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Art by mmimmzel on Twitter

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I awoke quickly the next morning. Link still lay nearby, snoring softly. He had slept in a position that couldn't possibly have been comfortable, but he wasn't exactly in his right mind last night. I stood up and stretched, ready to continue on with our quest. I strode over to the window and stared out, seeing that the sun was already high in the sky and illuminating the earth below.

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud thump. I jumped and turned around to see Link lying on the floor in a tangle of sheets, still seemingly asleep. I scoffed and walked by, nudging him with my foot. He opened his eyes grudgingly and immediately closed them again, mumbling about a headache. I squat down beside him and attempted to wake him once more.

"Link." I poked him. "We have to get moving." He groaned. "Can't we wait a few minutes?" I shook my head. "C'mon, you've been asleep for 100 years, I think you've had quite enough rest." I offered him my hand and he took it, clumsily rising to his feet. He clutched his head immediately. "Damn... what happened?" I rolled my eyes. "You drank way too much and practically passed out." I spoke nonchalantly.

His brow furrowed as he tried to remember the night before. His face was painted a shade of red as soon as he did. Link looked at me apologetically. "Oh- I am so sorry I didn't know what I was-" I waved a hand to cut him off. "It's behind us now. I mean, not that I minded it that much. I enjoyed myself." I sent him a sweet smile. He sighed, relieved. I could feel his eyes on me even after I had turned away.

We bid farewell to Prima as we left. "Come back anytime dears! It was a pleasure." We made our way past the model homes again. A man dressed in pink was standing at the door, bewildered. His hands were resting on his bald head as he stared through the doorway. "How on earth did all this mud get tracked into here!!" My eyes widened as I placed a hand on Link's chest and slowly pushed him away from the scene.

Link and I found ourselves at the bottom of a hill quickly enough. Beautiful trees lined each step of the way. Leaves dropped lazily down as we walked. We looked around and spotted two boys hidden awkwardly behind trees and bushes. I waved. "Um... what're you up to?" The boy shushed me and pressed his binoculars to his eyes. Link cleared his throat, and the child finally noticed our existence. "H-hey! What're you doing here?" Link raised an eyebrow. "We could ask you the same thing."

"Oh fine! There's a girl living in the lab up this hill! B-but don't get any ideas. I called dibs!" I scoffed. The boy slightly farther up the hill took notice of us. "You idiot! He obviously has a girlfriend already!" The kid pointed to me. My eyes widened and I seized Link's hand. "Alright we'd better be going!" I announced as I dragged him away. In a few steps, I turned on my heel. "Oh, and you kids shouldn't be stalking this girl. She won't be interested if you act so creepy." I reminded them as we left.

We finished our hike to the lab and looked up. It was quite the strange building... I was a bit nervous, as the innkeeper had warned us about the lead researcher, but this was necessary. Link stepped forward and opened the door. I slapped his shoulder. "Link what the hell? You can't just walk into someone's house without knocking?" He gave me an incredulous look, as though he's done this many times and has never once been told it was wrong. "Seriously, where were you raised?" I pushed him away and knocked twice. The door swung open.

At first, we couldn't see who had opened it. We heard someone clear their throat and looked down. A small girl with white hair and red glasses stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips in a sassy pose. I gasped. She is adorable. I love her.

She gave us both a big smile. "Hiya!! I'm guessing you want to talk to the lead researcher! He's right over there!" She pointed, one hand still posed on her hip, to a man nearby. He was studying the bookshelf closely and was dressed similarly to the little girl. We thanked her and approached, only to be told that he was not, in fact, the head researcher. "You're looking for the head of the Hateno tech lab?" I nodded. "Well then." He said, looking up from his book. "I believe you just met her." He stated, pointing to the little girl. She climbed up onto a stool and posed. "Surprise!" She exclaimed, "Bet you weren't expecting me!"

"Isn't she a bit young?" Link whispered into my ear. I elbowed his rib cage, hoping he wouldn't be rude. She tilted her head. "What's that, Linky?" I stifled a laugh. 'Linky.' The tips of Link's ears turned red as he muttered in confusion. "S-sorry? What was your name?" She gasped dramatically and placed her hands on her cheeks, as though deeply offended. "You don't remember me? Neither of you do?!" Her eyes shifted between us, in shock. The white haired girl made a pouty face and lowered her arms. "Ah, never mind that, Linky, (N/n)," she spoke, suddenly revealing the nickname she'd given me, "What can I do for you?"

Link showed her his Sheikah Slate. He tried to explain, but she noticed the problem before he could speak. "Your Sheikah Slate! You have a crucial piece missing..." She hummed and tapped on the screen. "Alright Linky, I can fix this up for you. But-" she pushed the slate back against Link's chest, "I'm going to need a favor from the two of you!"

She pointed from her perch on the stool towards a piece of Sheikah technology. "To help you out, I'm going to need something to power this Guidance Stone!" I shifted awkwardly. "And how are we supposed to do that Miss...?"

"Purah! The name is Purah!" She said with a snap. "Purah." I repeated. "You see, there is a furnace just down this hill alight with blue flame, can't miss it. If you can carry a bit of that flame back up to the tech lab we should be golden!" I nodded and smiled. She was so cute. Link took me by the hand and led me to the door. "Let's get going then!" Purah seemed bit bewildered by our sudden exit. "Oh! Good luck Linky, (N/n)! I know you won't let me down!" Purah posed once more with a snap as the door closed behind us.

Luckily, I had seized the torch from inside the lab before we'd left, as we didn't have much else to carry the flames. "Link, why did you leave so suddenly?" He shrugged. "We need to get this done. Besides, what if it starts raining while we're moving the fire?" I nodded in understanding, but I figured his reasoning went deeper than this. He must want to find his memories, and quickly. A pang of sadness struck my heart. How many of those memories would be of Zelda? How many would be of me? Would I ever remember him the way he will me?

Dozens of thoughts raced through my mind as we walked. I didn't notice that I had stepped a bit too close to the edge of the cliff side, where the earth had been softened into mud the night before. My foot slipped, and I expected to fall. Instead, I felt someone grab me around the waist. I was pulled to Link's chest quickly. Memories of the night before came flooding back. I suppressed them and pressed a hand to his chest. "Thanks. I um... have to watch where I'm going." He nodded, a tinge of pink visible on his cheeks. I attempted to push him away, as he had been holding on for much longer than needed. He let go, in a seemingly reluctant manner. The warmth of his touch lingered for a moment, until I broke away.

"Come on, there's the furnace." I held the torch out into the open flame, letting it heat up and catch fire. I turned on my heel and held my hand in front of the tiny ember, hoping the wind wouldn't blow it out. Link smiled warmly, almost lovingly, as we made our way back to the top of the hill. His reactions to me lately had been worrisome. Perhaps I could be reading the signs wrong... or perhaps this was something more. I'd been catching his eyes on me more than usual. Each time we touched, his hands seem to remain for longer than necessary, as though he didn't want to let go.

I brushed away the thought. Surely, when his memories of Zelda were recovered, he would choose her over me. This had to be the truth... but if so, then why did his actions feel so right? As though we'd been here before?

Link shook me from my thoughts. "(Y/n). We're here." I blinked and stared out. A similar furnace was located just outside the laboratory. I assumed this to be the power source Purah spoke of as I stepped forward and transferred the flames. The machine lit up a bright blue, as did a circle on the ground. Link smiled. "Travel point?" I nodded in agreement. We found Purah standing on the stool from before.

"Ah! The guidance stone is up and running once more!" She cried in a sing-song voice. "Well done! Now, I have a few questions. Do either of you remember anything from your past? Or perhaps any dreams during your slumber?" Link shook his head. I bit my lip, unsure of whether to share my flashback or not. Purah caught my reaction and stared questioningly. I suppose it was too late to say I remembered nothing.

"Well... there is one thing. While we were speaking to Impa, I saw these masked men sewn into her tapestry... I had a flashback. O-of the time immediately after I awoke. A man in a mask tried to kill me whilst I couldn't move. I... I don't remember what happened afterwards." Link was surprised to hear I had already recovered a memory. I gave him an apologetic smile as Purah thought about my story.

"Curious... Perhaps you were ambushed!" She cried, placing her hands on her cheeks once more. Link frowned. "But I thought our chambers were meant to be safe!" Purah lowered her arms. "Well, they were designed to be... however, we only had two prepared when you two received your fatal wounds, so we had to make due." I wondered how this little girl knew so much about the events from 100 years ago. "Link, we placed you into the safest of the two, seeing as you were the Hero, and it was (N/n)'s job to protect you! Which means, we had to put (N/n) into the less... protected one."

Link glared at her for a moment before recollecting himself. "Where was she?" Purah thought for a moment. "Hidden inside the Gerudo desert." My memory confirmed this. "That would explain the sand." Purah hummed in agreement. "Though hard to find, you were much less isolated than Link was. I think someone may of found you..." Her voice trailed off dramatically before she returned to her typical, bubbly self.

I looked past this new information for a moment to focus on the task at hand. "Purah, you told us that story as though you were there." She giggled. "Because I was! I was one of the scientists to put you into your slumbers! I only look this way because I preformed an experiment on myself, that went a bit sideways..." She took out a notepad and scanned it, mumbling to herself. "In some ways it was successful, however..." I think I knew what she meant. It seemed as though she wanted to develop something to reverse her age, but it must've continued until she was but a child. I wasn't sure if this was unfortunate or not. Personally, I would rather be stuck as a six year old than an unfathomably old woman.

Link changed the subject once more. "So Purah, you said you could repair my Sheikah Slate." She nodded and took the Slate from him. "Sure sure! Let's get this restored. But first, give me a snap!" She said, posing in her trademarked style. I immediately copied her, exclaiming "Snap!" as I did so. I wasn't about to let the girl down. Link laughed and did so as well. Purah giggled and tapped away at the slate. "Place this into the guidance stone. Go on!" Link did as he was told and received the new rune. "What is it?" I asked curiously, staring over his shoulder. He lifted the slate. "A.. camera?"

"Uh huh! Princess Zelda took many photos with that. Since you spent so much time with her... maybe these will remind you! Find these locations, and perhaps your memories will be restored!" She announced happily. "Now go on, test out the camera. Take a picture of me!" Link shrugged and raised the Sheikah Slate. Purah posed and smiled, demanding to see the photo once it was taken. After a few retakes, she was finally content with Link's photography skills.

"Finally, a good picture!" She sighed contently. "Oh, I almost forgot. If you want any equipment of yours to be improved, you can always let me know! We'll do our best to fix it up. Now, Symin!" The man standing at the bookshelf raised his head. "Yes, Miss Purah?" She raised the slate. "Could you take a picture of the three of us? I'd rather they not forget me again." There was a hint of sadness in her usually cheery voice. Symin nodded and took the camera, kneeling down to get a good angle. Purah stood up on her stool, one arm rested on Link's shoulder, the other on my own. "Put your hands up guys! Remember my snappy pose." We did so and smiled brightly as the photo was taken.

I couldn't help but hug Purah as Symin returned the slate to Link. "Thank you so much!" She shook her head. "My pleasure. Good luck out there you two!" Link nodded as we left the building.

"Where to next?" He took a glance at the map, looking for the locations of the divine beasts. "Well... there's four different pings we could head to." I shrug. "Whatever's closest." Link nodded and pointed past the horizon, where a watery mountain stood, somewhat obscured by clouds. "That way then."

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