In the days that followed Link and Sheik remained primarily in Clock Town, but ventured out to slay monsters in Termina Field. They had been informed that the Carnival of Time, the biggest even of the year was going to be taking place in a matter of weeks. This was important news to Sheik because it meant that it had been would be nine years to the day on the day of the carnival that Link had saved Termina from its' falling moon.
Honing their skills to prevent them from getting rusty, Link and Sheik kept a wide radius around Clock Town free of monsters. All the way from the foot of the mountains to near the coast of the western sea there was a distinct drop in the number of monsters about, it would mean travel to and from the town would be much safer.
It was one week before the carnival that the town began to fill with travels of all different races—Human, Teminian, Deku, Goron, and Zora—were all arriving, it got to the point where the rooms in the inn was completely filled. There was absolutely no doubt that the carnival was an important time of year.
Finally, at just three days to the carnival, Link and Sheik went to visit Romani Ranch, a ranch much like Lon Lon Ranch back in Hyrule, but it was run by two sisters who looked identical to Malon. Sheik was still having a very hard time adjusting to it and Link, even though he had been here before, had a hard time with the fact that Romani and Cremia looked so much like Malon.
At the sight of Link and Sheik walking onto the ranch, the younger of the two sisters, who turned out to be Romani, yelled, "Grasshopper!" She ran right up to Link and threw her arms around him, telling him how long it had been since she had last seen him. She also demanded to know exactly where he had been.
Sheik recalled that Kafei had told him about Romani and Cremia being two of Link's old friend and he was the one to answer that Link had gone back to Hyrule. Link, though he did not carry the memories of what had happened, one of the nights that Sheik and Link had been in the Stock Pot Inn, lying awake, Sheik had told Link part of what Kafei had told him. He told Link that Link had been here before he had lost his memories and about how these people knew Link from living in Termina, but he said nothing about Link saving Termina or about what had happened before or how Link had come to Termina.
Link spoke with Romani and Cremia, who came out of the barn to see what Romani was so excited about and hugged Link, saying she'd missed him. As it turned out, Cremia was Anju's best friend and Anju had sent Cremia a letter the day after Link had arrived and informed her about Link's loss of memoires. The older red haired sister hadn't said anything about it to Romani, but she looked sadly at Link, knowing he didn't remember her.
Link and sheik returned to Clock Town with Romani and Cremia late in the evening as the sun was setting, its' fiery hues painting the sky. Tonight would be different however, Link didn't want to return immediately to the inn and chose to go for a walk with Sheik. The two of them held hands as they made their way through South Clock Town and gazed up at the Clock Tower, standing above all else. A small cream colored dog ran towards them, yapping its' head off as it bounced at their heels. It also seemed know Link.
Sheik and Link walked through the darkness to North Clock Town, a part of the town that acted as a park. The children would congregate and play there and there was a large slide beside a tree on the northeastern side.
The guard watched them through narrowed eyes as the two of them walked up the west where there was a tunnel leading to a place that Link could feel had great importance. They could both feel the pull of magic from the tunnel and walked into it.
The floor was made a cold grey stone and at the end of the tunnel they could see what looked like a pool or a fountain surrounded by high pillars of stone. Sheik let go of Link's hand as Link walked forwards into the shallow water.
Sheik stood back, muscles tense with anticipation for what was to come. A deafening laugh and a great fairy with flowing pink hair and dawned in veins flew from the water. She floated in the air above Link and look shockingly affectionately down at him.
"You've returned, Link my child," she said with the deafening laughter. "You gathered my broken pieces many years ago and left out land. In my thanks I will restore your strength." She floated backwards extending her hands and Link was lifted into the air, an expression of astonishment on his face as he was lifted off his feet. Magic visibly flowed around him and he was placed once more on his feet before the Great Fairy. "Use this at the right time and all will become clear," she aid and out of the air formed Zelda's ocarina, the one she had given Link to open the temples and defeat Ganondorf. The fairy turned her attention to Sheik and said, "Come forwards and I will restore your strength as well, Sheik of the Sheikah." Perhaps against his better judgment, Sheik went forwards and lifted into the air, magic flowing around him as it had done for Link. Sheik inhaled in shock, he could feel his magic flowing through his, it felt like he was breathing in air after drowning, as if he were drinking water after dehydrating in the desert. When he was placed back on his feet in the shallow water he looked at his hand and turned it over before looking back up at the Great Fairy who smiled back down at him and with one more deafening laugh vanished into the water.
Sheik turned to look at Link who had a dazed expression on his face.
"Link?" Sheik asked softly, reaching out to draw his lover close.
Link accepted Sheik's gesture and leaned into the ruby eyed warrior. "I remember," he breathed into Sheik's shoulder. "I remember," he suddenly cried out, tearing burning in his eyes he bowed his head and pressed his forehead against Sheik's shoulder. "I remember Zelda giving me the ocarina," he said clutching it to his chest with one hand and clutching a fist full of Sheik's tunic in his other hand. "I remember that temples and fighting Ganondorf. I remember being sent back in time," he suddenly sobbed, raising his head and kissing Sheik fiercely. "We were torn apart." He managed, kissing Sheik again, whom responded by kissing Link back and left his close, agreeing.
Link's memories of the time that had never happened were returning quickly now, though they were not completely returned yet, they were substantial and horribly painful. There had been so much death, so much darkness. Link had seen so many die and then Sheik, the one he loved so much, had been torn from him. Link held tightly to Sheik, muffling his tortured sobs in his lover's chest. Sheik stood holding Link with one hand holding the Hero's head and the other wrapped around his back. Sheik didn't know how long they stood there, but they wouldn't move until Link was ready.
The following night, with only two days before the Carnival of Time, Link and Sheik returned from the routine of killing monsters until the day of the carnival and ended up going to the Milk Bar in East Clock Town, across the way from the Stock Pot Inn. Tonight the Milk Bar was crowded with Humans, Terminians, Gorons, and Zoras. There was a Zora band, the Indigo-Go's, that was to play on the night of the carnival, but they would be playing here tonight as well.
On the stage on the left side of the Milk Bar the band was set up. In the back left was Tijo the drummer, the back right was Evan the pianist and song writer, on the front left was Japas the bassist, and in the center was Lulu the lead singer. There used to be another member, Toto, the manager of the band, said but he died several years ago.
Mikau. The Guitarist.
Link froze, it felt as though he had been struck, lurching forwards. The memory came crashing over him like a wave in a storm. He remembered seeing the Gerudo pirates attack and kill Mikau, he remembered going back in time and trying over and over to save the Zora. Blood clouded the water. The milky white skin of the male Zora turning a blue color with the loss of blood, washing up on the beach, begging Link to take a message to Lulu, his wife. He had tried countless times to save Mikau, failing each time. He saw him die over and over, the images imprinting in the forefront of him mind.
Burning tears formed in Link's blue eyes. He had become so full of himself, saving Hyrule and all, thinking he could save anyone, but Mikau had showed him that that wasn't the case. Link closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He had failed Mikau, and he had failed Lulu.
Because of the mask left behind by Mikau, Link had been able to take Mikau's place at Lulu's side for a time, but Link couldn't speak to Lulu and tell her the truth. After helping her raise Mikau and her babies for a year, he had no show her in a way that hurt her more than anything. He took her to Mikau's grave and removed Mikau's mask. This was right before he had returned to Hyrule, broken and ashamed.
Link did not know if Lulu had told the other band members about him taking Mikau's place, but he couldn't bear to look up at the Zora that was identical to Ruto.
That night the band was playing a song that they had never played outside of the Zora's Domain, one that Link had been with the band when it was developed, it was one song that Link knew by heart. As the band played, Link couldn't stop himself from raising his ocarina and playing the piece that Mikau was supposed. He froze, realizing his actions and the feeling the eyes of the band members boring into him, Sheik was staring at him with a look of shock and something else that Link couldn't place. That was when Link stood up and in an instant fled from the Milk Bar, heading for the Clock Tower.
Sheik followed him, finding him sitting above the door they had entered Clock Town through, perched on a ledge with a narrow ramp leading up to it. Sheik joined the Hero of Time. Reaching out to take Link's hand, the Hylian tightly squeezed his fingers, telling Sheik about Mikau and his repeated failures to save him. His expression twisted with grief. He had failed. He had failed to save someone. Not once, but scores of times.
Sheik gently squeezed Link's hand, drawing him close and telling him that it was in the past, there was nothing Link could do about it. Mikau was dead and wouldn't want Link to be so broken. Link had tried to save him and to try so many times was more than almost anyone would be able to do.
It was also then that Link told Sheik about taking Mikau's place and Lulu's side. How he felt he had betrayed Sheik, but had also failed both Mikau and Lulu.
The soft voice of someone made Link jump, swinging his head around to see Lulu and Japas had approached them unnoticed. Lulu walked forwards and knelt beside Link whispering, "Thank you, thank you for everything." She had heard what the two had said and now she retreated from Link and Sheik to join Japas in returning to the rest of the band.
Link had been forgiven by Lulu and he could have sworn he saw the translucent form of another Zora walk away unnoticed with Lulu and Japas. Mikau. Mikau had forgiven him.