AN: I have no idea what to say really since I just released two re-edited chapters and two new chapters. Just... Thank you! T.T


Chapter 8: Women…


Link yawned when he got to his house. A night full of adventure really tired him out. He took off his heroes clothes and put them away in the chest in his basement. He had a feeling that people would be coming soon so he wrote something before he went into his house and put it on the sign of his residence.

"Not feeling so good today. Please do not disturb. Knock first. Quiet area, please. Seriously, need quiet."

Fado came up shouting but paused as he heard Talo and Colin pass by too pointing at the sign.

"Shhh!" Talo said.

"Can't you read Fado?" Colin said.

"Huh?" Fado said coming up and having to stare really close at the sign while murmuring, "Not…fe…fe…feeling… Quiet…"

"He's probably just stressed out," Ilia said coming up as she patted Epona, "C'mon boys. I'll make him something and drop it by his house round lunch if he's up."

"I wonder what got to him?" Colin said as they all walked away.

Link sighed thanking his stars as to how everybody respected the sign. Though he felt guilty once again as to lying about things. He yawned and went back up his house ladder and climbed the ladders to his bed where he closed the curtains on his window and fell asleep.

He felt a shock run in his hand and he sat up shaking his hand painfully. The ring, it began to glow orange. Link gasped and put on a decent pair of slacks and wrapped around a shawl on his waist as he had slept in only a cloth wrap exhausted from his adventure and taking off all his clothes.

"LINK!" Ilia's voice screamed pounding his door.

"Y-Y-Yes Ilia?!" Link hollered back.

She opened his door and caught him without his shirt on. Link looked at her and her expression as he looked down at his hand. The ring's gem began to turn pink as he looked at her again as she fanned herself. He looked down at himself as his smooth bare chest and strong abs showed in its full glory. He blushed feeling a bit vain as she straightened herself up.

"What were you up to last night?!" Ilia demanded.

"Nothing! Why?!" Link exclaimed as she went up to his face with a very angry look.

"Poor Epona is worn out to the bone! I tried to take her to walk this morning with the other horses but she nudged me off tired! Then you today, well by the looks of it you seem perfectly fine but yet you posted a sign out that you're not well at all today!" Ilia scolded.

Link sighed. He decided to shed some truth.

"Ok, I'm sorry… Last night," He said. He looked at her expression as he looked at his hand at the gem. It began to turn yellow. He couldn't think as to mentioning Midna to her as much as he wanted to knowing she was already upset. "An old friend from my adventured notified me that they'd be close to town. I got my hero garb on and well they're a person of the night…"

"This wouldn't be some lady friend now," Ilia said as he looked at his hand again it flashed between orange and green.

"Oh no, of course not! I don't really know what they are… they're like a shadow," Link said scratching his face. He straightened up and put a hand behind his head and rubbed it. "I went treasure hunting with them last night…"

He took out the bag from his previous night feeling guilty. He held it out to Ilia as she took it curiously and stared at it. She gasped as she held out a silver rupee. He looked down at his hand still feeling a little guilty as he noticed that her necklace was changing to his mood. It turned blue green. He looked at his palm as it was blue green as well. She was confused and it showed on her expression. He leaned against the table breathing out.

"You can give it to your dad," he said looking down.

"I don't want money from a thief," she said putting it on the table.

"I'm not a thief!" he shouted shocked.

She looked at him as they looked at each other seriously. She looked down as her necklace changed to crimson red. He looked at his hand and it was yellow. He was about to reach for her but she smacked his hand away and ran off.

"Ilia, c'mon please I'm sorry! I didn't mean to shout!" Link said brushing his hand through his hair walking out of his house.

He sighed and felt hurt that she said that to him. What's worse is that she probably thinks Midna the same as well, Link thought to himself. He couldn't have anybody thinking badly of Midna. Not after what she had been through and along with him.

He sighed and felt his face trying to think as he looked down. The ring was still yellow. He just shook his head and went up the ladders to his bed passing by his book shelf on the second floor ladder and going up to his comfortable bed on the third. He closed his eyes and just began to drift thinking on the adventure.

"I'll sleep till noon, do some chores," Link said as he began to yawn, "She'll get over it… I still have Midna on my side… Haven't even tried to talk to Zelda yet…"

He began to doze off. When he woke up he woke up just on time. The sun was set high as he could hear the people of the village working on their own projects. Link got up stretching. He reached and put on a loose shirt that was hanging off on foot of his bed.

He looked around the area and saw his work gloves on the night stand next to his bed. He picked up his gloves and slapped them in his hands a bit. He was dreading going out of the house and seeing Ilia. This was one out of few times that he actually didn't want to see her. He felt her wrong in calling him such things. One day she's referring to him as her hero and the next as a thief! It offended him. He deserved moments to adventure to ease that hero feeling within himself. And it wasn't like as if the bulblins had made that rupee. They probably stole it from somebody else. It was divine retribution. He scratched his head while pacing on the highest floor of his house. He rubbed his face in frustration as he equipped his gloves and sat on the edge of his bed searching for his sandals underneath himself tapping the floor with his hand until he felt a string and pulled it. He had pulled out the wolf stone and looked at it. He then remembered what he intended to do. He slipped it away putting it around his neck but keeping the velvet part tied tight as to no mistake of it slipping off. He breathed in and tapped the floor again to find his sandals. When Link found it, he placed them on wrapping the leather string around his legs to secure it.

"Time to go," Link said as he grabbed part of the ladder and slid down quickly to do a back-flip before landing on the second floor then grabbed onto the next ladder sliding down to the bottom. He looked around his house making sure everything was set. He planned to try to go buy some food from the food mart that Beth's parents had changed their shop to. They didn't want to have a large competition with Malo Mart so they changed their shop into a small place where if you didn't have time to cook, or were visiting the country side, you could get food at that bakery like shop. Link opened the door to his house and closed it behind him. He began to wonder if he should put a lock on his house and just looked up at the sun that stood high in the sky. "Better get moving."

He rushed to the village where he stopped by the bakery shop. He went in and to his dislike there was Ilia. She was sitting at a table with Beth who was on her break. Link grimaced and just walked up to the counter as Beth's mother showed him their recent makings like bread with cheese and bits of ham cooked in it, fresh salad, and sandwiches. Link tapped his chin thinking what sounded good for lunch; he was just going to take it with him to the field when he went to rustle up the goats. He pointed at the cucco salad sandwich in rye bread and Beth's mom smiled and got it for him. He also asked for some milk in a bottle. The price came to 8 rupees. As Link took out his rupee bag he could over head Ilia and Beth whispering. He couldn't tell if it was his Hylian side or the wolf part of him that could hear them, or if they were just whispering that loud to get to him. He couldn't tell but he looked at his hand. It showed brown. He rolled his eyes as he could just hear them.

"You should tell your mother not to accept money from a thief," Ilia hissed.

"I can't believe he ran out last night for somebody. And he didn't disclose to you whether it was a girl or a guy. I think it was a girl," Beth said.

"And after all the years we've been together," Ilia said.

When were we really together? Has your amnesia from a while back warped your memory?! I don't exactly remember it being official or did your dad drill it into your head. Link thought trying to hide his annoyed expression.

"You know," Link said aloud, "I know bulblins are a bunch of thieves. It happens to be payback that I got those treasures. It's treasure hunting for your information. And yes, it was a girl who I was with. She's also the one who was helping me find my confidence to ask you out Ilia, but right now…" He turned to actually face Beth and Ilia. "And I haven't seen her in two years. If you can't see how important it was to meet her that evening then it shows just how cold hearted you are. She's a close friend and not of regular folk in your definition. Unlike you being a Hume and all. Did we forget that I'm different too?" Link said pointing at his ears. "And she also helped me. She's a hero as well in her own right! She saved not only Hyrule but her own realm!" Link was almost on the verge of tears. He felt bad at shouting at them and was even more upset that they were so petty. They didn't understand how it felt now. He realized for a moment, after all the travels, it was hard readjusting to this lifestyle. And the urge to get out of the mundane life he has comes with everything he had done. He probably seen more than anybody here will ever see in their entire life. Most of them were too afraid to even leave the village even. How could a bunch of bumpkins like them handle going to the Hyrule Ball?

"Link," Ilia said as she saw the tears well up in his eyes.

"And her name is Midna. She was my shadow, guide, master, and helper throughout the time when I was rescuing Hyrule," Link said zoning out, "And if you think of me as nothing more of a thief after all I've done, fine… but if you think any badly of her… I just can't forgive you."

He put down a yellow rupee and took his food as Ilia just watched him leave. He just went to watch the goats with Fado and ate his lunch trying to hide his frustration in Ilia.

"Women are frustrating," Link said eating.

"Yup," Fado said scratching his head.

"Huh? You too Fado?" Link said looking at him.

Fado blushed and looked at Link. "Gosh Link," Fado started, "She's the purdiest thing to me… she came here one day doing a market trade. She has this light brown hair and is from Hyrule Castle Town. She talked to me about how she'd love to live in a nice lil farm like this."

"Probably doesn't know how much work it is though," Link said taking a swig of milk.

"Probably dun, but I'd make sure I'd work harder so she dun have to worry about it. She could be a sweet lil house wife," Fado said looking at Link sincerely.

Link smiled but paused. He began to think what he would do if it were time for him to settle. Could he? What could he offer. He'd have to change his house or move in with her. Then he couldn't imagine himself settling down to have…

"Link!" Talo shouted.

Link shook his head and looked up. Talo came up to him running out of breath as he had a sling shot in his pocket.

"What's up?" Link said looking down.

"Here," Talo said holding out a letter.

"What's this?" Link asked.

"The mail man delivered it with our family's mail. By accident a letter to you was in there," Talo said smiling.

"The flap is a little open," Link said raising an eyebrow as he noticed the wax Triforce seal was up.

Talo smiled nervously. "Bye Link!" Talo shouted running off.

"Kids… I don't think I'd want them," Link said.

"Oh," Ilia's voice said behind him.

"Uh," Link froze for a moment.

"Link, can I speak to you?" Ilia asked.

Link motioned at Fado who nodded. He got up patting his pants off and started to walk beside Ilia. Ilia and him started to walk off the regular patch for the goats and opened up the new gate. They were in the large field where they were when Link gave her the necklace. It was close to the mountains as it went deep into the valley. But they stayed to the large grassy fields near the village.

"Link," Ilia said softly, "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," Link said trying to be sincere. Though honestly he was having an argument in his mind as to how he deserves her apology and wanted it in fact. "Just… Nobody understands me so well anymore after the whole journey I had to go through. And my friend is just… She went through the journey with me but I only got to know a little about her."

Link felt his hand burn a little as he looked down. It was green.

"So… You don't want kids?" Ilia asked looking at him.

Strange subject, touchy too. Link thought to himself. "Well not now, not yet. Just that I'm not sure that's all… heh heh," Link said with a soft smile. "Kids sound nice… I guess… hero's blood and all," he said mumbling the 'I guess' part to himself.

He held his left hand a little up to his chest as he crossed his other arm to hold himself. He could tell the mark still burned on his hand: The Triforce of Courage. It was something he was born with and part of him was too prideful to let go of it just yet to some kid that would probably make him have to stay put. The suffering his parents must've gone through to keep him protected. He didn't know what it had meant until his journey had started and the princess Zelda had told him. He always thought it was a strange birth mark. But then it must've appeared to him that his parents must've known what it had meant to have run from the comfort of Hyrule Castle's walls and keep him hidden away. Such a sad story to tell. His father dying in a war and his mother dying from protecting him in an invasion from monsters. Link didn't even know what that war was. Maybe he could ask Zelda what war it was.

Ilia touched his shoulder and he looked at her. "If you want, I can come and meet your friend," Ilia said with a forced smile. Link looked at his hand. If the gem could glow any greener he'd like to see it.

He put his hand on her shoulders and brought her in for a hug. He stood there holding her for a while and checking his hand every now and then. It changed to a purple color. He sighed trying to find in himself how to feel about this. Was it just because he was being forced to find a girl that it felt reluctant to hug her? He just held her and she blushed immensely and she hugged him holding onto him tight like signaling that he was all hers.

No more adventures… just living like before everything had happened, he thought to himself as he leaned his head against hers. She always smelled like spring daisies in a wild field. He began to immerge himself in that thought. It wouldn't be so bad, he started to think, live here, become mayor, handle things for everybody, have Ilia as a wife, and probably have kids right away, life like nothing happened… Then he felt a twinge of pain in him. It was such a mundane life. How could he live it? How could he act and ignore what excitement and danger his life had gone through? He couldn't. He has changed and if Ilia and nobody else could see it, then he couldn't accept them for him. But something in him lingered to keep her happy…

When the moment of hugging was over Ilia was happy that they had made up. She skipped off telling him he should come by for dinner not asking about his 'lady friend'. He touched his chest again hoping to find an answer. The afternoon sky was fading into twilight. He was upset. He knew he couldn't make the time out to get to the tree. He walked to the goat field as Fado stood around.

"Link!" Fado said.

"Fado… uhh… you can go home," Link said rubbing the back of his neck.

"But what about the goats?" Fado asked, "They need to be put back inside the barn."

"I'll take care of it," Link said with a kind smile.

Fado looked at link and looked around. "Well… Ok…"

Fado went and picked up his bag that he brought with him in the day. Link sighed upset and angry. He went to the hill's wall where the ring where the animals were kept in the village was and punched it. He looked up at the twilight sky. It angered him and he growled. He looked around making sure nobody was around and took out his necklace with the velvet pouch. He tore the pouch off and gave a howl as he transformed into his wolf form. His frustration in himself and in people wasn't ceasing. He growled as he began to prowl going up to the goats. He noticed a few of the male goats were about to charge at him as none of them had the attention to notice the transformation. As the goats charged at him he dodged and got onto one of their backs and bit at their shoulder and they fell. Link knew that was the leader as the rest began to back off.

Listen to me now, he growled talking to them. They backed up afraid. If you don't want to be eaten… You will listen to me and take me seriously. The fat one named Fado, you better start listening to him.

Why should we listen to him? The fleshy one with the fur growing in strange patches is stupid. He doesn't know how to handle us. If it weren't for his partner we'd all stampede him! A goat exclaimed stamping its foot.

In Link's frustration he snapped at the leg of the goat. Because! I say so! Unless you want something bad to happen.

The goats began to close in on him. There is only one of you, I bet you cannot handle us all!

I beg to differ, a voice echoed as he looked down as his shadow began to shift from under him. There an imp smiled darkly with her toothy grin as she opened her uncovered eye quickly and stared wide at them. The goats began to back up scared. Hup! She said with a spin as she skipped on one of the goats' back. I want one… this is an interesting creature!

Link looked at her blinking confused. He looked left and right and growled. She knew what it meant. Midna, in her imp form, crossed into the world and he wanted her to help me make the goats listen. She jumped onto his back as the large black circle formed under them. Orange sparks lit as he reared closer to the goats and each becoming enveloped in the sparks. He released a mighty howl and charged at all the goats in quick speed knocking them all over without any serious harm.

Now will you listen to me?! Link growled. The goats began to scuffle getting up all getting into a circle. Now get into the barn before I decide to have some goats for dinner! The goats all shuffled quickly and ran into the barn.

"Frustrated today boy?" Midna said petting Link on the head. He gave a slight whimper and a whine. Midna knelt down and started to pet him and looked at his eyes. She hugged him and played with his fur. "Poor beast," She said.

"OVER HERE!" Somebody shouted. "WE HEARD A HOWL! A BEAST COULD'VE GOTTEN THROUGH THE HILLS SOMEHOW AND ITS GOING TO EAT OUR LIVESTOCK!"

"I guess that's our cue," Midna said dashing off with her imp form disappearing and she turned into her true self.

Over there! There's a field there! They won't be able to find or think about over there, Link told Midna.

Midna shattered going through the wall as Link jumped up onto a post and jumped over. Midna and he ran in the field rolling down a bit as they dashed a bit to the side. They hid in a heavily grassy area as Midna wrapped her arm around Link's wolf form hiding both in her cloak. Both looked carefully from under the cloak. Link could smell the people: Fado's foul smell of sweat and animal, Bo's smell of his bad cooking, and Rusl's smell of leather and metal from his sword and sheath.

"What d'you think happened to Link?" Fado worriedly asked.

"I wonder if he went after the beast," Rusl said looking around.

Link sniffed the air as he listened. He cocked his head to look at Midna and her smell came to him. It was something that was very unique. He tilted his head unable to think of how to identify it but it was intoxicating. He wagged his tail with out realizing it. It was a smell in the Twilight Realm. While he was running around, he had found a patch of glowing white flowers growing from a wall. He curiously sniffed it in his wolf form when he was hit with the shadow crystals. It was the smell of those flowers. Link nuzzled close to Midna as she watched out. The men began to leave as she patted his head. But then she pinched his wolf ear causing him to yelp.

"Where were you?" Midna said seriously.

As Link started to growl to explain she made a hand motion for him to stop. She tugged on his neck and the wolf stone fell off.

"Augh," Link said rubbing his neck, "that hurt… and I thought you couldn't transfer out of our meeting place"

"Well I had only intended that spot because it's not where a lot of travelers or people go to catch or see us. And I'm in tuned to your shadow so I can appear as long as my twilight time gateway is timed right. So you were saying how your chores here and lil' miss country girl have been keeping you busy?" Midna said pinching his cheek.

"Owowowiiee," Link whined, "ow, she called me a thief! Me! And… I kind of told her I was around you."

Midna's eyes gleamed wide as she sat up and pinched his face with both hands and harder. Link gurgled with pain as she pinched.

"How could you?! How can anybody else understand what I am?! I doubt she can! She'll probably be like the rest of the hicks here who can't grasp what I am and will assume with the Twilight wars only being two years ago that I'm like those dreadful creatures and… ugh… Zant."

He looked at her teary eyed at the pain as a bit of drool started to come from his mouth. Her expression softened and she just let go. He rubbed his cheeks as she looked at him. She touched his face gently as blue light from the markings on her arms on the black cloth gleamed brightly. The pain began to subside until it was all gone.

Link looked at her then looked at the side. "I'm sorry. She said she'd like to meet you but the ring said she was jealous. But it slipped out about you. Because I felt if she thought I was a thief, she'd think you were too. Sometimes I wonder if I'm being too selfish. Then I feel guilty about it because I'm supposed to be a hero for the people," Link said sighing as he sat next to her. He leaned his head against her shoulder.

She blushed and just looked to the side with a 'humph' escaping her lips. He smiled and couldn't explain how he felt at the present moment. It felt like how he did with Ilia before but yet wasn't as cute. This moment felt more serious. Them sitting in the field as the moon rose in the sky and the stars shined brightly.

"Midna," Link whispered.

"Yeah," Midna responded.

"I feel like I can talk to you about anything. Inside of me… I feel changed. I know that my life needs a bit of excitement every now and then after the whole adventure I just feel like it's hard to readjust my life," Link said wincing a bit, "part of me wants more in my life. It's unsettling. Yet part of me still yearns for my home life here." He sat straight and pointed at his chest, "an old part of me still cries like the young man who wants attention from that pretty farm girl and worked damn hard on getting attention and approval from everything around her."

"And the other part?" Midna asked looking at him.

He gave her this look. She just felt the moment intensify as he came close to her. "If you hadn't shattered the mirror and made it freely for us to see each other… Do you think we'd have quests together like how we did the other night?" Link held one of her hands.

She looked away. Is that all? Just questing? She thought to herself. He reached out and touched her chin to look at him.

"I trust you and I feel closer to you than anybody here. And probably more than anybody if I ever went into your world," Link said seriously.

She gasped and felt guilty. She was hiding something from him. She's been glad so far he hadn't brought up before she left. "Link," She whispered, "I…"

Link eyes rolled a bit up tired and fell over. She gasped as she took out the small flask again of fluid and let him drink it. He took a breath and looked at her tired. He touched her face lightly and she just bit her lip.

"Light and darkness cannot co-exist, Link. As Zelda said, we're just two sides of the same coin," Midna said trying to hold back a tear.

"Darkness is a shadow. You were my shadow. Doesn't that show that without light there can't be darkness? And in darkness, your light showed me the way through," Link whispered, "I know you're still a woman… but you're different than the women here and I'm not saying that because you're a Twili. Women are hard to understand… but you helped me by letting me understand you."

He began to fall asleep as Midna looked at him lightly. She sighed as she brushed his bangs around. "Link…"


AN: To really describe the smell… for those who have smelled Gardenias, Sampaguita, or Jasmine flowers, that's the kind of thought I put in to describe the smell as.