Disclaimer on profile.

See if you can guess what Stephen King book is referenced in this chapter. Also, bonus cookies to those who can guess what game I'm currently playing (hint/cameo in the last chapter).

Lots of angst and old people ahead. Slow chapter. Beware.

His heart raced in his ears frantically, and sweat covered his forehead. Link buried his head in his hands with a low groan, then sank against the wall of his bedroom until he was hunched in the corner of the bed. His breath came out in a loud, shuddering gasp, and he gulped in air desperately until he felt like he couldn't take in anymore without exploding. He let out another shivering sigh, his body tensing, then slumping into the wall.

"Oh my gods…" he moaned, pulling at his hair restlessly. He couldn't even express how awful that was with words. Link honestly felt like he was going to throw up he was so sickened by what he had seen. He took several more deep breaths until he was sure his nausea had been quelled, then wiped the sweat off his forehead and uncurled from the upright fetal position he had devolved into. His legs now hung over the side of the bed, his feet planted firmly on the floor. He scooted up so he could see the clock on his bedside table.

12:01 am. Five hours of sleep, and yet he was still tired. His mind whirled in a tireless, terrified dance, refusing to calm itself-

(pink stained, hemorrhaging teeth crumbling in their roots, blood trickling from her lips and dripping down-)

Link groaned half in disappointment, half in disgust as that image flashed through his mind again, then didn't even make the effort to go back to sleep. He only pushed himself to his feet, then stumbled off to take a shower and hopefully wash the nightmare away.

…

Link staggered into Oak's around seven, rubbing his eyes and blinking at the bright lights inside.

"Hey Link!" Anju called out loudly. She jogged over and tackled him, and he stumbled back with a muted cry of surprise. She pulled back, her ginger bob swinging around her peaked face as she craned her head so she could look at his face. She had about three inches on most of the girls Link knew, and a good inch on Link himself.

"I heard what happened to Zelda! I'm so sorry!" She squeezed him again, rocking him back and forth. Link pushed her away tiredly.

"Thanks, Anju…" he said softly. "That's sweet of you." She gave him a slight smile, then patted the top of his head.

"Maple's in back. I'll go tell her you're here." The door slammed into her back as she walked through it, and Link ignored her muffled curse as he went to sit on one of the counter stools. He rested his head on folded arms as he slumped over, then closed his eyes for a moment. The burning sensation soon ceased, and he sighed in contentment, his face melting into an expression of relief.

It vanished when he heard the door to the kitchen swing open. He sat upright as quickly as he could without falling off the chair, his eyes flying open. Maple was already standing in front of him, a pleasant, wrinkly grin on her face.

"Look who decided to show up today!" she said brightly. He cracked a small smile.

"Hey, you said I could take the day off the day before yesterday."

"I know… It's just been tough with Kaefi and-" there was a loud sudden crash from the stockroom, then the sound of running feet. Anju's head poked out of the door.

"Sorry! I'll clean it up!" she squeaked, then ran off again. Maple's wince disappeared, and her brown eyes rolled up to the ceiling.

"Goddesses have mercy on that girl. She breaks everything she touches." She looked back at Link. "How have you been, dearest? I saw everything on the news about your poor friend." Her face crinkled into a frown. "I don't know who would do such a thing to such a nice girl." Link felt his face hardening into a blank mask, and he looked down at the counter, sighing.

"I've been okay, I guess. And I've been trying to answer that question myself." She reached out and grabbed his calloused hand with her wrinkled hand

(-lying on puke green sheets and not moving-)

and squeezed it.

"If you need anything, just let me know, sweetheart. Go easy today. You look terrible! Did you eat breakfast?"

…

Three hours and a stomach full of stolen waffles later (maybe stolen wasn't the right word – Maple had slipped them to him with a wink and a motion to go to the kitchen), Link was feeling a little better. Doing something and working had taken his mind off, well, everything. He had spent some time goofing off with Anju before customers had started to come in, and he had felt lighter after laughing, but at the same time, he felt guilty that he was being a doofus while everything else was such a mess.

Okay, "mess" was probably an understatement.

Then people started to trickle in, some wanting coffee before they went to work, others wanting breakfast, some just wanting company courtesy of Maple and all the other old folks who seemed to designate the diner as their skulking grounds. Even when the diner was close to empty, there was pretty much always at least one elderly person sitting in a booth reading a book with their face almost pressed to the page or the newspaper. The diner was in this almost empty state by the time Link's break rolled around. He finished pouring the old man with large hands a refill on his coffee, then sighed.

"There you go, Mr. Roberts." The old man gave him a wink, then went back to his two newspapers, squinting in quiet befuddlement at the smaller print. Link turned away, then yawned again, his eyes squeezing shut as his jaw nearly unhinged. He blinked to see Anju staring at him with her head tilted to the side.

"Dude, d'you need like, some coffee or something? You look like death." Link shook his head.

"I'd rather not have anything keeping me awake, thanks," he slurred out, slogging over to the counter and resting his head on it for a second. "Dammit, I'm so tired…" He felt Anju's hand ruffle his hair.

"It'll get better, I promise," she said softly. Link turned his head to look at her with narrowed eyes.

"How can you be so sure?" Her face suddenly took on a lost expression, and she opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"M-my brother died a year ago in a car crash." Link's jaw dropped open a little.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Anju shrugged.

"I really just kind of stopped thinking about him." She slumped down, her elbows resting on the counter and her hands clasped together. "At first, it really hurt – it felt like my heart

(-red and shining and pulsating-)

was torn or something. But after a while… it just stopped." She looked at Link, her eyes shining softly. "I wish I could have done something, but after a while, you just realize that..." she stopped talking for a second, collecting her thoughts. "Some things just happen, and there's nothing that you can do to really stop them." A dull ache spread through Link's chest, and for a second, he really did feel like his heart was broken. Every beat seemed drawn out, slamming against his ribs almost painfully.

"But… I could have stopped it," he whispered. Anju sighed.

"D'you have like, a guilt complex or something?" Link blinked.

"No! I'm serious." He lowered his voice when he saw Maple shoot them a glare. "She called me while I was sleeping," he muttered in a softer tone. "If I was awake, she could still be alive. I just… I can't get that out of my head." Anju was silent for a while, and Link didn't look her in the eye, only kept his gaze fixed on his hands while his face burned with shame.

"Link, you can't keep beating yourself up over this. It's going to eat at you forever if you let it."

"Maybe I want it to…" Anju grabbed his shoulders, and Link finally looked at her, shocked at the desperate expression on her face.

"Link, I know you. You're a happy person. You're a good person! You can't let this ruin your life. You made a mistake; you're human, and it happens!"

"But my mistake cost my best friend her life! I can't just forget that!"

"But I'm also sure that she wouldn't want you to wallow in misery forever! Link, she wouldn't hold it against you."

"Well, how would you know? You didn't know her! You didn't hear how scared she was-" Link clamped his mouth shut and hissed through his nose, trying to let out his annoyance. She was just trying to help.

"Anju, thanks for trying to play therapist, but this is just something I need to get through, and it's not going to be, like, instantaneous." She frowned, her pale forehead crinkling.

"But Link, you need to take a look in the mirror. You look awful."

"What I need is some sleep, which I can get once I'm at home away from a certain redhead." He shot her a pointed look, and she deflated like a leaking balloon.

"Sorry." She shuffled away, her cheeks nearly as red as her hair and her head bowed. Link watched her go, guilt bubbling up slow and heavy inside him.

"Shit…" he groaned, laying his head back on the counter.

…

He must have fallen asleep for a couple of minutes, because his eyes creaked open when the bell over the door chimed. A voice rang out as clear and piercing as the bell.

"Maple! Maple, dear, we're here!" Link recognized the voice immediately and sat up quickly, shaking his head. He turned to see Koume and Kotake Rova, two of Maple's friends. He almost wanted to shield his eyes at the sight of their outfits, which matched in style, but clashed horrifically when it came to the colors. Link blinked as they saw him and tottered over.

"Hello Link, dear," Kotake said. Link could always tell which was which because of their necklaces. Kotake always wore a gold chain dripping with several smallish red stones. Link thought they were rubies, but that was really the only red stone he knew, so he couldn't be sure.

"Hello ma'am and ma'am," he said groggily, and Koume snorted. She wore the same silver chain adorned with pearls and blue gems. Sapphires?

"Dear, you know us. And oh my, what's wrong with you? You look like you didn't sleep a wink last night." Link shook his head.

"Don't want to talk about it." Kotake's face crinkled into a wicked grin.

"Oooo… was someone out being wild?" Link shot her a look. "It's okay; me and Sis were the life of the party back 'in the day.'"

"No," he said simply, then put his head back down on the counter. He heard them muttering about how rude he was being, but he ignored them as they made their way to the back of the diner where they usually sat. After a couple of minutes, he stood up and called to the kitchen, "Koume and Kotake are here." Anju's head popped into the small window with a grimace. She wasn't too fond of the elderly twins, as they were constantly making jokes about her height and hair.

"Thanks for the heads up," she said quietly, then sank back down into the kitchen. Maple burst out of the doors and bustled over to her friends, shooting the old man now folding up his newspaper and tucking under his arm a 'good day'. He gave her a mini salute, then shuffled over to the door. He held the door open for a stooped over, slightly overweight elderly woman wearing a purple shirt and black skirt that billowed around her ankles. Link shot her another look out of the corner of his eye when he noticed she was wearing a head scarf that covered almost all of her face except her eyes, which were a piercing shade of crimson almost identical to Sheik's.

A Sheikah… Don't see too many of those in here… he thought, grabbing a menu for her and walking up to her. She made a beeline for the table where the Rova twins and Maple were seated, and Link slunk back to his stool to watch the strange woman. He swore that he had never seen her before, yet Koume let out a loud exclamation when she saw her, and Kotake scooted over to give her room. Maple shot Link a look, raising three fingers in the air. Link quickly brought them over, and after he had finished handing them out and promising that he would be back to get their orders in a couple minutes, the strange Sheikah grabbed his arm. Her gnarled fingers exerted a surprising amount of force, but Link was too shocked to even try to pull away.

"What is your name, young one?" she said in a thick voice.

"Uh, Link."

"Oh, this is Fanadi. Me and Sis met her while we were out shopping. She runs the most amazing little store – oh! You should do a reading on him!" Kotake exclaimed, her golden eyes wide with excitement under her white bangs. Fanadi blinked at him when he gave her a questioning look. She still hadn't released his hand.

"She reads palms and tarot cards, and she also can see the future," Koume testified, placing a hand over her heart. "I swear on the Book of Mudora, she's the real deal." Link could hear Zelda in his head crying bullshit, but he ignored her, shrugging.

"Why not?" No sooner than he spoke did Fanadi close his eyes and wrench his hand over so his palm faced up. The red crescents his nails had made a few nights ago were still there. Her sharp eyes stayed closed as she ran her fingers over his palm, tracing over the wrinkles in his hand.

"Elihwa sekat gnidaol tiaw, elihwa sekat gnidaol tiaw," she muttered behind her cowl. Maple was watching the proceedings with interest, while the Rova twins had smug expressions on their faces. Link's eyes darted from his smarting palm to the woman's face. A blonde fringe had begun to fall from under the top of her hood. Finally, her eyes opened, glazed over as if she were in a trance.

"This I know – the goddesses have much in store for you, and the wheel of destiny has begun to turn. The red threads of fate tangled around you will draw tighter with each turn of the wheel, but you must not let them strangle you, young one. You must shoulder your fate and soldier on for the good of all, or else the world as we know it will end. Also, I am sorry for your current loss and for all the ones that you will experience," she said in a mournful tone, then released his hand. It dropped limply to his side, and there was silence around the small table for a moment.

Link stammered out something about drinks, then rushed off to the kitchen, his face burning.

…

Kaefi came to relieve him later that day, and Link gladly took his leave, waving goodbye to the four old women still cloistered in the back booth. They shot him looks and waves, then whispered to each other secretively, glancing at him as he exited the diner.

He drove home in silence, not bothering to turn on the radio. When he got home, the door was open, and Midna was sleeping on the couch, her face buried in the cushions. She sighed in her sleep and turned over, her face peaceful and relaxed. Link smiled at her, then walked into Sheik's room. The space was pin straight spotless. He was sitting with his back to the door in the center of the room, his legs crossed and his palms resting on his knees.

"Sheik?"

"Yeah?" came the steady reply.

"Do you think you can try to fix my phone?" He turned a little, one red eye cracking open.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Everything."

"Good. I like a challenge. Set it on the desk next to the computer." Link tossed it there with a clatter, and Sheik snorted.

"If you treat it like that, no wonder it's broken." Link sighed.

"It wasn't my fault…"

"Sure. Whatever. Leave now please." Link rolled his eyes, but obliged, closing the door as softly as he could. He padded off to his room and flopped down on the bed. The clock read 6:00 when his head hit the pillow. It was almost 9:00 when he finally stopped tossing and turning and fell asleep.

…

Link…

The red threads of fate tangled around him pulled tighter around his neck, cutting off his air and making him panic as they started to strangle him-

Link, sweetie, wake up…

He wriggled his hands frantically to try and pull them away from his neck, but his hands were held to his body by the same red threads, tangled around him-

It's only a dream, dearie… Wake up…

The sensation of a cool hand on his forehead came along with the creaking old voice, and Link blearily opened his eyes.

"Grandma?" he said before he could fully wake up, and there was a low chuckle. The hand vanished slowly, and the sudden absence finally drew Link into full awareness. He blinked, sitting up and looking around the empty room. He swiped a hand across his forehead, but felt nothing unusual. That's when he shot a glare at the wretched alarm clock sitting next to him and groaned out loud.

1:00 am. Work was in five hours.

He sincerely hoped that this wasn't going to become a regular thing as he laid down in the nest of blankets his uncontrollable thrashing had created and fruitlessly tried to go back to sleep.

Oh don't worry Link... It will... *evil grin*

Lol, did I scare some of you guys off with that last nightmare? My reviews dropped a little. Just thought that was funny. I swear that won't be a regular occurrence, but that dream will be important later.

Much thanks to Leina16 and Princess Zelda-figure skater, who are two new reviewers from the chapters past :D

Plot starts to pick up more in the next chapter! Stay tuned!

~Eva