Everybody Has Scars
"Glad to see you aren't late today, Princess!" Sonic greeted cheerfully. As Zelda had expected, he seemed to be completely over their little squabble from the morning.
"Of course she isn't late, moron. You both just came from the same class!" Samus said, rolling her eyes.
"Both of you, quit it. Headache, remember?" Pit said, pointing towards his forehead and letting out a long sigh.
"Oh, so sorry, baby. Want me to kiss it better?" Samus asked, a coy grin on her face.
Pit didn't say a word. He simply flicked Samus's own forehead, causing her to wince and rub it soothingly.
"A simple 'no' would've worked fine there, Angelface."
"Are you always like this?" Blaze asked, looking to Sonic.
He smiled. "On good days."
Blaze shuddered. "Hate to see what the bad ones are like."
So, Zelda," Samus started, leaning in closely and completely invading Zelda's personal space, "I believe you owe me an explanation. So explain away, girlie."
Zelda took a deep breath, then told her friends about the previous night. She left out a small detail, though. She'd made a mental note earlier to not mention how she felt so flustered around him; she still didn't understand why herself.
"...Well, damn. That sounds like something out of Peach's shitty romance novels," Samus commented with her usual grace.
"Does explain why you were acting all weird this morning, though," Sonic said with a goofy grin. "Still doesn't mean I like the guy, though. Pretty sure Paulie caught you staring at him or something in class, and assumed you had a crush on him. And then paired you two up just to make you miserable."
Blaze tilted her head to one side, her confusion evident. "Why? Ms. Icarus seemed so kind."
Samus let out a sharp laugh, causing Pit to wince and clutch his forehead. "That's a real riot! She's only nice to students who don't act up! I mean, no offence, Pit, but your mother is a real dictator! Once she caught me yawning in class and made me write a full report on the Mushroom Princess. And she knows I hate that prissy damsel in distress!"
"Uh, guys?" Pit said, trying to speak up. Zelda quickly saw what Pit was trying to point out, her eyes widening.
"Tell me about it! She tried to embarrass me today, but I sure showed her! The Blue Hero is one of my heroes, I sure shut her up after I answered!" Sonic said, fist pumping with enthusiasm.
"Ahem, Sonic?" Zelda tried to interject.
"That's what she gets for messing with me!"
"Oh, yes, do go on, Mister Chaos."
Sonic smile turned into an expression of sheer dread and disbelief. Palutena Icarus stood right behind him, clutching a paper bag between her crossed arms.
"A-ah, hi, Palutena. T-that's funny, I was talking about Mrs. Fit and was about to say good of a teacher you are compared to her!" Sonic stammered, looking like a Sawsbuck caught in the headlights of a car.
Palutena didn't falter. She stared right back at him. "Mm-hm. I just came here to give Pit his lunch," she said, her frown turning into a cheerful grin."Here you go, sweetie."
Pit beamed and grabbed the paper bag from Palutena's arms. "Thanks, Mom!"
Palutena turned her frown back on and focused on Sonic again. "Now, I'm going to go back to the teachers lounge and speak with Mrs. Fit about this...glowing approval you have of her teaching methods. And, since the Blue Hero is one of your heroes, I expect a five page essay on his adventures and relations with other Heroes of Myth by Monday."
Palutena stalked away from them, leaving Sonic with his mouth agape. After a few moments, Sonic seemed to snap out of his daze.
"AW, COME ON!" He yelled out, only to have Palutena turn around again and flash him a sickeningly sweet smile.
"Make it ten," she shouted, then went back inside of the building.
"...So you're completely sure she's not a ninja?" Samus innocently asked, facing Pit again.
Pit shrugged. "Far as I know," he muttered in between bites of his apple.
Blaze seemed to be just as shocked as Sonic, then looked at him after a moment. "I take it back. She's a jerk."
Zelda was pleased. So far, nobody had brought up the Incident at all-
"So, Zelda, what was Samus talking about when she mentioned an incident?"
-she spoke too soon. Zelda sighed.
"Just...okay. If I tell it again today, everyone here reveals their own inner demons afterward, okay?" Zelda asked.
All of her friends nodded, Pit making the universal signal for 'go on' with his hands.
Without waiting another moment, Zelda began recounting that horrible day.
"A while ago, during grade school, I used to be friends with two other people, Link Ordona and Midna Shayde. We were near inseparable, the three of us. We used to say that, through thick and thin, we'd be together. Truthfully, Midna was the only reason we became friends. She always knew what to say, always lent a helping hand...
One day, Link had gotten all roughed up due to fighting with the two resident bullies, Groose and Mido. Trying to stay optimistic, I suggested that we all go to the park. I had some Gold on me that day, so I bought Link whatever he wanted in the shops before we had arrived.
Once we had arrived, since she was the toughest out of all three of us, Midna offered to scour the park for Groose or Mido. She wanted to make sure it was safe for Link there, so I stayed with Link while she went off to search. But only a few minutes later, we both heard her scream.
We shot up and ran in her direction, but didn't see her anywhere. We knew what that meant. We weren't stupid. Midna had been kidnapped from right under our noses.
Link and I had run towards the police station after that, ready to say our friend had been kidnapped. I already had a feeling they'd never find her, though. The kidnappings had been going on for a long time before that, the police still hadn't found any leads at all on where they had gone. That day only got worse by stepping into the station.
As soon as Link said his last name was Ordona, the officer led him into a questioning room. I saw his little siblings in there too, bawling their eyes out. I found out later why. Link's parents had gotten into a car crash, dying before they even made it to the hospital. They had gone out looking for Link, worried that he hadn't gotten home yet. For an entire year I blamed myself for what happened. 'It was your idea to go there, Midna wouldn't have been kidnapped if you hadn't suggested it, Link's parents would have lived if you had brought him straight home.' I didn't stop blaming myself until I made new friends here. Link utterly ignored me until yesterday. I still have no idea where Midna is to this day, and it's only worse now that my older sister, Sheik, disappeared.
And that's my tale," Zelda finished, finally able to catch her breath.
Everyone stayed silent for a minute.
"I...I'm so sorry, Zelda. I didn't know," Blaze finally said. "To be frank, my birth parents died in a fire."
Zelda blinked. "Well, that was abrupt," she thought.
"I have no idea how I survived myself, and I consider myself pretty lucky to have been adopted at all," muttered Blaze, looking sadly at the ground.
"My parents died from the Space Pirates, but you already knew that," muttered Samus, gazing darkly at the ground below her.
Pit and Sonic awkwardly looked at each other.
"Does being stalked count as a tragic backstory? 'Cause if it doesn't, I've got nothin'," said Sonic, raising his hands in defence.
"Geez, do only girls get tragic back stories, or something? Seems pretty common, these days. We guys get nothing!" Pit said, comically pouting. It was enough to bring smiles to Samus and Blaze's faces, but Zelda kept a frown on hers.
"Hey. You know what?" Samus asked, looking up at the other four there. "Everybody has scars. Emotional, physical, you get my drift? Some people display 'me with pride, others hide them in fear. Point is, nobody's alone out here. We've all got scars we don't like mentioning."
Pit stared in disbelief at Samus for a minute, then put his hand on her forehead, checking her temperature.
"Who are you and what have you done with Aran?" Sonic asked, gazing suspiciously at Samus.
"What? What'd I say?!"
Zelda absentmindedly pulled out her History textbook, choosing to retreat from her memories by reading.
"Sub-Emiss is a land filled with various cities and countries. New Ylisse, located to the north, is one of the most recently formed countries. To the west lies Venomis, a country known for it's marvellous scenery and technological advancements-"
"Hey Zelda, you listening?"
"-eastern region of Green Hill Field, with its bizarre landscape and wide open spaces-"
"I think she's in Dreamland again. Best to not bother her."
"-being known famously for it's vast Pokémon population, the United Nation of Saffron to the south is formed of six different regions-"
"Uh, I'm pretty sure we have no choice. We have, if we're lucky, ten minutes."
"-lesser countries include Mobotropolis, the Southern Waker Isles, Smashville-"
Zelda looked up after Sonic tapped her book. "Just studying for History," she stated plainly.
"Don't bother. Mario and Peach aren't in today," Pit said dismissively.
Zelda blinked. "Both of them? Why?"
"I dunno. Something about being sick," Pit said, wincing and clutching his head again.
Zelda was about to ask Pit if he was feeling alright himself, before being interrupted by Samus's rather loud laughter. It took Zelda a moment to notice the Cherriberry she was clutching in her hand.
"What's with the laugh, Aran? Finally figure it's time to upgrade to a FiPhone?" Sonic asked, pulling out his own FiPhone and clutching it protectively.
"No, Fox posted a pic of you passed out at his party last week on Pictogram!" Samus said, showing Sonic the screen of her phone.
Almost immediately, Sonic look of confusion turned to one of rage. "THAT LITTLE SNEAK!" He yelled, jumping to his feet and taking off in search of the accused.
Zelda placed a finger on her chin, making an expression of false confusion. "Funny, I never got a notification for that on my Pictogram account."
Samus kept a triumphant smile on her face. "Mm-hm."
Zelda kept her gaze on Samus, whose eyes were closed in bliss. "I do remember getting a notification on Amiibook for a photo like that from your account, though."
"Mm-hm."
Pit lightly face palmed. "You just want both of you to get detention and annoy Mr. Two, don't you?"
"Mm-hm."
Blaze chuckled. "I think I'm going to like hanging out with you four."
Sure enough, during her second last class, Samus got called to principal's office. Zelda couldn't help but sigh in annoyance at the announcement, causing their half-deaf substitute to grumble for silence. Zelda fought back the urge to scream. Home Ec. without Peach just didn't feel right.
She heard Blaze yawn. Zelda glanced over to find her struggling to keep her eyes open. Clearly she felt the boredom that had settled over the class as well.
"Just a few more minutes until Music," Zelda thought, internally thanking the Gods for their mercy.
Zelda once again had to fight down an urge to scream when the bell rang. She practically jumped from her seat, gathered her things and walked out with Blaze.
"Is Home Ec. normally that boring?" Blaze asked, still looking half asleep.
"No. Peach usually makes things fun," Zelda said, spotting Pit up ahead.
Zelda couldn't help but adopt a look of concern when she saw him, once again, holding his head in his hands. Why wasn't he going to Dr. M, the school's resident medical expert?
She shook off her concern and chose to focus on her upcoming class. She entered the room, looking around for the supposed 'new teacher'. Sitting down after setting up her stand, she whispered to Sonic.
"Uh, Sonic? Where's the teacher?"
Sonic looked up from tuning his guitar. "Dunno. But, hey, be honest for a minute," he stole a glance at Pit, who was searching for his drumsticks, "do you really think Pit should be playing the drums today? I'm kinda worried about him."
Zelda shook her head. "Hopefully he'll figure that out himself instead of doing something idiotic."
"E-eep! There's still another class today?!"
Zelda turned her head towards the door, hearing a female voice from behind it. She glanced at Sonic, who nodded. He heard it too.
"Yes. You didn't know that?"
Zelda felt a chill go down her spine. That voice belonged to none other than the principal of SA and multimillionaire, Mr. Tabuu. He always unnerved whoever he met. It remained a mystery to Zelda how Samus could face him on a weekly basis without so much as batting an eyelash.
"Oh, you know. I'm still new here, I don't have a routine of the day yet or anything!" The female voice said.
"Well, I expect you to be acquainted with your schedule by Monday, Miss. I bid you good day," said Mr. Tabuu. Zelda heard him walk away, also picking up the clear words of disapproval the lady then muttered.
Afterwards, a blonde, Hylian woman walked into the room, setting off whispers all throughout the room. She was dressed in a pink dress with a blue gem in the middle, much like Peach's brooch, and had what appeared to be hiking boots on her feet. Her hair was tied with green and pink ribbons, letting her bright blue eyes and pointed ears be noticed even more.
"Gooood evening, class! My name is Ms. Loftian, and I'll be your new Music teacher!" She said, her bright and airy voice silencing the murmurs of students. "To be completely honest, I'm kind of new at this teaching thing."
"No, really?" Zelda muttered. Sonic glanced at her and chuckled.
"But I just want you all to know that I'm one hundred percent happy to be here!" Ms. Loftian said, doing a little jump. She then clapped her hands together, causing Zelda to jump. "So, for today, you guys are getting a free pass on work and get to do whatever you want, as long as you do two things," she said, furrowing her brow in determination. "One! Everyone asks me any question you want about myself or my life. And two! Do something related to music, please. I reeeeeally don't want to get fired on my first day!"
Almost immediately, hands shot up in the air. "Yes, you with the red hair?" Ms. Loftian said, pointing at Roy.
"How old are you?" He asked, earning giggles from some of the class.
Zelda just rolled her eyes. Was this teacher serious?
"Hm, you know, it's funny. I can hardly remember these days. Let's just say twenty seven!" Ms. Loftian said, letting out a melodic laugh. "And your name is?"
"Roy Elibe, at your service."
The students laughed yet again at Roy, this time due to him standing up and formally bowing to Ms. Loftian.
"Yes, you there," Ms. Loftian pointed at a student near Zelda. It took Zelda a moment to realize the student was Sonic.
"Did you always live in Smashville?" Sonic asked.
"Actually, no. I came from the sky."
The entire class stayed quiet for a moment. Was she serious?
"Ha ha, kidding! I lived in the Southern Waker Isles for almost all my life, on an island called Skyloft. I just came here about a week ago. See, it was a joke. It's okay to laugh, you know!" Ms. Loftian said, earning a chuckle or two. "And your name is?"
"Sonic Chaos. I'd say at your service, but Elibe already made that horrible joke," replied Sonic, sticking his tongue out at Roy.
That little session of Q&A went on for a bit, until it was clear that Zelda was the only one who hadn't asked Ms. Loftian a question. "And then there was one. What's your question, Miss...?" Ms. Loftian started, expecting Zelda to reply.
Zelda didn't say a word.
"Ah, sorry Ms. Loftian. My friend here is kind of shy," said Sonic, shooting Zelda a 'you now owe me' look.
"Oh, no problem at all! Can't I at least get your name?" Ms. Loftian asked, attempting to beg.
Zelda didn't falter in her miniature rebellion. She would like Ms. Loftian more and possibly answer if she started acting more professional.
"Uh, it's Zelda Nohansen," said Pit.
Zelda made a mental note to pull on his wing while they waited for Samus and Sonic to get out of detention later.
"Ah, thank you, Mister Icarus! Now, you all can go off and do something music related!" Ms. Loftian yelled.
Zelda got up and walked over to Pit, Sonic following close behind. "So, what are we doing without Samus's help?" She asked, attempting to appear cheerful.
Pit shrunk under her gaze, which was clearly filled with pure malice. "Uh...I dunno."
Sonic, noticing the miniature brawl going off, quickly piped up. "Uh, Blaze can play guitar!"
Zelda and Pit turned to face him, both shooting him looks of confusion.
"What? I asked her in one of our classes. Don't look at me like that."
"Trying to get her number, Sonic?" Pit asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Sonic pouted. "Maybe."
"Just...fine. What song?"
"I was thinking that weird one Samus came up with, 'Brinstar'. That, uh, good with you, Pit?" Sonic asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
Pit nodded, not noticing Sonic's concern for his wellbeing.
And so, Zelda sat near one of the corners of the classroom, watching as Pit attempted to teach Blaze how to play Samus's part in 'Brinstar'. Sonic, on the other hand, was quietly strumming out his own part, occasionally glancing at Pit and Blaze before returning to his own work. Zelda really wished she had something to do, but she just played keyboard for the few songs they required it for. She thought of playing the ocarina, but remembered she had left her spare at home. She internally cursed her stupidity.
"Can this get any-"
"Miss Nohansen, was it?"
"DAMN IT!"
Ms. Loftian sat down next to her. "Shouldn't you be playing with your friends over there?"
Zelda, realizing she had no choice, finally spoke to her new teacher. "There's no keyboard for that song."
"Ah," said Ms. Loftian. She stayed silent for a moment.
Zelda was getting fed up. Why wasn't she leaving?!
"I can tell you don't like me, you know."
Zelda had to do a double take. Was she making it that obvious?
"To be honest, I've gotten kind of used to people not liking me. For some, I don't even know why," Ms. Loftian paused for a moment. She gave Zelda a weak smile. "You know, the librarian, a Robin Exalt, said you had a wonderful singing voice," she stopped again, looking at Zelda. "I could use a partner."
Zelda stayed quiet for a moment, taking in the fact that Robin was the new librarian, before smiling herself. "Did Robin really say that, or are you just joking?"
"She really said that. No joke," Ms. Loftian said with a laugh. "So...is it safe to assume that's a yes to my offer?"
Zelda nodded her head, then stood up alongside Ms. Loftian. The two walked towards the centre stage of the music room, where Ms. Loftian had seemingly made a little office for herself. Strangely enough, a blue butterfly sat on top of one of the nearby metronomes, fluttering towards Ms. Loftian as soon as she walked past.
Zelda's attention went from the butterfly to a large white cloth sitting beside Ms. Loftian's bag. "What's that?" Zelda asked curiously.
"Hm?" Ms. Loftian turned and followed Zelda's gaze, picking up the cloth. "Oh, this? It's called a sailcloth. It...belonged to a dear friend of mine," Ms. Loftian's smile faltered for a moment at the mention of her friend. But she quickly plastered another on her face, as if to continue a façade, and bent down near the corner of the large piano on the stage. "I, erm, made it for him during something called a Wing Ceremony. It's pretty much something we did there to celebrate the Gods and such."
Zelda was about to ask her more about her friend, before Ms. Loftian cried out triumphantly and pulled out a harp from behind the piano. She experimentally strummed a few notes, then looked at Zelda. "Did your old teacher ever teach you the Ballad of the Goddess?" Ms. Loftian asked.
Zelda shook her head, singing the scale the prep her voice.
"Huh. It's almost required in Skyloft to know it. Here, I'll teach you." Ms. Loftian began strumming a simple melody on her harp, waiting for a verse before singing. "Oh youth, guided by the servant of the goddess, unite earth and sky, and bring light to the land," she stopped, then singing new lyrics when repeating the melody for a third time. "Oh youth, show the two whirling sails the way to the Light Tower...and before you a path shall open, and a heavenly song you shall hear."
Zelda thought she had it memorized after a few times, so she sang alongside Ms. Loftian before singing it by herself.
"You know, it's funny," Ms. Loftian said after they had finished the song. "Everyone who played the Ballad for the Wing Ceremony had to sing it in another language. I don't think you'd appreciate it if I made you do that, right?"
"Yes, I'd prefer if I didn't have to," said Zelda.
"You mind if I teach you one more? Don't worry: it's another easy one!" Ms. Loftian added after noticing the expression of false dread on Zelda's face. "I heard it's known as a love ballad in Eagleland."
"Eagleland? I've never heard of a place with that name," Zelda said, searching her mind for it.
"Well, that's because it's one of the lands of the Heroes of Myth. Ready?" Ms. Loftian asked. After seeing Zelda's nod, she began to play again. "Take a melody, simple as can be, give it some words and, sweet harmony. Raise your voices, all day long now, love grows strong now, sing a melody of love, oh love."
However, their brief singing session was halted by the school bell ringing. "Aw! Hey, I'll tell you what, we'll sing it next time, okay?" Asked Ms. Loftian, not waiting for an answer.
"Hey Zel! C'mon, time to go!" Pit called out, frantically gesturing towards her.
After bidding farewell to Ms. Loftian for the day, Pit, Zelda and Blaze all went to the front of the school.
"Should I call Hilda and tell her to pick up Tetris?" Asked Zelda, who looked over at Pit.
"Meh, if you want. It doesn't matter," said Pit.
However, as soon as he said that, Zelda winced and clutched her own head. Blaze gave Zelda the most concerned look she could muster.
"Are you okay?" Blaze asked. Zelda gave her a faint smile and nodded. Truthfully, her head seemed to want to murder her, but she decided not to mention that.
"Look, I'll go pick up Tetris and Tails. I'm sure Blaze want to pick up her siblings too, so you just wait here," said Pit. Zelda was going to argue against this, but before she could, Pit grabbed Blaze's hand and dragged her off, earning a yelp from the startled cat.
And then, Zelda was all alone. She was mildly happy for some time alone, it gave her more time to think about...well, everything. Her first thought went towards Ms. Loftian's 'friend'. Samus had said that everyone had scars, perhaps that was Ms. Loftians. She made a mental note not to bother Ms. Loftian for details.
Her second thought fell to Samus. She had definitely spoken to somebody in the morning, but Zelda didn't see anyone walk away afterward. Not mention she hadn't been able to hear anything at all.
Her gaze on the horizon softened once her thoughts led her to Pit. It seemed that both she and him were getting headaches now. But, the question was, why?
Zelda was driven from her thoughts when she heard her FiPhone let out a beep. Sure enough, when she checked it, she found a text from Samus.
"Hey girlie. How's everything going out there?" It read.
Zelda smiled. At least Samus was making an effort to use proper grammar when texting. She began to type back her response.
"You shouldn't be texting in detention, Sam."
"Yes, mother. I can't help it, this is WAY too boring!"
"Who all is in detention today, besides you and Sonic?" Zelda typed back, after chuckling from Samus's faux anguish.
"The usual crowd. Me, Chaos, Lombardi, O'Donnel, Blitz, Greil...actually, Electro's here too. Must've been fighting back against those rumours on the Gossip Stone."
Zelda frowned. She didn't blame Pika. The school's resident gossip magazine could be rather brutal on occasion. Especially when it came to their latest information. She hadn't seen the article in question, due to her aversion to any kind of gossip, but she had gotten the gist of it from Sonic and Samus. From what she had heard, it wasn't pretty.
"Do you think she did it?" Zelda found herself typing. Samus's response came soon after.
"What, have a thing with Ms. Puff?"
Zelda was about to type back a snarky response when another message from Samus popped up.
"Nah. Just 'cause she's les doesn't mean she has no standards, Zel."
"I didn't say that."
"I know. Just thinking about what the Gossip Stone said."
"It actually said she had no standards?"
"Yep. Whoever writes that thing deserves to be Shoryuken'ed into space."
"What is this 'Shoryuken' you speak of?" Zelda asked, legitimately confused.
"A Street Fighter thing. And you should be thankful I'm not there in person, or I'd Hadoken your ass."
"I repeat: what?"
"Wow, we really need to teach you more about video game culture. Tonight we'll start with Corpse Party. Best to traumatize you now instead of later."
"Uh. Should I be concerned?"
"Yes. You should be. Oh! No wait, new idea! We'll start with School Days! Best to teach you about Yanderes as soon as possible, after all!"
Zelda decided not to mention her overwhelming sense of dread at the word 'Yandere'. "You know, it just occurred to me; why would some kids in this school be named after Pokémon?" She typed, legitimately curious.
"Hold up."
Samus didn't respond for a few minutes. Zelda was about to give up on a reply when Samus's latest text came in.
"Just asked Pika why. She says that all of their parents were weird and wanted them to be named after their favourite Pokémon. That help?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Oh crap. Mr. Two alert. Gotta go, fast!" Samus texted, finally seeming to give up on having an actual conversation with a friend who didn't currently want to kill her.
Zelda decided that was the best moment to get some sleep. It was probably for the best; Samus sounded seriously, morbidly excited. And, from experience, that was never a good sign. So, Zelda closed her eyes, and let sleep overtake her.
"M'lady?" Zelda snapped out of her reverie at the sound of her bodyguard's voice.
"Oh...yes, Sheik?" She asked, turning to face the elusive Sheikah.
"I simply wanted you to know that the mischievous ones placed a cockroach in Lady Robin's room," Sheik began, "and that they now attempt to hide in Madam Samus's room."
"Have you told Peach?" Zelda asked, not displaying the slightest hint of emotion.
"No, M'lady. I assumed you would wish to know-"
"Go inform her immediately. And leave me be, please. I need time to think."
"Of course, M'lady."
Zelda watched Sheik walk away, then turned around and gazed out her window once more.
"He has to come back...he promised...he wouldn't leave me alone for three years without a good reason..." She murmured to herself. She knew that everyone had started calling her 'Ice Queen' behind her back except for Peach. Bless her kind soul.
She wouldn't lie and say she didn't resent the Hero of Mobius for devising that nickname in the first place. Even the two goddesses of the mansion secretly called her that. They had to.
They were of no help. They would not answer her questions as to his whereabouts. All they said was that she had to find out for herself. Pah. Wretched women.
They all knew. Zelda was sure of that. She was partially aware of her new, reclusive tendencies, which mostly involved her waiting for him. What if he returned to Hyrule while she was gone? What if he thought she had moved on? What if he had moved on?
No. She would not jump to conclusions. She would do what she had been doing for the past three years.
She would faithfully await his return.