Author's Note: Hi. This is the prologue for my version of Majora's Mask, this one being in the Skull Kid's perspective. This one won't be long, but will be about him and Majora's Mask itself. This is, as stated, just the prologue, so the next chapter will be more in depth about his thoughts and how he views the mask. But now, the real purpose of this author's note: Just so you all don't get confused, I'm going to be using the game, AND the Manga, so if there are brief references that you don't get and you haven't looked at both, that's why. Just saying. Kay, thanks!
It was not an easy thing to understand for one so young. When he was young, he understood everything and nothing, all at once solely because certain things pertained to him. "Family" was not something he understood, or rather, it was not something he knew from experience. When you're born of the forest as he was, you could be related to something as small as a blade of grass or as large as a tree. The "others" were his family, so to call anything outside of the forest "family" made no sense to him. The concept of "friend" was very similar to "family" in his mind, but so easily was it twisted. His friends were the Giants, and though they were of natural origins, (unlike the humans to him) they were not "family". They were classified as "friends". It was this misunderstanding that later made him realize that he was to young to understand fully the responsibility his friends held.
Though the Skull Kid didn't age past whatever stage or age he was, that was hardly the point. After the ordeal, he felt like he had aged far beyond his "younger years". He remembered the day clearly when the misunderstanding occurred, partially because of the situation, and partially because it had been unusually bright that day. Unusually bright and particularly lovely.
He had planned the whole day out for them.
Of the many things he unknowingly observed of his friends, one of them was that they had a hard time understanding him and they spoke slowly and deliberately. They let him talk most of the time. As he met them, he missed the sad, yet thoughtful looks on their faces, (hidden, perhaps, by their beards) and had proceeded to tell them of the wonderful ideas he had for them. They listened patiently, but later, when he thought about it, hadn't they always? Eagerly, the small ogre pointed every which way and finally finished in excitement. They looked at him and it was then that he realized something was different. Something different was about to happen on that beautiful, unusually bright day, and Skull Kid, for the life of him, couldn't put his finger on it.
"Important." Was what they said at first, and then he felt an empty sort of numbness take hold of him as he realized what they were saying. They were leaving. "Important."
"You're leaving?" He exclaimed, still froze with shock, he young mind unable to get anything else through his head. All that mattered was that they were leaving him behind. They were leaving him behind and he would be completely and utterly alone. But the Giants were patient. The Giants could see this in him. The lostness. The panic and sorrow that took the place of his initial surprise. And the heart break.
He was too young to understand that they had no choice. They had seen the people. They had seen the need to protect these human creatures that had a way of life that needed continuing. (Skull Kid felt that the humans should take care of themselves and stay out of the way. After all, humans didn't understand anything.)
It was because of this that he couldn't fathom why on earth they had to leave to protect them.
"Wait! Please!" They had begun to walk away. What more could they do? To let him live on his own, without them, they knew would be hard. But it needed to be done. He followed in a pitiful, childlike way, trying desperately to catch up to them. But they were Giants. They had big feet and tall legs. With one stride he was all but an eternity from them. They did not look back, whether from their own sorrow or from the determination of the mission they compelled them, no one would know, but they did not look back.
In an attempt to reach them, Skull Kid did not see that sheer cliff that seemed to snatch at his ankles, and though it wasn't a huge drop, it disoriented him and the tumble made his head spin. He sat for a second (he was sure he could see one of them in the distance), then stood to begin again.
He ran and ran and got nowhere. It felt, in the end, like he only ended up right back where he started, and as he bent over, gasping for breath, he felt the first drop of water. Gazing up at the once clear blue sky, he found himself staring at dark clouds, mirroring the sorrow and betrayal that screamed from the very depths of his being. In a stubborn attempt to be mad and continue after his friends, he tripped again, a large black bird glaring at him before flying off. Struggling to his feet, hurt, tired, and emotional shattered, the rain came at full speed.
He walked dejected through the down pour, managing to make it to a large, hollow, tunnel like stump and sat underneath it. Skull kid did not move for a long time, legs sticking out awkwardly from under the stump, letting the rain fall on him. Eventually, though he did not think of it on purpose, he pulled his legs to him and gave a tremendous shudder.
He was cold. He was wet. He was tired. And he looked exactly like that.
It was like this that the fairy's found him. Both had flown through the sudden storm, already having been looking for shelter. It did not help in the slightest that the rain was heavy and both were small; the purple one being the slower, weaker flier to top that off. When they saw the stump, they immediately sought it's shelter, huddling together as they practically dove into it, finally relieved from the cruel wet and wind. The Skull Kid didn't even see them. Even if he had, he didn't think he would have cared.
The fairy's heard him before they saw him as well. It was dark towards the bottom of the trunk and they would never have noticed him if his exasperated sigh, sounding both cold and wet, hadn't wafted up to them. They had turned, looking down at him, his obliviousness enough to calm them. He didn't look dangerous.
"He's a child." The yellow one stated and the purple one agreed. It was a unanimous decision. Flying gently down to him, forgetting to introduce themselves, they forced themselves into his arms and with that, he finally noticed them. He felt his arms jerk, then felt a comfortable warmth and he wrapped his frail arms around it, embracing the only comfort he had had all day. Turning his eyes down at them, he discovered the fairy's and finally found the strength to smile.
"Thank you."
That was the start of their friendship.
