There was a long pause as the children stared at each other. It wasn't awkward by any means; reality was simply taking its time reaching them.

"Link, is that...?" Saria's voice faltered as she carefully studied her childhood friend. "Is it you?"

Young Link nodded nervously. "Y-Yeah, it's me," he replied, mentally scolding himself for not saying something more intelligent. But lucky for him, Saria suddenly found her voice, signaled by a wide grin spreading across her face.

"It is you!" she gasped ecstatically. "I knew it! I just knew you'd come back! Everyone else kept telling me you were dead, and I almost believed it, but…"

The hero was snapped out of his trance when Saria was suddenly upon him, squeezing him tightly in a hug. She looked up at him happily with her chin resting on his chest. However, reality quickly set in as her smile vanished. Young Link assumed she was going to say something about his eye, but though she was gazing at it uncomfortably, something else was on her mind.

"You got taller…" she commented sadly.

Her words shook Young Link, but he somehow kept his composure. "Um… Yeah. It doesn't mean anything, though. I haven't grown in a long time."

His friend beamed at his false explanation. "Oh, good! I thought you were a human and all for a second. Everyone in the forest is gonna be so surprised to see how tall you got!" She placed her palm on Young Link's head and moved it over her own, roughly measuring their two inch height difference. "We were the same before, right? Well, I think everyone will be happy to see you back at all. It's been so long! C'mon, let's go back. We still have your stuff and everything."

"W-Wait!" Young Link's protests were futile as Saria dragged him away deeper into the forest.

"No need to by shy," she giggled. "We moved away since you left, so your house is gone, but we carved one out just like your old one. You know, just in case you came back. And, um…" She finally addressed the question Young Link was expecting with a raised eyebrow. "What happened to your face?"

Young Link shuddered, realizing what things looked like from her perspective. Some blood was definitely visible on his cheek, but with a hand over his eye, Saria couldn't see the severity of his wound… It probably looked like he just fell on his face and scratched his eyebrow deeply.

"It's nothing," he answered vaguely, keeping his hand over his empty socket.

"Oh," was the simple reply. The boy didn't struggle anymore was he was dragged away, knowing he couldn't afford getting lost in the forest. The only chance was going back to his old friends… And Mido.

He couldn't help but smile at his joke, as well as the irony that came with that name. What would Mido say if he knew? Would he be sorry "Mr. No Fairy" always was just human; a foreign creature that would grow up to be an adult, the very thing the children feared. Even Young Link himself was terrified of them when he was oblivious.

When the hero woke up after sleeping for seven years, the first thing he realized was how far away the ground seemed. Then he realized: he was an adult. He couldn't help but panic, his childish mind still stuck in the older body. He thought of himself as a monster, but the…erm, physical changes that came with the body quickly overshadowed other problems.

"Here we are!"

Young Link snapped out of his thoughts at Saria's words. She was leading him through another log tunnel, with the new Kokiri Forest no doubt waiting on the other side. He instinctively dug his heels into the dirt to halt their advance. Saria turned to him with a gentle smile, thinking she knew what was wrong.

"Don't be scared, Link," she assured him. "I know it's been a while, but everyone still misses you. There's no need to be nervous."

He gulped and nodded, deciding there was no real point in arguing. Hell, he needed food and stuff for the journey home, so maybe he should stock up while he was there. But still, after a few years things might be a little awkward, wouldn't it?

Nonetheless, he followed Saria through the hollow log with slow, cautious steps. The dry grass crackling under his boots set him on edge; he didn't like making so much unnecessary noise from his hero days of hunting monsters. And then there was his friend, kicking the leaves up loudly ad smiling throughout. They certainly were from two different worlds.

"Wait here for a second," Saria told him, gesturing at the tunnel entrance. "I'll let everyone know you're back."

Young Link nodded obediently, standing his ground as she headed towards what was apparently the new Kokiri Forest. The hero shifted his weight anxiously. Everyone would notice how tall he was, wouldn't they? The kids may have been young, but they weren't stupid. And his eye… When they found out it wasn't there, how would they react? And what's more, he's been gone for so long. Surely they would be angr-

"LINK'S BACK!"

A collective scream nearly knocked him off his feet. The ground rumbled as several children clothed in green tackled him to the ground, causing him to painfully tighten his grip on his wound. Now on the ground, he stared up in disbelief at the familiar faces hovering over him with wide grins. They were all chattering excitedly at the same time.

"We knew you'd be back!"

"I totally called it! You owe me five rupees."

"Fado said you were dead!"

"What?! I did not!"

"Did too!"

The boy was completely forgotten, a brawl now taking his place as the center of attention. The Kokiri cheered on the local creepy girl, Fado, and one of the triplet boys. Kids really were fickle, weren't they?

"GUYS!"

The group froze in place fearfully at Saria's shout, Fado still trapping her rival in a sleeper hold.

Saria regained her composure and continued. "Don't you think we should invite Link back in?"

There was a large gasp of realization as everyone came back to their senses. The righted themselves in front of their old friend, some girls blushing in embarrassment. One of the twins stepped forward and held out her hand to Young Link. He took it tensely and allowed her to help him up.

"Whoa!" Fado grinned. "He got so tall!"

The children all compared themselves to him at the same time, some standing back to back with him. Instead of the shocked reaction he expected, the Kokiri were instead amazed and excited. Young Link held back a smile when he noticed Saria, gazing at the spectacle in amusement. Then he went back to the kids, all smiling and happy. There was Fado, the twins, the Know-It-All Brothers (a mean nickname Young Link had given them), and…

The hero's expression went from warm to tense as he studied all the faces. There was one missing, a very important one he expected to see.

"Where's Mido?"

At that moment, everyone went completely still. A shadow cast over their faces, as if they were remembering something terrible that happened.

"Um, maybe you should all go back inside," Saria suggested calmly. They were ushered back into the Kokiri Forest with slumped shoulders and faraway expressions.

"What happened?" Young Link asked once they were out of earshot.

Saria bit her lip anxiously. "There was a man that came through here. Well, if you could even call him that. He said he was looking for a Fused Shadow or something. We'd never heard of anything like that, but he didn't believe us. Mido stood up for us, and…"

"…And what?" Young Link pressed.

"He… He was just gone. The man shrouded him in these black rectangle things and sent him away somewhere. Then he killed the Great Deku Tree and the forest was covered with monsters. We had no choice but to leave for somewhere safe. We never saw that man again, but Mido's still gone."

"How long has it been since then?" the hero asked. Perhaps if he got enough information he'd be able to find his old rival. Mido was just a little kid, after all. It's not like he knew what he was saying back then.

"Oh, I dunno." There was a long pause as she thought. "A few years? Not too long ago."

Jeez, Young Link thought darkly. That must've happened right after I left.

"But there isn't anything we can do, so…" Saria rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "I guess we'll just have to live with it."

"No you don't."

She quirked a brow curiously. "Huh?"

"I can find him," Young Link smiled hopefully. "I've done harder stuff. I mean, I'm a little busy right now, but I think I can find some time. I can't promise anything, but I'll try."

Saria beamed at his offer. "You will? That's great! If you don't accomplish anything, that's okay, but I think you can do it. You've always been the cool one, after all."

"Th-The cool one?" Young Link repeated incredulously.

"Of course! You always knew how to use the sword the best, and you were the smartest. Why wouldn't you be?"

The hero couldn't tell if he was disappointed or relieved when the meaning of Saria's words reached him. Her flirtatious statement was a mere compliment. He mentally scolded himself for thinking she cared about more mature and romantic things.

"Anyway, let's go fix that scrape of yours," Saria smiled. "Or whatever it is."

Young Link bit his lip. He was right. She did think it was a scratch… But, he thought, getting it healed was the important part. He slowly shuffled after Saria into the new forest.

Lana stood confidently in front of the temple. Young Link was gone and Wolf was missing, but they still had a chance! Sky was no doubt still in there as Cia's prisoner. And with her small army mostly gone, Cia didn't stand much of a chance. Lana herself brought a big chunk of her soldiers, along with Fi, Impa, and Zelda for support. Link wanted to come along, but Zelda made him stay back. His arrogance was becoming too much for the group.

"Cia!" Lana called. "I know you can hear me. If you don't bring the Hero of Sky to us, we're taking him by force!"

To her genuine surprise, a figure actually stepped out of the doorway, but it wasn't Cia. Instead, it was the dragon warrior, Volga.

"We won't simply hand him over," he declared sternly from across the garden. "But we will give you a chance to prove your strength. We will only allow one fighter."

"Who are we fighting against?" Zelda asked with the tone of authority.

Lana could've sworn she saw Volga smirk. "You'll see. Pick your strongest warrior. I'll wait." He crossed his arms and stood proudly at the door.

"Great," Lana huffed. "I highly doubt its Cia if they aren't giving anything away. We'll just have to take a gamble. Fi, who's our strongest fighter?"

"I estimate a 67.8% chance that Lana is the strongest among us," she answered flatly.

The sorceress nodded in agreement. "Got it. You guys stay on guard in case Cia tries to pull something."

She tucked her spell book under her arm and strode confidently towards Volga, unconsciously letting her gaze wander towards the Mask on her belt. While it may not have been a smart idea to take it into battle, leaving it with the others would be worse. It would try to pull something, that was for sure.

Volga gave her a piercing stare as she stopped at the foot of the concrete stairs, looking up at him. "Are you sure?" he asked. Lana nodded confidently. "I see… In that case, I suppose I'll bring out your opponent."

He turned around and pushed against the large doors. The army behind them whispered in fear, wondering what kind of demon Cia had summoned. She heard a dragon as one of the possibilities, as well as Zant, Ghirahim, and a morbid creation all her own. Suddenly, Lana felt a lump in her throat. Going against any of these guys alone would be big trouble…

But when the doors opened, the first thing she saw was the silhouette of a teenage boy. He stood at the top of the stairs with his sword unsheathed and shield on his arm. His wide blue eyes met Lana's, an almost vacant gaze filling them.

"Link?" Lana said incredulously.

Sky Link, to be precise. And he wasn't his normal self, that was for sure. He was unnaturally relaxed for someone about to go into battle. His steps down the stairs were casual as he descended, almost like he was approaching an old friend. There was no amount of alertness on his face at all. Just before reaching Lana, he paused mid-step and offered her a wide, borderline creepy smile.

"Y-You okay?" Lana stuttered, taking a step back. This was legitimately making her uncomfortable. She knew the Hero of Sky well from her days staring at her crystal ball, and this certainly was not him.

She was shocked to see him respond: a quick nod. The answer was so nonchalant, one would have thought Lana asked him if he wanted a drink.

"Lana." She heard Fi calling for her from across the area. "I detect an 89% chance that Link has been brainwashed in some sort of fashion. Proceed with extreme caution."

"Brainwashed?" Lana repeated in disbelief. "Fi, could you elaborate a little?"

Fi took a moment to study the hero before continuing. "This magic appears to be some form of hypnosis, thought the effects may be permanent. I'm afraid my calculations and changes in Link's behavioral patterns may only be achieved as you fight. My apologies."

"Great," Lana groaned sarcastically. "Alright, Sky, if you want a fight, you'll get one." She leapt back gracefully and opened her spell book. "Waiting on you."

Sky Link blinked stupidly at her actions, his smile replaced with a confused expression. He looked to Volga for guidance. "Hey, am I supposed to fight her or something?" he asked in a childlike tone.

It was clear Volga was trying to keep from slapping a palm to his forehead. "Yes, Sky. And if you do, Cia will reward you with a little something."

The hero's face lit up at "reward;" he needed no further motivation. Lana was nearly knocked off her feet as she blocked a blow from Sky, forming a magic shield just in time. He pouted (admittedly adorably) at the failed attack and pulled his blade away. Lana took this gap as an opportunity to form a cyan ball of energy and toss in at her opponent. Sky Link casually stepped to the right.

This was going to be an annoying fight…

"You know, staying still will make this hurt less," Sky shrugged. "I don't actually have to kill you if you don't make things difficult on me."

Lana was taken aback by his words. The kind, noble hero she knew and loved…talking about killing people!

"Sky, listen to me," she urged him. "Cia's done something to your mind. I don't know what, but you have to-"

"I know."

The sorceress blinked several times. "Huh?"

"I know she did…something to me," Sky replied expressionlessly. "But I don't mind it. Cia can do anything to me and I wouldn't care."

Lana narrowed her gaze at him. "So I guess you're going to make this difficult…"

"Yup!" Sky lunged suddenly and nearly drove his blade into her side, but she clumsily sidestepped him. However, his attack left a gash in her side; not deep enough to be fatal, yet agonizing enough to serve as a handicap. She hissed in pain as her hand clasped the wound. Looking up, she could have sworn she saw Volga allow himself a ghost of a smile.

Looks like I'll have to subdue him somehow, Lana thought grimly. But I can't hurt him too much.

Her blue eyes lit up as an idea crossed her mind. This spell would take a lot of energy out of her, but there was no way for Sky to escape it. She tossed her book at Sky's feet, a crystal-like pentagram forming around it. Realizing he was right in the center, the hero tried to back out of the space, but one of the inner lines of the star rose from the ground, creating a wall he was now backed up against. Now running forward more urgently, another wall blocked his way. This went on until five glass-like walls entrapped him in the small area.

"I'm really sorry about this!" Lana apologized genuinely. A bolt of electric blue lightening zapped down from the sky, touching down at the book. The walls shattered, sending razor sharp shards towards the center – right at Sky. Lana had to shut her eyes to avoid the sight of a bloodied Sky, but his loud screams reached her ears clearly. This wasn't the best plan of action, but at least it wouldn't kill him. The electric shocks and pain would definitely make him pass out, though.

"Hey," the Mask suddenly huffed in annoyance. "Don't close your eyes in the middle of a battle, you stupid girl."

Lana cracked open an eye slightly, confused. "Why?" Sky was surely unconscious by now, so there wasn't any immediate danger.

"Look up and see for yourself, fool!"

She snapped her head up at the command and finally allowed herself to see the result of her actions; a bloodied – and extremely pissed off – Sky was steadily walking towards her, sword ready in his hand.

"He's okay?!" Lana gasped in shock. "Fi, what's going on?"

"This is simply a phenomenon where one's mind is overpowering their body," the spirit answered. "His devotion to Cia and your existence as a threat appears to be filling him with determination. Cia's magic may have additionally strengthened him to some degree. I am afraid you are not up to par with his skills. The Link from your dimension back at the base would have proven useful in this battle, as he naturally inherited the fighting style of his previous life."

Lana nearly punched a hole in the ground at that last part. Link was their only hope and they left him at the base! Everyone thought he would be reckless because of his arrogance, but…

"You have to surrender if you can't beat him, Lana!" Impa shouted to the sorceress, breaking her silence.

The Hero of Sky paused mid-step, only a few feet away from his target. "If she has to, then someone's got to take her place. I'm not just letting you guys leave."

Everyone was quiet, not wanting to volunteer. They all waited for someone else to raise their hand, but that time never came.

"Fine, have it your way," Sky shrugged. He sprinted towards Lana, watching her arm shield her face as he swung his sword over her head and-

"Wait!"

The former hero froze and glanced at Impa. "What?"

"…I'd like to take Lana's place."

Sky lowered his weapon and slumped his shoulders. "But you look like you'd be boring to fight…"

"He's right, you know." Everyone looked up at the temple doors and Cia strode outside, scepter in hand. "You don't look to interesting. Plus, I'd very much like to see rival beaten to a pulp, wouldn't you say?" She turned to Sky, her expression softening. "Would you be so kind as to get rid of her, dear?" she asked in an unnaturally sweet voice. "We have to get ready for some company after this."

He seemed to melt under her gaze. With nothing more than a quick nod, he lifted his leg and swiftly kicked Lana in the middle, the girl being too exhausted from the spell to dodge it. She could hear her name being called desperately by her allies, but she was too distracted by the blood beginning to drip from her mouth.

"Oh, wait." Cia smirked. "Before you go any further, I need that Mask under her belt. Just toss it to me and continue what you were doing."

Sky grinned at her command – with Lana sickened to see he seemed to enjoy being ordered around – and grabbed the Fierce Deity's Mask from her belt. She was briefly and weakly able to grab his wrist, but he shook her off easily. He tossed it over to Cia, who caught it with one hand and dissolved it into thin air, storing it in an unknown place for further use.

Once the Mask was out of sight, Lana felt another blow to her stomach, this one launching her across half the garden. She skidded to a halt on the pavement, barely able to look up just when the hilt of Sky's sword crashed into her skull.

"Link, stop!" Zelda yelled. She drew her rapier and rushed towards the two, only to comically collide with an invisible barrier.

"Don't interfere with my fun," Cia huffed. "It'll be fine; I'll let her go once she learns her lesson."

The princess and her soldiers could only watch in horror as Lana was tossed around the garden like a ragdoll. Every second seemed like an hour, and every time Lana passed out from fatigue, Sky would find a way to wake her up. He threw her against the ground, tossed her against the temple wall, and made sure to hit and slice at her all the while.

Eventually, Cia looked up at the sky and sternly ordered, "Enough!"

Sky immediately let go of his plaything and happily rushed over to Cia. It was obvious he expected to be praised, and his reward was no more than a simple ruffle of his hair. But based on how he looked at her afterwards like she was one of the Goddesses themselves, he seemed to be satisfied with just that.

"Lana!" Zelda stumbled forward as the barrier she leaned on faded and knelt at Lana's side. The sorceress knew for sure she had a black eye, several gashes, and probably a few broken ribs. One could only guess what else was wrong. But for the injuries she felt, she really felt them. She didn't even struggle to stand, and a sudden jolt in her side made her scream loudly as Impa forced her to sit up, more agony following when Impa settled her in her arms.

"Well, I believe you all learned your lesson," Cia said, crossing her arms and grinning. "Don't come here again and you'll be fine. But just a warning…" She grabbed Sky's arm possessively and glared squarely at Zelda. "I'll be coming for your Link if you don't bring him to me. So send him over if you know what's good for you."

Impa nearly dropped Lana in disbelief. "But you already have the Hero of Sky for yourself!" she spat. "What would you need another one for?"

"Please, why wouldn't I want more?" Cia asked with a chuckle. "I want to have every version of Link I can get. And if I need more than the ones I have, I'll just pluck more from their timelines."

"But imagine what that would to do time itself!" Zelda pleaded with her. "Taking the Hero of Time would cause the Hero of Twilight to disappear altogether, so imagine what would happen if you get greedy and-"

"Shut up." Cia held up a hand and grimaced. "You don't know what you're talking about. I know from experience, watching from my crystal ball. If one Link dies, then an alternate timeline is established. So if I do take the Hero of Time, the timeline would break off and create a new one, leaving all other future heroes unaffected. Sure, if would make several apocalyptic futures, but how does that affect me?"

Zelda's army was in shock at her greed. Risking hundreds of corrupt futures just because of her demented lust for one man… It was unheard of!

"Princess, I highly suggest we retreat," Fi said. "Our army is not fit to fight Cia at this time."

She was about to answer, but was interrupted by a cry of, "Fi!" Sky raised his hand and waved at her, continuing, "I didn't even notice you during all that! What're you doing with them? I thought you were back at the temple."

Lana quirked an eyebrow at his childlike demeanor, but passed it off as Cia's magic messing with his head. Fi hovered a bit ahead to be more clearly seen and replied, "I am from a different dimension from your Fi. I have never met you before."

"Yeah, but aren't I still your master? Even if it's indirectly?"

The sword spirit nodded robotically.

"Then listen to your master and come over to our side."

Fi shook her head this time. "Her Grace ordered me never to obey my master if he turned to the darkness, if that time ever arose. Your commands are void as of now."

Sky's expression fell, making him look like a kid who had his toy taken away. "Aw… But that's fine. I hope I don't have to beat you up or anything, though. I still like you."

Lana allowed herself a small smile. So there was still a bit of the real Sky left after all…

"These matters can wait," Impa said loudly. "We should leave for now. But we will be back." The last of her words her directed at Cia, with the black sorceress just shrugging off the threat. Luckily, everyone decided to be civil for now, and Lana's team hurried away from the temple without any further issues.

Agitha gazed into a foggy ball of magic Ghirahim had created, the events being clearly shown to her. "This is awful!" she gasped in horror. "Beetle is being controlled by Cia, Lana got beat up… Oh, this is just terrible…"

Ghirahim glared at her harshly, his chin resting on his hand. He was sitting cross-legged on the invisible steps of some building. What it was, he wasn't quite sure, but he decided to just sit on it to avoid tripping over something and falling on his face; quite unbecoming of a Demon Lord.

After the whole Cia fiasco, he was forced to transport Agitha and himself somewhere they would be completely safe from her. The only place that came to mind was the alternate realm that used to be his prison. That damned Hylia had him sealed in this limbo for quite some time, and based on the remnants of twisted magic that could be found, it was very possible another demon was confined there too.

The other demon had created buildings of some sort, and when he somehow escaped, the solid objects were still there, even if their visibility was taken with him. Demon magic was something even Ghirahim had trouble understanding, but harnessing it was part of the fun. Still, this made the prison quite a dreary place: nothing but violet smoke as far as the eye could see. Luckily, the smoke was very thin, so he and Agitha could see each other clearly. Speaking of which, he had created a visual portal, as he called it, for the girl to watch everything through. Ghirahim himself was secretly watching as well.

Truthfully, it made him sick with anger how Cia was using his toy as her lustful dog. The Demon Lord was promised a slave, only to have it taken away from him before he even got to use it! The nerve of this woman…

"Oh, what are we to do?" Agitha whimpered.

"It's nothing to worry about," Ghirahim assured her half-heartedly. "I can very easily get him back. My magic is much stronger than the witch's. If we leave now, we can get him back before she gets any stronger."

Through the visual portal, he saw Cia throw herself at Sky victoriously, Volga wisely deciding to head inside. Ghirahim called it quits as well once he saw Cia's tongue enter her toy's mouth, causing the portal to dissipate. Humans were so disgusting sometimes… Their definition of "pleasure" was absolutely horrid!

"We should probably get going, then," Agitha said hotly. "I don't want Beetle staying with that witch one moment longer!"

"Smart girl," Ghirahim smirked. "I'll just teleport us out of here; I've escaped this prison before, so I can come and go as a please."

"Right!" Agitha's determined expression faltered a bit as she raised the question, "Do you use that portal thing a lot? It sure does come in handy."

"I don't see why I wouldn't," the Demon Lord replied. "I used it quite a bit while watching the Hero of Sky on his journey. The one you call 'Beetle,' that is. I saw him on his quest so I could be prepared when the hero came for me. I saw him training, exploring the woods, taking a bath…"

Agitha quirked an eyebrow, not understanding the last part.

Why must it be so hard for children to give you the reaction you want? Ghirahim mentally groaned. Ignoring her curiosity, he pulled the bug princess towards him and teleported them out of the prison.

*It is complete! :D *dies from exhaustion*

Agitha: Well, now we know Cia's plan is to have a Link harem.

Me wants! ^^

Ghirahim: Me too! :D

o_o

Anyway, this chapter has a lot going on, so hopefully it'll do okay. You know, I haven't even noticed… Young Link has changed quite a bit over the course of this story, hasn't he? It's a little sad. ;_; He hasn't been cursing or talking about banging chic-

Young Link: Well, shit.

…

Young Link: *troll face*

…Anyway, review and you get your very own Link harem! ^^

K bye.*