Chapter 5: Oops

After making a choice, Link has to gather his items to go. But... he's not used to using them again and he wreaks havoc in his own home.

That night, Link didn't sleep much after all of that, but it was in the best way possible.

 He didn't feel exhausted whatsoever. He stood there a moment, hand on a knob for his closet door, just slowly breathing.

No matter what it meant, what he had to do, how it affected the world around him, it was his life, his choice the way he spent his further on days. And as he had made his way home with a clearer mind, through the forest, he'd determined his choice eternities ago. He realized that now.

He opened the door, pulling the handle down, and saw a boxful of memories. There was his lantern, bomb bag, quiver, ball and chain, boomerang, etc...

A lump grew in his throat, remembering all the monsters he'd fought them with, the hilarity when he first tried to use them, and when Midna had tried too. She had almost bit his head off when he laughed when she got stuck on some netting with the Clawshot and didn't know how to get off.

But, anyway,  was gonna take them, he thought through his watery smile.

Who knows what he'd need?

After packing some items, leaving only a few more to put away, he looked once more into his closet and saw his green tunic hanging. He grabbed it, excitement filling him.

After getting dressed, he stood in a basement mirror, tightening straps. He did not look until he securely put on his hat, and felt warm at the familiar feeling around his head. He looked up, and almost felt transported back into time, but he realized, this was a new time. 

He could not help it though. Finally, he wore his old friend once again. The tightness of the straps felt nice. He made sure to tightly clasp his gauntlets on as he made his way back upstairs. 

Now dressed, he looked at the items he'd left out and an idea came into his mind, and a mischievous grin ghosted against his face. First, he picked up his bow, and meant to aim it and a pillow laying randomly on a desk but lost control, after remembering it's weight and accidentally shot it at a close-up photo of Fado from only maybe two and a half years ago. 

Oops.

He gasped, but couldn't help but grin a bit. He always hated that photo. It was a little uncomfortable and Fado's large nose was far too close to the screen. He shyly put the bow down, and casually picked up his boomerang.

Feeling a little more daring, he swung it at the wall facing him, and really acted before he thought. It bounced off the wall and came flying back at him. He gasped. and barely ducked in time.

It flew past his head luckily, instead of hitting it. It broke the window behind him, and he heard Epona neigh frightened, and as it flew back, he caught it barely.

Oops.

Breathing heavily, he was NOT done. He grabbed an even more daring item. The ball and chain. He sputtered as he grabbed it, somehow forgetting how heavy it was. Slowly, he began to swing it, and it went too high, and he TRIED to stop it, but it crashed into his roof, debris falling, and he had to cover his head.

Oops.

But he was already feeling like his old (er, new?) self. The more he holds his heavy equipment, the more he longer he wore his gauntlets, the longer his hat stayed snug around his head, the more he felt at home.

He felt a warm glow in his heart, and he began to look at his bottles. two of them still held substances... which was more like black sludge. He had forgotten about them.

Oops

 He made a face, making a mental note to dump it out somewhere.

In trash instead, because the last thing he wanted was to litter where he loved. If there was one thing he was, it was a bit of a nature lover, a tree hugger. That's one thing he could thank Ordon for.

And so much more. No matter where he went, he knew, Ordon and the people there, had had an impact on him, making him partially who he was.

But Midna was the one who helped him find himself. Completely.

He smiled, realizing he could not be happy without participation. He touched the symbol that had been stigmatized on his head and felt magic swirling in the air.

He looked up at the moon once more through the top window before he left. Though down on the first floor, he felt so close to it, and he smiled, knowing...

The former and memories didn't need him anymore.

And he didn't need them

-------

Link dressed and equipped, Epona saddled and the moon to be going down soon, Link petted Epona's mane as she drank water in the same spring that King Bulbin burst into. He smiled softly as Epona delicately lapped up the springs ponderous and somewhat mystical water. His mind wandered to thinking about how Midna had felt when she had left he hadn't much thought about that.

He wasn't focused on his outside surroundings once again, and it was unusual when he did that, for he had always been aware of his surroundings, especially during his journey. 

But since Midna had left... 

Before his mind could go to far in his own thoughts, as they had been the last few months, he sensed a presence and looked up. Someone was behind him, and he knew who it was, and screwed his eyes shut that he had to say goodbye and that he had forgotten. How had he forgotten? 

She was one of his best friends in Ordon! He turned around and saw Ilia staring at him, emerald green eyes full of hurt realization and... anger at betrayal... No...

Link bit his lip, ashamed yet sad that he had to do this. He looked away to pick himself up, though she wasn't looking at him anyway. He could just see what she was feeling because they'd been friends for about sixteen years. 

She ran her fingers through Epona's of- white mane and felt betrayed. How could Link not tell her? It's not as if he could deny. He was standing there, in his tunic, with Epona all readied up, and was that the sword...?

She didn't want to accept it. She couldn't... But Link didn't want her to say goodbye. He'd see her again! But, he could try and deny and say he HADN'T chose Midna and Hyrule over Ilia and Ordon...

But, in the end, in truth, he had.

"Ilia," the fair-haired hero breathed but stopped as tears began rolling down the young woman's flawless, pale skin. He swallowed and tried to reach out a gloved hand to her, but she drew back, eyebrows furrowing.

"You promised... said... I-I...I...just" Her lip quivered and his heart ached in pity for her. She closed her eyes, tears dripping down as she breathed in through her nose, then out through her rosy pink lips.

She gulped and tried not to breakeven in front of him.

"I- thought it could be... you know." She looked up at Link, soft emerald green eyes meeting sharp blue eyes. "But it can't. Not even for a breath, could it ever be..." she sighed. Then asked the question he had hoped she wouldn't. "Can it?" 

He felt bad because now that he was going to find a way to heal his heart, Ilia would have to find her own... but...

"Ordon's different. Hyrule's different. Everyones different. YOU'RE different."

Link realized he'd been holding his breath, and he let it out, louder then he had meant to, as the blonde woman glanced to the floor then him, fiddling with her nails.

He swallowed and stared at her and this time Ilia did not step back, but only turned her head away a bit and shuffled. "No. I'm still... me. My first best friend will always be you." She wanted to believe him so, so bad, but she only lashed out in an attempt to stop the hurt. "But I'm not your most important best friend... I'm not your closest." Suddenly, she softened, not wanting Link to leave with a guilty heart, and wanting him to ONLY be happy. She'd be heartbroken, yet content then, if he left with a free heart, finding what he wanted.

"Oh, Link..." She gasped suddenly hugging him tightly, tears falling faster then she could ever remember them falling before. She'd never cried like this. She had been on the verge of tears since Link had been in Ordon, yet mind in Hyrule, or maybe even since she'd regained her memory. 

She'd woken up in a different world, of reality, of pain. And she almost hated Hyrule for it now. In the end, she almost wanted Link to go, for the pain, he was causing, whenever she saw him. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around, tightly in comfort. "I'm sorry Ilia... I'm sorry... I love you... I always will."

He felt half of the truth in those words, and also a lie. While he DID love her... he didn't...

LOVE her.

"This isn't goodbye... it's... See you later."

The words comforted her gave her hope, and she had known they'd see one another one day but... those words helped tremendously somehow, to the point where she stopped crying. She pulled away slightly, and looked up at her friends, as her tears stopped their flow. She knew there would probably many more tears but...

"But, Link..." she said as he smiled at her, petting her head gently. "Can you at least promise me this? No matter what happens on your search, don't give up. Please. Just find what you're looking for and be safe..." she gave him a comforting smile, the one he had given so much but never gotten as much.

"One day?"

"One day," he whispered, wiping away her tears, with a nod. That was a promise he couldn't break, even if he tried. Ilia's felt warmth at the promise, but as he drew away, finally mounting Epona compelling. Somehow, she'd known this day was coming, and yet... it happened, much, much too soon.

Link pushed her into galloping, she followed him shocked, but Epona was to fast. She stopped at the corner, hands clasped together at her chest, as he quickly sped into a new world.

Fado called confused, but she ignored him, watching Link leave, his last image fade, savoring the last moments with Link that she could hope they could ever be something more.

Maybe she knew it all along- she had know him from basically the start, after all-but either way, she denied it even as he rode into the horizion, and remembered his last words to her.

One day.

Author's Note

Okay, so! This chapter starts out comedic but I can't help but feels like it transitions to quickly into seriousness? Let me know what you think! And thank you all for the love and reviews recently. They mean so much to me. (: