Author's Note (which is long-winded, but bear with me): Writing my two FMA 100 Themes fics (A Hundred Ways to Say You're My Brother and Till I'm a Hundred, You Idiot) has been some of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had in my fanfiction writing career. After finishing the second one, I thought that was it. My purpose in writing them was to celebrate and bring to attention some of the underappreciated non-romantic relationships of the story, and there aren't any others in the FMA fandom that inspire me enough to write a whole hundred stories about them (and believe me, it takes a lot of inspiration to make it through to the end!). Then I casually asked myself if there were any other relationships like that in other fandoms that inspire me enough for another 100 Themes. I was expecting the answer to be "no," but to my surprise, I very quickly thought of Link and Navi.

I continue to be astonished at the sheer vitriol and spite most of the Zelda fandom expels on Navi. I for one never found her that annoying, and even when her hints and suggestions are completely unnecessary and unwanted, she's very easy to ignore. At the very least, no one who's played both Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword has any excuse for hating on Navi, because Fi is TEN BILLION TIMES WORSE x.x

On a more positive note, I have always loved Navi. I have found her to be the most helpful and intuitive sidekick in any Zelda game I've played, and more than that...I love what she is for Link. Zelda fanfiction will always be a very subjective thing, because except for a few core qualities, Link's personality is largely up to the player to decide. I think a lot of players interpret the Ocarina of Time Link quite differently than I do, which in turn affects the way they interpret Navi. I hope to show you in this fic what I think Link is like, what I think Navi is like, and what a powerful bond I think they have.

This fic will also include a lot of my own headcanons for the world of Ocarina of Time. (For example, this first chapter includes my headcanon that Navi is the only blue fairy in the forest. Close examination of the Kokiri's fairies in the game itself has revealed that they CHANGE COLOR OVER TIME, so I reserve the right to be arbitrary too -_-) This is by far my favorite Zelda game—I don't think any of the others even come close to how awesome this one is—so naturally it's the one I default to whenever I think about Zelda. Since Ocarina of Time is the only one Navi appears in, I'll probably stick to it pretty exclusively, though I may dabble in some of the others when appropriate.

And just to be crystal clear, this is not a LinkXNavi romance fic. I'll probably bring up some of my headcanons about the nature of fairies in later chapters that will show why such a pairing would be impossible in the first place. I will occasionally dabble with some pairings (just be aware that I ship LinkXZelda), but none will be the primary focus of this fic. We're here to enjoy Link and Navi's friendship. I hope you enjoy the ride :)

Timeline: Child; beginning

Theme 1: Introduction

Link had always been different from the other Kokiri. It wasn't just that he'd never gotten a guardian fairy—though that was a large part of it. He just wasn't spunky and cheerful and carefree like the others. Even Saria, the only one who would talk to him, would sometimes laugh and say, "You look so serious! It's kind of scary!"

He wanted to believe that everything would change once he got a guardian fairy, that finally he would belong and no one would look at him strangely again. But somewhere deep inside, he was afraid that nothing would ever change. There was something inherently wrong with him, and he would always be alone.

It could be worse, he supposed. Mido was the only one who was ever actually mean to him, and even then Link could run circles around him in terms of creativity. Mido's bullying was easy to avoid as long as Link was willing to keep to himself. Unfortunately, keeping away from Mido's name-calling and tripping and shoving meant isolating himself even more.

The others would fidget awkwardly when he was around, or stare at him, or look at him with varying degrees of concern or scorn. Even Saria got an annoying look of pity on her face sometimes, usually followed by a friendly hand on his shoulder and an encouraging, "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get a guardian fairy soon."

So Link spent his days exploring the Lost Woods, or making slingshots and practicing his aim with Deku Seeds, or following Saria deep into the forest to nibble on berries and nuts and mushrooms they found on the way. And he grew quieter and more withdrawn every day.

He told himself he liked it better that way. Without other people always chattering in his ear, he would lie on his back in a clearing in the forest, close his eyes...and he could almost hear the music Saria was always talking about. He could almost feel the trees groaning, the grass stretching, the bugs and tiny animals skittering through their tunnels underground.

What did he need from other people, anyway? They'd never done anything for him. He was perfectly self-sufficient. If not even a single fairy could be bothered to give him the time of day, then he didn't need a fairy either. It wasn't like Kokiri Forest was dangerous, anyway. Maybe the Deku Babas and Skulltulas would give some of the dumber Kokiri trouble, but not Link. Because he had to rely on his own strength and wits, he wasn't scared of anything in the forest. He could take care of himself.

But sometimes, as Link lay in bed and silence fell over the forest...he cried himself to sleep.

Navi had always been different from the other fairies. It wasn't just that she was a blue, rare all across Hyrule but especially in the Kokiri Forest. It wasn't even that she'd never been assigned a Kokiri—after all, not every fairy was called to such a great destiny. There were only so many Kokiri at any one time, so most were left to fly free through the forest, free to laugh and play and bring joy to every living thing.

Even though she didn't think of herself as that different from the other fairies, she never quite fit in. "Lighten up, Navi!" they would say, tinkling laughter surrounding her on all sides. "Wow, are all blues like this? Forget about destiny and the world out there! This is the Kokiri Forest! Nothing bad ever happens here! So come on and play with us!"

So she spent a lot of her time talking to the Great Deku Tree. He was so knowledgeable about the world (for a tree that never went anywhere), and he kindly answered every one of her endless questions. He talked about the goddesses, and the history of Hyrule, and how an acorn grew into a tree as enormous as he was. He talked about how the fates of everyone and everything in the world was intertwined in a vast web so complex that even he couldn't understand it all. Only Nayru was wise enough to comprehend all of it.

Sometimes, Navi would fly to the very edge of the forest and stare out at the fields beyond the shadowy safety of the trees. She would stay there for hours, feeling restless, but knowing her place was back with the Kokiri. Often, she felt like there was something she was supposed to be doing, but she'd forgotten what it was. She wondered if that was the thread of destiny pulling tight. She wondered where it would take her.

Other times, she knew she was just being ridiculous, and she laughed and played with her brothers and sisters. She pulled harmless pranks on the silly Kokiri, and raced the birds and insects of the forest. She sped just over the surface of the water, throwing up a spray of diamonds till the air sparkled like the night sky. She sped through the day as though it was running away, and then slept soundly all through the night without the slightest fear or care.

But the restless days always returned. Often, she felt as though the Great Deku Tree knew the answer to her problem and was just refusing to tell her. Maybe he was trying to get her to figure it out for herself. Maybe, as a blue fairy, she ought to.

But she wasn't Nayru. And she didn't know what her destiny was.

When the day they'd been waiting for finally came, it wasn't anything like what either of them had expected. When she finally located him, Navi only saw a lazy little boy, sleeping the day away, completely oblivious to the great honor of being called to a personal audience with the Greak Deku Tree.

And when Link was rudely woken from a disturbing nightmare of a rider on a black horse chasing him, all he saw was a feisty little fairy hopping all over his chest, yelling a shrill string of, "Hey! Hellooooo! Anybody there? Wake up, sleepyhead! My name is Navi and I'm your guardian fairy and you have to wake up because the Great Deku Tree is asking for you and you're going to be so late and we're both going to get in sooooo much trouble and..."

By the time he was fully awake, he was already half-dressed. Navi flitted around his room, snatching articles of clothing from pegs on the wall and tossing them in his direction, fussing about how late he was going to be. Then, as if they both realized what was happening in the same instant, they froze and looked at each other. Halfway through pulling a boot onto the wrong foot, Link softly said, "You're...my guardian fairy?"

"Yeah," Navi said, just as dazed as he was. "I'm your guardian fairy. I'm your guardian fairy!" Her voice rose as she put her hands on her hips, though Link couldn't see through the bright glow of her body. "And that was some introduction, Link! Hmph, I'll definitely have to teach you some manners! At least be awake when someone's talking to you!"

Link smiled, and Navi's laughter tinkled happily. Neither of them had expected it to happen quite this way, but now they knew they would meet their destinies together.