Let's get this outta the way now. I do not own Zelda. If I did, I would probably speak Japanese and live around Tokyo. But I don't. So there.

IMPORTANT READ THIS!

Hoy everyone! This is my first fanfic but I've been writing stories since I was four, so it should be pretty decent. Anyway, let me introduce myself:

I am Jaderill. This is the name of one of the characters in my book so no stealing! I'm Dark Elven Warrior's older sister, so if you see one of her stories up there, please read it.

This first story is about something that I don't think anyone else has noticed in Ocarina of Time. And if they have, they've never written about it. (It takes place about six years after Link was sent back in time) (P.S. See the bottom for how to pronounce the fairy's name.)

When you talk to Saria after she is awakened as a sage, her fairy disappears. Navi can follow you to the Chamber of the Sages, so why not hers? And every time you see her after that, like in the end of the when she's on the mountain with all of the other sages, she has no fairy there either. It's almost like she doesn't want to be with her fairy anymore. Like she's disowned it. So this story, while still involving Link and our favorite forest sage will be for the most part about a character that I feel is forgotten.

This story is for anyone who has ever felt unneeded or unwanted. This story is for the forgotten. But it's also for the hopeful. So please, if you are one of these people, never give up hope. It always exists. All you need to do is look hard enough.

The warm wind blew across the fields of Hyrule and into the forest, bringing the scent of honeysuckle along. It caressed the soft green leaves of the trees, filling the Sacred Forest Meadow with the sound of their laughter. Shadows danced upon the forest floor in a tranquil ballet as fireflies celebrated the coming of twilight by dancing upon the breeze in a midsummer's waltz. Yet despite the peaceful scene, all was not well. Inside the forest temple, a small, glowing green figure darted from one hallway to another. Her bright green eyes were wide with fear and panic, searching every corridor and dark corner for a sign of life.

"Saria!" she called, panic gripping her throat, "Saria! Where are you! Saria!" The blonde haired fairy darted back into the main room of the temple. She had reason to worry. Saria had been gone since before dawn. The poor fairy had been searching all day, and with nighttime approaching it would be almost impossible to find her. And night was when the monsters came out. "Saria!" she called again, tears beginning to prickle on the edges of her eyes.

Hoping that Saria may have gone back to her house, the fairy flew out of the temple and into the meadow for the third time that day. She had almost reached the exit when something glowed from behind her. Whirling around, the fairy could see beyond her own green glow another green light that shot from the sky and connected with the large stone platform in the center of the meadow. The medallion of the forest sage was ablaze with a bright light. Looking up at the darkening sky, the fairy could see the form of a tiny, green haired Kokiri girl floating downward within the stream of light. She continued her slow decent until her green boots connected with the platform.

Once the glow had subsided, Saria, the Sage of the Forest opened her sage colored eyes and surveyed her surroundings. "I didn't realize how late it had gotten…" she said aloud. She took several steps off of the platform and into the grass. Her fairy floated just out of her line of sight, tears of relief brimming in her eyes.

Beating her exhausted wings, the young fairy flew into her little Kokiri. "Saria! Where have you been! Why didn't you tell me where you were going! Wha-"

"Lyf!" Saria yelped as her fairy clutched painfully to the side of her head, "I'm alright. Stop worrying about me." Lyf pried herself from Saria's hair and stared into the eyes of her Kokiri child.

"Where were you? I was worried sick, I've been searching for you all day."

Saria blinked in confusion. "I didn't tell you where I was going? I said that I had a meeting with the other sages. Zelda was worried that the seal on Gannondorf was weakening so she had us reinforce it."

Lyf frowned at her. "Why didn't you take me with you? You never take me there."

"I can't do that, Lyf. It wouldn't be proper to bring my fairy to a meeting of sages." Saria stated rater plainly. She began to walk to the exit of the meadow, expecting her fairy to follow her as she always did. But this time Lyf was protesting.

"Why not? Link takes Navi with him, why can't you take me?" Lyf continued to float in her spot refusing to move unless Saria answered her. It seemed that Saria couldn't answer for a few moments, but then she seemed to find an answer.

"Because…Link is the Hero of Time. He needs Navi to help him see things beyond his eye's reach and target monsters. I'm a sage so I really don't need a fairy there to help me do my job." She looked at her fairy. Lyf's wings were drooping some, her eyes pointed towards the ground. Saria sensing her sudden drop into depression walked forward and brought her hand up so that Lyf was sitting in it. "Besides," she said in a happier tone, "it'd make all the other sages jealous." Lyf's mood picked up some at this comment. "Sorry I forgot to tell ya' Lyf, I'll remember next time."

Lyf nodded and followed Saria out of the meadow but she felt a small sense of doubt in Saria's last promise. It had been happening gradually over the past few years. Saria would forget to tell her where she was going or when it was a sage matter. She could understand if it were an emergency. After all it was the sages' job to keep peace and order to Hyrule. But it seemed that as of late Saria was avoiding her. Needless to say it worried her.

After several uneventful shortcuts and one wrong turn, Saria and Lyf found themselves standing on top of a hill, overlooking Kokiri Village. Night had fallen and there were only a few children left playing in the town. Those who had remained knew it was probably wise to turn in for the night, but a game of fairy tag was too tempting for them to resist. Leea, one of the twins, asked Saria if she wished to play, but she turned the offer down saying that she had been up almost all day.

Lyf fluttered into the house after Saria and settled on the windowsill as her Kokiri friend busied herself with dinner. Looking out on the village Lyf saw as the other fairies floated about the nighttime sky, helping to light the way for their friends. Lyf frowned slightly. Kokiri were given the gift of eternal youth. They would always be children in body and spirit. That is why they all had fairy partners. There were no adults in Kokiri Forest. The only grown-up figure that they had was the Great Deku Tree. But he was unable to move around the forest and protect the children as they spent their days playing amongst the wooded land. To help watch over the children, each Kokiri was given a fairy partner to act as their teachers, guides and, at time, their voice of reason.

But Saria wasn't like the other Kokiri. She was a sage, one whose wisdom was far beyond her years. She still needs me though, Lyf thought as she rested her head on her knees. The green eyed fairy continued to stare out of the window until her thoughts were interrupted by Saria.

"Are you hungry? I have your favorite bread," Saria chirped as she sat next to her companion. Lyf nodded and tore a small piece of the bread off. They didn't talk much throughout the meal, but rather stared at the other children as their numbers slowly began to dwindle. Soon none were left and Saria slipped off of the sill and into her bed. "G'night Lyf." Saria yawned as she covered herself up. Lyf yawned and snuggled into her matchbox that Saria had given her. It was a perfect fit for the small fairy. She then covered herself up with a strip of cloth and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The next day Saria was still there when Lyf woke up. She had half expected her to not be there so anyone can imagine her delight when she found the Kokiri still fast asleep. Maybe Saria would keep her promise. Overjoyed, Lyf zipped around their house, humming as she pulled loaves of bread out of the cupboard to prepare breakfast. When Saria finally opened her eyes, she found that Lyf had finished making breakfast for her and was waiting with a long list of things they could do that day. Saria smiled her friend's enthusiasm and hopped out of bed to get ready for the day ahead.

The next few days were like this. Saria didn't go much of anywhere. She would spend hours with her fairy talking about the forest and the outside world. Lyf loved it when she did that. She had always found the outside world fascinating. After all, she had never really left the forest. Saria had never had much of a reason to take her on trips. But what she had heard about it made her pine for it. Lyf could hardly imagine anything as big as Lake Hylia or the castle.

Yet out of all the wonders that she had heard of from Saria and her friends Link and Navi, the one thing she wanted to see most was the field. One vast plain that stretched onward like an ocean of earth was simply unimaginable to someone that had lived their entire life surrounded by trees. But Saria made it sound wonderful. She couldn't wait for the day that she would see it with her friend.

Several incidents came up the next week that Saria had to deal with, but she was able to leave a note for Lyf. None of the meetings lasted very long however and Lyf was able to spend most of the day with Saria. She was thankful for the notes that the Kokiri left behind. Whenever she did that Lyf felt like she didn't have to feel worried for her Kokiri, and for this she was truly grateful.

Then came the day that she woke up to find Saria gone, and no note. For the first few minutes she was fine. "It's okay Lyf. It's the first time she's forgotten; maybe it was an emergency or something like that," she said aloud to calm herself. But several hours later she decided it might be time to search for Saria. Flying from one end of the Village to another, she questioned nearly every fairy she came in contact with if they had seen her. None had. Lyf was able to stay calm for a few more hours. After all, the last time that she had freaked out Saria had gotten irritated with her. She didn't want that to happen. They had both been on such good terms lately. She didn't want to fight with her friend.

Lyf convinced herself to wait at the Sacred Forest Meadow until Saria returned. So she sat there. Another hour ticked away with the sun slowly sinking in the sky. It was horrible. She felt like she time had slowed down and begun to move backwards. The sands of the hourglass had seemingly ceased all movement, some grains even deciding to mock her by jumping back into the top of the glass. It was painful for her to worry like this and she knew it wasn't good for her but she was so…scared.

For years Lyf had had nightmares about Saria being hurt in the outside world and not being able to do anything to protect her. Her dreams had been plagued by images of Saria being killed by the King of Evil while attempting to stop him from destroying Hyrule. These things scared her to death. She had been with Saria for as long as she could remember. If anything ever happened to her she didn't know what she would do.

At last Lyf looked up at the sky. Night. It had fallen at last and still, no Saria. The fairy bit her lower lip in fear. What if something had happened to her? Could she have gotten hurt? Was she lost somewhere in Hyrule? That's stupid, she thought, if Saria were lost she could simply warp back her. Something must have happened. Surely she would contact me if she were going to stay all night.

The passing of another hour didn't help Lyf calm down. At last she stood up and went back to find her. Her flying started out slow and steady, but soon grew in pace. Within a few minuets she was flying blindly through the forest, wings beating at her side. When she reached a dead end she would turn sharply, her feet kicking off the nearest hard surface, fairy dust splattering on whatever she had used.

"Please Saria, please don't be hurt," she pleaded. Lyf felt panicky again. She knew she had to keep calm and yet she couldn't. Lyf finally collapsed on a branch. Her wings screamed at her to stop and refused to beat again until she had rested. "She's still in the outside world," she gasped between breaths, "She's still out there and I have to find her." She tried standing but her legs refused to let her do so. She had kicked against rocks and trees for half the night and all she had succeeded in doing was stubbing her toe and exhausting herself.

Taking this opportunity to see where she was, Lyf raised her head up and scanned the forest. It looked so different at night. Then she spotted it; an old tree that twisted upward toward the sky with a notch at the center that very much resembled the face of the Great Deku Tree. Lyf turned around and flew down one of the paths. I haven't checked here yet! She thought joyfully.

Her wings were so exhausted though that she had to land on the ground and walk on foot for part of the way. When she reached the opening she paused. In the center was a deep pool of sparkling clear water surrounded by trees and soft grass. It was one of her favorite spots, second only to the meadow. But there was something different that night. A large and brilliant horse stood near the pool, drinking its fresh water. It lifted its head and shook a silvery white mane that contrasted beautifully against its deep red coat. Lyf recognized this horse. This was Epona, Link's horse! Her eyes caught sight of that very person, boots off and bare feet resting in the cool liquid. He lifted his blond head towards the sky, catching the light of the moon in his cerulean eyes.

And sitting next to him was Saria.

She too had had her shoes off, bare feet dangling in the water and was looking towards the moon with him. Lyf stood still for a moment. Why hadn't she come home right away? Didn't she know she was worried for her? It was nearly midnight for Nayru's sake! Before she could even think of the right thing to yell at Saria the small Kokiri looked over at Link and grinned.

"Thank you again Link for bringing me home. I didn't feel like teleporting here."

"No problem Saria," he said grinning back at her, "but why didn't you?"

Saria looked at her feet and sighed, "I was afraid that I would run into Lyf when I got back. Chances are she'd kill me for leaving and not telling her."

"I suppose she would…" Link responded, "Why didn't you come back and explain to her that it was an emergency? I mean, she'd understand. You could have brought her to tea with all of us after the problem was solved. After all, you never bring her anywhere with you."

Saria was quiet for a long time before she finally spoke. The words that came from her mouth brought tears to Lyf's eyes and forced the fairy to stand in stunned and miserable silence. "She's an embarrassment."

Link looked at Saria with shocked eyes for a moment as the sage stared at her reflection. Navi, who had been resting on Link's cap sat up and looked at Saria with an unbelieving expression. "You don't mean that, do you Saria?" the blue fairy whispered, as if she were afraid of Lyf, who she believed to be a good mile away, overhearing.

Saria nodded in response. "You don't understand. Link, you need Navi to help you fight. My fairy is there to guard me. I'm a sage. I can guard myself. I may look like I'm ten but I have the maturity of someone far older. And yet…some of the other sages still treat me like a child just because I look like one. If I started bringing an overprotective fairy that scolds you like a little kid every time you're late getting home then I'd be proving them right. While everyone else is growing up I'm staying the same. They need to stop treating me like they did six years ago and start treating me like they treat you and Zelda. And Lyf does too." Saria came close to shouting the last part of her confession.

Link and Navi looked on at her in numb shock. "I…I never knew you felt that way Saria…I'm sorry," he whispered. Saria shook her head drew her knees toward her chest.

"It's alright. But…can we stay here a little longer? I don't feel like going back home right now. Lyf would probably just give me another lecture. And I really don't want another one of those."

Link looked like he was about to say something but closed his mouth and nodded. "Sure Saria." Saria leaned back and looked at the sky with Link and Navi. The corner of a small head peeked out from behind the clumps of grass, eyes brimming with tears. When she was sure they weren't going to look in her direction, Lyf took off. She flew through the dark night and to the meadow. Her wings were numb to the pain, for a new and greater ache had taken over. As Lyf sank down on the stump that she and Saria had spent so many hours on, a tear escaped her eye. Another tear soon followed and within seconds she had curled up on its wooden surface, crying. She had heard the horrible truth.

She was unwanted.

Okay everyone! That's where I'm stopping it for now. So here are some notes.

Lyf's name is pronounced Leef (Like leaf, on a tree yeah…)

Don't get too attached to that name, it'll change later on (hint hint)

For Gunslinger Girl fans, in future chapters there will be a concept related to that. I do hope you like it. I've told DEW about it and she thought it was really cool. So just bare with me and I promise the story will take off soon. (Lots of action and confused emotions)

I'm really sorry if I take a couple of weeks to get the next chapter up, I have a job cleaning my school so I'm usually over there, but I will try very hard to get the next one up soon.

Review please.

Thanks,

Jaderill