A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
A Pair of Time
Chapter 30- Another Strive
Lon Lon Ranch; Day
Why…? Why… Why didn't… Why didn't you come back…? Why… Why did you leave me…? Why…? A distant voice of Malon's echoes through the blurring darkness.
I'm… I'm sorry… I… I… Link's voice accompanies her.
Please… I love you… I love you, Link… You love me… You love me, too… But… why don't you love me back…?
I can't, Malon… I… can't… Not with our friendship… and our… responsibility…
Link… I… I thought you were courageous… Link… What are you so afraid of…? What are you so afraid of by loving me back…?
I… I…
I never heard you… I never heard your voice become scared before… Link… are you… scared…? Are you scared of loving me…?
Malon… I…
Please, tell me… If not your lover… then, your best friend…
Afraid… I… I don't know… I just…
Your heart… It flows with feelings for me… but… I can see fear around it… Fear that is made by you… It's not about our friendship… or duty, is it…?
I can't love… I can't…
Afraid of loving… Afraid of loving even me… Silly… What's there to be afraid of…? Love is for indescribable comfort… not tyrannical fear…
But, I'm still afraid…
Afraid of love… Then, afraid of sharing that love… with me…
I… I don't have the courage… like you do… when… it comes to this…
That's why… I'm here, fairy boy… I'm here… for you… Just… Just as you're here for me… This is what… our friendship… no, our love is all about… Being there for each other… That's why… I… I love you… because you're there for me, Link… You always kept me out of the loneliness… the darkness… You made me feel great, everyday… You were my first friend… You were my first best friend… You… You were my first… love… I was never lonely… with you, Link… I know… I know this is how… you feel about me, too…
I… feel so… wrong to do this to you… I feel the same way, Malon… I guess you kept me from being lonely, too… And… just as I was there for you, you were, too… I feel this is how I came… to have these feelings for you… I… I do… I do love you, Malon… but, my fear is too strong for me to ever let it be expressed freely… I feel weak… I feel bad… I'm courageous, but I let this fear take hold of me… I'm… I'm sorry about everything… I don't… have the courage to say how I feel about you…
Then… take my hand… Take my hand… My feelings are brave to say… Maybe… holding onto me will chase away your fear…
I can't… I can't do that… It would only ever… make my fear grow more… I can't find my own way… I can't see the light in this darkness…
Link… I care for you… I shouldn't have pushed you to do this… Maybe… Maybe I was… too fast to say, 'I love you'…
Or… maybe… I'm just not ready…
… Yet…
I… I don't know… I could be… not ready forever…
But… I'll always be there… for you, fairy boy… One day… when I'm there… I'll hear those words from you…
I'm sorry…
Don't be… I know… I forgive…
I… How… How would we… ever…
I know… We… We're still… best friends, right…?
Will this hurt you…? Will this hurt you more than me…?
As long as I can hope… it wouldn't hurt as much…
Maybe… Maybe one day… I'll… I'll… make… that hope shine, Malon…
… I'll… I'll wait for that day… my knight in shining armor…
Malon… How… How could you be so sure… that I'm your knight in shining armor… when I've done this to you…?
Because… Because, Link… you still make me happy… I don't… I don't feel lonely with you, remember…? I feel happy with you around…
I… Me… Me, too…
… Best friends…? Forever…?
Forever…?
Oh, I mean… I wasn't thinking… but, still… best friends, fairy boy…?
Best friends, Mal…
… Thanks…
Do you… Do you feel fine enough…?
With this…? I… Yes… I do… Being best friends…
Uh… I meant do you feel fine enough to open the door…?
Oh… Um…
Malon opens her eyes, freeing her from the darkness. Her eyes find themselves back inside Malon's room. Malon is sitting against her door, tears still coming down her face. It was hard to come back to her room, by herself. She didn't sleep much, because it didn't help what she's already in. She sat at her bed, hearing Link's words earlier in the day rewind itself in her memory. She didn't want it to, but it kept going. And with every word that Link said after their kiss, her heart goes back to sorrow and Malon weeps even more. Morning came, but the sun didn't help much either.
Link, himself, didn't sleep away most of his night hours, either. He kept saying, 'Sorry… I'm sorry,' every time he thought of what just happened out there. He tried to comfort himself with old memories, but that led to the broken love again. He couldn't take it anymore, so by morning, he went up to Malon's room. He knocked, but Malon had refused to open the door. Only through some sensitive explaining, did Malon sat against the door, hearing Link's reasons. Link sat against the door, too. If he's trying to tell Malon with all he had, he might as well get close to her as he can get.
He opens his own eyes. It took a great amount of effort, but Link managed to patch things up between him and Malon. He stands up, letting the sunlight from the ceiling windows hit his tunic. He faces the door to Malon's room, wondering. Would it ever be the same… between him and Malon?
The doorknob turns, and the door opens. Malon is standing there, tearful. Link doesn't know if the question is to be-
"Link…"
"Malon… I'll… I'll try my best… for you…"
Suddenly, Link finds himself in Malon's grasp. Again, the familiar feeling of her on him and his shoulder being watered by tears appear. Link then does his comforting by returning her hold.
"Oh, Link! I hope… I hope… I hope it'll work out between us…"
"Me, too."
"Don't… Don't ever leave me…"
"I'm not going to, Mal. I'm… I'm here for you…"
Malon lets her head go up, settling her eyes onto Link's. "… Thanks, fairy boy…"
"But… I might be thinking of leaving if you keep calling me that."
Quickly, the humorous air spreads. "Well, I'll keep following you, then."
"Oh, so you're a stalker?"
"No. I'm going to follow because I'm gonna whoop your butt if you ever leave me."
"Oooh… I'm going to have to rethink that decision, then…"
"You better."
"But, I can call you Mal, though."
"Ah, but that doesn't annoy me."
"Oh, how I forget."
"That's another reason why I like to call you, 'fairy boy.' Because you get annoyed by it. And you're cute when you're annoyed."
"… Do I?"
Now, that's a strange thought for Link.
"Hey, Link…" Malon lets go of him, "we're… okay, now, right?"
"Yeah," Link simply answers.
"You're always the carefree type. Why can't you be a bit serious for once?"
"Well, being so serious sucks the fun out of things."
Malon giggles. "I guess you're right. Best friends?"
Malon gives a punch to one of Link's arm.
"Best friends," Link returns with a harder punch.
"Ow!" Malon rubs the sore spot. "Hey! I'm a girl!"
"I know, but you're not like any other girls I've met. A punch like that wouldn't hurt much to you, and, if I recall, you like hitting."
Malon kneels Link in the stomach.
"Yeah," Malon said, "I do. And, if I recall, you like taking the pain."
"Ah-h-h…" Link's voice stutters to the pain. "… Wow, that was weak."
"Weak? Why, you green…"
Malon tackles Link, which leads to them falling off the stairs of about one story. Hitting the ground from that height plus the weight of Malon equals one good bag of violent pleasure. Link groans as time allows pain to settle in.
"… Talon! Talon, your daughter's a maniac!" Link calls him in a funny way. "I just got tackled by her! I fell down the stairs! Talon! Tal-"
Malon shuts off his pleads with her hand.
"Oh, that's enough out of you," Malon said playfully. "What's the matter? Not man enough?"
Malon could feel Link's mouth trying to send out words.
"I thought so," Malon answers to whatever Link said. "You're all worried that I'll win again, aren't ya? So, you just have to be a coward and try to call Dad…"
Link's mouth shows extreme movement, signaling a protest.
"What's that?" Malon pretends with a cupping of her ear. "I can't hear you. You said… you want me to torture you as punishment for calling Dad?"
Link shakes his head quickly, his eyes now growing in exaggerated horror.
"Okay, fairy boy! Hmm…" Malon searches the room, laying her eyes on a Cucco. "Hey, how about, 'Link kisses the Cucco'…?"