A/N: Well, Jabu-Jabu's belly turned out to be much longer than I expected it to be, so I decided to divide it into two parts. Dunno when I'll get around to updating the second half, but here's the first half. Just so you know, I've taken quite a few liberties with this dungeon, since I always thought that even though Ganondorf possessed great magic and stuff, well, he probably didn't have enough magic and power to install switches and whatnot in a giant fish, so… yeah. I probably won't be deviating a lot from the game version of the temples, though, so Jabu-Jabu's going to be an exception. Yeeeah.
And I know this chapter's kinda short, but I wanted to end it at an interesting part. The second half will be longer, or so I think…
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Chapter Six: The Center of the Universe
The ground beneath him was squishy yet comforting, and Link lay there for a while before bringing up his hands and realizing they were covered in some sort of thick clear goo, which made him get up quickly with a shudder of disgust.
"So…" Navi said. "I guess we're actually inside it now."
Link glanced around. Behind him were two rows of teeth, clamped shut and barring all exit. He'd have to find some other way out once he found Ruto, a way that hopefully wouldn't involve anything that smelled bad.
Not that here actually smelled good, though. There was some sort of fetid odor in the air, smelling like rot and other things he didn't care to identify. At least it wasn't dark, though—the "walls" were a bright pink in color and gave off a strange light, enough for him to comfortably maneuver around in.
He suppressed a gag and turned to Navi. "Well… Princess Ruto can't be that far in here, can she?" he asked nervously.
"I don't know… Lord Jabu-Jabu is pretty big…" Link could tell she didn't like this at all. At least in the Great Deku Tree and Dodongo's Cavern, there was an exit they could leave from whenever they wanted to. Not that they ever had, but still, the option was nice. And now they were trapped in here in the most disgusting place yet.
He wiped the goo onto his tunic, then glanced ahead. Jabu-Jabu's mouth ended at a tunnel whose entrance was blocked by vines, of all things. In the middle of its mouth was a knee-high pool of the thick goo, where Octoroks swam around, trying to hit him with their ammunition. There was definitely something going on with this fish, and he was absolutely certain that it was because of Ganondorf.
After a moment's consideration, he ran past the Octoroks and up to the vines that were blocking his passage and slashed at them with his sword. They fell away, and Link was about to go past it when he heard Lord Jabu-Jabu inhale deeply again.
"Navi!" he shouted, trying to find a grip on the slimy walls. It didn't matter that the air was pushing him in the direction he wanted to go into; he'd much rather walk there himself without chancing a fall.
"He's breathing too deeply! I can't fight it, Link!" Navi shouted back, and then the wind caught her and blew her deeper into the fish.
No! Link thought in horror as he watched her being whisked away, then, without a moment's hesitation, loosened his tenacious grip on the wall and followed after her.
When Jabu-Jabu was done inhaling, Link found himself embedded facedown into the "floor". Gross, he thought disgustedly, and quickly pushed himself up, trying to brush the goo off but failing. "Navi?" he called out tentatively.
There was no answer. He looked around the room he was in and realized it was some sort of elongated tunnel—the esophagus. Jellyfish floated everywhere, and he had to duck hurriedly under his shield to avoid one of them. To his left was some sort of greenish tentacle that pulsated slowly, emitting a strange sound as it did so. On the "floor" were several circular things that, it seemed, could suck you in if you weren't careful. And to his right, standing next to one of the circular things, was…
"You! Who are you!" The voice was high-pitched and bossy sounding.
He walked over to the other and was about to introduce himself, but didn't have a chance.
"I am Ruto, Princess of the Zoras!" she continued without pause, then straightened importantly and glared at him.
"I'm Link," he said quickly, before she could say anything more, then looked at her coolly. He suddenly noticed something on the corner of her head. "Navi!" he cried out, and picked her up, cradling her in his hands.
Ruto looked disgusted. "How did that get onto my head?"
He ignored her. "You okay, Navi?"
The fairy stirred, then groaned lightly. "Uhh… fine… the wind blew me right onto her…" She flapped her wings and hovered a little over his hand. "I'm okay now; I blacked out for a bit but I'm fine…"
He frowned at her, but remained silent, then turned his attention once more to the princess, who was glaring impatiently at him. She wasn't very tall, a little shorter than him maybe, but she held herself in a way that suggested that she was the center of the world. Dear, sweet Princess Ruto? No way. He had known her for maybe five seconds, and already he was beginning to dislike her immensely. Well, maybe she'd soften up once she realized he had come in here to save her. He tucked Navi under his hat, then said, "Your father found out you were in here and asked that I come to retrieve you."
"What? I'd never ask anyone to do such a thing!"
"Well, Princess," he said, trying to put as much sarcasm into his voice as possible, "I found your letter in a bottle."
Ruto glared at him some more. "'Letter in a bottle'? I have no idea what you're talking about!"
So either she was immensely proud and would never admit to asking for help, or she suffered from a severe case of amnesia. He decided it was most likely the former. How was he going to get her to cooperate if she refused to let him help? "Your father is worried—"
"I don't care!"
"Will you just let me finish—"
"No!"
"But I'm supposed to take you—"
"No!"
Both of them huffed in unison and crossed their arms. After a few moments, Ruto finally spoke.
"I can't go home right now. And you… get out of here! Understand?"
"Fine, Miss Center-of-the-Universe," he replied, holding up his hands submissively and smirking at her.
She gasped at his audacity, then huffed angrily, turned around, and walked straight into the circular thing, which turned out to be some sort of a hole. He could hear her screaming "Oh no!" as she fell.
Link looked at Navi, who had flown back out and was watching him with an amused look on her face. "Ruto's not worth saving," he groaned.
"You know you have to go after her."
With a sigh, he tucked Navi back into his hat and dropped down the hole.
---
Ruto glanced around at the electrified jellyfish floating about and wondered how she was ever going to make her way out of here. She wasn't sure where she was anymore; she was used to following Lord Jabu-Jabu's digestive tract, but now that she had dropped down that hole in his esophagus she had a feeling she was somewhere else entirely. And what were holes doing here, anyway? There hadn't been any until that Gerudo had come…
This is the boy's fault! she thought angrily, then cast about, looking for something to vent her anger on. And almost as if sent by the Goddesses, the boy dropped down right next to her. "Are you still hanging around here?" she shouted at him before he even had a chance to get up. "I told you to go away!"
"I have to get you out of here," the boy—what was his name, Link?—said stubbornly.
Rescuing her must be really important to him, if he had bothered following her down here. But she didn't need rescuing, least of all from a little kid like this. How was she going to make him go away? "I'm okay. I've been going inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly since I was little."
Link raised an eyebrow at her. She frowned at him.
"Well, I'll admit Lord Jabu-Jabu is very strange today… there are electrified jellyfish and strange holes around… on top of that, my precious stone was… but… that's none of your business!" She had revealed more to him than she had meant to, and now she was even more annoyed at the boy because of it.
His eyes seemed to widen at the mention of her stone. Well, what did she care? It was her stone. She wasn't going to tell him more about it.
"You have a precious stone?" he asked slowly.
"Yes," she snapped. When he continued to look at her without saying anything, she lost her patience and blurted out, "Go home now! Understand?"
"Look, I'm probably as determined to get you out of here as you are to stay here," Link said. "So that's exactly what I'm going to do."
She almost smiled. She must really matter to him! Of course, she mattered to everyone, so why should this kid be any exception? "You're that worried about me?" she asked sweetly. Now that she knew that he thought she was more important than himself, she was more disposed to be nice.
He nodded, though it was rather half-hearted.
The boy certainly needed new manners. But still, he had nodded. He deserved something. "Then I will give you the honor of carrying me!"
There was a stricken look on his face for a split second before it was erased and a carefully neutral expression took its place. He nodded again.
"Don't you dare to even think of just hauling me out of here, though," she warned. "I won't leave until I find the thing I'm looking for. You'd better believe me!"
"I do," he said tightly, and she grinned as she sat down. She gave him an expectant look.
Link made a face at her, then picked her up, held her over his head, and began to walk.
---
Link grimaced when she sat down right in front of him, waiting for him to pick her up. He couldn't believe this! He had to carry this Zora, of all things! What kind of stuck-up royalty was she? If Zelda was here, he was sure she'd never expect him to do what he was going to do now. No, she'd walk with him. As equals. Instead, here he was, a slave to this bossy brat. King Zora had better give me the Spiritual Stone once I get out of here, he thought darkly, and picked her up.
She actually wasn't very heavy, surely no heavier than the pack he carried on his back. Still, though, this strain was rather unnecessary. It wasn't fair. He had never expected to be carrying around Zora Princesses in an overgrown fish when he agreed to find the Spiritual Stones for Zelda! Why was this happening to him?
And on and on his thoughts went, before he realized he was just standing there with Ruto held over his head, and, after a moment's consideration, began to walk.
The ground beneath him was red and striated and pulsated with every step he took. "I think we're walking on his muscle," he said, in a lame attempt to make conversation. Though really, he shouldn't be bothering at all. She didn't deserve to be talked to. But since King Zora seemed to be rather fond of her, he figured that he should make at least some attempt at being civil…
"Why should I care?"
Link sighed. So much for that. He tried a different tack. "So what are we looking for?"
He could almost see Ruto's face contorting angrily. "I'm not going to tell you!"
"But then how—"
"I know what it is! I'll recognize it when I see it!"
"Do you have any idea where it is, at least?"
Ruto sniffed. "He swallowed it, but it might have gone down a hole. Sooo… it could be anywhere."
"That's reassuring," Navi whispered into Link's ear, and he tried not to laugh.
"What's that glowing thing you're talking to?" Ruto shouted.
"A fairy."
"Why do you have a fairy?"
"I come from the forest."
"So you're a Kokiri?"
Link sighed wearily. "Yes."
She paused, and Link was grateful for the respite. But then—
"Well, why should I care if you're a Kokiri?"
He rolled his eyes and didn't bother answering. After a while, he finally said, "So where are we going?"
He could feel her tense. "Don't you know? You're the one carrying me!"
"Well, I thought that maybe—"
"I've never been down here before!" she shrieked, and for the first time Link noticed that she might actually be scared. He began feeling a little bad for her. Not much, just a little.
He slowed as he reached another hole-in-the-ground. "I'm going in," he said, and heard her make a humphing sound in reply. Shrugging, he jumped in, still holding the princess over his head.
They landed in some sort of tunnel whose walls were red and whose floor was covered with some sort of crimson liquid that looked like blood. He gave a start and nearly dropped Ruto when he realized that it was blood.
Ruto screamed when she noticed where they were. "Boy! Why are we down here?"
Link grunted something in reply and began walking down the tunnel, realizing that they were in one of Jabu-Jabu's veins. After a few minutes of this, the vein branched into three smaller ones.
He considered his options. Continuing straight down the vein wouldn't work, as it was blocked by one of those strange tentacles like the one he had seen earlier in the esophagus, except it was brown instead of green. That left going either left or right.
The choice was made for him when suddenly, three worm-like things with pincers on their heads burst out of the ground, heading right for him. "Tailpasaran!" Navi shouted. "Get away from them, before they electrocute you!" Ruto squealed anxiously, and Link ran blindly down one of the tunnels, which turned out to be the one to his right.
He slowed down. The Tailpasaran had settled back into the ground, but now the vein branched again, leaving him with two choices as to which way to go. To his left was a reddish tentacle, so he decided to go right.
There was another set of vine-like things—though thinking about it, he wasn't sure anymore about if they really were vines—so Link quickly put Ruto down, making her squeal in protest, and slashed an opening through them with his sword. He picked Ruto up again and went through.
The vein seemed to end here. He, Ruto, and Navi seemed to be the only ones in the room, but Link had an uneasy feeling that there was something hiding underneath the blood…
He shouted out as pain suddenly bloomed within his leg, dropping Ruto in shock. The oddly fluorescent walls showed something—no, somethings gliding out of the blood to float in the air around them. "Stingers," Navi said softly. "Try hitting them with your slingshot, Link…"
After a second of fumbling around in his pack, trying to ignore the pain in his leg, he found his slingshot and began hurling Deku Seeds at them, squinting as they died in a flash of brilliant white light. Once they were all gone, he looked around guardedly, trying to figure out what the Stingers had been protecting, for surely they had been protecting something.
"Look, Link," Ruto said suddenly. Her voice seemed very far away from some reason. He turned to look where her small finger was pointed. There was something floating in the ground… He stumbled over to it, feeling a wave of nausea and dizziness pass over him, and managed to pick up the object. "A boomerang," he said slowly. It was a finely crafted piece of wood; he could see that even through its coating of blood. A red jewel was embedded into the middle.
A bluish light floated up to him. "Link, are you all right?" the light asked. Navi.
Link peered at her confusedly. He felt tired and realized he hadn't slept for a while. How long had he been wandering around in Jabu-Jabu, anyway? He had gone in during the late afternoon, but he knew he had been in here for a few hours, at the very least…
With the boomerang still gripped in his hand, he turned to look at Ruto, who was standing up and looking at him oddly. Her blue skin was smeared with Jabu-Jabu's blood. "Link?" she said.
Her voice was the last thing he heard before he collapsed facedown into the blood and the world turned dark around him.
