Do You Remember Me? (OLD VERSION)

1 - Old Friends

"Be a hero worthy of wearing this tunic."

"I believe in you."

"Thanks for all of your help!"

"We'll get there one day!"

"With you by our side, we can win the war!"

All of the wonderful things said by Link's friends replayed in his mind. All of the things that brought him up, raised him in spirit and in strength. All of the things that brought him motivation, even though the bitter truth hung right in front of his eyes... And that bitter truth was that he was far from winning this of war.

This war, against the dark sorceress Cia, was anything but easy. Link had begun as just another knight in Hyrule, and now, he was being called the Hero Of Time. It was a lot to take in. Not only that he was losing in a war that he practically led, but also that everyone seemed to still look up to him. He was like a shining beacon of hope for all of Hyrule to admire and gaze upon in search of bravery and determination. Even though he seemed to keep going one step forward and then one step back, all of his friends and fellow knights backed him up anyway. The support of everyone greatly uplifted him, made him stronger, made him happier. And now...

And now he was taking another step forward. Whether or not he would follow by taking two steps back, he didn't care. Cia had recreated two old worlds and left them completely unprotected. They were not at all hidden and now, for the first time in a while, Link felt as if he had an advantage. Perhaps he could capture these lands. Perhaps there were people that could help him. Perhaps everything would begin to turn in his favor. Of course, this was just wishful thinking, but as fate planned, things were certainly about to turn upside down for the young hero. For better or worse, fate had not decided, but his life was about to change faster than he could imagine.

~~~

Link carefully stepped off of Lana's makeshift, transparent set of stairs and onto this new, unfamiliar land. "So... This is Skyloft." He murmured. He looked around. It felt so strange, seething nothing but clouds around him, knowing that he was standing on a floating island. But, at the same time, it felt so... Familiar.

"Yep!" The white sorceress chirped in reply, closing her spirits' tome. She skipped to Link's side and smiled. "This is a land that disappeared, so to speak, centuries ago." She said.

Link continued to examine his surroundings. Although this was all new to him, something about this land in the sky felt like home to him.

Lana smiled. "I can tell what you're thinking just by the look in your eyes." She murmured. "You think you've seen it before."

Link stared at her, surprised and confused. "Y... Yes." He said softly.

"It's because you have." Lana replied.

Link frowned. He pressed his lips together tightly, wondering how to reply to such an absurd suggestion.

Lana giggled. "Believe me, Link. You know how the hero of time, which is you, is reborn over the years?" She asked.

Link nodded.

"Well this is where you... The hero... Once lived." The sorceress said, opening her arms, gesturing to the land around them. "This was once your home. You were born and raised here in this place, on this island in the sky, unaware that a whole world was just below you. You had friends, foes... Zelda did too, of course."

Link gazed off to the sky. "I had friends?" He asked softly. For some reason, he couldn't imagine being close with anyone besides the friends he had now.

"Yes." Lana answered and reopened her tome, flipping through the pages to the records of the hero's past life on Skyloft. "You knew a girl named Karane, a young man named Pipit, another named Groose..."

"Where are they now?" Link blurted, interrupting the list. "Did they get reborn too? Can I find them?" He asked.

A look of pain appeared behind Lana's eyes. "I..." She didn't know how to explain. "No, Link... They're nowhere. They weren't reborn. They... They all died." She said quietly. She turned her book around so that the hero could see. On the pages, clear as day, was a splendidly drawn picture. It contained the old Link, Zelda, a tall young man with red hair, a shorter one with brown hair, and a stout girl with reddish hair pulled into pigtails. 

Link felt something in his heart --- an old, forgotten part of his very being --- break. Everyone in the picture looked so happy. Himself, or rather, his past self... Zelda... And those three others. Those three others that died. Link reached out and touched the picture. His fingers fell gently upon the tall young man with red hair. "Was..." He felt his eyes fill with tears. "Was this my best friend?" He choked out.

Lana looked down at the page. She hesitated for a moment before telling the truth. "Yes. He... His name is Groose." She said softly.

"So that's Groose..." Link said softly. For some reason, as he stared at that old picture, he felt lonely. Broken. But... "Someone's missing." He suddenly said.

"What?" Lana looked up and stared at him.

Link's eyes remained locked on the picture. "There... There should be someone else. One more. There should... There has to be..." His voice trailed off.

Lana frowned. "What do you mean?" She questioned.

Link took in a quick breath. "Never mind." He said. Lana then nodded and closed her book, but Link was still uneasy. Someone was missing from that picture, and he knew it. The picture was lacking someone important, though he didn't know just who. Someone that meant more to Link than Groose had, someone that meant more to him than even Zelda had. Someone whom... He loved. Loved in a way more than friendship. Someone who had opened his heart and mind and had done wonderful things with them.