Chapter One

Link arrived in Clock Town at six AM on the first day, the sun just rising in the sky. behind him towered the clock tower in the middle of town that kept the time, rotating with each passing minute to match the ticking time. Sometimes Link forgot how beautiful the clock was, since he never really looked at it for the time; when the moon was getting too close, he played the song of time and it was back to the first day all over again.

That creepy mask salesman was hiding out in the bottom of the clock, eagerly awaiting his mask when Link could finally retrieve it, and the little white puppy was dashing to and fro out in front of him. The town's construction workers were building away at the project they started every first day. Now that he had time on his hands, Link walked toward them to see what it was they were building.

"Hey, apprentice! Don't just stand around lookin' at the sky all day!"

Link directed his attention at the craftsman yelling at the young man on the top of their project.

Under his breath, the young man on the top of the wooden platform mumbled "Huh? T-the moon..."

Link took a good look at the moon, and raised his eyebrows. The moon wasn't as close as he had seen it, but it was certainly very close for any moon to be to the Earth. Its grimace-crossed face glared down at Clock Town, inching closer with each passing second. Link was happy to think it would all go away as soon as he handled Skull Kid on the third day.

"Bah!" the construction worker to Link's left yelled. "This poster's an eyesore! What a sorry collection of cowards!" Link looked just past the man and his crossed arms and saw a poster advertising the Clock Town protection corps' recruiting office. Link was sad to see someone defaming a peace corps this way, but such was the product of the disarray Skull Kid had brought with the falling moon.

When Link turned around, facing the laundry pool, he saw a boy about his own age coming out with a letter in his hands. He wore a mask that was fairly reminiscent of the fabled Keaton, an elusive fox who liked to give those who found them a trivia session. Purple hair flowed out from the back of the mask, and his sleeves almost passed his fingertips. Link was sure he'd never seen that boy before.

He decided to let it be; he couldn't know everyone in town after all. He was hungry for now, and with three free days that was all he had to think about. A quick walk up some stairs took him to the Clock Town Bank, the place that had somehow saved up his several hundred rupees with each time travelling endeavor.

"Hi there! I'd like to make a withdrawal please!" Link propped himself on the counter and waited for the man to speak.

"Oh! Excuse me, but let me take a look at your hand," the lad said. As he spoke, Link mouthed the words back at him perfectly, having heard him say this some forty or fifty times by this point.

After looking at Link's hand for a moment, he muttered "Ah, yes... Link."

Link nodded. "That's me."

The banker turned and began fiddling with the safe. "If I remember, you're the little guy that depos— stop copying me!"

Link grinned, looking away so as to not be rude. "Sorry."

"Anyways, I was saying that you deposited a bit over two thousand rupees total."

Link's eyes widened. "Great Hylia! I knew I had enough for some milk, but over TWO THOUSAND?!"

The banker nodded. "Plus five rupees interest."

Link nodded slowly. "Yeah... yeah, alright. Can I just get out like thirty rupees?"

The red-haired man nodded. "Of course! Feel free to keep your money here as long as you like, we'll be there for you anytime, all your money guaranteed." He noticed that Link was mouthing the words as he said them again, and he frowned. "It's like you've seen all this before."

Link grinned.

The banker grinned.

"Time travel buddies!" they yelled in unison.

A few moments later, Link took to the Eastern path, ready for a game of Bombchu Bowling at Honey and Darling's before he went for milk. He practiced this constantly, no way would he lose this time.

Five minutes later, Link walked back to the banker, head hung low.

"Bombchu Bowling?" the banker asked.

"Bombchu Bowling."

"How much more do you want?"

Link sighed. "Fifty."

He walked back to Honey and Darling's, ready to play again. He walked in the door, holding his wallet in his hand. Honey allowed him to step up onto the revolving platform, and informed him for the three-hundred and fortieth time that he could not fall off or he'd be disqualified.

"I get it, don't fall off! Just let me play, no one ever falls off!"

Darling stopped kissing Honey and looked over. "That's not true you little brat! That one time fifteen resets ago you started crying and fell off—"

Honey pulled him back to herself. "Darling, we aren't supposed to be time travelers."

Another forty rupees in for four more games left Link with ten, and he tried one more time. The platform rocked as it revolved, and he struggled to aim correctly again as usual. With three seconds left on the clock, he reeled back and hurled the Bombchu straight at the last target. Direct hit.

Before celebrating, he looked over at Honey and Darling to see if they would count it, and they were both staring at the massive hole in their wall with their chins on the floor.

"I'll just... I'll just take the fishing pass on the way out."

Link was walking past the mayor's office at around ten when he saw Gorman, the leader of the Gorman troupe, walking in. Thinking to himself, he realized he'd never actually gone into the mayor's building before at all. Reluctantly, he followed Gorman into the building in hopes that he wouldn't get thrown out.

There weren't any guards waiting to throw him out as soon as he got in, so he supposed that was a plus. Taking a look around Gorman, he saw a cute girl with green hair behind the counter. Link looked up at Gorman.

"You uh... you don't want her, do you?"

Gorman crossed his arms. "Bah! Bother! I'm busy, stop bothering me!"

Link put his hands up. "Hylia, fine! Just thought you should get first choice since you're the adult 'n all."

Gorman made his terribly slow way to the counter, but Link left him in the dust. He couldn't lean on the counter because it was too tall for him, but he dragged a crate over and stood on it, then propped an arm on the counter.

"Hey there, baby," he began. He immediately thought to himself. His opening line... was hey there, baby.

"Your opening line..." Gorman muttered, "...Was hey there, baby? Come on, young man, step it up."

the girl behind the counter leaned over and pinched Link's cheeks. "Hey there, sweetie-pie. Do you have some bus-i-ness with the mayor?"

Link grinned. "Only on I got bus-i-ness with is you, hot topic."

She looked over at Gorman and grinned. "It's almost cute how terrible he is."

Gorman shook his head. "Children..." his mutter was hardly audible, but Link understood that he was no longer needed. He opened the door to the right and walked in.

"Are you with the Gorman Troupe?" came a voice from straight ahead. Madame Aroma, the mayor's wife, sat in her chair before him. She was... elegantly large.

"Oh, no, I was just—"

Link was interrupted by the door opening behind him and hitting his back. Gorman neglected to apologise, instead becoming angry with the door and slamming it into Link once more to move him. While Link sat on the ground in pain, Gorman approached Madame Aroma with his hands clasped and a grin on his face.

"Madame Aroma, I am Gorman. It has been some time... Thank you for allowing us to perform at this year's Carnival of Time."

Link began to read the room. The manager of the Indigo-gos, a band of Zora, sat on a couch near Madame Aroma's. They were looking fairly uncomfortable.

"Oh, dear me... Gorman! There's a problem!" Madame Aroma bellowed.

Gorman's eyes widened. "M-meaning?"

Link winced. This wasn't going to end well for poor Gorman.

"The opening show I've asked you to do..."

Gorman leaned in a little bit. "Ah... Yes?"

"They've canceled! Just now!"

Gorman blinked for a few seconds. "W-w-what's that now?"

"Allow me to explain," the Zora on the left cut in. Gorman looked over with a glare that wanted to kill the nearest living being. "See, Gorman, I am to work this year's show... or at least, that was the plan. I am Toto, manager of the Zora band, the Indigo-Go's."

"The band my troupe was to dance for, I'm aware," Gorman muttered very audibly.

"He arrived this morning!" Madame Aroma added.

Toto nodded. "Yes, well... There's been an unusual accident in Great Bay..."

Gorman stopped rocking back and forth.

"...And due to this unusual accident, Lulu, the band's singer, has lost her voice."

"Lost her voice!" Gorman yelled at the roof. He looked back at Toto and got close to his face. "Why?"

"Why?" Madame Aroma asked. No one knew if she was backing Gorman up or if she was scoffing at Gorman, so they ignored her.

"The details are quite long, so I'll spare you. At any rate... I must cancel our performance at this year's Carnival of Time."

"See?!" Madame Aroma asked Gorman, whose clasped hands had unclasped and fallen to his side.

"Cancelled," Gorman wheezed."

"Cancelled," Toto affirmed.

Gorman ran his hands through his slicked back hair, shivering at the thought of telling his troupe they wouldn't be performing. "Then this means... The Gorman Troupe's... j-job is..."

"Cancelled," Toto affirmed once more.

"It's off," Madame Aroma added postemptively.

"Bu-but that's...!"

"That's all Gorman. There's always next year."

"Next year..." Link breathed.

Gorman tripped over his own words as he stammered "B-but how do I explain this to my troupe? Just what should I... I mean... what should the Gorman Troupe do?"

"Oh Gorman... I wish it was only your face that was annoying me right now," Madame Aroma sighed. "Now shoo! I have more important matters to attend to."

Gorman turned and walked wordlessly out the door of Madame Aroma's office, but Madame Aroma saw Link trying to follow and said "You! In the green!"

Link looked at Madame Aroma. "Me? In the green?"

"Yes! Are you on a field trip? Or are you perhaps the expert person finder I hired?"

Link pretended to adjust a tie he didn't have. "Well, I do happen to be a pretty adamant side-quester, yes... Why?"

"Yes, yes, yes... I say, you do have the face of a pro."

Link looked left and right nervously. "Thank you...?"

Madame Aroma sighed. "The person I want you to locate is my son Kafei. Do you know him?" Link shook his head. "You don't? ...Really?"

Link shook his head again. "Explain the situation if you don't mind."

"My son disappeared about two days ago. It's terrible! I've not been able to eat anything in the last day! I even lost five pounds!"

Link took a look at Madame Aroma and somehow didn't believe her.

"Well? Could you look for him?"

Link nodded, and said "Of course! Always happy to help." Link knew this would be a piece of cake: find Kafei, reunite him with his mother, then proceed with his three days. No big deal.

"Oh my, yes! I knew you were an expert! Here, this mask will tell others who you're looking for, and it looks just like Kafei."

She handed Link a mask about the size of his face, a mask made of wood that had purple hair hanging from the sides. How familiar... But Link couldn't remember from where.

"Do you have any hints as to where I can find him, ma'am?" Link was putting the mask to his face as he asked.

Madame Aroma simply shrugged. "The best I can do is point you to his diary in the other room. He last wrote in it the night he disappeared."

Link looked at the door, and walked toward it. "I'll get started post-haste, madame."

The room was cozy; a fire burned in the fireplace that warmed the room and gave off some ambient fire crackling, and two beds made it obvious it was a bedroom. Link didn't see a diary, but he did see a curtain going across the room. When he walked over, he quickly realized that there were a few more feet of this room's length. He peeked behind the curtain, pulling the red silk to the side. On a lone desk lay the open diary.

"Bingo."

He didn't bother to read from the beginning; only the most recent page would likely suffice.

"The wedding ceremony is soon," he read; "It might be early, but I finished my wedding mask. I wonder if Anju has made hers..."

Anju... That was the name of the young lady who kept the chickens back in Hyrule. No matter how many times he saw it here in Termina, Link could never get used to the fact that the same people— with the SAME names— just showed up with different lives and didn't know him anymore. The king of the Zora from Hyrule was now the manager of a popular Zora band, and the construction workers were all just the same. Heck, the Twinrova, the witches who RAISED GANONDORF AS A CHILD were potion venders in the Southern Swamp. Link digressed and kept reading.

"...She tends to do things last-minute, so probably not."

Link begged to differ, considering how much this lady was probably waiting for this wedding, but on he read— he was on the job.

"Me and the boys droppin' at the milk bar tonight. I'm planning on showing off my wedding mask to all of them, and I'll probably regress to just talking about my sweetheart Anju all night."

That was the latest entry. Link had discerned that this Kafei guy had gone out with some friends to celebrate the wedding, have a nice bachelor party and whatnot. But more importantly, he had gotten that he was engaged to a woman named Anju. That was more than all he needed. Link decided his first move would be to go to Anju, as the milk bar seemed far less likely to have any sort of helpful hints than his fiance.

Link walked back out to Madame Aroma.

"Where can I find Anju?"