Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who's read my previous works. This was a long time in the making, as I wasn't as focused this time around. But it should be something special nonetheless. Please R & R!!!


Chapter 18

She honestly didn't remember anything that happened. The last thing Princess Saria remembered was being approached by a large Tektite. She was nearly buried in rocks and was knocked out. But when Princess Saria woke up, she wasn't lying under any rocks. There wasn't a large Tektite in front of her.

Princess Saria was lying in a bed. She looked around her and she was in a house. Where was she? What happened? Was she kidnapped? She didn't understand any of this. This all seemed so strange. Everything about this world seemed strange to her so far.

Just then, a man of moderately tall height walked in. He was an auburn haired man and he definitely had a concerned look on his face. Princess Saria wanted to demand answers. She wanted to know where she was. But there was something about this man's demeanor. Something that said he didn't mean the princess any harm.

"You're awake," the man said solemnly. "Are you all right? You took a nasty shot to the head."

Princess Saria didn't notice before, but at that moment she felt he head and she noticed a large bandage. Did the rocks really hit her that hard? Well, they did hit her hard enough to knock her out. Obviously, this man took her in and cared for her. Princess Saria wanted to ask so many questions.

She could only ask one. "Uh…where…am I?"

The man frowned. "You don't remember this place?"

The Kokiri princess shook her head. "I've never seen this place before."

The look on the man's face was grim. "Never? Do you remember me?"

Something in Princess Saria's mind told her that she should have said yes. But as many times as she looked at the man, his appearance didn't ring a bell. She had no idea who he was.

"I've…never seen you before. Who…are you?"

The man looked hurt. He seemingly wasn't offended, but it looked like he felt…pity.

"You just get some rest," the man said softly. "I'll come back later."

As the man made his way out, Princess Saria continued to try to recognize that face. She couldn't. She honestly never saw this man before in her life. But from what he was saying, it sounded like he knew her.

Who was he?


Chapter 19

Pofrigitio walked out of the bedroom. Luckily, his daughter, Cuellens, was out for a few weeks. Even if she wasn't, she would have been more than happy to share her room with her. Po couldn't believe it. Once more, she found her way into his life, into their lives.

"Is she awake?"

The potion shop owner turned around, a bit startled, but he saw it was only his wife. Iogrotaye was standing by the front door as she had been since Po first brought the girl in.

"She's awake," Po answered. "But I told her to get some rest. Io, it's definitely her."

Io gasped. "But how? I thought she was in the temple."

"I did too," Po said solemnly. "But she's really here. It's definitely Saria."

"But why did she leave? I thought she couldn't leave the Forest Temple."

"That's what I thought too," Pofrigitio agreed. "But there's a worse problem. A problem we hoped to never face again."

"What's that?" Iogrotaye asked.

Po took a deep breath. "She…doesn't remember us. She doesn't remember this place. I fear she may have lost her memory* again."

Io sighed. "You know what this means. We may have to raise her again until she gets her memory back."

"I wish it were that easy this time around," Po confessed. "But I'm afraid there have been a lot of changes between then and now."

"What do you mean?" the wife asked.

"The last time, everyone thought Saria was a normal little girl," Po answered. "A very odd one, but a normal girl nonetheless. Now everyone knows what she is. They know she's a Kokiri. And we both know how Hyrule feels about the Kokiri."

Pofrigitio could see that his wife understood what he was trying to say. For the past few years, Hyrule has grown intolerant of the Kokiri and have been persecuted. In fact, Link told him that the Kokiri Village was burned to the ground by a vicious army from Kakariko**. Po really wanted to believe in his fellow villagers. He wanted to believe that they remembered Saria as the loving little girl who brought joy to Kakariko during the seven-year reign of the evil Ganondorf. But he couldn't take any chances. There was always the possibility that discrimination and bigotry had blinded them all.

"We can take care of her," Po continued. "But we have to make sure she isn't seen." He looked back into his daughter's room and sighed. "It's not going to be easy."

"But there's something else I'm wondering about, Po," Io said.

"What's that?"

"What is she wearing?"

Po looked in and saw what his wife was talking about. Saria always wore her green turtleneck and shorts. It was a part of who she was, a Kokiri of the forest. But this time, Saria was wearing a long pink dress. It was baffling to say the least.

"I…don't think we should ask…just yet."


Chapter 20

As soon as they got to the Gerudo Fortress, Saria followed Malon right into one of the pueblos. It looked like Malon knew her way around the place.

"Have you been here before?" Saria asked curiously.

Malon nodded. "It's been a while. It was way back when Meyson abducted you. We stopped here before heading to Hyrule Castle***. I hope they remember me…"

"HALT!!"

At the sight of a spear-wielding Gerudo, Saria and Malon put up their hands. The Gerudo seemed poised to strike at any given moment, but she didn't. She looked at the young farm girl closely. It looked like the Gerudo warrior recognized Malon and she put her spear down.

"You're back," the Gerudo said. She looked to another chamber. "Hey Mara, get out here! We've got a visitor!"

Another Gerudo warrior came out of the chamber. She was suspicious at first, but eventually settled into a much more pleasant demeanor. Saria could only wonder what would've happened if they brought in any men. The Gerudo were always known to be the feminists of Hyrule.

"You finally came back," the second Gerudo said. "It's been a long time, Malon."

Saria looked up at Malon. "You know these two?"

"Mara, Myra, it's great to see you again," Malon smiled. "You remember the rescue mission my friends and I were on last time? Meet the one we rescued. This is Saria."

Saria felt a strong hand shake hers. "It's a pleasure," Myra greeted.

Saria's other hand was taken and shaken by the one named Mara. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, likewise," Saria stuttered.

"What brings you here, sister?" Myra asked Malon. "I see you were smart enough to leave the boy home."

"Actually, I came to ask about the boy," Malon admitted.

Mara tapped the shoulder of Myra. "I hate to ruin our reunion, but it's kind of late. Don't you agree?"

"I agree," Myra conceded. "We should turn in for the night. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Actually, we're…in kind of a hurry," Saria pointed out.

Mara looked up at the sky. "The moon? Just because Armageddon is nearly upon us, doesn't mean we shouldn't deprive ourselves of sleep. Trust us, we'll talk in the morning. We'll be right back to show you to your rooms."

The two Gerudo walked out into the chamber. Saria didn't want to have to wait. The moon was coming closer to crashing down and she had to find either Link or Zelda before it was too late. But Saria figured that if she wasn't getting anywhere tonight, she should take advantage of this situation. She tugged on Malon's dress to get her attention.

"So what happened when Link got to Clock Town?"


Chapter 21

"So you really want to know, huh?" Malon asked as she settled into the bed the Gerudo set up.

"Yes," Saria answered in childlike enthusiasm. "I've never known about Link during this time and I want to know what happens."

"Ok, ok, I'll keep going," Malon giggled. "Um…ok…Link was a Deku Scrub and he was just getting into Clock Town…"

"So where do we go first?"

Link was in a strange place. He had never been to Clock Town before and he was definitely lost. After wandering around town a while, he went up north to North Clock Town. It didn't help that he was a Deku Scrub. He had to find some way to change himself back, but to do that he needed his ocarina. And to get the ocarina, he needed to find the Skull Kid. The fairy, Tatl, wasn't exactly a big help, either.

"Why are you asking me?" Tatl whined. "You think I know my way around this place?"

"Weren't you the one who knew where the Skull Kid was?" Link shot back.

"Uh…"

Link groaned. "You lied to me, didn't you? I might as well leave you here right now!"

"No, don't do that," Tatl pleaded. "I know someone who might help us. We can ask the Great Fairy."

"I've had enough fairies to last me a lifetime," Link pouted. "But I guess I don't have any other choice. So where is this Great Fairy?"

Tatl lit up. "Right there."

Link looked to his left to see a giant cave that presumably led to a fairy fountain. Link went as fast as a Deku Scrub could go and ran into the fountain. Unfortunately, the Great Fairy wasn't there. Instead, Link found what appeared to be…fairy fragments floating around.

"Uh, hello?" Link called out. "Anybody?"

"I am a piece of the Great Fairy," one of the fragments said. "I have been broken and I need your help to put me back together."

"O…k," Link said slowly. "What do I do?"

"What do you think we do?" Tatl snapped. "We have to find the other fairy fragment. It's somewhere in town."

Link knew what he had to do now. He had to find the piece of the Great Fairy. But as he left the fairy fountain, he looked up at the sky. The moon seemed to be coming closer to the ground.

It took Link a while, but he found the piece of the Great Fairy somewhere in East Clock Town. It looked like it was high above the Treasure Game room. After using a flower conveniently placed next to the place, Link had the fairy fragment in his hand.

Link rushed back to the fairy fountain, nearly leaving Tatl behind. That fairy was starting to get on his nerves, and not in a 'Navi' type of way…ok, maybe it WAS in a 'Navi' type of way. When he walked in, the fairy fragment flew away and gathered around the others. The fairy pieced itself back together before Link's eyes.

"I've got to thank you," the Great Fairy said. "How can I repay you?"

"Uh…is there any way you can change me back?" Link suggested.

The Great Fairy frowned. "I'm terribly sorry, but I cannot change you back to your original form. All I can do is grant you a power you can use in your current state."

Link suddenly found himself surrounded in a green light. The Great Fairy was working her magic and was giving him a new power…whatever it was. When the light faded, Link felt no different.

"What did you…?"

Link paused. He noticed he had something in his…snout, for lack of a better term. Link started blowing bubbles around. He realized what power the Great Fairy gave him.

"Wow," Link said dryly. "I can blow bubbles. I'm probably stuck as a Deku Scrub forever, but I can blow bubbles. I feel so much better."

"What are you, a moron?" Tatl chided. "She's granted you magic power. Maybe you don't believe that now, but you'll see. Stupid kid."

Link shook that off and decided to ask one more thing of the Great Fairy. "Uh…do you know where I can find a Skull Kid anywhere?"

"I believe you're referring to the masked one," the Great Fairy guessed. "He's the one who broke me apart and broke apart the other Great Fairies."

"You mean there's more than one of you?" Link asked.

"There are five of us total," the Great Fairy answered. "And we've all been broken apart by that Skull Kid. Are you sure you want to find him? He looks like trouble."

"I have to find him," Link moaned. "I can't stay like this. And I have to find my ocarina."

"I wish I could help you," the Great Fairy said. "But I cannot. I don't know where the Skull Kid went. I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok," Link said despondently. "I'll just go."

"Wait!" the Great Fairy called out. "I believe the man in the observatory might know of the Skull Kid's whereabouts. Maybe you could ask him."

Not feeling as disappointed, Link walked out of the fairy fountain. But when he walked out, he looked up at the sky. He couldn't help but notice that the moon seemed…a lot closer to the ground than it was before.


Chapter 22

"He didn't just give up, did he?"

Saria was almost surprised at herself for asking such a question. She was always more mature than that, but she didn't forget she was still a Kokiri. She would always have that childish curiosity and enthusiasm that was a part of every Kokiri.

"He was ready to," Malon frowned. "He felt like he looked everywhere for the Skull Kid. So after his encounter with the Great Fairy of Clock Town, he just felt like giving up. Then he got lucky…"

A day had already passed since Link first got to Clock Town and a day had passed since he was turned into a Deku Scrub. That whole day felt like a waste. He was stupid to let this fairy tag along. She wasn't any help. And what did he get for putting the Great Fairy back together? He got the ability…to blow bubbles.

So Link made the best of this new 'useful' ability. He sat down (or he tried to, anyway) and started blowing bubbles aimlessly as he thought about what to do. The falling moon above the sky left Link really curious. What was that thing? He just thought about it while he continued to blow bubbles. Of course…he didn't exactly pay attention to where he was blowing.

**POP**

Link looked up and saw that he inadvertently popped a balloon in the sky. He looked in front of him to see a boy staring at him. It was the same boy who was trying to pop the balloon with his blowgun. Link started to wonder if he did anything wrong.

"Hey, did you do that?" the boy asked. "I'm impressed. Pretty good…for a Deku Scrub."

"Uh…thanks," was all Link could say.

"My name's Jim and I'm a part of a secret society," the boy said. "We're called the Bombers and we have a hideout that leads to the observatory outside of town."

The observatory. That was the break Link was looking for. If he found the observatory, then he could find out where the Skull Kid was. But Link needed to know how to get there.

"So how do I get to this hideout?" Link asked.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jim backtracked. "You can't just walk in that easily. You need a code to get into our hideout. But you know…maybe I'll tell you what it is."

"What is it?"

"Hold on, you're not getting it that easily," Jim said. "I can't just GIVE you the code."

"Why not?" Link whined. "I thought you said I impressed you."

"Be that as it may," Jim continued. "You have to pass my test first. GUYS, LINE UP!!"

At Jim's call, four other Bombers lined up by Jim, two to his left and two to his right.

"Find all five of us by morning," Jim challenged. "If you do, then I'll teach you the code. If you don't, then you're out of luck. Ok guys, SCATTER!!"

Before Link could even blink, each of the five Bombers scattered. Link could hear Tatl groaning.

"This is so childish," Tatl huffed. "Why do we have to waste our time playing hide and seek?"

"I'm starting to think that ALL fairies are natural born whiners," Link growled. "Instead of complaining, you should be helping me find them."

"Then why don't you look behind you?" Tatl suggested.

Link turned around and saw one of the Bombers behind a tree. Before he could react, Link tagged him. He smiled like only a Deku Scrub could. This might be easier than he thought.


Chapter 23

"He…played hide and seek?"

"It sounded weird to me too," Malon agreed. "But Link did what he had to do to get to the observatory. So he kept going until he eventually found all five of the Bombers. When he did…"

The Bombers were all lined up again after Link finally found the last one in West Clock Town. Jim seemed more than impressed.

"That was unbelievable," Jim said. "You're pretty good for a Deku Scrub. It's too bad you aren't human though."

"Why's that?" Link wondered.

"Because then I could give you a Bomber's notebook and make you an official member of the Bombers. Maybe we could make an exception, though. What do you guys think?"

The other Bombers had two words for Link. "NO SCRUBS!!"

"NO FAIR!!" Link shouted. "I passed your test! Why can't I be a member?"

"Sorry," Jim responded. "But the last time we let a kid who wasn't human join, we ended up regretting it. So you can't be a member. But I did promise to give you the code."

The Bombers each turned around to reveal a number. It was a sequential code.

"Our hideout's in East Clock Town," Jim continued. "And don't forget the code, because we're not telling you again."

It was all Link needed. After bidding them adieu, Link headed out to East Clock Town.

"Link really respected the secret of the Bombers," Malon continued. "He respected them so much, he's never even told ME the code. But it didn't matter. Now that he had the code, Link could finally get into the observatory…"

The music was catchy to say the least. Link had a tendency to get these songs stuck in his head. He went through the same thing with Epona's Song. He had to coax Malon to teach it to him. But Link had more important things to do. He had to find out where the Skull Kid was.

He ran up a seemingly endless flight of stairs up to what looked like a humongous telescope. Standing by that telescope was an old bearded man. Link thought it would be a good time to make his presence known. He was about to clear his throat, but something caught his attention. It was a shiny blue rock that sat behind glass. Link didn't know what it was, but it definitely captivated him.

"I see you like my Moon's Tear."

Link didn't realize that he was being watched by the old man. He must've been too wrapped up in this 'Moon's Tear.'

"Greetings, I am the astronomer," he said. "You're a strange-looking child to say the least. Are you a new friend of the Bombers gang?"

"Yes, I am."

"Ooh, you have such nice manners," the old man pointed out. "Much better than that other visitor I had the other day."

"Other visitor?"

"He was an irascible imp, he was," the old man said. "When he came by, he threatened to break my instruments. And he threatened to steal my Moon's Tear. I was so relieved when he left."

Link took this time to ask the big question. "Do you know where he is now?"

"I believe I do," the astronomer replied. "He's probably causing trouble around the clock tower. You can see him from here. Just gaze into my telescope."

Link raised his head to peer into the telescope. Indeed the Skull Kid was on top of the clock tower and looked like he was dancing. Link could've sworn he was seen, because the Skull Kid seemed to be taunting towards the direction of the telescope. Link moved the telescope upwards to see that the moon was coming even closer to the ground. It was starting to scare him to see how close the moon was. Then something seemingly fell out of the moon's eye. It fell from the sky to the ground. From the loud noise, Link felt that the giant tear landed outside the observatory.

The astronomer felt the same thing. "That loud noise. I believe something fell outside. It might be another Moon's Tear. Could you check outside for me?"

"Uh…sure."

As Link headed outside the door, he could hear the astronomer trying to add something else.

"I wonder how he got on top of the clock tower. The only way up there is through the clock door and that opens on the eve of the carnival and that's tomorrow night."

Link went outside and saw the crack made on the ground by the falling rock. He picked it up…and burned his hands.

"YEOW!!! THAT'S HOT!!!"

"Well, DUH!" Tatl groaned. "It DID just fall right through the atmosphere at high speeds."

Link figured he'd wait a while before picking up the Moon's Tear. But what could he do with it?


Chapter 24

Saria definitely wanted to hear more. So far, all she knew was that Link was still a Deku Scrub. And not only that, but she wanted to learn more about what happened to Majora's Mask. She knew how much it could help her and Malon out with their quest to find it.

But it was already morning. The moon was still looming above their heads and continued coming closer to Hyrule. And since the Gerudo were already up, it was time for Saria and Malon to ask some questions.

Maybe the Gerudo wouldn't know where Link or Zelda were, but they had to start somewhere.


*-See 'Saria's Story: Shimmering Emerald' by Post Rapture

**-See 'The Search for 12'

***-See 'A New Evil: Meyson Returns'


Any comments? Then mail me at HyruleKokiri@hotmail/aol.com and don't forget to review below.