and set the painting ablaze. Suddenly, in front of him, the ghost materialized, with blue flame on its torch, and it flew down the stairs. Sora followed it quickly, curiously. The ghost looked at him, then flew close, swinging its torch wildly. Sora backed up and let it pass, evading with ease as he held out his hand, and let the power of the keyblade materialize around it. He held out the blade to the ghost, bringing it down with a strong slash that collided and made the ghost give a shrill cry. The ghost threw its hands up, and then held completely still. Then, the lantern fell to the ground, and the fire disappeared from the torch, and reappeared by the torch of the door. The moment became remarkably quiet.

He put his hand over the blue flame, feeling its warmth. "Wow. Ghosts. So... haunted house?" He scratched his head between two spikes of hair. Then, he bounced on his feet lightly. "Man, a world with ghosts!" He ran back up the stairs, eager to find out what else was in the world for him to see.

/o\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Satisfied with his work, Link sheathed his sword and grinned a bit, crossing his arms. "Alright- and that torch looks just like the one in the foyer. I bet it's lit there too."

"So now what?" Navi asked.

"Well, there was the other side of the room upstairs, right?" He said, pulling out the map he had found of the dungeon. "Where I beat the stalfos."

"Just be careful. You know, this place just gives me the creeps." Navi said, as Link walked up the stairs. He opened the door. Suddenly, a noise rushed to his ears. It was the noise of an opening door- but it wasn't the one he had opened, it was across the room. He looked, across, immediately meeting a stare. Navi followed, through the door, as Link left it open, staring back at the other.

A boy, that was certain. Younger than Link, that too was certain, but not by much. Maybe a year or two- but with Link's accelerated age, Link wasn't sure if he should feel younger or older than him. He, like Link, had eyes that were blue as the sky, but that was where their similarities ended. He wore strange colorful clothes, with blues, blacks, reds, and yellows mixed in. Altogether, he was a bit of a spectacle, but Link's first reaction didn't hold any of that in any sort of regard. "Who are you- and what are you doing here?" He asked almost harshly.

Then, the boy did something that for whatever reason, Link didn't expect. He smiled. "Uh- Sorry!" He laughed, seemingly a bit embarrassed. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be here… You look like you know what's going on, do you think you could point me out of here?"

Link stared for a second. "Wait- how did you even get here in the first place? I don't know how anyone who's not Kokiri could. Everyone gets lost in the woods…"

"I honestly have no clue what you're talking about."

"Wait, you're not just a trick of the forest temple, are you?"

"Temple?" He asked, looking above and at the ceiling. "This place is a temple?"

Link frowned, a bit frustrated. "Okay…" He rubbed his face. "Look, can you just tell me what you do know?"

"Sure! My name is Sora. I might say that I'm lost, but… you know, lost sort of implies that I got knocked off track from a destination, which I don't have, so… I'm wandering, I guess."

"Wandering." Link repeated, with a hint of disbelief. "So you have no idea where you are?"

"Yeah- which sucks, but you know- it can be more fun that way. So, I guess I can help you if you need it. Can I help you?"

Link raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that I would need help with something?"

Sora blinked at him a few times. "What?"

"I'm asking why you think I need someone else?"

"Well… You've got a sword on your back, and I think that's a shield there too. A quiver at your side and a bow in your hand. You look busy. All I'm saying is that maybe I can help- however you need it. Or not, I just thought I'd offer."

"I'm in a dangerous line of work here."

"I figured. You're breathing weapons locker!"

"I mean, look, I just had to slay a Poe to restore a fire to the temple, and that's not near the most dangerous thing that I've had to do."

"Poe? Those ghosts are called Poes?"

Link nodded. "Yeah. You didn't know?"

Sora laughed, but Link didn't know why. Then, the strange boy smiled. "Yeah, I beat one of those ghosts too."

Link curiously raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"The ghost. I beat one."

"How-? What did it look like?"

"With my blade, and it was blue and ghosty."

"Really? So you can handle yourself pretty well?"

Sora nodded quickly. "I sure can."

"Then… maybe you and I can help each other."

The brown haired boy nodded with a smirk. "That was the plan. What's your name?"

"I'm Link."

"Alright."

"And this is Navi. My fairy." He pointed to a floating white light next to him.

"Fairies and ghosts?" Sora clapped his hands together. "Ah, man! This place is neat!"

Link stared, still a bit confused.

"Okay, so what are we looking for?" Sora asked, walking over to Link with a grin.

"There are two more ghosts around. We need to find them."

Sora nodded. "What for?"

"It's… weird. I'm trying to find my friend, but I have to find these ghosts first."

"Oh." Sora frowned a little bit. "I've been on big searches for friends before. Don't worry, we'll find them."

"Thanks. So, how much ground have you covered?"

"Really, just that staircase over there."

"Let's check it out."

Link started over to the other side of the room, and Sora followed. Link opened the door and went inside. "Huh- looks just like the other side."

"Is that bad?"

"No, just saying."

"So, with fairies and ghosts and stuff, magic's something that you know about, right?"

"Huh?"

"Magic- it's real, right?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Just making sure I don't freak anyone out, is all." He explained as they walked down the stairs. "Sometimes people freak out when I use magic. I usually try to make sure it's a thing before I use it."

"Oh." Link pretended to not be confused. "Um… I haven't seen a lot of people that know how to use it. Really just me."

"Well, I can too!"

"Noted. But it can cause a reaction around towns…" At the bottom of the stairs, Link stopped and sighed, looking at the locked door. "Dang it."

"What?" Sora asked.

"Locked door…" He pointed. "And I don't know if I have any more keys."

"Oh, I can get it open."

"You can?"

"For sure." He held out his hand, and much to Link's surprise, tendrils of light started to wrap around his hand, forming the shape of a giant key that solidified into gold with silver at his fingers. He pointed it at the lock, and light shot from Sora's blade to the lock, making the lock tremor and fall to the ground, along with its chains. Sora looked over to Link, who frankly, looked impressed.

"Wow." He smiled. "That's helpful."

Sora hoisted the blade over his shoulder. "Shall we?"

They walked through the door. "How'd you do that?" Navi asked.

"I just can." He told the fairy. "I don't really much know how it works, but I don't mind it."

"I mean, really though. That's really helpful," Link reiterated.

"I'm glad."

The door had led them to a balcony, which Sora promptly looked over. He looked down, seeing the small river, the trees, the Deku Baba, which at the moment was still, and other greens. "It looks like a forest."

"That's because this is the forest temple." Link said, obviousness laced in his voice.

Sora nodded in understanding. "Oh… Okay."

"Did you not wander into the forest?"

Sora looked over. "Sorry. I must have forgot."

"It's okay." With how helpful Sora was turning out to be, Link knew he would be stupid not to let that issue go. Link looked to a neighboring balcony, where there was a target above, and a switch below. He pulled out his hookshot and aimed. Suddenly, the chain fired and locked, pulling Link to the other side. He heard Sora shout something along the lines of 'Whoa!' as he landed.

"That was awesome, Link!" Sora grabbed the banister on the balcony and hung over it. "Seriously!"

"It helps- a lot." He nodded.

He hit the switch, and then, they could hear the sound of water draining. Sora looked over the balcony, seeing a well running dry. "That's gonna make whoever lives here mad…"

"No one lives here. Don't worry." He climbed the banister and perched on it. "You good at jumping long distances?"

"We'll see!" He got on his balcony, ready to jump.

The two jumped down, and landed in the courtyard below. Link rolled, but Sora landed on his feet, with extra support from an arm. Landing that hard looked painful, but Sora got up, looking to be okay. Link, still trying not to look a gift horse in the mouth nodded at him. "Here, follow me." Link waved him to follow. He guided him down the well, through it, up the other side, through door and corridors, somewhat quickly. "See, the thing is, I came here to find a friend, but when I got here, these ghosts took away the flames on these torches, which made this thing that goes up and down between levels go away."

"An elevator?"

"Sure, you can call it that." Link nodded.

"That all sounds pretty complicated."

Link shrugged. "It wouldn't be if you had seen it. So, the point was that I had to find these ghosts before I could find my friend, right?"

"Yeah."

"Problem was that only certain ways were available to me to get through." He opened a door, and led Sora into a rather large room. Inside the room, there were two lit torches. Red and blue. "Yeah, I was right! See, we beat those ghosts, and now their flames are back."

Sora nodded.

"Anyway, there were only certain ways I could go because doors were locked. And every time I found a key, turning it broke the key."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, so basically, I've been looking up and down for keys just to get a little further here. The only assurance that I had to know that I could get further was that to each locked door, there had to be a key on my side that had locked it, right?"

"Right."

"But now- with you- I don't have to search for those keys, because you can just open these doors!"

"And we can find your friend faster!" Sora clapped his hands together.

"Exactly. You don't mind right?"

"Not at all. I love to help."

"Alright, thanks- really- I… I don't know where you're from, but you're a big help right now. Okay, so we need to find the other two ghosts." He started up a small set of stairs, where there was a locked door at the top.

Sora tapped the lock with his giant key, and it fell to the ground. Link smiled again, and they went inside. It was a somewhat large room. Or maybe not large, but empty. All there was in the room was a painting of the green ghost. "Alright! Here's another!" Link pulled out his bow and knocked an arrow, then let it fly.

It collided with the painting, making it rise in flames. Suddenly, five blocks fell to the ground.

"Huh?" Link looked at them, confused.

Sora's eyes widened. "Push them together, right?"

"What?"

"There's a picture of the ghost- push them together- but the one in the middle, push it out."

"Oh… okay!" Link agreed and started working. "Navi, watch from above, make sure we're doing it right!"

Navi flew up. "Will do!"

The two pushed the blocks together with instruction from the fairy, forming a picture on the top side, and then, the blocks disintegrated, leaving only the figure of the ghost, which suddenly, started to hurl itself at Link. Link was fast though, and had his sword drawn. He swung with force at it, striking it back, where Sora met it with another swipe. That seemed to be all it would take. It fell to the ground, defeated.

The flame lit up in the torch by the door, burning bright green. Sora hoisted his key on his shoulder, as if congratulating himself on a job well done, while Link sheathed his sword. "Now where?" Sora asked.

Link shrugged. "I guess back to the foyer."

Sora followed Link back going through the small hallway and through the first door. Down in the middle, Link saw the last Poe. The purple one. It was waiting for them.

"Here we go, Sora." Link said, pointing to it and drawing his sword.

The two jumped down, cornering the Purple Poe, but as they approached, it started to move in a strange, almost hazy way, and then, another Poe- exactly the same in every way appeared next to it. From those two- two more appeared quickly. Four Poes surrounded the two warriors.

However, they weren't frightened. They held their blades and went back to back. "Keep two in your sight, and attack when you get an opening." Link told Sora.

"Right!"

One Poe lunged forward at Sora with its lantern in hand. He evaded and swiped, but it phased through, and the Poe disappeared.

"They're fakes!" Sora called out.

Link swiped his sword at one, and it collided, and he heard a cry of pain, and all other Poes suddenly faded. "All but one are at least- look for something that gives away the true one!"

Four Poes surrounded them again, all in identical motion. Sora looked close at them, but could hardly see any difference. "They look the same!"

Link looked at the two in front of him, looking for anything- but then he realized, the secret was in its eyes. Three had a dead stare, and the other had a stronger light behind it. He swiped at the ghost, and it cried, and the others were gone. "The eyes- look in the eyes!"

Sora watched as the ghosts appeared in front of him, seeing one with brighter eyes. "Gotcha!" He slashed at it.

The ghost gave a cry of finality at the contact of Sora's blade and dropped its lantern. Purple flame escaped the lantern as it shattered and reappeared on the torch.

Link and Sora took a short breath. The blonde looked up to the torches, while Sora crossed his arms. "Well, that's all of them right?" Sora asked. "What now?"

"Well I-"

Link's answer was cut off by a sudden rumbling, as the middle of the room started to rise up, forming a small structure that was big enough to hold a person… or two.

"Oh, that's it!" Sora said with a grin, pointing to the structure. "That's the elevator?"

"Yeah. That's what I was looking for." Link stepped in, and Sora took his spot at the same time. As they stepped in, the elevator started to fall, and they went down, into the deepest part of the temple.

The elevator stopped in front of a massive door- one with a golden lock on it. It was a bit of an intimidating sight, and laced with a touch of finality that the two of them could both feel.

Sora tapped the lock and it fell to the ground, and the two stood in front of it, ready.

"Well…" Sora started, breaking the short silence between them. "Let's go." He walked forward, then was suddenly felt a sudden pain, like a shock running through his body as he was thrown back- colliding with a barrier of darkness in front of him that he only saw as he touched it.

"Whoa!" Link kneeled at Sora's side as he lay on the ground. "Are you okay?"

Sora sat up quickly and coughed. "Yeah- yeah it's fine. But I can't go in."

"… what?"

"Just- sometimes- sometimes these barriers show up and I can't get past them until something happens. It's never a problem with people who are… local. Usually it happens when I'm about to have a big fight- these… barriers that keep me locked into a place… I always used to think that it was whoever I was about to fight that did it- but… I think it's actually just the world telling me not to interfere." He frowned. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to go it alone from here."

Link's heart sank a bit. "Will… will I see you again?"

Sora stared, then grinned. "Link- I'll just wait up at the top of the elevator, alright? Go do whatever you need to do."

Link nodded, feeling a bit better. "Okay. Good. Thanks for all the help, Sora. I have to go find my friend."

Sora nodded and watched Link go through the door, waving as it shut behind him.

/o\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Waiting for Link, Sora got a bit bored and resolved to explore the temple a bit. He found a hallway that made him extremely dizzy, a tremendous chessboard that was more dangerous than he thought- but finally, he found a way out, and enjoyed the sunlight and feeling of being outside again.

He sat at the top of the broken staircase, kicking his feet back and forth, when suddenly, at the middle of a strange hexagonal structure that sat in the middle of the area, a light from the sky appeared. Sora looked up, seeing Link descend from the sky, landing gently on his feet. Sora jumped down to him and gave a grin. "Hey! I was almost starting to get worried!" He paused for a short moment. "So how'd you just do that light thing? That was neat."

"I was just… transported back from this place… the sacred realm…" He said softly. "It's like a… place between worlds."

Sora looked almost afraid to ask. "Was your friend there?"

He nodded. "And she's staying there. She said that from there, she could lend her power to me."

Sora pat his shoulder. "You alright?"

Link nodded again, but he was almost shaking. "But… I-I need to keep moving. There's a lot more I need to get done… Gotta keep going." He turned.

"Link." Sora grabbed his arm. "Look, I know we sort of just met, but you can talk to me."

Link sighed. "I dunno. I just thought I was a kid… you know?"

"Totally."

"And I've been thrown into this fight that's… so much bigger than me. Can you imagine… the fate of the world… It's resting on me. Can you imagine that pressure?"

Sora nodded. "I understand."

"And my friends are just sort of disappearing. My best friend- she's in the realm of spirits, and she's not coming back. It's just been hard, alright?"

The spiky haired boy nodded once more. "Yeah. Link, I get it."

Link scoffed. "No you don't."

Sora frowned at that.

"You have no clue of all the things I've been through- I've lost everything, and everyone depends on me now. There's no way you can just keep nodding at me, in all sincerity and tell me you get it! So shut up! Shut up!"

"Link!" Sora grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Link, you need to relax! Because I do know where you're coming from. I know, because I'm going through the same stuff. Listen. There's a reason that my ears are round and yours aren't." He smiled gently, as Link's eyes looked over to the sides of his head, noticing that no pointed ears protruded from his spiky brown hair. They were rounded. Link was a bit surprised he hadn't noticed before. "It's because I'm not from here," Sora continued. "I'm from really far away. And I mean far. But I found friends, and they taught me that no matter how far gone I am, I still have people who care about me, so whatever situation I'm in could be worse somehow. I'm trying to be that to you. I'm trying to be that friend you need."

Link said nothing for a moment. "Didn't you say you were wandering?"

"Not by choice. Link, I know exactly how you feel. Don't shove me away. That's silly. I'm just trying to help. Believe me- I know the pressure of having a world's fate depend on you. I know the pressure. I even know the sadness that comes when you fail."

Link stared at Sora, who looked more serious than ever. For a moment, he considered that maybe there was a lot more to him than he was showing.

Sora grinned weakly, "but I also know that there's hope, even at the end of that tunnel. So when I say that I do understand, I hope that you know that I mean it. So what's going on?"

"My friend sort of… just passed away."

Sora frowned, and pat Link on the back. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Because she's not really dead, really. She's in the other world- the sacred realm, helping me."

"You know, even death can't stop friends from being together. Precious memories, that love that exists there, and your desire to be with them, can cross any barrier."

He nodded. "I needed to hear that right now."

"Cool."

"Right… well, I guess we should go to Kakariko Village. You're willing to tag along, right?"

"Of course."

"Right. So, lets go…"

Sora followed Link through the trees, stepping over twigs, roots, and avoiding the gaze of other creatures that lived there. It was pretty normal for Link to see scrubs, but Sora immediately grabbed Link's shoulder and pointed at one. "What's that?" He asked with a big smile.

"It's a Deku Scrub. Don't worry about them. If you don't get too close, they won't hurt you."

"Oh." Sora nodded in understanding. "Are there a lot of those?"

"Just in the forest." Link said, as they reached a clearing. It was one he had walked many times in his life, but it left Sora's eyes wide, and his mouth hanging open.

"Whoa…" Sora marveled at the massive tree in front of him. "That's the biggest tree that I've ever seen!"

"It's…" Link suddenly looked sad.

"Dead." Sora said.

Link hit Sora on the stomach with the back of his hand. "Sh. Have some respect."

"Ow. Okay. Sorry. I didn't know it was sacred."

"It is. Or, it was. The Great Deku Tree was a guardian to the forest spirits who live here. It spoke to them, and taught them how to live." He continued walking on.

"Like, actually talk?" Sora followed at his side.

"Yeah."

"Really? That's awesome." Sora said, easing his hands into his pockets. "Do trees talk often?"

"No, it's just the Great Deku Tree. You should know that trees don't usually talk, Sora."

"Oh, I just thought I'd ask since I'm not from- WHOA!" He shouted suddenly, as he fell to the ground.

Link turned around, seeing Sora lying on his stomach, before he got up quickly.

"That's embarrassing…" He muttered. "Tripped over a root."

"A root?" Link asked, looking back on their path. "I've never seen a root here before…" He looked down to the root that Sora had tripped on. He bent down and reached for it, and- "AHH!" Link shouted as he was thrown to his back by the huge mound of wood that had erupted from the ground.

Sora looked over the situation. He looked at the thing that had sprouted from the ground, and how it had a face that was staring at the embarrassed pointy-eared man on the ground, then proceeded to double over, laughing.

Link grumbled, then looked to the face on the wood, and his eyes widened. "Hello! I'm the Great Deku Tree sprout." It said cheerfully.

Link got to his feet, while Sora was still gasping for air between laughs. "Sprout?"

"That's right. Because of your work, I can grow up to become a guardian to the forest. You did a great job clearing out the evil in the temple. Way to go!"

"Well, I didn't do it alone."

"Of course."

As if on cue, Sora poked the side of the tree. "Talking tree."

"Yes." The sprout said.

"Can you feel this?" Sora had a smirk on his face as he continued to poke the tree."

"Yes. Yes I can."

"Can every tree?"

"Yep."

"Whooooaaaaaaaa." Sora's eyes widened. "I'm never, ever, ever, going to cut down a tree."

"Anyway, back to the matters at hand." The sprout looked back to Link. "You may be wondering why you grew up, but no one else in the forest did. That's because, as you may have guessed, that you're not a Kokiri. You're a Hylian, Link!"

Link nodded. "I had guessed, honestly."

"It was long ago. The land had erupted in a terrible civil war. A soldier died in battle protecting his wife, who was bearing a child. She rushed into the forest for protection, and in giving birth to a baby boy, passed away, with the final wish that the Great Deku Tree would watch over him."

Link nodded.

"See, you were always destined to leave the forest, Link. You were always supposed to be the hero to save this world from evil. So go, and stop Ganon, Hero of Time!"

Link looked at Sora, who seemed to be watching Link now, more than the sprout. With a sigh, Link nodded to the Sprout. "I will."

It was only minutes later that Link was walking across a bridge with Sora behind him, following with a grin on his face and his fingers locked behind his head. "Hero of Time?" He asked.

"It's the title for the wielder of the Master Sword." Navi explained, flying next to Sora. "Legends say that the hero bears the blade of evil's bane to cleanse the earth of darkness, and send it back into the sacred realm to be locked away forever."

Sora's big eyes panned over to Navi, then back to Link. "And… Ganon's this evil?"

"Yeah." Link agreed. "He's the evil. He's the shadow. He ransacked and destroyed the castle town, and made Hyrule a terrible place under his rule. Luckily, just about everyone made it out alive, but… I don't know. It's just…" He stopped. "Ever have some place you loved- just destroyed."

Sora nodded.

"Yeah…"

Sora nodded with him, then pat his shoulder. "Hey. You and I have been through a lot, right? Let's get to this Kakariko Village and relax just a bit."

Link nodded. "That might do us well. I need to come to grips with everything that has happened…"

"I know how you feel."

So... this is my first published story, and I'd appreciate feedback... or a comment- ANYTHING. Please? I'll love you forever.