Chapter 6: In the Face of the Past

"What?"

Blue shoved Vio off of his shoulder and pointed to the young adult who had just asked him the lackluster question. "You heard me." He stated bluntly. "Where's your stupid scarf at?" The kid in blue huffed again. Clearly, he liked to be dramatic. "And where the Hell did Masks run off to? I swear, just leaving us here like that…" Surprising the Hero of Time, who had no idea who these people were, Blue stood up and pulled a startled Red by the arm to follow him as he supposedly walked off to find where 'Masks' had gone.

This left him with just 4 people he didn't know scrutinizing the hell out of him. That, at least, seemed more manageable, if not still creepy. Seriously, he was woken from a rather uncomfortable 'night's' sleep by Navi only to walk outside to whatever this was. To say he wanted to go back to sleep was an understatement, even though it seemed to already be late morning and his leave was approaching anyway. Being late was fine, he was expecting to run late by oversleeping, but this whole group of people keeping him was definitely not what he had thought would be the cause.

One of the younger of the three wearing similar green outfits broke the silence with a very weak chuckle. Green outfits? ...He only just realized they were all akin to the garb of the Kokiri, who he was glad was leaving them alone. Except for the color differences between the red and blue kid who had hastily walked off and the kid in purple that was still standing before him, they were all the same more or less.

The young teen who broke the silence broke him out of a bit of his uncomfortable tenseness which he was thankful for. "Sorry about Blue, I'm afraid he's always like that. Though," he added after a bit of thought, before smiling and waving it off with a loose hand. "Nevermind about the scarf, we can bring that up with Masks later I guess. Anyway, we all came here looking for you. You can call me Green."

Navi, without moving from the young adult's shoulder, trilled again, although softer than before as to not startle the daylights out of him for a second time. "You were looking for him? What business do you all have with him then?" Once again, even though the fairy's tendency to need to be on top of everything could get aggravating, he was glad she was there and thankful for that nature this instance. He did still flinch though.

He glanced back from his fairy companion and locked his eyes on the oldest of his newfound and unknown companions. The teen was staring him down where the rest of them had since focused on things aside from scrutinizing the hell out of him. Fine, in that case, he would stare back. Sure, that might be a bit childish, but that had never bothered him before, so childish he would be.

In fact, he was so focused on the teen who looked almost as old as he was himself currently that he had barely noticed the youngest newcomer rise to his feet as well and answer his fairy's question to the best of his ability. Which from what he caught wasn't very complete. "We aren't really sure about that, miss fairy. But, that's what we're trying to figure out! Well, at least past finding all of us, and how many of us there are. I hope there aren't many more, I don't know if I can keep track of that many. Ezlo could probably! But, he's not here." Regardless of what he said, he still sounded pretty chipper.

Without tearing his blue eyes off the other young adult, the Hero of Time noticed that Navi had responded casually. "How many there are? You're looking for more people that look like you. Isn't that... a bit creepy? Link, do you think that listening to them is a good idea? I think maybe we should just head off to the Desert anyway, it'll be about three days of travel from here, or about two if we warp to the Temple of Time and head off from there. We really shouldn't delay much longer…" He hated the Temple of Time, 3 days walk it would be then. Anything that led him to avoid it as much as possible, for now.

Back to the matter at hand though, she had...a point. As much as he was dreading heading into the hot desert he had heard a dependant tribe of women warriors lived there. They apparently hated men. Which he knew he wouldn't have been a problem if he were 13 like he was supposed to be, rather than his current age of 20. But...he didn't really want to deal with what seemed like more problems here either.

Then again, this situation at least seemed more interesting and more pleasant than sweating to death and or getting his butt handed to him by a bunch of strong highly skilled women. There would also be the issue of, inevitably, getting sand in his eyes. He sighed instead, still staring down the other teen. "Nah, Navi. I think I want to figure them out first." The fairy hesitated, so he added, "please?" She relented at that one.

Finally, the other young adult broke off his calculating stare and crossed his arms. Link himself stumbled out his own stupid glare. This pulled the attention of the three younger kids back up to him and silencing the conversations he frankly hadn't even noticed they were having. "You...well, Masks was right then. You're the Hero of Time, I gather. You'd have to be. You definitely look more like the swordsman that trained me than he does anyway, even if that's just the age gap between you. Not to mention how similar you guys are from what I've seen." The teen flashed him a bit of a fanged smile, one that he wasn't sure how to respond to.

The more time these people were around him, the worse he felt. Mentally, and physically if he were being honest. It had started as him feeling groggy from having to wake up quickly but gradually morphed into what was becoming a small headache. The focus on the gradual headache slipped away as he caught back on to what the other young adult was saying to him. "...ur nicknames are important so we're gonna really need one for you, considering. Anyway, mine is Dusk. Apparently, I'm supposed to be the Hero of Twilight, but I don't think many people will think of me that way from where I'm from once I actually finish what I'm supposed to." Dusk chuckled awkwardly. "People don't tend to like wolves very much…"

At least Dusk wasn't giving him calculated looks anymore. It was nice to see he actually had some humor...even if what he was saying was lost on him. He let himself show a small smile at that.

He didn't hear why the nicknames were important, but giving how similar they all seemed to him, he supposed that would make sense? The Hero of Twilight, however, caught onto him…what had he said again? Though he chose not to dwell on the wolf comment.

Before he had a chance to fully take that in, the others were talking up at him. They were rather short in comparison, he numbly noticed, though around the same height Link would be if he were his actual age. "They all call me Tiny...because I'm the Hero of the Minish! They're these tiny little mice people who are really nice and like to help out the Hylians." The shortest one, Tiny, beamed.

The purple one spoke out next, calm and casual like he wanted to move on with the conversation. He supposed he agreed with that sentiment, but he now had too many questions to get satiated. "I am Vio, and this is my brother Green as you know. You've technically met Blue already, he's not very subtle, and Red is the one he took with him." Vio addressed himself and his brothers supposedly. Made sense to him, and they were easily distinguishable with the colors. That part was easy for his mind to follow. Colors were nice.

"Together we're the Hero of the Four Sword. Technically speaking, heroes, but I digress. I know you have your own things you want to say, but really we should go find Masks." Vio explained, "He didn't look very good when he ran off like that. And...that means you have to come too, sorry." Wordlessly the four of them turned and he had no choice but to follow.

Without any time for Link to think about it, Navi popped in with a nickname for him. "Why don't you call him Time then if he needs a nickname? Has a nice ring to it, I think!" Not what he wanted, but better than he would be able to come up with on his own, probably.

But, now he knew who these guys were, but what about… "You said...Masks has a connection to me? Just who the heck is he?" He stepped forward, Navi sighing and fluttering alongside him. She chose to rest on his right shoulder...she didn't feel cut out for this kind of thing, though she had tried. Then again, she was Link's guardian after all, and she would uphold that no matter the situation. 'Time' was grateful for that one, no doubt, even if she could get a bit micromanaging at times.

Dusk looked over his shoulder and shrugged. "Huh? Oh, well, he's the Hero of Time. Also." He didn't stop moving forward. "You know, you, but like uh younger and older. Um, you'll know what I mean I think." Dusk paused again and Time could swear the young adult made a face, "If I understand this right, at least."

"But...you even admitted that I'm- oh...oh." Time's face paled and he felt the blood drain from his face as he stumbled a bit in his step, "You don't mean- like me...younger me? Navi, I thought you said that couldn't happen!"

Now Time was panicking.

"Oi, Scarfy! Where'd you go?" He hollered out, not caring who heard him other than his target.

"Blue!" His red brother chastised him, "He looked very distressed! If you yell at him, he'll probably just avoid us…" Red pointed out causing Blue to grumble and begrudgingly accept its validity. That is why, after all, he had brought Red specifically with him. He was better about the emotional stuff or whatever.

The two had planned to exit out the way that they had all entered the small village but soon decided against it for they both remembered the quite...confusing layout of the 'Lost Woods'. No way in hell they would get lost in there, the skull kid was patient before, but now neither of the two of them were any bit musically inclined and that would probably just upset the spirit. They ruled out climbing to the higher sections of the village as well and settled for the other large fallen trunk at the far end of the open space.

The path wasn't very confusing, but it was long. Blue had set for shouting not long into the search, but Red stopped him. Fine, they'd be quiet. In silence, it really wasn't that long before they came across another open area, though much smaller than the other one where the Kokiri lived. There were a few mad scrubs along the way and some unrecognizable plant things that snapped at the two of them like piranhas. But this space...was empty except for three details. A massive decaying tree, a budding sprout of a new tree, and a kid, nestled into one of the dead tree's massive roots and was facing the sprouting tree.

Masks.

His head was resting on his knees and buried in his dark green scarf, the two of them noticed the closer they got. Red turned on his brother and began pulling on his arms to leave the young Hero of Time alone to think. But Blue? He didn't stand for stuff like this.

"Hey, Masks! What are you doing?" Blue asked sternly in a calm steady voice, but not loud or aggressively. He wasn't heartless, and he didn't want Masks to retreat further into whatever mental hole he had fallen into. That would make this whole event worse.

Masks shifted in surprise at the voice but kept his head lowered on his knees. He made no move to answer Blue. Red hesitated but rested a hand on his shoulder and sat down next to the kid silently. Masks didn't react to Red's gentle assurance, but that did not deter the compassionate boy in red from staying.

Red sat there for a while quietly, unsure where to start. Blue, despite his initial question, didn't know what to say either, and frankly whatever he wanted to say would probably make Masks even more unwilling to talk. If he were honest with himself, he cared, he just wasn't the best at showing that. And that in itself irritated the kid in blue.

After a moment more and...an encouraging gaze from the small tree? Red took his arm off the young Hero of Time's shoulders. "Masks...I know we don't know you very well, but I'm sure we could help you out if you tell us what's up! And if not, you don't have to say anything, but we should go back. We gotta move on, and I think it'll help leaving this place, don't you?" Masks didn't say anything, but he did nod his head reluctantly.

It looked like being in this place, in particular, was very hard for Masks, and neither Red nor Blue wanted the kid to relive it once more. It was bad enough being in this place, and he had hurt his already low pride. Red had a feeling it was a multi-layered issue too, and not an easily solved one, not by just talking with people not associated with it.

Blue sighed and motioned for Red to look up at him. He pointed towards the way that they had come and flash his red brother his whole palm to tell him to wait there. He turned and he left. This left Red alone to wordlessly comfort someone he didn't really know about a situation he didn't know anything about. Sure he could probably make connections given what he and his brothers have been up to, and having some kind of weird relation, but that wasn't exactly helpful for him to comfort Masks anymore than without that.

Blue glanced over his shoulder at the sad sight behind him and stalked away until he reached the hollowed-out log entrance to the large tree's enclosure. He kicked at the thick grass as he thought about ways to cheer the kid up.

Unfortunately, he kept coming short, and he decided that he would worry about that later and wait for the others. He was sure that the older version of Masks was sure to show some animosity at him for being blunt if he was anything like the Masks he had known for like...a day. Bring it on. He would continue to be blunt because he couldn't help himself sometimes.

After a few minutes of Blue getting a bit restless, he was startled by the approaching group. It was then that he realized how intimidating and off-putting the whole group together was, even missing three members in Masks, Red, and himself. He decided he didn't like seeing all of them approach him, and put in a mental note to look more intimidating when he and the group approached someone else. That one would be fun.

He waved the group over, noting how Dusk was looking irritated with his chained hand gripping the bridge of his nose as he seemingly growled responses to Masks' counterpart. Blue briefly wondered if they had picked out a nickname yet, and he hoped that they had or else he'd choose something that they wouldn't like.

Luckily he didn't have to wait long for Tiny waved an excited thumb at the un-nicknamed adult and exclaimed for Blue to hear. "We already picked out a nickname for him, Blue! Didn't take long, it was really easy," the kid chuckled, "He also didn't argue it, but its Time!"

The blue Hero of the Four Sword didn't say anything but he nodded and rolled the nickname around on his tongue. Made sense from what he's heard of Masks' adventure in Termina. But he also hadn't mentioned anything from his first journey. Then again, as Tiny had claimed, Time didn't argue it. Even if he was too raddled to do so. Whatever, Time would work.

Blue eyed the newly named Time but ran forward to convene with Green and Vio. He stopped however and made sure to point in the direction Masks was in to Dusk, Tiny, and Time, however. Blue realized he had acted on a habit to simply converse with his brothers. Refusing to show that moment of reflex, he spoke louder to his brothers and the others while looking at Time, Dusk, and Tiny.

"Red's over there with 'im. Someplace with a big ass tree and another smaller one...I think they had faces?" He scowled, "Weird if you ask me, but whatever. Masks is...uh…uh..." Blue trailed off. He didn't exactly want to betray the kid by telling the others that he was crying. So he settled on the next best thing. "not looking great." Again the kid's pride had already been wounded, and it was sure to get worse without Blue's help.

Out of anything he thought would hold them up to grab Masks and get the hell out of this damned forest, Blue did not expect it to be Time. The adult had suddenly halted his movement and held his hands out, shaking them back and forth. The fairy, Navi, Blue remembered, almost got jostled off of his shoulder in the process.

"Woah, woah! I am not gonna walk right into the Deku Tree's Grotto! Too many...it makes me sad okay? I do not want to go there." His face paled once again, though not by much as he had been apparently panicked the whole walk over. However, his brows were very furrowed.

"Thanks but I'm fine. Now, why don't you guys go grab...Masks and then we'll all leave from where I'll wait here? That work for you? Good!" He made his way to turn around quickly, but Dusk snatched the back of his collar and pulled him back. It didn't look like much effort as they were about the same height and build really, only Dusk was a bit taller and definitely looked more gruffly. Navi fluttered out of the way with a yelp and rested this time on Time's head once he was facing Dusk again..

Dusk didn't say anything but he did give the 20-year-old a pointed look that meant there was no escape. It was silent for a moment, only the sounds of the forest surrounding them and the hushed chatter of the Kokiri getting shooed away by Mido was what they heard.

Time gulped and looked around quickly until his face lit up with an out. "Okay, okay, sure. But hey! Who's to say he's even over there still?!" Time said with a bit too much enthusiasm. "Maybe he already left? If you guys want, I can go on ahead and check the rest of the...okay that won't work will it?" His face dropped. The unamused expressions he was getting were obvious enough that that plan wouldn't work either. Darn, Blue had even just said Red was there with him...they all definitely knew Time was trying to get away and divert them now. Goddesses he was bad at lying, a nice trait of him still thinking he was 13 every now and then. Neat. That and he still often tripped over his own feet due to his tall stature. Also neat.

"Fine, follow me," Time pouted for a second before regaining his composure, making sure his face was almost devoid of emotion. In equal measure, his voice was empty too as he added, "To be fair, that is where I would go too if I were upset enough…and I don't like that I'm beginning to believe you here."

Time dragged his feet in the grass, absently noting the lack of scrubs and hostile deku babas along the trail. He knew what awaited him in the grotto, but it was a whole other thing to see it right up front. Again. The Great Deku Tree's giant lifeless husk still made him cringe, and he knew Mido blamed him for it, no matter if he were 13 or if he were 20. Hell, even though Time knew it was Ganondorf's fault, he still blamed himself too.

His eyes traveled down until it rested on the new sprout of the Deku Tree, who had comforted him quite a few times. Though Time was embarrassed and ashamed that he even felt he could grace the tree spirit with his own troubles after what he had done. That didn't stop the sapling from offering comfort all the same, however, and maybe Time was just greedy, but sometimes he couldn't help himself.

And then his gaze shifted a bit to the right and landed on a hunched over figure in a large dark green scarf. Time honestly hadn't noticed when he had stopped his momentum, nor when his new company had stormed past him and huddled around the kid. The 20-year-old could not get himself to take more than another two steps forward, frozen to the spot. The kid, Masks, was coaxed to his feet and went rigid himself as soon as he laid his eyes on Time.

It was an awful long moment that the two shared stiffly staring at each other across the 20 or so feet of the grotto. There was no denying the truth now. Time hesitated again, but swallowed his resolve and took a step forward. The kid, Masks, flinched but didn't tear his eyes off of him.

For the other members of the grotto...not only was it surreal, and not as surreal for the two of them experiencing Things right now, but it was apparent that the two were uncomfortable. Or at least too startled to move? Tiny didn't know, but he wanted to hopefully fix that. Break them out of their shock perhaps.

Tiny nodded to Time, "Wowie, you guys really are the same person, huh?" Dusk himself flinched right next to him and he reached his chained hand down to rest on Tiny's head. Did he say the wrong thing?

Dusk must have thought so for he started to sputter an apology. He didn't quite get words out until Masks cut him off with a wave and a glance. "No, no, Dusk, it's fine." the young Hero of TIme had shifted his eyes downwards, further cutting off his Moment with Time. "He's not wrong, he's definitely me from my last adventure...and what a fitting name, picking Time and all..." Masks, at least, seemed to come to a resolve...which was quickly shattered when Navi appeared from her resting place on Time's shoulder, previously obscured by the adult's rather...unkempt hair.

She hesitated as well, but fluttered her way over to Masks and began to fly around his head. Considering what Dusk and Tiny had heard previously, they knew that he had gone to Termina solely because he was looking for his friend...if Tiny had to guess, Navi was that friend. Why else would he have frozen in place at her appearance? Surely she meant something to him, especially considering she was Time's Fairy- or at least was Masks's fairy too at some point.

However, Masks flinched when she came near him. A genuinely pained expression accompanied it, and he backed up fast until his back hit the husk of the Great Deku Tree. He jumped at the contact and nearly slid down it into a seated position before catching himself and forcefully fumbled around with the back slung over his chest. He looked a little desperate, and Navi, rightfully apologetic, backed off.

But curiosity got the best of all of them, Time especially as Masks finally found what he was looking for and whipped it out in front of himself, almost getting it caught in his scarf in the process. It looked like...a brown mask, resembling a wooden creature, though no more special than that. No wonder he picked that name then, it seemed like there was more in his bag.

Masked stared down into it's empty yellow eyes for a moment, and then glanced up at Dusk for a confirmation of sorts. When Dusk simply stared at him in return, Masks sighed shakily. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about this right now," he muttered softly and put the mask over his face.

Look if he didn't want to talk, hiding behind a mask wouldn't get him far, and Time was sure that his counterpart knew that too. In all honesty, though, whatever had happened to the kid after and or during the part of the adventure Time had yet to experience must have really affected him. Time suddenly didn't want to talk about it either. Only furthered by the small light display in front of him.

Once the mask was on the young Hero of Time's face, he grunted and the mask literally blew up in terms of almost blinding them. Blinking the spots in their vision away left a blank and expressionless deku scrub standing in Masks place. He promptly chose to stare at the ground and fiddle with his scarf, as if silently challenging someone to say something about it. If the mood in the air weren't so...tense, the four sword heroes would most definitely have something to say about it. But now they knew, even Blue, that this wasn't the time for that.

They left it all well and alone for now and looked back to Time. He averted his gaze down for a moment but brought it back up to his new...and most likely continuous new company. He felt more comfortable with Dusk, if he were honest, so he gestured to him. "Well...it's been a rather long day, I'd say you all need some rest and some food before we leave the forest tomorrow. I know you only came here for me, for all the good that did...uh I don't have much, but…" he cut himself off there and shared one last look with Masks, before turning around.

He needed it too, if they were all to face tomorrow.

I am rather sorry about the delay, this fic became something that stressed me, rather than the comfort it was supposed to be. My interest has peaked again, and I know that I said I want to finish this, and no matter how long that takes, I will do it. Sorry for the ride that its gonna be though! But I thank you guys for the support and for being there.