Hey there, readers! I've updated chapter 5 now, and my fingers are killing me! XD Oh goddess, my carpul tunnel! The PAIN!! (falls over then promptly gets back up) Today, my muse is...Navi.

Navi: Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Me: (pulls out a jar and stuffs Navi in it) There! Perfect!

Navi: Hey! Let me out!

Me: After the disclaimer!

Navi (sigh) The Wing Alchemist doesn't own anything except for the charaters you've never heard of. Let me out!"

Moriko: Let her out, WA. She needs air.

Me: Oh, right...(lets out Navi) Quiet, or you go back in!

Navi: (shuts mouth)

--

Chapter 5: The Fight

Moriko was extremely happy. She kept repeating the memories of what had happened in the white world over and over again. What fun using a sword had been, and how much she liked the boy.

The boy's name had turned out to be Link, and he'd told her about himself each time they had taken a break. He told her about Midna, becoming a wolf, and traveling the entire kingdom, defending the innocents from the twilight creatures Ganondorf had summoned. He liked talking to her. He knew she was listening, no matter how far off she seemed. He'd told her that if she learned fast, he'd tell her more about his journey. She'd done exceedingly well after that.

After training had ended, Link returned her to the spring. She thanked him repeatedly until she saw the time, and sped off back to the village. He watched her retreating figure with pride. He would help her from now on, even if it was just a little.

As Moriko ran, she imagined the places Link had been. Gerudo Desert, Lake Hylia, Zora's River, Death Mountain, and even Hyrule Castle! It all sounded so unreal to her, she who had seldom left the village. She slowed down as she entered the village. It was still intact, with only a few houses on fire, and most of the villagers had started coming back. The one thing that scared Moriko now was Laura, who was standing a few yards away, her eyes filled with rage.

"Where have you been, Moriko?" she hissed venomously. Moriko searched for the right thing to say, but came up empty.

"I've been at the spring." Not a complete lie.

"No you haven't," Laura said simply. She crossed her arms over her chest, not taking her eyes off her friend. "Ordona kept us safe from those monsters again, no thanks to you."

"They came back?!" Moriko asked, her face paling. Crap! She'd left the village in the middle of the battle. "I'm so s-"

"Don't even say it!" Laura said firmly, holding her hands up. "I don't want to hear your excuses. Just help us get the village back in order."

"Right," Moriko said quietly, following Laura to the nearest house. She tossed a hammer on a pile of boards and pointed to a large hole in the wall.

"Cover it up. If you need help, we'll find someone to do it." With that, Moriko's best friend stalked off. She couldn't believe her friend had skipped out on them! And at the worst possible time! The village had almost caught on fire, and her friend was off in the forest, doing who-knows-what! It was infuriating how naïve her friend could be sometimes.

She sighed, finally locating her mother, who was being helped by Gabe.

"I found Moriko," she grumbled, taking a board from the pile and nailing to the missing wall. Gabe dropped the board he was working on and ran off in the direction Laura had come in. Laura sighed and took his place. He was naïve as well, but he was only ten. He had an excuse.

Gabe found Moriko in seconds, immediately tackling her to the ground.

"Moriko! I was so scared! I thought you'd been taken by those monsters!"

Moriko sat up, staring at Gabe with sadness. He could've been killed while she was off talking with the fairies, and she would've been too late to save him. She pulled him close, quiet tears slipping down her cheeks. He was like her little brother, and she would've lost it if he'd been hurt or… She quickly brushed the thought away.

Gabe was surprised. Moriko rarely cried openly, and never when she thought he was around. He patted her back like she usually would do for him, though it seemed kind of awkward.

After a few minutes, Moriko pulled away, wiping her tears away on her sleeve.

"Sorry, Gabe. I'm sorry I wasn't here…to help."

"It's okay. Where were you, Moriko?" he asked, sitting next to her. She twirled Laura's hammer in her fingers, debating whether or not she would tell the truth.

"Would you believe me if I told you?" she asked, dropping the hammer. Gabe nodded, taking her hand in his. Moriko took a deep breath, then explained what had happened to her. She told him about the fairies, Faron, Link, and the sword training. He sat there next to her, entranced by her story. He could tell by the way she spoke that she was telling him the truth.

"Wait, so there's another spirit in the woods?!" he asked, jumping up. He grinned at the thought of there being a somewhat undiscovered area in the woods. He wanted to see it.

"Yes. Faron resides there."

"Is Faron a goat like Ordona?"

"No. Faron is a monkey."

"A monkey?! Cool!"

Moriko forced him to sit down, avoiding the stares from numerous villagers. "Keep it down!" she said tersely.

He nodded, then said in a whisper, "Can I see you swordfight?"

"Sure. If we can get the village fixed up, I can show you."

Gabe stood up with a whoop and began pounding a board against the wall. "Let's go, then!" Moriko smiled and shook her head at his eagerness, then picked up Laura's hammer and joined him.

--

The village was fixed by dusk, the sun just disappearing below the horizon. The villagers collected their tools and headed to their homes. They had worked a long time, and everyone was tired. Except, of course, for Gabe and Moriko. Gabe convinced Tabatha to let him stay with Moriko, though that took a lot of bribing on his part. A month's worth of chores with no complaints, just to stay the night. He knew it would be worth it though.

Moriko spent the time Gabe used to talk to Tabatha for warming up. She set up the dummies the men in this village used for practice and began using the sword slashes Link had shown her. They were simple, but very effective. Within seconds, she had beheaded the dummy, sending the pumpkin head spinning into the air. It landed with a splat at Gabe's feet, sending seeds flying. He whooped in amazement, grinning from ear to ear.

"That was awesome, Moriko!" he cried happily, bringing a pumpkin from the pile stacked near the entrance. She took the pumpkin and placed it on the dummy, giving it back its head. "Can you do it again?"

Moriko nodded and slashed the dummy with her wooden sword, this time smashing it where it sat. Both Moriko and Gabe were covered in sticky seeds by the time the pile of pumpkins was gone. He groaned and followed Moriko into her house, mumbling about how he wanted to learn how to use a sword.

"It's so cool! I really want to learn!"

"You will learn, once you're older."

"It'd be cool to learn now!" Gabe said. He watched as Moriko made them a snack, a large slice of pumpkin pie. She booted him back outside and sat on the grass, offering him a plate. Gabe thanked her as he took his piece, then inhaled it. Moriko set hers aside and looked up at the sky, watching the moon's glow cast shadows on the ground. It was so peaceful. Hard to believe there'd been an attack just this morning. It was frightening how peace could be shattered so easily. How friendships could be strained so much that they snap at the lightest touch.

"Moriko…," Gabe began, "What's gonna happen now? Is the village going to be hurt?"

Moriko flinched at his words, but hid the pain. He was too smart for his own good.

"I don't know. I hope we don't get attacked again, but that's not likely."

"Why?"

"Because…those creatures want something in this village, and they won't back down until they get it."

"Oh…will you have to leave?"

"I don't want to, but I might have to."

Gabe hugged her, pouting. "I don't want you to go."

"But if I do, I'll come back to visit."

"You're not going."

"I'm sorry, Gabe."

Silence. Gabe clung to her shirt as she'd fly away if he didn't. Moriko was his best friend, and he never wanted to give her up. She was his family, and family needed to stick together.

There was a snap nearby, causing both of them to jump up. The rustling got louder and louder until one of the shadows poked its head through the hedge. It made a garbled noise and dropped into the area. Gabe and Moriko shrieked and ran as more of them appeared, chasing after them. House after house lit up, villagers glaring at the two kids as they ran down the street, screaming.

"Gabe, I need you to get to Tabatha's house! You need to stay there until I come for you, understand?"

Gabe nodded furiously and took off down another street, quickly coming to Tabatha's house. He pounded on the door until Laura answered it, half asleep and yawning.

"Gabe? What's your problem?"

"Monsters!" he wheezed, pointing the way he'd come. "There're monsters…in the village!"

"Really? All I heard was you and Moriko screaming. Tell the truth!" she said angrily. Gabe pushed past her and pulled a chair to the fireplace, standing on it so he could reach one of the swords on the wall. Laura grabbed it from him, glaring.

"What are you doing?!"

"Helping Moriko, since you won't!" he yelled, taking the sword back and running out the door. Laura growled, grabbed a sword, and followed him, running to keep up.

They came to the middle of the village to see Moriko hitting three beasts with a stick. It was apparent she was tired. Her breathing was heavy, and there was a large bruise on her cheek. Gabe got closer and yelled, "Moriko, catch!", throwing the sword at her. She saw it and jumped to catch it, gripping the scabbard easily. She unsheathed it and slashed at the monsters, causing one to fall over, dead. The other two jumped at her, but she evaded them. They fell to the ground with a shriek and Moriko ran them through with the sword. All three disappeared, leaving no trace behind. Moriko sheathed the sword, knowing her energy levels were down to empty. Gabe ran to her, leaving Laura by herself. When did

'Moriko learn to use a sword?' she thought. 'How'd she get so good?'

"Moriko, that was awesome!" Gabe said, jumping in the air as he ran to her. She looked at him and smiled sheepishly, then fell into a doze, which she rightfully earned.

--

Moriko dreamt while she dozed. She was back in Faron's spring, standing in front of the large spirit.

"Little one, you have proven yourself worthy. You may now leave the village to help the kingdom. We, the light spirits, give you this, so you may be known when you are seen."

Moriko looked down at her clothes, which were similar to Link's outfit. Green tunic, white pants, brown boots, and all very comfortable. She bowed to the spirit, thanking it. Out of nowhere, Taiki and Navi flew by, stopping in front of Faron.

"I want to accompany Moriko on her journey!" Navi said firmly.

"I want to go, too!" Taiki said, bouncing again. Faron was still for a minute, then nodded.

"You may go with her. Keep her out of trouble."

Both fairies bounced in happiness, then flew a few feet away to a group of fairies. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glimpse of white. She turned to see Link, smiling proudly.

"You've definitely gotten better. Good job with those shadows."

"Thank you, Link."

"It is time you left, Moriko. Say goodbye to your friends."

"Right," she said. Her happiness at Link's praise took a nosedive. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay in the village and lead a peaceful life. She didn't want to help anyone right now. But this was what she had to do.

"Where do we go?" Navi asked, flying back to Moriko.

"You must travel to Kakariko Village and locate the Sacred Items of the Goddesses. Go and see the other light spirits as well. They will help you."

Moriko nodded, then turned to go when Link stopped her, his hand resting on her shoulder

"The journey does get better, you know."

Moriko looked at him blankly, then exited the glade, ending her dream.

--

Moriko opened her eyes to see a lot of people staring at her. She turned red, realizing she was the center of attention.

She sat up awkwardly and walked to the stables, ignoring the protests of the people around her. A few minutes later, she came back, leading her horse, Meryl, towards the village gate. Before she got too far, she turned back to the villagers, her face full of sorrow. She stood there for a bit, trying to find the right words to say.

"I'm…sorry I caused this…," she said quietly.

"Get out!" someone shouted. Moriko saw someone hit Simeon, knocking him out. Gabe ran to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I don't want you to go, Moriko!" he wailed, burying his face in her tunic. Moriko hugged him, kneeling so she'd be just below his eye level.

"I'm sorry, Gabe, but I have to go to keep you safe. It's for the best if I leave."

"Yeah, go…," Laura grumbled sarcastically. "We can defend ourselves without her." Moriko stood up, looking blankly at Laura.

"I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

"Stupid reason," she said. "You're important to us, so don't do this."

Moriko ran to her friend and pulled her into a hug, on the verge of tears.

"I'm so sorry. I have to go." She pulled back, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"It's true!" Navi said, popping out of nowhere. "The Light Spirits gave her the task of helping the hero of legend! He's coming, you know!"

The villagers murmured at the appearance of the fairy, nervous.

"What possible mission could my sister take on?" Karin asked, stepping forward. She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "She's a weakling who couldn't tie her shoes until she was twelve! I should do this!"

"The Light Spirits didn't choose you," Taiki said, fluttering out of nowhere, like Navi. "Moriko can do it."

Karin snorted, tossing her hair behind her. "I could do a lot better than her."

"Karin, be silent," Tabatha said, walking past her. Karin stuck out her tongue and left with a huff. Tabatha hugged Moriko gently, then handed her a large package wrapped in cloth.

"Your father told me to give you this if you ever left the village. Somehow, I think he knew you'd need it."

Moriko took the package and unwrapped it, her eyes welling up with tears. Inside the cloth was a sword, its sheath beautifully carved with the image of intertwined leaves and white blossoms. There was a letter attached, which she would read later. Tabatha also handed her a bag of clothes, as well as about 2000 rupees.

"I had a dream you'd be leaving, so I took the time to prepare this for your journey."

Moriko accepted the gifts, then threw her arms around Tabatha, silently crying. Her heart was tearing in two now, and she knew she had to leave soon. Otherwise, she'd be too sad to go.

She detached herself from Tabatha and said goodbye to everyone, ending at Laura and Gabe. She hugged Laura tightly, knowing they wouldn't see each other for a while.

"I'll write to you, Laura," she said, letting go. Laura nodded, brushing away a tear. Moriko looked down at Gabe, smiling sadly.

"Do you have to go?" he asked. She nodded, ruffling his hair.

"Don't worry. I'll write to you, and I'll come visit once in a while. I promise." She held up her wrist with the tree charm. "I'll never forget you. Ever."

Gabe forced a smile, fighting tears as Moriko got up and walked away, loading the last of her supplies before mounting her horse.

"I'll be back everyone! You won't be able to get rid of me that easily!" she yelled as she galloped up the path, heading for Hyrule field. The villagers waved as she disappeared, her light brown horse carrying her away. Gabe ran after her, stopping at the village gate. He hesitated, then waved.

"Goodbye," he whispered. But she was gone.

--

Woot! Another chapter done! I just finished 12, so I'll have 6 up in a few days. I just gotta finish 13 soon. I promise! XD Byes! - WA