fleets: Ahhh thank you so much for your reviews last chapter! The reactions were everything I could have hoped for :D
I hope you like this chapter, too, I was pretty excited about writing this one because, well, you'll see. :3

Chapter 10: Minish

Impa was awoken to the sound of a light knock on her door. It was still early in the morning, with dawn just breaking over the horizon. Suspicious that someone would come knocking at such an early hour, her eyes shot open, alert, and she quickly and quietly rolled out of her bed, reaching for a blade near her nightstand as she did so.

Her feet barely made a sound as she made her way to the door on the balls of her feet, and she stood by the doorway, listening. Gripping her blade tightly, she cautiously opened the door.

"Sheik!"

Impa dropped her knife in time to catch her charge whose knees, weak with exhaustion, had buckled under his weight. She shushed his mumbled apologies, and helped him into her room, shutting the door behind them to guard against curious ears. She sat him down on the edge of her bed and studied his gaunt expression with concern.

He looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep at all.

"I couldn't stop them. I failed," he said quietly.

Impa was worried by his appearance; he was out of breath, his eyes were sunken and his lips dry, and his hair was matted to his face which was scratched with dirt and blood, possibly from running through brambled grass in the fields outside the castle. She knew Sheik well enough, however, to know that telling him to lie down was pointless, despite her instinct to do so as his guardian. He hadn't come to her for help in patching him up: he'd come to her for help and advice.

She passed him a glass of water. "Tell me what's happened."

His fingers gripped the edge of the bed, his nails digging deep into the cloth. He looked away, and his voice came out strained. "They took him. Impa, I couldn't stop them."

Impa brought over a chair and sat across from him. Her frown deepened when she understood what he was talking about: she didn't need to ask who he was talking about to know that Vaati had been taken by the masked man and his associates. "Where did you last see him?" she asked, while pushing the glass of water towards him a little more forcefully.

Hands trembling slightly from fatigue, Sheik finally took the offered glass. He seemed surprised for a moment by his own weakened state when he took a sip - in his distress, he hadn't realized just how much of a mess he was. "I chased them all night," he said, steadying his drowsy head in his free hand. "The kidnapper… he was wearing the same clothes as the Interlopers we saw over a week ago. I followed him all the way out to near the edge of Faron province. At least," he paused, alarm passing over his eyes, "I believe it was Faron province." He looked up, then, almost as though to ask her for help to make sense of what he remembered.

Impa shook her head. She'd never seen Sheik so distraught that he'd acted so recklessly. Maybe it had to do with the side effect of sharing the Triforce with impulsive Vaati, but Impa had a feeling that this would have happened regardless, Triforce sharing or no. It hadn't escaped her attention how fiercely protective her charge had become of the wind mage in the last year.

She could see it on Sheik's face, at least the part of him that was fighting to remain awake, that he expected her to reprimand him for his actions. That he expected for her to tell him that he should have come for her immediately, rather than run after the kidnapper on his own without knowing how many more he'd been up against. He'd been lucky that he'd been able to come back to Hyrule at all, considering how it could have very well been a trap to lure him outside the castle alone.

As Hyrule's high general, Impa probably should have given him a verbal warning at minimum. As the advisor to the princess, and as the sole person to keep her in check should she make poor decisions, she should have said something. As a Sheikah mentor, she should have punished him for his foolishness.

She did none of these things, because she was also the closest thing to a parent Sheik had, and a parent was supposed to support their children when they were punishing themselves enough already. One look at his face and she knew he'd gone through enough; she didn't need to add to his anguish.

"I'll send soldiers first thing today to scout the area where you last saw Vaati and his kidnapper," she reassured him. "For now you need to rest."

And there it was, that familiar, stubborn look on his face that refused rest even when it was something that he needed the most. Impa's lips flattened, but she was used to this. Had expected it, even. After all, 'rest' wasn't a word that Sheik and Zelda both were used to. They always tried to shoulder too much burden on their own. In a tone that suggested that Impa had dealt with this sort of thing numerous times in the past, she placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him sternly. "I'll take care of things while you recover. Clear your head with sleep."

Sheik nodded slowly, grudgingly, but at the same time gratefully, listening to her. However, the way he hesitated suggested that the kidnapping wasn't the only thing that was eating at his mind. He looked down with a slight squint in his eye, and he appeared conflicted about whether or not to say more regarding what else was troubling him. His squint became heavy lidded, and before he could tell her more, he fell sideways onto the bed, passing out from exhaustion. Impa caught the glass of water that fell from his hands before they broke on the floor.

Shaking her head, Impa gently repositioned him on the bed and pulled the covers over him. He'd been completely at his limits; he hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said that he'd been chasing the kidnapper all night. "You promised you'll take care of yourself," she whispered, a sad smile on her face.

She stood up to leave to let Sheik rest. As she did so, she noticed something glowing on the nightstand next to the bed. She tilted her head, puzzled as to what it could be, and then realized that it was coming from the small bag that Sheik had placed on the nightstand earlier. She walked over to the bag, and pulled out the Dark Mirror shard that was emanating a dull, purple glow.

As soon as she touched it, the glassy surface of the shard revealed a young man in a purple bunny hood. "Ravio?" she asked, and she glanced towards Sheik to make sure she hadn't woken him. She quickly but quietly made her way back towards the door so she wouldn't bother him from his much needed rest.

"Impa?" Ravio looked just as surprised to see her. Under his hood, his eyes darted towards Sheik passed out on the bed, just before Impa shut the door to the room behind her. A panicked look appeared on his face.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" Impa asked, while Ravio began to hold back stammers.

"I-I wanted to speak with Master Vaati. I couldn't sleep knowing that… knowing that…" He looked up from the fingers he'd been wringing, suddenly starting to ramble nervously. "Impa, that was Sheik just there, wasn't it? Vaati did something to him, didn't he? Oh Din, oh Din oh Din, he was so angry. He was so, so angry-"

"Ravio-"

"- This is all my fault. Master Vaati found out about what Sheik did because of me and-"

"Ravio-"

"Look, I didn't want to tell him! But I just can't keep secrets from him, ya know? He always has a way of finding things out from me. He knows when I'm lying. And he… and he started asking me all of these questions and I tried not to tell him anything but he sees right through me and-"

"Ravio!"

The shade flinched, and in his surprise he tripped over something on the ground and fell over backwards. On the other side, Impa could hear a worried chirp from what could only be his feathery companion Sheerow. The Sheikah guardian bit back a sigh, thinking about how many troubled youngsters she'd unwittingly become the counselor for in the past year. "Deep breaths," she said.

A few seconds later, the long bouncy bunny ears popped back into view, along with the disheveled face of Ravio. He blinked a few times, and then decided to take Impa's advice regarding deep breaths.

"Whatever happened here is not your fault," Impa reassured him, once he was no longer frazzled. Her expression darkened, however, as she pieced together just what it was that Sheik had hesitated in telling her before he'd passed out.

Vaati had found out about what Sheik had done, and the resulting confrontation had undoubtedly been ugly. She understood why Sheik had been so distraught that he'd pushed himself to the point of collapse: he probably blamed himself for Vaati's kidnapping. What a mess.

"It is my fault that Master Vaati is angry. I promised Sheik I wouldn't tell him anything. I tried to keep my word but…" Ravio hung his head, mumbling to himself.

Impa shook her head heavily. And here was another one who was blaming himself for something he had no control over. "You are not to blame for whatever happened here," she repeated slowly, making sure each word reached him.

For a moment, Ravio shrugged his shoulders, not believing her. However, the words began to sink in, and he lifted his chin when he noticed that Impa was not just saying that to make him feel better. The way she said it, with a weight like iron chains dragging each word, indicated that something else had happened that he wasn't aware of. Something bad. Ravio brought his face closer to the mirror, troubled. "What's wrong?" he asked hesitantly, afraid he wouldn't like the answer.

"Vaati has been kidnapped by the ones who attacked the castle about a week ago."

"What?!" The view in the mirror tumbled when Ravio dropped his mirror in surprise. There was some clamoring and a hurried exclamation, accompanied by some flapping wings that indicated that Sheerow had managed to catch the mirror counterpart in the Dark World before it shattered on the floor. A few seconds later, Ravio reappeared on Impa's glass. "And Sheik, is he…?" he trailed off, almost afraid to know the answer.

"He appears unhurt, just wanting in rest," Impa reassured him, much to his relief. She looked back at the closed door behind her, and added with a frown, "He was out all night."

The bunny hooded boy, however, seemed more troubled than before upon hearing the news that his old master had been kidnapped. He walked in and out of view of the Dark Mirror as he paced back and forth while wringing his hands together in agitation. Impa couldn't catch what he was muttering into his hands, except for one line that caught her attention: "First Princess Hilda, and now Master Vaati."

"What did you say?" Impa asked sharply, causing Ravio to look up.

He sighed, waving his hands helplessly, and somewhere in the background there was a concerned chirp from Sheerow. "Well I…" he scratched his head distractedly, "that was another reason why I needed to reach Master Vaati, or Sheik, or… well, anyone on your side, really. It's not safe talking about this to people here."

It was then that Impa noticed the kind of place Ravio was in. She'd only talked to him and Shadow a few times, but in those times she noticed that they were often inside a dwelling scattered with weapons, maps, and bags of rupees. Now, she noticed that he was in a dark cave, hardly somewhere that one would call comfortable, and from the thin blankets rolled out on the ground behind Ravio, she could tell that this was a temporary place to stay. It was almost like he'd been forced to move out of his house in a hurry. "Are you in danger?" she asked sternly.

"No!" Ravio replied hurriedly, not wanting to cause worry. After a few seconds, however, his brows furrowed in confusion "I mean, maybe? I don't know," he corrected himself, and Impa's concerned frown dipped lower. He shook his head, biting his lip. "Lorule's in complete chaos right now 'cause the princess just… vanished."

"Vanished," Impa repeated. Is this related to the attempted attack on Princess Zelda? she wondered to herself. Her eyes narrowed at the troubling thought. This plot may be bigger than what we first imagined. She noticed Ravio standing with his fingers clenched tightly, with that same, tortured look that Sheik had had when he'd come to her, bearing the news that Vaati had been captured.

"I should have been there to save her, but Shadow was away on a mission and I was too much of a coward to leave my house…" he murmured. "There's rumors about treason, rumors that her closest guards had turned against her. No one trusts anyone right now, and everyone's afraid. People who speak too loudly about the chaos, and people who claim to know the truth of what happened all vanish within a few days. And when they do disappear, you don't speak of it to anyone, or you might be the next to-"

"Ravio, what in Din are you doing?!"

Somewhere, Impa heard a voice that was uncannily like Ravio's, except it was slightly less nervous than the bunny hooded boy's. She saw Ravio being pushed aside out of, while Shadow Link's voice continued to berate his startled friend in the background.

"You don't know who's listening to us! Shut that off, we have to leave, now!"

"Shadow, you're back? I didn't think you'd be back so soon, what's going o-"

"Turn it off!"

"But-"

The connection broke, and Impa was left with the dark murky gleam of the Dark Mirror. The dull glow faded, and the surrounding castle stone disappeared once again in the dark of the morning and unlit torches. She could no longer see Ravio or Shadow, and instead could only see the glass that seemed to absorb light into itself like a bottomless pit. She stared at it for a few minutes in shock, going over what the two boys had been saying just before Shadow Link had broken the connection.

Whatever trouble those two had found themselves in, sounded just as messy as the trouble brewing over on the Light side of the world. She sat down on the floor in the middle of the hall, and leaned back against the wall while still clutching the mirror between her fingers.

Chaos in the Dark World. Trouble in the Light World. She had a feeling that the same individuals who'd tried to attack Zelda were responsible for whatever it was that was going on in the Dark World. The masked man had been powerful, perhaps more so than Vaati. A man that powerful would have ambitions to match, and she couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was going on in the two worlds was of a scale the likes that had never been seen before. What she couldn't figure out yet, however, was just what he was after.

Impa put the Mirror away in one of her bags hanging from her hips, to return to Sheik later. A part of her was reluctant to tell him what Ravio had told her, as he had enough weighing on his mind already, but she knew that he would want to know. Especially if he planned to go after Vaati's kidnapper, then he would need to know any news that might be related to the masked man and his accomplice.

A chilling thought came to her as she thought about the man's possible identity; that he may be one of the Interlopers who'd been banished to the Dark World many centuries ago. She, too, didn't know too much about the Interlopers, except that they had betrayed the Sheikah and the Royal family of old in their arrogance. Her own tribe spoke of them with shame and anger, but only rarely since they had also been afraid of their story.

Although the Sheikah were record keepers of Hyrule's history, the story of the Interlopers was almost deliberately kept vague, and as such most of it had been lost to time. The only detail that Impa recalled from what had been passed down to her was that the Interlopers, in their hubris, had murdered the then king and queen. The traitorous tribe then challenged the heavens, not satisfied with overthrowing the king. They foolishly reached for godhood with their extensive knowledge of sorcery, before they were imprisoned in the Dark World.

Aside from that, no details regarding the Interlopers survived time. No one knew their names, their values, or their motives. Part of the reason their story was vague had been out of shame, since the story of the Interlopers was painted with the very blood that the Sheikah had sworn to protect; it was a reminder of their failures past. The main reason for their clouded history, however, was fear: fear that their story would inspire others to once again follow in their footsteps and commit the same acts of treachery.

This fear suggested that the Interlopers may have been justified about some things, which was another disconcerting thought in itself.

While Impa didn't know much about them, she did know one thing: the Interlopers had once been of the Light World. They would be compelled to return if the opportunity presented itself.

And when they did, knowing their bloodied history, she knew that they would not return peacefully.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Vaati awoke to a dull ache of his head where he'd hit it during his kidnapper's escape from Hyrule Castle. He groaned and sat himself up slowly while gingerly rubbing the back of his head. It had been a pretty bad hit, and he still felt somewhat nauseous from the concussion. As he sat up, he felt a felt blanket fall away from his body.

He stared at the soft brown cloth laid gently over him in confusion. What in Subrosia…? He turned, shaking his grogginess away, and as he did so his hand pressed against a soft cushion; a tiny hand-sewn pillow that was perfect for his size. He blinked, looking at the pillow in surprise for a few seconds, and then tried to stand himself up to get a better look at his surroundings. Vaati winced when his left ankle crumpled under his weight. Something cold dropped to the floor, and he noticed that someone had placed a tiny bag of shaved ice on his injured foot to prevent its swelling.

Whoever his kidnapper was, they'd apparently wanted to keep him comfortable.

Vaati exhaled slowly, pushing down his mounting annoyance. He was irritated about being captured, but he was even more irritated that his kidnapper had apparently gone out of their way to be accommodating. It made no sense to him, and he disliked it when things didn't make sense.

He limped around his enclosure, as he was still trapped within a jar. Thankfully it was larger than the last one, but he was still trapped inside. The bottom of the jar was padded with cloth, and there was a walnut shell filled with water in the corner in case he became thirsty. Looking up, the jar was still sealed tightly, but at the very least the kidnapper had punched holes into the lid so he wouldn't suffocate.

There was a piece of paper propped against the jar. A note. Vaati hobbled towards it to read the note, written with bold but delicate strokes:

I sincerely apologize for your rough journey here.

Tenzi

"Am I some kind of pet to you?" he growled angrily. Of course, he doubted that the masked man's accomplice had expended so much effort to kidnap him just so they could keep him as some exotic pet. "At least I have a name, now," he muttered.

Tenzi. The more he rolled the name over in his head, the more he hated it. It sounded like such a careless and peppy name. He also hated the note of apology, as though saying 'sorry' was going to excuse the fact that this 'Tenzi' had kidnapped him. Or that this 'Tenzi' was an accomplice to the man who'd turned him into a Minish and had forced Sheik to foolishly resort to forbidden magic to save him.

Speaking of which, he could see no sign of his kidnapper anywhere. From inside the jar, he could tell that they were in a small wooden shack of some kind. The jar was situated on one of the shelves of a bookcase, and from there he could see a table with piles of papers and potion jars shoved to one side and dirty plates with half-finished food on the other, like the resident was always in too much of a hurry to do any cleaning.

Assorted daggers and bows, along with staves, were carefully spread on the far end of the shack, treated with more care than the objects that littered the table. The weapons were lined up in neat rows, in a way that reminded Vaati of the way Sheik would do when he was cleaning and sharpening his blades.

Vaati pressed his nose against his glass prison, trying to get a better look at anything that might tell him what kind of person 'Tenzi' was, anything that he might learn that he'll be able to use against him. It was rather dark inside the shack, since the blinds had been drawn across all of the windows, but from the faint orange glow seeping in through the cloth Vaati guessed that it was already day. However, there was something strange about the light; it glowed, but it was more like the dimming light of twilight rather than the bright glow of the sun. It was a pale, orange yellow, overlaid with a hint of darkness. The best he could describe it was that the light was both bright and dark at the same time, if that were even possible.

He felt a sinking feeling in his chest, then, and his tail twitched distractedly. He'd been ignoring the sense of 'wrongness' ever since he'd woken up inside his jar, dismissing it as the aftereffects of being knocked out cold. It wasn't something he could describe with words, as it was more of a feeling from deep in his core. It was similar to the feeling of bile rising in one's throat, or the feeling of tasting something bitter when you expected something sweet.

Vaati began to suspect that this 'wrongness' wasn't from blacking out earlier, and the more he looked at the strange glow from the window the more convinced he became. There was something very wrong with this world. He didn't belong here, and the world knew he didn't.

The Dark World… I'm in the goddess damned Dark World.

He cursed under his breath. This certainly complicated things even further. Assuming he actually did manage to escape this glass jar, he had no idea how he would be able to get himself back to the Light World. As far as he knew, the Dark Mirror had been the one thing connecting the two worlds, and he and Sheik had already shattered that after their fight against Dethl. Clearly there existed another way, but he would most likely need to get that information out of his this Tenzi.

If only I had my powers back…

Ah yes. If he was his old self, he would actually consider being in the Dark World a boon. He would go straight to the masked man's base, which was most likely in this world, and promptly destroy everything.

Instead, he was stuck as a pathetic Minish. He felt so handicapped, not just because of his small frame, but because he felt so blind now that he couldn't 'see' magic like he used to. With the powers granted to him by the Wishing Cap, spells would come to him like instinct. He had been able to see the paths of wind, and he could just reach out with his hands and mold them however he liked. He could simply think of things he required, like his sentries, and his sight would show him how make them a reality. He'd truly been a god…

Worse, still, he couldn't remember how to perform any of the basic magic that most Minish knew of. Simple elemental spells like summoning Din's Fire was lost to him, as those were spells that required training and study to master. Once, long ago, he'd known how, but it had been so long ago that he'd relied on such training that he'd forgotten everything. In his current state, no one would even believe that he'd once been one of the most skilled apprentice mages of his time, much less the infamous Sorcerer of Winds. He didn't even want to attempt basic magic right now out of fear of disappointment.

He sighed, and limped back to his blanket and sat back down in frustration. His nose crinkled into a pained snarl when he caught sight of his hands, no, paws. They were a constant reminder that he wasn't who he was supposed to be, and some days he had to do his best not to just take a blade and cut them off so he wouldn't have to look at them.

This… this wasn't him. He'd left this part of his life behind when he'd taken the Wishing Cap from his old master, and when he'd burned his village to the ground as one last farewell to his loathsome past. He never once expected to be confronted by it again. He despised the Minish - he held a special sort of personal hatred for them that wasn't even justified. He hated how naïve they were, and he hated that his blood tied him to them.

When he'd discovered that he'd turned back into a Minish, he'd hidden his distress from everyone, even to Sheik. His pride wouldn't allow it, no one would see how defeated he'd become. He wasn't weak.

He wasn't weak.

Vaati curled up where he sat, burying his head in his knees.

But he was… and oh how his Minish self was a reminder of that.

I would rather be dead than to be like this.

He peered out slowly from behind his knees, thinking about the words he'd yelled at Sheik before his capture. He remembered the sting on Sheik's face, the flinch backwards as his words spilled out, unrestrained. He remembered instantly feeling the pang of guilt, though it was uncertain whether it was an artifact of Sheik's guilt that he could feel from being soulbound, or if some of it was his own. He remembered the confusion afterwards from the surge of emotion, and…

He'd done worse without batting an eye before, and yet remembering Sheik's stunned expression made him feel guilty. He'd razed villages, killed people, even, and he'd never once come close to feeling anything like remorse for what he'd done. And yet the one thing that actually made him sick were a few words he'd thrown at Sheik.

He was still angry at him. He couldn't forgive him for what he'd done, to lie to him like that.

To throw his life away like that.

If they reunited, Vaati was sure that he wouldn't be able to speak to him without rage consuming him again.

Vaati sighed into his knees, and sunk back where he sat. That was the thing, wasn't it? "If they reunited." What if they never did? His last memory would be of seeing that look on Sheik's face like he'd hit him, and…

His eyes shot open, words that Sheik had spoken echoing in his head. He never found out what the Sheikah had meant to say, as the words had been left unfinished and broken, and Vaati himself had run off immediately after. Without you I…

Vaati's eye twitched, and a thick wall immediately blocked his thoughts. He scowled, his nails digging deep into his arms. Whatever it was that Sheik had been about to say, to imply, he wasn't going to think about it. Those words served him no purpose now.

He glanced at the mark of the Triforce on his paw. If anything, the words made him afraid. He'd already lost enough of himself already. If he tried too hard to decipher those words, he'd gain something only to lose it again.

Frustrated, Vaati pulled at his ears. As a Minish, he wasn't just physically pathetic, it seemed.

He was just pathetic.

"Nene, Pazuu! Raho, ta-yu rioto ushode?"

"Tonho yaa, Amari no tattei riuto naya."

Vaati froze at the sound of voices nearby, and he let go of his long ears which he'd been trying to rip out of his head. The language wasn't Hylian, but he could definitely understand what was being said. Both voices were somewhat shrill, squeaky, even, though he recognized the first as female and the other, male. He slowly looked up, shocked to be hearing a language he'd never thought he'd hear again.

Minish.

"Yoruttemakatsu tsuiko. Ruwakkoka." (This guy got caught. That's so embarrassing.)

He saw movement above him, though he couldn't really see the Minish's features well because of the lid on the Jar. From the air holes, he could kind of make out four beady eyes like his, peering down at him.

One of the Minish, a girl, shoved her friend impatiently. "Nanso toko deinattei tekesuta uroya yo. Pazuu mo shikamu ttamakatsu inajya." (Come on, let's hurry up and help him. Besides, you got caught once too, Pazuu.)

Their dialect was somewhat different than the ones of the forest Minish he was used to. He couldn't identify it yet: it was kind of like the dialect of the mountain Minish, but not quite. The male especially had a more pronounced dialect.

There was a thud, and someone dropped down from the shelf above. Vaati couldn't see them yet, as they had dropped down behind some stones that had been placed next to his jar. He could still hear his voice though, and he caught a glimpse of a paw waving dismissively at his friend above them. "Sou, de kitonoso reo ttakaruwakkoka to royatetametomi." (And I admitted I was embarrassing back then, yeah?)

And then they finally strode into view.

And Vaati's jaw dropped.

Because in all of his life, he'd never once seen a Minish who'd looked anything like himself before. Growing up, he'd been seen as 'different,' and while he truly didn't care about it anymore, a small part of him had always assumed that his unique appearance had been part of the reason why he'd been thrown into an orphanage. Never before had he seen another Minish with the same lavender hair, pale, almost white skin, and crimson eyes.

Who were these Minish?

"Reo wa Pazuu. Eu ni rui no wa Amari sa," (I'm Pazuu. The one up top is Amari), Pazuu said. His black and purple robes flapped around as he swung his arms to warm up. He flicked aside his pale purple hair, and his red eyes narrowed in determination. Then, with one swift motion, the Minish leapt towards the back wall of the bookcase, and then jumped again to catch the edge of the jar that Vaati was trapped in. Pazuu's feathery white tail disappeared from view as he clambered on top of the metal lid. "Io, koso rakkayateshida ttoji yorottema." (Yo, I'm getting you outta there so sit tight okay?")

Sit tight. Vaati didn't need to be told twice to sit tight. He was still reeling from encountering Minish in the Dark World.

Still reeling from encountering Minish who looked just like him.

Who the hell are they?

No, that wasn't the right question anymore.

As the lid slowly squealed open above, he stared at the faint image of himself reflected in the glass of the jar.

Who the hell am I?

fleets: ohoho :3c

did you guys like the curveball? I was proud of it during planning, so I hope it had the intended effect (bounces on chair)

By the way, I'm using the Minish language that the Japanese Minish Cap game cartriges used, which is just backwards Japanese. I've included some of the translation above, but you might notice that it's not the literal translation (I don't think the literal translation captures the essence of the dialogue and the accurate personalities of Pazuu and Amari). Pasted below is the original Japanese dialogue that I wrote for them before I shuffled them all backwards, since I think some of their character is lost during translation. Pazuu speaks with a more "Kansai" accent with a bit of personal verbal habits (also some 'words' might look like a mouthful because I don't know where to put the space breaks whoops)

I promise we won't have to deal with a whole lot of these. It's a headache to write, and I'm sure it's a headache to read:

"Ne, ne, Pazuu. Hora, yutta toori deshou?"

"Honto yaa, Amari no itteta touri yana. Tsukamatteruyo koitsu. Kakkowaru."

"Sonna koto ittenaide tasukete yarou yo. Pazuu mo mukashi tsukamatta jyanai."

"Sou, de sontoki ore kakkowarukatta to mitometetayaro." "Ore wa Pazuu. Ue ni iru no wa Amari sa."

"Oi, soko dashiteyakkara jitto matteroyo."

Ai Star: Uh oh indeed!

Serpent Tailed Angel: Haha wellll I wouldn't call it advertising. It was more of a warning, since I know some people hate being surprised about things like that. But ooof NSFL sounds awful? D:
While I did give permission, I won't be able to tell you yes or no, so I guess I'll just um, sit here and drum my fingers mysteriously? haha

John Jefferson: Your review was for chapter 1, but I hope you get to see this message! Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement! I really cherish reviews like this and it really makes me want to keep producing better material, so thank you so much! :D

AquilaMage: Oh whoops I didn't want to overhype(?) it haha ahhh. I'm so happy you liked it! It was really a difficult chapter to write, partly because it hurt to write some of the scenes (the 'rather die' part was one of them ouch). Mysterious Interlopers shall remain mysterious, but now I can officially say that Tenzi's in the story :D

Vesperupus: Aww I'm glad my update helped you feel better! Even though it was a sad sort of chapter hahahaha
He's a sharp cookie. Do not lie to Vaati because he will find you and he will cut you (and I can't help but feel like this was part of the reason why his relationship with Ezlo became strained hmm). (screams about VaaSheik) ok I'm still a huge fan of VaaZel but there's something about this pairing that I'm writing right now that's become its own animal and. It's ending up being very different than the VaaZel I write and. (ihavesomuchstrongerfeelingsforthisone because of what you said ahhhh. They are special and precious)

(cough). Tenzi was indeed the accomplice and not the masked man ;) UPDATE

plum: I was kind of bummed that I already used the chapter title "Soulbound" because I feel like the last chapter would have been more appropriate haha. Whoops. Things are happening! Lots of things! (I kind of hope I know what I've got myself into haha). Thanks so much plum! (catches hearts and snuggles under blankets)

icfehr: And wheeew he has soooo much drama on his plate. Ooooo I do enjoy people's guessing (though I can't respond much to it because, well, spoilers obviously haha). I do agree that magic deus ex machina is bull! I'm going to try to avoid it in this story (as in, however I wrap up all the plots and sideplots, I hope will have a 'sensible' logic to them rather than a 'surprise! check out this sudden thing that will magically fix everything!').