[Author's Note: I hope that you're enjoying this fic very much, because I takes a long time for me just to write one chapter. With midterms coming up and winter sports in full swing, I won't be able to get everything done as fast as I'd like to. Please bear with me, and I promise that thing will pick up a bit when I find more free time. Also, there are three other things I need to tell you about. First, more romance at the beginning of this chapter, so don't be surprised. Secondly, I incorporated many things from the Super Nintendo game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, though I changed it a lot in order to best apply it too my story. And lastly, things in this story aren't always going to work out for Link (as you'll see at the end of this chapter) but this story will have a happy ending. Money back guarantee.]

Chapter 2: The End of a Friend

"So, nobody else you know remembers?" asked Link.

"No." said Zelda. "But when I told Impa, she believed me. She said she could tell that I was different and that I acted as if I had the wisdom of one who is twice my age. My father, however, is a different story. He thinks I'm hallucinating, just like he thought I was hallucinating when I told him about my dreams."

"But why are we the only ones who remember?" said Link.

Zelda looked up at him and said, "Honestly, I don't know. One reason might be because we hold pieces of the triforce. Another might be due to the fact that you are the hero of time and I am the seventh sage. Whatever the reason, I glad that we both do. I don't know if I could have taken it if you didn't."

"Me neither." responded Link.

"Really?" said Zelda. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"No, of course not. The fact is that, well, I… love you." he said, revealing his most vulnerable feelings to her. "I loved you ever since first saw you in this very place were standing. Back then, it was more of a crush, and it scared me because it made me feel weird."

"But now the only thing I'm scared of is that you won't feel the same way." Link continued nervously. His heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Oh, Link. How could I not love you? Everything you do is so completely wonderful. Like how you helped your country when it needed you the most, without any promise of reward. Or how you risked your life hundreds of times just to save strangers who you've just met. Even how you stole my heart even though you had no clue who I really was…" she said, turning redder after each sentence. "Link, I…"

But before she could finish, Link couldn't wait any longer and interrupted her with a kiss.

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"What is this place!?!" yelled Gannondorf. "ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!!"

"Th…this… this is… Dark Hyrule, sir." said a trembling raccoon.

"Dark Hyrule?!? What is this 'Dark Hyrule'?" questioned Gannondorf.

The raccoon's eyes widened. "You… you mean you're not from Dark Hyrule?"

"NO, OF COURSE NOT YOU INSOLENT FOOL!!!" screamed Gannondorf. "I am from the REAL Hyrule!"

"Bbb… but nnnno one has cccome fffrom Hyrule in cennnnturries!" said the raccoon.

"What do you mean? Where is this place?" asked Gannondorf.

The raccoon calmed down a bit and began a story. "Long ago, when the world was still young, Hyrule was filled with chaos because of a lack of a sovereign. Thugs and bandits (which I was one of) formed five gangs that robbed the people into poverty and fought bitter wars with each other. I guess we kind of went a little overboard, and the townspeople convinced a strange wizard named Agahnim to send all the warring gangs into an alternate dimension called 'The Dark World'. When we arrived we noticed a couple things about this place: One, it looks almost exactly like Hyrule geographically, but instead of the palace there is a large pyramid instead. Two, it does get darker at night and lighter during the day, but we never see the sun because huge clouds cover the sky at all times. Three, we don't seem to age at all in this dimension, but we can't have offspring either. And lastly, only four of the gangs ever arrived in the Dark World. The last group, the Gerido or Gerodi or something like that…"

"Gerudo?" interrupted Gannondorf.

"Yeah, that's it!" continued the raccoon. "Anyway, they never arrived for some reason or another. Maybe they fought him off or managed to appease him or something."

"Hmmm…" said Gannondorf, deep in thought. Gerudo legend does speak of a powerful wizard who turned evil and tried to take over Hyrule…

"Hey, how did you get here anyway?" asked the raccoon. "And how did you know the name of the last group?"

Gannondorf quickly snapped out of thought and angrily shouted, "THAT IS NO BUSSINESS OF YOURS, FLEABAG!!" Then, as the raccoon again cowered in fear, another question formed in Gannondorf's mind.

"Speaking of which? How did you get to be a raccoon?" said Gannondorf as he grabbed the mammal by the front of his fur.

"Oh, I alllmosstt forrrgott! The darrrk world mmmakes youuu what evver annnimmmmal fitts your persssonallllity besssst!" explained the shaking raccoon as he tried to escape the grip of his assailant. "I wwwas a thhheif, ssso I bbbecame a racccoonnnn!"

"Well, then why didn't I become a different animal when I arrived here?" inquired Gannondorf.

Terror filled the raccoon's eyes as soon as Gannondorf asked that. "Mmmaybbbee yyyyou should takkke a lllllook innn the ppppond ovvvver therrre!!!" He managed to break free from Gannondorf's grip and ran off as quickly as it could in the opposite direction.

What is he talking about? thought Gannondorf as he decided to take the raccoon's advice and walked over to the pond. I don't know what he expects me to find over here except this stupid…

"WWHAATT?!?!?" yelled Gannondorf as he stared into the water in disbelief. "NO!! THIS CANNOT BE!!!"

What Gannondorf saw in the pond was his reflection.

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"You have to get going Link." said Zelda. "The guards will begin to look for me if I don't go in for dinner soon."

"I know, but it's just keeps getting harder and harder to leave every time." said Link. Zelda smiled.

"Well, haven't you become the smooth talker!" she said.

"Hey, would you rather have me be insulting you instead?" asked Link slyly.

"Good point." said Zelda. "Now hurry up, before they catch you in here."

"Okay." said Link as he hurried to the courtyard entrance. "Goodbye, for now."

"See you later… Link." she whispered just as he disappeared into the shadows.

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As soon as Link got outside the castle gate, he started jumping all over the place with happiness. Some of his greatest dreams had just came true and he was showing it in every way possible. "ALRIGHT! WOO HOO!!! YEAH!! THANK YOU GODDESSES!!!"

Link was just about to take out his ocarina and talk to Saria when it hit him. Wait a minute, my adventure is over!! I don't need to use the ocarina to talk to Saria anymore! I can go see her in person!!!

This idea made Link even more happy than before (if that was physically possible) and he began to run to the Kokiri Forest. Link considered warping there, but he decided that he wanted to surprise Saria by coming there on foot. It was a mistake that plagued Link for many years to come.

He reached the entrance in record time, and the sun had just begun to set when he entered the forest walking toward the bridge.

After a couple hundred feet, Link began to suspect that something was wrong. What happened to the bridge? I should have reached it by now.

He took a look around, but nothing seemed even remotely familiar to him. I don't remember this place at all! And I've explored the entire lost woods before!

It wasn't very long before Link began to feel drowsy. Maybe I'll just rest a bit before keep going…

Suddenly, Link realized what was happening. He remembered when he was five when he heard the Great Deku Tree tell them what happened to outsiders. "The magic of the lost woods protects us from all outsiders." began the tree. "First they get completely lost, and no matter what direction they go, they never can get anywhere. Next, they start to get really, really sleepy and eventually fall asleep. Then when they fall asleep, they change into a Skull Kid and are trapped in the lost woods forever." "That's awful!!" replied Saria. "Isn't there anything we can do to help them?" "Well, if you manage to get them out of the forest and into direct sunlight within one hour, then they will instantly turned back to their original form. However, be careful not to step outside the forest when you do, otherwise something even worse will happen to you."

I've got to contact Saria before it's too late! thought Link as the magic of the forest continued to sedate him. He managed to pull out his fairy ocarina and play Saria's Song.

"Link? Link is that you?!?" asked Saria through the song's magic.

"Saria… please help me…" was all that Link could say before he fainted from the exhaustion.

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Link awoke to find himself, not a Skull Kid, but 10 or so feet away from the forest's edge and just outside the shadow cast by the trees. He also noticed that a person was sitting next to him, and when he sat up and saw it was none other than Saria herself.

"Thank you, Saria." said Link. "I owe you big time."

"Don't mention it, Link." said Saria. Her face had a large trail of tears down it, but also a smile.

But as Link became more aware of the surroundings he noticed that the sun had almost completely set. He also noticed that Saria was a little transparent.

"Saria, why are you… OH MY GODDESSES!!! GET BACK IN THE FOREST!!" yelled Link.

"It's too late for that now." said Saria. "… I tried throwing you from the edge of the forest but you didn't reach the outside of the trees' shadows." Every second that passed, she became more and more transparent.

"No!! Please tell me that this isn't real!" said Link.

"You weren't going to last much longer." continued Saria. "You had almost completely changed when I decided to… to…" New tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her cheek.

"Fight it, Saria!" said Link as he began crying heavily. "You'll be okay just as long as you hang on a little longer while I go get help!!"

"No, Link! Don't leave!!!" said Saria, hugging Link even though she already most of the way gone. "There's nothing that you can do anymore."

"Oh geez, Saria. Please don't die." begged Link. "Please don't leave me."

"I'm… I'm sorry… Link." said Saria as she let go up him. "Please… please forgive… me."

"I forgive you." said Link. "I'll forgive you as many times as you want as long as you don't die."

With her last ounce of strength, Saria looked at the sunset, which was fading as fast as she was. "It's… so… beautiful… Just… like… the… skull… kids…. described…it…"

"NOOOOOO!!!" yelled Link as he watched his best friend for so many years fade into oblivion.

These were her final words. "Good…bye… Link… I'll… never… forget… you…"