FicWad

"hm..."

"Yes?" Mido replied quickly.

She looked around."We are close."

Mido stopped and peered into the forest, in which nothing changed in comparison to the past dense hour of cautiously navigating through the woods. Only a small water source appeared under the solemnity of the trees.

"Is it there?" He pointed at the water.

"Not yet." She responded.

She passed him and strolled towards the water source, not caring for anything that might cross her path. Mido had seen her eyes. A sad look bordered her timid pupils.

"So you want to take a break, fine with me" He said nonchalantly upon joining her near the water.

He could vaguely see their reflection glistening from the surface. She knelt down, and submerged her callused fingers into the cold liquid. It was unusually cold, contradicting with the warm, damp atmosphere around it.

She did not care. Scooping up the water with her hands, she softy splashed it into her face and slowly slided her hand down, shortly enjoying the refreshment. though Mido felt no need for the water, he decided it would be sensible to use the liquid now it is still there. One knee touched the grass, and he passively used the water for refreshment, while his attention was at the reflection of Saria in the waving water surface. He quickly rose up again and outstretched himself. Saria remained kneeled, staring blankly upon the water surface unfolding quickly after her hand ascended from it.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Mido worried.

"I want to apologize" she squalled.

"Huh?"

She sighed again, and her hands reached for the liquid. She was seeking for the right words, while buying time in the boy's confusion.

"For...For what you had to endure" She managed to say, her tears colliding with the water surface masked by the heavy rains clashing into it.

He tacitly moved toward her, leveled wit her and placed his hand on her shoulder. He had noticed she was struggling in her words, and as always, he wanted to support her.

"No" she sobbed. She blocked the hand with hers, but all she could was join it on her shoulder.

"I...apologize to you, that you had to give up so many things just for me"

"I dont understand" came his voice.

She turned around, sudden tears crossed her face. She fawned over him. Her knees burrowed into the muddy ground between the remains of the murdered plant-life. He ofcourse, embraced her back. It was nothing special, he had comforted her often in this way. And she had sought it often too. He raised himself up on one foot, and held her wet body caringly. His small boot dug into the mud soil filled by the rain clashing into it.

But yet it was different. Mido being terrified, unable to comprehend that he might lose her for eternity if he would let her go inside the 'source of all evil'. Second what she had just said before still bothered him.

She potently pushed herself away from him, and inwardly scolded herself for not being strong enough, for relying too much on him again. She avoided his questioning look. He had all reason to question her, if it would not be for her powerful eyes he would drag her out of the Lost Woods and try to relieve her from the insane ideas about saving the forest all by herself. Yet he withheld himself, feeling he should allow the girl some space, even in the monster infested forbidden woods.

"It's ok" He whispered.

"No... Not anymore" She screamed skyward, tears forming in her eyes. It echoed through the forest and slammed back into her face viciously. Her voice was exasperated. She coughed.

Confusion slipped into Mido's mind. He wanted to embrace her again, he felt she needed his support.

"What is the problem now? Why are you screaming?"

Solitous about her equilibrium, which may had distanced from her again, he asked again.

"You won't understand.." She brushed it off.

"Oh," He trailed off. She moved her head down again and surrendered to the threatening spill of tears. He soundlessly closed in and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"I feel so...pulled at. They never stop screaming, never cease calling out for my name. Desperate, sultry voices...asking me..." She paused, looking straight into Mido's auburn eyes upon continuing. She knew, he could not go any farther...

"I must...!" She sifted through her words. "I must..I am wanted...alone" she cried, throwing herself into his arms once again. evading his face he pressed hers into his shoulder.

"What? What do you mean? I will not leave you!" He stated compassionly, without hesitation.

"I have to defy this myself," She retorted, meeting up with him. "it will only get you in danger."

He remained tranquil. "Please don't try to protect me, together we will make it"

"The voices...you will be killed if you continue, I believe them"

Mido shook his head, he held her strong and peered deeply into the translucency of her eyes.

"You will falter if you go onward all by yourself! What has gotten into you?" He raised his voice and tried to pierce some apprehension into her mind. "What are those voices? They want you to throw yourself into your Sacred Meadow all alone and have me stay here?"

"You must understand, this is my task. And it is not my choice, I d like nothing better than you to come with me. But it cannot be.."

Mido looked at her, she servily awaited his response. He would not accept it, she knew. But it had to be like this.

"I can lose you"

"I don't want that either, but..it..."

"It is not up to you" He sadly concluded her.

"It is my destiny"

"I see.." He lowered his voice. His head moved skyward.

She embraced him, but he did not return the hug. He was very good at hiding his feelings. Behind his unremittingly fixed expression lay a plethora of emotions blocking his rationalization about what to say and do next. He nodded in false acknowledgement. Ongoing tears were falling from her face. And despite Mido's efforts, his soon followed. He peered into the back of his eyelids, and tried to relieve himself from the lack of comprehension about Saria's words. The girl he loved, and never allowed him a chance. He felt her body pressing against his. He had never thought about it. But over time it became usual for her and him to comfort eachother like this. She needed him, and it was pleasant to be needed. He comforted her, it was good to comfort her...

"I do understand"

Strands of her green, bobbed hair fell from her pointy ears as her emerald eyes glanced at him again. He held a caring look that could easily tell a thousand words. Seconds passed, their eyes tied together. Her anticipation of his response was contradicting with the soft words he had aimed at her. He softly hugged her back, a tear was exiled from his eye. The risk of losing her was giant, and over seven years he never had her, he never held her the way he wanted to hold her. It was supposed to be meaningless, all the close moments. In the past he had degraded it to something he would be doing better than, the demised and hated wimp, Link. He realized that it had to be more than that now. The absence of Link was only a fortunate catalyst for the relationship he unawaringly developed with Saria, but him being around would certainly not have been an insurmountable obstacle.

She was listening to his silence. If it was true, if he meant what he had just said. Then the real Mido would have finally unearthed from the depths of his personality. A part of him that sporadically showed itself over the years, but was always suppressed by his dominant vengeful side. Saria had never understood why Link became so odious, she refused to believe that Link had killed the Deku Tree. It was not true. She knew Link like nobody else. His heart was pure, and his intentions resembled it. Mido refused to explain it to her, he only gave away that Link was the evil.. It was a dormant shadowed part of him. He would cringe at Saria mentioning the name, it had been obviously corroding his heart away.

"Really?" She hopefully asked.

"I just believe you."

She just watched, he returned the look compassionately.

"I will not doubt you, if this is what you want.. or what you need to do, Sage of the Forest!, then who am I to stop you"

It was true, his unequivocal faith in the girl shattered not upon her sudden incoherent new fate. He perceived it, like any normal being, as madness. Yet his belief in her halted him from halting her.

He vehemently continued. "If it is really the truth, if you are you really proposed to carry the weight of saving this desecrated forest. For one I have always known you were special. Not only to me...personally.. .but also to the world..."

She was amazed with his intelligent way of speaking. His voice resembled one of great knowlegde. Though she despised that knowledge. No one, none of the voices, told her what to expect upon entering the meadow, without even mentioning the Forest Temple itself. The destroyed stairs once leading up to the high doorway had prevented her from checking out the ancient temple before.

She did not fight her prophecy, but she found no alacrity within herself to undertake it. She was pushed by the voices and she obeyed them, hurting Mido in the process. His life was nourished by her and therefore she knew it was for his own good not to come along.

Mido felt oppressive hesitance rise up. He would have to release her as if he had to release her forever. His personal desire was fighting with his trust in her believing the voices he would never hear. Another look into her weeping eyes strengthened this desire, while the state of the nocturnal forest around him called her away from him. He surrendered to it, sliding his puny arms down her back, freeing her from his tight hug. He stared at her.

A look of relish came across her face, she peered back through the loose bangs of his hair casting a shadow upon his brow. The tears continued to stroll down. She was worn from so much grief. Strands of his soaked hair vertically hung down over the borders of his face. He was looking inside her eyes, a look which was statically becoming what might be her last memory about him. She knew it was time, time to depart.

"Don't forget me.." Mido whispered.

"No" came her soft responce.

An urge, a tendency to be within for one last time his arms overwhelmed her once again . The quintessential emotion of finding peace within the boys' arms entered her mind again. Pronouncing the last words of goodbye was severely hard for her, and too for him. Burrowing inside his chest felt not pleasant anymore. It was cold, soaked.

A short, loud scream. She screamed. What happened? Mido surrounded her neck with his arms. He stared at the sordid hair, having lost most of the beautiful green tint it once held. Her cold breath caressed his fingers.

"Saria?"

Her hand pinched his shoulder. She looked up, her eyes closed, drowned in tears.

"The voice...morbid...fear.." her voice slightly scared him. "Never.."

Her eyelids slowly opened, his other shoulder received her other hand, she slowly leant forward, and met up with his lips. He closed his eyes, hers opened with an incandescent glow. He felt the hazards of their environment vanish.

"Thank you Mido" sounded her, clear, voice.

He opened his eyes, and met with the pure emeralds now resembling her eyes. His hand reached out to her, but she was too far away. The green lights united, and ascended higher. The rain violently met up with his forehead, but fell into Mido's ignorance. Her body could no longer be felt on his skin.

"Just don't forget me.." he pleaded, one last time.

"In my heart, I will never forget you, I love you" spoke her angelic voice.

The light faded. Echoing through his mind, she had left...