It was like a soft tickle in the back of her mind, something that nagged at her like a loose tooth aching to be pulled. The feeling had gradually intensified as dawn had arrived, spreading its rosy colors across the sky.

Rayne frowned deeply at the realization, already tired from a long night of guarding the village the last thing she needed was to try and decipher this strange niggling sensation in her brain. She sighed as she thought; unenthusiastically trying to figure out what it was that she was forgetting.

Her dark green eyes shot open suddenly as comprehension dawned. She rose from her sitting position and launched into a full-fledged run despite the aching protest of her legs.

"Where are you going so early?" someone yawned.

Rayne twisted her head around to look, slowing her pace slightly, and recognized Impa standing in the doorway of her house, "Same place." She replied, winded by a kind of hidden anticipation.

Impa shook her head, sighing softly, but said nothing more as she watched the young girl sprint out of Kakariko Village.

"I hope you find what you're looking for." She said quietly, before turning and going back into the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rayne looked up at the Temple of Time, her eyes sad. When Ganondorf's evil reign had forced all the citizens near the Castle to depart the Temple had fallen into a state of disrepair, stones had fallen out of its great bulk while green moss grew up its sides. She shook her head sorrowfully, thick black hair covering her face for a moment.

'Why do I come here?' she wondered silently to herself, 'Why on the same exact day every year?'

She looked at the gigantic doors of the Temple, her expectations from before falling away. She didn't know why she returned to this haunted place, why she felt as though she were waiting for something to happen.

"Seventeen years old and still chasing ghosts." She said aloud, shaking her head as she mused mournfully to herself, "Waiting for something unknown to pop into existence."

Rayne had usually waited out the day there before the deserted Temple, hoping for something, anything, to transpire. But in the years before the day had passed like any other, the brilliant sun giving way to a luminous moon, and she had steadily stopped spending as much time there.

She turned slowly, readying to leave, but a faint noise made her freeze in her tracks, mouth pursed in annoyance. Her hand moved instinctively toward the concealed dagger in her cloak as she spun about to face the offender.

Death stood before her, scythe held over his shoulder in a relaxed manner. She cursed mentally, knowing full well that there was probably an arrogant smirk on the face hidden beneath his hood.

"A bit paranoid today, aren't we?"

Yes, he was definitely laughing at her she decided, her mood growing foul. "I have an idea," she smiled sweetly at him, "Why don't you take the scythe of your, and kindly shove it up your-"

"Tsk, tsk." He interrupted her, shaking his hooded head in mock grief, "What respectable young woman uses such profanity?"

"I do, and only around you." She growled, resisting the urge to hiss a couple colorful curses his way.

She was walking again, doing her best to ignore his presence, which ordinarily would have maddened him to no end. But now he was different, more solemn, more like Death should have been.

"Tell me, Rayne." His voice was next to her ear even though he remained a few feet behind her, "Why do you come here every year?"

She gritted her teeth, eyes narrowing, "I don't know." She snarled, hoping to end the conversation before it had truly started.

"I do."

Rayne halted, refusing still to look at him, "Do you now?" she sounded amused but inside she was screaming with question. "Then why don't you tell me?"

"Now that wouldn't be any fun," he twirled his scythe around like a baton, sounding exceptionally bored, "I think you should wait here and figure it out yourself."

She whirled about, green eyes burning with anger and a scorching retort already on the tip of her tongue. But Death was gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was a flickering light darting across his eyelids, aggravating him to no end. He bunched them up in hopes that the extra darkness it provided would be enough to extinguish the annoying white glow.

"Let me sleep." He barked. His voice sounded wrong, too deep, like the distant rumble of lazy thunder. His eyes snapped open in surprise.

Link rose slowly, head aching as though he had slept for far too long, and warily took in the scenery around him. Water poured out from the dark nothingness above him, flowing down into a small pond-like configuration. Six small stepping-stones of various colors surrounded the outside of the pool, each engraved with some strange markings he could not identify.

"Oh thank the Goddesses'!" Navi cried, hugging Link's face with her small body, "I thought you were dead!"

Link vaguely wondered if the fairy had shrunk, her body no longer covered most of his face with her rather embarrassing hug.

"Ahem."

Link spun quickly toward the source of the noise, nearly dislodging Navi from his face, only to find an old man staring back at him.

"Who are you?" Link growled, once again stunned by the sound of his own voice, "Where am I?"

"You are in the Sacred Realm." The squat little man explained, blue eyes serious, "And I am Rauru, Sage of Light."

Link shook his head in an attempt to clear the clinging cobwebs from his mind, "Sage?" he questioned weakly.

The man's white eyebrows lifted, "You are the Hero of Time, are you not?"

Link glanced at Navi who only returned his troubled look, "What is the Hero of Time?"

The old man let out a sputtering sound, a mix between absolute shock and frustration. "Terrific! And here I thought I would receive the Hero of Time, instead I get some half-witted, country bumpkin who doesn't know his head from his-"

"Honestly Rauru, always the drama queen." A silky voice called from somewhere near Link's feet, "You think seven years would have taken some toll on your boorish habits, you pompous old wind-bag."

Rauru's face turned the dark purple of untold rage, showing up vividly against his white mustache. Link looked around his shoes for the source of the voice, the sound stirring something in his memory. "How dare you?!" the Sage boomed, hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"I've always been something of a daredevil Rauru, you of all beings should be aware of that."

The little black cat was cleaning a paw with a delicate pink tongue, as cool and collected as the first time Link had seen it. Chronos seemed oblivious of the ire he had raised in the old Sage.

"I was supposed to be sent the Hero of Time!" Rauru yelled, waving his arms wildly in the general direction of Link, "Instead Kali sends me some idiot who has no inkling of what a Hero of Time is!"

The cat stopped its cleaning session long enough to send the Sage of Light a warning glare, "I do believe your brain has withered away at long last." The cat sneered, "If you cannot see that Time's hero stands before you in all of his splendor then you are truly not fit for your title of Keeper of Knowledge."

Link gulped nervously as Rauru's shade became even darker. The young hero wondered for a moment if his head would explode. But then the purple color drained out of his face, leaving a more or less light peach complexion in its wake.

"I apologize for being so quick to judge." Rauru bowed his head remorsefully, "I fear my brain fled my hot head for a moment, but I have long awaited the time when a hero would save us."

"But you were right," Link shook his head, "I'm not a hero."

"Not yet." Chronos stretched out gracefully, paws out front and bottom up in the air, "But if everything goes as planned you will be."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It had begun to rain, a light drizzle that was accompanied by a cool spring breeze. The stunted grasses and flowers that had long since stopped trying to reach their tired selves up grew taller now, as if to grasp the passing water beads. A spider's web had caught the dewdrops in their descent, capturing the beauty among the soft silvery threads, glistening like the tears of some ethereal being.

Rayne watched the scene unfold before her, knees curled up against her chest as she sat on the steps that led up to the Temple, feeling like she did not belong there amidst the fragile beauty.

She sighed, closing her eyes. When she sincerely thought about it she realized that she did not belong anywhere. It was then that she spotted a small yellow dandelion defiantly pushing at the flowers around it, struggling to find its way up to the life giving water.

She was like that dandelion, trying to find her way, attempting to blend in, to find her place. She had color, she had substance, and she fought for her survival every day and night. She was just a weed, striving to be mistaken for a flower.

"Well, I think I've depressed myself sufficiently." She murmured to no one in particular, "I think I'll go home now."

She stood to leave, wiping the rainwater off of her underside and taking one last long look at the Temple.

"I'm really sorry about this." She whispered to the colossal structure, feeling utterly ridiculous at needing so badly to explain her feelings to an inanimate object. "But I think this is a waste of my time, I'm running at unknown walls in the dark."

The Temple stood steadfast, unhearing, but she continued anyway, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that this is the last time I'll come back here." She gripped both of her hands before her, a gasp of exasperation escaping her lips when she realized she was just wasting her time. "Good-bye."

There was a low rumble, and at first Rayne mistook it as thunder but when the ground around her began to shake she reconsidered.

Azure light issued forth from the sky, lighting up her terrified face and everything around her, shooting straight into the Temple of Time. Every raindrop in the air was illuminated and the result was a vast rainbow spreading its multiple colors out across the Temple grounds.

"Oh dear Goddesses." She whispered, breathless for the second time that day. "It's glorious."

The light weakened and faded, leaving Rayne in the darkness once more, but in that brief instant she had seen what she had been waiting for.

And she was no longer running into nameless walls.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rayne entered the crumbling Temple cautiously, heart pumping with excitement. What would she find in this ancient place?

There was a low noise, a soft growl, and she jumped away when something furry touched against her legs.

Straining her eyes in the diffused light she managed to make out the form of a small black animal, a cat, purring happily.

"Why hello there kitty." She leaned down, poised on the balls of her feet while she stroked its glossy black fur with one hand, "What are you doing here?"

A thought crossed her mind and she bit her lip, "You wouldn't happen to be what I've been waiting for, are you?"

"No." the cat replied calmly, purring still.

Rayne yanked her hand back quickly, throwing off her equilibrium and making her sprawl inelegantly onto her back

The cat sighed, looking disappointed, "That was nice." He muttered, leaping into the air and landing on her stomach, "Now about your question before, the person you seek lies just ahead."

As she rose from the ground the cat scrambled up onto her shoulder where it wrapped around her neck, tail on one shoulder and head on the other. "You can carry me." It hummed into her ear, startling her further. "You may need to carry him too, I'm afraid he's out of sorts after that teleportation."

Rayne wrinkled her nose; things were becoming more bizarre by the minute. First the blue lightning bolt, then a talking cat, and now some guy who could teleport? She was beginning to wonder if she hadn't just fallen asleep waiting for something to happen at the Temple and was currently dreaming this whole thing up.

"There he is." The cat yawned, pointing a lazy paw toward the darkest portion of the room.

Rayne swallowed her fears, licked her dry lips, and entered the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Link looked up dazedly from his position on the floor, his cursing of teleporting and talking cats grinding to a halt when he saw that Chronos had brought someone with him.

It was a girl, a young woman really, with raven black hair and dark green eyes that's piercing gaze seeming to search his very soul.

"Are you alright?" she questioned quietly, taking a few hesitant steps forward, "The cat said you were hurt."

"I said out of sorts." The cat corrected, yawning widely, "And my name is not 'cat' it is Chronos."

"I'm fine." he replied, ignoring Chronos and rising slowly to his feet, "But who are you?"

A wary expression took up residence on her face as she looked at him; she seemed to think he had some hidden motives.

"You only have to say your name." Navi said impatiently, hovering near his hat, "Surely you can do that."

The woman jumped, eyes large as she focused on the small cluster of light she had obviously not seen before. "I-Is that a fairy?"

"Yes, I am a fairy." Navi was annoyed, tapping her foot in midair, "Haven't you ever seen one before?"

"Not for a long time." Rayne replied, seeming captivated by the small winged creature, "They all disappeared with the Kokiri."

"The Kokiri have disappeared?" Link's voice was terse, breaking the girl from her reverie.

"Yes." She said, her voice guarded once again, "They vanished after Ganondorf took over Hyrule and invaded the Forest Temple."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pain bloomed in his eyes, followed closely by anger, and Rayne wondered what she had said wrong.

"Oh, Goddesses', Link." The fairy's voice was filled with compassion for him but it also held pain, "We weren't here."

Rayne felt guilty but also uncertain. What did this man have to do with the Kokiri? He was not one himself, as he was obviously not of child-like stature. He may have befriended them but that was almost as farfetched as he being a Kokiri himself. The forest dwellers had kept to themselves even toward the end. The fairy coming from the forest was plausible, even the cat could possibly be explained. But where did he fit in? And why was the name Link echoing in her mind?

"I didn't believe Rauru." Link sighed, looking right at her, "But I do now," he shook his head despondently, "Well, what do you propose we do?"

Rayne blinked, opening her mouth to say she didn't know when the cat on her shoulders answered, "We go with her of course, to rest, although I'm sure you don't need it, and to eat." He paused to look at Rayne, "Is that all right with you?"

Rayne nodded, feeling stupefied at how quickly things were going, she had just met these people a few moments ago after all.

The young man held out a calloused hand, "I'm Link." His voice was quiet, and surprisingly kind.

She inspected his hand for a moment, unsure what he expected her to do, "Do you want me to hold your hand?" she flinched at the sarcasm in her own voice.

He didn't seem to notice her derision, or he ignored it, "You introduce yourself and we shake hands." He explained, his hand not wavering in the least.

Rayne bit her lip, then put her small, fragile hand in his, clasping it tightly, "I'm Rayne." She said, feeling suddenly shy.

Why did he seem so familiar?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Death stood outside the Temple of Time, pulling away as soon as he heard the introductions come to a close.

"I know you love a good secret Kali." He murmured quietly as he began to fade away from Hyrule's plane of existence, "But this is becoming ludicrous."

"You run your business and I'll manage mine." Kali's voice rang out from the heavens, sounding incensed.

"Ah, but Sister dearest." He bowed just before he completely disappeared, "Your business is my business."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Author's Notes: Well Rayne was actually a character I wanted to introduce in the beginning but I figured this entrance would be much better. In chapter fifteen I will establish about twenty different new characters, yes, that's right, TWENTY! *CRIES*

Anyway, that Final Fantasy 7 story I started is crap but I put it up. I couldn't come up with a title so I would be glad for any suggestions.

In the next chapter you will be astounded, entertained and, oh who am I kidding? Just read the damn thing.

Thanks to all those who reviewed and will hopefully continue to review. I would ask those who have read this chapter to be brutally honest about what they think, but at this point in time I don't know if my ego could take it.

Also, I would like to send some sincere gratitude toward Ryu-sama for his proofreading skills, if not for him this chapter certainly wouldn't have come out this soon. *Bows* Forgive my grammar and spelling errors, I fear I am an uneducated whelp.

Until next chapter,

-- Ourania