A/N: I KNOW I KNOW, it's been a LOOOONG time. :( I really don't have anything to say except for that increased homework and lack of motivation is what happened. X(

Shout out to new reviewers: Mollysallaboutbooks, FanaticMarioMan, poorthor, bakuragrey1998, RedBlazer, ShadowNinja1011, MatchMida, and Koolkat222! :)))

But I'm back, and hopefully you'll enjoy! :)


Link

Tuesday, 7:45 PM

Something has been on my mind lately.

Actually, no, it hasn't been on my mind lately. Something has been on my mind now.

The random thought just suddenly pops up, as I'm still thrusting the wrinkled money towards her, and now since the thought is wedged in my brain, it cannot be shooed out. Like a bee buzzing around your head. However, it isn't annoying, it's more like a...whisper. Encouragement. For something I've been wanting to do for a while.

She's still standing as rigid as a statue, her head angled towards the five-dollar bill, boring holes through it as if it's the most shocking thing she'd seen her whole life.

Seeing she won't personally take it, I finally wedge the money in her hand instead.

Her head is still staring at empty space, probably pondering how I saw through her (adorable) disguise. Although I want to hold back doing anything reckless, the whisper in my brain has gotten louder, and I need to do this gracefully and gently. But right now, what I need is to see those dazzling eyes.

Slowly, my slightly quivering hand reaches upward to the obstructing sunglasses, and I gently slip them off.

"Found you," I say, as if we were both just playing this really complex game of hide-and-seek.

"You need this though…," she murmurs, handing the money back to me again.

"Nope, don't need." What I need is something different. I push her hand back down by her side.

"Why not?" she questions in a small voice. I resist the urge to hug her. Do not rush...do not rush…

Yet I'm nervous.

I press her sunglasses in her hand as well, and she peers down at them with an expression that gives the word 'disbelief' a whole new meaning.

"What are you thinking?" I say, hoping I sound playful, as if I'm the new and shiny Sherlock Holmes, but she doesn't hear me.

Instead, her eyes are still glued down at her hands. Inaudibly sighing, I carefully lift a finger up to lift her chin, but it freezes before doing so when I hear a hiss,

"Link." The voice Ilia uses as a warning. The voice that means she wasn't playing around. The voice that means fright.

But I want her to watch. It's cruel. Very cruel. And I feel horrible for doing it.

But I need to tell Ilia sooner or later, and no other moment was as crystal clear as right now. If I tell her my true feelings in words, she'll think I'm fooling around and pulling things from the dump. This is the only way she'll believe me. I'm sorry, Ilia.

I lift Zelda's chin up with my finger. Her eyes are filled with a million different emotions, so many that I can't identify any. I have the whole world's self control, yet the whole world's reluctance as well. Will I regret this?

No, I won't hide the truth any longer. To both Ilia and Zelda.

I'm so close to her, and I briefly pause, giving a chance for her to pull back or reject my actions. But she stays still, and I go for it.

I gently lean in and kiss her.

Her lips are velvet, so smooth and soft, and comfortable. It feels right. Slowly, I feel she's returning it.

Two things are raging in my mind through the blissful elation I'm in: insane happiness and a trillion apologies. Yet I feel no regrets, and nothing beats the moment right now

A growl rips through the delicate silence. However, I know what I have to do, and that is my cue.

"You should go now, your friends are waiting," I urge, knowing I have to handle the rest.

Turning around, I face Ilia with a strong face, and toss a backwards wave at Zelda behind me. Not wanting for Zelda to leave thinking I'm suffering, I say some cheesy joke, and she exits with a small smile.

My eyes linger briefly where she left, pondering if I should just bail

No, I'm going to face this with strength and not cowardice.

And now...it's quiet.

I turn back to the girl who I work with. Her mouth is twisted and pressed together while her eyes are quivering with disbelief. She's visibly fuming, and she slowly makes her way towards me. But I know everything will be okay. I know her well enough.

Now, she's standing before me, her head hanging, shoulders shaking. I stare, not knowing where to begin, feeling the guilt which is exponentially growing.

When it's evident she's not going to say anything, I finally speak. "I'm really sorry, Ilia."

She shakes her head and says nothing.

Before I can speak again, she finally talks. "Is this...really how you feel? For her? For me?"

I stay quiet.

"That's not true, right?" She's starting to sound panicked. "Are you ill? How can you just trample over my feelings and extinguish our whole journey together in a mere second? What do I lack that for you to choose someone else? How long have you felt this way? What makes you think that I'm not worth as much"

"Stop."

Ilia stares at me, her mouth agape, mid-sentence.

I exhale. "You're a wonderful person, Ilia. You're cheerful, uplifting, and wonderfully spontaneous. But…," I pause, hesitating

. "But…" she repeats, the word just the tiniest breath from her lips.

"I'm...not right for you."

"You're perfect for me," she objects immediately. "Exactly perfect. The right one"

"I'm not as smart as you or have the same interests you have." I take a deep breath. "I've been meaning to tell you for a while, but I couldn't find the best moment to show it. I'm sorry."

"So this is the 'best' way to show it? In front of my very own eyes?" Ilia gestures at Zelda's position, exactly where she had been standing.

"That was the only way you'd believe me."

"Tell me this. Have you ever felt the way I feel to you, to me?"

I can't talk anymore; the truth is too hard to say to her.

Ilia stares, and she starts to nod. "So this is it, isn't it? It was just one-sided, me just someone who you watch and pity over."

"No that is absolutely a lie. You're a very good friend, and I love having you around," I say with determination, because that's true. Despite her stubbornness, she's truly a delight, because everyone has flaws, including me, including the goddesses.

"No you don't. I'm just a pesky fly you want to get rid of right away."

"No, listen to me. Ilia, you're an amazing person. There's just someone else that I feel for, the feeling I assume you feel for me."

Ilia stares at me, her eyes turning from grief to denial. "You're just tired. I'm tired, too. Yeah, we're both tired, let's just go home for tonight. Sleep well. Sleep very well, Link."

Ilia rotates and heads back to through the back door where our possessions are.

I remain in my spot for a long time, so long that Ilia has already changed out of her work clothes and walked past me to the exit. Before heading out, she pauses, and then continues through the door.

I'm still occupied thinking of the conversation that happened. Did I do what I had to do? Accomplished what I meant to do?

I'm knocked out of my thoughts by the door swinging shut from Ilia's departure. And that's when I recall her saying "Goodnight" to me before exiting.

"Goodnight," I reply quickly, though Ilia has already disappeared through the door.

Now I'm standing alone in the cafe.

It feels lonely.


I know I didn't have a good night. There were too many thoughts quarreling in my brain last night, and I only managed to doze off at three in the morning, but even then, I hadn't been sleeping too deeply. I recall getting up for a water break, but that might've been a dream.

I fumble with my screeching alarm clock and shut it off, then roll out of bed. The days are definitely getting shorter, the cool air rustling through my window, the sun still hiding. Although I'm wearing thin sleeping clothes, I still briefly swing open the window and take a good whiff of the crisp air. It's rejuvenating.

Closing the window back up, I plod downstairs to where breakfast is undeniably waiting to be devoured, if Colin hasn't done that job already. Fortunately, the little guy was still asleep, so I get first dibs of Uli's award-winning muffins.

"Did you have a good rest?" Uli asks me, dusting off her oven mitts.

"Yep," I lie, stuffing a muffin into my mouth.

"How's work?"

"...Fine."

"Able to chat with your friends frequently? Or too much homework?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot I have homework…"

"Oh Link, is your mind still back in summer vacation?"

"I guess." I emit a sheepish laugh, because I genuinely forgot I have homework to deal with along with all the other messes in my lamentable life.

Our conversation is interrupted as the phone shrills, Uli yelping and me nearly dropping my half-eaten muffin. Uli dusts her hands on a tablecloth before hurriedly making her way to the ringing phone. I resume chewing my muffin as she picks up the call.

"Hello?...Yes...Alright, just wait a moment."

Uli turns and heads over to me. "Your friend Mikau wants to chat."

"Mikau?" I shove the rest of my breakfast in my mouth while pondering in confusion for a moment. What does Mikau want in the morning? Surely not to drag me over to his house again?

I take the phone from Uli and head upstairs, planning to get ready for the day while talking to Mikau. "Hey Mikau, what's up?"

"Link you're actually awake!"

"Surprise…?"

"Listen man, I'm planning to run to the music store for a new guitar pick since I accidentally crushed it with my own feet"

"Who's fault is it?"

"shut up. Anyway, I need to get a new one before going to school because I'll need one for Band. So why I even bothered to call you numbskull is to ask if you'll join me for moral support?"

"You need moral support to buy a guitar pick?"

"Don't question my reasoning. Come on, please? Darunia's definitely not awake yet and he'll knock me out of town if I woke him up this early."

My comb is stuck halfway through my hair as I hurry over to the nearest clock. Hm, I guess if I leave right now I'll have enough time to go with Mikau and get to school in time.

"Alright fine, I'll swing by your house in ten, 'kay?"

"Deal."

Hanging up, I quickly fish out a shirt, pants, and a jacket, and dress quickly. It'll take more than five minutes to jog to Mikau's place, so I'll have to hurry. I grab my schoolbag, praying all supplies are present in there, and tumble downstairs.

I'm about to shoot out the door when Uli stops me. "Wait, Link!"

"Huh?"

She calmly makes her way over to me and then plucks a comb out of my hair. "Surely this isn't the newest fad?"

I grin sheepishly. "Heh, thanks."

"Have fun!"

Then I'm out the door. Jogging with a bag isn't the most efficient as I'm struggling to not let the bottom of the bag rip from my fat textbooks jumping around.

"Urgh," I mumble incoherently as I haphazardly swing myself into Mikau's neighborhood. I can see that signature Mikau Smile from a mile away.

Purposely slowing down and faking fatigue, Mikau glares at me and beckons for me to hurry up. Finally, I make it there.

"You're the worst," Mikau mumbles as he swings open the car door and throws his bag in.

"Sorry, but it seems as if my running skills are dwindling," I lie jokingly.

"Then get your butt back on the treadmill," Mikau counters with a small smile.

After a few more minutes scuffling around, we both finally wedge ourselves into the front two seats, and to my surprise, Mikau takes the wheel.

"Huh? You can drive?" I say, flabbergasted. As far as I know, neither Mikau, Darunia, and I own a license yet.

Mikau flashes a smug grin at me as he pulls out the square plastic of freedom.

"No way," I gush, yanking the license straight out of his hands. "When did you get it?"

"Woah woah, chill," Mikau says, slipping the license back into his grasp. "It's not really a license, it's a permit. You know, the thing you get before you can get a license?"

"Uh huh. But when did you get it and how come I didn't know 'til now?"

"Got it last weekend before school started. Wanted to surprise you!" Mikau turns to me again, his grin widening. "Since the permit rules say I can't drive on my own, I have to have another individual next to me for safety measures. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the real reason why I dragged you over. Not for moral support to buy a guitar pick because who 'needs moral support to buy a guitar pick?'"

As Mikau hoots at his own little joke, I shake my head and sit back in the passenger seat. "So you gonna go drive now or what?"

Mikau finally calms down and straightens in his seat. "Yep, totally." With that, he fishes around for the keys, wherever they might be.

"Wow, you seem so prepared," I say.

"Hey, where's your permit?" he shoots back. Finally digging it out of his pockets, he jams it into the keyhole and the vehicle revs to life.

"Here we go!" he says. "Hold on tight!"

"Oh I will," I gulp sarcastically, clutching onto the seat.

As Mikau drives, he mutters some notes to himself, reminding himself what the buttons do, how the pedals work, when to turn on the turn signals, and I truthfully feel proud for my friend. He's smart to know that this is real life and isn't a video game. I begin to relax.

Figuring I shouldn't bother Mikau with a conversation, I resort to only pointing out the road signs and speed limits and whatnot. He's driving at a safe speed, and I continue to rattle off the road signs. It's gone on so long that I actually feel like a robot.

"Stop sign," I inform mechanically. "Red light. Turn signal."

I can tell I'm helping because Mikau doesn't say anything to shut me up, and after a glance at him, his brows are furrowed and it's obvious he's in deep concentration.

At the next red light, Mikau finally relaxes. "Phew, are we almost there?"

I check the GPS. "Yeah, almost. About five more minutes to get there, close to ten at the speed you're going."

The red light we're stationed at was one for a left turn. It's a four-way intersection from different directions, and I can tell Mikau's a little nervous for a maneuver in a packed freeway. "Hey, uh, you okay?" I prod.

"Yeah, I'm fine…I just hate left turns, I suck at them."

"Just relax, and do it how you did it for practice, okay?" I say, hoping it sounded comforting. It seemed to work.

"Alright, I'll relax. Just watch for stuff for me please."

"You bet."

The light turns green. Mikau steps on the gas, and he turns to the left.

It was a perfect arc heading to the respective road. On said road, another car was going to turn right to where we just were, but it was too far away to worry about. It didn't need to be pointed out.

"Hey, you did it!" I cheer. "Nice jo—" Everything went in a flash. "CAR!"

The car wasn't turning the direction I assume it was. "Watch out! It's doing a U-turn!"

"What?! Where?!"

CRASH!

All of a sudden, I'm jerked forward by such a strong force, my breath depleting from my lungs like a balloon. Something shoots out from in front of me. Air bag… I think incoherently as I vaguely register the car swerving sideways, my body along with it.

I knock into several things like a rag doll, the world spinning around me until it skids to a sudden stop. Somewhere hurts…

There's this pounding in my shoulder, and I realize it had whacked against the door window. My head is also aching, like acid eating through my brain. Car horns are the only things I hear. Cars swerving to avoid the crash.

My head finally clears a bit, and I realize that despite the impact on my shoulder and a few other aches on my body, I'm alive and breathing. As for Mikau, he seems…oh no.

"Mikau!" I shout, shocked. My friend is slumped over in the driver's seat against an air bag, unmoving. By now the car we're in is pivoted haphazardly somewhere at the side of the road, but right now, I don't give a crap about anything. Right now, I'm panicking.

"Mikau," I say, reaching over and shaking his shoulder. Realizing I'm still strapped in by this stupid seat belt, I struggle to unbuckle it. "Mikau!" Even while struggling with my constraints, I don't stop shouting his name, hopefully shaking him to reality with my voice.

Finally the damned belt is off and I reach over once again, grasping his shoulder. "Mikau, can you hear me?"

He doesn't answer.

Panic overwhelms me once again, and I straighten back into my seat and fumble desperately through my bag for my phone. Cursing, I mentally beat myself up for having such a horribly organized bag. Oh Mikau, I'm sorry…

"Are you guys alright?"

I peer up through the half-cracked window at two unknown people, one male, one female. And then I realize they were from the other car that crashed into us, their car parked hastily behind ours which hasn't took as much a beating.

"I'm fine, but my friend isn't!" I snap. I'm not angry at the two, because it was entirely not their fault. I'm just freakishly panicked, and if I can just find my damn cellphone to call the ambulance…!

"Don't worry, we called them already," the male informs. "Just get out of the car, and we'll help your friend out too." The female is already at Mikau's side, prying at the dented car door.

"Wait, I'll help," I insist, but the male's surprisingly strong, and he yanks me out. We hurry to the female who has already wrenched open the car door and is now struggling to unbuckle Mikau.

"We are so sorry!" she cries to me, tugging at the unmoving seat belt buckle.

"No, it's our fault!" I counter. "WeI wasn't looking." I feel a rush of guilt. If I had paid close enough attention to see the car beginning to do a U-turn, or even bothering to inform Mikau there was a car turning right as well…I'm so, so sorry…

Suddenly, I feel very dizzy. My vision distorts, the lump of Mikau's body multiplying. The throbbing in my head intensifies so much it's starting to become unbearable. What's happening…?

Sirens are the last thing I hear.


"Hey, we're partners, that's awesome!"

He flashes me a bright smile I wrack my brain for who this guy was again, the guy who's talking to me now.

However, my thoughts are interrupted as he says jubilantly, "We've been in the same music class all year since we've been 5th graders and haven't talked! Let's introduce ourselves. I'm Mikau and I'm ten years old!"

"I'm...Link, and...I'm also ten years old," I muster through my anxiety.

"Cool name! I like music. Do you like music?"

"Yeah."

"Then we're perfect together! Since we're partners for this music compo-whatever-it's-called let's work together to create the best song in the world!"

I think this guy is fun to be around. Should I play with him more…?


"Is he awake…?"

"He's moving…"

"Link?"

"Wait, he's waking."

Blinding light greets me as I struggle to open my eyes. As my vision focuses, I realize I'm staring at a white ceiling, which means that I must be lying down…

I shift my body into sitting position, slightly wincing at the dull soreness littered everywhere on me. Where am I?

I scan the room, spotting a white door to the side, a small table, and then I realize I'm apparently sitting on a mattress. I'm not supposed to be here...Where's the car? The two kind people? Where's Mikau?

"Link…?"

My eyes swivel over to where the recognizable voice is. "Uli?"

"Yes dear, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, just a little sore," I reply feebly.

"Thank the goddesses," Uli mutters. She stands up and gives me a big hug, which I return gratefully.

She pulls away after a moment and questions, "Do you feel better now? The doctors told me you didn't break anything, and you just suffered a brief seizure. But other than that, you're perfectly fine. Do you feel fine though?"

"Yes, I feel fine now. Thanks," I say, smiling. And then a thought struck me. "Do you know the time?"

"It's five-thirty, Link."

"What?" I scramble out of the bed. "I missed the whole day of school, didn't I? I can't miss work"

"Link, just relax. I already called the school, and I can call your workplace as well"

"No it's fine. I want to go work." I envision Ilia handling everything herself, and if I don't appear, she may think I'm...avoiding her, which is far from the truth. And Zelda...oh goddesses, I wish I could have gone to school and explained everything to her.

"Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Uli sighs, but doesn't protest any further. "Link, just come home safe, alright?"

"I promise."

We exchange another hug, and I'm heading out, straight to the front desk to ask where Mikau is. Before walking out the room, I grab my school bag. Who knows? Maybe I'll have time after work to loiter a little and work on homework for a bit.

As I'm walking down the hall, I notice two people coming from the direction I'm heading. I'm really not in the mood to chat to anyone so I avoid eye contact and attempt to slide past them

"You're him, aren't you?"

"Huh?" I peer up, and that's when I realize the couple was the same two people involved in the accident earlier. "Oh yes! I'm sorry on what happened earlier," I say. "Are any of you hurt?"

The female smiles. "No, we're both fine. We just came along with you and your friend to make sure you guys are okay."

I grin. "Thanks, I am. But I'm checking up on my friend right now"

"They said they're still trying to revive him," the male suddenly says. "We were trying to see him too, but they said no visitors for now."

I freeze. Oh no, I didn't think Mikau was hurt that badly… "Um, alright, thanks for telling me," I sputter, trying to tamp down the all-too-familiar panic.

"I'm sorry," the woman says. "I'm sure he'll be fine; they said it wasn't serious."

"Yeah, I hope so…," I murmur. From my peripheral vision, I see the couple starting to turn away.

"Wait," I suddenly say.

The two turn around, surprised.

"...What are your names, if I may ask?"

The two smile. "My name is Karane," the woman says.

"And I'm Pipit," the male informs.


The walk to work was...depressing. Horrid scenarios kept flashing in my brain, but now, I'm standing behind the double doors which will lead me into the place I work.

Alright, Link, stop thinking sad stuff, and go in there like nothing has happened today… I walk in.

And I see Zelda.

"Link…?" she says, squinting at me.

"Zelda?" I reply. For the first time today, I feel happy. Genuinely happy. At least someone I care about isn't hurt

"Will you just leave you mindless whore?" Suddenly, Ilia appears out of nowhere and shoves Zelda. Wait, what's happening

"Ilia!" I shout, springing forward and restraining her arm before it could come swinging down on Zelda again.

"Let me go, you traitor!" she seethes. What's gotten into Ilia? She never was this wild, ever. I know she's a composed, young girl who knows the difference between right and wrong

"Ilia, calm down," I grunt. Truthfully, my bruised shoulder is starting to act up, and Ilia's thrashing isn't helping.

And suddenly, she stops, and quite unexpectedly, whirls around to face me. "Link, you really didn't mean what you said last night, right? Tell me it was a joke!"

I can only stare, still not quite taking in what's happening. Does she still not understand? I want to say something comforting to her, yet my jaw remains slack.

Ilia whirls around to face Zelda. "You freaking"

I snag her once again despite my screaming shoulder. "Ilia, get a hold of yourself!"

To my surprise, she does.

And then a boot comes crashing onto my foot, another feeling of pain exploding through my toes.

As I emit a startled yelp, Ilia speeds off, the door swinging shut. However, I'm too occupied with the new throbbing in my foot. Sigh. But I shouldn't complain. I deserve much worse than a bruised toe...

Finally, the pain starts to subside, and the silence starts to set in. I stand up from my (embarrassing?) half-crumpled pose and look over at her. "You okay?"

She nods. "And you?"

I send her a nod of my own, and the silence takes over once more.

"You should probably go after her," she says quietly.

I mentally groan. Why is there so much indecisiveness going around? Mikau was the one that was badly hurt, when it should have been me. Ilia not taking any of my crap. And now Zelda is telling me to chase after Ilia even though I've finally chased down her.

I shake my head. "I already confronted her. Last night, remember?"

Zelda looks down, and she starts apologizing. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for you to go through all this hell for me…"

As she's going on, all I'm thinking is flat out denial. No, she shouldn't be sorry for anything. I'm the one who should be sorry. Very sorry. I'm sorry for this whole day, this whole day has been a gigantic mess. And I don't have anything to say for this very day except for apologizing. 'I'm sorry' shouldn't be coming from her mouth, but mine instead.

I step forward and wrap arms around her and murmur some comforting words, hoping they'll work. Oh goddesses, this day has been the lowest of my life.

Finally, I muster any last bits of optimism and say, "Hey, you still want to order something?"

"If I'm allowed to."

"Of course. Just sit, and I'll be right back."

She thanks me, and I question, "What would you like?"

"Just...just anything is fine."

I nod and trudge back behind the counter. Even now, I know she'd appreciate a certain drink, so I prepare it as quickly as possible, ignoring my shoulder which is starting to throb again.

Finally done, I head back towards her table. "Hey, here's your drink."

Peering up, she takes it gently and thanks me as I situate myself across from her. She stirs her drink for a moment, staring into it as if hypnotized. Meanwhile, my mind is also drifting...ugh, my head is getting dizzy again.

I look over at Zelda once more. She has this sad expression, and I feel even more guilty than I am. How many have I hurt today?

"Sorry," I say at the exact time she does as well.

She looks up and stares at me. "What's wrong?"

Uh oh, how can she tell? "N-nothing's wrong," I stutter. Even I don't believe myself.

"Come on, just tell me," she presses. "Is it Ilia?"

Part of it is, but my greatest concern is something else. "No it's not her. I know she'll recover. She's strong." And it's true, as long as I've hung out with Ilia.

"Why weren't you at school?"

I freeze. I know I should tell her the truth of the car crash, but I don't want her to sympathize for me. The last thing I deserve is sympathy. I'll just leave myself out the picture.

"It's my friend," I murmur, the horrid experience returning once again.

"Your friend…?"

"He...got into an accident. Car accident." I choke out the words.

"I'm so sorry…"

"No I'm sorry," I say intently. Will people stop saying that to me?

Suddenly, my hand is wrapped into comforting, smooth ones. It's genuinely calming...

All of a sudden, my cell phone shrieks.

I'm jerked out of my half-asleep stupor, and I fumble for my cell phone. "Just a moment," I say and trudge to the back area.

"Hello?" I say into the phone.

"Heeeyyy Link!"

A scream nearly comes out.

"Mikau!" I cheer merrily. "You feeling good?"

"Much good-er than before!" he sings. "Mr. Doctor says that I took a lot of the impact on my side in the car, and I have some dented bones, but that's all good. I'll be outta here in a day or two."

"Awesome! Darunia know about this?"

"Yep! Gave him a call before yours. Had to explain a lot, and my parents banned me from my permit which I got literally a week ago. Sad face."

I can hear his sarcasm through the phone. "Hey maybe it's better to stave away from that permit for a while," I chuckle.

"Well I can't really complain, can I?"

"Haha. Listen, you just get out of that hospital bed ASAP, got it?"

"Of course, President," Mikau jeers jokingly. "Anyway, I'll be going to get some bruises treated, so I'll see you soon. Watch out for me!"

We hang up.

Feeling much, much better, I head back out and brightly explain to Zelda the happier news.

"That's so fortunate," she says, relief washing over her features.

"Well, how's the drink?" I can already feel my optimism returning.

"Delicious, as always."

I lean back against the seat, my eye catching a bulging bag next to her. "I see you've brought your homework?"

She dives down to her bag, and as I hide a smile, she mutters, "I was just going home, but I decided to have a drink, and yeah."

"Uh huh. So you might as well do it now." I grin at her adorably confused face. And finally, I produce my own pile of homework. "Let's just do it here, you know, for moral support and company?" I say, stealing one of Mikau's favorite lines.

A lively grin surfaces on her face. "That sounds so awesome!" She quickly pulls out her stuff and piles it on the table. "Sorry, if you finish your work before me because I've got a mountain, then you can close the shop and I'll take my leave."

"No need," I dismiss. I just need some peace right now. "I've got a lot too. And if you need any help, I'm here!"

Zelda chuckles, and I grin along.

And with that, we open our textbooks and start working.


A/N: I know Karane and Pipit are supposedly Link's age, but I made them older in this story. c:

Phew, this is SO MUCH DRAMA for our poor Link, right? Don't worry, it'll tone down a bit in later chapters. ;)

Big special thanks to FanaticMarioMan for beta-reading this chapter! :D

Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing!