They ate the leaves (they were going to go bad, after all), Zelda put on some music, and they sprawled out on Zelda's living room floor, watching the ceiling. Link's legs pointed north, and Zelda's pointed south, and their heads were to the left of each other, so they could still hear each other while talking.

"What am I like over there?"

Link closed his eyes; he had a feeling he would be having this conversation again.

"You're the queen."

"The queen? Amazing." She smiled warmly, watching faint tendrils of light and color swirl on the ceiling. "That's so amazing. What do I rule?"

"The country of Hyrule."

"The whole thing? It's a country?"

"Yes. You're the queen."

"What are you?"

"Me?"

"Yes."

"I am your Knight in Arms. Head of the castle guard and all that."

"Is it like a romance novel?"

"What?"

"Like, in daytime you're my knight in arms, at night I'm in your arms kind of thing…"

"No, no, most certainly not. We are friends, very good friends. Well, we're connected."

"Connected?"

"We guard parts of a holy relic from Ganondorf."

"The prosecutor?"

"The what?"

Zelda waved a hand in the air to dismiss the comment.

"… this just… I can't even process this. It sounds so fake."

"Do you have magic here?"

"Magic? Like tricks, cutting a woman in half?"

"No, those are illusions. I mean… fairy folk, imbuing sacred symbols."

"Um… there's some religions that claim to do that sort of thing, but I think it's mostly coincidence, or power of belief."

"It's one of the things that's been bothering me since I came here," Link said softly. "Beyond everything being… so… unbelievable. I have a belt that I wear, in our world. It's… imbued? Yes. It can hold… an infinite number of objects in little pouches. It doesn't work here."

He could feel her looking at him, and he turned to meet her gaze. To his shock, there was a small tear rolling down her cheek.

"Sorry, I…" She wiped it away. "I yawned, and sometimes I get a little overemotional on this stuff." Zelda took a deep breath. "I'm nervous. I mean… how do we get back?"

Link raised his eyebrows at the plural noun. "You want to return?"

"Well, I'm the queen, and I'm missing. Surely my king is missing me, any children we have… do I have children?"

"No. You have not yet selected a king. Some joke that your king is the country."

"I may not believe this story completely yet. Um… I guess I'm worried that I won't remember how to rule. Will I gain back memories? Or will I be just as I am?"

"From my experience so far, you will gain back the memories. But it will be slow. I am… each day I spend here, I am gaining your Link's memories, despite him being here. It's like… I either have to become him, or I have to leave."

"And myself? I mean… I don't remember much of the first months I spent here. I cried… a lot. Ruto, Denno, Saria, Dr. Ivanova; they were there for me. They helped me."

"Ivanova?"

"Yes, Impa Ivanova. One of my favorite professors."

Link stifled a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Zelda asked.

"Impa is… she was your nanny as a child."

Zelda laughed too. "So everyone here is there."

"Yes, except for us."

Their faces sobered up as they stared at each other, and Link could feel tension in the air.

"Why aren't we together, over there?"

"It's inappropriate, in our positions of power."

"But we are here; should we be?"

"I think that… just because we are in a relationship here, and Ruto and I were in a relationship here, doesn't mean we have to be together in every realm. And we are together in a platonic way; we are friends."

Zelda giggled suddenly, sporadically. Link waited.

"The fact that here, our cars and cell phones and TVs must look… so odd to you, but there, I… I mean, will I even know how to adapt? How to handle myself?"

"I will help you, I swear it." He reached up with his left hand, and Zelda reached with hers, and they twined their fingers together. They both gasped slightly, watching the ceiling again; it was glowing with a brilliant light, brighter than morning. In it, they watched fairy lights swirling around each other, bouncing together and exploding in little dazzling piles of sparks.

"You are right," Zelda whispered after a while. Link had been dozing, but he hadn't known until her words woke him up.

"Hm?" His left arm had gone numb; they were still holding hands.

"I can… faintly, when we touch like this, I can sort of remember. I see a huge, grassy field, with horses. I'm in a castle, in a hallway; I'm staring down… a crowd of people, in fancy dress. They want to talk to me. You're to my left…" she closed her eyes and squeezed Link's hand. "I'm so tired."

"Go lay down," he suggested.

"Come with me. I'm lonely."

Link closed his eyes. First Ruto, now Zelda. What, was there a full moon or something?

"Link. It is not appropriate in … our world. I know this. But… I'm lonely there, I know this. And I am lonely here. It doesn't have to be anything sexual. I only ask because I feel really comfortable with you right now. I wouldn't have been able to do this a few days ago. If it compromises your Knight's code or whatever, though, I understand."

Link thought for a moment. "Well. I will only lay with you until you fall asleep, agreed? Then I can come out to the couch."

Zelda nodded. "That will work."

Slowly, they got up, and the spinning, dazzling lights and swirls followed their field of vision. Link stood first, slowly, then helped Zelda stand, and guided her to her bedroom. He stood outside the door, facing into the hallway as she changed.

"Okay," she called out when finished, and he turned around, coming into the bedroom. Zelda was climbing under the covers, a huge white downy quilt. Link slowly walked toward the bed, hesitating, his hand above the blankets. He took a deep breath and laid down on top of the covers. Zelda snuggled down in the covers, one shoulder poking out.

"How long have I been ruling?" she asked quietly.

"A few years," Link murmured. "About three."

"Why haven't I picked a king yet?"

"You're… I've never been entirely sure. You won't tell me."

"Why didn't I make you king?"

Link thought for a few minutes. "I think… it was to keep us close, and to defend Hyrule from two places. You would defend it in peace times, with wisdom and fair ruling. I would defend it in war times, by commanding the armies."

"Could you not do that as king?"

"No. During war times, the king is trotted out as a figurehead, to raise morale, or if there is request for a peace treaty. You felt I would be better doing actual fighting."

"Are you a good fighter?"

Link smirked a little. "The best."

Zelda smiled, with a full-faced warmth. "Of course you are."

"Come on now, as if the queen is going to appoint a half-hearted grasshand."

"Grasshand?"

"It's a term for weak swordfighter that we use, likening the blade in their fist to be of grass, not steel."

They lay there, staring at each other. Finally, Zelda closed her eyes.

"I will see you in the morning," he whispered. Zelda made a soft noise in response. He crept from the bed, and went to the couch, and laid down.

Zelda woke up after noon, rubbing her eyes. She yawned and stretched, listening to the soft sound of music playing from the living room, and a faint shifting. She tensed and crept out of bed, stepping on the balls of her feet.

When she saw Link's form on the couch, she relaxed and let her weight drop to her heels, and she padded softly into the kitchen, and poured a glass of water. She sat back down in the living room and watched Link sleep, thinking about what had happened last night. In the light of day, sober, it was like a dream; she was able to separate the feelings and ideas from reality and look them over with a critical eye. And now, thinking back on it, she felt so foolish for believing everything they'd talked about, but at the same time, she very much wanted to believe him.

Sometimes, early in the morning, she would wake up and half-expect someone in the room with her; someone there to assist her with… getting ready for the day. On these sorts of days, she would have little headaches off and on, a hot pulse throbbing in the back of her head. She closed her eyes and tried to think back before six months ago. She could get snatches of happy times, birthdays and holidays, but leading up to this actual… rift, she lost her memories. She couldn't even remember their break-up, if they argued, what had set it off.

A sudden bubble of a headache pulsed from the back of her head forward to her forehead, and Zelda groaned, touching one temple with her fingertips. Every time she tried to pinpoint the exact moment, she got this headache. She used to black out, as well, but she had long since recovered from that.

Zelda stood up and set down her water glass with a light 'thunk' on the wood. She leaned back up, and Link was looking at her, awake.

"Morning," Zelda murmured, folding her arms.

"Morning," Link replied.

"Do you need to shower or something? Or should I take you to Saria's? You'd probably have a change of clothes there…"

"It'd be better to shower there," he said, slowly sitting up. He looked Zelda over, turning away. "Aren't you cold?"

Zelda glanced down; she was wearing a thin shirt and cotton sleeping shorts. "No, I'm… does it bother you?"

"Ah… no." He stood up, adjusting the waistband of his slacks.

"Um… I was thinking about last night," Zelda murmured. "Everything that we talked about, I don't know how well you remember."

"Mostly, I do." They both sat back down on the couch.

"It sounds… so fantastical. It did even, last night. I cannot wrap my head around this. It just makes more sense right now to think that it was made up, or that it isn't true."

"It is, it's all true," he assured her. Zelda nodded half-heartedly, then continued.

"I was trying to… think about this supposed break-up. That we had."

"But apparently did not."

"The thing is," Zelda cleared her throat. "I can't remember it. I can't remember the days leading up to it, I can't remember the actual event. What might've been said, what might've started it, who broke up with whom. Nothing. When I try, I feel a headache. I black out—used to. I can't believe, exactly, what you told me last night. But I can't remember… anything about a breakup."

"Because there wasn't one," he urged, gently.

"… how did I get here?" she asked. "I mean… how did this, how is it physically possible?"

He shook his head. "I can't tell you. I can't even explain it and I remember what had happened. But we will get back. I assure you. And I will help you remember how to rule your country, as best I can."

"We should talk about your trial."

It was about three in the afternoon, and Link was sipping a mug of coffee(hot!) in Saria's apartment. He was freshly showered and dressed, and felt much better for it. Zelda also had a cup of coffee, and the three of them sat around the tiny scratched up table near her kitchen to talk.

"Honestly, what is there to talk about? I don't know if I will actually go."

Saria stared and almost dropped her tea.

"No, not like that," Link offered, raising one hand. "I mean… if I figure out how to get home."

"You have to at least try to stay for the trial; there's no telling how this can upset the balance if you don't show. They may go after the other Link, and accuse him of fleeing the state, you know? He could get in a lot of trouble for this."

"Saria, I don't know if I'm able to stay here. I've… I vanished for a few seconds yesterday."

She stared at him in alarm, her eyes going very wide. "You vanished?"

"Right before my eyes," Zelda said, staring into her mug. "Just for an instant."

"Why is that happening?"

Link shrugged. "I don't know. I don't even understand how I got here." He sighed and stared into his drink. "Honestly, I don't believe I will ever understand it."

"We have a theory that maybe our universe is trying to decide what to do with him, in a way." Zelda straightened her shoulders. "Either that he is going to become the same Link that is here, in the way that I have become this Zelda, or he… won't exist any more."

Saria looked at Zelda for several seconds, staring hard. "You… believe him?" Her tone was that of surprise at Zelda's turn-around, not that of finding her foolish.

Zelda nodded. "I do, completely." She swirled the coffee around in its mug, looking into its depths. "When he goes back… I will go with him."

Saria tilted her head a little bit. "You think that is wise?"

"Yes, absolutely I do. I am the reason he is here at all. I must go back. I…" Zelda tucked a lock of lost hair behind one ear. "I heard Zelda on the other end of that phone call, yesterday. I don't know who I am, who I'm supposed to be… where I'm supposed to be."

Saria nodded in understanding, and she looked at Zelda. "You look different already. I don't know how, but there's something different about you."

Link finished his coffee and let the heat seep throughout his bones.

"What do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Zelda asked.

Link shook his head. "Not sure. Is there someone that maybe we can talk to about… that may have some theories on how we can get back, or even that they may be able to cast some understanding on this occurrence. If we can understand it, we can undo it."

Zelda looked at Saria, who half-heartedly shrugged, and said, "Maybe… Dr. Varti…? She's a professor of spirituality and religions at the school."

"But is this a spiritual matter?" Zelda countered. "Is it … some form of magic, or isn't it physics? Wormholes, string theory, that sort of thing. Something to do…"

Saria shook her head. "It could be both."

"So why don't we talk to both of them?" Link asked.

"Kind of the only choice we have," Zelda muttered.

"So, which is first? Physics or spirituality?" Saria asked.

"Well," Link started, "this has been a strange few days. Maybe to hear something based in sciences might help to make the situation easier to understand."

"So… physics first."

Zelda offered to drive to the college, and Saria offered Link the front seat. They didn't talk much as they drove over. Link had only, so far, seen the arboretum, and he was surprised at the size of the place, the multiple buildings. Zelda pulled up to one she deemed the "sciences building", and she parked in the lot before the building.

"Dr. Frond is one of the physics professors here; we'll try him first. I think he's the one with visiting hours…" Zelda murmured, as they headed into the massive brick building. A small marquee chart on the wall indicated that, indeed, Frond was having visiting hours, and his office was on the second floor.

"Welcome, welcome!" a cheery old voice called when they knocked, and Link vaguely recognized the skeletal old man, in a blue suit. He waved them in, gesturing to the singular chair before his desk.

"I apologize, usually I only see one visitor at a time, so I am ill-prepared. And… I don't think I know any of you, either….?

"Ah, no, professor. We are… doing some research, just something independent, and we were wondering if we could talk to you for a few minutes?" Zelda spoke up, taking the chair and folding her hands primly.

Dr. Frond raised his eyebrows. "Really! Independent observers. I certainly hope this doesn't change the outcome of your research." He chuckled, but the joke was lost on his guests.

"Well—" began Zelda, "we were wondering if you could tell us about… is there something, like parallel universes that can be… connected by… in some way, where a person can walk through them?"

Frond pondered this, and slowly nodded his head. "There are many such theories; there is the idea that by making different choices in life, we create alternate realities. Even things as little as having toast compared to going without breakfast at all, can create multiple alternate realities. Who are we to say these realities cannot overlap, with thin spots that they can pass through?"

"Can these manifest anywhere?" Link asked suddenly. "Like in caves?"

Unseen, Zelda frowned a little, a crease forming in her brow.

"Absolutely anywhere!" Frond cried, gesturing with his hands. "Why, that very chair could be directly next to a thin spot in our universe, leading to a completely separate reality!"

"But what if… the time is different? One place is… horses and farms and monarchies, another is… cars and skyscrapers."

"Well, that's more along the lines of time travel; of going from one year to another. But that is more of a sci-fi topic yet. We are working on it, but so far we have, unfortunately, fallen short of that goal."

"But say that… that by sidestepping into a reality, in a cave or something, and it's the future… can that happen?" Link ran his fingers back through his hair.

Frond sighed, thinking. "We cannot, to this day, understand the intricacies of physics. This may be possible, but it is something that we still do not know. I must ask, what exactly is this research for?"

"A movie."

"A thesis paper."

"Personal curiosity."

Frond looked oddly at the three rumpled adults standing in his office, and they fell quiet.

"So say that…" Link started, breaking the awkward silence, "that you're walking along, and you fall through a thin spot, one of these… thin… spots. And it's so different, you notice right away. Is there any way to get back?"

"And you could pinpoint the spot, this thin spot," the professor asked.

"Yes."

"Well, you might be able to, and you might not. The universe is ever expanding, bigger and bigger, and what was once a thin spot may now not be. There is no way to tell if these thin spots stay static."

Link nodded in understanding.

"Is there any way to create a thin spot in the universe? Or any… documented people having traveled through one such thin spot?" asked Saria, tilting her head.

"Unfortunately, that is beyond our knowledge. If anyone has traveled through such a spot, they have yet to return to tell us."

There was a knock at the door, and a scrawny, spectacled boy peeked in, opening the door. "Oh- uh-professor, sorry. Ummm… had some questions about…?

"Yes, of course. I apologize, my guests, but I do have some students to attend to."

"Of course, of course," Zelda said with a faint smile, standing from her chair. "Thank you for your time, doctor."

They filed out, the student standing aside to let them pass.

"Well, should we go to spirituality?" Link asked, looking around.

"I don't see how much more helpful it can be," Saria muttered.

"We're here on campus, we might as well try," said Zelda.

Link was surprised to see the girls heading back to the car. "Uhh, aren't we…?"

"The religion studies classes are part of the history curriculum. That building's on the wrong end of campus," Zelda called to his confused face. "Trust me, we'll need to drive."

"Goddesses," he muttered, as they crawled through the traffic on the streets cutting through the college space, "this place is enormous." He stared at the stately buildings, some completely alien and reminiscent of the city, others obviously older and a little more familiar in terms of structure and design.

"No colleges in your world?" Saria asked, jokingly. "Makes me glad I'm not going. I'm practically a lifer."

"Well, maybe there's no colleges yet," Zelda emphasized. "I mean, they don't even have cars, right?"

Link looked around. "The only stuff I've recognized reliably here has been the plant life, what little there is."

"And us," Saria piped up.

"Well, of course," he replied.

They pulled up to the religions building, one of the older ones in brick with columns and other such hallmarks of a stately, prestigious hall of learning.

"Dr. Varti's office…" Saria muttered aloud as they paused in front of the marquee that displayed relevant information. Link read over her shoulder (well, with their comparative heights, more over her head), and nodded his head slightly to himself. Because really, why not?

"Yes, there we are. Nabooru Varti, 306."

"Come in," called a stately and deep voice, shortly after Saria knocked on the door.

They walked in as requested, Link being the last one, and Nabooru looked at them in surprise and puzzlement over rectangular lenses perched on her nose.

"And what can I do for you?" she asked, folding her hands on her desk. Zelda and Saria sat down in the chairs before her desk, Link standing behind against the wall.

"We are working on a screenplay of sorts, and it involves exploring different aspects of astral travel, between universes specifically," Zelda explained.

Nabooru nodded and thought for a few minutes. "Well, there is nothing concrete, but most religions do make some sort of reference to the soul leaving the body and returning. On a higher level, this is essentially reincarnation; the soul comes back, sometimes to a different vessel. There are some mystics who are able to replicate this effect, or claim they can; they leave their physical bodies and travel on different planes of existence as spirits."

"Okay, but there's nothing about using this power to travel to a different universe."

"Well, yes and no, I suppose. These separate universes would be the higher planes of existence; I doubt they would resemble anything close to what we currently inhabit."

"Say that there are multiple universes like ours," Saria asked, "would it be possible to will yourself to travel between them?"

"Perhaps not willing yourself directly, but supposedly there are stories of people going missing with no trace; some right before other people's eyes. They simply vanish, as if they sidestepped into a different plane."

"What about… is there anything about encountering yourself on a different plane of existence?"

Nabooru nodded. "The doppleganger. There's nothing to account for the background, but this is a situation where you encounter yourself, whether at a distance or directly. Some believe it to be an ill omen of death soon approaching, or even a malicious spirit trying to take your place by becoming you."

Link felt a powerful headache coming on as the women chatted. At the same time, his fingers went slightly numb, and his vision decreased to a narrow field before him. This time, he could tellthat there was a memory trying to get through, and he fought it this time, resisting whatever wanted in his mind so badly with every ounce of strength he could summon. But as he fought, he could feel tugging, deep in his chest, as if something was trying to rip out his very soul. For a few seconds his vision went blank; not that he couldn't see, but that he couldn't see anything. His eyes felt wide open but he stared upon a great, terrible nothingness.

Then he was staring at a horrid pattern of yellows, blues and reds scattered over a deep brown background, and as his eyes refocused he realized he was staring at the thin, rough carpet of Nabooru's office in extreme closeup. He coughed and gagged, his stomach clenching and unclenching as he retched. Hands were on his back and helping him to stand again, and as he slowly got to his feet, he could feel the memories imprinting themselves in his mind. A ring, a question, an excited answer, the celebrations, dancing, talking about buying houses, having kids.

Link shook himself out of the memory and Saria was helping him stand, Zelda nearby with her eyes huge, Nabooru in the background behind her desk looking shocked, as if one of the girls had slapped her.

"Link, are you okay?" Saria asked urgently. He looked at her, then Zelda in a daze.

"I… Ruto and I were engaged?"

"Uh, professor, I'm sorry but we have to go." Zelda was talking quickly. "Our friend has spells, dizzy spells, and he sometimes loses consciousness. He'll be fine, no need to call the… ER—" she held out one hand to stop Nabooru from reaching for the phone.

She wrapped her arm around Link's waist, putting his arm across her shoulders. Link stumbled along with her, the feeling of being part of the solid ground in this world not quite clicking for a few steps. Saria rushed and got the door, opening it.

"Thank you again for your time, you've been very helpful," she called out as Zelda hauled Link out into the hallway.

Once he was able to stand on his own, they headed for the stairs, walking quickly.

"Did he disappear again?" Saria asked in a loud whisper.

"I don't know, my back was to him. I assume so; Professor Varti's jaw dropped and she stopped talking."

"Shit," Saria groaned.

"Whatever this is, it's starting to speed up," Zelda muttered angrily.

"But those conversations were of little help," Link hissed. "A lot of high-minded ideas, but nothing concrete that can help us."

"Honestly, I don't know that there's anything that can help," Zelda said in a normal tone; they were outside now, and there were few people on campus. "What exactly happened?"

"I could feel a memory coming on, and I wanted to resist it. Not one of my original memories, one of his. I blacked out, I suppose. It was as if I was torn, ripped from this earth, and I was surrounded with the blank space between the stars. That was all I saw, just an open bleakness of nothing. It… it startled me so badly that the memories got in. That is when I came to."

Link could not bring himself to use the word 'scared'.

"Goddesses," muttered Saria, shaking her head.

They climbed into the car, Link opting for the back seat, in case he should feel ill again. There were a few old crumpled paper bags, fast food and the like, scattered around. They crunched under his feet.

There was silence in the car for several minutes.

"… so were we engaged?" he asked again.

"… yes," Saria answered slowly.

Zelda's hand creaked on the steering wheel.

"What happened?" All he knew was the actual engagement, nothing around it that he could connect.

Saria glanced at Zelda, who was silent and watching the road as if expecting a catastrophe.

"… you and Ruto met at a party. This was… third year of high school. You guys dated for a few years, and second or so year of college, I think, you proposed. Well, she accepted. But! But—" Saria again looked at Zelda then turned to face Link in the backseat.

"But. From what I heard from… you, you proposed because you guys weren't getting along so well. She was getting huge into partying, and you were starting to calm down because you wanted to get into the military to continue to fund your education, and you wanted a good record. She also kind of… resented that you were going to sign up. But after the proposal, fights got worse, because you still wanted to enlist and she didn't want you to and wanted to get married by such and such day, and after three or so months you guys broke off the engagement in a huge fight, and she kicked you out of your shared apartment." Saria ran her fingers through her hair. "So I'm not entirely a stranger to harboring your homeless butt."

Link looked at the back of Zelda's head, then caught her eye in the rearview mirror. She looked away sharply.

"A week later, you met Zelda."

"Re-met, really," Zelda spoke suddenly in a calm voice. "We'd been close off and on throughout school, and we drifted apart in college because of Ruto's circle, and your relationship."

"But… you're part of Ruto's circle? I thought?"

"Only because she sees me as being betrayed by the same man who broke her heart. She's told me several times that we're better off without you. She loathed me all through our relationship."

Link looked out the window at the passing cars, feeling guilty for something he did not do.

"Wait, stop here," he instructed, recognizing a little restaurant as they drove. Zelda slowed as best as she could, and pulled over into a parallel space.

"What is it?" Saria called out. Link scrambled out of the car and got onto the sidewalk, heading back to the restaurant and looking around. He couldn't see anything to indicate a hole he had fallen through; the sky looked quite closed. He headed down an alley that ran next to the restaurant, but all he found was trash and debris, and overturned milk crates stacked near a small metal door, with a coffee can full of sand and cigarette butts on the other side. He paced around a few times, but nothing happened; he was not swallowed back up by the earth.

Saria had followed him out of the car and was standing at the entrance to the alley, looking at him in worry. He shook his head as he walked back out, pausing and sidling around Saria.

"Nothing, nothing there. No way to get home."

"It must be as Dr. Frond said; the thin spot moved."

"But it doesn't make sense; I did not get to the place Zelda fell in until hours after she was lost. They even sent a few men in to search and none of them vanished. What was so different about myself to call that spot back and… and step through it?"

Saria shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe you and your Zelda shared a connection that held the portal open until you could get through."

Link rubbed the back of his left hand and sighed. "Maybe." He followed Saria back to Zelda's car, and they headed to Saria's place.

"Is there anything you'd like to do?"

It was Zelda asking, and they were again sitting in Saria's apartment, but this time they were waiting around for pizza, and the ladies had assured Link several times over that it was delicious and he would like it.

Link shook his head. "No, not really."

"My only thought is that, you know, since you can't get home, maybe you should… just enjoy it until we find some way to get you there?"

Saria nodded in agreement. "I mean, yeah I guess it's probably scary out there to someone new, but maybe if you stick with us and…"

"No illicit substances," Zelda quickly filled in with a bit of a smirk, "you'll survive."

Link shook his head. "I'm not so sure about that; it seems the more time I spend with you, the more memories I gain."

"Oh." Zelda looked away. Saria seemed to bristle all over, and she stared at Link across the table.

"You know, it's not as if you don't make me remember things I want to forget," she snapped suddenly, whipping her head back around.

What he'd said washed over Link in a sudden sharp awareness, and he reached out for Zelda's shoulder, but she swatted his hand away.

"What I meant by the statement is that I don't want to become this other me, the one that you hate so much," Link tried to explain. "I want to be who I am."

"Well so far, you're doing an awful job of that." Zelda had clenched one hand into a fist, and looked ready to strike him with it. Link leaned back a little.

"Oh look, it sounds like the pizza's here," Saria rambled quickly, and she slipped out of the apartment door to go pick it up at the front door.

"Would it really be so bad to stay here?" Zelda asked. "Truly? I mean surely, if your world is as medieval as it sounds, then won't you be better off?"

Link shook his head. "Did you forget everything we talked about before? I'm not the important one here, you are. I can't go home, and more importantly, I won't go home without you. I cannot leave you behind. That is the only reason I don't want to remember everything we have been through; because I don't want to forget my duty to you and your people. To protect you and see you through all things."

Zelda nodded in understanding. "Just… don't be such a prick about it, alright?" She offered him a half-hearted smile, and Link nodded in return.

They sat for a few more minutes, waiting for Saria's return, and Zelda finally stood. "I might as well get some plates for the pizza," she said, heading into the kitchen.

"Wait—" Link started to say. Zelda stopped and turned.

"Maybe… we could do something tonight. Just something low-key, nothing too dramatic."

Zelda shrugged. "We'll see."

She was coming back with plates when Saria reentered her apartment, carrying the steaming pizza boxes and setting them down on the little round kitchen table.

"Here we are," she declared, "food fit for queens."

Link did, in fact, enjoy their meal. He wondered if they would find a way to make something similar if he and Zelda returned to Hyrule. When they had their fill, Saria wrapped up the last slices and put them in the fridge, then handed round some beers. She led them to the couch where they slumped down, Link's stomach groaning uncomfortably, and flipped through the channels until she came to what Link discovered was a poorly-done play about an axe-wielding madman stalking people, with elaborate sets and special effects.

"There's a murderer on the loose and she's investigating a noise alone? In her undergarments?" he asked, bewildered, gesturing with one hand.

"Should we take bets on who goes first?" Saria asked casually.

Zelda snorted. "She's going to; she's running around in her underwear and she just got done banging her boyfriend. These movies always follow that pattern."

"So what's the point of this story?" Link asked.

"To scare people," Saria said, before tipping up her beer.

"Does it work?"

"Not really." Zelda shook her head.

A sudden shriek from the television, and the near-naked girl was cleaved in two by the axe murderer.

"Told you," Zelda murmured with a grin.

When the movie ended, Zelda stood up. "I should get going; head home and lay down and all that."

"Are you okay to drive?" Saria asked. "You can always stay here."

"I'm fine, I only had one." She smiled and went to pull on her coat. "Maybe tomorrow night we can go out somewhere instead."

"Shall I escort you to your car?" Link offered.

"Actually, that would probably be a good idea," Zelda said as she stuffed her feet into her shoes. Link pulled on his boots and followed her out.

Zelda descended the stairs first, one hand resting gently on the railing. Link watched the top of her head as they walked down. He managed to sneak ahead of her and hold the front door open for her, and they walked in silence down the sidewalk to her car.

"Link," she said finally, hesitating at the driver's side door.

"Yes?" He took a slight step back.

She looked at him and smiled a little bit, tucking some hair behind one ear. "Um… try not to disappear anymore, okay? I think I prefer having you around, regardless of what I remember or… think I remember."

"I will try, but it is not something I can control."

Zelda shrugged her shoulders. "Then… let the memories in." She climbed in her car, and Link looked at her through the glass, a little confused. Zelda started the engine and gave him a little wave before pulling out into the road, heading to her apartment.

Link watched after her car until the tail lights were indistinguishable.