Well I promised everyone I would post a good chapter. I will state that not only will Link acquire an item from this Temple. but Rinku will as well. If you don't like it, I'm sorry. He needs a weapon other than his sword. Thank you for the kind words in the reviews. Thank you all so much. It made me feel better. Onward!

-Poes & Heritage-

Link stopped, as he placed the hookshot in the outside of his pocket. He turned to Rinku, who was adjusting his belt.

"Ready?" He asked Rinku. The ash blond haired boy gave a small smile and then he nodded. "Okay, let's go." Navi was flying between the two boys, keeping her blue eyes on the look out. Link was a few feet ahead of Rinku, his sapphire hues searching the front. Rinku's azure hues landed on the decorated door that was in front of the temple. Link took two steps, as two wolfos appeared from out of the ground.

"Woah," Rinku said, pulling Link back, before the wolfos made the attempt of slicing him. Both boys quickly withdrew their shields and unsheathed their swords. Standing back to back, they leaned against each other, each of them attacking a wolf. Rinku couldn't help, but thinking these wolfos were made evil by Ganondorf's power and that possibly they were good once. He brushed the feeling when he plunged the sword into the wolfos chest. It cried out, before it claw grazed his arm. Grunting, Rinku once again shoved his sword into it's chest. It shrieked, as it disappeared into nothingness.

"That was...unexpected," Link muttered under his breath. He managed to defeat the wolfos he was fighting. Link took a deep breath, before he climbed up the vines that were to his left. Rinku watched him carefully and made sure he wouldn't fall. Navi floated around Link, as Link made contact with a small tree trunk. He glanced over to the other one and saw a small chest was there. He walked to the edge, keeping his balance. Then he removed his hookshot and firing it. It connected with the chest, safely bringing Link to the chest. He opened it slowly and it revealed a small key.

Rinku went to the door and was studying the design. He had seen the design before, but couldn't pinpoint where. He heard a small thud, as Link jumped from the one tree trunk to the other. He then climbed down the vines before letting go halfway, landing gracefully on his feet. He made it to Rinku's side. "You ready for this, Link?"

He nodded, as he opened the door. Both Rinku and Link looked up and saw a skulltula there. Link raised the hookshot and manage to kill it without a second thought. He then continued, as Navi zipped under his hat. "Navi, you okay?" His voice was worried, as he could feel her shaking slightly. "Is something scaring you?"

"Poes," her voice was a soft, yet shaky whisper. "Four of them and they're inside the next room." Link looked at Rinku, who raised a brow. Link, himself, wasn't too fond of ghosts, but he had to face them. In order to save Hyrule, he would have to place his fears aside and confront them head-on. Rinku only shuddered, remembering his time in Arbiter's Grounds, that was infested with ghosts and the dead. Link signaled to Rinku for them to continue forward. He grabbed the knob and opened the door.

The room was brightly lit, with four colored flames from torches. Suddenly, as the two men approached the center of the room, four poes appeared. Each Poe had a distinct flame and color to them. The colors were red, blue, green, and purple. The elevator in the center of the room was lowered, so the men couldn't travel down. Each of the Poes took the light and disappeared going in different directions. The room grew dark, as the light was taken away.

"Well that explains it," Link whispered, as Navi came out of his hat. She scanned the area with her eyes, before turning to the two boys.

"Their essences is gone from this room," she reported. "However, they are above us in different rooms. But I get the strangest feeling we are being watched."

Unknown to them, Navi's intuition is correct. The Poe with the purple flame was watching them from an area unknown, as the trio continued their journey.

"Well, I don't see anything else, Navi," Link stated. "Come on, let's go." Rinku followed Link, as Navi stayed hovered above them. He approached a door, opening it slowly. A floating skull, covered in a green mist was flying in the narrow corridor. Link raised his shield, as the skull flew straight into it. It lost the ability to fly, as it bounced on the floor. Link jabbed his sword into the skull's head. It let out a soft groan, disappearing.

"That was far too easy," Rinku commented, as they continued into the next room. Rinku straightened up, as he opened the door. It closed behind Link, as two Stalfos appeared from the ground.

"Watch out," Navi exclaimed, as the skeletal knights approached the two young men. Link withdrew his shield and unsheathed his sword. Rinku followed in suit, as one of them followed him. He managed to use his shield attack, stunning the Stalfos momentary. Rinku then performed the Mortal Draw. He stood still with his sword sheathed and did not target the opponent he wished to eliminate. The Stalfos got close enough to the young hero, which causes Rinku to quickly draw his sword and performed a devastating blow to the Stalfos. It disappeared into nothingness. He turned in time to see Link was thrust in the leg by the Stalfos, which was now bleeding greatly. Link raised his shield, as the Stalfos backed him into a corner.

A low growl escaped Rinku's throat, as he ran towards the enemy. He then performed the Helm Splitter. He whistled gaining the Stalfos' attention. Then he went onto stun the enemy. Rinku felt his muscles tense as he jumped in the air above the foe and sliced its head in a vertical flipping motion. Rinku landed behind his opponent, giving him a possible chance to attack the foe again from behind. The Stalfos growled in anger, as Rinku back flipped away from its sword. He raised his sword and sliced in in a vertical motion, causing the Stalfos to fall backwards. Without hesitation, Rinku performed the Ending blow. Rinku finished off the foe by jumping in the air and performing a down thrust right into the Stalfos' chest, thus instantly defeating it. It disappeared into nothing.

Rinku looked over at Link, who was wincing in pain. He ran over to him and was at his side immediately. Link groaned slightly, as he fumbled through one of his pockets. He let out a yelp of pain. Rinku finally reached his hand into Link's pouch. He withdrew a bottle containing a fairy. He popped it open. The fairy immediately went to work on his leg wound.

Link winced even more. Once the fairy was done, he offered a smile. "Thank you." The fairy nodded, before flying off.

The trio ventured further into the Forest Temple, finally equipping themselves with their own special weapons. Link acquired the fairy bow and arrows. Rinku acquired the gale boomerang.

Link looked at Rinku's newly acquired item. "That looks so cool." Rinku smiled at Link's astonishment.

"Well that funny thing is I swore I had this when I got here," Rinku commented, going through his pouchs. "Well it seems my items are gone. Perhaps I acquire my own items as we proceed. I'll gain back everything I had." Link nodded, as they traveled up a staircase.

"Behind you, watch out!" Navi screamed. Link spun around, staring at a photo of the red poe he had seen earlier. It laughed, as it appeared in a painting behind Rinku. "I think you shoot the photos with your bow and arrow, Link." Rinku moved out of the way, as Link readied his bow and arrow. He fired, as the picture disappeared. He fired another arrow at the furthest one from him. Then he turned around and fired another shot at the one the was closest to Navi. The poe flew under the stair case and made it's way down the stairs.

"Try staying on the stairs and shoot at it," Rinku whispered, as the three of them huddled near the bottom step.

"The name of this one is Joelle - one of the Poe sisters! Aim for her when she appears!" Navi reported to Link, who nodded. He targeted the enemy, and shot her with his arrow. He repeated the process four more times, before she shrieked and a red-flamed torch lit.

"Let's go find the other three," Rinku suggested, as they hurried from the room. They entered the main room as Link looked around.

"Hey," he pointed towards the center of the room. They all turned and noticed a red-flamed torch in the main room of the temple was lit. "I guess whenever I beat one, the flame will light up in here." It didn't take the boys much longer to track the other three, named Beth, Amy, and Meg. The fourth sister tried to confuse the boys. Her battle technique is vastly different from her sisters; she replicated herself into three other clones and begins to spin about Link and Rinku. Although her technique is intimidating, her true form is easily recognizable - the real Meg will be the first to spin around once the four "Megs" have surrounded Link and Rinku.

Luckily, every time she turned, Link spotted her and struck her with a jump attack. After four hits, he defeated the fourth poe. Meg's death and the lighting of the four torches finally enabled Link and Rinku to access the temple's basement, where the temple boss waited for them. A giant chest began to appear before them, as the boys took a step back. Link approached and opened it. He leaned forward and pulled out beautifully crafted gold key with a ruby in the center. He knew without saying a word that it was the boss key. Rinku smiled happily, the corners of his eyes crinkled. Link smiled, as they were finally making their way to the boss. They went down the elevator and smiled at one another. Navi flew above them, looking around.

When they made it to the bottom, they were required to rotate the floor. Link pushed up against the wall and Rinku felt the ground rotate. He turned his head and looked at a doorway. "Do you go in there?" Link gave a small shrug, as Navi flew above them both. He entered the room and saw a small chest. He approached it gingerly.

Link opened it and pulled out a bundle of arrows. He grinned. "Well that's a nice surprise," Link's childish side was showing, as Rinku watched him scratched the back of his head. "Hehe, well let's go." After a few more times the floor rotated and Link kept stepping on switches, they were finally able to go into the boss room. Link took a deep breath, withdrawing the boss key. "Are you ready?" Rinku nodded, as Link unlocked the door. Link ran up the stairs with Navi, as Rinku looked around his surrounds. He heard a yelp, raising his alarm. As he approached the top of the stair, he noticed that he was blocked off from entering.

Rinku's eyes widen in horror, as he pointed. "Link, behind you!" Link's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. He stiffened when he felt breath on his neck. He spun around and backed up in horror. Link saw a black stallion, and on top was Ganondorf. Ganondorf smiled at him, as a small chuckle left his lips. He raised his hand over his head, as a mask appeared in its place. The eyes began to glow red, as Ganondorf and the horse were floating in mid-air.

"Phantom Ganon! It's an evil ghost of the Forest Temple! He comes out of one of the pictures. Answer his magic attack with an attack of your own!" Navi reported, watching the two of them jumped into a painting, as the Phantom of Ganondorf chuckled evilly. "Phantom Ganon attack him when he comes out of one of the pictures! Watch out for the fake one!" Rinku tried to get over the railing, as a barrier prevented him from entering.

"Oh no," Rinku whispered, watching Link withdraw his bow and arrow. Uncertainty was clearly in his eyes, looking at the paintings. He saw Phantom Ganondorf coming from two of them. One of them was dim, as the other one was brighter. Rinku pointed to the bright one. "Shoot at the one painting that is brighter when he comes out! Trust me!" Link only nodded, as he readied his bow and arrow. Just as the Phantom horse and rider were able to jump out of the painting, Link shot his target, causing Ganondorf to growl in anger.

After he made a few more successful shots, the Phantom of Ganondorf left his horse and floated around the room. He formed magic in his hand and shot it at Link. Link quickly hit it back with his sword, keeping his eyes at Ganondorf. Rinku recognized this fight. He was literally playing a form of tennis. "Keep hurling those back at him! It'll get faster each time!" When he said that, Ganondorf hit it back at him. Link mistimed it and it hit him. A scream erupted from Link's lips, as he fell to the ground. "Link! Please get up!" Rinku noticed Ganondorf wasn't giving Link a chance to recover. "Roll out of the way!"

Link focused enough to roll, just as the blast missed him. He rolled onto his feet, glaring at Ganondorf. "You got lucky that time, but trust me. You will not get lucky a second time!" Ganondorf grunted, as he shot another ball of magic at the young man. Link readied his sword and swung it, causing the ball of magic back at Ganondorf. After the two of them hit it back a few time, Ganondorf mistimed his attack and it hit him. He fell to the ground. Link leaped at him, doing a jump attack with his sword. He managed a few more slashes, before Ganondorf flew upward.

"Let's see you try again, kid," Ganondorf stated. Link narrowed his eyes, taking a few steps back. He watched Phantom Ganondorf with cautious eyes, as he was trying to figure out his next move. After they played a few more rounds of tennis, Phantom Ganondorf was stunned when he realized he didn't have the energy to rise into the air. "Hey kid, you did quite well... It looks like you may be gaining some slight skill... But you have defeated only my phantom... When you fight the real me, it won't be so easy! What a worthless creation that ghost was! I will banish it to the gap between dimensions!" A purple glow appeared in the center of the platform, as the ghost was sucked into a dimension before vanishing from sight. The railing dropped, as Rinku ran to Link.

"You did it," Rinku smiled at him. Link gave him a childish grin, nodding softly. "Let's go." The trio of them walked into the blue light, allowing it to engulf around them. They were all in the Sacred Realm, facing the Forest Symbol. A blue light appeared, as Link's childhood friend Saria rose.

"You're the sage of the forest?" Link's voice wavered slightly, as a small frown crossed his lips. Then he also noticed that she didn't grow up. Saria's eyes widen, when she saw his growth. She regained her composure, sighing slightly.

"Thank you... Because of you, I could awaken as a Sage... I am Saria. The Sage of the Forest Temple... I always believed that you would come. Because I know you... No... You don't have to explain it to me...Because it is destiny that you and I can't live in the same world. I will stay here as the Forest Sage and help you... Now, please take this Medallion..." She raised her hands into the air, as a green medallion came spinning towards Link. He raised his hands as it landed with a soft thud. A white light engulfed the trio, as they heard Saria's voice one last time. "Saria will always be your friend. Please stay safe."

The trio ended up in the Great Deku Tree Meadow. Link noticed a stump with two leaves. As he leaned forward to investigate, it popped up out of the ground. Rinku managed to catch Link before he stumbled to the ground. "Hi there! I'm the Deku Tree sprout! Some time ago, before the King of Hyrule unified this country, there was a fierce war in our world. One day, to escape from the fires of the war, a Hylian mother and her baby boy entered this forbidden forest. The mother was gravely injured... Her only choice was to entrust the child to the Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of the forest. The Deku Tree could sense that this was a child of destiny, whose fate would affect the entire world, so he took him into the forest. After the mother passed away, the baby was raised as a Kokiri. And now, finally, the day of destiny has come. You are a Hylian, and were always bound to leave this forest. And now... You have learned your own destiny... So you know what you must do... That's right... You must save the land of Hyrule! Now, Link, break the curses on all of the Temples, and return peace to Hyrule!"

Link turned to face Rinku, who was surprised to see the agonizing, infuriation, and tears on Link's face. He began to walk from the meadow and into the forest. Rinku and Navi glanced at each other in surprise, before turning to Link. "Wait," Rinku called. Link stopped, but didn't turn around. "Link..I.."

"Shut up," Link screamed at the unexpected teenager. Rinku and Navi's eyes grew wide with surprise, as they watched Link's body tremble. "All my life, my whole life, I was lied too! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? I knew that something was off when I didn't receive a fairy until recently! I knew I wasn't like everybody else! Where...where do I live my life now? I can't live here if I'm not really a Kokiri." Link broke down completely, as Rinku embraced him in his arms.

"It's okay," Rinku tried to reassure him. He didn't know what to say to Link to make him feel better. He raised Link's head and azure hues met with sapphire orbs. "Wanna hear about my life?" Link nodded faintly, as he watched Rinku sit down on the grass before entering Kokiri Forest. Link dropped in a thud, looking like he lost his best friend. Rinku looked at him and placed on a friendly arm around him, pulling him close.

Rinku was outside of his house that was in the middle of Lake Hylia, dangling his legs over the dock. The young 6 year old raised his head to the sun, closing his azure hues in the process. The wind blew against his face, bringing a slight mist to his face. The sound of pounding hooves broke Rinku out of his daydream. Rinku gasped, when he saw Bulbin's on top of Bullbo's. The young child jumped to his feet, as they jumped off their Bullbo's heading for Rinku's house. He dashed inside, tears streaming down his face.

"Momma, Papa," he screamed. A young man and young woman, no more then 25, both ran downstairs.

"Rinku, what's wrong?" his mother took in his tear-stained face.

"Bu," was all he could scream out, before the door was kicked in. Rinku's father withdrew his sword, standing in front of his terrified wife and scared son.

Rinku's father, who was named Damon, looked at his wife. Her name was Katerina. Her beautifully tanned skin and shimmering red hair fell to her waist, showing that she was a descendant of the now extincted Gerudo Tribe. "Take Rinku to Ordon, or force him to take Eva. Katerina, get him out of here." Katerina held back a sob, as she ran. She knew that would be the last time she see her husband alive. She ran to the horse stable, that was thankfully out of the Bulblin's view. She glanced down the stalls and spotted her horse Eva.

"Eva," Katerina whispered, gaining her attention. Eva got to her feet, making her way over to Katerina and Rinku. She put on the saddle she could find nearby, choking back tears. Katerina also tied on some bags to the saddle, that contained some nuts, apples, and a few canteens of water. Then Katerina reached down and gently put Rinku on the saddle. She gathered the reins and Rinku held them firmly in his tiny hands. His father had taught him how to ride a horse properly. She glanced up, ruffled Rinku's ash blond hair. "You know where daddy's likes taking you, right? That village named Ordon?" Rinku gave a small nod, not understanding where she was getting at. "I want you to take Eva there. Don't stop until you get there, okay? And don't let the bulblin's see you."

Rinku looked at his mother, terror was plain to see in his eyes, realization was now apparent on his face and voice. "But mommy..."

Katerina kissed his forehead. "Go!" She smacked Eva on the back, causing her to neigh. Rinku held on tight, looking back.

"Mommy!" Rinku let out a soft cry, as Eva darted out of the stable, remaining out of the view of the Bulblin's that were attacking the house. Rinku kept his eyes closed, until Eva jerked in fear. He glanced back and noticed two Bulbin Archer's on Bullbo's were chasing him.

Rinku dug his heels into Eva's sides out of fear. "Eva, please get up to daddy's safe place." As if she understood, she gave him a small nod. One Bulblin was able to shoot an arrow, as it connected with Rinku's back. He screamed in pain, as two more arrows came. One missed the two, while the other one stuck to his right arm. Tears cascaded down his cheeks. Eva managed to elude them due to her incredible speed, leading Rinku to safety. She could feel the young child against her neck, his tears soaked her hair, as his breathing grazed her neck. It would take her a day to get to Ordon, but she was going to make it, not only for Link's sake, but her own.

The village of Ordon was a peaceful place. It was a very small place that was still part of Hyrule Kingdom. The Mayor named Bo had a 5 year old daughter named Ilia, who was every image of her late mother. He was a rather large man. He was good friends with a young man named Rusl, who was Ordon's only warrior. He was a young man, no more than 16 years of age. He was dating a young woman, by the name of Uli. She was only 15 years old. Rusl was near the path that led to Ordon Spring when he heard pounding hooves. He withdrew his bow and arrow, hiding behind a tree. He lowered it in horror, as Eva came into view, holding an unconscious child.

"Rinku!" Rusl recognized the child immediately, as his friend's son. He noticed the arrows, biting down on his lower lip. He looked at Eva, taking Rinku in his arms carefully. "Follow me girl." Eva followed him, as he ran to Uli's house, hoping she could fix him. He kicked on the door, causing a startled Uli to open it.

"Rusl, what in the goddess...Rinku!" Her blue eyes landed on the young child that Rusl was carrying. "Bring him in." She laid out a blanket, glancing at Rusl. He gently laid Rink on his stomach, looking at Uli. Rusl bit his lip, looking at the arrows.

"They are not in deep enough to cause serious damage, but he has lost quite some blood," Rusl reported. "If he came all this way from Lake Hylia, then you know he has been bleeding for a while." He reached for the arrow on Rinku's back and managed to pulled it out, arrow and all. Rinku barely flinched, causing their alarm to rise. He removed the arrow from Rinku's arm, gaining a soft whine. "I hate seeing him in pain. Uli," he looked at her. She glanced up. "Fix him up, while I take Eva to the Ranch. I will return shortly." She nodded, as Rusl left the house.

Rinku let out a small sigh. "They patched me up and took me in. I missed my parents and I didn't have a family that I can claim is by blood, but they took me in. I consider them both my adoptive parents and their son Colin is like my little brother. I'm pretty sure that your friend Malon won't let you live out in the streets. She seemed like a wonderful girl even though she met me as a wolf."

Navi flew between them. "That's right Link. Your farm girl friend." Her excitement was contagious, when she noticed the huge smile on Rinku's face. The corner's of Link's lips crinkled a bit.

Link's head jerked up. "Malon. I promised that I'd visit her after the temple." Link got to his feet, smiling at Rinku, who got to his feet. 'Thank you for sharing that with me, Rinku. I understand it must have been hard and very scary." Navi landed on Rinku's shoulder, placing a gentle hand on his cheek.

Rinku rubbed the back of his head looking at Link. "I may have known my parents, but that doesn't mean your parents didn't love you. I'm sure no matter where they are, your parents loved you. You are a special person, Link. I'm not saying that because you're my great, great, how many great's? The fact is you're my grandfather, but I'm not saying it because of that. I'm saying it because I can tell how strong you are and how big of a heart you have. You are helping complete strangers and that is a great trait. You'll see that being who you are is the best thing ever. Let's go see Malon." He smiled at him, as they left the Forest. Once they exited the Forest, Rinku withdrew his crystal necklace, placing it around his neck. He phased into a wolf once more. He licked Link's hand, as Link got on, and the trio of travelers left for Lon Lon Ranch.

Author's Note: I am sorry this chapter is coming out a lot later than anticipated. I promise to make it up next time. Until then, and let me know what you thought. I came up with the names for Rinku's parents and how he ended up in Ordon. Also based of a wiki, Rusl and Uli are both between 20-30. Since it's 11 years before the start of TP, I thought I'd make their age's in the flashback support that theory. Also Colin is apparently between 7-10 years of age. It's not uncommon to have children at a young age.