~*D-L*~

I smiled as I stood up, just finishing putting my stuff where it belongs. I looked over and grinned at the eager pre-teen. His eyes were a brilliant sapphire that danced as he smiled, even though the tops of them were scattered by his wheat-gold hair that shagged down over his forehead as it was pulled to the side in a forehead comb over (he calls it a flip over?)—apparently that's some sort of a fashion or something—and noticed the light-brown highlights starting halfway down his hair. Ok, he's getting into his mom's hair now. His skin was fair normally, but it was lightly tanned now since we're just getting out of swimsuit season (can't believe I just said that) and it hid under his black shirt with white detailing that make it look like crap- I mean made it look like writing was covering it—and his legs were covered in blue jeans that had holes in the knees from one seam to the next, practically ripping the entire leg in half… well, not practically, more like literally. He smiled at me and hopped up again. "All done?"

"Yep," I replied, rubbing his hair.

"Stop that!"

"So, this Saria girl, huh?" I smirked seeing his face flush deep scarlet. "You ever met her?"

"Yep! She moved out here… um… three years ago!"

"She did, now did she?"

He smirked at me and nodded. "C'mon, already! I want you to meet my brother!" I sighed and looked around a final time. My roommate had already come and gone, putting his stuff in his half the "room." There was a small kitchen and a living area that branched off into two rooms and a small bathroom. That's the only one. When I walked in, I noticed that the other man had a lot of City Persons' things; flip phone cell holder (empty) and quite a few name-brand things, none of which are sold here in the Country. There was also a laptop on the foot of his bed, hooked into the wall. I went into the other room and started setting up there.

"Alright, alright," I sighed, nodding. "Let's go."

"Yippee!" My eyebrow rose at him as I watched him run out of the room. I sighed, shaking my head before I followed him quickly down the steps and out into town. At the end of the walk, he looked both ways and paused before turning left. I snorted and grabbed onto his wrist, pulling him the other way. "The place we're going is this way."

He blushed and nodded, following me.

I walked along the sidewalk, several yards behind where he was running ahead, looking for that red bench when I felt something tug me back. I stopped and looked over my shoulder, my eyes widening at who I saw. Her tattoo-ed skin still made her appear to be blue and her dyed-orange hair still hung around her face, cascading down the sides of her body and ended with a curl around her hips. She wore a white lab coat and smiled at me as she pulled me into her arms.

"Midna! I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's nice to see you again."

She giggled in my ear and pulled away, holding me at arm's length as she gave me the good ol' double look. My skin was still pretty pale, like before, but it had a tan tint to it, which was a start. I had on a pair of work jeans that had holes worn into them, threads still covering most of the space and a black wife beater under another white, unbuttoned button up shirt. She smiled at me and hugged me again.

"C'mon!" He whined, coming back over to us. "I don't know my way around here! Hurry up!"

Midna gave me an odd glance as I laughed lightly. "Midna, this is my friend I met in the City, Teion. Teion, this is one of the people I grew up with, Midna."

He gave her a look as he examined her before saying, "Yeah, yeah, hi. Whatever, hurry up!" Midna laughed, sending me a sly glance before motioning towards the sidewalk, still winding around the hill we were next to. "The bench is just around there." He smiled and ran off. Midna turned to me and kissed my cheek. As I was rubbing it off, she smirked and said, "I have to get to work. I'm a nurse now, you know. I'll track you down later."

"See ya," I smirked at her. "I better go find Teion before he almost gets himself killed… again."

She laughed and walked away as I started up the side of the hill. At the top, I froze at the sight, my breath hitching in my throat. A man stood with Teion in his arms, smirking at him. His hair was wheat-gold in the sunlight and he was wearing a pair of jeans and a green shirt with, of course, a brown belt and a golden buckle in the front that I couldn't see—didn't have to see. Next to him was a brown-skinned woman with yellow, gold and red makeup, gold jewelry and a red chesty shirt all atop of poufy white pants that were tightened around her waist and each of her ankles. "Now, where's that friend of yours?" The man asked.

Teion dropped from his arms and looked at the sidewalk, crossing his arms in thought. "Dunno… he was with this Midna-girl, but she left…." I started down the hill again, forcing myself to calm down as I swallowed air.

"Well, while we wait for him to come, how d'you like the Countryside so far?" He asked his little brother.

He looked up at his brother and smiled, saying, "It's peaceful."

"I noticed that, too." He chuckled. "What about your friend?"

He shrugged. "He keeps saying that he grew up here."

"Really?" Teion nodded. "Then how did he like the City?"

"It was easy to get lost in a crowd," I answered, standing behind them. Naa froze and looked at me, her eyes instantly tearing up. The man, who had all of my attention, just tensed up and I knew his eyes had widened. I turned to Naa as she wrapped her arms around me, tears soaking my shirt as she sobbed of joy. I smiled to myself, holding her there until she pushed me off, wiping her eyes. "Look what you did! You made my mascara run!" She said, her voice catching a few times from hidden sobs. I chuckled and apologized, half-heartedly.

"It's really you…?" Link's voice asked as I turned back to him.

"I thought the same seeing you." I told him, honestly, and watched as he, slowly, turned to face me. He hadn't grown too much, maybe a little taller, and his eyes had taken on a harder look to them, but the moment he realized it really was me, they melted and shimmered. I didn't have time to say anything more before he was on me, his eyes forced into my shoulder. I smiled and hugged back, tightening my grip around him. "I was starting to think you'd never come back," He mumbled into my shoulder.

"I always keep my promises," I admitted into his ear as my eyes shut and I just stood there, hugging him.

Naa giggled at us and smiled wide, pulling the two of us closer to her. I just smiled, wider until I heard Teion chuckle and look between us. I gestured him over with my hand and quickly his arms wrapped around both Link and my waists.

It was only after we got him to his father and Naa had to go home that Link and I really got any alone time. And if that meant we had to survive through a flood just to have it, I'd ask Princess Ruto to pray for some flood water, hands down.

"So…" Link muttered, quietly as we walked down the street. I glanced at him, waiting. "You were… gone a while, huh?"

I nodded, forcing my hands into my pockets as we continued through the small park that had been our meeting point years ago. "Yeah. Seems longer than it really was, huh…?" I agreed, just as loudly. He nodded, still searching for something to say.

We walked around, silently, until he couldn't take it anymore and let out a breath, saying, "Ganondorf was convicted of your mother's murder shortly after you left. Your mom's buried in the Cemetery on Fifth street…" and he went on to tell me that Midna was a nurse, the Quarterback of the school actually ended up being arrested for possession with intent to sell and telling me which college everyone was heading towards. All in one breath. I was sad to hear most of my enemies ended up attending my college, too.

"Anything else?" I laughed, light-heartedly. He glanced at me sidelong and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing; it seems that your life has been so much more interesting than mine. I'm jealous."

"You're jealous?" He looked at me and noticed the small smile and laughed, "You're pulling my leg," he accused.

"Well, only half-pulling. Tugging, that's it; I'm tugging your leg," we laughed together and I smiled wider, happy to be home again. I stopped in my steps at the thought; my prison, the place I loathed for years, the place I had tried to run away from time and time again, and I was happy to be back? I was happy? Ironic, yes, but very, very true.

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm happy," I said, still not believing it myself.

"So?"

"It's just… I'm happy to be here," I replied, trying to process it. For a minute, I was silent, before I finally explained it to him.

He stood there and laughed at me after I'd finished and I couldn't help laughing, too. His laugh was contagious. After so long, I still couldn't resist it.