A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took me so much longer to get this chapter done, life has been crazy and my easter weekend plans changed and I ended up going home instead, and when I got back, low and behold, my profs decided to tell me that I had both my langauge orals this week. Anyway I wrote a little bit differently this time, let me know what you think, what you liked and didnt like, imput helps a lot. Thanks for the review, and unfortunatly, the next update will only be on May 1st because I only have three more days of class left and then I hit exams and the move back home for the summer. Thanks to you all for your support, and I hope you like this chapter!

"Link! Look! A fairy!" Was the first thing shrieked into Links ear when the two Deku's had walked into the temple.

Link looked at Miki with a grimace as he pulled off the Deku mask, hoping she wouldn't do that every time they found a fairy. Link put on the Great Fairies Mask, its hair glowing pink, and the stray fairy flew over to him, hiding in one of his pockets.

"That hair is still glowing." Tatl commented. "There must still be another fairy around here."

Link finally looked around the room now that he had the chance. It appeared rectangular, large trees cutting through the room, some going straight from the ceiling to the ground, others cutting off midway with flowers on them. The floor of the room was a couple feet down, lost in darkness. Moving to the edge Link could hear something sliding across the floor and decided it would be better if they stayed on the upper platforms. Walking around on the platform they were currently on, Link could see the door leading to the next room on the other side. Looking back to the right Link saw a chest and pointed towards it.

"It's possible that other fairy is in there, you stay here and I'll go check."

Moving over to the flower on their current platform, he changed back into a Deku and used it to reach one that was a couple feet away to the left and used that one to move around a tree and land next to the chest. Sure enough the second fairy appeared out of the chest and Link motioned to Miki to follow him. They moved to another platform in front of them, and then around another trees as they manoeuvred to be dead center with the last platform because two skaltulah's were standing guard at the ends. Once safely back on the ground they opened the door and moved on.

"Ugh! That stench!" Tatl complained. "This place stinks just like that poison swamp!"

"Thanks for your sympathy." Miki said as she looked around the room.

The new room had two different levels, the one they were on had an area right across from them that ran to the right, though there was no way for them to reach it. There was a wooden ramp to their left that ran down to a platform and a door on the ground floor; to their right across the room was another door. The rest of the bottom floor was covered in the poisonous water, a giant wooden looking flower in the center and mean looking smaller flowers surrounding it.

"There must be fairies in here." Miki remarked as she looked back at Link. "Your pocket's glowing."

Link looked down at himself and laughed when he saw the pink glow coming from his pocket. The two made their way down the ramp and Link killed a Deku Baba when the plant tried to attack them, releasing another fairy. Jumping onto the first flower, they made their way across the water to the opposite door since the one they had first come to was locked. When they reached the other side Link turned around and looked back at the plants.

"Those freaken things have teeth!"

"Yeah…." Miki said following his gaze. "Never step on those unless you're a Scrub."

Link shook his head and jumped over to a platform to their right to a couple pots. He broke them open to collect a couple rupees and another fairy before returning to Miki.

"There's still more fairies here, your pocket is still glowing."

"We'll have to look for them a bit later." Link said. "They're probably on the second floor."

The next room also had two levels, but again there was no way for them to reach the second. There were two platforms that were raised, one straight ahead with a door, and the other to the left with a chest. The floor again was covered with the poisonous water, a platform in the center with a Deku Flower, and four of those plants around it.

Link jumped over to the Deku Flower and moved to the platform with the chest, ignoring the other door. Opening the chest he found a key, but took a moment to look around because his pocket was glowing again. Looking to his left he saw a beehive and took a chance. Shooting it down with a bubble a fairy popped out and after he collected it, moved back to Miki who had just stayed at the door.

Together they retraced their steps through the giant wood flower room and unlocked the other door. The room they entered into was slightly more complicated then the others. Again the floor was covered with the water and there were only three solid platforms; the one they were on; one to the left with a door, and one straight across that had a stairway leading up. Going from platform to platform was a wooden bridge that moved around the room and around in a square towards the other platforms; a stone block in the middle to make things a little more complicated. Pushing the block out of the way Link was ready to move on, but Miki pointed out that there were fairies in the room. Seeing a skaltulah in the far upper right hand corner of the room, Link moved over to it and killed it, and picked up another fairy.

"There's another one trapped in a bubble under the bridge." Miki said looking and pointing it out to Link.

"I need something to burst it but our bubbles won't reach that far, we'll have to come back for that one also." He answered as they again ignored the lower door and moved up the stairs.

When they reached the top they came to two tall pillars they would have to jump to in order to reach a path to the left, though it was blocked by a spider web. Having been through something similar before, Link concentrated first on getting Miki across. He took off the mask and made the jump as a human and then had Miki jump. He always had to lean out far to catch her, but he managed to get her to the web. Back tracking he moved down to where he had seen a torch on the bottom floor and lit a Deku Stick on fire. He carried the fire back up stairs and jumped across the pillar with the mobile torch. Once the web burned away they moved down a hallway and then up another set of stairs.

"Be careful….I sense a lot of evil here." Tatl said as they reached the top of the stairs.

The room they entered was pitch black and just on impulse Link turned back into a Deku Scrub. They began to slowly move down the hall when two pairs of orange eyes appeared before them. Miki gave a small cry of surprise but began spinning into the eyes and killing whatever they belonged to. More and more followed after the first pair of eyes and Link followed Miki's example; the two moving around the room until only silence greeted them. A chest suddenly appeared in the center of the room next to a torch and Link walked over to it, and found another fairy trapped. Link changed back into a human and lit another Deku Stick and lit the three torches that they had found while going around the room. The room came alive with the light and they could see another door they had missed before in the darkness.

The light in the next room was also pretty poor, but they could see the layout clear enough. The platform they were on was very high up from the bottom ground, which they could walk down to by a long staircase, though the ground was crumbling away, large craters missing from it. The next place they needed to get to was set all the way on the other side of the room, platforms with Deku Flowers moving back and forth in front of them. Again there were trees blocking a straight path which would make passing difficult, but to add onto it, two dragonflies flew around guarding the platforms.

Miki went first being the more skilled of the two when it came to moving around with the Deku flowers. She flew to the first platform and stood on it as it moved around and took out the two dragonflies. She then burrowed into the Deku Flower, launched out, and then carefully manoeuvred her way around the trees to the next moving platform. Once she was down safely, Link followed after her until they were both safely on the other side. They moved down the staircase they came to and back down into the large flower room except on the other side of the second floor.

"Look Link a fairy!" Miki yelled and ran off to the left where she busted a bubble and freed a fairy.

"There's still one in this room though, I don't get it." Link commented as she moved back to stand with him.

"I don't know, we may be able to find her later, but we should hurry, it's already eight in the night and I'm really hungry."

"How do you know what time it is?" Link asked as they walked around the top stone path to the left wall where there was an open door.

"When your life is based so much on time, you develop an internal clock." She said, and then Link's stomach growled. "Our bodies just know." She said laughing.

They entered into the room where they had found the key, this time on the second floor. They moved along the stone path to the right and moved through another door, and bars slammed down behind them. The room was relatively small, three trees moving from the ground up to the ceiling. There were two Deku Flowers, one to the left, the other on the right. In the center of the room was a small pond, and that's where a large armoured lizard dropped down holding a fierce axe.

"Big lizard." Link commented, and then the lizard breathed out fire towards them.

"Big fire breathing lizard! Deku's make wonderful kinder!" Miki said with wide eyes.

"Hide in a flower!" Link said and pushed her towards one and took off the mask.

Link moved towards the lizard and struck it with his sword as soon as he was close enough. He immediately had to back up though because the lizard breathed out a line of fire after it was struck. He moved right back in, though he didn't move quite fast enough and got nicked on the shoulder. He backed up again and then quickly moved in again and struck the lizard, killing it on the third strike. Once it was dead a chest appeared in the center of the room.

"So what did we get?"

Link looked up and laughed, Miki was hovering in the air above him on the flower pedals of a Deku Flower. Link moved over and opened the chest, pulled out a bow, quiver, and arrows and showed it to her.

"Hey! We can get that other fairy now!" She said as Link slung the bow over his shoulder with the quiver as her pedals fell apart.

Link caught her and the two moved back into the large flower room. Once they were in the room Tatl commented on how they could see the large flower better and Link noticed there was a torch in the center of it. There was a burning torch a little lower then their platform and it lined up perfectly with the other torch. Link knocked an arrow and let it fly; it caught on fire as it passed through the flames of the torch and struck the torch in the middle of the flower, also catching it on fire. The pedals of the wooden flower moved out and in and out again, and as it began to rise, the poison in the water began to drain.

"Link! The water is pure again! Now we can collect the fairies and move deeper into the temple and defeat the monster and save the princess!" Miki said, happiness making her eyes sparkle.

"Not yet, there's bound to be a boss key to get into the monsters room." Link said recalling the temples from back in Hyrule.

Turning around he went back into the room they had just been in and noticed another door to the far left, and a golden eye on the edge of the platform. Link shot the eye and the platform with the Deku Flower began to rise. Going back to a Deku, he jumped down onto one of the flowers that no longer had teeth. Once the platform was back down he jumped over to it and waited until it was in line with the second floor again before he burrowed down and hovered over to the other platform. Once he was there he waited for Miki and once she was with him they moved through the door.

The next rooms' floor was covered with a shallow layer of water and five Deku flowers here and there. At the far end locked behind a door and thorny vines was the boss key. A big frog was in the middle of the room, it was red and black with a frilly spine on its back and long sharp claws. As soon as they entered the frog hopped over and tried to attack them, but Link turned into a human and slashed it. The frog was so stupid that he got in three clean hits before it backed up and lifted his hands to his mouth and called out. The ground began to shake and then a turtle with the spikes around its shell burst from the ground. The frog jumped onto the turtles back and the turtle hid into his shell, spinning towards them with the spikes.

"Crazy turtle frog!" Miki cried and dove into a flower.

The turtle zoomed towards where she was, and just as it passed over the flower she was in, she shot from the flower, knocking the frog off the turtle. The frog hopped up the wall and started to move along the ceiling towards the turtle but Link shot him down with an arrow. The frog hit the floor with a crack, but still got up and jumped back on the turtles back. The duo looked at each other and nodded as they worked together, Miki knocking the frog from the turtles back and Link shooting him down with an arrow. They kept up their tactics until the frog hit the floor and didn't get back up, instead he burst into blue flames, and when they cleared a happy, wide eyed blue frog simply hopped in its spot. They quickly grabbed the Master Key and moved back through the previous rooms to collect the four fairies they had missed and entered into the final room which lead to the boss room.

The room was a small complicated network of different level platforms leading to the boss room, and Link stepped back and allowed Miki to lead. They reached the boss room door after they had collected the four final fairies and found themselves face to face with a massive jungle warrior.

Link didn't waste anytime getting into the fight. He struck the jungle warrior and then went in for a second blow but hit nothing but air, the warrior coming back down and swiping his massive sword at him. Link dodged but then the jungle man started chanting and called moths to him. Link was prepared to defend against the moths, but they veered off to the right. Looking over Link saw Miki had pulled up a bomb flower and the flame on the wick was attracting the moths. When she was far enough away the bomb exploded, killing all the months at once. Looking over at Link she gave him a thumbs up, showing she would take care of any little critters the jungle man summoned up. Link turned back to face against the monster, but a ring of fire surrounded him. Taking out his bow he used it to hit the enemy and the fire vanished. The battle went on about the same, Miki taking care of the bugs, Link having to use his bow when a ring of fire surrounded him, and also when the jungle man went into a deadly spin with his sword. It wasn't long before the Jungle Warrior did a small spin on his heel as he clutched his head and burst into blue flames.

The customary blue ring of light appeared with the mask of the jungle warrior floating in the center. The mask rose in the air above them as soon as they entered into the light and there was a great flash. When they opened their eyes they were standing on a tall pillar, bubbles floating all around them with a light fog. Four long pillars that looked like water falling from the endless sky, and clouds of water floating all around. They could hear something seeming to be crying out in the distance in a mournful tone.

"What's that?" Tatl asked.

Far off in the distance behind one of the pillars they could see a huge shape; though not able to quite distinguish what it looked like; and it cried out to them again.

"Wait…listen…It seems to be saying something…" Tatl continued. "Could that crying be its way of telling is some sort of melody? Don't just stand there….Get your instrument…"

Once Link pulled out his ocarina, Tatl jumped around, copying the notes that the creature was trying to teach them: The Oath to Order.

"C a l l u s. That's what it is saying."

There was another flash of light and then the three were back in the temple, vinnes behind them covering the wall and the exit in front of them.

"The four people Tael talked about…" Tatl started again as she drifted up a little and away from Link. "Do you think he was talking about the Spirit that was sealed inside that mask?" And then she flew to a couple inches above Links face. "….Oh! Hey, you were pretty good out there! Have you done this before or what?" And then she slowly floated away again. "Now, just keep up that pace and save the other three!" And back in Links face. "Hey! Um…." And away again. "All that stuff I did to you…..your horse…I ……I apologize…sorry." And back in his face again. "There! I apologized! So don't hold it against me, got it? Now then." She said and started to bounce in the air. "We've helped the princess just like the monkey asked…So now our next stop is in the mountains! Let's hurry and do something about that Skull Kid!"

All of them jumped when there was a sudden rustle behind them and they turned to see a small cave shielded by the vines they thought was just covering a wall. Link cut them away and ran into the cave, only to find the Deku Princess. She had long leafy hair and petals through it, petal earrings and a crown made of the same kind of petals. She wore a dress like Miki's except she had red colours with more blossoms.

"Who?...Who are you?" She asked.

"Link."

"Link? Please to meet you, I am the Deku Princess. Were you by chance asked by that monkey to come save me?"

"Yep."

"Aha! Just as I suspected! You see, your body smells a little bit like monkey. So…the monkey made it back fine after all. That's good."

"Actually your father is going to have him punished because he thinks the monkey kidnapped you."

"I was worried that when I didn't come home, my father would think that monkey had kidnapped me! I was worried that my father would even go as far as to punish the poor monkey! Hoo-hoo-hoo."

"He's doing it now; he's going to boil him I think."

"…..Don't tell me. You can't be serious. Is father actually doing that?! Yet another hasty decision father!" The Deku Princess began to hop up and down in her anger. "W-well, we haven't any time to lose….Quickly Mr. Link, could you please find something to carry me in so you can take me to the Deku Palace?"

Link looked around at the other two and then pulled out the bottle that he had got the red potion in and scooped up the princess.

"It's a tight fit, but I'll manage!" The Deku Princess said.

Link turned around and he and Miki raced back to the Deku palace, Link turning back into a Deku on the way. When they entered into the Royal Chamber the two stopped dead in their tracks; they had set up a large pot over the fire and a rig that lowered the tied monkey down in to the water. They were snapped out of their shock by the cries of the Deku Princess shouting at them to let her out in front of her father. Link did as he was told, going up in front of the king and releasing the Princess.

"Oh, my princess!" The king exclaimed. "My darling Princes!! You are all right? I was so worried."

"Hurnf-hurnf. Foolish father!" The Deku Princess shrieked, truly pissed off. She jumped up on the throne and knocked her father over and started jumping up and down on him. The guards came up around the throne, but when she turned her gaze on them they shrank back in fear. "WHAT are you doing?!" She yelled shaking in anger. "Let that monkey go this instant!!"

Once the monkey was back on solid ground, Link, Miki and the Princess walked over to him.

"Oh, Mr. Monkey," The Princess began, "I am truly sorry, father does such rash things when he's worried about me."

"I understand, Princess," The monkey replied smiling, "Forget about that. Has the temple been returned to normal?"

"Why yes, thanks to Mr. Link here. I am very, truly grateful."

"Really? So you're called Link are you? Thank you for keeping your promise to me." The monkey said bowing.

"As a symbol of our gratitude," The Princess started, "Our butler has prepared a little something for you. Please accept it. You'll find it in the shrine that will be to your right when you leave the palace."

Link thanked the Princess and he and Miki made off to the side of the room.

"Do you want to bring the fairies to the fairy fountain now?" Link asked Miki.

"Actually, why don't you go see the butler first? It's past three in the morning and I would just like to rest for the moment, and really now that the swamp is back to normal, I don't need to go see the fairy, so you can do that after you see the butler."

"Alright, no problem, I'll be back in a bit." Link said and gave her a hug.

He left the palace and hopped across the lily pads to the right of the palace and moved through an entrance that was cut into the stone wall. He moved up a stone hallway and nodded to the butler who was standing there with a candle.

"Link, I am truly thankful for what you have done for the princess." He said with a bow. "As a sign of our gratitude, we Deku have prepared something that we think may assist you. I will lead you to it. Please follow me." He took out an umbrella and then gave a small hop opening it up and it began to spin and he moved off at a rather quick pace.

Link followed after him in human form, not caring if he was seen or not, running through long corridors and over small bodies of water. He went through more corridors and then hopped from tree stump to tree stump, corridors, water, corridors, around fire walls, corridors, stumps, corridors, and then finally into another room where the butler landed and he turned back to a Deku.

"Well done Link! Now here is the item I promised. Please accept it."

The butler gave Link a mask that looked like a pigs head, and when he had pocketed it, the butler continued.

"Actually, when I see you, I am reminded of my son who left home long ago…Somehow I feel as if I am once again racing my son…I am afraid I may have tried too hard to outrun you. As old as I am, I am still a fast competitor. Just like when I raced my son…Please forgive my rudeness."

Link thanked him for the mask and then left, heading back up to Woodfall. He found the Great Fairy's cave and released all the little fairies. They gathered together and a pink haired Great Fairy appeared and smiled down at him.

"Oh, strange young one! I am the Great Fairy of Power! Thank you for returning my broken and shattered body to normal. As thanks, I grant you prowess with this new sword technique!" She cast her spell on him and Link felt dizzy for a moment, but it soon passed and again he felt so full of energy. "Come see me again whenever you are overcome by weariness." The great fairy said and vanished.

Link smiled to himself for doing a good job and then turned around and walked out of the Great Fairy's cave. The sky was already a light pink, and Link guessed that it was close to six in the morning. Now that everything was over, he was extremely tired, hungry, and really needed to use the bathroom. He made his way back to the Deku Palace and Mikado was waiting outside for him.

"So is the fairy whole again?" She asked as she lead him down the hall to the Royal Chamber, which was empty.

"Yep, she gave me the power of a new sword technique." Link answered as she lead him down a hall he had never noticed before.

"Wonderful, I'm so happy to hear that." Miki said and stopped in front of a door. "For all that we have done, we've also been given accommodations for however long we need. This is your room, there's a bathroom inside and when you've rested we'll have a nice meal. Rest well." She said and moved down the hall to the next door and went inside.

Link watched her go and thought about the temple for awhile before he entered into his own room. The size of the room made him pause for a moment in the doorway for it was the same size as the Royal Chamber. The floor was covered in fall coloured leaves and all along the walls were tall potted plants. At the far end of the room was a pile of grass and a blanket of flowers which must have been what the Deku's slept on. To the left and carefully caged was a merrily burning fire. Here and there were small wooden decorative items, and to the right another door which must have been the bathroom.

Link pulled off the mask after closing and locking the door and moved to the bathroom. The room was a lot smaller and more cozy, all different kinds of flowers were placed along the floor and walls. There was a toilet on the right hand side and a wooden bath filled with hot water on the left surrounded by hanging vines.

Link shoved Tatl away and after relieving himself, stripped off and sank into the hot water. The warmth felt wonderful and he relaxed as far into the tub as he could without drowning himself as the dirt and blood was washed from his body. Finding soaps on the side of the tube he washed up and took a minute to look at his shoulder where he had been nicked, sitting in the tub with the water up to his waist.

"That doesn't look too bad." Miki said, suddenly appearing at the doorway.

"Hey!" Link yelped and sunk down into the water up to his chine. "You really should have knocked."

"Sorry, I forgot how shy humans are, Deku's don't really care if someone sees them in the bath." Miki said as she walked into the room with a small bag. "I need to see your shoulder though." She jumped up and sat down on the edge of the bath tub, looking at where his shoulder was, tinting the water red since his picking at it had caused it to open again.

Link looked up at her, cheeks burning, but he rose out of the water enough so she would see the wound. Miki took a cloth and dried around it and then opened her kit. She pulled out a small tube and smeared some of the clear gel from it on his shoulder. It didn't burn as Link expected, instead it left a nice cooling sensation. She put the gel away and opened a small package, and pulled out a weird looking small rectangular white cloth. She put it over the spot and then stuck it in place with some other white cloth looking stuff that made a weird noise when she pulled them apart, and they stuck on his skin when she pushed gently down on them.

"There we go, now don't get that wet or it'll come off and then you'll be in trouble." She said and put all her things away. "Now rest up Link." She said and jumped off the side of the tub and hurried away.

"How in the world did she get in anyway? I locked the outside door." Link said in bewilderment as he stepped from the bath and wrapped a towel around himself.

"Oh, I let her in." Tatl said as she came into the room. "She was worried about your shoulder and said she knew how to help heal it."

"Could have warned me." Link said with a yawn.

He left his clothes on the floor and walked back into the main room. He put the Deku Mask back on just in case and carefully slipped from his towel to the bed. Burrowing deep into the grass and flowers, Link closed his eyes and was out like a light.


Link woke up to the sound of his own stomach growling. Turning over he lifted his head out of the grassy bed and found his clothes freshly washed, repaired, and folded right next to his bed.

"How did they get there?" He asked the fairy as she flew over to him.

"Oh some maids swung by to clean up the bathroom. I le them in and when they saw your clothes they took it upon themselves to fix them up." The fairy reported as she flew around.

Link watched her go and simple shook his head. He was sure if a killer had come by she would have let him into the room also. Shooing the fairy out of the room he took off the mask, got out of bed, got dressed, and then put the mask back on. Once he was all set he moved out of his room and walked down to Miki's. Knocking on her door he waited until she opened it and then smiled to her.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked and stepped aside so he could enter her room.

"Yeah I did." He said as he stepped into the room and looked around.

Miki's room was a lot more furnished then Links' own. The floor was covered in fresh green leaves and large blue flower blossoms. The walls were also covered by thick umbrella leaves and pictures of different Deku's. The bed was also better put together. The base was made of thick layers of moss, along with two pillows. What would have been the sheets were long tiger lily petals sown together, and long vines with red blossoms hung from the ceiling to form a curtain around the rest of the bed. There were mirrors, a stone fire place that was also pushed back from the room and carefully caged, and chairs and tables scattered about; one table had been dragged to the center of the room, and sitting on it, piled high was…

"Food!" Link cried, almost drooling on the floor.

"Go help yourself." Mikado laughed as she closed the door, and soon joined Link at the table.

"There's so much of it." He said as he looked at the assortment of fruits and vegetables.

"The Deku's wanted to make sure we were well fed after not eating for a full day and a half."

"Eh?" Link said looking up from scarfing down strawberries. "What time is it?"

"Six o'clock in the evening, the second day from which I met you, or what would have been the second day had we not gone back in time."

"Oh." Link said a little crest fallen. He had wanted to spend time with Mikado during the day since they didn't have a lot of time left, and he was enjoying her company.

They ate in silence for the rest of the meal, and when they were done they left the dished for the servants to collect and Miki lead Link outside the palace and back into the swamp. They stopped on the dock and Link looked around fully for the first time since they had left the temple.

The water around them was a sapphire blue in the darkness, clear so he could see the sand at the bottom. The plants around them were lush in their colours, and the dragonflies that had once plagued the air were no more. The sky above them was just starting to clear of the clouds that it had as the rain had fallen during the day, and the stars began to peek out. Link frowned though when he saw the horrid moon above, always a constant reminder of what he now had to do.

The two Scrubs sat down on the edge of the dock, the bottom of their feet dancing across the surface of the water. They sat in silence for awhile, Tatl's light washing over them, but eventually the fairy excused herself; claiming she wanted to speak with the Great Fairy. They watched as her light faded up and away, and then finally Mikado broke the silence.

"I guess we'll have to go our separate ways tomorrow."

Link looked over at her in surprise; he hadn't really thought she would bring the topic up herself. Even under his gaze Mikado kept looking up at the now clear sky, the starlight shinning down into her soft brown and slightly green eyes.

"If you came with me then we wouldn't have to part." He said looking back up.

"I don't think that would be a good idea Link." She answered with sadness in her voice. "I would only slow you down. You need to go to the other three areas of this land, and I wouldn't be able to go with you. I'm only a Scrub, there's only so much I can do outside my own element."

"I really wish you would come though." Link said.

"Let's go around the swamp some." Mikado suddenly said, obviously changing the subject.

Without a further word she stood up and began to hop around on the lily pads, forcing Link to follow her. He was a little down about her resistance, but pretty soon the two were laughing together, Miki showing Link the wonders of the swamp. They played with the lone frog, discovered the plants that grew once the poison had gone, and moved through a creepy old underground house that had been long abandoned, Miki claiming that it was cursed. Eventually they made their way back to the Deku Palace, returning to their separate rooms at midnight.

As Link lay in his bed staring at the ceiling after he had bathed, Tatl flew back into the room and landed on the pillow besides him.

"So what did the Great Fairy have to say?"

"Mikado's an odd ball."

"Tatl!!"

"Well that's what she said. All she does is go around the swamp exploring and collecting mushrooms for the old hags. None of the other Deku's really pay much attention to her, except for the princess. When the swamp was poisoned she tried everything she could to find the cause except go to the temple. A couple days before the Princess was captured, Miki went missing and no one knew where she went. She suddenly appeared what would have been three days ago, and people said she was different." Tatl reported.

"What do you mean she was different?" Link asked turning his head to look at her.

"Well The Great Fairy just said that she seemed strange, not like her usual self. No offence to Miki, but apparently before she wasn't the brightest star in the sky, and then when she came back she made a whole lot of sense and seemed to see things like others couldn't. Like before she would have never been able to help us through the temple as much as she did. She also wasn't all that good using the Deku Flowers, and now she was like an expert. Apparently her eyes used to be the odd red colour that most Deku's eyes are, and now they're that brown green colour."

"People change though in times of danger, maybe she just smartened up some because the swamp was dying." Link said as he turned his head away from the fairy and closed his eyes.

"I know Link; I just think we should be a little careful. She has never given us any reason to doubt her, but if she's not being all that honest with us, it may be better to just leave her behind when we go back in time, I mean if you want to see her again you can also look for her, she wont remember you, but at least you wont completely loose her."

"I know Tatl, it's just hard. She reminds me somewhat of that friend that I'm looking for. She has the same easy going spirit as her, I know they're not even close to being the same, but it was still nice to have a friend and a small reminder of who I'm looking for."

"I know Link, I know." Tatl said as she curled up next to his head and toyed with his hair.

Link fell asleep thinking about what Tatl had just told him, knowing that no matter what her past was like, Mikado was still a good person, and he would try and convince her to come with them tomorrow.


Link woke up to find the fairy missing, but his clothes next to his bed again. He quickly dressed and turned back into a Deku before moving out into the hall. Looking down towards Miki's room he saw the fairy talking with her. Walking down the hall both girls fell silent and greeted him with good mornings. They went into Miki's room again and sat down around the table, this time just filled with fruit.

"Ok, what time is it this time?" Link asked as he sat down and began to peal a banana.

"It's noon, I guess you were still really tired from all the events, but you'll get stronger and be able to go for longer times soon." Miki said with bright eyes as she munched on some raspberries.

"What are the plans for today?" Link asked moving onto an orange.

"We'll I thought we would return to Clock Town since you need to be there anyway to turn back time. Actually, I don't think you actually need to be in that exact area for it to work, but I thought it would be nice to watch the fire works again." She said, and jus then the earth began to shake again, clear signs that it was only twelve hours before the moon was to crash into the earth.

Link gave a small nod of his head and they finished their breakfast in silence again. When they were done they moved out of the room and spent some time going around the palace saying their goodbyes to everyone, though Miki promised the princess she would be back in a couple days this time. Moving out of the palace, they hopped through the swamp, moving back towards the main area where the boat tours were. When they touched ground, Link pulled off the mask and pointed at his back. Miki's eyes lit up and she hoped up, and Link carried her down the path.

"You know I think I'm going to miss this when you're gone." She said laughing.

"I promise before all this is done I'll come back and give you another lift around the area ok?" Link said, not mentioning the fact that she wouldn't miss it because she wouldn't remember it.

The two moved through the rest of the swamp and then made their way up the path towards Clock Town. Every now and then the ground would begin to shake, and both would sneak a peak up to look at the moon that hovered above them. When they reached Clock Town Miki took Link around to different places in West Clock Town, playing games like shooting down targets in one place, trying to get around a maze of tall structures in another, and shooting octorks in a small pond at yet another place. Miki made sure Link put his money into the bank that somehow still had the cash he had left last time they had been there, and then they went to the inn and hung out in the kitchen, having nothing better to do.

When the sun began to sink they moved back outside and went to sit on the railing that was above the bar in West Clock Town, watching the sunset in silence. Night fell around them, and still they remained silent, enjoying each others company, and each lost in their own thoughts. It was such a comfort to have someone working through the dungeons with him again, and he really didn't want to loose it. Having Misty work with him so long had made him almost need to have someone around all the time, and when Navi left too, he felt as if he was all alone in the world for a long time before he went out and found Zelda.

All too soon the evening was over, and then the Clock Tower was chiming off midnight, and the fireworks were bursting over head as the door to the Clock Tower opened. The two stood and faced each other, Miki's eyes sad as she looked at Link.

"Please, come with me Mikado." Link begged as he took out his ocarina, knowing that he would have to play the song soon.

"Link, I'm sorry, but I can't, I'd be too far out of my element. You'll do fine, trust me." Miki said and moved up and gave him a great big hug.

Link hugged her back, holding onto her for a good couple of minutes as the moon grew ever closer to the earth, finally he stepped back and held her at arms left and simply smiled at her. He let her go and the two took a couple steps back from each other so she wouldn't get caught up in the magic of the Song of Time. Playing the song Link's heart was heavy and as the notes echoed around the area, he heard her say one last thing.

"No matter where you go Link, you'll always find a friend to help you on the way."

Link was swallowed by a bright light and the sound of a clock ticking all around him. He could feel the extra arrows he had slip from his pocket and the bandage around his arm fly off and disappear into nothingness. Then sun light warmed his face again, and when he opened his eyes he was standing in front of the Clock Tower, all the way back on the first day. He looked ahead of him a little resigned to move, when he got a sudden chill down his spin like someone was watching him. Turning his head to look up to the left of the board walk his jaw fell open as he noticed the creature standing there, staring at him with a small smile before it spoke.

"Hello Link, Hero of Time."