Chapter 3: The Chosen Hero
She was confused.
Extremely confused.
Her vision was blurry so she had to wait a few minutes to actually sit up. Her head was pounding, the sides of her head rapidly throbbing as she tried making out her surroundings. Her long raven hair fell off her shoulders, creating a black cascade shielding her from the bright sunlight coming through the window in the room. Her grey eyes looked around in confusion, apprehension and fear. She grabbed tightly the blanket and brought it closer to her face as she felt tears prickling her eyes. She started having flashes of what had happened as she closed her eyes tightly as a single tear fell down her rosy cheek. She remembered the monsters, the pain, and Inuyasha's scream. She was not sure if they were even here, wherever that was. However, she felt in her heart that she was alone. There was a void of loneliness that she has only felt in a few moments in her life. She finally got the courage and as she took a shaky breath, she looked around the room to notice another bed across from her. It was obvious someone had slept on it, as the blanket was in a pile on the floor and the pillow had wrinkles from someone's head being on it.
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she finally took notice of the clothes she was wearing. Her jean shorts were gone and in place she was wearing a pair of loose leggings and a purple cotton shirt. It was comforting but it made her worry on who had undressed her. She lifted up the shirt to find clean bandages around her abdomen, covering the claw marks of the monster that had attacked her.
I need to know where I am.
She removed the blanket and stood up. Her legs were shaky, but she was able to make it to the door, a few steps at a time. Slowly opening it, she slightly opened it. She could hear murmurs coming from down the stairs that she could see in front of the door. The more she opened it, the louder the chattering was and the smell of food got to her. Her stomach growled and decided to follow the smell. She reached the conclusion that someone found her and was kind enough to treat her. Maybe they could explain to her what was going on, since her memory was rather useless at the moment since she could only remember floating and then her mind went black afterwards.
Unless she was found by creepy villagers or demons that needed her to be healed in order to eat her or mate with her.
She shook her head at the absurd thought and started descending down the stairs. With the first two steps that she took, her legs gave out on her. She let out a gasp as she tried gripping tightly the rail of the stairs but she was not strong enough. She shut her eyes tightly as she waited for the impact when a strong arm caught her around the waist and pulled her up. Cursing herself for her clumsiness, she shook her head and turned around to see who had saved her.
The first thing she saw was a broad chest covered by a white undershirt, chain mail, and a green shirt on top. As her eyes traveled upwards, her heart started fluttering faster as she saw how close she was to this stranger's full lips. When she finally saw his eyes, her breath caught in her throat as she just stared at him, her eyes widening in surprise.
I don't think I have ever seen such a pair of yes, he thought as he stared at her stormy grey eyes filled with surprise and confusion. Luda had done such an amazing job at cleaning the girl up and dressing her in better clothing. Now that he saw her face he could not help but admire the girl's beauty as her eyes stared at him, multiple emotions making their way to her eyes. They held so much life.
She opened her mouth to say something but she choked on the air and started coughing. Uncontrollably. Her face was getting redder by the second as she tried to control her coughing and embarrassment.
"Woah! You ok there? Come on, let's go take you back to your room." He gently picked her up in bridal style and before she could say anything to him, he was walking back to the room. He placed her on the bed and nodded at her. She was still bright red so he went back to the dresser where a water pitch and a cup were located on top of it and poured a glass for her. The whole time she tried calming herself down as she saw him walking away from her. He was wearing a green tunic with fitted white pants underneath and a pair of brown leather boots. He came back with a glass on hand and with a gentle smile he gave it to her.
She smiled softly at him as he handed it to her, "Thank you."
He grabbed the chair next to her bed and placed it directly in front of her.
He smiled, "Not a problem. You did very well during the night, we wouldn't want you dying from dehydration now."
She took a sip and shyly looked at him. His sandy blonde hair was a mess, but she had a feeling it naturally looked like that. But what she could not shake the feeling of was that this guy was no ordinary man. He seemed ready for a battle,even if his eyes held curiosity and some innocence as he looked at her. However, his eyes made her feel insignificant, like if he was so much older than her when it was obvious he was not older than her. She had thought that Kouga's blue eyes were impressive, but this man's were wilder.
"Were you the one that found me?" she asked softly.
He nodded but remained silent as she studied her. She started to feel awkward since his eyes were studying her, making her feel naked under his gaze.
Pull yourself together Kagome! Not even Sesshomaru's cold hearted stare makes you feel like this!
"My name is Kagome, and yours?"
"I'm Link," he stayed quiet as he stared at her again. She was holding herself strong, but it was obvious that was not going to last for long. Her breath was quickening and a shade of red was starting to appear across her face. She looked down at her hands as she held the cup, when the slight smell of salt hit the air. His eyes widened as he saw her trying so hard to not cry but her emotions were not cooperating. She opened her mouth to say something, and if it weren't for his heightened hearing, he would have not heard her.
"Where am I?" her voice was extremely shaky and fearful as she gripped the cup tighter in her hands.
His eyes softened and gently touched her knee, "Right now, you are in Kakariko Village. We are in the western region of Hyrule."
She could not stop it anymore and the tears fell hard. I have no idea where that is! I am so far away from home and I'm alone, she sadly thought.
Link's eyes widened when he saw her tears rapidly falling. He hated when people cried. Also, it did not help that ever since he was able to transform into a wolf in the Twilight, his human senses had heightened as well. The smell of salt was now on full force in the air and he had no clue how to comfort a girl he had just met.
"Hey Kagome, relax. You're gonna be fine. You're safe here. No Shadow Beasts are going to come after you as long as I'm around."
She sniffed and then shook at the name of those monsters, "So that's what they are called? and here I thought it would be more horrifying," she stopped for a second as she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "How… how do you know that's what attacked me?"
He gave her a bittersweet smile, "I recognized the claw marks. I have some scars from them, so as soon as I saw them on you, I knew what got to you. Now, why don't you start from the beginning?"
Could she tell him? She had no clue who he really was, since she had just met the guy. He had apparently only found her and that made her more nervous. What if Inuyasha can't get to her? What if she never sees Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara? There was not much that she could do since she was in a different world. The few times she had gone back home and went to school and luckily was able to get into a high school, the main class she had paid attention to was History and never once did she hear anything about Hyrule. In reality she was alone, and if she wanted to have some sort of hope of going back home, she would have to trust someone to help her.
Kagome took a deep breath and stared at his electric blue eyes. She saw full attention and curiosity, but not any malice.
"You see, I don't think I'm from this world. At all."
He nodded for her to continue, and she did. She went on to tell him everything. Who she was, her friends, the demons they were fighting. He narrowed his eyes when she told him about the portal and the shadow beasts and how she did not remember anything ever since.
"And now I have no clue where my friends are at. I don't even know if they are even here or what."
"I hate to say it, but you were the only one that came out of that portal. I… I had just used it when you then appeared on the spring as I was walking away. From what I know there is two more in the southern region and one more up on Death Mountain. If they were sucked in, they are probably in either of those areas."
Her eyes lifted with hope at the mention of him using it.
"You can use it? Maybe you can help me and take me back where I came from!"
He bit his lip and gave her a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry, but the magic that the portal holds it's still unknown to me and… and I've only been able to use it in umm… certain occasions. I cannot do it willingly, and even if I could, I don't think I could take you back."
She nodded in understanding as she took a drink of her water, "I understand. I apologize for jumping to conclusions like that."
He nodded. He needed to talk to Midna, but he doubted she would want to appear in front of this girl. She was not a social creature and besides, her smart remarks probably would not be a great help with the girl's condition.
I should wait a bit. Besides, she needs to eat.
"However, I do think I think I can help you but first, why don't I take you downstairs for you to grab a bite to eat?"
She smiled brightly at him wiping her tears, "Yes!"
He smiled as he stood up from the chair and offered his arm to help her up which she gladly did.
"Let's go then."
Before they reached the bottom of the steps he stopped her and lowered his voice, "The children think you were attacked by an animal and everyone else does not know anything about the portals. Let's keep it that way. "
She nodded and continued walking towards the doorway of what it seemed the dining area. What she saw, it took her breath away. There was a total of five children in the kitchen, three of them trying to talk over each other. A small girl with black short hair was smiling at each one as she served them more orange juice. A blonde boy was smiling shyly at everyone but keeping mainly to himself. She then saw the only adult in the room. He had deep bronze skin and long black hair. From what she could see from his clothes, he must be a chief of some kind.
Link shook his head at the behavior of the children and let out a snort. Apparently it wasn't as quiet as he thought since everyone turned their heads to look at him. His eyebrow twitched and started blushing from the stares.
Kagome could not help it and started giggling at his reaction.
That was all that was needed for the children to rush forward and start asking questions. The boys were blushing once they really saw her, trying to avoid eye contact as their faces turned a deep shade of red. Luda smiled at her and Beth gave her a look after seeing how close Link was next to the strange girl. Renado raised his hand to silence the children and walked towards the young woman.
"I am glad to see you well. I am Renado, the Chief Shaman of Kakariko Village," he then motioned to his daughter, "This is Luda. She is the one that helped clean you up."
"I'm Talo!"
"Malo…"
Colin shyly approached her with something in his hands, "I'm Colin. Th-these are for you. It's good to see you doing better than yesterday."
Kagome kneeled down to his height, forgetting the pain on her left side, and accepted the small little flowers from him.
"That is so sweet of you, I'm Kagome."
Renado looked her over and asked, "Are you ok? How are you feeling?"
She smiled brightly at him as she stood up to her full height, which was not much since she was only 5'2.
"I feel better. I was feeling weak when I first woke up but now it's better. I want to thank you for everything you have done for me, I don't think I could have survived if you guys hadn't found me."
He motioned for her to sit down, "Don't sweat it. It was Link that found you and if it weren't for him who knows in what shape you could have been... Luda, could you please serve her a plate?"
His daughter nodded and headed to the stove right away. While the children were entertaining her, Link thought this would be the perfect opportunity to talk to Midna.
"Can you excuse me for a second? I'll be right back." Before any of them could even ask, he left the room.
He walked outside of the house, the sun at its highest point since noon was approaching. No clouds were seen but a slight breeze was felt, not making it overbearingly hot. He had just enough of heat when he went into the Gorons Mines. He walked up to the path of the cemetery, his boots grinding on rocks as he made his way there. It was important for him that no one saw him talking to Midna. They probably would label him as crazy or possessed for being friends with someone that was related to all the attacks.
Could he call her his friend though?
They have known each other for about a month by now and both have faced some rather obstacles together. In the moment of weariness he has felt during the last two temples she was able to keep him sane. He knew her way of being was just a facade but he knew there was more to it. She has been the only one that knows exactly what he has been going through, and for that he will be forever thankful.
When he finally reached the graveyard and made sure no one had followed him, he called her.
"I need to talk to you. Now"
Not even a second later, she emerged from his shadow and floated in front of him. Her red eye was not holding the typical arrogance that she tended to have every time she looked at him.
He nodded at her, "You heard everything?"
She scoffed, "Of course I did. Guess we have another predicament here. I do not know why the Twili Portal would suck her and her friends here. Which they are in Hyrule since I felt another portal opening, however I can't pinpoint which one. This could either complicate things for us or help us. Now, which one? That's the question."
He paced back and forth thinking about it. He really did not hold any more knowledge regarding parallel universes or how portals work. The other world that he knew of was just the Twilight however he still did not know much of it either. He wanted to help Kagome badly, however he also needed to continue to restore Hyrule. The only person that could help here would have to be Zelda.
"We need to take her to the castle."
She gave him a look, "Do you really think we can sneak in, in your human form, with another person with us? I thought you were smarter than that. Besides, we have to get the last Fused Shadow Mr. Hero, or do you want more twilight covering your world?"
He closed his eyes and pinched the tip of his nose, "Fine. We will get the Fused Shadow first and then take her to the Castle."
She gave him an incredulous look, "Are you planning on taking her with us to get the last Fused Shadow?"
"The light spirit might be able to tell us something. If not we are gonna have to go to the castle and see the Princess. It's our best shot."
"She won't be able to enter the twilight. She is human. She will become a spirit like the rest of your friends."
He knew she was right, but by the goddesses he was given too much of a stubborn personality.
"It's worth a shot Midna. I know it sounds ridiculous, but there is a reason she is here. Maybe even her friends. What if the goddesses sent them in order to help me clean up this mess? What if this is a lot worse than we thought and we need help?"
She snarled at him and crossed her arms, "Fine. Take her. But if she ends up needing my help, don't expect me to help her." And with that, she returned to his shadow.
He shook his head but nonetheless smiled. She was becoming easier to talk to as the days went on. Most of their conversations, however, consisted of her talking and criticizing him in very inappropriate moments.
When he walked back to Renado's place, he found Kagome talking and laughing with the children. He patiently waited for her to finish her food before motioning her to follow him.
He took them outside and walked towards the spring. Once they were there and he made sure no one would listen to them, he started telling her his idea.
"I had told you that I might be able to help you however,it will be dangerous. What I am about to tell you cannot be shared lightly with anyone," he took a deep breath, "A month ago my village was attacked by monsters. The children were kidnapped and I woke up finding this black wall covering my path opposite of where my village was. I got dragged in by the same hand that gave you that injury. On the other side, it was the scariest shit I have ever seen."
And so he told her everything. How he was able to survive and transform into a wolf, meeting Midna and the princess, and gathering the Fused Shadow. In order to help her, she needed to know everything and he just knew he could trust her. She saw his eyes darkening in certain points of his story as well as filling with happiness when he found the children.
Kagome remained silent throughout the whole story, just taking it in and trying to understand it. He had gone through so much in so little time. At the mention of the others being here but not knowing exactly where filled her with more hope, but a small lingering of despair crept up on her.
Was it their destiny to be in this world? To help him?
"And now I have gathered the conclusion that you did not come here by accident. I have a feeling that you are meant to be here Kagome. Now I have to ask you this, do you know how to use a weapon?"
Her eyes widened but nodded, "I know how to use a bow and arrow."
He nodded and took a deep breath, "Would you accompany me to gather the last Fused Shadow? Either the Lanayru Spirit can help us, if not, from there we can go to the castle and see Princess Zelda."
"But.. what if my friends come? You told me they are here and they are going to be looking for me."
"Leave them a note with Renado. If your friend has such a good nose, he will be able to track us without a problem."
She thought about it for a second. What could she possibly risk? Besides she would be already be helping her friends find a way back.
"Alright, I'll do it. When would we leave?"
"In two days. I just got done doing a temple and I could use a few days to relax. Besides, you need to regain your strength as well."
Shippo was rather pleased with the village that him and the others came across. It was quiet and very serene. Trees covered the whole area around and the lake brought more coolness to the area as well. Uli and Rusl were very polite, and the rest of the villagers that saw them last night came early in the morning to apologize for their behavior. They understood their behavior, having been used to it by now since villagers never took kindly to Inuyasha or himself. Sango was currently helping Uli with some of the laundry since the pregnant woman could only do really small loads at a time. He could see them from his spot on the tree on the small dock at the lake. Actually, he could see the entire village and the ranch from where he sat. He had been sitting on the same tree Inuyasha had been sitting on the night before. When he looked down, he saw Inuyasha and Miroku with Rusl walking towards the Mayor's house.
Miroku kept talking to Rusl regarding the type of creatures that resided the land as well as its people. The more they knew, the better. Rusl was very helpful on telling him about the Gorons and the Zoras, as well as some of the monsters he had encountered in his life. Inuyasha just continued to listen in into the conversation when he heard rapid running from the entrance of the ranch.
"Watch out!" a voice scream when not even a second later, a Ordon Goat came running down the hill, right on the path that they were currently on.
Inuyasha stepped forward and with very little effort he was able to stop the animal with his hands and send it running the way that it had come from. He smirked as he saw the goat going back, not challenging him again. Rusl had his mouth open in amazement while Miroku just chuckled at his friend's actions.
"That was a quite remarkable display of strength young man."
Miroku and Inuyasha looked where the voice had come from just to see, what they guessed, the Mayor of the town. The man was tall and muscular as well. Small eyes and with a remarkable mustache framing his face. He held himself with authority but they could not help notice the dark circles under his eyes and the slight redness at the edge of his eyes.
This man was suffering.
"Bo, let me introduce you to these young men. This is Miroku and the one that just stopped the goat is Inuyasha. They are travelers that have gotten lost and one of their friends is missing. We are going to be leaving soon to Kakariko Village to find Link."
Bo nodded, "That is a misfortune. I wish you the best." He turned around to go back to his house, and without a second look he went inside.
Rusl's eyes filled with sympathy towards his old friend. He knew what it felt not knowing how your child was doing. His heart had been ripped apart when Colin was taken away.
"He is having a hard time dealing not knowing where his daughter is," he explained to Miroku and Inuyasha as they turned around and were walking back towards his house.
"Is there any idea of where she could possibly be?" Inuyasha asked. Ever since they had arrived at the village, he was mostly quiet. Whenever he was away from her he always became more distant and his temper tended to light up more rapidly. Besides, he was still beating himself up for the comment he made about her the night before.
"Not a clue. Link is set to find her. They basically grew up together and have been best friends all of their lives. Some of the villagers are wondering when is he going to propose to her. I have faith in him that he will find her."
And with that, they prepared to set out for the journey. The gang did not have a clue what they might encounter, but they were ready for anything. Each one took turns to use the small bathroom at Rusl's house to bathe quickly. Uli prepared them a lunch for each of them and now she looked at her husband in concerned as she watched him grab his sword. He was still slightly weak from the attack but she knew he would be fine.
Once outside they explained to Rusl that it was better not to bring a horse. He was confused but once they showed him how Kirara could transform and Inuyasha's agility, they would not have a problem.
"Well everything is all packed now," Sango said. She then proceeded to bow towards Uli, leaving the woman surprised, "Thank you so much for your hospitality Uli. We will forever be grateful."
With tears on her eyes, she waved her off, "Come by whenever you need to. And please, look after my husband."
Sango nodded then smiled at her. That's when she saw Shippo standing on the doorway not moving.
"Shippo, are you ready to go?"
"I'm not going Sango…"
Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku looked at each other. If anyone was more than ready to go and look for Kagome, it was him. This shocked them completely as his small form walked forward and stood next to Uli.
"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked confused.
"Someone needs to stay behind to watch over the village. I might not be powerful enough, but I can still help."
Miroku nodded in understanding, "Are you sure?"
He smiled, "More than positive," he turned to look at Rusl, "Don't worry, I will protect Uli!"
Rusl smiled at the small child, "Thank you."
With that, they waved goodbye and started heading towards Hyrule Field on their way to Kakariko Village. They just hoped that they would find Kagome soon.
Those two days went by way too quick for his opinion as he started to put the saddle back on Epona's back. Spending time with Kagome had been very pleasant since he did not have to spend every waking minute with the children. Don't get him wrong, he loves them, however all they wanted was to play with his weapons and such. At least all Colin wanted was to learn how to ride Epona and spend time with Kagome. The children loved her, but he would occasionally see the look Beth would throw at her way every time she was talking to him. Women, he couldn't understand them.
What made his day was that last night when Kagome had walked in on him in their room (She saw no point of asking him to get another room to sleep in, as long as he kept to himself which he did) to find him talking to Midna.
"Are you sure she is not going to get herself killed?" Midna asked as she saw him gathering his belongings that he would need for the trip.
He gave her an irritated look. It was the third time she had asked the question for the past ten minutes.
"Yes Midna. Talk about being paranoid. You have never been like this."
She floated towards the bed and sat down. "I just don't want to be responsible for someone else."
He glanced at her raising an eyebrow, "So in a way, you do care about what happens to me."
She couldn't help it and laughed, "You are out of your mind wolf boy!"
He shook his head as he folded a shirt and put it in his bag, "Right right. I'm just here to listen to all of your orders."
"Damn right!"
"It was sarcasm Midna…"
She was about to throw an insult at him when the door flung open to reveal Kagome sweating.
Midna did not even bother disappearing since the girl already knew about her but had yet to see her. She needed to see the girl's reaction, after all, they were going to be traveling together. Yes, she was not the type to care what people thought of her, but in her current situation, it was something very hard to just let go. Kagome could not see much of her appearance since Midna was transparent, but one thing she could clearly see was her ruby red eye. She looked behind her to make sure none of the kids followed her and closed the door.
"So, you must be Midna. Nice to meet you, I'm Kagome." and she bowed.
Link raised his eyebrows at the gesture since he has never seen a person doing that to another, unless they were of higher status like the princess. He looked to see Midna's reaction to just find pure shock on the imp's face.
"Uh, yeah. I guess he told ya about me."
She nodded, "Yup, and how you can turn him into an adorable puppy."
He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Kagome, "Puppy? Seriously?"
Midna smirked. Maybe it wasn't going to be too bad having the girl around if she could rile up Link.
"Yes, he's one loyal pup."
"I'll remember that when you are riding on my back Midna."
Just what he needed, another person to tease him. He had enough of that with just the imp but as he saw the playful look Kagome was giving him, he couldn't help but smile.
Kagome giggled, "Oh relax," she turned to Midna, "Well just know that whenever you want to come out of his shadow, just do it. I don't mind at all."
Midna suspiciously looked at her, "You're not bothered by the way I look?"
"I don't judge people by their appearance, but by their heart." And with one last smile, she grabbed a towel and walked out of the room.
Midna and Link were quiet for a few minutes after Kagome had left. It was unexpected but he was glad to see them getting along. Midna was his companion for quite a while already and Kagome had become his friend in the short amount that they have known each other. He could not deal with two females not liking each other. His journey was already hard enough.
Now here he was, saying bye to the children and reassuring them that he was going to find Ilia and be safe. His shoulder was not bugging him any longer after that burn and Kagome progressed a lot during the two days.
His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the children exclaiming Kagome's name. When he turned around he was quite surprised with her attire. She had changed into a sleeveless navy blue tunic with black skin tight shorts that could be seen under the tunic. She was sporting black leather boots and a small pair of fingerless gloves. She had a quiver and arrows that he had purchased for her the day before when he was stocking up on supplies. Finally, her long black hair was pulled into a ponytail to avoid it getting in the way. In his opinion, she looked like a true warrior.
"Will you be safe Kagome?" Colin asked as he looked up at her. He genuinely liked her, and he hoped she was going to be ok. He knew the world was dangerous but he also knew what Link was capable of. She would be safe but couldn't help but still worry.
"Of course I will. You kids keep playing the games I taught you, alright?"
Renado then came out to wish his best wishes to them. Kagome had given him the letter to give to Inuyasha the night before. She prayed and hoped that they would catch up to her. She missed them dearly and hoped that they were ok.
Link got on top of Epona and situated himself, he then reached forward to grab Kagome's hand to help her up but instead of having her ride behind him, he placed her in front of him securing her with his arms.
She looked at him in confusion and he smiled at her, "Relax. I feel this is better than having you behind me. If you want to fall asleep this will be more secure."
Beth let out a frustrated noise and went inside the inn, slamming the door. The rest of the kids looked at the way she went in confusion, not understanding her behavior. Renado let out a soft chuckle since he knew she was jealous. It was not troubling so he just did not say anything as he started to speak to Link and Kagome.
"Be safe and do not push her too hard. She is healing quite well and we would not want her wounds to reopen," he then looked directly at Kagome, "And do not fret child, if your friends come here, I will be sure to give them the message."
"I am deeply grateful to you Renado, thank you."
"No need to thank me. Now go, Hyrule needs you."
And with that, Link nodded at him and took off. The only thing that was now echoing across the village was the sound of the running horse leaving North. Link had decided it was best to use the Eldin Bridge to reach the Zora's Domain in order to find any clues for the Lanayru Spring. Besides, he did not want to push Kagome further by making her deal with the high jumps Epona could have done if they had gone out towards the Kakariko Gorge entrance since it was currently gated and no one was able to find the key.
When the finally reached Hyrule Field, she gasped at the size of the land. The sun was barely setting, making the field even more beautiful. Link had told her that it would be better to travel at almost night time since it was easier to sneak from monsters and not get easily spotted. As she looked around in amazement, she could see the outline of the castle towards the East.
She knew she did not have to worry. She knew she was in safe hands, especially after listening to the story of Link saving Colin a few days ago.
I guess I am traveling with a true hero. Everything will be ok.
(End of Chapter 3! Hope you enjoyed it. Just to clarify, Inuyasha and the others are a day and a half behind Kagome and Link. Thanks to his speed and Kirara, they have been able to cut a lot of time of traveling. Next chapter, Kagome and Link reach the next and final twilight wall while Inuyasha and the rest almost reach Kakariko Village. Will Kagome be able to enter? When will Inuyasha see her?
Thank you for reading and please review!)