Friendship is a fragile thing; Link knew this fact all too well.

And yet, that hardly stopped him from making friends everywhere he went. It was in his nature to talk to everyone, and it was in his character to create a small bond, a small friendship with each person. He would do small tasks and they would always give him a new item, rupees or even a piece of their heart.

Had Link known how much would change after picking up the master sword, how so many people would just hold him as a distant memory, and not as the person that stood in front of them now. He might not have been so willing to take up the torch and become the Hero of Time. Not that Navi would have let him, or the knowledge of Hyrule and Princess Zelda all depending on him… but he would have been hesitant.

Besides, nothing would have changed if he spend a while longer in the past, and spend time with the one friend that hurt the most to lose after those dormant seven years… or at least that is how Link saw it.

It hadn't been a long friendship, but Link had hoped it to be a one to last forever. They had met in the lost woods. It was a fluke really, Link had been wandering around the lost woods trying to find Saria's favorite spot again, when he took a single wrong turn and ended up in a small clearing. All that was in the area was two chopped down trees, a small opening in the canopy let in a small beam of light on top of each stump.

Link being the childish boy he was ran over to the lowest stump and jumped up on it, and grinned up at the light beam. It was then that he heard it.

Eh hee hee~

Startled Link began frantically looking around, and saw nothing… it couldn't have been his imagination, he heard someone, or at least something.

Link had heard the many storied about the lost Kokiri's that linger in the lost woods… they were not pleasant stories. The Great Deku Tree hated how Link was always frolicking around in it. Or any other Kokiri for that matter.

Silence resumed in the woods, there no more strange laughter, only the faintest sound of Saria playing her Ocarina in the background. With a light chuckle Link sat himself down on the stump and pulled out his own Ocarina, he was still just learning, but he had quite the knack for it.

It wasn't till after he had blown the first two notes of the song Saria had taught him did he hear it again.

Eh hee hee~

I see you like to play, I do too.

Let me hear you.

Let's play together.

Link whipped around and spotted an impish creature sitting on the higher stump behind him. Head tilted in a questioning manner, and a small instrument, which looked to be a wooden flute in its one hand. The impish creature stared down at Link with its glowing yellow-orange eyes.

Link continued staring at the creature for a few more moments till smiling and nodded, of course he'd love to play.

Eh hee hee~

Brining the flute up to its beaked mouth, the impish creature began to play Saria's song, probably having heard it all the time from Saria, and eventually just learned it. or perhaps it had been around when Saria taught Link the song weeks before.

The two played and played and played, till they could play no more. Link pulled the ocarina from his mouth and grinned and looked up at his new friend.

I'm skull kid by the way.

Skull kid supplied after it too pulled the flute from its mouth.

I liked playing with you.

We should do it again some time

Eh hee hee~

Link grinned up at Skull Kid; of course, he'd love to play again!

And that is what they did. Link went into the Lost Woods daily to play music with Skull Kid. Eventually, they began playing other games as well, but music was their most favorite thing to play.

When Link left the forest on his adventure to save Hyrule, he still made sure to come back to Skull Kid. He brought back souvenirs too. Skull Kid's favourite being the skull mask, he always wore it… sometimes Link wondered if he ever took it off.

As his adventure went on he had less time to run back to the forest, and all too soon Link was asleep in the sacred realm…

When he woke up seven years later, the first thing he did, was run to the forest, not to Kakariko where Sheik had told him to go, not to go find Saria… but to find Skull Kid. He needed to see his friend, tell him he was sorry about being gone so long…

However when he got to their clearing, and Skull Kid popped out of the forest, he began attacking Link.

Link attempted to reason with Skull Kid, but there was nothing that seems to stop the attacks. Skull Kid hated adults… and that was what Link was now. And Kokiri's are not supposed to age… there was no way for Skull Kid to grasp that Link, was Link.

However being determined to get his best friend back by his side Link pulled out his (Zelda's) Ocarina and began to play. He was stopped as the attacks continued.

Link began calling out, telling Skull Kid it was him, that it was Link… but his cries went unheard and the attacks continued. Link was beginning to become quite injured… mostly because he was doing nothing to defend himself. Just standing on his stump letting the small bullets hit him.

Link eventually stood up; there was no point in ending his adventure here, even though he wanted to… he had already walked through the Kokiri Forest, no one knew him there, all of the forest children stared and gawked at the Kokiri tunic wearing adult that jogged by them and into the Lost Woods…

He had spent his life with those children, and they can't even recognize him…

With a sigh Link trailed out of the clearing, Skull Kid still yelling for the adult to leave, and shooting and endless supply of pellets at him, chipping away pieces of his heart within each hit. His heart couldn't take much more damage.

Soon Link made his way out of the forest all together and into Hyrule field, hung held low and a rhythmic laughter, and a light memory lingering distantly in his mind.

Eh hee hee,

Link.

Let's be friends forever.