Thanks go out to mah reviewers!

JanaGray: Here's your update.

he who does not log in: I'm glad you like it.

mxedcherub: Naw, Hieke is NOTHING like Zelda. For one, she isn't useless.

Dragon-Charmer16: Wow, you really like it that much? Well, I've updated! How about you?

CheesefromJupiter: Thank you! And w00ts for updating!

Many, many thanks to all you who reviewed! Thank you all so much! Now, on with the story!

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Chapter 2: In Pursuit of Knowledge

The girl heard the sound of hoof beats and looked over her shoulder to see Link astride a chestnut mare coming towards her at full gallop. She looked back ahead and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She would not allow for an innocent bystander to become caught up in her journey.

"Hieke!" Link called, urging Epona to move faster. She whinnied in protest, but continued moving despite her weariness. Hieke was tired as well. She looked left and right, hoping to find a decent place to hide. Suddenly her agile feet tripped over a large stone that she hadn't noticed in her flight. Hieke fell to the dusty road and immediately turned to see where her pursuer was.

Link slowed his steed to a stop and quickly dismounted, rushing to Hieke's side. "Are you all right?" he asked as he offered to help her up. Hieke ignored his extended hand and rose on her own power, dusting off her soiled clothes. "I told you that my dilemma is not of your concern!" she scolded, flailing her arms wildly. Link stared on, partly in fright and partly in amusement, as the Hylian girl pointed at him and waved her arms in the air, shouting the whole time.

"This is my problem! And I have to fix it!" she concluded with tears in her eyes. Link was concerned by this. "Why are you crying?" he asked worriedly. Hieke quickly brushed the tears from her eyes and smeared dirt across her face in the process. "I-I have to finish this quest! B-but… There's something missing! Something vital to my success! A-and if I fail…!" she explained through gentle sobs. "If I f-fail… the whole of Hyrule w-will… Ganondorf will…" She trailed off, biting her lower lip and turning away.

Link exclaimed in shock. "Did you say Ganondorf!" he repeated, eyes wide. Hieke looked up at him sheepishly and nodded. "Th-there's going to be a revival of the Gerudo King of Thieves… I have to stop it! Ganon once wreaked a great evil upon this land. If his revival is completed, he'll no doubt try again!" she explained.

Link looked at the ground, a scowl on his face. "This is unprecedented!" he hissed fiercely. Hieke stared at the Kokirish boy in befuddlement. Link murmured a few things to himself, then looked at Hieke with a determined and vengeful expression. "Ganon is my responsibility," he stated in an even tone. "If you are on a quest that has anything to with him, I will accompany you."

Hieke shook her head, then closed her eyes and nodded. "I don't want you to get mixed up in this, but you may be able to help me. I'm looking for an item. It's a treasure guarded by the Royal Family, but they deny having it with them. I'm looking for the Ocarina of Time," she said in a defeated voice. Link smiled and pulled out the blue ocarina given to him by Princess Zelda what seemed like so long ago. Hieke gasped.

"How do you have that!" she said in awe. Link placed the instrument in her hands and watched as the Hylian girl turned it over and over, studying its features. Her fingers brushed against the Triforce emblem near the mouthpiece. "Why on earth do you have this?" she repeated. Link beamed proudly. "You may not recognize me, but I'm the Hero of Time! I put Ganon-dork in his place the first time around!" he announced boastfully. Hieke oohed and ahed, admiring the boy for his heroism.

"So, if you killed him, why is he coming back to life?" she asked innocently. "You must not have killed him too well!"

Link tripped, even though he was standing still at the time. He stood and folded his arm behind his head, scratching at his cap absently. "Well, he was pretty darn dead last time I looked," he mumbled, blushing. Hieke laughed, clearly amused. Link was glad to see that she was back to normal, even if normal for her was bubbly and hyperactive.

"Well, if you have the Ocarina of Time, let's get going!" she declared when she had expelled the last of her giggles from her system. Link looked at her curiously. "To where?" he asked, having no idea what sort of plans Hieke already had made. The Hylian girl looked at him with a wide smile.

"Where else?" she asked. "To find the Amulet!"

Link stared at Hieke in confusion. "What on earth are you talking about?" he said, surrendering to his lack of knowledge despite his feelings of degradation. Hieke smiled knowledgeably, obviously more than happy to explain. "The Amulet of Epochs, the treasure to end all treasure as we know it. If we're going to stop Ganon's resurrection, we need to find that gem. Trouble is, I don't know what era to look in!" she explained.

"What do you mean, don't know what era?" Link asked, cocking his head to the side. Hieke sighed. It seemed she tired of explanations easily. "The Amulet could be in this time or in the future. Seven years, I believe. Also, I'm not exactly sure where to look. So we have all of Hyrule to cover… twice."

Link's mouth hung agape in astonishment. "You're kidding," he said. Hieke shook her head with a weak grin. Link muttered something to himself, probably a few curse words, then stared at the sky. "All of Hyrule," he repeated. "Twice over…"

Hieke pressed her lips together. "But, it won't be that bad! If we talk to the Guardian Spirits, we should be able to find the Amulet easily. And locating the Guardian Spirits shouldn't be too hard either!" she said enthusiastically. Link shook his head with a long sigh. "We might as well get started," he proclaimed dispiritedly. "Where do we look first?"

The Hylian girl looked at the sky. "Well, we have seven areas to visit. Which do you wanna look at first? Forest, mountain, water, shadow, spirit, light, or… er, Zelda?" she asked with a smirk. She couldn't wait to see how the Hero of Time responded to that.

"You're kidding," he said again. "Heh, I should've guessed. Let's do the forest one first." Hieke nodded her agreement and they set off to find the Forest Spirit.

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Oh man! I'm so sorry! This chapter bites! No humor, no action... but it does get the plot rollin'. Next chapter is where some of the humor and action kicks up. Five more reviews if you wanna read it! So... if everyone who reviewed the first time will review again, I'll have the third chapter up in no time! R&R, please, guys and girls!