My, my. This has been way too long since I've posted. Deepest apologies. My writing brain seemed to quit working for this story for quite a while. I think it's fixed for now, though.

Thank you for all your reviews! 3

Dusk of the Second Day

After another pause, when the time felt right, Saria asked, "So...how's Zelda been?" She never liked asking, but she knew this was the topic Link couldn't escape from.

It had surprised Link, this being the first time in a while they talked about Zelda. As he quite frequently did when mentioning her, Link stammered, "Sh-she's fine. Haven't talked to her in a while, but she's been fine."

"What was the last thing she said to you?"

"She kept saying I'm sorry. That we couldn't see each other often anymore, that her dad wouldn't allow it."

"Her dad still hates you?"

"Yeah," Link sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"It's not yours either, Link. You have every right to be with her. He shouldn't prevent that."

"I know," Link said, basking in the silence, more darkness swept over him.

"I wish things didn't have to come between you two… It's not right."

"Saria- we're not together. We're just…" Friends. How he despised that word…

"I know, but…you could make a move if you wanted to…" Oh, Saria, how she encouraged him to always do his best.

"I wish," he paused. "Look, I have to go. Have to get up early for work. So, good night."

"Think about it though, Link. You're the best person I know, and I don't see how Zelda wouldn't give you a chance. You've been friends with her forever, and you've liked her for so long. It's about time you told her Link. She's still single. You don't know how long that'll be. Could be months, could be years, could be a day. You never know. That's why it's so important to put yourself out there and see what happens."

Though the conversation had ended and the phone shut off, Link could still imagine her voice trailing on. It was the same old tune, Saria's "You can capture Zelda" speech. He'd heard it all before, and instead of encouragement, it always left him feeling depressed. Calming down was not an achievable option at this point.

Perhaps, receiving a review would help.

But gee golly whiz, did he really want to be disappointed if he still lacked reviews?

He hid his head beneath his pillow, squeezing it tight like a helmet. He was scared to check it, but he knew he had no choice. It was as if a magnetic force compelled him to open his email.

The internet wasn't working. He clicked the refresh button several times. Eventually, he had to restart his computer. He waited for it to turn back on. He waited for it to fully boot up. And waited for the internet to load.

Once he was on there, he typed in his password and username to his email account, clicked on the little inbox button, and closed his eyes, imagining a nice vacation on the beach. Opening his eyes, it became a disaster. Crabs biting his toes, sand castles ruined, forgetting sun lotion and being burnt to a crisp, and stinking seaweed everywhere… Darn it, the internet was coming back from vacation too, and it didn't bring a review as a souvenir.

Was anybody ever going to review? And if not, how on Earth would he make them?

. . .

Next day, something amazing happened. Not anything like a review but a miracle! After all these weeks, Zelda had finally replied to him!

Don't you ever stop working? Don't you need a break? I think school is tough enough! I already have had five tests and three essays. I could only imagine how it will be in the fall. But hopefully, we'll have time to hang out soon and catch up on each other's lives. But until then, we'll have to catch up on here. So, what's been going on with you? Anything exciting?

The word struck him like a lightning bolt. Exciting. Posting his first fanfiction was exciting. He felt elated by this opportunity to tell her about it, but he realized he also had another opportunity to tell her something else.

Redness rose in Link's cheeks, palms got all sweaty, his heart thumped as loud as a jackhammer. Remembering Saria's encouragement speech word for word caused him to type fast, perfecting errors as needed. This was now or never.

I know it's been a long time since we were friends, and I know this might be weird to say, Zelda…I like you. I mean, I really like you. No, I mean I…love you. I always have. I'm hoping we could be more.

Man…even through the internet, he sounded pathetic.

Zelda…I like you. Would you…go out sometime?

Even his simple, get-to-the-point message sounded stupid.

"Lemme just stick to telling her about my fanfiction." It was too bad he felt the need to revise that message about it over and over. He spent way too much time being careful with what he says to Zelda. Impressing her was still an inevitable instinct.

Now he'd have to wait and wait and wait until Zelda would reply again. Zelda had such a busy life as it was, she hardly had time for him. There were rare occasions when school didn't preoccupy her time. She had gotten accepted to one of the best universities. Link guessed Zelda studying her butt off in private school must have paid off.

Link felt so lame compared to her.

Since he was thirteen, he had worked to where he was now, and he still didn't have enough money to go anywhere with his life. He was poor, the main reason Zelda's father despised him.

Zelda, on the other hand, was so well off, she never needed a job. Her father was Hyrule's governor, making Zelda a public icon. She was simply following in his footsteps, enjoying her life as a celebrity.

Link still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that she had this extravagant life yet she had written more fanfictions than him and had gotten unthinkable amounts of reviews on them. To him, she was Wonder Woman.

While she continued to make her dad proud all the while being popular on the Fanfic website, Link continued to shame his grandma, and she dead.

No reviews. None at all. Staring at the vacant screen, Link just couldn't take anymore. Something had to be done.

He went to the search engine, he needed results. Fast! He needed something he knew he could rely on. Ah, there it was, eHow- How To Get People To Review Your Story. The headline he needed to read…