Chapter 17: Talim's Tale

POV: Sephiroth

Kokiri Forest/Lost Woods

Twenty Days to Invasion

"Danika, can you sense it?" I asked as we headed back into the Kokiri Forest, desperately hurrying to find the second of the three trapped heroes, Kirby floating in the air above our heads like a tiny pink balloon. What had once been a nearly pastoral quest to track down the three stones had now lost all of its peace and calm, almost in a matter of minutes. We were now three heroes, soon to hopefully be four, facing off against an enemy that held almost all the chess pieces.

"Yeah. It seems like it may go deeper into the Kokiri Forest," Danika replied, leaping up into the trees, I struggling to follow. Despite my week to ten days of ninja training, I still struggled to control my chakra…a seemingly-endless ocean of energy that seemed to want to swallow me whole every time I activated it. "Kirby, I sure am glad you chose to come along."

"Wail, wail, wail!"

"He said there was really no choice for him…his friend was with him when Ganondorf attacked them in the Lost Woods."

"Okay…tell me how the heck you can talk to him.'

"It's only a guess…but as a child, the scientists wanted to see if I could talk to the Planet," I said. "I never could…but it seems I can talk to him."

She nodded. "So…the Lost Woods is where this one is. Come on, Kirby…can you lead us?"

Kirby smiled though his closed mouth and puffed-up cheeks full of air, then a puff of wind carried him above the treetops. Danika, master of tree-surfing, followed him, almost seeming to forget her struggling compatriot below.

"Sephiroth, you can do this – I've seen you do it!" she called. "What's wrong?"

"My chakra…I feel like I have too much of it, and no control over it."

She came down from her perch, looking at me in concern. "Sephiroth…calm down," she said. "Yes, chakra is different than Mako – it's natural to the human body, so that means someone infused with Mako is going to end up having more power than what someone would with just natural chakra. But…this is gonna be like riding a bike. It's gonna be scary, but you're almost there. You can do this, Sephiroth. Chakra is only your energy…you are its master. Are you going to control it, or will it control you? Take a deep breath…concentrate…."

"You do this before?"

"Yeah…I had to help my mom teach my sister chakra control as a kid – my dad called her too impatient. Compared to her, training you is easy…you're like trying to train someone who wants to be a better cook compared to training someone how to not freeze everyone and their mother…when you barely know how to train yourself."

I nodded. "Thank you, sensei."

"The same to you, sensei. Just relax…you have this in you, I know it!"

I smiled, focusing again. But this time…I didn't just focus on leaping through the trees. I focused on Danika…and everything she had taught me. Despite feeling like my punching bag, Danika proved a master of chakra control, concentration, and overall relaxation. While it wasn't exactly clear to me who she was behind and who she surpassed, I could tell she was devoted to her craft…this was what she lived for for eight long years, just as I had done in SHINRA. She had given it her all, no matter what – which made their series of betrayals sting even more. As I finally caught up to my compatriots, a fear began to get to me.

Was it possible…that Danika was trapped in her past, so completely ashamed of her leave-taking that it was holding her back…and could prove disastrous if I didn't do something? If I did do something-

"Sephiroth, down here!" Danika yelled, stopping me before I got lost. Leaping from the trees, I stepped down to see another giant black crystal.

"You have the Emerald?"

"Already on it, Seph," she replied…and the crystal became swallowed in a flash of light…revealing a bronze-skinned woman armed with a pair of tonfas. She wore garments neither of us could place…and she stared at the trio of us like we were aliens.

"Little star?" she asked, completely confused. "You…brought these people to save me from the darkness of this land?"

Kirby nodded. "Thank you!" she said, wrapping him in a hug. "I knew I could believe in you, little star! But…where is Navi?"

"Right here, Talim!" Navi cried, zipping around Danika's head. "Danika and Sephiroth…they came to rescue you!"

She stared at us again, a look of sorrow on her face. "So…so it is true, then," Talim replied. "Demise…he is preparing to destroy this world for good. I have to hurry."

"Demise?" Danika asked.

I stepped forward. "Slow down, everyone. We need to sit down and start putting the pieces of this puzzle together…things have gotten confusing, and you, Talim, need to eat."

"So, let me get this straight," Danika finally said, handing Talim a roasted fish. "A long time ago, Din, Fayore, and Naryu had a little step-sister named Jenova…the daughter of the goddess Hylia and a mortal man – your ancient ancestor, Talim - from the planet called Earth. Jenova wanted to help her three sisters create the world of Hyrule, but they refused, as she was "corrupted" by human blood and would only create monsters."

Talim nodded. "She once considered Demise, the god of destruction, as her friend…and she fell in love with him. He promised her that he would take over the world…and allow her to rule the world as a true goddess. But one day, while they were making love, Jenova's three older sisters discovered their love and the plan," she said. "Disgusted, they turned Jenova into a silver-skinned, tentacled monster…expelling her from Hyrule forever. However, she swore that one day she would create a hero that would put them all to shame…and they would have no choice but to restore her, according to what Fayore told me.

"Demise was furious, which ultimately culminated in his cursing of Hylia's descendants, the descendants of the heroes who defeated him…and promising to one day destroy the world entirely for its crime against Jenova. The golden goddesses attempted to call on a boy named Link…but when they saw the current Ganondorf had infected him with a deadly disease…they summoned me to the Kokiri Forest to save him," Talim sighed. "As soon as I got there…I met up with Kirby and Navi…and Ganondorf attacked me when he cursed the Great Deku Tree. He said…that he sought not only the stones, but the vessel of Jenova."

"I can take it from there," I said. "At some point, Jenova crashed onto my planet of Gaia…causing people to be turned into monsters, causing the Cetra to go extinct…so on and so forth. She was sealed away for two thousand years by the humans…and then was excavated by SHINRA, the company I used to work for. They…implanted her cells inside of me when I was a fetus, before I could give any consent, hoping to create a Cetra."

"At which point they created the best super-soldier ever known." Danika replied.

"Are you…married?" Talim wondered.

We, once again, stared at each other. "No…no, we're not…but I think Danika here is in love with me," I replied. Danika blushed, a look of embarrassment crossing her face. "You haven't been subtle about it…you can at least be honest with me, unlike half of all the other people you've ever dealt with."

"Okay…fine," she said. "Despite all my efforts not to be like the squealing schoolgirls I have dealt with in my life…I do love you, Sephiroth. I'm sorry I'm attracted to extremely gorgeous men that don't look pasty and actually act like they have a brain."

"Why be sorry about what you feel? You have a right to your feelings toward me, Danika – express them!"

"Not necessarily – not as a shinobi."

"Shinobi?" Talim asked. "Like…Taki, the great ninja?"

"I wouldn't know that individual, but yes, I am a ninja. A joke of a ninja, but a ninja," she replied. "As shinobi, we are expected to act emotionlessly – devote ourselves to the mission above all else. In short, we are supposed to be nothing but tools, usable and disposable at a whim."

"Her village…she discovered a dirty secret of theirs, something so bad they were willing to kill not only her reputation, but force her to kill her entire family," I said, trying to spare Danika from recounting the whole ugly story. "She faked her death and became the vessel of Jenova in exchange for an escape route.

Danika looked at me, "Thank you for not making me have to retell all that crap."

"Any time, Danika," I said, gently leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I love you too, you know."

Her face turned red. "We've only known each other…what? Ten days now?"

"Something like that…but we've had each other's backs the whole time. Up until yesterday…except for Navi…we're pretty much all we've got, Danika. You're the first person who's made an attempt to be honest with me about who I am…and who they were. Everyone I've ever been close to…you know."

Talim looked at us, her expression either happy or wondering what was going on. "I…I'm sorry about what has happened, and that I don't understand where you two have come from, but we need to retrieve-"

"The Stones?" Danika asked "No worries - we have two of them…we just wanted to make sure we rescued you before we headed to the Kingdom of the Zoras."

"Oh…wonderful," Talim said. "We haven't-"

"We know – we have less than twenty days before Ganon invades Hyrule to seize the Triforce."

"Twenty days!" Talim cried. "That means…oh, no…I've been in there three weeks…and Link…" Tears began to fall down her cheeks. "That poor child…"

Danika came to comfort her. "He…he died in his bed…just like my grandmother did when she got pancreatic cancer. Even if you had tried to heal him…you may have been able to get him to remission, but it wouldn't have gotten him to fighting condition. Ganondorf would have made him into hash."

"That…that may be true," Talim said. "But…you need to be worried about you now, Danika. Demise…he's possessing Ganondorf…and he's looking to get his hands on Jenova."

"He will do no such thing, Priestess of Winds," Jenova said loudly, using Danika's voice as her mouthpiece. "I no longer desire Demise. Yes, he once loved me…but as soon as I was changed, he could not stand the sight of me. He punished my mother and step-sisters for their evil…but he did nothing for me. He did not save me when I was trapped within the Northern Crater…when the scientists harvested cells from my corpse in Niebelheim. He does not love me anymore…if he did, he and his vessels would have long ago left Hyrule."

With that, Danika collapsed to the ground, gasping. Grabbing a small pouch of water, I went over to her. "No, Seph…I think I'm gonna…urgh!" In response, Kirby came over, sucking Danika's vomit into his giant mouth.

"Little Star, no!"

"His name is Kirby, Talim," I said. "Are you not able to understand him?"

She looked at me, stunned. "I…didn't know. All I know is that he was born from the stars…Kirby, what are you-"

Before either of us could react, Kirby suddenly vomited up what looked like a small armory of ninja weapons – shuriken large and small, a few scrolls, senbon needles, kunai knives…anything a shinobi could want.

"K-Kirby?" Danika said, picking out an orange scroll. "Did you…save this…for me?"

"Wail, wail, wail-wail."

"He said he wanted to thank you for helping him, Danika…and he spent the years after he left you tracking down and swallowing things he thought you would like from his travels as a thank-you," I said. "He even saved the Fire Scroll

Danika managed a weak smile. "Kirby…you are the freaking best!"

POV: Danika

Later that night, Hyrule Castle Town Inn

Thanks to Sephiroth, we just barely managed to get to the safety of town before the gates closed – and get the last pair of rooms. As I sponged off the cares of another long day, slipping into a gray nightgown, I wondered to myself – was I in love with Sephiroth, or was this a fiery relationship born out of mutual anger, regrets, pain, and suffering between two people with no real identities?

I could easily admit that I felt deeply toward him – beyond his impeccable physical features, he was a gentle, caring soul, which he carefully hid behind confidence, charisma, and impeccable manners. Me? I was a closeted recluse of a teenager so devoted to my learning and teaching that I put myself last - with an inexplicable case of dentophobia that left my teeth in crossbite. I used to wear glasses, but once I got the Sharingan, my eyes somehow returned to normal vision. Even with what little I did have going for me…Sephiroth deserved better than me, ten thousand times better.

Suddenly, Sephiroth came into the room. "You okay?" he asked. "It's getting late – Talim wants to start out for Lake Hylia by dawn."

"Sephiroth…what do you see in me…that makes you love me?" I asked. "I'm…I'm too young to be in love with a seventeen-year-old boy…but when I look at you-"

"You dream of forever with me, don't you?" he said. "I see it in your eyes…you want to settle down with me, hang up the fighting career…have some babies, make love to me…"

I was stunned. "How-"

"You're like a little book…so easy to read," he smiled. "Actually…I have the same dreams as you. I see you…as my true mother's gift to me. Jenova created you...just for me to love and cherish. Don't bother yourself with your age, or your imperfections…those are rules inferior dullards came up with to deny you what you deserve. Just…give in to your heart. Give in to me…and you won't regret it."

I paused. "O-Okay…but no getting pregnant…not yet."

He nodded. "Of course."