Author's Note: Alright, I know I took longer than usual to update, but I've decided to take it a little slower. Not the story, but when it comes to editing and stuff like that. Ever since my computer broke, I've been getting less computer time, so I've been going crazy and paranoid over it! (Seriously, whenever I finally get the chance to go on it, I swear my eyes are dying :O ) So I'm sorry to those who want me to update quickly, but I'm gonna have to slow down on that. Thank you to all the reviewers! I really appreciate the comments!

Lady Akhisane: Lol, ya I don't like Ilia much either, but I still tried my best to make her look nice in the last chapter (which probably didn't work out too well...)

DantesArdor: Sadly, there hasn't been any good news on my broken computer :'( And I think I gave Link a decent amount of dialogue in this chapter, so I hope all the readers are satisfied with this!

Angela: GAH! I can't write that fast! :O Sorry to say this, but I think I'll be getting some time away from the computer so that my eyes survive XD

ZeldaMoogle: *sweat drop* Damn, was it obvious what Zelda's going to say? Lol jk jk XD But hey, you might be right!

Okay, now that reviews are done, here's the new chapter!

Chapter 5 – A Siren's Call

In Twilight Princess, it would be such a short ride for Link and Epona to start from Ordon Village and go all the way to Kakariko Village. Heck, the sun would still be up! I thought that that would be the same case for me and Mei... Unfortunately, it wasn't. It ended up taking me a whole day to get there!

It was tougher than I thought to go on a journey alone. I pretty much had a routine the whole way there: stop, eat, feed Mei, continue, stop, eat, and feed Mei, until the sun was finally setting. Moreover, every time I got off of Mei, my legs would feel sooo sore from all the riding. After sundown, I was weary, tired, and wanted to just stop this journey and wait for my death to come. But I had to get home and most importantly, I didn't want to die!

Another annoying thing was that I would always hear the sound of hooves, and it wasn't Mei's! Every so often in my trip, I'd look over my shoulder to make sure that no one's following me, only to find that there was nobody there. I knew that Bulblins wouldn't hide, and instead they would charge like maniacs and fight anybody head-on. But this was just getting more and more mysterious. Whenever I'd resume riding, that sound could be heard from behind. Sometimes I'd ignore it, and other times it would scare the crap out of me, especially as the sun was setting, it made it sound like a ghost on a horse was following me.

All in all, I was able to make it to Kakariko Village safely (mostly from outrunning the monsters), and I met Renado, Luda, and Barnes there! Renado is such a nice guy! He allowed me to stay for the night in the inn, and he and his daughter even offered me food. I was so thankful and glad that I was able to find a place to stay; resting every now and then in the field wasn't the best way to nap. Mei was drinking water from Eldin's Spring and rested outside while I stared at the night sky. I leaned forward on the railing of the inn's porch with a cup of water in my hand. Stars speckled the black atmosphere, making a wonderful, calming picture.

I took a sip of my cold drink as I thought about what's happened to me. Everything seems nice here in Hyrule, besides the whole "getting captured by a Kargaroc" thing. Other than that, everything else was cool. As my gaze fell upon the diamonds in the sky, I wondered if by any chance I'd see another shooting star and wish myself back home. That would be nice, but maybe not until I meet the rest of the main characters. Soon enough, fatigue was overcoming my thoughts, so I headed back inside the inn and slept.

~ : ~ : ~

The next morning, Renado and Luda gave me food for me to cook in the inn, such as eggs, bread, and sausages. Who knew that their food was similar to the food in my world? I made breakfast for myself and I invited them over as a gift for their hospitality. But they said that they didn't want to trouble me with the extra cooking, so I complied and kept the extra supply with the rest of my food for traveling. I helped Barnes with his store and with cleaning it up a little; trust me it's messier than it looks! The whole time I was helping Barnes organize his store, he was making me laugh! He's such a funny and goofy guy! I don't know why Renado would ignore him in the game... But either way, I befriended the three of them easily, and as for the Gorons, they sort of scared me, so I stayed away from them. They're SO much taller and bigger than what they look like in the game! I knew I would have to leave soon, but I didn't really want to... This actually reminded me of when I was in Ordon Village; how they helped me, how I became well acquainted with them. It almost seemed like home, except without the technology and extra buildings.

Now it was the afternoon, and I finished eating my lunch inside the inn. It was rather warm outside, making me sweat a little. Ugh, and they didn't have any fans! Great, I'm going to ruin Sera's dress... Wait a minute! Maybe I can wash these clothes and let them dry, and then I'll leave tonight. Yeah, that's probably a good plan. Dumping the dishes in the kitchen, I stripped myself of the semi-formal attire and was once again left in my light blue undershirt, black shorts, and of course what's underneath it. I took my clothes, a towel from the restroom and an extra pair of flip-flops that Luda provided me with. I just remembered that there was a hot spring up on top of the roof, so it would be nice to take a dip while washing.

I stepped outside of the building, where a huge wave of heat greeted me. I shaded my eyes from the blinding sun and continued to walk. I was wrapped tightly with the towel to keep from exposing myself without too much clothing, and went up the sandy hill that led to the rooftops.

"Hi, Theresa!" yelled a voice out of nowhere. I flinched a bit in surprise and turned around. Oh, it's only Luda. She stood at the front door of the shrine and was waving to me. I waved back.

"Hi, Luda!" I replied.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm going up to the hot spring! I'm going to wash my clothes and relax while I'm at it!" Luda walked over to me as I stepped off the hill. Before I could tell her that I wanted to get there, she already had a suggestion in mind.

"Y' know there are Gorons that stay up there for a loooong time," she explained, "It's probably best not to go there since you're the only girl." That comment made me blush in embarrassment; oh, right, how could I forget about the Gorons up in that hot spring? I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my head.

"Oh... Um, I knew that... So what do you think I should do?" Placing her hand over my dress, she answered,

"Here, why don't you let me wash your clothes for you? There's a secret passage over there that leads to the back of Eldin's Spring. You don't wanna go to a hot spring in the middle of a warm afternoon!" Wow, she had a good point there.

"Eh, are you sure that you wanna wash my clothes? 'Cause I can do it myself."

"No seriously, it's no trouble!" I began to feel bad that Luda was doing this for me, even if she was the one who offered in the first place. But if she insisted, then it's probably best to let her. I handed my clothing to her with a soft grin on my face.

"Thanks, Luda! You're a big help!"

"No problem! I'll tell you when the clothes are done drying up." And with that, she began to walk away, waving 'Bye' to me in the process. Keeping a hand tight on the towel around my body, I made my way to that secret passage. Oh yeah! I made Link blow up that huge boulder next to the spring in the game! I stepped over the pile of rocks and pebbles and ambled through the large opening, revealing a cavern with another path and a couple of rotting wooden boxes. There were two Cuccos there too! I wonder how they got here in the first place... They made a clucking noise with each step they took, and flew as far away from me as possible if I even got within six feet of them. Well, they act exactly like chickens, not to mention look like them. I ignored them and went on.

Soon, I was standing on a ledge looking over a deep pool of sparkling water. Just like Ordon's Spring, there was an opening in the ceiling of the stone walls that allowed sunlight to pour above the water, which gave it a glittering effect. It looked so refreshing and I just couldn't wait to get there! I placed my towel over the edge of the ridge and put a heavy pebble on the towel so that it wouldn't fall off. The distance between the water and the ledge wasn't as tall as I imagined it to be, so it would be safe to dive. But I decided to just do the original "cannonball." I remember once on vacation I tried diving off a rock this tall. That only ended with a painful belly-flop...

My warm body collided with the cool water, making me shiver for a moment as I went up to get air. But I was able to get used to it after a few minutes of swimming around. I felt like all my worries and stress was washed away with the dirt on my body and hair, and I closed my eyes and relaxed. I wondered if all the springs in Hyrule were this serene. I remained floating for a while and I lost track of the time. But once I felt like opening my eyes, Kakariko Village was bathed in twilight.

Speaking of which, if this time is after Link's adventure, then I won't be able to meet Midna... Dammit! At first, I thought that she was some conceited bitch who just bossed Link around, but later on in the game I ended up liking her. Her powers were so awesome! I was disappointed in the game that she had to destroy the Mirror of Twilight and remain in the Twilight Realm forever. I didn't want her to be gone! And if she were still here, I would've loved to meet her, especially since she would be in her true form. When my mind finally returned to earth later, I grabbed my hanging towel from the ledge. It caused the pebble to fall down as well, but thankfully it missed my head and sunk to the bottom. I held the towel high to keep it from getting wet as I treaded the water to the top of the spring. I stood and jumped down the small waterfall, drying my hair with the towel as I sauntered past my horse. Mei was taking yet another drink from the spring; she must like it a lot! I gave her a quick pet on the head before moving on. She acknowledged me with a gentle neigh and a glance of her dark gaze.

"Theresa!" Luda's voice called from a window of the shrine. I looked up to her direction as she continued. "Your clothes are dry now and I put them in your room, okay?"

"'Kay! Thanks Luda!" She gave me a warming smile as she disappeared into her home, but there was something else in that smile. Almost like Luda's hiding something... Oh well, but either way, she's such a big help! I have to admit, I became friends with her a lot faster than I expected. And honestly, Luda is kinder than Ilia, not that Ilia's a terrible friend!

I reentered the inn with my hair not-so-wet anymore and looking like seaweed hanging over my face. I already wiped my legs so I didn't have to worry about wetting the floor. Humming a tune to myself, I went up the stairs and opened the door to my room. My tune died down as I looked at what, or more like who was in my room...

Link!

He was just sitting on top of my bed with his head low and his eyes closed; he was probably resting. His dirty blonde hair was hanging right over his eyelids, and he was garbed in the Hero's Clothes. My dress was next to him, so maybe he delivered it? Or maybe not. The meeting would've been nice... If I were not just wearing my undershirt and shorts!

"OH MY GOD!" I shrieked. Link's head jerked up and he hit the back of his head on the wall. He grunted a little bit, but when he saw me, he immediately knew what the problem was.

"I-I---" he stuttered, but I interrupted him.

"Get the hell out of my room!" I pulled his arm and pushed him outside, slamming the door on him before he could say anything. My face was hot, and my grip on my towel around me was tighter than before. How embarrassing!

"T-Theresa," I heard his voice, "I d-didn't mean to s-see you like that!" I could imagine his face red like how it was back at Ordon Village. Yeah, that's probably what he looks like now. It was silent between the two of us as I leaned my back on the door. I could feel his weight go on the door as well, so he was probably leaning too.

"What... What are you doing here?" I asked, calming down a bit. Link answered, sighing,

"I didn't think it would be safe for you to go out alone," he explained, "When you went to bed that night, Mayor Bo and I continued to argue with Ilia. She didn't want me to leave, and she looked so sad... I..." He paused for a moment. I waited, and slid down the door until I was sitting. I was more comfortable sitting anyway.

"I didn't want to leave so soon either, but not too long after you left, the Postman came." Oh yeah, I remember that guy! He never really had a proper name other than Postman... "He gave me an urgent letter from the Princess, so I had to go anyway. Ilia finally gave in and let me go, and told me that if I ran into you, I have to keep you safe."

Yeah, nice contradiction there, Ilia! Keep him from leaving and let me deal with the monsters on my own, and when the Princess actually calls him, then make him protect me!

"Then why did you ignore me for the past two days?"

"Ignore you? You were the one ignoring me!"

"What are you talking about?"

"After work at the ranch, I would always look for you to explain what happened after you went to sleep. But I could never seem to find you, and it's hard to leave Fado alone with the goats. He can't really deal with them as well as I do." Huh, that was true. Fado never coped well with the goats; at some point in the game, if you kept talking to Mayor Bo, a goat would come charging out of nowhere and then you'd have to stop it. I used to do that all the time just for the hell of it!

But back to reality, whenever Link would get out of work, maybe that's when I went off to the spring by myself? It was a great place to think, and I never really told anybody where I was; it's the only way I could think of to make sure I get some "alone" time. So... Link really wasn't ignoring me? That's a relief!

"But anyways," Link continued, "If I hurt you from this misunderstanding, then I'm sorry." Wow, he's apologizing to me? What a sweet guy!

"Alright," I said, "I forgive you." Seriously, how could I refuse?

"Thanks," he replied. Now I felt as though a huge weight was lifted away from me. Wow, was I holding a grudge or something? Eh, whatever. But there was another thing that I wanted to clear up.

"So... What was the letter about?" Link didn't answer for a while. I didn't hear him walk away or anything, and I could still see his shadow through the bottom of the door. Maybe he's thinking about it.

"Actually, I'm not sure if I should tell you," he finally said, "I guess you could say it should be kept secret." As he explained, I stood up and began to put on the dress, jacket, and knee highs. After that, I slipped on the shoes and opened the door. Yup, Link was leaning on it alright, so it was hard for me to push it open before he got off of it. Once he regained his balance, I crossed my arms and put on a playful smile.

"Tch, fine then, don't tell me." But I gave him a look that said 'I'll find out sooner or later.' Link only smirked back, and I allowed him to enter my room. Good thing that we kissed-and-made up and we're friends again! Well... I wish the kissing part was true... We both sat down on the bed and I told him my plan.

"Renado and Luda have already given me more food for the rest of the trip. So I was thinking that after I gathered some stuff, I would be going out again by nighttime."

"Actually, it's not really safe to go traveling at night," he objected, "I think we should stay another night before continuing." Aw, well scratch that idea. I'd better listen to the experienced traveler. After sighing, I nodded and listened to him.

"Good. Luda set up a room for me right next door for me while you were out for a swim. If ya need anything, I'll be right there." Geez, Luda can do anything, can't she?! But that's what I like about her; she's a reliable friend! I just hope that no one takes advantage of her. Link exited my room and wished me good night. Once I heard his door close, I sighed dreamily and fell on my bed.

Oh, Link is SO hot in the Hero's Clothes! I hugged a pillow tightly as I grinned widely to myself. Now I'm sure that we'll be traveling together! Even if it's only up until Castle Town, it'll all be worth spending time with the famous Hero of Hyrule. I could hardly contain my excitement, but I somehow managed to reduce it to choking the fluffy pillow in my grip and biting on it whenever I felt like squealing. Oh God I feel like those preppy fan girls... Wait, I am a fan girl, but not preppy. I'm absolutely sure of that. I closed the door to my room and fell into a deep sleep on my bed.

~ : ~ : ~

Guess what I did the next morning? I ate breakfast with Link!! I felt so happy on the inside, but somehow I was able to look perfectly normal. However I would always worry if I was blushing or showing any signs of liking him. Of course, as a fan girl of the Legend of Zelda series, I'd have a crush on Link! The only thing is that I wouldn't show it around my other gaming friends; otherwise it would sort of be awkward. Any time Link would ask me if something's wrong, I'd do my best not to stutter. Usually it worked, other times I wasn't so lucky. Thankfully, he didn't suspect anything. Why am I acting all crazy for him all of a sudden? Well, it's probably because I found out that I'm going to travel with him!

The two of us said goodbye to Renado and Luda and thanked them for their hospitality. As for Link, it was a small reunion, but he told them that he had important business with Princess Zelda. They understood and gave him extra food for the journey as well. And as for Barnes, he wasn't properly introduced to Link at first, so they weren't well acquainted with each other except for buying bombs. I said goodbye to him anyway, and he thanked me for helping him organize his store better; honestly, it's a messy store! It was no problem at all now that it looks better! As a goodbye present, Barnes gave me something unexpected, yet obvious due to his only merchandise: a bomb bag and bombs!

I felt so thrilled to own another weapon, but the thing is I don't know how to use explosives... I decided I'll ask Link later, so I stuffed it in one of the bags attached to Mei's saddle. Later that morning, we got our horses and rode off the other side of Kakariko Village. Once again, the sun was beating down on us as we continued on to Castle Town. Good thing the wind blows against my face so I don't sweat too much. After perhaps half an hour of riding (which was starting to make me really, really sore), Link stopped in front of me. I pulled on Mei's reins until she stopped as well.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Link only held up a finger toward me and a stern 'Ssh!' I was wondering what he was doing, until I noticed that his ears were sort of... twitching? I guessed that he was listening to something, but I myself heard nothing. I put a hand behind my ear to listen closely, closed my eyes, and tried to hear something... Anything that might be suspicious...

I heard... singing?

The feminine voice sung a beautiful tune, but it was so distant that I was straining to listen.

"Do you hear that?" he asked without facing me.

"Yeah, but barely..." I answered. I continued to listen to the hushed voice, being somewhat mesmerized by it myself, but nonetheless uninterested. We have to get to Zelda soon if I want to return home and if Link wanted to... whatever he was called to do.

"Hey Link, we---" But without warning, he kicked Epona in the sides and bounded off. "Hey! Wait!" He didn't stop. I growled under my breath and kicked Mei. With a loud neigh, she began to run as well. Link and Epona weren't going too fast, so I had to slow down a bit so that I didn't pass him. I noticed that we were going off course and away from the route towards Castle Town. What the hell is he thinking?!

"Link, what are you doing?!" I yelled. He didn't answer. Link's cerulean eyes were locked onto something, but all I saw was grass. It was just the regular, endless plains of Hyrule Field. Wait a minute... The area started to change. The light was dimming, trees were becoming more visible, and the lush grass was soon reduced to a dirt road with hardly any plants.

It looked like we were in a dark forest.

What's going on? I didn't remember any forest being in Hyrule other than Faron Woods. But that's about it, and the forest that we're in doesn't look anything like Faron Woods. Another thing that I noticed: the singing was getting louder. I could hear the music clearly as Link and I progressed through the path. Every time I would glance at him, his eyes were merely staring forward. It was as though he was hypnotized. Link continued to go on as though I wasn't even there, so I had to go on also. I can't just leave him!

In time, a clearing appeared. The trees were no longer forming just one path, but rather they stopped the path and surrounded a large area. Within this clearing, there was a tree stump, a large pool, and... Something else that was a blur to me. The voice was loud and clear now, and it sounded like a woman (except no one was there). The song sounded beautiful, yet depressing. I don't know how it sounds sad, but something about it just makes it so. Link jumped off Epona's back and landed on his feet perfectly. On the other hand, I had some trouble getting off while trying to avoid ripping my dress.

Link didn't look scared in the least. But rather, this seemed to be the source of his strange behavior.

I was actually freaked out by this. It's a frickin' voice coming from nowhere! How is this not creepy?! Actually, whatever this blur was was now becoming slightly clearer; something was glowing above the tree stump. I rubbed my eyes to see if I was going crazy, but instead my vision got clearer. Squinting, I saw that it was a floating blue orb in dark blue flames, however there were multiple chains wrapped tightly around it and attached to the floor around the stump. As I stared at it, I felt a type of emotion; a very strong one, at that.

What was it?

Sorrow...?

Link began to walk towards it, his eyes showing that he wanted more of the music. I was baffled. Why is he heading towards that ghostly thing? His eyes didn't look focused at all, and his eyelids were drooping somewhat.

"Link!" I yelled to him as the distance between us grew. He continued. With a frustrated groan, I power-walked in front of him and got a firm grip on his shoulders. Shaking him, I continued, "LINK!" The young Hylian stopped walking, but didn't even look at me. Not even a glance. He just kept on staring past me and at whatever was on that chopped tree. But then...

The singing stopped.

I felt confused, but was relieved that Link got back to his senses. He shook his head a couple times with his hand to his forehead, all the while giving puzzled glances.

"Where are we?" he asked. I had to bite my lower lip to keep myself from exploding in anger. Seriously, what the hell?!

"I should be the one asking you that!" I snapped, making him flinch a little, "You were the one who brought us here and listening to that thing!" As I said the words "that thing," I pointed over to where the chained sphere was floating. Link only stared at me. He'd look back to the stump, then at me. I'm pretty sure he's done that about five times before talking.

"What are you talking about? I don't see anything." My jaw dropped. How can he not see the freaky floating ball there?! He was the one who was listening to it. Shaking my head, I looked down.

"Forget it. Let's---"

"Look out!" Suddenly, Link pushed me towards Mei and Epona. I fell to the floor hard and saw that he got hit by something. It looked like water, except it looked like it was being shot at him a hundred miles per hour. He got blown all the way back to a tree, denting the bark badly.

"LINK!" I yelled, standing up to go to his aid. But another shot of liquid barely missed my face as I attempted to get to him. Turning around to the pool of water, I saw nothing but a blue-green basin floating on the surface. At the corner of my eye, the orb thingy shook left and right, but was unable to move much from being held down by the chains. I could hear it, sort of.

"No! Stop it!" it seemed to call to the weird basin. Keeping an eye on it, it began to move. Then, suddenly it jumped out of the small lake. Well, there was something underneath it too. It landed on the floor, which gave me a better look at it. My once alarmed expression immediately turned into a "What the Fuck" face.

Its height was equivalent to that of a child, but its appearance was nothing similar to one! It looked like a monkey with no tail, and had webbed hands and feet. Rather than brown or black fur, it had blue-green scales, and what's even stranger, the basin I saw earlier was attached to the top of its head. Although it looked so weird, I couldn't help but wonder where I've seen it before. The thing curled its lips back into a snarl, revealing sharp fangs as a growl escaped its lips as its black eyes looked at Link.

"Stay away from my Mistress!" it said, though its lips didn't move at all. Obviously, the comment was directed towards Link, who was moaning from the shot. I moved my head a bit to the side in slight disbelief of what it was, or even what the hell it was talking about. But before I could think even more, it sucked in some air, and shot more water at me. I ducked just in time for it to miss, but it hit right above Link's head.

Wait, was it aiming for me or for Link?

He cursed to himself as he moved away from the creaking (and slightly leaning) tree; damn, that blast must be really hard! I quickly went to him and helped him limp back behind horses, which were neighing in panic. I was surprised that they weren't running away to save their own lives. Link held onto his side tightly and would sometimes cry out in pain. I had no idea how to heal him or how to even defeat this (oddly familiar) creature.

What do I do now?!

*gasp* What is this new enemy that they must battle?! Find out in the next chapter!

P.S.
Free chocolate chip cookie to whoever can guess the weird monkey creature! *holds out cookie* Hint: It's in Japanese folklore. Good luck! Look out for Chapter 6!