Disclaimer: see first chapter.

Okay, I am in a *major* hurry to post this, so I'll make responses short, sweet and to the point!

Midnight*Starfire: I *love* that pen name, by the way! You-you actually *like* cliffies?! What-what are you, insane?! Thanks!

lilhobbitgurl: Thank you, thank you! You know, I've gotten a lot of requests to write "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask". I have actually been thinking about it... But I dunno know yet...

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Chapter Two

The Sage of the Forest

"Come on, Link! Go faster!" Navi urged.

Link was moving at a rapid pace, training on the Fields of Hyrule. He was focusing on agility, accuracy and defense. But, as it seemed to Navi, he wasn't performing sufficiently enough; in fact, he wasn't. Link himself knew that he could move much faster.

In order to prove himself to his "instructor", Link jumped up high, Sword raised, aiming for a decent-sized rock, going in to crumble it to pieces. However, when his Sword struck, it didn't cut; instead, it just ricocheted off and made Link's whole left arm go numb. He stopped and dropped his Sword, clutching his arm.

"No, no, no!" Navi corrected forcefully. "You're leaving yourself wide open to attack!" She didn't know Link was injured.

"Oh, be quiet, Navi!" Link said hotly, glaring up at her.

"I'm saying this for your benefit, dearie!" Navi replied innocently. "If you can't wield the Master Sword, then you can't even fight Ganondorf's underlings!"

"Don't worry, Navi," Link said, picking up his Sword. "I have a secret technique." He winked once at her.

Link swung his Sword back behind him and closed his eyes. And then, summoning all his strength, hollered out, "Kai Ten Giri!" A wave of energy was released from the Master Sword as Link spun around rapidly with the Sword.

Once he stopped and looked at Navi, Link said with satisfaction, "So, what do you think of my far-reaching power of destruction?"

"Um, Link...?" Navi said hesitantly. "If you keep cutting down the grass throughout Hyrule like this, the bugs will be angry."

It was true; Link looked down at the grass, or lack thereof: there was indeed a circular patch of green missing, forming a circle around Link's feet.

Seeing that Link had indeed improved on his skills, however, Navi insisted that they start going about Link's duty: awakening the Sages throughout the Temples. They headed directly for the Temple of the Forest.

As Link trudged through the denseness of the forest, not remembering this section at all, he sighed tiredly, "The forest is so humid," Link wiped the sweat from his brow. "Do you think Ganondorf's power reaches even here?"

"The Sage Rauru said to break the curses on the Five Temples and free the Sages." Navi stated. "If you, Link, being the Hero of Time, appear with all the Sages' power, then we can confront Ganondorf."

Suddenly, coming upon a clearing, Navi yelled out, "Link, look!"

Link stopped hacking away at the overgrown bushes and looked. "It's the Kokiri Village! Before we go to the Temple, let's stop by."

As Link walked through the village, he noticed the quietness of the little town; there were no Kokiri out. "This is weird," he whispered. "Where are all the villagers? It's so eerie and quiet."

Then, out of nowhere, a Giant Deku Baba sprouted behind Link, the plant's poison oozing out of its mouth.

"There here, too?!" Link hollered out as he decapitated the lethal flower. Then he heard a small shriek behind him. He turned his head around sharply and saw another one of the toxic plants threatening a little Kokiri! Link ran up to it and disposed of the plant quickly before it did any harm to the small child.

Link leaned down over the Kokiri and asked kindly, "Are you hurt?" Then, he gasped as he realized who it was he had just saved: Mido! "I-it's Mido, isn't it?" Link stuttered. That hateful look of his hasn't changed a bit! Link laughed. But why is he still a child...?

Link's smile faded at the words that came out of Mido's mouth, "Hmph, all over the forest there's nuthin' but monsters. It's all 'cause that jerk left!"

Link stared at Mido. The Hylian knew the Kokiri was talking about him: Mido had just called him a jerk!

Mido continued thrashing Link, whom he had no idea had just saved him and was standing right in front of him, "It's all 'cause that loser Link broke the rule and left the forest!"

Link decided that now was a good time to intervene. "That's not true! It's because Ganondorf-!"

But Mido also interrupted, "Our not being able to play outside anymore and Saria goin' away... it's all his fault!"

"Saria?!" Link's eyes flashed in shock. Now he remembered: he had yet to see his childhood friend. Link grabbed Mido's shoulders, not letting him get away, as he said with a little more force than was intended, "What happened to her?"

"Th-that's none of your business!" the Kokiri yelled as he roughly broke free from Link's grasp and ran away, in the direction of the Lost Woods.

"Wait a minute!" Link called as he stood up and ran after the boy. He and Navi chased Mido right into the heart of the Woods, to the Sacred Forest Meadow. It was there that Link discovered the Forest Temple. And the fact that Mido was, again, being attacked; this time, by a pair of Wolfos. Link jumped in the fray, defending his childhood rival and, for a second time, saved him.

Once the Wolfos were but a memory to him, Mido said skeptically to Link, "You again, huh?" The child still had no idea that this man he was addressing was Link. "What's with you?"

Link sighed, realizing that words weren't going to be enough to get Mido to trust him. So instead, he reached behind his back and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. He started playing the melody that Saria was always playing, seven years ago.

Mido's face lit up in recollection. "That-that tune; Saria's always playin' that. You-do you know Saria?"

Link just stared at Mido, hoping that his past action had triggered something inside Mido's memory.

"Okay," Mido said as he breathed in deeply. "I trust you."

Mido turned around and walked inside the Temple, Link only a foot behind him. Once they were deep inside the Temple, Mido started telling Link all that had happened within the last seven years, while he had been absent. Of course, Mido didn't know that; Link had just asked what had happened.

"After the Deku Tree died, all the creatures who protected the forest began to disappear. It was terrible; if only I could be as strong as you."

Link and Mido had entered a room with a painting of Ganondorf hanging on the wall. Obviously, for the time being, this was a place of pure evil. The odd thing was that, while they were in the area, Link had the sense that he and Mido were being watched; something just seemed out of the ordinary.

Mido continued, not noticing the look of dread that swept along his comrade's face, "Saria said, 'I'm going to the Forest Temple,' and she hasn't come back.

"Saria told him it was dangerous," Mido continued, changing the subject back to Link. "So what the heck has that idiot been doing all this time? Probably out there girl chasin'!" Mid answered his own question.

Link glared down at him with a look of confusion. Then remembered that Mido was still a ten-year-old boy and he shrugged it off; he knew the truth.

Mido suddenly slammed his fist into the stone wall. Pain was not present on his voice as he said in anger, "Why won't he come back?" Then, quite unexpectedly, the Kokiri put his head on his chest and started weeping. "I even told him to come back, after I've been waiting all this time..."

Link was overcome with compassion. Mido had grown up a lot within the last few years, even if his height didn't measure up to it. He was actually waiting for Link. "Mido..." the Hylian whispered with sympathy.

But his feelings soon departed as he heard a low rustle behind him. Link turned around, as did Mido, and there, just reeking evil and darkness, was Phantom Ganon! He had a power staff held in his hand, it's crooked top radiating with electricity. And his goal was to kill the Hero of Time.

"Mido, get down!" Link hollered as he plowed into Mido, sparing him from a shock of the rod. Link turned back around and, taking his Sword, jabbed at the Ghost. But the creature just flew back... into one of its paintings, out of Link's hitting range! "He came from...inside the painting?"

Not knowing what else to do, Link stabbed his Sword at the canvas, but it wouldn't even scratch the material.

The next thing Link knew was that he was in a tremendous amount of pain. Phantom Ganon had reappeared from another painting and was attacking Link from behind with his electric power. Link was screaming in agony.

When the pain ceased, Link again, tried his Sword. But just as before, the Phantom hid inside another one of the pictures. Link knew better than to try stabbing the painting. "What can I do?" Link was panicking.

Meanwhile, Mido was scrunched up against the stone wall, frightened out of his wits. As he edged towards a corner, he felt something prod the small of his back. Mido jumped around and saw the Fairy Bow hanging on the wall. "With this," Mido said, picking it up, "he may be able to win!" Mido yelled across the room to Link, "Hey!" and threw the bow in Link's direction.

Thankfully, the Hylian caught it and, what was even more thankful, picked up a fallen arrow from the floor. Link knew very well how to use a bow. He felt sure that arrows would be sharp and small enough to pierce the thick cloth of the paintings. He loaded the projectile in the notch and took aim for the painting his foe was in.

"Now!" Navi screeched out.

Link fired the arrow with deadly accuracy: it hit the Phantom squarely on his chest. The Ghost was no more!

When he was utterly destroyed, the painting started glowing like mad, nearly blinding Link. Then from the center of the picture, the figure of a young girl appeared slowly before Link's eyes.

In all the excitement, Mido had fainted and saw none of this.

Link knew who the girl was a second prior to when she spoke.

"Saria...!" Link breathed.

"Link," she said. "Thank you. Now, thanks to you, and Mido," she giggled, "the forest can return to normal. Because the evil curse was broken, I am also able to awaken as a Sage."

Link's mouth dropped in shock. "You're the Forest Sage?"

But Saria went on, "Therefore, I can no longer continue in this world, but I will be at your side to save Hyrule... and forever. Even if we're apart, we'll be friends for eternity, won't we?"

"Of course," Link said softly, smiling.

"I believe in you, Link..." Saria said faintly as she disappeared to join Rauru in the Chamber of Sages.

Link fought back a flood of tears brewing in his eyes. He had finally found Saria, his best friend in the world, and then, no sooner had he found her, she'd disappeared. But Link knew he'd see her again; in his heart, he knew.

His attention was brought back to Mido as he woke up. "Where's Saria? Is she okay?"

* * *

"I see," Mido said when Link had finished telling all that Saria told him. He and the Kokiri had returned to the Village. "Saria became the Sage of the Forest, huh? Well then, I'll protect the forest alongside her!"

Link decided it was indeed time to move on. As he was leaving, he heard the Kokiris' shouts of, "Thanks, bro!", "Thank you!" and "Bye!"

But the one call that stood out most of all was Mido's: "Come back and visit! See you later!"

After Link had gone, Mido chuckled to himself, "For some reason, while I was watching him fight, it reminded me of him..."

When Link was out in the sunlight of Hyrule Field, Navi fluttered down next to her partner and asked timidly, "Are you sure you're okay, without telling him the truth, that is?

Link shrugged and smiled up at her, saying, "It's okay." He looked back at the Kokiri Village, "This way, whenever I come back, it'll be as friends."