He had spent days trying to make it through this temple... But Woodfall Temple proved to be a tough nut to crack. Luckily, he had his ocarina. So when it's said days have passed, It means the same day over and over again. He'd messed up so many times and had to turn back time so many times, that he'd now gotten used to the layout of Woodfall Temple. He always had Tatl, a fairy he met recently, on him about how he needed to get his act together... She was always nagging at him, but he tolerated it.

Ever since he came to Termina, He had to repeat days because of how little time he had to save it. Three days to save an entire country from a falling moon is... A lot, to say the least. And it's a rather boring cycle to have to reset time over and over. Any friendships he made just don't matter in the end... He remembers everything, but no one else does.

This boy, this hero, was named Link. He currently had two forms. His true, human form. And his deku form, which he could take while donning the deku mask. The deku mask was an interesting item which he gained after the Skullkid's curse had been lifted from him. For a while, Link was stuck as a deku because of this curse. He never quite thought much of deku before, but now that he had to live in one's shoes, he learned they really don't have life easy at all... He's starting to grow some respect for them.

Anyway, back to the temple... Our hero had just finished the temple and defeated Odolwa- the evil jungle warrior whom had been causing the poison in the swamps. With defeating Odolwa, Link had freed a deity giant from imprisonment. He felt he was finally making real progress now.

Time passed, and Link found himself inside a room in the Temple after rescuing the giant. This is where Tatl finally apologized to Link for how she'd been treating him. Link accepted the apology and began to walk out of the temple... That is... Until he heard a faint sound at the back of the room from the giant tree. This room was circular with some plants lining the edges of the room. Back center was the giant tree, which had a doorway shaped hole blocked off with thorned vines. Link ran up to the wall of vines and began pulling on areas where there were no thorns, and was ripping them off. Once they were clear enough to get through, he spotted a lone female deku inside.

With a stare, she seemed to lighten up when realizing it was another deku. A rather oddly dressed one at that. She wore a beautiful gown of red and white leaves which grew from her. Her long leafy green hair was pulled up high so not to drag on the ground. She wore a crown made of gold and lined with white and purple petals. And what appeared to be earrings, hung off the sides of her head. Though, dekus had no visible ears, so whether this was an accessory or body-grown was unknown. She wore tribal make up. Some red on her cheeks and white dots where her eyebrows would be.

"Wha-? Who are you?" she asked, looking the deku boy over.
The boy was usually a silent fellow, but he answered "I'm Link."
Her leafy bangs twitched cutely as she repeated his name "Link?" she paused, then added "Pleased to meet you. I am the Deku princess." she held her leafy-sleaved hand to her face. Link was used to dekus being aggressive and rude, but this one was different. All the dekus in Termina seemed to have somewhat better natures than those in Hyrule, but the deku princess was the most polite he'd seen aside from the deku butler at the palace.
"Were you, by chance, asked by that monkey to come save me?" she asked.

Link gave a silent nod with a light smile which would only be conveyed in his eyes, to which the deku princess answered back to. "Aha! Just as I suspected! You see, your body smells a little bit like monkey."
Link have a low chuckle. He'd never known much about deku personally; they must've had excellent senses of smell if she could smell the monkey that strongly from where she was. Then again, he currently WAS a deku, and he himself had noticed some heightened senses... But it just connected in his head that it was his deku form which gave him this ability.
The princess looked relieved "So... The monkey made it back fine after all. That's good."
She went bouncing out of the tree happily, with Link walking behind her.
"I was worried that when I didn't come home, my father would think that monkey kidnapped me!" she seemed nervous saying this at first, and continued "I was worried that my father would even go so far as to punish the poor monkey!" she gave a disbelieving chuckle at the end.

"Um... Well, you see Princess..." Link began.
She stopped where she was, freezing for a moment before whipping back to look at Link. "... Don't tell me..."
The look on the deku boy's face seemed to answer the question anyway... She began again, sounding shocked "Is father actually doing that?!" she began to sound angry- "Yet another hasty decision, father!" she looked down for a while, shaking her fists and growling with a squeak. Suddenly, in a hurry, her head flew up to look Link in the face. "W-well, we haven't any time to lose... Quickly Mr. Link, we need to get to the Palace right away!"

Link gave a nod in agreement, and they began out of the temple. Leaving Woodfall, they climbed down to the swamp below and headed for the palace in haste so the monkey would not be tortured any longer. Or worse- kill him.
They went inside the palace to see the horrifying view of the burning cauldron over the pit of fire in the center of the room, where they would dip the monkey if he did not tell the truth on where the princess was. However truthful he was though, the king did not believe him... When Link and the Princess entered the room, the king stopped everything, showing great relief that his daughter was safe. However, the princess finally began to show that deku temper, and she tackled the king and jumped up and down on him angrily, then turned to the guards in the room, shouting "Let that monkey go this instant!" with great order and ferocity. The guards all shook at her anger, and let the innocent monkey go.

All was normal on this mission for Link... Till now. While he'd noticed he often had different thoughts and feelings while wearing the deku mask, there was a... Strange feeling, that he did not recognize. As he saw the princess put things in order, he could only stare. What was it about her that seemed so familiar? He'd never met her. An almost affectionate feeling was creeping up in his mind, before he shook his head and scolded himself in thought "Wha-, no, Link, what's wrong with you!?"

Now Link was wanting to hurry and go as fast as he could. He wasn't quite sure what made him look at the princess the way he suddenly was... Like an old friend. Or... More. She was gorgeous, the perfect deku. He then scolded himself again "Yes, a deku.". He started to wonder if he was losing his mind. He was having conflicting thoughts, like practically two minds arguing against each other. One resented the feelings, the other accepted them... Tatl came flying out of his hat, feeling the weird motions of him shaking his head.
"Geez, what's going on out here!?" she complained. "Get ahold of yourself. We gotta keep going, y'know."
"I know, I know..." Link answered, as if nothing was wrong. He forgot Tatl was there for a moment, and the feelings for the princess vanished, like they never happened. Link was thinking... Well, like Link. He was aware of what happened before, but it... baffled him.

As Link and Tatl talked, the princess and monkey came up to thank Link.
'Oh no, not again...' Link thought to himself. His cheeks ran hot from a blush, but he had no reason to blush. He made the conversation quick so to get back to saving Termina, and he left the palace.
"Okay Link, where to now?" the fairy asked. "... Link." she repeated. He was looking down. A sudden broken-hearted feeling crept over him, like he was leaving something special behind. "HEY, DEKU BOY." Tatl finally yelled where his ears would be visible in human form.
"AH, wha-?" he looked to Tatl "O-oh, yeah... Haha... Y'know, before we go, I need a rest..."
"A rest!? You can't rest, we got work to do!"
"Calm down... I practically have time in my hands..." he waved her off, and walked out of the palace. She growled, before giving loud "HMPF.", and she flew off to sit on the fence in front of the palace. "Well, you better make it quick!"

Link sighed to himself, glad Tatl wasn't coming with him... He walked out to the dock hanging over the swamp water and sat down. Looking over his map, he tried to figure out where to go. He was then suddenly reminded of his current form when he got a glance of his wooden-fleshed hands gripping the sides of the map. He reached up to his face, laying a hand on his snout. "Ugh, I need to take this stupid mask off..." he complained. He laid the map down and stood, preparing himself to take off the mask. It was painful to put it on, and sorta painful taking it off. Each and every time, his bones shifted and turned and his form changed. Eventually, he'd get used to it, but still...

As he tried tearing it off... All he could do was grab the sides of his face. "Wha-..." he kept trying to take it off, but the magic wasn't forming sides to grab onto. He began to frantically try and pull the mask off, but there was still nothing "What's going on!? I thought I healed the curse!" he pulled out his ocarina, the instrument changing into pipes to match his form. He tried playing the Song of Healing to break his curse again, but it did nothing. He played it again, and it still did nothing.
"No, no! I can't stay like this!"

He finally stumbled back, dropping the deku pipes. As it landed, it transformed back to the little blue ocarina. It did not shatter, thank goodness. Though, it shattering seemed less likely, given it wasn't glass, but made of shining stone.
The deku boy, dumbstruck with fear, sat down again, staring wide-eyed at the swamp water. Deep down, the place felt familiar. He could look in different directions, and it felt like de-ja-vu, like he'd been there.

It hadn't been too far from nightfall that he saved the princess and returned her home. It was now dark. He still saw no signs of Tatl, whom was probably back at the palace sleeping or something... Link was on the edge of one of the large flowers hanging over the swamp, which was on the same path that lead to the Woodfall Temple. He finally decided it was time to go and tell Tatl the... Horrible, news. He turned, and bumped into a figure that approached behind him.
"Ow!" they both said. Link felt like he smacked his head against a tree, before seeing that he... Kinda did. Rubbing her head looking him over, the deku princess seemed surprised. "Oh, I thought you left?"
"U-uh... No, needed a rest, haha." he said shakily. 'I swear, I'm going insane...'

"What're you doing out here, princess? Wont the king be wondering where you are?" Link asked.
"No, I told him I was going out for a stroll... However, I was actually heading to Woodfall Temple. But, that part is sorta hush-hush." she giggled.
Link just laughed lightly "Ah, okay." he paused, butterflies in his stomach when he heard her laugh... 'Her laugh is adorable...' he thought. He then narrowed his eyes down at his feet 'That wasn't me who thought that...'
"Is something wrong, Mr. Link?" she asked.
"No, just saw a bug." he lied lamely.
She giggled again, her leaves shaking with her. "... If you want, you can come, too."
The thoughts on Link's mind were 'No, I need to get back to Tatl so we can leave.', but the words that left his snout were "Of course, sounds fun~" ... Inside, he was facepalming himself.
'If I am losing my mind and I now have multiple personalities, you all need to get with the program and work with me!' he scolded mentally. However, it didn't stop him from following her. At this point, he was through fighting it and just went along...

They didn't say much as they traveled back up to the temple. But once there, the deku princess walked up the boardwalks until she got to the shrine in front of the temple. She sat down, her little legs dangling over the edge. Link wasn't too far behind, and he sat down next to her.
"... Isn't the night beautiful?" she asked.
"Yeah... Aside from that creepy moon..." he uttered toward the moon that was hanging low in the sky, it's horrendous face glaring down on Termina. The deku princess shook at it.
"... Is it gonna fall?" she asked.
Link looked at her, hearing the fear in her voice. "... I hope not..." that's what he was trying to prevent.
She seemed sad when she looked at it, being reminded of something. She turned away, trying to ignore it. She then looked to the stars and sighed. Awkward silence had conquered the next five minutes, Link looking away at the swamp water.

"I always wanted to get married here." the princess uttered.
Link jumped, and he blushed again- though tried to fight it. "O-oh, here?"
"Yeah... Most deku weddings are held in the room you found me in." she sighed "I was going to get married and was engaged, but... He disappeared one day chasing a skullkid for stealing some things from the palace... Not long after, that moon appeared in the sky, and I never saw him again. I fear the worst. That's actually why I come here so often, because we used to sneak out of the palace and hang out here… After we got engaged, we always talked about what it'd be like when we got married here."
The Hylian-deku boy seemed sad at hearing her story. So young, and she had already been betrothed? And what's worse, this boy she was engaged to was gone?
"It'll be okay, Acacia... Things will be fine." came some oddly comforting, almost loving words from Link. He didn't even notice this time. But she did.
Her head turned to him quickly "Did you just call me Acacia?" she blinked.
"Uhh... Did I?" Link asked...
"H-how'd you know my name?" she seemed shocked, for she'd never spoken her name to him.
A deep breath was held, as Link's eyes widened, trying to think of an excuse. "I-I think I heard someone in the palace say it."

She tilted her head, never hearing her name called today. She then smiled and giggled "... You kinda remind me of him."
"Who?" Link was now confused at her changing the subject so fast.
"Fycus..." she answered "My fiance. I feel like I'm with him when I'm with you... I... Hope that doesn't sound too odd..."
Link's face ran hot yet again, and his heart raced. But was it really him? He then remembered back when his curse was lifted... The Happy Mask Salesman saying that the Song of Healing could heal curses and put spirits to rest, turning them to masks. It slowly began hitting him... That the mask he was wearing... Contained the spirit of a deku. It must have. All these thoughts he was having indeed were not his own, but who ever was in the mask, and they knew the princess. He was looking at the world through the deceased deku child's eyes, mixed with Link's own. And after finally accepting to look without resisting, Link could see how beautiful Acacia really was and why she had been loved. She was sweet, strong, and brave.

She added sadly soon after "I just loved him so much... I hope he's okay, and that he hasn't forgotten me."

Instead of forcing out some mumbling, embarrassed words to respond to her, he let the strongest instinct take over... And let the deku speak "It doesn't sound weird at all, Acacia... Where ever Fycus is, he'd never forget you. He knows you love him, and he loved you, too."
Link wasn't sure why, but tears welled up in his own eyes. But again, he knew they weren't his. The spirit was possessing him, and crying… Though, not so visibly that the princess noticed. It was strange sharing minds with someone... But this was what it was like. And the feelings his deku self was feeling, was breaking even his heart. It was obvious that the deku boy possessing this mask was Fycus, and this was his last chance to ever see Acacia again in physical form, even if she didn't recognize him. Link was seeing the world in a whole nother view, and it was tragic and beautiful. Knowing what it was like to never get the chance to say goodbye to someone dear- be it a friend or more- Link let the scene play out without interrupting. Link himself never got to tell his old fairy, Navi, goodbye when she vanished... It was only fair, that Fycus got that chance. After this though, he couldn't dilly-dally much longer.

"I just feel like he's sitting right next to me, but it sounds ridiculous." she wiped her eyes "Maybe it's just me missing him..."
She looked down, Fycus grabbing Acacia's hand, and rubbing her hand with his other.
"Don't worry, he'll always be with you, no matter what..." he answered. He leaned in, kissing the side of her snout against Link's will...
'Uhh...' Link thought to himself embarrassedly.
Acacia froze, and she looked to Link, but she never said anything. The way he kissed her, was exactly how Fycus once had. This made her wonder if it really was him, then banished the thought. She blushed, then looked away, not really sure what to think.

"I'm sorry, I just..." Now Link said, feeling stupid. Man, if she told the king about that, he'd be dipped in a boiling cauldron for sure!
"Don't worry, I wont say anything about it..." she said. She was still feeling confused about why he reminded her of Fycus, but never spoke it. "Anyway, it was nice talking to you, Link... I'm sorry I got all... Emotional." deep down, she felt better.
"It's okay..." Link mumbled. "I didn't mean... Ah heck."
She just giggled. He wouldn't be the first young deku her age who liked her. But he seemed the most polite, so she'd let it slide. "You did save me today, so I'll let it go." she gave him a modest kiss on the cheek by gently bumping her snout to the side of his face, before standing. "Hopefully, we'll see each other again."

"Yeah... Hopefully..." Now Fycus answered. "Need me to walk you back home?" he asked.
"No, I can manage... Good night, Link." she began walking away, only for Link to stare. Once she was gone and out of sight, Link began speaking to himself.
"Alright, I know who you are... Just please, don't ever make me do that again." he spoke, aiming it at the spirit in the mask. There was no answer, like Fycus was content. But he was listening, and Link felt a tinge of content and understanding in thought that he did not think. He answered aloud "Good." he stood, sighing "You can't possess me like that, I've got a country to save. I know you care about her, but if I waste anymore time, not only her life but everyone else's in Termina, will be in danger." Link began walking along the boardwalks "But, Fycus... Since I've seen how you feel, and see why you feel the way you feel... I will do what I can to save Termina, I promise... So she can get the chance at life that you didn't. You just need to work with me. We make a good team, y'know... Just trust in my abilities, and everything will be okay."

Fycus' spirit was unable to talk unless speaking through Link's mouth, and he was told not to do that anymore. So, Link knew he agreed and understood by thought. And Link thought he heard a faint "Thank you." deep in the back of his deku mind.
"You're welcome, Fycus."
Link once again tried taking the mask off. And it finally began peeling off his face, his form growing to human-hight. He held back any sounds of pain from his shifting body until he was human again. And what once was his deku-form's face, is what looked to be a simple wooden deku mask now in Link's hand. Link was not surprised that Fycus had been keeping the mask on… He planned to meet Acacia one way or another. Link smirked and shook his head. He looked the mask in the face, and spoke "And also… Don't EVER lock the mask on my face again… Got it?"

Some events here are off from the game, like the Deku Princess following Link. But c'mon… Putting her IN A BOTTLE sounds so stupid when trying to make this realistic. XD
Also, I believe the Ocarina of Time was made from a Timeshift Stone, hence the reason I mention the ocarina being stone in this story and not glass or ceramic.

What if Link is not COMPLETELY himself when wearing the transformation masks? I would think he'd feel what they're feeling while dealing with his own feelings. At least, when their feelings are strong enough to feel. And what if they are capable of possessing him? If Majora could possess his wearer without the wearer even noticing, why couldn't the spirits of the masks? Of course, the butler's son (Fycus, in this story) hadn't had a motive to until seeing Acacia one last time.

I mean, when Link transforms into a Goron, he automatically learns their language and can read it! That's proof he can tap into the minds of the spirits in the masks, especially after he's figured out how to sort his thoughts from theirs. Sharing a single body with two spirits may indeed be incredibly hard and overwhelming at first, but can also work wonders if they cooperate well together.
In the end, the innocent little boy that was the butler's son was a part of saving all of Termina, saving everyone that he loved in it. That alone, would help his spirit pass on once it's all done.