Disclaimer: Zelda and all characters are property of Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo. Ocarina of Time, however, is owned by me...well, one game cartridge and a player guide. You know, I owe that game for making me a Zelda fan...I never played any of those games until I saw it...I fear what may have happened had I not picked up that Nintendo 64 controller at my friends house that day.

Memories

No matter how many times he ventured through it, Link always was fascinated by the Lost Woods. It was expansive, yet nestled in a small corner of the world. He never fully understood the whole concept of how he was able to venture throughout the sacred forest without being affected by the ancient magic that turned intruders into monsters. As far as he knew, only the Kokiri were among beings that could travel throughout them freely.

He stopped at a small meadow, and breathed in the scent that wafted into the air; fresh pine, decaying leaves, and the faint scent of wild flowers. He loved it. No matter how much of a Hylian he was, he always felt home in the woods. He felt truly alive out here.

A small fluttering of wings shook him from his thoughts, and a small blue ball of light appeared before him, "So, Link, why are we here?"

Link smiled at his fairy companion, Navi, "I just felt like taking a break, that's all."

Navi gave a nod before settling on his shoulders. The once eleven year old boy was now seventeen, and much taller, muscular, and mature in appearance. However, one thing she knew hadn't changed; his child-like innocence. Well, to some degree at least. An eleven year old boy doesn't go around Hyrule to collect three sacred stones, kill giant monsters, and not experience some growth in maturity.

Link had just recently awoken from his supposed seven year slumber. He had already ventured through this meadow before to defeat the evil inside the Forest Temple. He never remembered being told of its existence by the Great Deku Tree when he was younger...in fact, he was pretty sure that no one but Saria and Mido knew of it. Not surprising though, since the place was the most sacred place in all of Kokiri Forest.

He went through the small little maze, having memorized it after going through it so many times during his traveling through it when he was younger. It had never really changed...then again, most of the forest seemed to be in a sort of eternal pause as far as the flow of time went.

As he went up the stairs that lead to the entrance of the Forest temple, he took in everything. The cracked stone walls were moss and vines were slowly breaking through, the small balls of light that were still unknown to him but seemed to dance like living creatures. The broken stair way that had long since lost its bottom half that connected it to the ground. The dead tree that served as his only means of getting to the top of said stairs.

There was one thing though, that he especially took note of; the place where Saria always played her Ocarina. He frowned a bit, and sat down on the tree stump where the emerald-haired Kokiri girl had always been whenever they decided to meet here.

He never spoke it, but he deeply missed her. Ever since the day he was able to form words, he remembered Saria being with him. Only recently did he find out that she had actually taken care of him when he was but a Hylian newborn. This, of course, was due to the fact that Kokiri don't age after they reach the appearance of a ten to twelve year old. He never thanked her for all those years of care...though he supposed she would've told him that there was no need to thank her; Link and her are best friends, after all.

He dug into a pocket, and pulled out a indigo colored Ocarina; the Ocarina of Time. He sighed, remembering that he was still in the middle of an adventure that entailed saving the land from evil. The Ocarina of Time was one of the key instruments needed to do so, therefore he kept it close to him at all times. His first Ocarina, however, had been a gift from Saria. The Fairy Ocarina was simpler in appearance, and had a light tan color with green designs on it. It was also smaller, but Link had loved it all the same. He lost it, however, shortly before going to the Temple of Time. He never forgave himself for losing it so carelessly.

"Link...you okay?" Navi chirped, settling on his knee. She sensed his drop in mood, and knew that if she didn't do something soon, he'd be like this all day.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking." the Hylian replied. He pulled off his hat for a moment, scratched his head, and threw it back on his head. He looked at the blue fairy and spoke, "Navi, you remember Saria, right?"

Navi paused for only a second, "Oh, yeah, I remember Saria! She's the Forest Sage, isn't she?"

Link nodded slowly, "Yeah...she also was my best friend."

Navi was quiet for a moment, knowing how he felt. An idea came to mind suddenly, "Hey! Why don't you talk to her with the Ocarina? You remember her song, don't you?"

Link blinked, then slowly held his Ocarin up to look at it, "Yeah, I remember it...but I haven't talked to her in seven years accept for that one time in the Forest Temple..."

Navi sighed, "Link...you were locked away in the Sacred Realm for seven years, it's not your fault. She knows why you were gone, anyway. It's not like she'll be mad at you."

"...I guess your right." Link put the Ocarina up to his lips, and slowly played the song that he learned from Saria. After finishing the melody, he paused, and closed his eyes. He felt the familiar tingling feeling of another presence all of the sudden.

"...Link?"

Link went wide-eyed, "...Saria?"

There was a brief pause between the two, "...You remembered my song..."

"Yeah...it's a nice song, and it lets me talk to you. How could I not remember it?" the Hylian replied.

There was a giggle, followed by a what almost sounded like...a sniffle?

"I...I missed you, Link. Seven years was a long time..." Saria stopped for a moment, and Link thought he heard what sounded like crying almost, just a sob, "...are you alright? You're not hurt at all, are you?"

Link laughed, "No, I'm fine Saria. I just wanted to talk to you...since you aren't in Kokiri Forest anymore."

The pause that hung in the air between them was almost torture for the two. Eventually, Saria spoke, "Is everyone okay back in the village?"

"Yeah. I told them you had to go away for awhile..."

"...Thank you."

Link nodded, not sure if Saria knew he did it or not. He could sense the sadness in her voice, "Mido's still a jerk. I guess that he misses me though...well, the little me at least."

Another giggle, "He'll never change. That's okay though...he's good at leading the others. So...how are you doing?"

Link smiled, "Fine, I guess. I saved the Gorons a few days ago. Darunia turned out to be the Fire Sage. He seemed really happy to see me after the long period of time. I'm surprised he recognized me so easily."

"Yeah, he's here too. He's glad he can help you with your quest." Saria was quiet for once again, and spoke, "Hey, Link?"

"Yes?"

"Um...I know you're busy and all...but...if you ever feel lonely, or you want to talk to someone...I'm here for you."

Link felt the corners of his eyes burn a bit, but he kept back the stray tears, "Thanks, Saria."

"Thank you, Link. Talk to me again soon?"

"I promise."

Saria seemed happy with that response, "Okay. Bye, Link. Take care of yourself, and make sure to rest every now and then. If you ever want to talk to me, you know how to reach me."

With that, Link felt the presence of Saria slowly weaken, but never fully disappear. He said nothing for a moment, and put his head down. He smiled, and got up, rubbing away the moisture by his eyes, "Okay, Navi! Let's go see what the problem is at Zora's Fountain."

Navi let out a cheer as she fluttered close behind the green clad teen. She was happy that his mood had lifted, and to see him ready to go onward again.

As the two left the small grove, a few stray rays of light peeked out of the trees. If one looked, they may have seen, if only for a few seconds, the faint outline of a girl no older than twelve sitting on the lone tree stump, smiling as she watched the Hylian head off to save Hyrule.

A/N- yeah, the tale of Link and Saria is a rather bittersweet one. I can really say that there's romance there...maybe more of a deep friendship or something. Maybe a one-sided love, who knows? Anyway, Link growing up and becoming the Hero of Time and Saria being made the Forest Sage kind of forced the two to go down separate paths, but never really leaving each other. The parting between the two when Link and Saria had the chance to meet after not seeing each other for seven years was a bit sad too; Saria realizing that Link has grown up, and that he's not going a Kokiri after all...aw hell, it's just a straight up tragedy with the two overall, isn't it, heheh. Well, let me know what you think!