Hallo! Ladies, and gentlemen, back by popular demand, I give you the next installment of Link Finds His Voice!
If this went on any longer, InuYasha swore he would have to kill something. Arms folded, legs crossed, his clawed finger tapped impatiently against his thick sleeve and his knee bounced insistently. For the second time in less than an hour, this understanding, sweet, and patient young demon was going to rip something's eyes from it's sockets.
"…really is a delightful treat." Miroku praised.
"It is," Shippou agreed. "Sweet, but also kinda spicy."
All the eager (and even not so eager) enjoyers of the impromptu picnic sat on the grassy flat in the open air, with a perfect, lovely view of the gray-stoned and red-roofed castle towering against the blue of the sky. It was too big, and oddly built, but unimportant. InuYasha wasn't exactly sitting to enjoy the architecture. The others happily munched on the brightly colored fruit shared about the scattered little gathering, while a certain repetitive jingle of a certain aggravating 'fairy' induced another fraying shot through his nerves. Nobody deemed it safe to sit directly next to him, and granted him his own aggravated space. Kagome and Sango sat beside each other, across from Miroku and Shippou on the checkered blanket spread on the grass. Mina remained by Shippou thanks to his hinted request, and she insisted that Link sit next to her. As a result, the boy was nearest to both her, and Sango. Though he was ore focused on the food than surrounding company.
Where they exactly were was a bit of a mystery. The flat was on the same level as the top of the bridge gate, and only about ten yards away. The humans had to climb a set of vines winding up the slope of a fifteen foot dirt wall to reach the plain, without any difficulty. But if the vines were this easy to climb and get to, why didn't someone get rid of them already? Not that he really cared, but if a couple of kids and a bunch of strangers were able to get this close to the castle without a problem and no one caring, then the guard around this place was not exactly top notch.
An orange soft sphere popped into his field of vision. He blinked a second before casting confused eyes to Kagome.
"Are you sure you won't try some?" she implored. "It's only polite to try to eat a little bit."
He looked at the fruit again and frowned before turning his nose away. "Not a chance."
"Aw, c'mon InuYasha." Shippou swished his tail behind him. "You oughta try some. It's really good."
"No way."
"Well, you don't have to be rude about it." Kagome scowled.
"Why're you eating it?" He frowned as he looked at her. "We're in a place we don't know, with weird people and even weirder smellin' food. That stuff'll probably make you sick before anything-"
"InuYasha, sit boy."
In a flash of purple, his kissed the ground with a hard thud. Rather harshly, but effectively. If anyone had asked Mother Earth, she'd have assured anyone that InuYasha was truly one of her most powerful and passionate lovers. It was just a bonus that he came back to her so often, but too cruelly, he pulled away from her and glared at Kagome.
"Just' what was that for?"
"You don't have to insult them." the girl scowled, and turned her own head away. "If it really bothers you so much, then don't say anything." she chastised, before taking a stubborn bite of her own fruit.
Link stared, mid-chew to watch the exchange. Navi zoomed close to InuYasha curiously.
"Um, what just happened? It was that necklace, right?"
Mina glanced between the two uncertainly. "Is he alright?"
"Oh, don't worry about InuYasha," Shippou assured. "It'll take more than that to get him down."
"It's just a precaution," Miroku clarified for the confused trio. "Just in case he becomes a little out of hand."
Navi snickered, taking delight in the brief episode of pain for that darned dog-boy. "Idiot."
Mina looked at Link, who shrugged in acceptance and turned back to his own piece of fruit, which he chowed down on happily until he cleaned the pit of any remaining fruity flesh. He tossed it into his small pile where three large round seeds already lay.
"My, my, weren't you hungry?" Miroku observed, as Link paid him no heed and reached out to grab for the final one in the pile.
"Well, he's a growing boy." Sango pointed out. "He certainly needs all that energy."
The fruit stopped just in front of his mouth. He blushed, and saw all the eyes looking at him expectantly. The boy lowered the fruit and his eyes as he started to fidget under all the unexpected attention at his greedy acts.
"Hey!" Navi popped up and bopped him on the head. "Don't go being bashful and apologizing. You haven't eaten for two days, mister, you need your strength."
"Two days?" Shippou clarified.
Mina looked horrified at such a prospect. "Why so long?"
"Well, we've been traveling that long, and he hasn't had a bite to eat since we left."
"If you were traveling, why didn't you pack any food?" Sango asked.
"We did." Navi fluttered softly to the side, as Link's blush increased. "A few forest critters snuck into his bag at night and ate it all."
"Well, couldn't you have gone back to get some?" Miroku asked. "Losing strength from lack of food is not worth loosing a day."
"Thick headed pride."
"Beg your pardon?"
"Link got into a fight with Mido again. Now he refuses to go back until he gets the damn stone to the Princess. Kids."
"I know what you mean," Kagome sympathized, while InuYasha leered suspiciously at her.
"Honestly. This was why I didn't want to become a guardian. It's like twenty four hour baby sitting."
Link frowned at her, and took a defiant bite of his fruit.
"I can understand that." Sango said dryly, leering at Miroku as she said this.
"That's for sure." Shippou nodded in agreement and took another munch of his own fruit. "InuYasha and Miroku are always causing trouble with no one to watch them."
"Now really," Miroku protested. "I resent such comments. I'm perfectly capable of watching after myself without getting into trouble."
"Give it up, Monk." InuYasha scoffed as he smacked the dust out of his red robes. "Ya ain't gonna win. Believe me, I tried- it ain't a fair fight."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome said, offended.
Mina bit her lower lip and hid her mouth behind her wrist to muffle her giggling. Shippou swelled with pride from indirectly bringing her amusement, and finished off his fruit.
"That was delicious!" he announced.
"Indeed," Miroku agreed, and set his own seed to the side of him. "Tell me then, was the picnic to your liking?"
"Yes," Mina admitted with a nod. "It was very fun. And I felt very safe."
"Safe?" Shippou looked up with wide eyes, and his tail swished in concern. "Were you scared?"
"No, no, not like that. I just wanted to test you first, to see if you were safe to bring into the castle."
"Tsh," InuYasha smirked. "You, test us? An' just what would you have done if we were dangerous, huh? A little girl like you wouldn't stand a chance against us."
"I wouldn't be the one to fight you."
Everyone stiffened and flew on guard when a tall, feminine form slid from the shadows. Lean muscle undulated under tanned skin against the gleaming blue armor over her torso and thighs with hidden power. Long ears pointed out from her head under silver hair tied at the nape of her sturdy neck. Her red eyes leered down over sliver make-up and under silver bangs, and her large red lips spoke, almost cruelly and harshly, but still calm.
"I would."
"Damn it." InuYasha seethed as his hand was on his hilt, already knowing he would have been too late to draw it and fight. "I didn't even sense her coming."
"As you shouldn't." she said coolly. "A Sheikah who can be sensed is just a poor imitation."
"Impa," the girl introduced briefly, so as to cut the exchange short. "My nanny and guardian."
"Of course." Miroku acknowledged, while Navi flew up, and circled about the woman curiously. "It wouldn't make sense for her to really be out here alone, would it?"
"Indeed it wouldn't, monk."
"What do you mean?" Shippou asked. He came up next to Mina. "She's just a girl." he looked up at her, almost pleadingly. "Right?"
The girl looked at his wide green eyes, his quivering lip, his swooshing tail, and gave a bashful sympathetic smile.
"I'm sorry. To all of you, for deceiving you, but I had to be sure you were trustworthy before trying to speak with you. My name is not really Mina." Her bashful smile vanished as she composed herself and straightened, never moving from the floor, but suddenly holding herself with the dignity of a throne. "I am Zelda. Daughter of King Daphnes Nohanson, Princess of Hyrule."
Shippou's jaw dropped, and all hope and life drained from his face. Sango and Link blinked at the girl in surprise, Kagome gasped and dropped her fruit, and Kirara meowed. InuYasha huffed.
"What else is new?"
"Your highness." Miroku bowed. "It is an honor to finally pay my respects."
"You did well, Monk." Princess Zelda praised. "You are certainly a trustworthy individual."
"I am humbled, your highness."
"Wait, you mean you knew all along?" Shippou accused. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Her highness trusted me with the information of her identity. What sort of man would I be to betray that trust?"
"Ya didn't hit on her 'r anything, didja?" InuYasha asked.
The man bristled as Sango, Kagome, and Shippou all gave him the same accusing glares. Link tilted his head slightly in confusion. Why would he hit the Princess? A dark shadow promising death flicked from Impa's eyes.
"I assure that I did no such thing." he swore quickly. "She's a lovely young girl of high ranking, far too ambitious for a humble monk such as myself."
"Humble my butt." InuYasha scoffed to himself.
"I'd think that would make her an even greater prize for you." Sango dryly stated, and Link glanced up to her, getting the feeling that whatever this was, it wasn't a good thing.
A terrified chill went up the man's spine as a wrathful inferno sprung from around Impa's form, just behind the others, where they could not see.
"No- no, not at all!" He fell back and waved up the indicated hand wrapped in the blue rosary, to show to the very serious body gaurd. "It's this hand see, it's cursed! I'm just trying-"
"You mean you did grope her?" InuYasha blinked in astonishment.
"Miroku!" Sango gasped in shock.
No one else saw the gleaming dagger suddenly by the shiekah woman's face.
"NO! No, no, no, I swear, I didn't touch the girl! I was just trying to explain my point to her-"
"It's alright." Zelda held other hands imploringly, and nervously. "He didn't do anything, really. He treated me with the utmost respect and kindness."
"Well?" Kagome said, as though to have him back her up.
"It's just as she says." He practically begged the woman. "Really, we merely spoke."
Everyone seemed to respect that statement, and sat back, relaxed. Impa still held the dagger to her face.
"Please put it away, Impa." the little Princess asked, without even looking behind her.
"I'm sorry for my guard." she said in a voice that made it sound merely customary, not sincere. She flipped her knife back into her belt and looked away. "Trust is a much riskier thing these days."
"Are you saying it's hard to trust people these days?" Miroku ventured.
Impa clipped her mouth shut.
"Earlier," the little princess called, "you asked if anything had happened that would be considered dangerous, or unusual. It was true when I said no, but lately, I've been feeling uneasy."
"In what way?"
Here, she looked about her to every set of eyes, until resting on the boy in green.
"You, what is your name?"
The boy blinked a moment, and pointed to himself questioningly. Navi came up and cast her light about his face.
"His name is Link. I am Navi, the fairy. It's a pleasure to meet you." She lowered in her version of a bow.
Zelda nodded back in answer. "Likewise. Then, you come from the forest, right?"
"Yes. We came on behalf of the Deku Tree. We were told to find you, and give you something. And a warning."
Zelda stiffened. "I see." She looked down. "Then, you have…?"
Everything fell dead silent as Link jumped to attention and fished out a small bundle from his belt. A small brown cloth bundle emerged from a sack, and the boy slowly unwrapped it. Everything fell dead silent as jade light radiated from the cloth as he carefully revealed it. When the last corner fell away, the glittering gem rose of it's own accord, and ascended from the palm of his hand. The gold frame curling about the emerald shone with equal brilliance as it rotated slowly about, stopping to hover just five inches from the palm of the boy's hand. Kagome and Sango stared with awe, InuYasha frowned lightly in confusion and uncertainty at another display of strangeness for this world, and Miroku looked at the gem grimly. Shippou and Kirara stared open-mouthed, transfixed at the shining jewel before them.
"Fool!" Impa barked. "Don't take it out so openly!"
Link snapped up and grabbed the emerald before hastily wrapping it again and shoving it back in the sack, breaking the spell and turning everyone's attention back, shrinking under Impa's disapproving stare.
"It is you!" Zelda's joyous smile bit through the tension, and she leaned forward, clapping her hands together and laughing gratefully. "I knew it had to be you, the moment I saw your clothes! You see, Impa? I saw the truth! It was true."
For the first time, Impa's stern look softened into a smile. "I never doubted you for a moment, your highness."
She giggled, completely opposite to the regal dignity she had played a moment before. She leaned forward, and grasped Link's hand in her own. "Thank goodness. I have so much I need to tell you, so much I have to say, and we have to do."
"Hey."
Everyone turned to where InuYasha spoke.
"I'm happy we managed to help you an' all, but I'd like to get outta here as soon as possible. So can ya tell us exactly where we are, so we can get the heck outta here?"
"You mean you don't know where you are?" Zelda asked in confusion. She instinctively glanced to Miroku for information.
The appointed man gave an apologetic smile. "Forgive me, your highness, but I'm afraid I kept some information as well. My companions and I are indeed travelers, but this was one place we came to without our consent. Or, even our knowledge, if I were to be completely honest."
"I'm… afraid I don't understand." she said softly.
Link discretely pulled at his hands and attempted to tug his hands out, while Shippou glared jealously at the two's close proximity.
"It means we have no idea where we are, or how the heck we got here." InuYasha snapped irritably.
"Wait," Navi turned to each of the people in turn. "So when we found you on the field…?"
"We were sleeping there without our knowledge." Miroku finished.
There were a few quiet moments as this sunk in, and the little princess sat back on her feet as she considered this.
"This is troubling." she murmured.
"Got that right." InuYasha huffed and put his face on his hand, resting his elbow on his knee. "I'll go crazy if I stay in this weird place another minute."
"InuYasha!" Kagome chastised, horrified at his increasingly rude behavior.
"I'm serious, Kagome." he looked at her. "Maybe you all can't sense it, because you're just human, but nothing feels right here." He shifted his attention toward the castle town. "At first I thought the scents here was just different, but then I realized nothing smelled right, not even us."
"Even our own scents?" Sango blinked in surprise.
"More distinct, more concentrated. Even my hearing's off." he admitted, and rubbed a knuckle in one of his furry ears. "It's sharper, almost. Can't get anything right."
"Actually…"
Everyone turned to Shippou as he finally spoke up.
"I've been feeling kinda funny too." he admitted, "I couldn't really tell what it was at first, though. My powers feel different."
"Your powers?" Kagome tilted her head to the side. "How do you mean, Shippou? Do you feel weaker?"
"No, it's not that." He shook his head and looked at his tiny palm. "When I used my Fox Fire, I didn't feel as connected to it. Like it wasn't really through me. I just figured I was still feeling weird from whatever brought us here, but my senses have actually been dull."
"So then," Miroku frowned as he thought of this. "InuYasha's senses have sharpened while Shippou's have dulled. Strange."
"What about you, Kilala?" Sango asked the tiny two tailed cat. "Are you feeling alright?"
The tiny kitten tilted her head down and lowered her ears.
"Even Kilala." Miroku realized. "I feel perfectly alright."
"So do I." Sango agreed.
"I don't feel any different." Kagome commented, and looked at her hands and turned them around, as though trying to physically see anything wrong.
"It seems that demons are oddly affected by whatever has occurred." Miroku figured.
"So then, you're really demons?" Zelda asked curiously.
"Indeed they are." Miroku nodded.
"Don't worry though, we're not dangerous." Shippou quickly assured. "InuYasha's a jerk at times, but he doesn't try to be mean, that's just how he is."
Said half-demon ticked and leered. "What was that?"
"You're different than what I would expect." Zelda admitted.
"Yeah," Navi zoomed up to InuYasha, glowing brightly in his face. "You look awful human to me."
He leered at her, before flicking her out of his face.
"Well, there are many different kinds of demons," Miroku explained. "Some look more human than others, like InuYasha and Shippou, for instance."
"Although, InuYasha's only a half demon." Kagome clarified.
"Only half?"
Zelda blinked in curiosity while Link leaned forward a bit, enraptured by the knowledge and finding a new curiosity about the brightly colored person. However, the moment the yellow eyes flickered to him, he remembered when the youth drew his sword against him when he got too close, and earlier when the strange eyes had looked so intently at him in the building. The boy sat back quickly and looked away. Kagome nudged InuYasha with her elbow.
"Don't scare him."
"What? I didn't do anything."
"What about you, Link?" Shippou asked. "You're not human either right?"
Link turned the little child gratefully and shook his head.
"He's a Kokiri." Navi explained and came up beside the boy. "He looks just like a Hylian, except he'll stay a child."
"He'll stay a child?" Sango repeated. "Such as, immortality?"
"No, Kokiri aren't immortal. They'll just look like children their whole lives." She turned a little away from the boy. "And act like it too."
"Delia and John said Kokiri don't leave the forest." Kagome said through Link's glare. "What was it that you came all the way out here for? The stone?"
Both Navi and Link looked seriously for a moment, their energy and joy visibly darkening.
"That's part of it." Navi admitted. She fluttered a moment over to the little Princess. "Your highness, there's someone after the Stones."
Everyone watched as Princess Zelda straightened, and Impa's mouth grew taut at the news.
"You know this?" the girl asked softly.
"He came through our forest sanctuary, to demand it from the Great Deku Tree. Obviously, he did not get it."
"I see." Zelda seemed even more tense, if that was possible. "Do you know who…?"
"He went by the name Ganondorf. The Deku Tree said he was a man of the desert."
"Damn it."
Everyone stared at Impa as she swore and uncrossed her arms to turn away. Zelda looked down and clenched her fists. "I knew it."
"You know this man?" Miroku inquired. "You seem to believe us."
She nodded dejectedly. "I do. He is my father's newest "loyal" adviser." She glared at her hands as they held the fabric of her white dress. "But I know he is lying. I cannot trust him for an instant. I know he's the darkness that threatens us!"
"Darkness?" Sango jumped at the word.
"How do you mean?" Kagome asked worriedly.
Impa and Zelda stared at them all, and glanced at Link a moment before the girl brought both of her hands up to her mouth.
"What I'm about to say… is something that I cannot tell my father. He doesn't believe me, no matter what I say. But I'm convinced that what I see is the truth!"
"What truth?" Miroku asked lightly. "How do you mean, your highness?"
She sighed once, and took another breath.
"Lately, I've had a dream, the same every night-"
"You're telling' me we should take a dream, seriously?" InuYasha scoffed.
"The Princess's dreams are not to be taken lightly." Impa leered. "She is a Princess of Destiny, and her dreams are gateways into the future.
"Tch." he crossed his arms and leaned back to resignedly listen.
"You have all seen Death Mountain?" Zelda picked up.
"I'm assuming you mean the large mountain to the East?"
She nodded. "That very one. In my dream, It's surrounded by a ring of fire, and the entire land is covered in darkness. There is no light anywhere, and it is a wasteland." She looked up, her eyes growing unfocused while remembering. "But then, from the forest came a light, that cut through the heart of the Darkness. It was in the form of a figure, and he carried the emerald beside him, and cast the darkness away."
Everyone instantly looked to Link. Link and Navi looked back. "What?"
"But then…"
Everyone turned their attention back.
"Last night it was different. Last night, he was stopped by hands."
"Hands?" Kagome blinked.
Zelda nodded. "Hands. Hands reached from the ground and trapped him. There were so many, and he wasn't even fighting them. They just held him and he stopped. And then he…" She started to shake. "From the ground there was the smoke- no, a mist. It was a strange poisonous fog, a-"
"A miasma?" Sango breathed.
"Yes! Yes, that's it, a miasma."
Link, Navi and Impa were the only ones who did not stiffen at the use of the word.
"The miasma spread, and killed everything it touched. And then there was this laugh." She started to shake again. "This horrible laugh, when a huge spider crawled from the miasma and wreaked destruction the whole time the light was dragged into the ground."
"Naraku." InuYasha hissed.
She stopped and covered her face with her hands as the tears leaked. "It was horrible! Before, I always felt the sense of urgency, but hope. And last night, it was only terror and destruction. I never felt so terrified in my life."
"Don't worry, your highness." Shippou put a tiny worried hand on her thigh. "We've dealt with Naraku plenty of times. We'll take care of him."
"You recognize him from her dream?" Impa asked.
"A miasma, and a spider." InuYasha grunted. "It can only be Naraku."
"Naraku is a demon that we're after." Kagome explained. "He's very tricky, and likes to toy with people for his own sick amusement."
"He is a coward that remains in hiding." Sango spoke up, surprising Impa with the warrior's tenacity hidden in the vocal cords, "he is a master of traps and always runs away. He cannot fight outright, and makes us come after him."
"What's interesting is that her highness saw him in her prophecy." Miroku stated, "It means he's involved with whatever is going on here as well."
"Do you think it has something to do with why we're here?" Shippou pointed out.
"Knowing Naraku, it very well could be. One can never tell what he's up to. What I don't understand is what he could possibly want with this land."
"He's helping Gannondorf."
Everyone looked to Zelda.
"You've given him a name. I'm sure it is him that Gannondorf has been conversing with."
"How do you mean?"
"There's… more that happened last night. When I woke up from the dream, I wanted to go to my courtyard to think, and calm myself. But I was passing a room, those used for conferences, and I heard Gannondorf speaking, and another I did not recognize. I… I tried to peak through the door because I was suspicious. All I could see was him, though I heard someone else. Then I realized the voice had to be coming from the mirror-"
"A mirror?" Sango asked breathlessly.
"Was there a little girl holding it?" Kagome asked.
Zelda shook her head. "No, he held it, away from himself, but there was a strange glow coming from it. He almost spotted me, and I had to hurry back to my room."
"What was he saying?" Kagome asked. "Did you hear what he was talking about?"
"Well, not really. I only really heard: I've brought them. Now get rid of them."
Everyone narrowed their eyes.
"Meaning us," InuYasha spoke for everyone. "Damn it, that sounds just like Naraku!"
"Getting someone else to do his dirty work, like always." Sango growled, and Impa and Link noticed the unusually strong anger in her voice.
"He would have brought you all the way here, just to get rid of you?" The sheikah warrior asked.
"Yes and no." Miroku acknowledged. "He would want us to keep clear in order to let his plan unfold without our interference. But this is not his usual style. It's not as emotionally trying, and I should think he'd want to see our demise personally."
Sango mused, grasping her chin with her fingers. "I'm sure whatever the catch is, it will come later."
"Until then, we'll just have to stop Gannondorf from getting to these stones, since obviously that's what Naraku's after." InuYasha growled. "The moment I catch him, he's dead."
And, that's a wrap! Finally got around to sittin' and writing this darn thing, but here you go. Identities are finally revealed, the plan of action has been set, and the plot is finally a little clearer. Aren't you all happy? Seemed like a good place to end. Thank you all for the favorites and reviews and story alerts, especially xXxHayaiUrufuNagareboshixXx and lady sesshomaru-sama, for they reminded me I still had a little story going on in here. Next chap is already under way.