Dear Readers,

Thank you for being patience with me. It took me awhile to find an internet connection. Thanks for all the support and even taking the time to read. Please review and tell me what you think.

-Ashalita Hisatake

Chapter Fifteen: Forgiveness

The darkness is so cold… so cold… Zelda thought, drowning in darkness. I want to leave this place. I feel so alone. I don't want to stay here any longer. I need to find a way out of here but how. She was in a white dress, shivering in the coldness of death. Wait… There is a light. I need to get out of this. I need to go to the light.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice said. She then saw a hand in front of her. "Grab my hand…" She grabbed the hand without hesitation and was pull away from darkness. "You still have work to do in the living." Zelda froze in shock. "It has been awhile my princess."

"Mom…" Zelda cried, shaking. "Is that really you?"

"Of course my princess." She said. "You have grown into a beautiful lady. I hardly recognize you." She cupped her face and wiped her tears.

"MOM!" She cried, hugging her tightly.

"Oh Zelda, I miss you so much." Reina said, hugging her.

"How is this possible?" Zelda asked.

"You got stabbed and your soul is between the World of the Living and the World of the Dead. So it is like a near death experience." Reina explained.

"Wow, I never thought I will experience something like this." Zelda said. "So why are you here?"

"I am here to help you return back to the World of the Living." Reina said.

"Are you sure it is okay with God?" She asked. Reina let out a giggle.

"Of course, he has a plan for everyone. And it is not time for you to leave yet. You still have a lot to do." Reina said. "I should know because I work for him after all."

"Wow, you are an angel." She said with awe.

"Of course, I am your guardian angel even your father's guardian angel." Reina replied.

"But there is another me that want me dead and she would do anything to do so. She will hurt the people I love if she doesn't get her way. Maybe I should leave. Maybe I should die." Zelda said, shaking. "Maybe it would be best if I disappear."

"Perhaps but I believe you should go back." Reina said. She kissed her forehead and they appeared in her hospital room. "I need you to watch over your father for me." Zelda turned and found her father sitting beside her bed, holding her hand. "He still needs his little bunny."

"Dad…" Zelda said.

"Oh Bunny, please don't leave me. Doctor Lincoln told me that you would be fine but that what they said about your mother and I lost her." Henry cried. "Please come back to me."

"Oh Dad, I want to come back but… I might hurt you even more." Zelda said, reaching out to him but her hand went through his body. "Whoa…"

"You are but a soul my dear. He can't hear you or see you. You can't even touch him." Reina explained. "However, I am so happy my princess. You have touched so many people."

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked. Reina snapped her fingers and Cree, Ruby, Gwen, Richard, Maurice, and Johnny was in the room. "My friends."

"Oh Zelda, I wish you wake up already." Cree said.

"Come on Honey Bunny, wake up." Ruby cried.

"You are strong." Gwen said.

"You are our friend." Richard said.

"You never give up on us so we won't give up on you." Johnny said.

"You all miss you Zelda." Maurice said. "You don't know this but you are a super hero too."

"You taught me forgiveness." Johnny said.

"You taught me love." Gwen said.

"You taught me friendship." Ruby said.

"And you taught me trust." Richard said.

"Your naïve kindness helped us be friends and who would have thought we will be friends." Cree said, grabbing her hand. "You brought all of us together and I am happy that I met you. Please wake up."

"You made wonderful friends my dear." Reina said. Zelda started crying after hearing all of that.

"You have no idea. They are the best." Zelda cried, smiling at her. "I am nothing compared to them."'

"You have your own gift my dear and you are using it well." Reina said. "Kindness is always taken for granted but it is a very powerful gift to have." Reina snapped her fingers and it was Nigel. He was crying on her. "You need to continue on using your gift and also be there for the people you love especially your little cousin."

"I am so sorry Zelda." Nigel cried. "Please forgive me. I blamed everything on you and I didn't even give you a chance to explain. I am sorry that I said I hate you. I don't. You are like an older sister to me. You spoiled me rotten and you always make time to play with me. Even when you are dating that idiot Chad, you never leave me out. You make time for me. We play videogames and you always cook me my favorite dishes when I eat dinner at your place. You were always on my side and I couldn't do that for you." He cried even more. "You didn't deserve to get stabbed. I should have taken that blade not you." Zelda hugged him even though she couldn't. "I love you and I am sorry."

"I love you too Nigey." She cried.

"You have to come back Z. You have to. I didn't beat you in laser tag yet. You always find a way to win but I know that one day I will beat you. But you need to wake up. You need to come back." Nigel cried. "Please don't leave me."

"Nigel has always watched over you and I am happy that he kept his promise." Reina said. "He loves you dearly and is afraid of losing you." Then Reina her fingers once more and it was Chad. "Just like this other fellow…"

"Chad…" She said.

"Hey babe, it has been five days now and you still haven't woken up." He said, smiling. "I miss hearing your voice and those cheesy lines you have in store for me. I miss you laughing and pouting. I miss you so much. If you can hear me, please stay. I am afraid of losing you again. But when I feel this way, missing you and scared of losing you, I watch that DVD you made for me. It makes me cry, smile, and laugh at the same time. I love your Birthday gift Zelda. Thank you."

"Oh no, he watched it already." Zelda said, blushing. "How embarrassing."

"I see Chad is still with you." Reina said.

"You know him?" Zelda asked.

"Yes I do." She said, smiling. "He is a charming young man and I am happy he takes care of you so well."

"He is the best mom." Zelda said, smiling.

"You know what, my dad told me once that I am too young to understand love. That it was just a phase, a fling, a moment that won't last." He said. "But the truth is, I was scared to love again because I was scared to feel pain. But then I met you and I have a new definition of love. Please don't leave. Please be the moment that will last and not fade away."

"Oh Chad, you are too cheesy." She said, crying.

"You have so many people that need you. Zelda, I think it is time to go back." Reina said. "I know you can figure something out."

"But I am not strong enough to stop my negative self." Zelda said. "I am weak."

"I believe in you." Reina said. "I need you to be brave and have faith. Things will turn out well if you keep believing in yourself."

"Alright I will go back but I am going to miss you. I have so many things I want to tell you and ask you." Zelda said, hugging her.

"There will be a day that you would see me again but it is not any time soon." She said, kissing her forehead. "But always know that I love you endlessly. Please watch over these people for me."

"I will Mom…"

"There will be more people that you would create bonds with and I know that you would cherish every single one of them." Reina said. "Our greatest strength is not the strength of muscle but of heart. And we both have that."

"The blade is dull when it doesn't fight for love." Zelda said.

"But the blade is sharp when it does fight for love." Reina said, smiling. "Goodbye my princess.

At the hospital, Mr. and Mrs. Dickson entered Zelda's room. The room was decorated with sunflowers and there were sealed letters on the table beside her. Mrs. Dickson sat on the chair beside her and let out a sigh. "You look so much like her." She said. "I know you can't hear me but I want to tell you something. It was never about you. It was about me. Your mother used to be my friend. We did everything together and even went to the same school. Then when we reached high school, everything changed. She got pregnant on her Senior Year and she was the laughing stock of the whole school. She was an outcast and I didn't want to be like her. I pushed her away because I didn't want to be an outcast too." She then grabbed her hand. "But your mother didn't hate me at all. She kept on smiling and greeted me with kindness."

"Reina was naively trusting and she fell in love with the worse troublemaker in the whole school." Mr. Dickson said. "I knew your mother and I advice her to stay away from him but she smiled and said that she saw greatness in him even when he was a lost cause."

"Your mother loved your father very much to the point that she gave up here dreams of being an opera singer. Instead, she became a music teacher and she was satisfied with her life." She said. "It is funny. I pushed her away when she was pregnant, however; in a few months, I got pregnant as well. I felt trapped while your mother didn't. Her pregnancy didn't stop her from graduating as the valedictorian and winning prom queen. I blame her for making me feel like a nobody but it was just me being jealous. I put my hatred of your mother towards you and I hope you can forgive me."

"Forgive us…" Mr. Dickson said. "We push our son in sports, academics, and other stuff but we never gave him a chance to choose until you. So Zelda Uno, please forgive us for all the hurtful things we said to you. We just wanted what's best for our son not knowing that maybe he might have it already." Then suddenly, her eyes fluttered opened.

"You are both forgiven." Zelda said lowly, giving them a weak smile. They smiled back at her. "Chad is lucky to have wonderful parents like you two." She then slowly was drifting away. "But thank you for letting me love…him…" She passed out and Mrs. Dickson kissed her forehead.

"You are definitely like your mother." Mrs. Dickson cried.

In a few hours, Zelda gain conscious once more and sat on the hospital bed, staring at the window. Mom… What can I do? I am not strong like you.

"I believe in you." Mom said. "I need you to be brave and have faith. Things will turn out well if you keep believing in yourself."

I want to believe but I am scared that I will fail.

"ZELDA!" Nigel screamed, racing towards her bed. "YOU ARE AWAKE!"

"Nigel…" Zelda said, smiling at him. I am scared that I will fail to protect Nigel. He jumped into her embrace and hugged her tightly. "Oh Nigel, did you miss me?"

"Of course I did." He said, smiling. "I didn't have the chance to say I am sorry. I didn't mean those horrid things"

"Oh Nigel, I forgive you and I will never stop loving you." She said. Nigel cried in her arms and she kept on hugging me. "You know my hero is not supposed to cry."

"I am not crying. I have something in my eye." Nigel protested.

"Of course you did." Zelda teased, giggling.

"So when can you leave the hospital?" Nigel asked.

"Probably tomorrow but I have to take it easy." Zelda said.

"That's great." Nigel said.

"I am sorry for being weak Nigel." Zelda said. "I wish I wasn't so scared of touching my katana. If I didn't have that fear, I would have probably help you fight my negative self instead of being in the way."

"Hey, you don't need to. You are safe and we are going to take down your negative self and put her in her place." Nigel said. "You don't need to do anything."

"But all of this is happening because of me. I have to do something." Zelda said. "Maybe if I turn myself in…"

"NO, SHE WILL KILL YOU!" Nigel snapped. "She almost did last time. You can't change her like you did with Johnny, Gwen, and Richard. She is the opposite of you and she will not listen to you no matter what."

"But she is me…" Zelda said.

"Yeah but she will kill you when she gets the chance. I can't afford to lose you." Nigel said. She patted his head.

"Nigel, you risk your life for me and I can't afford to lose you too." Zelda said. But I can't let you, Chad, and my friends risk your lives for me again.

"I have to go now." Nigel said. "I will come visit soon."

"Alright, I will be here." She said.

"Goodbye Zelda and love you."

"I love you too." She said. He left the room and she let out a sigh. She stared at her hands. "The blade is sharp when it fights for love."