A/N: Four. Reviews. That is amazing, guys. Shards of Time got that much on its first chapter, too! This is so exciting! I thought no one would like this because it's too closely based on the game, but apparently it's doing fine. If I get just four reviews on every chapter from now on, I'll be content. If not... well, whatever.

By the way, as I told another reviewer, YES, THERE WILL BE ZELINK! It just might not be too prominent later on, since obviously Zelda and Link get separated. But if I could choose a third genre, it would be romance. ;)

AWAKENING

Chapter 2

Healing my bird was simple enough. After a quick visit to Luv and Bertie at the Bazaar, I received the Mushroom Spores that Loftwings used as medicine. Whenever someone stopped to talk to me, I just told them to keep an eye out for Link's bird. I hoped that if everyone was looking we were certain to find it soon. Word spread very quickly in Skyloft – the whole town probably knew about this now.

"Zelda…"

Completely caught off-guard by voice, I tripped over the first step leading to the Goddess Statue, catching myself with my hands. I stopped there, frozen, my breath abnormally loud to my ears.

What… what just happened?

I glanced around but no one was in sight. Everyone was still back in town. Besides… that voice didn't sound like a person. It almost sounded like a whisper… like… something surreal, otherworldly… like the voice in my dreams.

I shook my head. Was today's stress getting to me? Now I was hearing mysterious voices.

I picked myself up, brushing off my dress, and ascended a few more steps. Then–

"Zelda… spirit maiden… sacred vessel of the Goddess…"

"Wh-who's there?" I whispered, not too loudly out of fear I was just hearing things and an onlooker would think I was insane. My voice trembled, and I backed slowly up the steps – as though that could help. The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.

All was quiet for a beat, and then the voice responded, "Meet your destiny. Descend beneath the clouds and unlock your true power…"

"What does that mean?" I demanded, gathering my courage and raising my voice a bit. "What do you want? Who are you?"

"Meet your destiny…"

"No! Leave me alone! I don't want any part in… in this crazy stuff…" My voice was now frighteningly close to a sob.

There was no answer. The voice had left me. Whether that was good or bad had yet to be determined.

I turned and hesitantly continued to the Statue of the Goddess, my eyes darting from side to side, sure that the voice would begin again.

"Zelda?"

"WHAT? Stop talking to me!"

Everything was quiet, and I felt a small, brief sense of triumph, until I realized that the voice I'd just heard hadn't been an unnatural whisper. I looked up and found my father staring at me with an expression of surprise, confusion, and even concern.

"Zelda, my dear? Are you alright?" The worry in his tone made me feel culpable.

"S-sorry, Father. I was just… um… here."

I shoved the Mushroom Spores into his hands and, before he could get a good look at my distraught face, I brushed past him to my tired Loftwing's side. I was very embarrassed, but, even more than that, I was scared. Why was I hearing these voices?

My father followed me hesitantly and uncorked the bottle. Apparently he'd decided to ignore that incident – a fact for which I was extremely grateful. Now he fed the spores carefully to my Loftwing. I instantly felt his pain subside. He'd be ready to fly again in just a few minutes.

Though I wasn't facing him, I could practically feel my father's eyes boring into my back. He wanted to know what happened out there. But how could I tell him when even I didn't know?

After twenty agonizing seconds like this passed, I decided I couldn't stand the tension. I stood abruptly. "Well, I'm going to go around and search for Link's Loftwing." I was aware of how stupid that sounded – my own Loftwing would be ready to fly in less than a minute! But I really needed to get away from here. I needed time to think.

I briskly strode out of the area, not leaving my father time to protest. Vaguely I wondered where I should go; all the obvious places in Skyloft had been searched, so where could I check that Link's Loftwing might be?

Without any conscious instruction, my feet followed the familiar path to the plaza. It was there that snippets of conversation drifted to my ears and caught my attention.

"…and just because you and Zelda go way back…"

Intrigued by the sound of my own name, I crept closer to the plaza and from my place at the top of the stairs outside the bazaar I could see the confrontation unfolding right before my eyes.

And what I saw made me heat up with anger. It was Groose. Groose was picking on Link again.

Sometime after Link received his Loftwing, people realized that he was different. He was arguably the most skilled student in the academy – his expertise in swordplay was unparalleled and his skills in Loftwing flight unquestionable. Plus, he did it all without hardly even trying. His natural ability let him pass through his classes… even though he never was good at the written exams due to the fact that he never studied. However, if you handed him a weapon, he'd know exactly what to do. He was lazy, yet only the most hardworking students could hope to compare.

That was when the jealousy began.

It infected pretty much everyone – including me. In the following weeks after getting our Loftwings and becoming settled in the academy for the first time, I wouldn't say a word to him, despite having been best friends since birth. Somehow I'd gotten into my mind that he didn't care about me anymore because he had a rare Loftwing. Of course, my treatment was a lot kinder than that of the other kids. Taunts and cruel jokes followed Link everywhere. It was only after watching all this occur for myself that I finally couldn't take it anymore and I stood up to Groose, whose bullying had always been the worst.

Everyone kind of backed off after that – many of them were relatively nice to Link these days, now that they knew him better. But Groose never changed… and neither did his followers, of course, although Cawlin and Stritch weren't that bad when you talked to them alone.

It occurred to me that I'd been daydreaming, and I quickly pushed these thoughts out of my mind. I needed to intervene and help out Link. He was pretty quiet around people besides me. Usually I had to come to his rescue.

Groose was still talking as I approached behind them. "…and you should just give up. Dopes like you are what's dragging the Knight Academy down. You'll just end up making a fool of yourself when I win, anyway."

I could not believe his arrogance. I was trembling with anger when I called out, "And just who might you be talking about, Groose?"

Groose and his friends all jumped at the noise, spinning around with fear written on their faces.

"Zelda! I... um... It was..."

"You're unbelievable," I growled. "All you care about is yourself. For the love of Nayru, leave Link alone!"

Much to my frustration, he recovered from his shock rather quickly. He snorted at me. "Oh... I was just having a friendly conversation with my good pal Link here." I saw Link roll his eyes and shake his head sadly, and I struggled not to laugh to maintain my menacing disposition. "I heard that he lost his Loftwing! Such a tragedy, really. I wonder where it could have gone?"

I narrowed my eyes at the grin on his face. Something was odd about his behavior – like he knew something we didn't.

"What are you hiding?" I demanded, stepping up in front of him and straightening my back to appear more threatening. Somehow, despite being almost 5 inches shorter than him, it worked and he backed away, looking nervous.

"Oh, nothing... nothing at all. What makes you think that?"

I glared at him silently, waiting for the answer I want to hear.

Apparently Groose wasn't quite ready to relinquish his knowledge yet. He glanced around, searching for an escape. "I-I really should be going."

"Oh, no. You're not getting away that easily."

"And who's going to stop me?" Gods... his mood changed quickly. He was already over my intimidation attempt and back to his usual, smug self. "Are you going to? Or maybe your cowardly little boyfriend will?"

Link's expression darkened in anger at Groose's jab. He took a step forward, but I held him back, shaking my head. It wouldn't do us any good to get into fist fights now.

Groose had retreated back to the diving platform. "See you later, Zelda! Unless you want to come...?"

I scoffed at his hopeful tone. You had to admire his persistence, but it was obvious that I didn't like him – why couldn't he just leave us alone? "As if."

He glared, although it was directed more toward Link than me. "Fine. Let's go." He gestured toward Cawlin and Stritch, who hurriedly followed. The three of them simultaneously dove off the platform, their shrill whistles and the cries of their birds sounding soon after.

"It was him, Zelda," I heard Link growl under his breath.

I looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I overheard them talking earlier. I know it was them. They took my bird." A pained look came over his face. "I hate to think of what they might have done to it..."

"I'm not surprised," I said furiously. "I thought they had something to do with it. But even then I never thought Groose would stoop this low." I sighed. "Well, don't worry, Link. If they hurt him, you would have felt it, right? Through your bond?"

"I didn't even know it was in trouble until now," he pointed out. "Maybe our bond just isn't strong enough..."

"Don't say that," I snapped. "You have the strongest connection with your bird that Skyloft has ever seen. I have no doubt about that." I frowned. "I don't know why you can't sense your Loftwing. You must not be close enough... or something's blocking it?"

He looked away, and I wished there some other way to comfort him. I was aware that he still blamed himself for his bird's disappearance, no matter how absurd that was.

"Hey..." A sudden idea occurred to me. "You know Pipit?"

He gave me a sideways look. "Yes, what about him?"

"He knows a lot about birds – remember that Loftwing Studies class we took with him a couple years ago? Gods, the way he talked he could have taught that class..."

"Um... wouldn't it make more sense to go talk to one of the instructors?"

"I'm sure they're too busy with the ceremony."

"Well, what about Orielle? Or Parrow? Aren't they Loftwing experts too?"

I sighed in frustration. "Link, Pipit knows a lot not only about Loftwings, but about Skyloft and the Knight Academy too. If anyone knows where Groose and his gang hang out – besides the people who won't tell us – it's him. He might know where they'd hide a bird."

His eyes widened in understanding. "Oh. Good point. Okay, I guess I'll go talk to Pipit. What about you? Are you coming?"

"No..." I cocked my head to the side, faintly sensing my bird. He seemed fully recovered and eager to fly. "I'm going to take my bird around town. Maybe in the air I can see something."

He nodded. "Okay. Good luck, Zel."

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you that? It's your bird."

He smiled sadly. "I guess you're right. I hope we find him..."

I nodded absentmindedly. "Me too..."

We locked eyes. There was a short period of time where we just stood there quietly, holding each other's gazes. I wondered exactly what he was thinking, and if he ever felt the same about my gaze...

Quite abruptly, I broke eye contact, looking over my shoulder at the platform to hide the blush creeping onto my face. "I... I have to go now." I only saw a brief flash on confusion on his face before I flung myself off the edge, falling into the sky.

Seconds later, my bird caught me and I flew away, glancing back at Link's profile almost wistfully. Goddess... I was so stupid! Why did I do that? What if he was angry? I... I hoped I hadn't offended him. But I'd been thinking...

I pushed away those thoughts ruthlessly. No! I couldn't let him know how I felt about him. Besides, he probably didn't feel the same way. No... we were just friends.

Only friends...

xXx

Ten minutes later and I was already bored of my searching job. I'd circled Skyloft more times than I could count, yet I'd found nothing. Not even the tiniest clue.

I'd trailed Link with my eyes as his small form traveled around Skyloft, occasionally stopping to ask someone about Pipit's whereabouts. He eventually made his way back to the Knight Academy, where he at last located Pipit, who was talking to Fledge. I was surprised to see that right after the conversation, he entered the Sparring Hall and came back out... with a sword on his back.

What... what was going on? Only full knights could take swords out of the hall without permission. So obviously he'd gotten permission. But why? The commander would only allow him to take a sword if it was an emergency...

Now filled with anxiety, I watched as he hurried to the waterfall with renewed determination. I raised an eyebrow as he hopped across the stones and ended up on the other side of the lake. What was he doing? Everyone knew nothing was over there. Nothing except–

My eyes grew wide when he used his sword to cut down the barrier to the Waterfall Cave.

Oh, no... he was going in there.

The cave behind the waterfall was infamous for its danger. Dark, damp, and infested with monsters, it was not a place most Skyloftians wanted to go.

But my best friend just went inside.

Suddenly it made sense. Link's Loftwing was in the Waterfall Cave! That's why he couldn't sense it – the monster auras were probably too strong, overpowering the connection.

But... could Link actually make it through there? I knew he was skilled with a sword, but I was pretty sure he hadn't fought real monsters before... not like this...

Worried, I was just preparing to swoop down and follow him into the cave, but then another voice stopped me.

"It looks like you decided to ditch that loser. Did you realize he's not worth your time?"

I turned my head and found Groose, Cawlin, and Stritch flying a short distance away, sneering at me. I glared back.

"Actually, I'm helping my best friend find his bird, because somebody decided to go ahead and kidnap it."

His eyes narrowed. "Is that accusation I hear in your voice? I don't think it's very fair to accuse me of something like that. Why would I be interested in that silly bird of his, anyway?"

"So you don't deny it, then? You took his Loftwing?" I inquired, choosing to ignore his other statements.

"His bird probably just got confused and ran into a rock or something," Groose said offhandedly. "I wouldn't be surprised, considering how stupid its master is."

"Nice job avoiding the question. That gave me just the answer I needed." I smiled. "So, Groose, how exactly did you get a bird into the Waterfall Cave?"

The result of my words was quite satisfying. Groose froze, his expression slack with shock, and Cawlin and Stritch's mouths gaped. Finally he recovered, furious. "Where did you hear that?"

"I didn't hear it. I just figured it out. That's how Link's bond was weakened, right? I must admit, that was a surprisingly smart move for you."

"Listen," he begged, "if you tell him, I'll–"

"Too late! He's already inside the cave," I said brightly, enjoying their looks of horror. "He'll be out any minute now."

Groose moaned. "Oh no! Come on, we have to–"

"Have to what? I'll just follow you if you try to get the Loftwing." I paused. "In fact, if you go to move it, I'll not only follow you, but I'll tell the Knight Commander that you stole a sword to enter the cave. Somehow I doubt you went in there without a weapon."

"We didn't go inside," he informed me, glaring. "We didn't need to. It wasn't even inside the cave, just around it! Our Loftwings easily reached the spot."

"Oh? Good to know!" I grinned and waved. "Thanks for the tip. I'm going to go find this 'spot' now, okay?"

"No!"

But I was already gone, diving down toward Skyloft again. This time, I went under the city and looked around. I wasn't completely sure, but I thought I remembered someone mentioning an exit from the cave that led out onto a lower ledge of Skyloft. Maybe that's what Groose had been talking about.

It didn't take me long to find it, now that I knew what I was looking for. Much to my surprise, I noticed someone was already standing there.

"Link!" I shouted, getting his attention. His face lit up at the sight of me, and I landed in front of him, dismounting my Loftwing.

"My Loftwing is somewhere around here, Zelda!" he said excitedly. "I sensed him! It's a lot stronger now. But... he's frantic... they must have trapped him somehow..."

"It's alright," I comforted. "We've almost found him. He'll be fine once we get him back." I sensed his unease, so I decided to change the subject. "How did you find out he was behind the Waterfall Cave?"

"Fledge told me, at Pipit's insistence," he explained. "He overheard Groose earlier, but he was caught and coerced into keeping quiet."

"I see," I murmured, absentmindedly stroking the feathers of my own Loftwing, standing faithfully beside me. Finally, I mentally told him he could leave, and he flew gracefully away. I grinned at the sight and faced Link once more. I prepared to speak, but then–

"Zelda..."

"What?" I said.

Link gave me a strange look, and I blinked, suddenly realizing what had just happened. It was that voice from before! It was back!

Clenching my teeth, I quickly said, "Sorry. Um... let's go down there." I pointed down the path. Link still appeared a bit concerned, but he let it go for now. Thank the Goddess. How could I explain that if he asked?

We trekked along the narrow pathway, and I was relieved to receive no more strange calls from otherworldly voices. Soon our path widened into a bigger, almost circular area, and at the back of this area was a small nook in the rock. In this little cave was–

"Look!" I gasped, spotting the creature in the alcove, trapped behind boards and flapping wildly. "That's him, Link! That's your Loftwing!"

We both rushed to the poor bird's side, which was half-crazed from being trapped so long. I feared it would hurt itself, but as Link came close, it instantly calmed down, panting heavily and gazing at us helplessly. My heart ached for it. I couldn't believe how cruel Groose was! A Loftwing was meant to fly – he probably wasn't used to enclosed spaces at all.

I stood back and watched sympathetically as Link used his sword to free it, cutting the ropes tied to nails on the wall, which appeared to be holding the boards up. The ropes, fortunately, were not meant to last forever, and they broke easily.

The moment its restrictions were gone, the Crimson Loftwing made a relieved sound in its throat and then stretched out his impressive wings. Link raised a hand, and the Loftwing gladly lowered its head so he could pet him.

Then, without warning, the bird flapped his wings again, creating a slight breeze. The Loftwing took to the air, quickly soaring high above us and crying out with pleasure. Link, an expression of joy on his face, hurried to the nearby diving platform to watch his Loftwing. I chuckled, happy simply because my friend was.

"Well, we'd better head back to town now, Link," I told him, walking over to stand next to him. "They're still waiting for us in the ceremony."

He nodded, the grin still on his face. It was infectious, and I found myself mirroring his expression.

"Zelda..."

My smile was instantly replaced by shock, follow by a frown and a confused glance over my shoulder. There was that voice again...

"What's wrong, Zel?" Link questioned, curious and slightly perplexed by my sudden change in behavior.

"Did you..." I hesitated. What should I tell him? "Did you hear a voice a few minutes ago?"

He blinked in puzzlement. "No. What voice?"

I sighed. Well, there was my answer. It certainly wasn't what I'd been hoping for, but it was what I'd sadly expected. "Never mind. It's nothing."

"Zelda... accept your destiny... journey to the Surface..."

Surprise blossomed in me. The Surface? This voice was talking about the Surface? My mother used to tell me stories about the Surface. She'd always talked about how there was another world beneath the clouds... something somewhat similar to Skyloft, yet much more vast and unique. Father's old texts mentioned it, too, causing me to believe it was a bit more than a legend. As a child, I thought that the fact that the Surface was mentioned in Father's books was undeniable proof that it was real. But now I knew there was more in those books than just facts – there were stories and falsehoods meant to beguile little kids. I thought I was a fool for ever believing her.

But... I couldn't help but wonder...

"Hey, Link..." I began quietly, not entirely sure what I wanted to say. "Have you ever heard of a place called the Surface?"

His inquiring gaze suggested that he hadn't, so I looked away and sighed. "I guess it's nothing then."

"No, come on, Zel," he coaxed. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"Well... it's the land beneath the clouds. The Surface, I mean. I know that most people think that it's just an empty, barren place... or even nothing at all! But sometimes I wonder if they're wrong..."

My voice trailed off, leaving us in silence. I could tell I'd stumped him, and he didn't know how to respond.

Well, that was okay. I wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible. I still couldn't believe I'd told him that – what had I been hoping to hear?

I forced a smile onto my face. "Just forget about it, Link. Come on, let's get going. You want to fly again, don't you?"

Just from the way his eyes lit up I knew he was eager to take to the skies again – Link always loved flying – but his concern for me held him back. "Are you sure...?"

"I'm fine," I insisted, feeling guilty about making him worried. "Go ahead. You jump off first."

I gestured toward the edge of the platform and finally, with one last glance at me, he leapt off, his whistle sounding soon after. I then followed, calling my own bird and letting him catch me.

As we glided back to Skyloft, I pondered over what had just happened. An unpleasant feeling settled in my gut, and it was difficult to ignore. These voices... were they some kind of figment of my imagination? Was my subconscious yearning for my mother's old stories, and manifesting them as this weird voice thing? That would explain the mention of the Surface, at least.

But I had a feeling they weren't fake. They were real. They had to be. But in that case, why was I the only one who could hear them?

Whatever it was, it held a strange sense of premonition, as though it was foreshadowing something important that would occur soon. Something would change me... and it would change the world as we knew it.

...Or maybe I was just being over-dramatic. It was probably nothing but stress.

"Zelda... sacred vessel of the Goddess..."

"Shut up," I mumbled, and then sped off to the plaza to meet up for the Wing Ceremony.

A/N: This chapter and I have a love/hate relationship. When I first wrote it, I was in love with it, but then I re-read it and realized, "Oh... this isn't THAT good." XD It just seemed a bit choppy to me... but tell me what you think.

I also apologize that you have to wait ANOTHER chapter for anything new and interesting to happen. I tend to over-elaborate on things. Please don't let that scare you away!

Thanks to Leina16, InkWoven, Tatsu-no-Houou, and WritingBookworm for the reviews and suggestions! You all get free virtual cookies! ^^

Chapter Edited: 2/4/13