Oh gosh…I'm back…I wasn't planning on doing this, but I just couldn't help myself when I heard a certain song that inspired the sequel . This will be awesome! I promise.Um… if you haven't already, I suggest you read runaway.

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Sanity's Edge

1

Alone

Love is far deeper than the boundries of death…

It was a sunny afternoon in the land of Hyrule. Summer had arrived and many people were found mingling on the sandy beaches of Lake Hylia, where the sun shined down on the glittering waters.

Two redheaded sisters happily tanned under the sun while the rest of their friends swam in the cool waters of the lake.

A young man with shaggy blonde hair, and another with short brown hair, ganged up on two screaming girls, trying to escape their splashes.

One having long, red hair, the other having dirty blonde. Both screamed playfully, swimming to shore as fast as they could to get away from the boys.

"Stop!", Malon laughed, running out to the sand only to be tackled by the brown haired man. She was captured in his arms, engaging in a fit of giggles as they fell to the soft sand.

"Link, get away from me!", the other girl shrieked, trying to escape the young man. Quickly, she jumped out of the water, hiding behind the two redheads.

"Jesamay, get away from us. Your wet!", Cremia scowled, sitting upright, shooing the girl.

Link ran up to them, hands on his hips, grinning widely, dripping wet with water. "I see some ladies who need a hug.", he said mischievously.

Romani opened her eyes, looking up at the soaked Link. "Don't you even think-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she, and the other two girls, were embraced in a rather moist hug. The girls screamed at him,thinking upthreats to get him off.

"Link!", Cremia screamed. "It's cold!"

"Well it's about time you got wet. You've been out on the beach all afternoon.", he complained.

Cremia stood up, drying herself off with a cloth she had brought to the beach, wrapping it around herself. Romani just scowled.

Jesamay turned and ran down the bridge, leading to the island in the middle of the lake. Once getting to its egde, she dived back in the water, emerging seconds later.

Link looked backover at Cremia and Romani. All summer they had laid out in the sun, not once going for a swim.

"Come on guys. The waters great. Come swimming.", he insisted.

"I don't like to swim.", said Cremia, drying herself off. "And neither does she."

"Please.", Link pleaded. "For me."

Cremia shook her head defiantly. "No.", she said simply, patting herself with the cloth.

"Would you do it for Zel?", he asked.

Cremia looked him in the eyes with a serious expression. "Don't bring thaton me Link.", she replied softly.

Link stood there silent, waiting for an answer.

Cremia sighed, seeing as she wasn't going to win this. "Fine.", she said. "For Zelda."

That night the crew sat down to dinner at Malon's house.

Romani's husband of four years, Kyle, had come to join them afterward when they came back from the beach.She seemed to have a new glow to her that she hadn't had weeks before.

Nearing the end of dinner, Romani spoke up, taking Kyle's hand as she did so. "Everyone. I have an announcement to make.", she said, getting everyone's attention.

When all was quiet, Romani took a deep breath, saying, "As you all know, Kyle and I have been trying to start a family for a while now."

All stared up expectantly at the two. "Well, this is it.", she said excitedly. "We're going to have a baby!"

"That's wonderful!", exclaimed Malon, getting up to hug them both. "Oh, my cousin's finally going to have a little one!"

"Oh my gosh.", Cremia exclaimed, hugging her sister tightly. "Why haven't you told me?"

"I wanted to wait until now.", she said smiling.

Link got up from his seat to go congratulate the couple. "Wow", he said, shaking Kyle's hand. "Congrads you two."

Hesomewhat felt hurt course through his chest when he heard the news. It felt like a slap in the face to not experience what they had. Of course,he managed not to show it at the least. It was Kyle and Romani's moment, not his.

Link sat back down in his chair, masking his sadness with a smile. "I guess that means you'll be an aunt.", he said to Cremia.

Cremia gushed happily. "Can you imagine?", she said, raising a hand to her heart. "I just can't wait!"

"Do you have any names in mind?", Jesamay asked.

Kyle shook his head, saying, "No, we haven't really thought about that just yet… We'llfigure it out soon enough."

"Wow.", exclaimed Jesamay. "I just can't believe it."

"Yeah.", said Link softly. "Me either."

Link sat back on his bed inside his house, reflecting on the years passed.

It had been five years since the tragedy. Not much had changed. The pain of his loss was still vivid enough to make him break down sometimes.

Many people had tried to encourage him to move on, but he could never push himself to do so. When a possible love interest was introduced , he was always one to decline. It just didn't feel right. Only she could hold his heart.

"Your not letting yourself live.", Malon had said once, while they were having lunch together. It was a conversation to be repeated many times.

"I am so letting myself live. Is it such a problem that I don't date?", Link said defensively.

"That's a part of it.", Malon said, her eyes filled with pity. "She would want you to be happy."

"To what extent?" , he argued, his voice becoming increasingly loud. "Listen Malon, if it was me, I wouldn't want her to go running around with others."

"Really?", she asked now. "Link, I know you. You would want her to be happy, even if it wasn't with you. That is why you drank that potion all those years ago, isn't it? The same reason you had let me go? Because you wanted what was best."

Link became quiet. She had made a point, and worse off she was right. As much as he'd hate to admit it, she was right. He loved Zelda too much to hold her with limits.

And it was the same way with Malon. Before he had met Zelda, he had left Malon for her own good, because he knew things just wouldn't work out, and that if he didn't leave then, things could only get worse by breaking her heart. He did what he did for the good of the ones he cared for.

"Don't you think she wants the same?", Malon asked weakly. "Don't you think it's hard for her to see you this way?"

It had never crossed his mind what Zelda thought of him. Of course, this question had never come up before and it made him wonder.

What did she think?

"We're all growing up, Link.", said Malon. "Kevin and I will be wed next summer. Cremia and Romani are going back to Termina at the end of the season. Who knows what Jesamay is doing. What are your plans? You can't just hang around the rest of your life."

Her words were hurtful, but true. Was Link destined to spend the rest of his life alone and unhappy? What was out there for him? Was there even anything?

Yes, a little girl, he told himself. One that looked up to him for support when no one else would grant her it. Leila.

Leila, the princess of Hyrule. Born only a month after Zelda's death.

Link didn't understand why, but he felt it was his duty to make sure the girl was happy. She seemed to be a sort of therapy for him. Something that made him forget his woes when he was there.

The girl was a serving of happiness to Link, as to the rest of Hyrule. She could always brighten his day at the saddest of times. Truly a blessing to have.

Link doubted he'd be here today if she hadn't been born . It seemed to be the only thing that kept him together these days.

"I haven't visited her in the longest time.", Link said to himself, musing about going to the castle sometime soon.

It was about time too. Link had promised the King that he'd keep in touch every once in a while.He was a man of some responsibilities after all, beinga respectable man throughout Hyrule, once being knighted for all that he went through, he was expected to make an appearance at times.

But the thing of it was, he really didn't like to make an appearance with people other than his friends. Whenever Link would walk through town, people would stare with pity. They did, for a fact, think great of him, but it just was human nature to feel sorry.

It always made him uneasy. He was the widower of Hyrule's late princess, but he had this nagging feeling that they were looking down upon him for being so. Link made sure to keep his visits to Hyrule's busy areas to a minimum for that reason.

He decided that tomorrow he would go to see the King, and Leila of course. Yes, he needed some cheering up.

Link covered himself with the blankets on his bed, feeling a draft that had been there for a while now. He wasn't sure where it was coming from, never could find it's source, but it was starting to get to him.

Even when Saria came to check it out once, she could not find its point, leaving her thoroughly confused and greatly agitated.

Link did the best he could to ignore the cold and curled himself up to sleep. Alone, as it had been like that for five long years. All alone.

Without Zelda.

Dedicated to my reviewers. Shouts to Kat, Snowy, Hyrule Master, n LadyAkki. thanx for the support!

This could possibly be better than Runaway…so please support me by reviewing to keep it alive. Hope you like it guys!

NOTE: this time, I will only be answering reviews with questions. Nothing personal. Thank you!