Link is NOT mine. And neither are all those other places and things you recognize from The Legend of Zelda.

You get some adventure in this one. :D

Chapter 6

Something was shaking my shoulder gently. Something much like a hand.

"Mom…" I murmured. "Just five more minutes, please." I made a few efforts to bat away the hand. My fingers touched leather.

I shot up and found myself face to face to the one person I never thought I would ever see again.

"Jay, what's wrong?" Link asked. A sinking feeling returned to my stomach. More dreams. I paused before answering him, taking a chance to soak in my surroundings. We were on the shores of Lake Hylia. Judging from the sun's position, it was late afternoon. The lake's waters were dyed the color of the sky—pink, orange, and purple.

"Nothing's wrong," I finally answered. I didn't meet his eyes.

"Then why are you crying?"

My hand flew up to my eyes, feeling moisture. Angrily, I wiped off the tears staining my cheeks. His blue eyes followed my every moment. In them, I could see that he was genuinely curious.

"It's nothing. You won't want to hear it." Why was I still having a normal conversation with this figment of my imagination?

"I would still like to know," he said gently.

"Why don't you just ask my brain to tell you directly?" I demanded, with a bit more force than I intended.

"That makes no—oh, wait. You still think this is a dream, don't you?" He started to smile.

"No, not anymore. I know that this is just a dream." I said confidently, then added smugly, "And I've got proof."

"Really now? I'd like to hear your…proof."

I ignored his skeptical tone. "Well, first off, there are no Redead in the market. Everything's supposed to be evil now, right? I mean, Ganondorf tricked you and got his hands on the Triforce, so everything is supposed to be all screwed up and bad."

"…What?"

I shot him a disbelieving look. "I mean…look! We're sitting next to a perfect example right here. The lake's waters are supposed to be gone! That's how it is in the game."

"You still think this is a game?"

"No-o-o," I dragged the word, placing as much emphasis on it as I could. "This is all just a way of my mind torturing me. It's giving me something to puzzle over. I guess this is its way of amusement."

"You have a masochistic mind," he pointed out, grinning.

"Hey!" I shoved him, meaning to hurt him, but he didn't budge an inch. My wrist, however, was throbbing slightly.

"Nice try." He winked. I nearly slapped my forehead in frustration.

"Hey, what's in your pocket?" he asked, after he realized I wasn't going to talk.

"My…pocket?" I looked down and, to my horror, there was a large lump—large enough to be…an apple. My hand dove down and snatched up the terrible thing. It was red and shiny, just like any other apple would be. I never did get around to eating it, did I? And now, here it was, in my dreams with me.

"What is that?" Link asked, staring at the innocent piece of fruit in my hand.

"It's an apple…" I stared at him. "Don't tell me there aren't any around here!"

"Heh, never seen one before. What do you do with it?"

"You eat it!"

"Woah…weird."

"I think you're the weird one here. But…you're just a part of my mind, so I guess I'm the weird one. This is all getting so confusing."

"Hmm, yeah it is." He paused. "You disappeared last time again. And I was still holding on to your hand, too. I thought maybe that would keep you here."

My heart melted at his words. Why should I care if this was only a dream? It was a nice dream, so I might as well enjoy it. I realized guiltily that I was being too harsh towards Link. I mean, what had he ever done to me?

I smiled at him. "I don't think I have any control over when I leave either. It just…happens. There's no warning or anything."

He grinned. "So basically, I can annoy you as much as I want, and you can't leave?"

"Um, yeah, I guess you could." I grimaced. Then, suddenly getting an inspiration, I asked him, "Hey, do you want to keep this apple?"

He eyed it warily.

"I promise it's not going to hurt you. Unless you're allergic."

"Don't you want to eat it?" he asked, still staring at the apple.

"Nah, I have plenty back home. It's not like they're rare. Besides, when I wake up back in my world, and the apple is still with me, I'll definitely know that this is all just fake."

"Heh, prepare to be proved wrong by yourself," he said as he took the apple from my hand. "How about I give you something in return? Something that you couldn't find back in…your world."

I grinned triumphantly. "Go ahead."

He reached into a small pouch on his belt and pulled out a small Deku seed. "Will this suffice?" he asked, smiling warmly.

"Sure," I said, as I took it out of his hand and put it in my pocket.

"What happens when you find out that this is all real?" he asked me.

"I—I doubt that's the case."

"I'm just saying, what if?"

"Well…I really don't know," I answered honestly. I paused. "Oh yeah, how long has it been since you last saw me?"

"You mean since you disappeared on me again?" he asked with a wry smile. I nodded. He quickly answered. "It was only two days this time."

"What?!" I yelled. "Last time it was only one day for me, and it was a week for you! This time, it's been four days for me, and it's only been two for you?!"

"I—I guess so," he said. He edged away from me a little, his eyes wide at my sudden outburst.

"You know what?" I asked, taking a few deep breaths. "I'm not going to even worry about it." I forced a calm smile onto my face.

"Well, since you're not worried about all this weird time thing anymore, you want to pick up where we left off last time?"

"You're gonna show me Hyrule?"

"Yup!" he said excitedly. "What do you want to see first?"

"Umm, well, I've already seen Lake Hylia now," I said as I gestured toward the lake. The sun was setting quickly now and the waters looked dark. "It's getting kind of late, don't you think?"

Link glanced over at the sky. "Yeah, but I think we can avoid trouble." He grinned dangerously.

"Correction. You can avoid trouble, while I will probably get killed."

"Nah, you look like you can defend yourself," he said earnestly.

"Oh boy…" I muttered. Wait until this guy sees me with a sword in my hand.

"Let's go!" he said eagerly, hopping up. I got up more slowly and followed him out of Lake Hylia's grounds.

Hyrule at night, for it was night now, was intimidating. I followed Link closely, lest some unseen monster pop out of the ground.

"So Link," I began. My voice sounded too loud. "Where are all the monsters? Aren't you supposed to be a hero or something?"

"Another part of your game, eh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I nodded. He tsk-ed. "Well, there are monsters, but they're generally not around here. Zelda sends me on missions occasionally, when some bad things get out of hand. Once I take care of them, she pays me a couple hundred rupees. It's a pretty good living."

"But a dangerous one," I added. "Isn't there a Ganondorf though?"

"Bah! That old fool has been dead for quite a while. He is mortal, you know."

"What?!" I sputtered. "Ganondorf's gone?!"

Link halted in his steps. We were approaching Lon Lon Ranch now. "Of course he's dead. The Goddesses were successful when they sealed him in another realm. That game of yours is a bit inaccurate."

"I guess so…" I muttered, disappointed. I had expected there to be more adventure in my dreams.

"Why were you crying when you got here?" he asked me, suddenly changing the topic.

I sighed. "My parents are separating…"

"Oh," Link said simply. He nodded. I remember with a pang that he didn't even have any parents any more. My situation was a lot better than his.

"Hey, you want to visit the Gorons?" he asked me abruptly.

"Oh, err, sure. Why not?" My brain had a few issues changing gears so quickly.

We changed direction slightly and approached Kakariko Village. Walking around in my dream took a lot longer than walking around in the game. It must've been at least an hour until we reached the steps.

Suddenly, with a violent growl, a Stalchild emerged from the ground and began to prowl toward us.

"What the—" Link exclaimed as he launched himself in front of me, sword drawn. With a quick slice, he injured the monster. It kept advancing though, and Link motioned for me to climb the steps into the village.

Three more monsters soon appeared, and I wasn't making much progress up the steps. I was too entranced by the fight before me. The Stalchildren were a lot stronger than they were in the game. Link was having trouble dealing with all of them.

Without thinking, I picked up a rock and hurled it at the closest creature. With a sickening crunch, it turned its head towards me. It began to advance.

"Oh, snap," I said, as I tried to climb the stairs backwards. I tripped, though, as my foot wearing only a sock caught on a protruding piece of rock. I felt the rock's sharp edge make a small slice in my heel. The Stalchild was almost upon me now, hand raised for the deathblow.

Suddenly, a sword tip emerged from its ribs and it let out a bloodcurdling screech. I covered my ears as it collapsed on the ground before me. Link stood behind the corpse, sword still extended. He was covered with dirt.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly as I got up, still dazed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's not everyday that I get attacked by a bunch of skeleton monsters, though." I brushed off my pants and inspected the cut on my foot. It wasn't deep, so I didn't worry about it.

"That was…really…bad," Link said, as he gazed at the broken bodies of the monsters.

"Why? It happens all the time, doesn't it?" I asked, completely oblivious to his source of worry.

He turned towards me, piercing me with his blue eyes. "Never."

"N-Never?" I stammered. "But in the game…"

"Exactly! In the game!" he said, throwing up with hands. "It's almost like my world is turning into your game world." He shook his head at his own statement.

I stared dumbly at him. "That's impossible," I said finally. I found it harder and harder to convince myself this was just a dream. At least I would have enough proof when I woke up.

"This is really bad," Link murmured, as if I wasn't there. "I have to inform Zelda about this. What if there are more monsters out there somewhere? Everyone is in danger!"

I stood there, watching Link as he paced back and forth. "Hey Link," I said randomly. I was desperate to distract him. "Do you have a horse?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure I do. I keep her with Malon though. I prefer to walk most of the time."

"What's her name?"

"Epona."

"Oh… That's the same as the game."

"Will you stop comparing this to your game?!" he burst out. "It's not the same!"

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. The appearance of the monsters had clearly unnerved him.

He ignored me and continued to pace. Suddenly, he turned around and said, "Come on. We're going to see Zelda."

"Wait, wha—?" I jumped off the stairs and hurried after Link. He was already a few feet in front of me. "Isn't the drawbridge closed at night?"

"The guard inside will open it for us. He knows my voice," Link assured confidently.

After about half an hour, we reached the gates of the marketplace. Link picked up a rock and threw it at the wooden structure.

"Rydo!" Link called. "Open up! It's Link!"

There was no answer, but with a loud clank, the drawbridge began to open slowly. Link looked slightly perturbed.

"He always responds," he muttered.

The drawbridge opened completely, but I couldn't see anything beyond it. I was about to take a step forward, but Link stopped me. He hissed into the abyss that was supposed to be the market.

A human-like shape began to walk out toward us. Its walk was uneven though, as if it were lurching up each of its legs in order to move.

Link crouched down, waiting for the shape to come into the moonlight. When it did, I screamed.

The shape was not a guard, although it was still wearing part of armor and carrying a spear. Its limbs were shriveled and decayed. I couldn't see its face clearly, but I didn't want to. This was a Redead.

It screeched at us, the shriek sending chills up and down my spine. I was paralyzed with fear. Link had gotten up and was advancing slowly with his sword out. The Redead appeared to sense him and turned to face Link. I tried to choke out a warning, but could not.

With a sudden pounce, the Redead hurled itself at Link with more speed than I would've expected from such a rotten thing. I tried to scream again, but I couldn't. With a flash of his sword, however, Link stopped the thing in midair. It crumpled to the ground a few feet away from me. It was still alive though. As it turned its head slowly, the face caught the moonlight. This time, my fear overcame my immobilization and a choked cry tore from my lips.

The face was hideous, the mouth permanently stretched into a grin. The teeth were black and rotten, though they were covered with a red substance. There were no eyes, just hollows covered with brown, flaking skin. The helmet it wore covered the region of the face that was supposed to have a nose.

I stumbled backwards, free to move now, although my legs twitched and did not listen to my mind.

Link ran toward the Redead and jammed his sword into its throat. Its hands reached up, clawing at air. One of them found its mark. It latched on to Link's sword arm and tried to drag Link down. I was crawling on the ground, trying desperately to help.

The Redead opened its mouth, as if expecting to feed on its prey soon. A rush of foul air reached my nostrils and I covered my nose, gagging. I could only imagine how bad the smell would've been for Link, since I was about ten feet away from them.

Link seemed to find some source of hidden strength and wrench his arm and sword free of the monster. He grunted slightly as he stumbled backwards onto the drawbridge.

"Fire, Link!" I screamed as the thing rose from the ground again. Although it had suffered from a wound that should've killed any living thing, it was still able to move.

Link reached into his pouch at his belt and pulled out a small crystal. It glowed slightly. With a cry, he raised his fist and fire suddenly appeared in his hands. I watched, amazed, as the fire did not burn him.

Instead, Link seemed to be in control of the fire, aiming it at the Redead stumbling toward him. The flames lanced out at the monster, engulfing it. It thrashed around, screaming loud enough to wake an entire city. I closed my eyes and jammed my fingers in my ears. The scream echoed in my ears long after it stopped.

Opening my eyes, I saw that the Redead had been reduced to a pile of ashes. Link crouched on the ground a few feet away, panting loudly.

Dizzily, I made my way over to him. The smell of burnt flesh stung my nose and throat, making it hard to breathe. Smoke drifted lazily in the air.

"L-Link…" I choked out. "Are you hurt?"

He looked up at me, and his eyes, usually so alert, were blank and staring. They seemed to shine brightly, as if they were filled with unshed tears. Letting his head fall down again, he uttered a bitter curse.

"What is happening to Hyrule?" he demanded quietly, his voice slightly unsteady. "Where are all these monsters coming from?"

"I-I don't know, Link," I said, struggling not to cry. A part of my mind told me that this was all my fault. By bringing in ideas of evil from the video game, this Hyrule that Link lived in was becoming infected.

"Let's get away from here," Link said, as he got up slowly from the ground. "It's not safe."

To my shame, my legs were shaking as I tried to walk. Link glanced over and his features softened.

"Here," he muttered and he placed my arm over his shoulders. He supported some of my body weight as we began to walk. I tried to protest, but had to accept that I wouldn't be able to move very well on my own.

"Where are we going now?" I asked as soon as we were far enough from the stench of the Redead.

"We're going to Lon Lon Ranch to spend the rest of the night," Link responded. "We need shelter where those things can't get to us."

"Oh." I didn't want to mention the possibility that Ingo might be evil now. My socks were getting wet from the grass and my feet were rather cold, but I didn't care. I was still pretty shaken.

"I don't get it!" Link exclaimed after a while. "Where did all these monsters come from? It's like they just decided to appear in one day! It's almost like I'm dreaming now."

"I'm sorry, Link," I whispered.

"What?" he asked, confused. "Why are you apologizing?"

"You were right when you said that your world was turning into my game world. And I can't help but feel that somehow, this is my fault. It's like I brought all these monsters since I keep talking about the game. And now this place is...bad."

"Tell me what happens in the game," Link said softly.

"I'm not sure you want to know," I protested.

"I would like to have some sort of mental preparation," he persisted.

I took a deep breath. "I don't think it's a good idea to go to Lon Lon Ranch."

"Why not? Malon will help us. I know she will. Don't tell me she turned evil too!"

"No, no!" I said, scared at the sadness tearing through his voice. "It's not her. It's Ingo."

Link stopped. He turned to me with eyes that looked so lost. "This has always been my home, Jay," he said quietly. "Even though you don't believe me when I say this is real, to me, it is. And now, I'm learning that there's evil everywhere. It's a bit of a shock."

"I won't tell you the rest then."

"How bad can it be?"

I braced myself. "Ganondorf is back."

"What?" Link exclaimed. He let go of me. Thankfully, my legs could support me now. "That's impossible! The goddesses—he—he's trapped in time! He can't get out!"

I shook my head. "He has. It's the only explanation for all this. I know it still doesn't make much sense, but it's almost as if your world and the game world are mixing. And I'm just acting as the catalyst."

My mind had ceased to think this was all a dream. A dream could never be this real. A dream could never make me feel this way. And a dream could never be so physical. The smell of burning flesh, the feel of the soft grass under my feet, the heat emanating from Link's body, and the taste of failure. It was all too real.

"What did you use to kill the…thing back there?" I asked when he didn't respond to what I was saying. Perhaps he agreed with me.

"Din's Fire."

I blinked in surprise. "Oh. I thought that needed magic."

"Nope. I just use a little capsule every time. And then when I run out, I go back to the Great Fairy. Do you want one?"

"N-No," I stammered, startled by his sudden offer. "I'd probably set the house on fire if I tried to used it." Link nodded silently.

"You've been here for a long time," he said after a pause. "Almost twelve hours in fact."

"I should probably leave then," I said with a grimace. Link smiled weakly at my pathetic attempt at a joke.

All of a sudden, things began to happen to quickly. First, everything around me began to blur, and I recognized the signs of me leaving. Second, a Stalchild emerged from the ground. Link didn't notice this second event though; he was too busy staring at my disappearing form.

I tried to yell at him, to warn him, but I couldn't even hear my own voice.

The last thing I saw was the Stalchild advancing on Link as he slowly turned around to face it. He didn't have enough time to react.