Sorry for taking so long to upload a chapter. :S

I don't own Final Fantasy nor The Legend of Zelda. Credit for their respective owners. :)

Enjoy.

:)

If anything is wrong please do tell me. :D Almost there! :D I guess. :P

We are near the end! Wohoo!

"Heh…" He hung his head. "I am not the owner of everything."

"Link…" I whispered and though I was trying to soothe him, he moved back a bit and continued.

"When my eyes fell on Sheik I realized he was crying. I sometimes wondered why he cried that time. Was it because it was his last time seeing me? Was it because he was apologizing for what was to come? Was his crying because he felt my pain? The pain of knowing you are no one except for a title and a body? The pain of realizing that you mean nothing? Why? Why did he cry? The next thing I knew was Sheik telling me something about the last sage, the Triforce of Wisdom and that the owner was himself. But I swear to the Goddesses, before Sheik was engulfed by a blinding light…before Sheik was replaced with the petty Princess, I swear that before he was no longer in this world…I heard a good-bye and a thank you. Sheik was gone. Sheik…my last friend…was gone. I was alone. I had been left behind and my mind disconnected from my body.

The Princess knelt by me and hugged me. I felt wet trials on my cheeks and I found it difficult to breath, but I could hardly care. I was numb inside and out. When had all of this gone wrong? When will the Goddesses leave me alone? Oh wait…they just did. I was fighting their war and this was how they repaid me? By taking all from me? I pushed the Princess and stormed to the Stone's altar "WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?" I yelled and unveiled my sword. "WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?" I stroke the altar as hard as I could, scratching it little by little. I couldn't hear the Princess' pleas. What did she know? What had she lost? "WHAT MORE DO YOU DESIRE TO TAKE AWAY FROM ME?" Tears fell. Angry and rage filled tears. I felt my body burning and shivering with my hatred towards the gods. "WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO FOR YOU TO BE CONTENT WITH ME?" I slashed the altar. "WHY ME? WHY DON'T YOU WENCHES DO IT YOURSELVES?"

"LINK STOP IT!" Zelda grabbed me from behind. I struggled to get free. "DO NOT ANGER THE GODS!" Upon that comment, I halted. Zelda looked quizzically at me. "Do not anger the gods, you say. Do not anger the gods…" I laughed manically and fell to my knees. Do not anger the gods? Ha. Zelda starred at me as my madness ensued. She took two steps backwards. "Do not anger the gods, you say?" I commented between fits of laughter. "AS IF I WERE AFRAID OF THEIR WRATH!" I rolled. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF THE WITCHES! WHAT ELSE CAN THEY TAKE AWAY FROM ME? DO NOT ANGER THE GODS! HILARIOUS!"

"Link! Pull yourself together!" Zelda order.

"NO!" I stood up and sprinted before her. "YOU PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER! I NEVER AGREED TO THIS MADNESS! I NEVER AGREED TO THIS QUEST! I WAS BOUND TO HELP YOU COLLECT THE STONES! NOTHING MORE! FROM WHERE DID ALL THIS CAME FROM?"

"YOU AGREEDED TO IT THE MOMENTO YOU TOOK THE SPIRITUAL STONE OF THE FOREST! IT WAS YOUR DESTINY TO BECOME THE HERO OF TIME!" She replied.

"MY DESTINY? MY DESTINY?" I said and threw my arms up in the air. "THAT'S ALL I'VE BEEN EVER TOLD! DESTINY THIS, DESTINY THAT! I WANT ANSWERS, NOT SUPPOSITIONS!" I countered.

"IT'S NOT A SUPPOSITION LINK! IT WAS WRITTEN SINCE OLD TIMES! A PROPHECY!" She retorted, her hair swaying with her expressions.

"A PROPHECY? A PROPHECY?" I asked bewildered. "IF IT WAS FORETOLD THAT HYRULE WILL PERILL IN THE HANDS OF GANONDORF THEN WHY DIDN'T THEY STOP IT BEFORE, HUH? WHY JEOPARDIZE MY LIFE? MY FRIENDS? ALL THE KINGDOM? WHY? WHY IS IT THAT NOTHING WAS DONE FOR THIS MADNESS TO BE EVADED? HUH? WHY? TELL ME, ZELDA! TELL ME WHY? WHY ME? WHY WAS I THE CHOSEN ONE? WHY? TELL ME! PLEASE…just tell me…" I sobbed and fell to my knees. "WHY ME? WHY ME? WHY COULDN'T I HAVE BEEN LEFT IN THE FOREST? WHY DID THE DEKU TREE ASKED ME AND NOT MIDO? I WASN'T EVEN A KOKIRI! I WAS NO ONE SPECIAL! BUT HELL TO IT! I PREFER TO BE A NOBODY THAN REMAIN ALONE! I PREFER TO BE BOTHERED BY ALL OF THE KOKIRI THAN TO SEE DEATH, SUICIDE, RAPE, AND BETRAYAL! I PREFER TO HAVE DREAMS THAN LIFE TO DESTROY THOSE DREAMS! I PREFER EVERYTHING I HAD TO THE NOTHING I HAVE NOW ZELDA!" I sobbed and sobbed. "GIVE ME BACK MY LIFE! PLEASE! I JUST WANT MY LIFE BACK!"

"Link! Link!" Zelda said and knelt beside me. She embraced me and messaged my back soothingly.

"I just want everything to be like before." I sobbed, my voice cracking every now and then. "I just want…I just want to be a kid once again Zelda. I just want everyone to come back."

"I know. I do too. And I promise you Link. I promise you that it will all return to normality once we seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm. I promise." I looked at her in amazement.

"It will?" I asked and grasped her by the shoulders. "You are not lying right? This isn't a joke right? Everyone would come back right? Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa and Sheik? My horse Epona? Everyone?" She smiled reassuringly. I hugged her and cried a bit more. But now…it was a cry of happiness. I was overjoyed beyond comparison. Everyone would return. I wouldn't be alone! Not anymore! I had Navi, of course, but…it wasn't the same. She was a fairy and I a Hylian. I was afraid that once all of this was over, she would abandon me just like everyone else did. But with these news…gods was I the happiest man on Earth. "Zelda…" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes Link?" She said and pulled away. I bit my lip.

"What happened to Sheik?" I asked and bit my lip once more. I wanted to know what had become of my dear friend. Where was he? Was he alright? Was he happy? Would I ever see him again? Questions swarmed in my mind, but I guessed for now with knowing where his location was, was enough. She bit her lip. "He…" You say and your eyes look away. "He is…" What are you afraid of saying? "He is dead Link." I lost focus and fainted.

I woke up to the sound of screaming. At first everything was blurry and confusing. I tried to remember what had happened. Sheik had died. Yes. My last and only friend had left me. But, if I finished this…If what Zelda said was true…then he would come back. And so will the others. It was my only and last hope.

When my eyesight became better, the first thing I encountered was a giant pink crystal with Zelda locked inside. I stood up and tried to break her free with my sword. My attacks were futile. With every small chunk I managed to shred, the crystal immediately reconstructed. I hit and hit but my strength was in vain for the crystal was beginning to float into the sky. "Link! Link!" Zelda kept screaming as she vanished in the open blue. I growled in frustration as a voice reverberated through the temple. It was Ganondorf's. He laughed evilly and dared me to enter his castle and fight him like a man. And so I did. I had to do it. For Hyrule, for it's people, for my friends….for me. I wanted everything back. Everything. Like it was supposed to be, like it should be. No more fighting, no more bloodshed, no more death, no more fiends and monsters. Only Hyrule and its everyday life. Only Saria and I playing in the woods and getting yelled by Mido. Darunia and I wrestling like the Sworn Brothers we were. Ruto and I pretending a marriage that would never happen and laugh it up. Epona and I running through Hylian Fields towards the eternal unknown. Sheik and I…being best of friends for eternity. That's what I wanted. And with that resolution on mind, I headed to Ganondorf's Castle.

I found the man playing his gigantic organ with fierceness and devotion. His music was powerful and tinged with infernal thoughts. I shuddered but kept my ground. Zelda was suspended in that horrible pink crystal above him. She was looking at me with fearful eyes. Finally, the man turned and our battle began. We were both so equally strong. We were both so equally astute. We were almost alike, except for the body and where our hearts resided. It was the most tiring, death gripping battle I had ever had. Many times he had me pinned against a wall, his blade centimetres from my neck or chest, his magic burning my already bruised body. I sometimes even felt that I should give up. That maybe this fight was not one I could conquer. But whenever those thoughts came to mind, whispers from my friends came to my ears. They encouraged me and reassured me that I would come out of this one alive. With their strength by my side I managed to recover and, after a heated battle, I managed to destroy the man and pierce his heart with my sword; sealing him forever in the Sacred Realm. You can't imagine my shock and relief. I was free. I was finally free! From the Goddesses, from the title, from being someone everyone looked upon to, from being something I never asked and wanted! I was free! Zelda ran to me shouting gleefully. We hugged and tears of joy ran along both our cheeks. Our land was free. We were both free.

Zelda asked me to give her the Ocarina back. I gladly did and she thanked me one last time before sending me to the Temple of Time. I had to return the Master Sword to the pedestal in order to return everything to what it formally was. According to Zelda, all will be like it had been 7 years ago, except for Ganondorf. He was to be stuck forever in the timeless void of the Sacred Realm. And everyone was to forget whatever occurred during our journey. No one will remember at all the 7 years of torture, plague and fear. No one will remember the people who sacrificed themselves for Hyrule's peace. No one will remember our deeds. Not even us. But I was alright with that. I wanted the childhood and innocence that had been ripped from me by fate back. It was all that I desired. I wanted to be who I was supposed to be, not who I was made to be. And so, I stuck the sword back to where it belonged and I felt the power of time surge through me and the pull of blissful unconsciousness took me."

"Wait!" Zack interrupted. Link looked at him; his eyes hollow. "How do you remember now? Wasn't it supposed to be forgotten?" Link smiled bitterly.

"You are right Lord Zack. It was supposed to be. But it wasn't. I woke up inside the temple, my body that of a child. But something was wrong. Something didn't feel right. I wondered and wondered until it hit me square in the face. I remembered everything! Every single detail of the Time that Never Was. The blood, the corpses, the fiends, the massacre…I remembered! I wasn't supposed to, but I did! I ran to Hyrule's Castle to meet Zelda and question her about this. When I arrived, she was on her knees and holding her head. She looked at me and I instantly knew…we were cursed to keep the memories forever. I fell to my knees as well and screamed. Some people say our Goddesses are kind and gentle. The preachers state they only want the best for us. The elders claim that they bless us with everything. But for me…they are a trio of sadists. From that day on I lived with the burden of being too wise for a child, but too young for an adult. I didn't return to Kokiri Forest and most of the time Saria was at the temple praying. She remembered as well. She was a Sage after all. So…my life couldn't be shared with her. She had otherworldly duties to fulfil. I didn't fit in. I couldn't go to the Goron's, although kind their race lack intellectual people, except for Darunia of course. Same as Saria, he had duties. I couldn't go to the Zora's. Although they were intellectual…they lacked human contact, and Ruto being the Sage, our marriage proposal dismissed, and her father to lazy to hold a conversation with I rejected the idea. The Gerudo well, their traditions were quite clear. No men allowed. The only thing remaining was Kakariko Village. I decided to head there in hopes of finding Sheik. He was the only one left for me. My last thread to sanity and a normal life. I found him immediately. He was waiting for me in the entrance to the village. He too had been given the curse to retain the memories. He embraced me dearly and it was then that the dam broke. My tears fell hard and clear. He held me while I poured every negative emotion I held in me. Every tear was a cry for help and he was there to receive them and aid me. I had never been so thankful in my life. I had never been so grateful to have a friend as dear as Sheik. I was, for the first time since everything returned to normality, entirely happy. And so, my days with Sheik began. We were quite the pair of young boys. The villagers came to both love us and hate us. They found it weird for a couple of kids to hold swords and daggers and every point thing you may think of and play with them. The mothers tried to maintain their little kids out of our way, stating that we were freaks and unnatural. We simply ignored them and kept to ourselves. Soon they paid us no mind and learned to accept that we were just two kids in a world that we couldn't relate to. How right they were.

Months passed until we heard from Zelda once more. She sent us an urgent letter asking for our help. Impa, who managed to take care of us even with her Sage duties, took us to her presence. Although young, the Princess held the eyes of a wise person. Even her own father had begun to trust her in royal manners far much more than what he did in the past. She explained to us the reason for the urgent meeting. She told us that war was brewing in the outskirts of the country. A humongous army was heading our way and although since ancient times we had managed to keep our kingdom hidden with protective magic, they had somehow spotted us or at least felt the presence of our nation. She feared for Hyrule's safety as well as the King. He had seen through a powerful incantation the atrocities such army had created and figured that Hyrule may not stand a chance against such a barbaric squad. And so, Zelda requested for us to aid her in this manner. She trusted the army, but she trusted much more in us. We, finally finding something that fitted perfectly in our hands, something that could finally give meaning to the cursed life we were living, accepted gladly. Our mission was to infiltrate Hyrule's army that was to be sent in case the enemy managed to spot our kingdom and aid in the battle. Zelda in the meantime along with the Sages, was to create a powerful enchantment that would transport the entire kingdom to another location and away from harm's way. I know it may sound quite crazy, but the power of the Sages is far greater than what you may think.

We did as Zelda instructed us and we waited for any distress signal. After a week…Hell broke loose. The army had indeed distinguished our kingdom. I don't know how they did, but I guess it was thanks to the man that led such army. His presence reeked of power and magical strength. His demeanour was that of a god and at the same time a demon. The aura that surrounded him ticked in my senses and they told me to run and run far. But I paid no heed. I wished I had. I wished I had followed my instincts. That day…that fateful day…I lost the last thread to earth and myself. It was worse that anything I had lived before. The battle was a lost cause since the moment our first soldiers set foot in the battlefield. They ripped us. They easily slashed through us. Man after man fell by the hands of the enemy. They were merciless and barbaric. We stood no chance. Among the battle, I managed to see our kingdom disappear into nothingness. At least we had accomplished that much. Sadly for those left behind it was death sentence. And yet we fought. And we fought bravely to our last man. I being a child managed to stain my hands in blood. It was so easy. It's easy to claim a man's life. You just need to cut through the right points or apply enough pressure through pierce skin, tissue and create blood loss. It was too easy. Yet, I had lost my innocence so I hardly cared who or what I killed. I was eager for blood. I was thirsty for it. Yet, so were they. I tried to find Sheik among the clashing of swords and metal against metal. Slashing to make my way through the battle I searched for him. The scene that my eyes landed on was one I would never forget. Sheik lay on his back, a long sword stabbed on his forehead. His dull red eyes staring right at me, his golden mane now brown thanks to the blood; his once tanned skin now a deadly pale. The man who had killed my friend was none other than the man that sent my senses to alert mode. But, now I was mad, so not one of my instincts told me to run. He had killed my friend! My only friend! The only one who stood by me when I needed him! The only one who remained from all the others that gave their back to me! He was the last hope I had! And he…He had taken him away so easily! I would never see him again! I would never hear his silent yet soothing voice ever again! I would never spar with him just for the fun of it or sit on the rooftops while the first stars appeared! I would never see Sheik again! It almost seemed the goddesses were mocking me! Taking him away from me this lifetime just like the past time looked like a joke! And so, with tears combined with blood staining my cheeks I launched myself at him. He seemed quite shocked. I guess I was putting a good fight for him. We danced along the battlefield. But this one was a deadly dance. A wrong step and you could have your head slashed from your body. And the fight carried on, but for me it was just us.

The was about to set and the sky turned a bloody red with the blood of the Hylians who fought for their country. Nayru was mourning the loss of her people. It felt like that to me. I was tired. So tired. I had been fighting all day and the effects were catching up to me. The man also seemed to be feeling the same as I for he was also committing slight mistakes. His stance was no longer firm and his sword was slow on the slashing. I hoped he would commit a fatal one so I could put and end to all of this. A few of my man were still standing, but they were so few compared to the enormity of his army. In seconds the remaining few were taken care of. The man smirked and I didn't like that one bit. "You are the last one of them all." He said in a language I didn't understand that time. "You have fought bravely, but I'm afraid I would have to end this." And saying so he obtained strength from I don't know were and easily sent me into oblivion. The last thing I felt were a pair of arms picking me up and the last thing I heard was laughter that sent a horrible shiver through my spine. It was a laughter much more terrifying than that of Ganondorf." Link finished and stood up. "That's why I attacked you Master Cloud. I was relieving my life. The life I held before a came to you." He walked towards me and knelt before me. "I am so lucky to have you. You have been so kind to me I can't even express my gratitude. It had been years since I felt so at peace and so safe." He kissed my knee. I don't remember if I blushed or not for Zack looking away distracted me from what was unfolding before me. I smiled warmly at Link and pet his head, interlacing my fingers along his silky golden mane. He rested his forehead against my knee. "Thank you so much Master Cloud." He whispered.

"You don't have to thank me Link. You deserve this. After all you've been through you deserve tranquillity and rest. You were a hero after all and a hero deserves…" He shot up and frowned at me. I was a bit shocked to say the least; he looked like he was fuming with anger. "Don't say that!"

"What…"

"Don't ever call me hero again!" He yelled at me.

"But Link, you are…" What was wrong with him? He was a hero! He deserved to be called what he had rightfully gained!

"Don't say it!" He yelled and covered his ears. "Don't you dare say it! HOW CAN I BE ONE? HOW CAN I BE ONE AFTER ALL THAT I'VE DONE?" I looked at him in confusion. Why was he questioning his title? He had done what a hero would have, what a hero does! "PLEASE! DON'T! DON'T CALL ME HERO! I'M NOT WORTHY OF SUCH TITLE!" He fell to his knees. I was immediately by his side. "I…I…" I rubbed his back trying to ease his distress before anything happened. His panic attacks usually led to terribly consequences. He was trembling and shivering, his hand clutching his hair ready to pull at it in any moment now. I looked at Ted questioningly and she mouthed "In any minute". I nodded and kept rubbing circles on Link's back. He had changed to his native language and whispered a phrase over and over and over again. That was not a good sign. "Tá mé rud ar bith. Tá mé rud ar bith. Tá mé rud ar bith. Tá mé rud ar bith. Tá mé rud ar bith. Tá mé rud ar bith." Ted stood up. "Enough for today. Let the kid rest." I nodded and helped Link get up. He followed me without resisting. I frowned. This was wrong.