Chapter 10. Did this in a few hours. Sorry, I have to rush these, otherwise they would be a lot better.

Characters © of Nintendo

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Chapter 10

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the smell. It was beautiful, and impossible to place. Sweet, but not so much that it was overbearing. Keeping my eyes closed, I shifted a little, wondering where this smell was coming from.

As I laid there, I thought of what had happened the night before. That had to have been a dream; when I opened my eyes, I would be laying in the camp with the rest of the idiots there—and I would have to spend the rest of my day with them. The flowers, the signs, the tree; it was all just a dream...a wonderful, wonderful dream.

But the ground was a lot comfier than my bad, and there was no sound other than that of a forest; leaves rustling in a light breeze, bugs going on their merry way, and animals collecting food. Slowly, carefully, I opened one eye, peering at my surroundings.

Beautiful blue flowers rested in front of my eyes, just like the ones I had seen last night. A smile slowly crept across my face; last night hadn't been a dream, it seemed. It made me so happy, that I wanted to cry. I actually felt cared for for once, as opposed to feeling stuck in a world where no one cared about anything but the idea of me as opposed to me.

Getting slowly to my feet, I bent down, grabbing the flowers and quickly pulling them up. I wanted something to remember what had happened, to remember that they were watching over me...helping me. With the flowers in both of my hands, I help them under my nose, inhaling deeply. It was a calming scent.

Looking up at the sky, I winced. The sun was almost at its zenith. They might actually be worried about where I was...unless they were too busy fawning over that kid again.

Slowly, I backtracked my steps from the night before, walking carefully. All I could think about was last night. My sign...go north. Ridley was north. That meant my suit was north. That also meant there might be something to help Zelda up north...her losing her memory didn't seem normal to me. I pondered this on the way back, trying to understand everything that had happened.

It seemed to me that so much had happened in such a short time. It wasn't normal, and something was going on. Did none of the others realize this? Or was no one making a comment on it because everyone was too scared to?

Breaking through the wall of trees, I entered the camp as silently as possible. The first thing I saw was Zelda's angry, flushed face right across from mine, glaring. "Where...were...you?" she demanded, her voice filled with anger.

"On...a walk," I said, surprised and nervous. Zelda looked angrier than I had ever seen her. Had I done something wrong?

Still fuming, she snarled, "I was worried sick about you! You randomly disappear in the middle of the night, don't tell anyone where you're going!? Had me up all night worrying about you! And how do you come back?! Looking exhausted and...with flowers?" She looked confused now.

Smiling awkwardly, I asked, "Do you like them? You can have them if you do." I held them out, trying to calm her down, and generally hoping that she would take them.

She reached out and grabbed them, her eyes soft now. "For me?" she asked.

I nodded.

Holding them under her nose like I had, she said, "They're beautiful."

"Yeah," I said. "They're not poppies though—those are your favorite. I didn't see any, otherwise I would've gotten those for you...."

Walking towards where she slept, she placed the flowers on the ground. As she started to stand up, she froze. Spinning around, her eyes held the same anger in them that they had before. "You're trying to distract me!" she exclaimed. "You're trying to make me smile and be sweet so I'll forget what I was talking about!"

Smiling awkwardly, I asked, "Is it working?"

Her face flushed scarlet. "Kind of," she muttered, and then she walked away. My heart swelled with happiness at her response.

Looking around, I looked at everyone else. Link was staring at me with a look of surprise and slight shock; had Zelda surprised him, or was it the ending confrontation. Peach was smiling knowing, looking between me and Zelda like she was expecting something. Pit, the boy, was smiling awkwardly, glancing at Link every so often. It was strange to hear them all so silent.

"Hey," I said, waving my hand slightly. "Sorry about leaving....I went on a...uhm...spiritual journey, I suppose."

Link raised his eyebrows, and Zelda glanced over from her spot on the ground. "And did you find out anything?" Link asked.

I nodded. "North," I simply said. "That's where we need to go."

"Which way is north?" Zelda asked.

I pointed behind me. "North," I stated. "Answers are north. I have a feeling...a gut instinct. And those are usually right," I added.

Link nodded, and Peach said, "Oh! What do we need?" Peach started bustling around the camp, picking up things and muttered to herself things like, "No...not that," or "Oh! This we'll need." For someone so stupid, she was pretty efficient.

Link got to his feet, and Pit quickly followed suit. Zelda looked at me and quickly at the floor. Shrugging to myself, I picked up my bag and yawned slightly, not tired, more so as just bored. They talked and talked about things that didn't really matter—I was ready to go already.

Peach straightened up, a bag slung over her shoulder as well. I wasn't going to ask where she got it. Looking at me and Zelda, she said, "I've got tampons if anyone starts their period."

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Walking wasn't really so bad. Actually, it was quite boring. The silence that prevailed was not as uncomfortable like I thought it would be. Zelda walked behind me, with Link taking up the rear. The only sound was that of leaves and twigs being crushed beneath our feet.

It gave me time to think, at least.

Zelda had made a comment on what I had said. She had admitted that I had made her forget what she was saying by being sweet. I hadn't even noticed that I was being sweet—I had just given her flowers. But she had liked it; I knew she was holding the flowers behind me.

Did she...no, she couldn't. That was a ridiculous notion, but then why had she done that earlier? Maybe she just thought I was being nice. But then why did she have the flowers with her at all times? Or maybe she was just trying not to let me down. That was the only thing I could think of that sounded reasonable.

Following the river was the only thing we could think to do, and by we, I mean all of us but Peach. The Pit kid was actually relatively nice, putting in his ideas in whenever he could—and he had some good ones.

The scenery didn't change much. Everything looked the same. Trees, bushes, little sky, grass, and dirt. The river constantly gushed silently next to us, the only guidance we had on this uncharted planet.

The sun slowly sank, going on its slow descent towards the line of the horizon. I was more than content to keep walking, but Peach was complaining about sore feet. She had shoved her bag into her "magic pocket," and by that had nothing to carry with her. I, however, was going to carry mine on my own. I didn't need no magic pocket.

We found a spot close to the river to set up camp. Placing my bag at my feet, I walked over to the river and splashed my face with the freezing water. Link went to scour for wood to burn. Peach started to prepare food (without a fire, I didn't know what she was going to do), and Zelda and Pit looked like they didn't know what they were going to do.

Sitting on the ground, I stretched out. My body was telling me I was still ready to walk, but my brain was telling me I was emotionally drained. Maybe I was thinking about Zelda a little too much, focusing on her. Everything about her.

Her face, how every detail fell perfectly together. How her eyes, slightly almond shaped, where the perfect match for her perfect nose and perfect, pink lips. Part of me couldn't help but wonder...what would it be like to kiss her? Nice probably....And maybe, kissing would lead to something more and then—but it wasn't my place to think that, not at all.

I wanted to smack myself for thinking that. How could I? That wasn't allowed, especially because I probably wouldn't be allowed to be with her ever. That wasn't acceptable in Hyrule. God, what was I thinking?!

While I grappled with myself mentally, Link and Zelda started talking. While I tried calming my thoughts, I listened. Link asked quietly, "Why'd you take the flowers?"

Zelda responded just as quietly. "It was a nice gesture, Link," she said. "It was really sweet of her."

"You really don't think that's why she gave you the flowers, do you?" Link asked, sounding a little frustrated. Did they not know I was listening?

"Why did she give me the flowers, then?" she demanded, sounding flustered.

"For the same reasons that Mid—" Before he could finish, Peach called out.

"Link!" she called. "I need the wood."

Link called back, "Coming." To Zelda, he added, "I'm not finished."

After Link left, she quietly said, "But I don't even know what you're talking about, Link. Who did what that reminded you of Samus giving me the flowers?" She sat down next to me after that, staring into the river like I was.

"Hey," I said quietly. "What's up?"

She looked confused.

"How are you?" I asked, making up for the term she didn't understand.

She blinked. "Been better," she said. "And how are you?"

"Mentally exhausted," I said before I could stop myself. I felt like hitting myself again; why did I keep telling her things that I didn't want to. "But other than that, I'm pretty good," I added, trying to make up for it.

Tilting my head to the side, I cracked my neck, sighing. She probably thought I was crazy.

"Samus..." Zelda whispered quietly. "Why did you give me the flowers?"

"Because you thought they were nice," I simply said.

"Is that all?"

"Yes." No.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." No.

Zelda nodded.

Before she could, I asked, "Zelda, who's Midna?"

Zelda's face contorted oddly. "I don't know, Samus. I don't remember." She looked upset. "The name sounds so familiar, like someone I should remember, but no matter how hard I try, I can't."

I nodded. "I'm going to help, just like I said," I promised.

"You said that?"

My heart sank. "Yes. I did."

"Oh. Well, I should probably help...Peach." The hesitation made me worry.

As I sat there, I looked up at the sky. The stars were coming out, and it made me think of the night before. I would probably visit them again tonight; God knows I needed advice.

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Poor Sammy. Link's a bitch, and everyone knows Zelda secretly loves Sammy...a lot.