A/N: Whoa. Hi everybody! Ha, okay so it's literally been YEARS. Years; and for some crazy reason, I started reading through my old works and decided to write the next chapter of this. I doubt anyone is still following, but in case you were, here's the chapter you were waiting for! xD Bless, I hope this is an alright one. My writing style has changed a bit, along with the ideas I may have had, but hopefully it still flows well. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 17: The Memorial

It was the day after the day after the party. Each teen awoke with more memories of the night, and mild regret drenched each of them.

But no matter. Monday was here, so regrets would have to be pushed and hidden to be released at a later date.

In his group home, Link sat by himself with the window open. The wind poured in, forcing goosebumps to appear. He wrapped himself in a forest green knit sweater, pilled almost to death but still unbelievably comfortable. When he stood, Link tiptoed to the window. He looked down with his big eyes, counting how long he thought it might take. One step, five seconds in the air, and he could vanish. Be gone for good.

Though, that was an overly unhealthy thought. He had places to be. So, Link turned on his worn heels, grabbed his brown bag, and headed towards the bus stop.

Fledge was in a similar position. He threatened to put the blade to his skin again. Though, he knew better. There was too much at stake for him to keep doing this. Fledge even considered tossing his secret box out; all that kept him from doing so was the awful image of a child finding his box. That, of course, alongside the obvious addiction of it all.

Fledge and Link met at the stop as usual, equipped to war with the day ahead. They weren't surprised when Peatrice didn't show up, even after they waited half an hour. They tried to call and message her, but she didn't pick up and she didn't respond. No surprise there.

So, they walked together in perfect silence. The only interruption was the occasional mew from a stray remlit.

"Link," Fledge started haphazardly, shoving his chilled fists into his pockets.

Link hummed in response, lips frozen shut.

"You think she's okay, don't you?"

"Peatrice?" Link takes a quick breath, considering. "I suppose so. I'm sure she's very upset."

"Rightfully so," Fledge sighs, seeing the academy in the distance. "I just...I really hope she's okay."

"Me too," Link took a breath, before forcing a smile. He pulled his friend through the doors of the school with caution, trying to urge him on. "But, I'm sure everything will work out!"

Fledge chuckles, amazed by the blonde. "You've been blessed with the most positive attitude possible, you know that?"

Link smiles cheerfully to himself, tucking his frozen fingertips into his pockets.

As the pair walked through the doors of the school, they were almost pushed back out by the overwhelming amount of teens filling the first hall. Many held tall, lit candles in their hands.

"What's happening?" Fledge spoke softly, standing on his tip-toes to try for a better view.

Link shrugged, considering what his best option was to make his way to first period. Though, that worry was yanked from his mind when he was attacked by a hug from Zelda.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" She squealed, holding him tight. "It's such a shame."

Fledge stepped back to Link's side, his thick eyebrows knit. "Huh? What're you talking about?"

"Peatrice," she said, as though the story was common knowledge by now. "She died last night. Her family said it was an accident. Karane and I couldn't get a hold of you, Fledge, so we thought the worst."

At the sudden statement, Link and Fledge shared a terrified look.

"What do you mean by accident?" Fledge was so white, he almost blended in to the walls.

Before she could answer, Groose and his cronies came barreling around the corner.

"There you fuckers, are!" Groose wrapped his strong arms around Link, causing the blonde's mind to go blank and his face to turn a bright pink. "Such a shame, isn't it?"

"A shame?" Fledge scoffed. "You all hated her! And what even happened?"

"I'm not so sure," Zelda sighs, as Karane finds the group. "Her family said something about a potion. You know...a bad potion."

"Like," Link's voice was an almost inaudible whisper. "A suicide potion?"

Zelda and Karane gasped dramatically, the latter frowning at the tiny boy. "Don't say that! We're...all really hoping it was just a mistake."

"Why?" Fledge frowned. "Because you all treated her badly? You never cared about her before today."

"Whatever, Fledge," Pipit chimes in, slapping a hand onto the teen's back. "It's a shame whenever anyone dies."

"It's true," Link says suddenly, surprising his friend. "Like her or not, she's gone. And she deserves to be honored. We shouldn't fight today. In honor of Peatrice."

"That's incredibly noble, Link," Zelda giggles, nudging Karane and infuriating Pipit. "How about after school, we all go to my place? Spend some time together, as friends. You and Fledge can tell us about her."

Fledge silently fumed, angry at this faux concern. Zelda didn't care about Peatrice; no one did, besides himself and Link. Though, his friend was right. This day should be focused on her. She should be honored, rather than fought over.

"Sounds good," Fledge finally spoke, and Link nodded in sound agreement. "Just...no drama today. Please?"

The four turned to Groose and Pipit, both of whom nodded furiously.

"Who, us?" Pipit snickered.

"We're always on our finest behavior," Groose chuckled, though was terrified by the evil look Zelda shot his way. "But, we'll be even better tonight."

Later, after a long day of classes concluded, the group of supposed 'cool kids' walked in unison towards Zelda's home. It was a familiar, if not eerie, scene. Strich thought of lovely Kina, while Fledge pictured his friend, with her fingers down her throat.

'Could that be the reason why?' He thought to himself, his stomach churning. 'Because I caught her? Was she so humiliated...she killed herself?'

Link, trailing behind everyone else, hummed to himself shyly. Fledge turned to find him, his eyes shaking in anxiety.

"Fledge, are you alright?" The blonde asked quietly.

"Hardly. Link, this happened so suddenly. And after I caught her...you know."

"I know. It's really sad."

Fledge held his head in his hands, as his friend didn't understand the gravity of his situation. Bless Link's naïve heart. "Link...did she kill herself because I found her? Is it my fault?"

Link stopped in his tracks, his face suddenly scrunched up in fury. Fledge was caught off guard. This was a new expression. "Fledge, don't you dare blame yourself. Not for a second."

"But..."

Link's head continued to shake. "Don't. Don't try to justify blaming yourself. It was no one's fault. This...doesn't have many simple answers, but I'll tell you one thing I know for sure. You didn't kill her."

Fledge let out a swift sigh, nodding his head curtly. "I suppose you're right."

"Definitely. Please, don't blame yourself. Peatrice wouldn't want you to."

"I know."

As the group came to Zelda's house, she immediately led them to the backyard; somehow all of them had overlooked it the other night. It was breathtaking. Around the amazing court, she had string lights wrapped around tall trees. On the fuzzy grass laid flat stones, and in the middle of it all was a sweet, serene zen garden—combed and landscaped beautifully.

"Wow," Link said dumbly, in awe of the beauty that was possible in Skyloft. "This is...really, really nice."

"Thank you!" Zelda giggled, shrugging her shoulders and twirling in her little, pink dress. She grabbed Link's hand suddenly, pulling him to sit beside her. "Come here, Link!"

Groose grunted, flopping his heavy self down across from the both of them to sulk. Karane sat by Zelda, Fledge by Link. The cronies took the spots beside Groose; so, naturally, Pipit sat by Karane.

She groaned in response, however, to which he instantly internalized.

"What?" Pipit huffed, trying to give a coy smile.

"Pip, please don't be an ass today," she whispered, eyes locked on his. "Please."

Pipit was taken a few yards aback, stunned that the love of his life saw him as nothing but an ass. Though, he couldn't focus on that for long, as Zelda grabbed all of their attention by standing. Groose took the opportunity to look up her skirt; Link twiddled his thumbs, before pushing a comforting arm around Fledge.

"Alright you guys. We're gathered today to honor a really sweet girl, Peatrice. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't know her super well," Zelda tried to deliver a heartwarming sermon, though her skills were unfortunately rather subpar. "But, thankfully, I know a few people that knew her like a best friend."

She gestured to Link and Fledge, as she sat abruptly. So, Link stood and pulled his friend up with him. Pipit watched the tiny boy move with keen interest, resting his cheek in his hand.

Link smiled as he addressed the group as his friends, the ends of his mouth curling sweetly. Softly. Like a child asking for affection. Pipit admired his bravery, as Link took the lead and asked them for a moment of silence.

It went by quickly, and he spoke again. Pipit couldn't be bothered to listen to the speech that the blonde made. His eyes just kept moving up and down, scanning Link.

He watched when his small hand would drift up to shyly play with a fluffy, blonde tuft. Then it would rest on his mid-drift, hands laced together. When the sun hit their circle, it graced Link's shining face like a gem. His eyes lit up with fire, shimmering like the uppermost layer of the ocean. When Link finally sat, he landed like a feather onto the rock. He sat with his legs crossed, somehow still smiling. The boy still smiled; he still found the obscure positivity in life, despite having lost a close friend. Despite all the horrible shit he was surely feeling, the boy smiled.

Pipit wondered how he could do it.

"That was so beautiful, Link," Zelda said, her eyes glassy. Fledge was fully sobbing, wiping his eyes with his tunic. "Come on, everyone. We'll go inside for some comfort food."

Zelda stood, and everyone began to follow. Though, Pipit idled. He noticed Link, staying seated for an extra moment. His ocean eyes were fixated on the zen garden.

Everyone was in the kitchen, likely raiding Zelda's cabinets for sweets, though Pipit had stayed with this peculiar boy. He sat beside the blonde, scaring him enough to flinch. Pipit chuckled.

"Relax, I'm not gonna hit ya."

Link nodded softly, his eyes still stuck.

"Hey, uh...that was a nice speech. She would've been happy to hear it."

Link nodded again, still stuck. Pipit wondered if he was trying not to cry, but saw that sweet smile still stuck. Pipit finally acknowledged the fire building in the pit of his stomach. This had been happening more and more lately, but he had no idea why. What was it about Link that stirred up so many unfamiliar emotions?

"Listen," Pipit started, the words pouring without warning. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I beat you up. And I'm sorry I've been a dick. Really. I know it probably means nothing now, but you're alright, I guess. I mean, you care a lot. That's...pretty cool."

"Thank you," Link whispered, looking into the boy's eyes. "That means a lot, Pipit."

Pipit. The way his own name fell from the blonde's mouth was beautiful. Like a ballad, from the most talented bard. Pipit was enthralled. His lips trembled. His hand found Link's knee and latched on.

Link noticed the sudden shift, and the great grasp, and let his guard fall. "Is everything okay?"

Before another thought could cross his mind, Pipit had leaned in too close. Their lips brushed, and then locked in a passionate, but awfully swift kiss. Then another. Another, with a daring lick from the auburn teen. Pipit wanted to grab Link's face, kiss him hard, then shove him to the ground. Though, he backed away suddenly instead. Then, he stood up, cleared his raw throat, and went inside to join everyone.

Leaving Link's mind to explode into bits of confusion, anger, remaining sadness, and a tiny, shameful piece of thrill.

A/N: Hope you guys liked it! I genuinely am going to try to finish this story up. Granted, this is probably only about the halfway point (if even that), so we shall see! Please leave some reviews if you have any feedback, ideas, etc. Each of you are amazing, intelligent, and beautiful!