*It's 2AM…I just finished this chapter… And I'm so tired. ;_; But this is a chapter I'm really proud of. I've never been so emotionally invested into writing something, so this took a lot out of me. Hopefully it pays off and the characters will become more real to everyone.

P.S. Please look out for Young Link for a while. He needs all the help he can get! T_T

"Almost there!" Young Link jabbed a finger at a small jumble of treetops in the distance. "That's where I grew up. Once we drop Mido's ass off we'll be able to go home."

Zelda, still getting used to hearing the boy's blunt language again, gazed at the glimpse of the forest. "Oh, it looks so cute! Are there lots of children there like they say?"

"Yup," he nodded proudly. "There's a set of triplets, twins, some creepy blond chick, a really cute girl, and this kid to take up some space." Young Link gestured to Mido, who returned his comment with a cold glare.

"Be nice," Zelda scolded before the Kokiri boy could retort. "We're almost there and I don't want one of you killing the other on the way."

"Please." Young Link tossed his head back and scoffed. "I've slayed dragons, battled gods, and even destroyed a creepy-ass decapitated demon in the process. Some little nine-year-old isn't going to take me down."

"You're nine, fucktard…"

"Mido!" Zelda turned to him with her best authoritative look. "I don't want you speaking like that in front of me, do you understand?"

The redhead stared at her incredulously. "But he used the word ass twice!"

"That's because I've seen some shit. I can curse all I want now," Young Link smirked.

Mido gave Zelda one last desperate look before she grabbed both of their wrists and dragged them along. "I swear, you two need to show more discipline! Especially you, Link. You're meant to be a symbol of hope for your people and yet you still act so immaturely! It's fine when we don't have something important to do, but now is not the time."

"After the weird dreams you have about my grandson, I doubt your maturity."

Zelda glared daggers at him. "What?! Why do you think you know about my dreams?"

"Sometimes Cia channels your dreams through her crystal ball. She seemed to be having a lot of fun with it. And here I thought it was just a phase of hers…"

"Um… Guys?" Mido called shakily.

"Not now," the queen told him sternly. "Um, Link, I don't think those dreams were real. Perhaps they were just made up by-"

"Nope, they were you alright," Young Link countered, shaking his head. "You talked about it in your sleep."

Zelda's face turned bright red. "Y-You watched me sleep?!"

"G-Guys!"

"Mido, wait a second! Link, I'll lock you away if you don't tell me this instant what you were doing in my room!"

"Aw, my princess is so adorable when she's angry!"

"Guys!"

"What?!" Zelda finally snapped to Mido furiously, but her anger faded when she saw the terrified expression on his face. His gaze was locked squarely on the Kokiri Forest, which was now completely in view. The space beyond the trees was alit with an orange glow, contrasting to the grey smoke billowing from the leaves.

"W-What happened…?" Mido asked fearfully, gripping Zelda's hand.

Young Link meanwhile ripped his hand from hers and glared at the lights dancing in the trees. "Cia happened." He turned to his companions as he began walking towards his former home. "You two stay here. I can handle this alone."

"But you don't even know what's in there," Zelda protested. "Let me come too, maybe I could help you."

"Then you'd leave Mido alone," he argued. "I can handle whatever's in there. Like I said, I've seen some shit."

With one last sarcastic grin at his rival, the hero dashed at full speed into the flames, leaving a worried Zelda behind with nothing to do but pray for his safety.

"Ooh, playing the hero again, are we?"

"Not now, Dark."

Young Link sprinted across the dead grass furiously, hopping over fallen trees as he did so. At the moment he had to focus on getting to the Kokiri village. Everything was unrecognizable with all the fire…

"Link!"

His gaze instantly snapped to the right. There sat a young girl severely burnt in several places and limping across the woods.

"Fado?" Young Link said in disbelief. "What the hell happened to you?"

As she stumbled closer, he allowed her to fall into his arms. "Y-You've defeated lots of monsters before, right?" she asked. The hero nodded, thinking back to his childish argument with Mido. "Do you think you can help everyone…?"

"Is it a dragon or something?" he questioned. Fado shrugged a shoulder weakly. Whatever it was, it didn't belong in the forest. How did a monster get in? Was the Deku Tree dead? Well, either way he had to get to the others. He gazed down at Fado sympathetically. As much as he wanted to get her to safety, that wasn't an option right now. He had to get to the problem – fast. Fado would have to come along. "Sorry about this," he apologized, picking her up gently. "I'll put you somewhere safe until it's over."

The girl nodded despite her reluctance, giving Young Link the go-ahead to be on his way. He instantly took off with all he had, wincing whenever Fado whimpered in pain when he lost his balance. Luckily her wounds didn't look deadly, so as long as she wasn't harmed further, she'd be okay.

Before long, the village was in sight. The quaint wooden homes were covered in flames, depriving the Kokiri of any form of shelter. They ran back and forth frantically, some hiding behind rock structures and others left to fend for themselves out in the open. The poor kids had no idea how to handle themselves in much a situation.

"Here, sit here." Young Link sat Fado in a nearby lake, hoping it would fend off the heat. "Sorry if it's uncomfortable, but it'll have to do." She nodded with tears overflowing in her blue eyes before he felt she was safe enough to take his eyes off her. The hero instantly recognized Saria huddling with one of the twins behind a boulder. She'd be alright where she was, so it would be a good opportunity to ask her for information. He shouted her name, leaping to her hiding place. She stared at him with a confused expression, almost like he was too good to be true.

"Link?" she gasped. "What are you doing here? You have to leave!"

"Drop it," he groaned, rolling his eyes at her self-sacrificing nature. "Just tell me what the hell's causing all of this."

"I don't even know… Some sort of dragon? It breathes fire and it's really, really big."

Young Link grimaced at the description. It wasn't much different from what Fado said. "Whatever, I think I can kill it. You got a sword lying around?"

"Link, no!"

"Jeez, do you want to die?!" he yelled in annoyance. "I know you guys always have a sword on hand, so just tell me where it is!"

Saria winced under his furious glare. "U-Um, I think Mido keeps it in his house now next to his bed. But you'll have to go past the monster to get it…"

"I can handle it. By the way, Fado's in that lake back there. Go join her if you're feeling brave." With that, he darted past them into the clearing.

And he was instantly pissed off at what he saw.

"Not this thing again," he huffed. Before him was none other than a King Dodongo, flames pouring from its mouth onto the ground below. No matter; he beat it once and he'd beat it again. Plus, he knew for a fact that this particular breed of monster was incredibly stupid. He easily sneaked past its massive body while it was turned around and slipped into Mido's house. Sure enough, there was a child-sized blade hanging on the wall above the bed. Young Link grinned triumphantly as he reached up to grab the weapon and-

"AGH!"

He immediately dropped the sword and it landed with a clang on the ground. The heat from the flames had made the blade feel like it just came out of the forging fire. The hero mentally scolded himself for being so careless. Well, he new problems now; that scream definitely got the attention of the King Dodongo. Young Link grabbed the sword despite the burns on his hand and dashed out of the house before he could be cornered. Sure enough, the creature was slowly (and he did mean slowly) crawling up to him, charging up a fireball. Under normal circumstances he would've just thrown a bomb into its mouth, but he didn't have those right now. Like an idiot, he left them at Cia's…

Eh, I'll just make do, he thought confidently. Being sure to time it just right, he ran to the King Dodongo's mouth and stabbed the sword into the soft flesh of its mouth. It let out a desperate cry of pain, giving the hero just enough time to pull out his weapon. The plan worked well enough, but… The wound was nowhere near fatal. If he was strong enough, the scales on its body could break easy enough for him to make a nice gash…

Alight, new plan.

Young Link sped around the monster and grabbed hold of one of its yellow scales. He hoisted itself onto its body as it bucked wildly in a futile attempt to shake him off. It didn't take the boy long to reach the top. He smirked arrogantly, holding the sword above the King Dodongo's back, before bringing it down powerfully and-

Clink.

"…Huh?"

Clink.

Clink. Clink.

His eyes widened in panic. The sword wasn't going through!

No, I can do it, I just… His thoughts raced around in his head as he repeatedly stabbed the monster. It's not working! Dammit, how the fuck am I supposed to hurt this thing?!

He was about to bring down an especially furious jab when he caught sight of a few Kokiri poking their heads out from their hiding places. Even Saria was looking on from the distance, apparently having followed her friend to ensure his safety.

I really can't save them this time, can I? Young Link hung his head regretfully, staring at the pathetic blade in his hands. This was a child's toy, how was it supposed to do any damage to something so big. I wish I was bigger too. If only I was more powerful.

He raised a brow, his fearful gaze focusing on the sparkling gem on his wrist.

If only I was more powerful…

Yes, his adult body would work perfectly for this situation. It was practically all muscle, capable of anything. But…

Young Link glanced at the children watching him. They didn't know yet. They were terrified of adults; how would they react to him turning into one in front of them. Still, looking at their burnt, blackened faces made him realize they'd all die if this monster wasn't slayed. He shut his eyes, fighting back his fear and replacing it with determination before gripped the blade in his hands.

"Everyone!" he shouted. Even without looking, he could tell they all had theirs gazes locked on him. "I…" The young hero hesitantly rested his hand over the gem shakily. "I'm sorry…"

Without giving himself a chance to rethink this decision, he pressed down on it. All at once he regretted it, but that didn't matter. He could feel his bones crack and expand without pain, and he could only hope the faint glow around him blocked the display from the Kokiri. But once that glow faded, they all responded with blank stares, not sure what to think.

Link let his frustration fuel him as he held the sword high above the King Dodongo's neck and plunged it down. A spray of crimson blood spurted from the wound, splattering on the hero's clothes. He glared down at the monster hatefully as it collapsed with yet another cry, this one more deafening than the last, and collapsed on the ground.

The silence that followed was the most stressful of Link's life. Worse than that after he left the forest for the first time. Worse than after he stepped into the adult world. Worse than even after Ganondorf's demise. None of it compared to all the stares focused on him. He continued to hang his head, avoiding their eyes, and hoping they'd just disappear.

But he wasn't that lucky.

"Link…?"

Of course, the first voice had to be Saria. When had luck ever been on his side?

"Is it really you?"

He grit his teeth, not wanting to answer. The voice that would come out of his mouth wouldn't be the one they knew. It might've scared them more. The shuffle of grass alerted him to the children climbing out of their safe havens to catch a glimpse of his "deformed" figure. It was the worst. Being on display was nothing that ever sat well with him…

"Get out."

Link finally looked up, shocked by the firm command. There stood Mido and Zelda, apparently having become worried and came after him. Zelda had her hand over her mouth, giving him an empathetic gaze, while Mido practically bled hatred.

"Are you deaf?" he asked coldly. "I told you to leave."

"M-Mido, I…" Link shut his mouth immediately, regretting his promise not to speak. The children flinched at his deeper voice and exchanged terrified glances.

"I don't want to hear your crappy excuses," Mido snapped. He turned to the other kids, all of whom seemed to forget about the inferno blazing around them. "You saw what he's capable of, right?! Imagine what he could do to us!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Link asked, finally letting go of his hesitation. "I saved you!"

Mido shook his head. "You really expect us to believe you? You're an adult now. Adults lie, cheat, manipulate… They're dangerous."

"But what about when I was a kid? You knew me then, didn't you?" Link argued, fighting back tears.

"Yeah… When you were a kid," Mido countered hatefully. "Being an adult changes you. I thought it was just your time outside that made you act different, but it looks like I was wrong."

To Link's horror, the other Kokiri began to nod in agreement. Even Saria, the hero's defender when he was one of them, seemed to make no attempt to argue.

"C-C'mon, guys…" Link begged, his voice beginning to shake. "You knew me ever since I was a baby. You know me better than anyone."

His plea was only met with icy glares. Not a single sympathetic gaze was left from them, not even Saria.

"Saria…?" he called weakly, finding himself smiling somehow. She only looked away and turned her back to him, making her way back to the lake. The others began to follow without a word, leaving to wait for the fire to die out. Only Zelda was left, her eyes filling with tears. Link couldn't understand why. It wasn't like anything bad happened to her.

"Why did this happen?" she choked. "Mido liked me, didn't he? Why did you-"

Link's dark, quiet laugh cut her off. "Look at me. You're dainty and fragile. I'm…this. Plus I just killed a monster in front of them. What did you expect?" His words caused Zelda to go silent, not being able to find the words to comfort him. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. We should just go. I have to save my grandson and Sky anyway."

He slipped off the King Dodongo and offered Zelda his hand, which she slowly took. They walked out of the burning forest, forcing out of their minds the unknown fates of the children.