"The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant."

-Dean Koontz, False Memory

.

By now Link was looking for the actual key. Whenever he came to tell the Yeti that she didn't get it right, he'd always check up on me and give me some of the soup that the male Yeti was making, trying to make me feel better. But by now I felt like I could walk around and do anything, but he told me not to, that I would mess up, or something. So I've been staying with the female until she suddenly felt better, asking for my assistance every now and then to help her over to where Link was. We had to wait a few minutes for him to come out.

"Oh! You safe, uh!" She exclaimed happily. "I drink husband's soup, feel much better, uh. So I come find you, with girls help." Link looked to me with a relieved look. "You found key, uh! Good! Good! Bedroom right above us. I take you there, uh." I assisted the female as we made our way up the slick stone, looking over to Link every now and then to see if he was alright. He seemed tired, though he didn't let it show. Stubborn boy. We got to the top and the Yeti spoke again.

"This is bedroom… You unlock it, uh?" Link was already shoving the key into the small hole, where the lock broke in half and fell to the ground, the chains falling as well.

"Thank you. You come inside…" She waddled into the room, Link and I following. "Please… This way, uh." She said as we examined the room. It was so grand, almost like it was made for royalty. The bed didn't seem big enough for the huge male, either. The female made her way over to the Mirror, Link and I still following. Link turned his head side to side, looking at his surroundings.

"Here… mirror. You look at it, uh…" I could honestly hear the music box somewhere in the distance. "Uh… So pretty… Pretty… Uh… So pretty…" I self consciously took hold of Link's arm, feeling the sudden change of aura coming from the creature. "Pretty… Pretty… mirror… Lovely…" She started twitching uncontrollably and she was making strange sounds, where she finally turned to us and her head spun around to reveal her 'Dark Yeti', glowing red eyes and huge fangs. "NOT TAKE MIRROR!" The windows shattered and the cold air blew in, snow surrounding her to form a cage-like structure around her.

"Alek, get away!" Link exclaimed as he pulled out the Ball-and-Chain, swinging it around his head before swinging it against the building. He did that a few more times until Yeta flew against the wall. She started floating up, where she let out some strange sound, and smaller buildings came around her, one covering her as well.

~x~

Link's final throw against the structure made Yeta screech in agony, the building falling to the ground and revealing the poor female lying on her back, where the Mirror Shard shrunk and made its way to us. I held my hands out for it to land in, when Midna flew out of Link's shadow.

"Well, we have two mirror shards now… Two more left guys. Still… I feel bad about the way we treated that girl…"

"You mean how you treated her?" Link asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. Midna glared at him, silently saying 'shut up'.

"To think the Mirror of Twilight has the power to change people like that…" She went on. This world… ALL worlds… can be cruel…" She turned to her right. "Let's hurry up and collect the rest of those pieces!" She exclaimed, "We have to, before more innocent creatures have to endure the suffering this poor girl did…" My mind instantly went to Argorok. I was not looking forward to slaying him.

"Well, let's go search for the two that remain." She summoned a portal and flew over to it, but as soon as we took a step, we heard Yeto scream in protest and shove us to the side, Link quickly twisted us so he was beneath me when we landed. I had my hands on either side of his head, and we starred at each other in shock for a few moments before scrambling away from the other, our faces burning red.

"Uh… Uh… What… What wrong with me?" Yeta asked.

Yeto lifted his wife into a sitting position. "Very strange… You just dreaming, uh."

Yeta gasped. "Yeto! Mirror you gave…" She trailed off and Yeto shook his head.

"Forget mirror, Yeta… No. Look into eyes of Yeto…" I always remembered thing 'I DON'T WANT TO'. "Look in reflection of Yeto's eyes. There true beauty!" For a strange beast, he was very sweet. He then lifted his wife up. "Who need mirror?" He asked.

"My love, uh!" Yeta exclaimed before they embraced, a ton of little hearts spewing out of them before a heart container floated down. Link and I went to gather all of the hearts, Link allowing the heart container to dissolve into his skin. He then turned to me. "Are you sure you're alright?" He asked me, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm…" Midna cut me off.

"Come on! Let's move!" She snapped at us. She teleported us back to Snowpeak, where Link sighed.

"Which one's next?" He asked.

"The Sacred Grove." I replied, snaking my fingers between his, holding onto his hand.

"Right…" Link's mood dropped a little bit. "Midna, can you teleport us?" He asked, looking down to his shadow.

She was already teleporting us to the Northern Forest Grove, our bodies changing to the black particles and shooting off to the sky. We got there and I turned to look in the direction of the village, an almost mournful look on my face. Link seemed to notice.

"What's wrong?" He asked, grabbing my hand and interlocking our fingers. I shook my head as if I came out of a trance and looked at Link, then smiled weakly.

"Nothing." I murmured as I leaned in to kiss his cheek. As I pulled back I saw that Link's eyes were opening, his expression thoughtful. "Is there anything troubling you?" I asked, my grip tightening around his hand. He looked at me and smiled weakly, then shook his head.

"I'm fine as long as you're with me." He whispered, his lips brushing against my ear. I couldn't help but smile weakly.

"Let's go." I tugged on his hand and led him to where Rusl was waiting, his arms crossed over his chest.

"It has been a while since we took a walk in the forest, huh?" He asked Link without looking at the boy. "Yes, and how our world has changed… I knew you would come." He took off his helmet and shook his head. "I have heard of your brave acts from Telma…" Link seemed to blush as he said that, moving a little closer to me. "I have known her circle of friends since my youth, and of late we have begun to work toward a common goal." He put his helmet back on. "…So. Let me tell you two a story." Link went from looking forward to Rusl.

"Do you know about the far side of this deep gorge? Some say there is an ancient temple deep in the woods that guards a sacred power. The ancestors of the Hylians created the temple… Signs of their civilization—ancient, but very sophisticated—are everywhere. If someone could obtain the power of those ancient people… Well, I am sure it would go a long way toward saving Hyrule." He turned to face Link, and Link the same, though still holding onto my hand. I only turned my head.

"Link…" Rusl continued. "Would you take on this task? Would you cross the gorge and find the ancient power sleeping in the temple?"

"Of course." Link replied with a nod.

"I knew you would!" Rusl smirked at the boy. "To cross the gorge, just use my partner here." He turned south and played the tune used to summon the Hawk, but instead, a beautiful golden colored Cuccoo came, landing on Rusl's outstretched arm. Link and I looked at each other with a confused look, before looking back to the bird.

"…Do you doubt my partner's skills? He flies like a dream! Believe me! Well, you will definitely make it across the gorge. Wait and see, my doubting friends. Now, restore the peace! Reclaim the power of this ancient civilization that has slept in the temple for ages beyond count! My partner will definitely get the job done! No doubt in my mind! Give it a shot!" I swear, there was a hint of smugness in his voice.

"How are we to do this?" Link whispered to me. "I'm sure this thing can't carry both of us at the same time."

"Rusl! What was that noise?" I suddenly burst out, shocking the men as I clutched Link's arm with both of my hands. "I hope it wasn't another monster!" I started shaking, hiding behind Link.

"Where was it?" Rusl asked, drawing his 'sword' (more like a meat cleaver) and facing south again.

"I think it came from the spring!" I thought of my kitty dying, which made my start to tear up a little. "Go check it out!" I buried my face in the deeply confused Link's side, seeking 'comfort'.

"Don't move!" Rusl commanded as he darted off, as fast as his old man legs would let him, towards the spring.

"Alright, let's go." I said, wiping the fake tears off of my face and smirking. I looked up a little and saw Link looking at me like I had just lost it. "What? We had to get him away so I can get over there, right? It's all part of my plan." I rubbed my hands together in an evil fashion, and then flexed my fingers. "Take the Cuccoo." I said as I let fire burst out of my hands and I flew over to the entrance of the Sacred Grove, waiting on Link after I got there. It took him a while, but at least he made it.

"How about you tell me before you suddenly take off, huh? You nearly burned off my tunic." He growled. "Now, give me back my hat." He held his hand out to me.

"Only if you say please~" I sang, rubbing my cheek against his teasingly. I turned around, plopping the cap onto my head and sprinted off into the other direction. I heard him shout at me, though I was already heading for the entrance to the Sacred Grove, leaping after the Skull Kid.

I went to the entrance of the temple of time to have the familiar Twilight stones smash into the ground around me, with three Shadow Beasts fall around me. I pulled out my swords and attacked one, though when I turned around; another Shadow Beast lashed out at me and slashed my head, knocking me down for a moment. Even though I felt the blood seep down the side of my face from my new wound, I still managed to kill the other two, creating a new portal. My head felt lighter, and I was swaying slightly, falling over onto my side. I felt the energy draining from me, and that was it. I remember waking up and not remembering where I was. I stood back up and looked around, the whole area foreign to me. I felt adrenaline run through my veins, and the more I thought about it, the less I remembered. I couldn't remember almost anything about the game I loved so much, and that scared me more than anything. I didn't remember where to go or what to do, hell; I didn't even really remember where I was. I took Link's cap off of my head and felt the soft fabric with my thumbs, and then I noticed it.

My hands were trembling.

Because I didn't remember almost anything in the game or because I didn't know where I was, I'd probably never know. I felt tears glaze over my eyes. I blinked them away and sniffled, rubbing the palm of my left hand over my cheeks. I walked over to the wall and sat down, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on them. I clutched his hat to my chest in a death grip.

I remembered going to an alternate world where the skies were orange and black, or so I thought, and the people never actually spoke to you, just made a moaning sound. I remember fighting a giant spider and hating every second of it, and I remembered fighting someone who was the boss in every game. I was shocked at how little I remembered, but also terrified. This was my favorite game of all time, and I barely remembered who the main villain was.

"Noel!" Links voice sounded frustrated, yet also concerned. I looked up and saw him running towards me, and my fear just melted away as I saw him get closer. I scrambled to my feet and rushed into him, tightly wrapping my arms around him. He grunted as I collided with him, though he soon wrapped an arm around my waist and cradled my head. "Where have you been?" He asked, pushing me away slightly in order to look at me. His eyebrows knit. "And why are you shaking?"

"Link, I…" My chin quivered slightly. My eyes then quickly widened and I gripped his arms. "I barely remember anything. I don't remember who the big bag villain is, I don't remember where we're going; I don't even remember where we are!" I looked up at him as he brushed my newly formed tears away with his thumbs, concern obvious in his eyes.

"Midna." He muttered, refusing to take his eyes off of mine. "Do you know what's wrong with her?" He asked as the imp shot out of his shadow.

"Not even slightly." She said sadly. "Did you hit your head on anything?" She asked as she floated around me, probably looking for any wounds. I shook my head again.

"No I mean, I got attacked by the shadow beats, but that was it." I shuddered at the memory. I looked over to Link to see his eyes gleaming with fear, almost as if he was remembering something. "What?" I asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"It's like… It's like Ilia…" He muttered, staring at me for a while longer before shaking his head and taking hold of my wrist. "Come on." He said his voice dark.

"Wait!" I screeched, slamming my heels into the dirt. "What about the…" I turned my head to the entrance I came from.

"You opened up the portal at least, right? Then let's get back to Kakariko. You're more important than any mirror shard to me."

"Kakari…ko?" The name seemed vaguely familiar, though something was telling me it was a village with one of the Light Spirits in it. We got to the dusty village and I knit my eyebrows, looking around. Link pulled me along into a large building with some structure in the middle, a man with tan skin standing in the middle. Link called out "Renado," which I assumed was his name, and he turned to us, his eyebrows coming together as Link explained my condition to him.

"Were you hit by anything, by chance?" He asked me. I told him about the Shadow Beasts and he nodded slightly. "Maybe there is something in that cut that affected you," he offered, leading me to the side so I could sit. I held my head in my hands, gripping my hair out of frustration. Link sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, giving me a light squeeze. Renado excused himself from us and asked Link to follow him, leaving me alone. That is, until Ilia came in. She had a snotty look on her face and her arms were crossed as she walked over to me.

"It's a good thing you're losing your memory, you know," she said idly. I lifted my head and looked up at her with a blank stare. "'Cause if you forget about Link, then he'll come back to me," she smirked.

"He wouldn't do that," I scoffed. "He'll do anything to help me remember; just like he did for you. He wouldn't let anything else happen to me."

"And yet you've lost most of your memory,"

"I haven't forgotten Link!" I snapped, standing up and baring my teeth at the other female who took a step back.

She regained her posture and giggled. "Who's to say you'll remember him tomorrow? Can you even remember where you first met him?" She raised one of her eyebrows in a smug way. She also had a look of victory. "You'll never win. You know that, right?"

I didn't want to fight with a girl I barely remembered, so I simply hung my head. Unfortunately for me, she took that as me surrendering, and laughed somewhat evilly.

"I knew I'd win eventually," she sneered at me. "I always do," she hummed a tune I couldn't name and walked over to me, putting her index finger beneath my chin in order to make me look at her. "He'll get bored of you since you can't even remember where you are now. How can you possibly say that you'll remember him tomorrow?" That stung me more than anything she has ever said to me before. My fatigue washed away and was replaces with rage, making me lunge myself at her, pinning her to the opposite wall, all in one swift movement. "Don't you dare say that!" I shouted at her, ignoring the terrified look she gave me. "Give up! He doesn't like you!" I was holding onto her upper arms, shaking her slightly with my last sentence for emphasis, though there was none needed.

She had her lips parted as if she wanted to speak, and little did I know that Link was standing by the window, listening to the whole thing. Ilia's features soon changed from fear to a smirk, her eyebrows narrowing. "You think you can win? I know what you've been doing. I know who you secretly work for."

My eyebrows knit. What?

"I found out that the man who took you a few months ago works for Ganondorf, and since you were gone with him for so long, you must be working with them, too," she was spewing lies. It drove me to the brink of insanity just listening to her. "Shut your mouth!" I shook her again. "You don't know what you're talking about!" She slid out from my grip and kneed me in the stomach, making me fall to my knees.

"Oh, really?" She mused. "Seems like you can't even remember who you work for," she giggled slightly. "And Link doesn't know any better,"

"What?" Of course he knows! I've told him everything! Well, besides the fact that I'm not from here. "You're insane," I hissed, still clutching my stomach.

"At least I can remember who I am," she giggled again.

"That's it!" I flung myself at her again and started clawing at her until I felt arms wrap around me and pull me off of her, holding me secure as Ilia scrambled away from me, her clothes torn randomly and a few scratches and bruises covering her. I tried tearing the arms off of me, but the person was keeping a firm hold on me. I swore randomly at the other girl, threatening her and shouting at the arms to release me. I don't even remember why I was so upset now, but my rage refused to go away. I couldn't remember anyone. I felt alone, yet something, or someone, told me I wasn't.

"Noel," the voice was so low that no one else could hear, and it sounded firm. "Stop this," this time it sounded gentler. I still struggled against the boy, glaring at Ilia, my hands starting to warm up with my building magic that was reacting to my rage.

"Noel... Please, stop..." the voice sounded like it was in pain now, and I could barely recognize it. "Ilia get out of here!" It snapped, and the girl fled the scene. I was turned around by the arms and found myself glaring at familiar sky blue eyes. The eyes seemed to be searching for something. "Noel, stop it," the voice was firm and demanding now, shaking me slightly. My fingertips were now smoking because of the magic, and because of the burned clothing. The person sighed, then leaned forward and tucked his lips against mine, snaking a hand behind my neck, holding it in place while the other one pressed against the small of my back. This feeling felt so familiar... I grabbed onto the boys collar and pulled him closer, craving more of this feeling. My hands were no longer burning. This taste, this touch, it's all so familiar. This must be Link. I let out a strangled moan and arched my back. Link wrapped the arm that was against the small of my back around my waist, pressing me against him. His tongue flicked against my bottom lip, silently asking for entrance. I obeyed, parting my lips slightly and feeling the others tongue slip into my mouth, slowly exploring my own mouth. Another moan was released when I pressed my hands against his cheeks, feeling Link's other hand move down my side and down to my thigh, pulling it up around his hip. I couldn't breathe, so I pulled back, only to have Link trail more kisses down to my neck, breathing heavily as he lightly nipped my skin. I let out a small squeak; though bit my lips when I remembered that this was a public place.

Wait... This is a public place!

I shoved Link off of me and took a step back, moving a hand to my forehead. "No, no no no no," I shook my head. "I'm only 17!" I exclaimed, my voice wavering. "We can't do any more. I barely even-!" I stopped myself before I said that I barely remembered him, knowing that it would hurt him. "I just need some sleep," I moved my hand to my forehead, feeling my skin burn slightly. I looked back to Link and he nodded slightly.

"Come on," he wrapped his hand around mine and led me out of the area and to the inn, leading me to a room with a single bed. "Here you are," he said, and with a quick kiss to my cheek, he went back to the doorway. "I'll be in the next room over. Go there if anything happens," he smiled weakly at me and left my sight, leaving me to myself.

I sighed heavily and let my legs give out on me, sending me to the bed, my arms stretched out at my sides. I took slow, deep breaths, trying to cease my racing thoughts. Tomorrow has to get better.

It has to.

.

Yeah, I know it's been about half a year. Q~Q I've been wanting to change the story so it didn't follow the normal story line, and this is how I wanted it to go. It's still be going through my mind on a regular basis, believe me. I've been writing little snippets of it on my iPod whenever I can, so now I have like, four documents open on it with 495834985762 pages per document. xD

That, and writers block. I'm seriously gonna be killed by it someday.