Clearer in Time

XVI. A Link to the Past (pt.II)
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The beam of light pouring through the hole in the ceiling slowly turned from a bright yellow to a deep, deep crimson. The two women watched it disinterestedly, both of them silent, absorbed in their own thoughts.

Nabooru didn’t think it wise to be waiting around in here. They could be discovered at any moment. Koume and Kotake were bound to show themselves eventually. It was likely that the witches already knew they were there. What would the hags do, when they discovered the two outside their chambers?

Nabooru looked over to the young Sheikah girl. The Gerudo could practically feel the negative energy rolling off of Sheik. What could be troubling her so? Nabooru thought. She had tried to talk with the younger girl earlier, to ask what was wrong. The Sheikah, however, had politely requested to be left to herself.

She couldn’t begin to tell what was wrong with the girl. All she could guess was that it had something to do with the Hero…

…

“It’s almost time, my dear…” The voice again, as beautiful and pristine as the water’s surface. It echoed lightly within her head. “Don’t be afraid. He’ll understand…”

Sheik pushed the words away, already miserable enough without a reminder. Her situation, it seemed, could not grow any worse.

How long would they have to wait in this empty palace, waiting for Link to return? And all the time that they did wait, Link was seven years away, in the forest with Saria.

Should I be worried about them together? Sheik thought to herself. They were so young. But what if something did happen between them? Could she even rightly be angry? After all, she had yet to mention to Link her night with Malon. Wasn’t that just as bad? And then there was her other secret, it’s end drawing ever nearer…

She dropped her train of thought, deciding to herself that she didn’t much care, either way. Whatever happened or didn’t happen, it would be seven years past when he returned.

Besides, she was in no position to feel betrayed about anything. Could she be more hypocritical?

I have no choice, she thought. True, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She would be glad when the last sage was awakened, and she could truly be honest with Link for the first time…

…Seven Years Earlier…

Although the seven years that had passed had only seemed like several weeks to Link, the world seemed very different indeed.

For one, he noticed, he was older. He had traveled back seven years, and although he was no longer an adult, his body was distinctly more mature than he remembered being as a kid. He was now just in between a child and a young adult. A teen.

He was taller and stronger. Once again, he held the Kokiri Sword in his left hand, and he found that with his new strength he could wield the Hylian Shield with one arm. It was still extremely heavy, but at least he didn’t have to crouch under it like a turtle anymore.

The other thing he noticed was the sky. As he left the Temple of Time and began his day long journey towards the forest, he could see the darkness already creeping over Hyrule. It wasn’t complete turmoil, as it would be seven years from now, but already the people of Hyrule were beginning to panic. Monsters appeared more frequently in the field than Link remembered, and the entire sky seemed shrouded with a haze of gray.

The forest, although noticeably less cheerful and untainted, still remained bright and serene. His mind spun with mingling excitement and nervousness as his footsteps echoed over the wooden bridge gapping Hyrule with the Kokiri Forest.

Through the entrance, he saw the Kokiri Children playing by the river. They approached him cautiously when they noticed him, slowly growing easier as they recognized his clothing and face.

“Link!” one of them cried. “Is that you?”

“It is!” another said. Soon they were all chattering amongst themselves animatedly, jumping up and down and showering him with hugs and greetings.

Link was surprised to find that he was almost fighting back tears. It’s been so long, he thought as he looked at all of his friends, his head slightly dipped now that he was taller than the majority of them.

Link turned his gaze up and his eyes met with a pair as blue as his. A green haired girl that was staring at him in disbelief. Link’s face held a look of equal surprise. He had only seen her briefly in the Sacred Realm, when he had awakened her as a Sage, and had then hardly noticed how she had changed. Now he could see the difference a year’s time had had on her.

She looked to have grown, perhaps even older than he was now. Her hair was a bit longer, stopping just at her shoulders. Her body had changed, Link couldn’t help but notice. Even for a teenager, she looked mature beyond her years, almost adult, but not quite.

As they stared at each other, Saria’s eyes began to well with tears. She rushed towards him, knocking him to the ground as she embraced him fiercely. The other children looked either confused or embarrassed, a few of them both.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t come back!” Saria’s voice carried loudly, even though it was muffled by her face being pressed into Link’s chest. Finally she loosened just enough for Link to get to his feet.

Link gazed upon the faces of his childhood friends. His family. They all still talked amongst themselves, exited to see their long lost friend. Saria had stopped crying, and was looking at him with happy blue eyes. Link smiled at her. He was finally home.

…

The Kokiri kept Link busy most of the day. They played game upon game, the children never seeming to tire. Link found himself unable to keep up with their seemingly infinite amount of childish energy. Before long he was straggling behind the rest of the kids, panting and out of breath. Saria seemed to find this hilarious.

Eventually, as the sun began to set and darkness began to creep over the forest, the children began to tire. One by one they ascended their tree-houses and went to sleep.

Link sat on the raised platform of Saria’s tree-house, his friend sitting beside him. The forest was quiet.

“So,” Saria said, turning to look at him. “Are you here to stay? Did you do as the Deku Tree asked?”

Link shook his head solemnly. “No,” he said. “I’m not quite finished.” Saria’s heart sank. She should’ve expected as much.

“What did you come back for, then?” Link turned to face her.

“I need you to guide me through the Lost Woods,” he said. “I need to get to the Forest Temple.”

As Saria took this in, she felt an uncharacteristic flash of anger within her, another one of the mood swings she seemed to be having lately. Why should she? It was very dangerous nowadays, and if they did get there and back, he would probably just leave again.

But, although she thought these things, she couldn’t say no to him. With a sigh she replied to him.

“We can leave now,” she said. “We’ll travel overnight and sleep in the woods. We’ll get to the temple by tomorrow afternoon.”

Link nodded. “Let’s go,” he said.

…

The Lost Woods were a vast expanse of tall, identical trees. Between the trees were an infinite amount of paths and routes. Only one led to the other side. If one entered without knowing the way, they would be lucky to find their way back to were they first entered. When Link had journeyed to cleanse the Forest Temple, it had taken him days to find it. Several times he had found himself right where he had started.

Saria was with him now, though. Saria had always had a strong connection with the forest, and knew the path like the back of her hand. She had led him through once before, to her secret hideaway, the Sacred Meadow.

Saria was leading the way, walking in front of Link. He stared directly forward, his head tilted downwards, so that her rounded hips swung perfectly from one corner of his vision to the other. Every few minutes he would realize what he was doing and stop himself, only to find his eyes returned there a few moments later.

He was finding it hard to keep his eyes off of Saria. Everything about her was irresistible. He tried to push it from his mind. This was his best friend. He had grown up with her.

Yet, at the same time, he was now an adolescent, and he could feel his young, reckless age working through him. People often told him about how kind and sweet he was, not like many other men. At the moment, however, he wanted nothing more than to push Saria against one of these trees and tear her clothes off.

He knew she was thinking along similar lines. It was practically written on her face. But, he thought with frustration, that was exactly the reason that he couldn’t do it. He would only have to leave her again. He couldn’t take advantage of his best friend, no matter how much she wanted him to.

Besides, he thought. What about Sheik? She had said she would be waiting for him. But that was seven years from now. About now she would be training under Impa’s tutelage, preparing for his return from his seven years of sleep, not having even known him yet.

He wondered what had been bothering her when he had left. Another secret, he thought with a sigh. She seemed to have an infinite amount of them. He wished that she would just be fully honest with him…

“- for the night.” Link snapped out of his trance and looked up at Saria, her sparkling blue eyes locked to his.

“Huh?”

“I said that we’ll stop here for tonight,” Saria said again, her voice infinitely alluring. She trailed her fingers down his arm, looking up at him with sparkling eyes. “Now go get some firewood.”

Link immediately set to work, glad to oblige and be out of her grasp. She seemed determined to seduce him. It wasn’t as difficult as she seemed to think. This was going to be a long night.

…

The fire crackled pleasantly. Link and Saria sat beside one another, watching it burn, not speaking. Link had never had trouble talking with Saria, despite his usually quiet nature. One of the things he liked best about her, though, was that she seemed to enjoy companionable silence as much as he did.

The silence that presently surrounded them, however, was not so much companionable as it was awkward and tense. They sat close to one another, eyeing each other out of the corners of their vision. They were both propped up with their arms, and their hands were less than an inch from each other, both of them restraining themselves from touching.

They had spoken for a while. Link had told her as much as he dared. Some things, like revealing to her that she would later become the Sage of Forest, seemed like too much to tell her now. But he had told her of his seven years of sleep, of his quest, of some of his adventures. He made especially sure to mention Sheik, not wanting to hurt Saria’s feelings, but hoping that it would discourage her advances. It didn’t seem to deter her at all.

Now they sat together in silence, the tension nearly tangible. Finally the silence was broken.

“Why are you being so stubborn, Link?” Link turned to her, caught off guard by her forwardness. That was one of the last things he would’ve expected Saria to say. She wasn’t looking at him, and he could see in the firelight that she was blushing fiercely.

As embarrassing as it was for her, she had to say it. She couldn’t explain why she felt the way she did, but knew that she wanted the boy sitting beside her, more than anything. She continued.

“I know you want to as much as I do. Why are you denying me?”

“You know that we can’t,” he said. “Once we return from the temple, I’ll be gone. You won’t see me for seven years. I couldn’t do that to you. You’re my friend.”

It was true, but it wasn’t the only reason. Seven years or not, he couldn’t just disregard his feelings for Sheik…

Link’s eyes widened as he felt a hand upon his own. He turned his gaze up to Saria. She had closed the distance between them so that her face was less than an inch from his. He could feel her breath on his own lips as she spoke.

“I won’t see you for seven years,” she said. “And when I do, you will be grown up, in the arms of another woman. This is goodbye for us. Give me something to remember you by.”

Link flailed for an argument, but found himself at a loss for words. How could she want this? They were friends…

“Saria,” he tried. “I really can’t-” Saria cut off his sentence, pressing her lips to his intensely. Link kissed her back immediately, unable to resist the forbidden contact they had denied each other since reuniting. Their hands were upon each other instantly, groping and grabbing in a manner of sheer lust.

Link’s mind spun with thoughts and emotions. Memories flashing before his mind’s eye. He remembered his childhood, all of the days he and Saria had spent together. He remembered that one day by the brook, when she had asked him if he had ever wondered what kissing felt like, and the almost electric charge he had felt when their lips met.

His mind flashed forward, bringing him a different set of memories. He was an adult. He was standing in a strange house lit only by candle light. Before him was a mysterious, beautiful girl. She looked up at him with deep amber eyes. He leaned forward, moving her gauze cowl aside to kiss her. His heart swelled tremendously as he felt the soft touch of her face beneath his fingers, her soft breaths eliciting shivers from him.

He came back to reality. He and Saria were kissing, their hands upon each other. Saria was slowly undoing his belt. Link moved his hands over hers, stopping her hands, breaking their kiss as he did so. She looked at him, her confused look slowly becoming sad with realization.

“I’m sorry, Saria,” he said. “I really can’t.” Saria looked away from him, pulling her knees up to her chin. He could see tears welling in her eyes. Link had never felt more loathsome in his entire life.

“Saria…” he tried. Immediately, Saria rounded on him, suddenly up on her feet.

“How could you do this!!” She cried, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. “How can you just come waltzing back her and act like this?!?! What’s so great about this other woman, Link?!? Is it because she can grow up, and I can’t? How can you do this to me? You loved me, first!!! This isn’t fair!!!”

Link got to his feet, trying to console her. When he got too close, Saria lashed out and slapped him across the face, hard. He tried again anyway, ignoring the smacks and shoves she threw at him. Eventually she tired, and she let him embrace her, her sobs echoing through the forest and drenching his tunic.

They sat down in the grass, and Link held his heartbroken friend as the fire died and Saria cried herself to sleep.

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NOTES:
*So, after a lot of debating amongst myself, I decided not to pair Link and Saria. I actually had the entire chapter finished with a smut scene, but when I read it over, it just didn't seem right. So, the chapter turned out less lemon-y and more depressing-ish. My apologies to anyone who may have been looking forward to the pairing, but I gotta do what I gotta do.
*I've thought of an interesting twist to end this "Link/Saria" arc, so to hint/warn in advance, I'll be adding a L.o.Z. character that doesn't actually appear in OoT. I think you guys will enjoy it. Hope so, at least : )
*To "videogameguy10," "mikey," and "Sweetest," thanks for the reviews/input. Always puts a smile on my face and gets me pumped to write the next chapter : )
*Rate,Review, and Enjoy! Until pt.III!!!