Author's Notes: Sorry this update took a little longer than expected. It's not one of my better chapters either, in my opinion. I was facing some killer writer's block for some reason but I finally managed to push through it today! Anyway, read, review, and enjoy! No flames, though, please!

Chapter V

"Will you forgive me if I feel this way? 'Cuz we've just met, tell me that's okay. So take this feeling, make it grow, never let it...never let it go."

--"Don't Let Go" by Bryan Adams

He was perfect. It wasn't his appearance or his personality, for she still didn't know him all that well, but it was something far greater. He was a flawed jewel among a desolate sea of ordinary stones; he was unique...and this is what made him so special to her. Malon wasn't certain what exactly made him so different--unsure if it was his uncommon green clothes or his tiny companion who happened to be a fairy--but she knew he certainly was destined for great things. Not only that but he was her only friend, besides the animals on the Ranch, although she didn't know if the feeling was mutual or not. This mattered little to her, however, for as long as he came around...she would treat him as a friend.

As the young blonde-haired boy approached, Malon tentatively brushed a few wrinkles out of her dress...barely aware that she was doing it. The boy took his time entering the Ranch, glancing all about him very observantly. His clear blue eyes finally landed on Malon who remained out in the center of the massive corral, surrounded by many horses galloping here and there. Malon nearly blushed under his intense gaze, not accustomed to such a serious, curious gaze from such a young child. In fact, no one looked as inquisitive as her Fairy Boy.

As Malon watched Link approach, she could see the confliction within his crystal eyes. It wasn't odd to see such a confusing expression on the boy's face, but it made Malon sad all the same. Such a young boy shouldn't have to deal with the cruelties of the world; he should be protected from them. Malon had her father who loved her dearly and shielded her from most of Hyrule's questionable people, creatures, and things...but Link had no one. He seemed to be trapped in the midst of a raging storm, flung back and forth with no hope of reaching a placid shore.

But not all hope was lost, for Malon pictured herself as Link's lifeline, his connection to the good things in life. Maybe she couldn't protect him, but at least she could provide comfort and security when he needed it. Link was her friend, and she would do anything for him.

"Morning, Fairy Boy!" she greeted him happily.

Link nodded. "Good morning, Malon."

"Whatcha up to today?"

"Actually," Link began, "I came by to get some more milk, but I can't seem to find your father anywhere."

"Oh." Malon couldn't hide her disappointed expression. "He probably just fell asleep somewhere again."

Link cracked a smile at that. Talon's laziness was known to him, so it was no surprise. "How are things on the ranch?"

"Same old, same old," Malon replied.

Link's eyes wandered around his familiar surroundings as Malon led him into the barn to retrieve some fresh Lon Lon Milk for him. "It looks just as I remember it."

"You were just here three days ago, Fairy Boy," she giggled. "It should look the same."

The Hero of Time chuckled nervously. "Right. Of course."

Malon didn't understand nor realize that the three days that Link had been gone seemed a considerably longer time to him since he'd been in the future, battling monsters, returning peace to the land, and fulfilling his destiny. In Link's mind, he'd been gone for a great many years...the last time he'd seen Malon had been when he'd gotten wounded after the Fire Temple, but he tried not to dwell on the memories of any of the dreadful Temples he was forced to endure.

"Here you go," Malon said, breaking Link out of his thoughts to hand him a small bottle filled to the rim with white liquid.

"Oh. Thanks."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Where were you just now?"

"What?"

"You seemed like your mind was somewhere else," Malon elaborated.

"Oh," Link replied pathetically. "Yeah. Just thinking."

"About what?"

Link forced a smile. "Lots of stuff. Nothing important."

Malon didn't buy it. "It's alright if you don't want to tell me. But when did you start keeping secrets, Fairy Boy?" She leaned in close to him, on her tippy-toes, causing Link to blush a little at such close proximity.

She giggled at his expression. "You're such a silly boy."

Link blushed in response.

As much as he'd love to stay, Link knew he had to get going back to the future. Sheik had warned him about staying in the past and meddling too much. He had returned to his stolen childhood to explore the bottom of the well in Kakariko to retrieve the Eye of Truth, and now that he had...he should have returned. However, he hadn't. Instead, he'd gone to Lon Lon Ranch. Why? He wasn't entirely sure. Getting Lon Lon Milk was just an excuse to see his best friend, and he knew it.

"You did it again." Malon's voice broke him out of his silent reflection.

"Huh?"

She giggled at his confusion. "You're acting like my dad when he doesn't get enough sleep."

"Oh, sorry," he apologized. "It's just been a long...day."

Malon's expression turned sympathetic. Then an idea struck her. "Hey, Fairy Boy, why don't we go to the lake?"

"Hylia?" Link swallowed, visibly perturbed by the thought of Lake Hylia.

"No, silly, the small lake nearby." She thought for a moment. I guess it's more like a giant puddle...but you get the picture."

"Oh," Link replied, relieved. "I'd love to, Mal, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"Uh...well..."

"It'll be fun!" Malon pressed.

Despite himself, Link accepted. "All right...but not for too long. I have some...things...that I need to do." Link was beginning to get sick of the secrecy he was forced to endure just so he wouldn't screw up the timeline. He wanted desperately to tell Malon everything, even if she didn't understand completely...he just needed someone to commiserate with.

"Don't you always?" Malon brushed off the latter part of his comment.

Grabbing some fishing rods off of a shelf, she motioned for Link to follow her. Hesitantly he did so. The entire time that it took them to walk to the small lake located southwest of the ranch, Malon's thoughts were on her friend, and what seemed to be bothering him. Link normally looked distressed about some thing or another, but it seemed different now. He walked as if he held the weight of the world upon his shoulders, and his eyes darted around nervously...as if he was expecting to be attacked by something at any given moment, which was ridiculous, of course, in Malon's mind.

"Hurry up, slow poke!" she teased, running ahead of him now that the miniature lake was in sight.

Link did as she requested, breaking into a run to match her stride. "Do you go fishing a lot?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm usually too busy helping Dad and Ingo out on the ranch."

"Do you ever feel like...like shirking your responsibilities at the ranch because they shouldn't have been yours in the first place?" The question had a subtle interpretation that was lost on the young girl.

"'Course not!" Malon replied, appalled. "I'll admit, sometimes it's a pain to wake up early and do my chores, but there's no else to do them so there's really no choice in the matter."

"But if there was," Link persisted. "If there was someone else who could do them for you--"

"Where's this coming from, Fairy Boy?"

Link immediately sobered. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Again, Malon knew something was bothering Link, though she knew he was probably too proud to admit to it. She didn't want to press the subject and make him uncomfortable, but her curiousity was tugging at her, pleading with her to find out the source of her friend's anxiety. She was torn between her incredible desire to help ease Link's inconsolable conscience and her fear that she'd push him too hard and he'd shut her out completely.

Ultimately, her fear won out, and she changed the subject. "It's such a beautiful day, isn't it, Fairy Boy?"

He nodded, and she noticed that he'd been pulled back into his dark thoughts.

Her eyes looked around, and eventually landed on the lake. She then realized how close they were to it, and the overwhelming urge to push Link in took over. She didn't give him a warning, but stretched out her arms and pushed him. He lost his balance and leaned forward, but to her surprise, he managed to grab her and take her with him.

She giggled, pushing away her wet, red hair that had become like a curtain in front of her face. Likewise, Link was laughing too, a nice, hearty laugh. And he was smiling. Malon felt as if she'd been successful in rescuing Link from the dark pool of thoughts that he'd been drowning in.

"What'd you do that for?" he asked, still laughing as he pushed away some bothersome blonde bangs from his damp face.

"If I'd known that you were going to drag me with you, I wouldn't have!" she replied with a large grin on her face.

Link tried to stand, but his legs slipped out from under him and he splashed back into the shallow water. Malon laughed at him, and then tried to get to her feet as well. The same thing happened to her. They looked at one another's soggy appearance and burst into youthful laughter.

"You look like a wet dog!" Malon told Link.

Link smiled. "Well, you don't look much better!"

Their banter continued light-heartedly, and Link's smile seemed to spread across his face like a wildfire, and Malon became more and more pleased that her friend was enjoying himself.

Eventually, they managed to get out of the water, sitting on the peaceful shore, allowing the sun to dry them, while they held their fishing poles out in front of them. It hadn't taken Malon much time before her line tugged and she pulled out a good-sized fish. She had shown it to Link, and Link had simply scoffed, assured that he could catch a bigger one.

"I caught another!" Malon exclaimed, reeling her line in. "It feels like a big one!"

Link jumped to his feet to look farther to see if he could see Malon's fish. He couldn't. "I don't see anything!"

Just then, Malon gave her line one last tug and the fish came flying out of the water...right into Link's face. With a loud "oomph!" Link was sent to the ground with a flaying fish on his face.

Malon burst into hysteric laughter, clutching her stomach as she watched Link fight with the flopping fish. The battle between boy and fish continued until the fish managed to squeeze out of Link's slippery grasp and jump back into the water. Link stood there, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Malon opened her mouth to say something, but Link merely raised an imperious hand to stop her. "Not a word," he ordered.

The farm girl just started laughing again. "That still counts as mine!"

"It got back in the water, though!"

"Doesn't matter, that wasn't my fault!"

Link crossed his arms. "It was a slippery fish, okay?"

"Whatever you say, Fairy Boy," she snickered.

He plopped himself back beside Malon, grabbing his fishing rod with a vengeance and focusing intently on the rather still water. He had to catch something, or else he knew he'd never be able to live this moment down. Link knew Malon well enough to know that she'd hold his fishing skills, or lack thereof, over his head for the rest of their life.

"Hey, Fairy Boy."

"What now, Mal?"

She slowly held up her line, a small wriggling fish on the end of it. "I caught another one."

Link growled. "You're cheating!" he accused.

"Am not!"

"You so are!"

Malon stuck her tongue out at him. "You're just a spoiled sport!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!" And then she grabbed his green hat, pulling it down over his face.

"Hey!" he cried, alarmed.

Malon had gotten to her feet by now, fishing rod in hand. "Last one back to the ranch is a rotten apple!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Link said, leaping to his feet once he'd successfully situated his hat on his head.

He noticed immediately that Malon was already halfway home, and he quickly pursued her.

Laughter followed both children all the way back to the ranch.

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The memory of the first time Malon had taken Link to the lake was fresh in her mind. Despite how the rest of Hyrule had changed, the small "puddle" seemed relatively unchanged by the debilitating years. It still seemed to have a glossy shine to it, and one could see small fish swimming just beneath its crystalline waters. Additionally, the air around the miniature lake seemed fresh as opposed to the suffocating feeling most air around Hyrule had taken.

Malon couldn't help but smile as she took in the sight. She then looked up into the clear sky, her hand shielding her eyes from the blinding sun. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it, Midnight?" she asked her furry companion.

The dog barked in reply.

They walked a little closer before Malon suddenly turned to the wolf. "Last one to the lake is a mangy mutt!"

Surprisingly, the dog seemed to understand her and sped off ahead of her. Malon picked up her skirt and rushed after, but the wolf had its agility and natural aerodynamics to assist it in the win. And much to Malon's embarrassment, it did win. She laughed as she arrived at the shore of the lake.

The canine was sitting there, nose ever so slightly in the air, with one eye trained on her, as if to say "You were saying?"

She laughed. "Okay, okay, you win."

Malon petted Midnight on the top of his head, and the dog seemed to give her a toothy grin. She then hiked her skirts up again, and began to wade into the water. It seemed refreshingly cool against her hot skin and she closed her eyes, reveling in the serene feeling.

Abruptly, there was a loud splash followed by angry barking. Her eyes shot to the wolf that was drenched in lake water, his dark coat glistening in the daylight. His eyes were narrowed at a spot in the lake, while his head moved around if trying to keep focused on something. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a fish swimming around near where Midnight was standing.

"Is that fish bothering you?" she queried, stifling a laugh at the dog's obtrusive manner.

It growled in reply, as if embarrassed that it could not catch the fish.

"Need some help?"

The wolf snorted, shooting her a menacing look.

Malon raised her hands defensively, still struggling to hold in her laughter. "Alright, alright, I'll let you have at that fish by yourself then."

She sat back down on the bank of the water, just to the point where the water reached her toes, tickling them ever so slightly. If she closed her eyes, she felt like she could imagine the previous times she'd been to this lake...with Link. Her lips parted ever so slightly to allow a reminiscent sigh to escape.

She missed him.

If she silenced the sounds of world, she could almost imagine him sitting there beside her, laughing as he tried to catch a fish. He'd never been a good fisherman, but she had given him credit for trying. She could remember the way his face lit up when he finally caught a fish, or the way his lips puckered up in disdain when Malon caught more fish than he did. The most vivid image she could recall was his brilliant blue eyes, the way they shimmered with an inner power if the light caught them just right.

A gentle nudge alerted her to the presence of her wolf companion. Midnight was still dripping wet, and still had no fish. The dog's expression seemed to be one of humiliation. When Malon looked at him, she thought she could see Link's same embarrassed expression when he'd been unable to show Malon up at fishing.

"Here, let me help you," she said, getting to her feet and brushing herself off.

As she waded into the water again, she noticed the wolf's peculiar look and laughed despite herself. "I used to come here with my best friend," she said to the wolf, turning back to the water to find a fish. "He never seemed to like going to Lake Hylia for some reason, so this was the next best thing."

The dog sat on its haunches, watching her intently as if able to understand what she was saying.

"He was terrible at fishing," she continued.

The dog barked, as if to cry, "Hey!"

"But he tried anyway every time we came." Malon located a fish. "But that never really surprised me. Link was a very determined person...though he didn't like to lose. You know the saying 'if at first you don't succeed, try again'?"

There was a pause, and Malon had to remind herself that she was speaking with an animal. She blushed. "Of course you don't, but I wouldn't have been surprised if Link had invented that saying."

With lightening quick precision, Malon's hands flew into the water and came up with a squirming fish. Smiling, she tossed the fish to Midnight. Instead of eating it, the dog proceeded to play with it as the fish tried desperately to get back to the water.

Malon sat back down beside her furry companion, petting him affectionately. "I miss him," she commented softly. She looked down at Midnight. "It's not fair, you know? He made me a promise and..." her voice trailed off into thoughtful silence.

The dark wolf nudged her to break her out of her mournful reverie. It looked up at her with wide, blue eyes. If it could speak, she would have thought it was apologizing for something.

A faint smile slipped onto her lips, and she looked away. "It's not your fault...and it's not really Link's either. I don't know what I was expecting from him. I just--I never got to tell him. I think that's what bothers me most."

Her animal friend seemed particularly interested in her last comments, but she figured he just wanted her to catch him some more fish.

"One more fish," Malon promised. "Then we head home, okay?"

Midnight seemed to nod in response.

Malon smiled.

A/N: Every review helps fight Writer's Block, a vicious beast known to prey on authors from time to time.