He was unsure how he'd gotten roped into it, but once again Link was following Saria and Zelda into a crowded nightclub. Denno was leading them as usual, his bulk parting the crowds, and Ruto was right behind Link, touching his back lightly now and again to let him know she was still there. Again, they went for a booth to sit in. This club's seating was a little different; its booths were more enclosed, with higher surrounding walls. They could hide quite easily in them. Once again, Ruto handed around a little baggy of chewable pills. Link paused when it came to him, and Zelda put one hand on his arm to reassure him. "Nothing bad will happen to you; I'll be right here. We'll keep an eye on you. If you want to just take half, we can split one."

Reluctantly, he picked one out. He couldn't be certain, but it looked to have the soaring phoenix crest stamped into its surface. Carefully, he bit it in half, and handed the second over to Zelda. She plucked it from between his fingers and chewed it up, taking a swig from a water glass. Ruto pulled Denno out onto the dance floor, and Saria checked over the last two in their party.

"Are you guys okay if I go to dance?"

Both of them nodded, and Link was certain that this stuff was stronger; already his head felt floaty and unbalanced. Nodding was an odd sensation, and he continued to do so for several minutes after Saria left, leaving a trail of faint green light.

"We should go out there," Zelda shouted over the music. Link looked at her, and her skin was brilliant. She stared at him with huge eyes, and gasped a little. He knew that she could see it on him. She reached out with her left hand and touched his cheek, and looked at her hand with fascination. "How is this possible?" she asked him.

Link shook his head. "I don't know."

Zelda looked at her hands, turning them over and focusing on the left one. "What does this mean?" she asked, pointing to the three triangles on her hand.

"It means you carry part of the holy relic!" he shouted back. "Would that I could take you home right now!"

"How do you mean that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Link frowned; how else could he mean it? "Getting back to Hyrule, of course."

Zelda laughed and looked out towards the dance floor. "Can we dance? Do you want to?"

Could he, in this state? He would find out; she was pulling him along by the hand, and their golden auras seemed to sing where they overlapped, becoming brighter. They went out into the throng, and everyone had a glow, he could now see. Some were brighter than others, but he could tell that theirs were brightest of all. Link held onto Zelda, not wanting to lose her. But how could he? She would be easily visible to him, no matter what. She stopped when she felt they were in an open enough space, and started dancing. Like usual, Link was hesitant to move with her. The beat was easy enough to find, it was in his bones, in his feet, in his head. Zelda pulled him in, and tried to help him learn their moves. He was miserable at it.

Zelda's hands moved to his face, and now they were staring into each other's eyes. Link could hear her breathing, he would swear later that he could hear her thoughts, but maybe they were his own, confused and jumbled so that he did not recognize them. Zelda gently put their foreheads together, and closed her eyes. Even though he didn't think he was moving very much, they were both slightly glossy with sweat. There was a brief jolt of a memory where they'd been in similar sweaty conditions, but not in the middle of a nightclub, and completely alone. Apparently, Zelda had also had a memory jolt, which surprised him; he figured she'd have all the memories she needed by now. But instead, she leaned in.

"Did we ever dance together over there?"

"Not often," he replied. "Very rarely. I'm a miserable dancer everywhere. At your coronation, maybe."

They continued to dance—well, at least, Link stood near Zelda with a hand on her waist and bobbing his head while she danced—for a while, until Zelda shook her head and pointed towards the bar, lit up in neon. "Water!" she shouted, and Link followed her off the floor. She received a plastic cup full of ice water and sucked it down, sweeping her hair back out of her eyes as best she could.

"Coronation?" she shouted randomly, and Link looked at her. He had been trying not to think about her for a little while now, because that memory, one of his memories, no doubt, had left Link feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

"Uhh… yes."

"But that's when the king and queen are crowned, right?"

"Yes, whenever the new monarch is crowned."

Zelda was silent for a few minutes. "So… over there… my dad is dead?"

Link cleared his throat. "Yes."

Zelda leaned against the bar, picking at her nails. Though she still had a glow, she seemed troubled. "How'd he die?"

"They're not sure; his heart gave out." He also ordered a water while Zelda mulled this over.

"My father—the one here, I mean. He had a heart attack a few years back. Had to get a double bypass. But they got him to the hospital in time."

She sniffed a bit. "You drove me to the hospital that morning."

Link could remember the great king's passing still, but he hadn't alerted Zelda to her father's death. He'd been out in the fields practicing, and only found out later when they were tolling the mourning bells, the ones with the deepest sound.

Zelda finished her water and set the cup back down on the bar. Link drank the rest of his as quickly as he could, and he followed her back out to the dance floor. But her heart wasn't in it, and she left the floor after not too long. Link almost didn't notice, but Saria came bounding up and asked him where Zelda was going. He followed her aura but was stopped when she went into a hall leading to the ladies' room, and he waited ten feet or so from the hallway, trying to reach out for her with his mind. It was a foolish idea; they were connected but not psychic, and it didn't work. After a few minutes of waiting, Ruto approached him, and touched his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Zelda's in the rest room; we were talking about her father and she got upset."

Ruto nodded and walked past him, heading into the ladies' room.

"Zelda?" she called out, not having to shout as loudly. The little room was well-insulated.

Zelda turned around. She was standing near a sink, the water running and a bundle of toilet tissue in her hands.

"Oh, Ruto." She nodded a little.

"Your eyes are all red, are you okay?" Ruto put one hand on her shoulder, concerned.

Zelda gasped a little; for a brief second, she could see Ruto as she was in Zelda's true time, and it was alarming.

"Ah—ah, yeah. I'm… we just were talking about my dad and I got kind of upset."

Ruto nodded understandingly. "Come on, let's wash your face with cold water." She took a few paper towels from the dispenser on the wall, dipping them into the running tap and patting at the red spots on Zelda's face.

The two women were silent as Ruto helped out her sort-of friend.

She threw out the towels and went to grab fresh ones, running them under the cold water.

"Ruto, do you still hate me?" Zelda asked quietly.

Ruto didn't answer immediately, wringing out the excess water. "No," she finally answered, in a light tone. "I never really hated you. Jealous? Of course. But never hate."

"Good," Zelda replied, after a pause. "Because…"

"You're still in love with him." Ruto snapped.

"It's only been six months, Ruto. I can't even remember why we broke up. Maybe it was something stupid. I think I should give him another chance."

"What's the point? What if he just leaves again, how do you even know if he wants you back?"

"The only way to know is to ask." Zelda narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "You want him back, don't you?"

Ruto threw the soggy towels at Zelda. "You stole him from me, I want a second chance!"

"I didn't steal anything, Ruto! You broke up with him, if I remember correctly!"

"He wouldn't come to his senses!"

"Do you think you'll be able to change him? To mold him into the man you want?"

"Do you?"

"So…"

A new voice; reluctant and clearly uncomfortable. Ruto and Zelda turned, staring at Saria, who shifted from foot to foot.

"I was asked to come in and see why you two were taking so long. But I see now that you're both just digging up old news." She cleared her throat. "How about both of you drop it, and leave him alone? He's not even the right Link to fight over."

Reluctantly, the three of them left the restroom.

"Denno, I'm tired. I think I want to go home," Ruto muttered.

"You sure? It's not even two…" the towering man put a concerned hand on Ruto's shoulder.

"Yeah, I think I'm getting sick or something," Ruto lied easily.

Zelda shrugged her shoulders. "Me too."

Saria sighed. "Fine. I'll drop you guys off at Zelda's apartment. Link, I'll come pick you up when I'm done having my own fun. Or I'll crash there, maybe."

Zelda nodded. "Of course. Oh—Ruto, can I bum another couple…?"

Ruto narrowed her eyes slightly, but handed over the little bag, nearly empty of pills. "Sure."

Zelda fished out two at random, tucking them into her pocket. "Thanks."

Link frowned a little, he felt they'd done enough, though the glow was starting to fade. Zelda walked over to him and Saria, nodding. "Okay, let's go."

All were silent on their way to Zelda's, except for Saria's rusting muffler rattling around at the back of the car. The silence stretched on as she dropped them off in front of the building, and she gave a casual wave.

"I'll call you if anything changes," she said to Zelda, who nodded. They watched Saria drive off, and Zelda looked at Link and gave a little shrug.

"It's wearing off, isn't it?" she asked.

He nodded. "Much sooner this time."

"That's why I grabbed extras from Ruto; it's so overwhelming in a club, I'd rather do this sort of thing at home if it's going to give us this effect."

"What is it supposed to do in a nightclub?" Link asked, as they got inside and started for the elevator.

"It's just supposed to make you feel euphoric and light, energetic. That sort of thing. I've never had visual hallucinations on it."

"And this is even taking it after … our breakup?"

"Well… I hadn't taken any since then, actually. Took me a while to get back into it. I guess maybe I just didn't want to feel happy for some time. Wallow in my misery, lay around in bed and feel good and sorry for myself for a few months."

They left the elevator and Zelda fished out her keys, unlocking the apartment door.

"And I did do just that, once everyone told me… well, pieced it together for me." She shook her head, locking the door back up once they were inside.

"It just feels so unreal to me, that everything about the past few months has been a lie. I am torn between believing you and pushing it all to one side. Every once in a while though, being around you, I remember… something that I don't think is from this place." She sat down on the couch and Link joined her.

"You remember things?" he asked, surprised.

"In the roughest sense, yes. Little things; I'm in a huge building made of stone with animal rugs on the floor, talking to a crowd of men in fancy dress, or, when you mentioned my father, I could hear the tolling bells and I could see myself in my coronation dress. It was deep red, wasn't it? With gold trim."

"Yes, it was, I think."

"Being with you like this… I'm remembering everything. This must be similar to what you feel when you remember something that isn't yours."

"It's possible, but these are yours. They always were. They're just coming back."

Zelda took the little pills out of her pocket and handed Link one, placing it in the center of his palm.

"I like what I see with you," she said softly, putting the other pill into her mouth and chewing. After a few seconds of hesitation, Link took the remaining pill.

Zelda went to her kitchen and came back with two glasses of water, handing one to him. He drank most of it in his first sip, and set it down on the little coffee table in front of them.

"Is it different, somehow?" he asked. "What you see?"

"The… well, seeing the auras is new, we've established that. That is certainly different. But it's more than just that, it's a feeling. How can I describe…" she paused, thinking. "A feeling of being not quite right. Or of being in a strange country and then when you're there, meeting someone who knows your language. But when I'm sober, it goes away. Or maybe it's just not as obvious." She sighed and took a drink of her water. Link leaned back into the couch and watched the watery fuzzy auras lining his fingers sharpen and expand.

"Are there any substances like this over there?" Zelda asked suddenly. Link looked at her, and she was staring at her hands as well.

"I will warn you, you're not much for… creative recreation," he said with a little smirk.

"But I imagine there probably are, we just don't know about it."

Link shrugged. "It's possible. I know the few berserkers in our military eat… something odd before we go to war. It makes them froth at the mouth, and they become almost unstoppable."

"Hm. I suppose it's no big loss then; probably plenty more to keep me entertained. Can I maintain my studies? It's not a completely backwards 'women are inferior' sort of place, is it?"

Link raised his eyebrows. "Well… I don't see why not. You'd be perfectly capable of studying. You do that a great deal of the time anyway; there was a lot your father never got a chance to tell you about."

"What else can I do? Besides sending thieves to the guillotine, I mean."

He laughed. "You never send anyone to the guillotine."

"Oh, don't I?" Zelda smiled. "Are they too scared of my Knight in Arms to cross me?"

"No, it's your last resort. Zelda, you'll be fine. Once we get back, I'm confident you'll pick it back up."

"I hope so."

They fell silent, watching the glow around their fingertips flicker like candle flames.

"So… what else do we do?"

"Do you mean right now?"

"I mean over there."

"Well… I like fishing, and archery. Horseback rides, things like that."

"And me?"

"I can't really say; we don't spend a lot of time together."

Zelda shifted and leaned against him slightly, their shoulders together. "Maybe we should change that."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea… we're very different people. We have different interests."

Zelda moved off him. "Are you in love with me over there? Is that why you push me away?"

Link was rather caught off-guard. He stared at Zelda. "What?"

She ran her fingers back through her hair. "You just seem so reserved, it's a chore to get anything out of you. Is that just how you are?"

"Uh… I… suppose… I apologize if this offends you. It's custom there."

"Do I go to balls often? Like, with waltzes and fancy dresses?"

"There's been a couple, I guess."

Zelda nodded her head. "Next one then, I want you to go with me. I don't care who I usually take, I want you to go."

"Why?" Link was puzzled. "I'm not a good dancer at all."

"Because here, I feel like we're allowed to be closer, friendlier with each other, you know? Over there, we're going to have to follow a bunch of arbitrary rules, where I can't go anywhere alone, things like that. If I can be close to you now, how I'd want to be over there, then I'd rather do so while I can."

"But you aren't yourself; any affections you're feeling for me can be the result of this other Zelda's memories. Don't make a choice you might regret when we get home."

Zelda smiled a little bit. "I don't think they are."

"How can you tell?"

She shrugged. "I just know. And what do you mean I'd regret it?"

Link floundered. "Well, in case you were to find a king and he were to find that uh…"

"Are you hinting to me that I have to stay a virgin until marriage?"

He didn't respond, instead choosing to look away.

"You said your time doesn't have such archaic beliefs!"

"I did not, you assumed so! And that's how it is!"

"And who are you to assume that I'd sleep with you anyway? Like I'm that easy!" Zelda smacked him in the shoulder.

"I didn't mean to imply anything negative, it… I've had certain memories where we've… been intimate, and I wanted to keep you from feeling any pressure. About us. If there is an 'us'. I just didn't know if you'd had these same memories and… wanted to act on them."

Zelda sighed. "Well, I certainly don't now." She wriggled into the far corner of the couch, folding her arms. Link watched their auras swirl and bob for a little while, letting his mind drift. Part of him sort of liked that about this place; he was able to do that. He didn't constantly have to be on his guard.

"I'm going to make some changes when I get home," Zelda muttered, as if in afterthought.

"Oh?" Link looked at her. She was deep in thought.

"Yes. Some things I will want done differently."

"They might be unpopular with the people," he suggested.

She shrugged. "I'm the queen. I at least get a little power, right? Everyone does what I say?"

"Well, unless the idea is terribly unpopular." Link offered her a smile, to show her he was just teasing now. "Then it goes to committee."

She laughed a little, then nodded. "At least there's someone to keep me in check. But yes, I'm going to make changes…" She stood up and went to her room, coming back after a few minutes with a pen and a pad of paper, and started writing.

"I hate to ask, but is there anything to eat?" Link asked her.

"Um… there might be… check the fridge."

He looked, and settled for yogurt. Zelda was busily writing herself notes, and had already torn off a few pages already.

"What are you writing?" he asked as he settled back onto the couch. The auras had dimmed considerably, but were now staying at a faint glimmer around the edges of things.

"Changes that I will want to make when we get home."

Curious, Link picked up the top page. In a frantic scrawl that he could barely read, it read:

Queens shall not be forced to while aaway the prime years of their youth restran restraining themselves for the benefit of a male sco society! They shall be allowed to be with whoever they wish REGARDLESS of their virginal status!

"Um…" he started. "Don't you think this is a little strong?"

"No, I don't." Her eyes were ablaze. "This is something very important to me, and I want my stance to be clear."

Gently, Link reached over and plucked the pen from Zelda's hand. She reached for it at first, and glared at him.

"Maybe sober up a little, and rewrite in the morning," he offered. "If you're this passionate, I doubt it will go away after a little sleep."

Zelda sighed, and her eyes drifted to Link's snack. "Yogurt?"

"It seemed… safe."

"Come on."

Zelda got up and went to the apartment phone in the kitchen, grabbing a take-out menu from a drawer nearby and flipping it open. She dialed a number rapidly, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder. "Order for delivery, please."

An hour later, both of them had eaten their fill on the food Zelda had ordered; spicy dishes she referred to as 'curry'. He recognized some of the flavors; it reminded him of food from Termina. The auras had more or less faded for the night, that or they were being overpowered by the sun's rays as it started to rise. They had stayed up and talked about all sorts of subjects; Zelda's studies, Link's military strategy, little things.

The two of them had started with little yawns, but soon it was to the point where Zelda couldn't stop, and she held up one hand. "I've got to go to bed," she murmured, standing up off the couch and stretching. "Do you need a blanket or anything for out here?"

"Actually, that'd be a good idea."

He followed her down the hall and she opened a door which he'd thought was a room, but turned out to be a little linen closet. She handed over a heavy down comforter.

"Any pillows?"

"Nah, I'll be okay." He smiled at her in reassurance, and patted the blanket with one hand. They stood awkwardly for a second in the hallway, until Zelda finally forced herself to turn.

"Good night," she called out as she entered her bedroom, closing the door until it was ajar by an inch or two.

"Good night," he responded, though with the sun coming through the windows, it sounded absurd. Finally, he turned and climbed onto the couch, realizing that he was quite tired, after all.

A few hours later, there was a knocking on the door, and Link got up to check it out. It was Saria, looking rested and freshly-showered, and he let her in.

"You made it home alright last night?" he asked, though it seemed a silly question.

"Yeah, I didn't stay out much longer after you guys left, I just went home and slept." She went and plopped down on the couch, leaving room for Link. "Did you guys end up doing anything?"

"No, we sat in and talked."

Saria eyed the remains of their late-night meal still cluttering the coffee table. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Eh, about how to get home, about customs she might have to… readjust to."

A scrap of paper under a plate had caught Saria's eye, and she pulled it free, looking it over. Link recognized the lettering but doubted Saria could read it; the writing was Old Hylian. He thought that was very interesting, but didn't mention it. Saria laughed a little bit and put it back down.

"Well, it seems like Zelda isn't going to tear you apart any time soon. Maybe you don't need to hide out at my apartment all the time." She patted the couch, still warm under her hand. "You slept out here?"

"Yes, I'm… more comfortable."

Saria nodded. "Well, I just came by to see if you needed to head home any time soon or anything, but you look like you could use some sleep more. Any plans tonight?"

Link shook his head. "I'm not sure."

Saria stood up as did Link to walk her to the door, and she gave him a little hug. "I'll see you sometime soon, I hope."

He hugged her back. "Of course you will. Maybe we can go for dinner somewhere."

"Maybe." Saria left, heading home or to work, presumably. Link sat back down on the couch, but only for a second; he felt someone watching him. He lifted his head and stared down the hallway to Zelda's doorway, where she had poked her head out.

"Who was here?"

"Saria."

"Ah." She nodded and came shuffling out. "I heard you talking to someone, so I thought I'd investigate."

"Sorry if I woke you."

Zelda shrugged it off, and came over to sit beside him on the couch. "Do you want breakfast?"

"Ah… actually, I think I'm still full from what we had last night. It was very good."

Zelda smiled. "So'm I, I just didn't know how you felt." She surveyed the table. "Hm, I should probably pick this up."

"Would you like help?"

"Sure," she murmured.

Together, they tidied up the apartment, which didn't take too long. Zelda finished by wiping down the coffee table with cleaner, then replacing the little coasters and things.

"I'm not going to be too exciting for the day; I might sit and study for a while, unless there was something specific you wanted to do?"

"Not in particular," he replied with a shrug.

"Well, you can call Saria to go to her place, or… we can work out plans for dinner, all sorts of things. Or you can just stay here and watch TV."

In the end, Link chose to try and nap on Zelda's couch while she gathered together her books and notes, to study at the dining table near the bay windows of her apartment. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift, loosening his muscles and slowly relaxing. Faintly, as if from a great distance, he heard Zelda fiddling with her papers. Beyond that was a humming from outside himself; that grew louder and louder until his ears were ringing with it, followed by a bright light that expanded and brightened until he thought it could go no further.

The light winked out unexpectedly, and he was left with darkness for a few minutes. Dimly, he could hear whispers at the edge of his hearing; they grew sharper as he tried to focus.

"… believe she did that."

"I know! They just got engaged, too."

"Ridiculous."

"Honestly I'm not sure why he proposed; they weren't doing well."

"That marriage would've been a disaster."

Link opened his eyes; or maybe it was just that he finally had visuals to go with the talking. He looked around, recognizing Saria, with longer hair and a worried face, and Denno, looking worried and withdrawn. Unusual.

"Hey man, how you feelin?" Denno, bounding over, clapped Link on the back. "You've been out cold for a while."

Nausea rolled over Link in waves, and he flung himself off the couch, Saria's couch, he saw, and vomited into a conveniently placed trash can. Nothing but green bile came up, and his stomach ached. Apparently he'd been doing this for a while.

"It's alright man, work it up." Denno's firm hand rubbed across Link's shoulders.

When Link felt he was done, Saria came over with a glass of water. "Here. Drink it."

He did, the water horribly sweet. "Awful," he choked out.

"Do you need some ibuprofen or something, man?"

"Maybe in a bit, I don't know if I can keep anything down."

Denno helped Link to the bathroom. "Maybe try a warm shower or something."

"Not a bad idea," he conceded.

"Do you… remember anything of last night?"

Link sighed. "Ruto and I had a fight, and we decided it was over. Then I called up you and Saria and we went out."

"Yeah, that about sums it up."

Link groaned. "Remind me never to date anyone again." He rolled over to heave in the toilet—

and rolled off the couch and smacked his face on Zelda's coffee table on his way down.

She gasped in alarm and pulled off her headphones, dashing over to him.

"Link! Goddesses, are you okay?"

He was holding his nose, which was bleeding like crazy. Zelda ran to her bathroom and came back with a whole box of tissues, handing them over. Link held them to his nose and leaned his head back, swallowing the trickles of blood.

He held up one bleeding hand to Zelda to stop her from trying to help him further, wincing. She stood up, going instead to get a trash can and a wet cloth to wipe the blood off his face.

"Geez, you shoulda just dealt with it and slept in my bed," she grumbled.

Link looked at her and realized something suddenly.

"What are you wearing?" he asked, his voice nasally.

"What?" She peered at him.

He gestured to his own face.

"Oh!" Zelda reached up with one hand and touched the object resting on her nose—a pair of spectacles with oval lenses, lined in gold wire. "Oh, yeah, I wear glasses. For reading, mostly. Doesn't… you don't have them yet?"

"We do, I just…" He slowly sat up, and spit blood into the trash can, so he wouldn't get sick from swallowing it. "I guess… maybe it's something I didn't know about you." He threw the soaked tissues into the trash can and grabbed more, stuffing them into his nose, which looked ridiculous, but Zelda chose not to say it.

She stepped away for a bit, and came back with a bag of frozen vegetables, carefully laying them over his nose.

"Here, this'll help with swelling." She picked up the box of tissue and put them in Link's lap. After a few minutes, he carefully removed the ones in his nose and put in new ones, though he could tell the bleeding was stopping.

"I don't get to do this for you at home, do I?" she muttered.

"No, you're too busy and it'd be inappropriate… and I don't fall onto tables very often."

Zelda smiled a bit. "Well… at least we can be close here."

"It'll hurt more when we get back," he said suddenly, looking at her. "We won't be able to… do anything."

She nodded in understanding, her smile fading again. "It's going to be lonely over there for us."

Link shrugged. "We manage." He removed the tissues and noted that they weren't terribly bloody, and threw them away without replacing them.

"Were you having a bad dream?" Zelda asked.

"No, another memory. I'm not enjoying this. How were you able to accept the memories so easily?"

She shrugged this time. "It was the way everyone acted about it. I was surrounded by people who were telling me one thing I knew wasn't true. They thought I was crazy with grief. After a while, I believed them. And without anyone to tell me the memories weren't mine…" Carefully, she took away the bag of frozen vegetables. "Well, it doesn't look too bad, but we should probably leave it there longer, just in case. What was your memory about?"

"I… think it was the day after Ruto and… this world's Link broke up for good. All these weird little memories; they're important events I guess, but I don't want to remember them."

Zelda nodded in understanding.

"I can't stop these memories because I risk... not even death, worse than death; erasure. But they're teaching me nothing."

"You know…" Zelda paused, "sometimes when you bring up certain events, from our world, I remember them. Like, I get the headache, and if I let the memory in, I… can see it."

Link looked at her, his eyebrows raised. "You do?"

"Yes. But… not for long. It's a taste of the memory."

"Interesting," he murmured.

They settled in on the couch again. It was starting to become a habit.

"I guess, whenever we figure out how to get back, I may need glasses."

"Just bring those with you," Link said, touching one edge.

Zelda gently took them off and folded them up, setting them on the dangerous coffee table. She rubbed her stomach a little with her palm.

"How's your nose?"

"Feels okay."

"Okay enough to go out in public and eat?"

He chuckled. "We can just tell everyone I won a bar fight."

Zelda laughed. "That'll work, I guess."

She got up from the couch. "I'm gonna go change, then. I'll be out soon."

Link touched at his nose while she was gone and hissed in pain. It would take time to heal.

After lunch, which was sandwiches at a café, Zelda seemed struck with inspiration. They headed into the thick of the city, walking from what she called a 'parking garage'.

"It's immense here," Link said softly. "It's very intimidating."

"Somehow I can't see you being intimidated by anything," she said with a little laugh.

"If I was able to get familiar with the layout," he replied in his defense, "I wouldn't be so apprehensive."

"I can understand that; it's definitely a little shocking when you've never been in one before."

He pointed. "This shop here is an apothecary's."

"Ah?" Zelda looked at the drug store, focusing. "Yes… I can see it."

"And this here would have been a... well I guess it is still a butcher shop."

Zelda laughed, but as Link talked about it, she thought she could see a visage underneath the buildings. The butcher shop did not have a glass front, it was open, with a striped canopy overhead, from which open pigs and geese hung. She shivered a little, and Link gripped her arm slightly, his face open in surprise.

"Careful, you seemed to almost…"

"What?"

"You flickered a little," he whispered in her ear.

"What?" she asked again, but this time she realized what he was saying. "It's happening to both of us?"

"Careful. I won't let it happen to you."

"I don't think it's something we can control, is it?"

"Well..." Link realised that perhaps he would be unable to back up his previous statement, "not as far as I've noticed."

They lightened their moods (or tried) by going to see the massive fountain in the middle of the city. As they looked at it, Link reluctantly let in a memory of the two of them (different ones! the others!) sitting on the edge of the fountain at night and kissing. Zelda could get flickers of a memory; the fountain as it was in her true time, with the uneven cobble streets and children in raggedy clothes splashing in its waters. Even as the memories washed over her, she could feel something pulling at her, something that reached from beyond the buildings and sky and sucked at her sense of self inside that body. She reached out and grabbed Link, frightened, and he held onto her, pulling away from the memory he was reliving. He tugged on Zelda's hand and watched her snap into opacity—had she really vanished for a few minutes?

"Are you okay?" he asked her quietly.

"No… but I might've at least figured out how we get home."

"Oh? How's that?"

"It seems I'm pulled back to that time when I relive these memories. If you can hold onto me tight enough when I remember something, maybe I can pull you with me."

"Do you think that will work?"

"It might." But she had been a little alarmed at that feeling of being torn from the earth against her will, so she ran her fingers through her hair and dropped Link's hand. "I don't want to try right away, though. It's a very unsettling feeling, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it really is. Before we do anything, we should also let Saria know. She's done more for me than I can count, I at least owe her that."

"And Ruto?" Zelda asked quietly.

"… maybe. One last goodbye."

"I think she'll miss you more than me," Zelda said with a smile, nudging him.

"Well, I guess you did steal me from her twice."

"What?"

"Oh..." Link shook his head. "Nothing."

Zelda nudged him again, trying to push him around to face her.

"What do you mean by that? Do you like Ruto?"

"No, it's nothing. I mean, she's nice… but a little too intense for me."

Zelda rolled her eyes. "That's for sure." She huffed. "Is she like that at home?"

"More or less, but not as badly. I think it's because we're not together there."

"Well." Zelda folded her arms. "Should we go track down Saria?"

"Nah, let's… take our time. We can tell her at dinner."

They continued walking through Hyrule, though Link avoided comparing the city to the country. He didn't want her to be pulled away again just yet.

When they grew tired and their feet ached, they returned to Zelda's apartment. She grabbed a phone book and rifled through restaurants, picking a few at random and calling Saria to invite her over.

Zelda made Link call Ruto, and when she picked up, she sounded none too pleased until she recognized Link's voice.

"Dinner? Sounds awesome, where and when?"

"Ah, not sure yet. But we're having Saria meet us at Zelda's apartment, then we'll drive together."

"Oh, it's… everyone?"

Link hesitated. "Yes…"

Ruto sighed. "Okay, yeah, I guess I'll be over around six or so."

She hung up rather abruptly.

Saria showed up at around six, in her casual clothes and all smiles. There were hugs all around, then,

"So where are we eating at?"

"Hm, still not sure. I'm thinking either La Sfera, Agitha's, or maybe Elde?" said Zelda as she poured a few small glasses of white wine.

"Whoa, I'm kind of underdressed," Saria said with a nervous laugh.

"Nah, they'll let you in. You can always borrow a dress if you want?"

"Zel, they're not gonna fit me. But thanks."

Ruto finally turned up not too much later, shaking her hair back out of her face and hugging all as quickly as possible.

"So what's our decision?" she asked, sitting down on the couch and pouring herself some wine.

"We figure La Sfera, Agitha's, or Elde."

"Oooh, we should go to Elde." Ruto leaned back. "They have a wicked tagliatelle."

Saria smiled weakly. "Yeah, that sounds fine."

"Everything okay, Saria?" Link asked her quietly. She nodded.

"And it'll be my treat," Zelda threw in.

"Then I'm definitely getting the top-shelf wine," Ruto said with a laugh. It seemed after her initial irritation, she was calmed. Or maybe it was the offer of a free meal.

They gathered up their wine glasses and put them in the kitchen sink for washing later, and Zelda picked up her keys. Link was the last one out, and waited a bit for Zelda while she locked the door and they headed together down the hall to the elevator.

Elde was an intimidating place; it was all decorated in polished wood and chrome, with marble flooring and stamped tin ceilings.

They were sat at a table with cloth napkins and weighty silverware, two forks and all. The menu was one page, and there were no prices listed.

They ordered their food and lingered over it. Zelda encouraged everyone to order whatever they fancied. They chatted a little around the table about whatever they thought of, whatever came to mind. Ruto let the two be lured into a false sense of relief, that everything would go smoothly and nothing was out of the ordinary.

"So why are we out to dinner? And why are you paying for all of it, Zel?" She sipped from her wine glass, focusing her steely eyes on them.

Link paused in mid-chew, and Zelda delicately patted her mouth with her napkin. "Well, Ruto. Link and I might have found a way to get back, and we wanted to have one last celebration with all of you, as a way of saying thanks before we leave."

"Wait, you're seriously returning?" Saria set her fork down so that she did not drop it in astonishment.

"How do you do it?" Ruto leaned in.

"Well, we only have a theory for now," Zelda answered. "Having to do with the memories we've been sharing."

Saria raised her eyebrows. "You've been remembering things now?"

"Yes. Just little things, but… I've already been flickering." Zelda drank her wine to give herself pause and liquid bravery.

"Oh man, seriously?" Ruto was agog. "So you could go at any moment?"

"Quite possibly," Zelda muttered.

Saria focused her attention on Link, who'd been rather silent so far. "But Link, what about your trial? You can't just up and vanish, they'll put a warrant out for your arrest and might arrest the other Link!"

Zelda sighed. "Presumably, the other Link would have an airtight alibi, as well as different fingerprints and actual identification."

"But what if he doesn't?"

Zelda frowned. "How could he not?"

"Well, you're from a different dimension; who's to say that they couldn't have the same fingerprints?" She sighed and shook her dark hair. "I just think it would be best if you both stayed until after the trial."

"But what if we can't?" he protested. "The memories come at such random times; what if I am jailed and can't be in reach of Zelda when one comes upon me?"

Zelda sighed and held out her hands, to bring peace to the table. "Look. If we feel a trigger before the trial, Saria, we will go. I apologize, but we must. If we don't until after, then we will go then."

Saria lowered her gaze to stare morosely at her spinach and mushroom tortellini. Ruto picked at her food, wondering if this would be a good time to change the subject. She took her chance.

"Well then, if this is one of your last nights here, then I think we should live it up as hard as we can."

Link groaned and shook his head. "I respectfully decline; I think I've had enough of your partying. Frankly, I don't care for it."

"Who's this sadsack?" Ruto said, laughing a little. "You can't be serious."

"Well, Ruto, the way you like to party is a little… rigorous. Especially for a newcomer," Saria said.

Ruto shrugged. "We have to do something. Why should we waste even one second? I'll keep it low-key, I promise."

"Why don't I believe you?" muttered Zelda.

"Because nothing she ever does is low-key," Saria added, smirking a little bit.

"You guys are mean! All I want is for all of us to have fun together. Come on, I can call up Denno and we can find him somewhere and do something. Whatever he's doing."

"How come you didn't invite him to dinner?" Saria asked.

Zelda shrugged. "He didn't know the truth, or so I assume. This gift is for you because you both helped, in a lot of ways."

Ruto pushed the last bites of her meal around on her plate as the waitress came around with the bill.

"So, something low key?" she asked.

"If possible," Link answered.

Ruto nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

To Ruto's credit, the night did, in fact, start off low-key. They went bowling, which Link was happy to find had not changed much, then to an alehouse that Ruto called a 'microbrewery', and Link wondered if maybe, just a little, he would be sad to leave this place with such a great variety of ales. Or at least, maybe he could take some of the recipes with him. He and Zelda even talked about it, albeit briefly, as she sipped a raspberry lambic and he took his time over a stout as dark as pitch.

"Do you think we can take anything with us?" she asked, while Ruto, Saria, and Denno, who had been called up, watched TVs with sweaty men heaving each other about, utterly distracted.

"I don't see why not, so long as it's on our person or in our grasp."

"Should I get the clothes I came here in?"

Link raised his eyebrows. "Your clothes?"

Zelda laughed. "I didn't come over naked, I think. You didn't. I believe I might still have them tucked away in my closet somewhere, or Impa may have them." She stared morosely into her beer. "I suppose women have to wear corsets and bustles and things, right?"

Link took a deep swallow of his stout, which hurt a little going down.

"I'm definitely taking some bras, though. Not going to wear such restrictive garments." Now she was more grumbling to herself, and she found a pen in her purse and began to make a list of the items she wanted to bring back on a napkin.

"Zelda, it may not be a good idea to bring back too many items from this time; it could raise questions. I would advise you limit yourself to a few things."

"Well I'm not hauling over a whole suitcase," she said with a little laugh, putting one hand on Link's. She left it there a moment as she looked towards the TV, and Link was just wondering if she would take offense if he pulled his away when she did so for him, letting out a cheer with the rest of the brewery when one of the behemoths flung another to the ground.

When they had drunk a bit there, they stumbled out of the brewery and onward. Ruto charged on ahead, with Saria and Denno behind, chatting a little bit, and Zelda and Link last, keeping in pace with each other and bumping shoulders now and again.

"Which one did you like the most?" Zelda asked him.

"The chocolate stout was different; I've only had chocolate a few times, so I was surprised to see it in a drink."

"Oh, is it rare there?"

"Well, not necessarily, but no one's thought of making a hard drink out of it yet." They walked slowly for a bit. "What about you?"

"Um, I liked the—whoa!"

She stopped and stumbled back, and Link grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling. "Hey—

"Oh my Goddesses!" Ruto was shouting, jumping up and down and pointing. Her stopping dead still had made everyone else stop, which nearly bowled them over. "We should go to Ikana!"

"Ruto! Low key!" Saria cried.

"It will be, it will! But I just remembered that my favorite DJ is spinning there and I haven't seen him play in ages. For like, an hour! Trust me, he's amazing," she called back, looking at Link. "If you don't want to go, though…"

Link sighed and looked to Zelda.

"Well, he is pretty good," she said with a shrug.

"Sure, why not. I should probably experience what I can."

Ruto whooped in excitement and ran to hail a cab. Saria stopped her. "I haven't drank anything; let's save ourselves the money, if you're okay with me driving your car, Zel."

Zelda smiled and handed over her keys. "Of course."

They drove over to the club, Ruto sitting up front with directions and Denno squished in the back with Link and Zelda.

"So Ruto told me you guys might be going away?" Denno asked.

"Ah, yeah," said Link. "We have to get back home."

"Well that sucks; I was kinda enjoying having another dude around. Sometimes I just need someone to drink a beer with."

"I like beer!" shouted Ruto.

"Yeah, but it's different with ladies around."

"Oh, so you want to hit on girls without me there to cockblock," Ruto said with a smirk.

"… Yep. Pretty much."

They both laughed, Saria rolling her eyes.

"I never have a wingman!" he added in desperation as they pulled up to the club.

It was obvious just from the outside of the building that Ruto was not this DJ's only fan. Saria lucked out in finding a parking spot only two blocks away, and they walked briskly back to the front doors. Ruto grumbled as they paid for cover. "It's worth it, I promise," she muttered to Link.

They were huddled near the door for some time, edging forward cautiously as people went out for smokes or to cut deals at cars out back. Ruto was hopping and shouting, dancing before they barely got out of the hallway. She grabbed Zelda and hugged her, grabbed Saria and hugged her, grabbed Link and hugged him as well, and took Denno's hand, pulling him in to dance.

They edged their way further into the crowd, closer to the massive speakers and the DJ stand. Zelda was gripping Link's hand to not get lost from him, and there was something faintly familiar in the song that was being played.

Link squeezed Zelda's hand to get her attention when he realized why he 'knew' the song. He could feel the memory trickling in at the edge of his consciousness, and he looked at Zelda desperately. She ceased her dancing when she caught his gaze, and her eyes widened. "Link! What's going on?"

When it dawned on her what was happening, she grabbed onto him. "Link! I… alright!" She wrapped her arms around him, and Link closed his eyes, fighting the memory with all his strength. Even now, he could feel his tenuous grip on the world slipping away under his feet, and Zelda's arms were warm on his back, pressing into him fiercely.

He stumbled suddenly, and nearly fell over. Zelda helped to hold him up, and the person that had bumped into them, a pale-faced girl with fiery hair and thick eyeliner, laughed in apology, waving. The memory rushed in, and it was just him and Ruto dancing, when he looked around the room and saw Zelda moving by herself—

"We almost made it, didn't we?" Zelda asked, her hand on his shoulder.

Link sighed. "Almost."

They looked at each other in disappointment and frustration, the only still bodies in the room.