Author's Note:  It's been a while but I'm back.  Sorry for the delay, but between having my house broke into, worrying over my grandmother's surgery and writing research papers, I haven't had much time to devote to this story.  I've probably lost my entire readership, but oh well…  Those who are still here, enjoy.

Chapter 13 – I Hate You

            Nudge screamed through locked teeth.

            All in attendance, the once cheering mob, stood in silence as the pirate's arm pushed Joe into the kill-zone.  Never before had any of them witnessed such a feat of sheer determination go so far.

            Nudge was fighting on pure will—and he was winning…

            Hours later, Link and Tetra were in her room.  The excitement of the competition had carried over into their conversations, inspiring the young captain to challenge the boy to an arm wrestle of their own.

            "You're joking, right?" asked Link, incredulously.

            Tetra placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.  "Are you?"

            Soon, Tetra had brought over a stool from her reading desk, and atop that stool she laid a purple cushion for their elbows.

            Kneeling on opposite sides, Tetra glared at an already overwhelmed Link.

            After a while, she slowly brought her elbow to the cushion and opened her palm towards him.

            "Ready?"

            Link looked to the hand; then to Tetra; then to the hand again.  Memories of ale filled his mind and he hesitated before finally bringing his left arm to the stool.

            "Oh, yeah," said Tetra meekly, "I forgot."  She switched her arms.

            "Won't this put you at a disadvantage, though?" asked Link.

            Tetra's response was short and brash. 

            "All the better."

            They touched hands.

            "Go, Nudge!  Go, Nudge!  Go, Nudge!"

            The cheering had begun anew, louder than before.  The booming chants of the men rumbled from below and could even be felt on the deck.  To Nudge, however, the voices of his crewmen were nothing compared  to the sound of if his own frenzied heart drumming between his temples and the wheezing of his lungs within his chest.

            The pain was quickly becoming unbearable  His arm felt as if fishing line had been tied around it and pulled until it seeped through his flesh and into his muscles.  He was reaching his absolute limit. 

            Joe's knuckles were now three inches from the table, his wrist, closer still to the folded rag.  One more push would put him over the edge… but at what cost?  Already, he would not be able to use his arm to work for at least a couple of days.  What if he tore a muscle?

            Those thoughts amounted to nothing more than a momentary fear, however.  What was at stake was bigger than mere work.  Dominance had to be shown.  He, Gonzo and Senza had to show the Zareps that they were in charge—strength be damned!  Only then could there be order on the ship.  The chain of command had to be upheld…

            Nudge prepared for the final charge.  He drew in one last breath and released it as a deep hum emanating from his throat.  At this, the others quieted once again, sensing that something big was about to happen.

            Joe lifted his head slightly.  He could sense it too.

            Below one floor, Niko opened his eyes momentarily before falling back to sleep.  He had heard what sounded like Nudge screaming in agony.

            Nightmare…

            "What are you doing?" 

            Link looked up innocently.  "What?"

            "You're letting me win."

            "No, I'm not," said Link, "look." 

            He pointed to their gripped hands; they hovered in and around the mid-point lamely.

            "Yes, you are," returned Tetra, becoming annoyed, "You're not pushing."

            Link cocked an eyebrow.  "And how do you know that?"

            Tetra slammed the boy's hand over the edge of the stool, sending him tumbling across the room.

            "Call it a guess…"

           
            "N-no—" The crowd died down again as Nudge stammered in disbelief.  "No…"

            Joe's arm had stopped.  Mere inches from the folded rag, it just stopped.

            Zuko pounded on the table, urging Nudge to summon fight where there was none.  Gonzo simply looked to Junior and Flammy in disbelief; the two Zarep's looked to the ground in silence.

            With an expression like a sheet of paper crushed into the image of a fist, Joe shook his head from left to right, slowly, as if to say, "No.  That's enough."

            Link looked on in horror as Joe's hand began to rise.

            Link rubbed his neck as he pondered what he had done wrong.  He had only tried to be polite.  What kind of gentleman would slam a lady's fist into the ground?

            Link looked to Tetra from across the stool.  She watched exasperatedly as he slowly licked his wound.  She seemed eager to begin again.

            "Give me a second, will you?" responded Link to her silent egging on.  "It hurts."

            Tetra smiled viciously before half-whispering, "Poor baby… want me to kiss it better?"

            Link's heart jumped as it had in the bar when the young captain had taken his hand in hers.  Even with the sarcasm dripping from every syllable, her words sent shockwaves coursing through his body.  He fought back a blush courageously.

            However his excitement was tempered by an uncomfortable feeling of smallness.  Link didn't like how Tetra talked to him as if he were a child and she so much older.  As of late, he had gotten the distinct feeling that she was playing with him.  He didn't like it—it wasn't like her…

            ...then again, yes it was, but usually it was different.  Usually, he only pretended to be afraid of Tetra.  Now, he actually kind of was…

            …sort of…

            Instead of acknowledging her offer, Link simply extended his hand towards her.  Unlike before it was taut and ready.  Tetra looked to him approvingly.

            "Alright then!" she exclaimed before taking it.  "Shall we begin now… for real?"

             Link nodded, trying to push the feel of her palm out of his head.  It felt so different than his own, softer.  Looking at her face, a flame of determination flashing across her black eyes, he thought of how her palms were so unlike the rest of her…

            …then Link felt Tetra's hand squeeze around him…

            Actually, he thought, they're really not all that different…

            "Yeah," said Link finally, "let's begin."  

            Niko rushed into the mess-hall wearing only his sea-shell nightgown and his sleeping cap.  The other pirates turned from the arm-wrestling match and stared at him wildly.  The startled swabby turned from face to grimaced face before finally speaking.

            "What the hell's going on?!  Is someone hurt?!"

            Another scream echoed through the ship like the one that had woken Niko moments before, this time accompanied by a wild beating sound, like a drum.  It seemed to be coming from the center of the crowd. 

            The spectators quickly turned their backs at an increasingly fearful Niko.

            "W-what the hell?" he stammered.  "Is that—is that Nudge?"

            The pirates continued to ignored Niko as another wail filled the air, more pained than before.  The pounding was getting fainter.

            Becoming disturbed, Niko ran to where Gonzo was standing and tugged on his shirt.  At first, the giant pirate didn't seem to notice, instead peering over Cruton's shoulder anxiously.  The diminutive pirate tried again, three times, before Gonzo finally turned to him with a startled look on his face.

            Niko did not like the way his eyes seem unfocused, as if looking past him.  He hesitated before saying, "What the hell's going on Gonzo?  Where's Nudge?"

            Gonzo looked around wildly as if trying to focus his thoughts.  He said "um" several times before nodding his head over Cruton's shoulder.

            Realizing that was all he was going to get, Niko turned to the direction where the screams were coming from.  Blocking his way were the backs of both Cruton and his brother Junior.  Taking a deep breath, Niko decided to make his move.

            The Zarep brothers gasped as the little pirate burst past, falling before them in a heap.  Niko slowly rose, rubbed his nose painfully, and found himself standing next to Link.  Forgetting for a moment why he had come, he looked to the boy dazedly.

            "Hey, Link." He said absent mindedly.

            The boy turned to him with a confused look on his face.  He was about to say something when a scream louder than any that had came before shook all those present, including Niko.

            Suddenly out of his daze, he turned to the table before him.  The small pirate gasped as he watched Nudge pound the wooden planks with his fist, a cloud of sawdust and splinters exploding with each blow.  His left hand was bruised and red; everything seemed ready to break.

            As Niko stood their amongst his crewmen, now understanding and sharing in their silence, he did not see Joe, the flaring of his nostrils, the red strain in his eye as he channeled his being into his right fist.  Nor did he see Nudge, his friend, screaming through clenched teeth, his face locked in an ungodly expression of pain and struggle. 

            All he saw was what everyone else was seeing: the locked hands of Joe and Nudge, crimson and trembling an inch above a folded rag as a single bead of blood appeared from within their grasp, dripping down below and turning it red.

            Link and Tetra sat silently across from one another; they had yet to move the stool and the satin pillow still laid dented between them.  As always, Tetra was the one to break the silence.

            "Can I tell you something?"

            "Sure." Said Link, tensing slightly.

            Tetra straightened herself against the bed, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.  She searched for the words.

            Link, sensing her anxiety, asked, "Is there something wrong Tetra?"

            She looked at him surprised, as if she had forgotten he was there.  "Me?  No.  No.  I'm okay… it' just…"

            Link nodded for her to continue.

            "I just—I didn't think you'd beat me that bad…"

            "What?  At the arm wrestling?"

            Tetra rolled her eyes.  "What else?"

            Link pretended to shrink back despite enjoying the fact that for once he was the one making Tetra feel a bit uneasy and not the other way around. 

            "I'm sorry, Tetra.  I wanted to take it easy on you, but you wouldn't let me."

            Tetra glared at Link with killing eyes.  The boy felt himself shrink back for real.

            "You idiot!  I didn't want you to take it easy on me!"

            "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

            It was several seconds before the young captain managed to calm herself down.  Taking one more mean look at Link, she continued.

            "That wasn't what I meant.  I appreciated that you didn't hold back this time.  It's just that, well, I wasn't really expecting you to beat me at all."

            Link sat silently for a moment.  "Come again?"

            "Don't take this the wrong way—I'm not trying to insult you, really—but I didn't think you were all that strong.  I thought I'd beat you, no problem."

            Link looked about ready to laugh and cry at the same time.  "Why would you think that?"

            "I don't know.  You don't really look that strong."

            "I-I don't?" stammered Link.

            Tetra shook her head.  "Like I said, don't take it the wrong way.  You just don't look like the kind of guy that would be all that powerful.  You're…  I don't know—softer, I guess.  I don't know how to describe it."

            The boy was becoming angry.  "What do you mean by soft?"

            "Gentle?" said Tetra apologetically, "Kind.  Like you don't have a mean bone in your body…"

            Although still irked by Tetra's admission, Link smiled at the compliment.  "Or muscles, for that matter…"

            Tetra chuckled.  "I guess I forget that you've spent the last couple of months chopping up monsters and saving the world.  Somehow I can't picture you doing it—yet I remember you so clearly when you fought Ganon atop his tower.  It's almost… unreal…"

            Link's mind drifted to that moment when he sunk the Master Sword into the villain's skull.  "Yeah…  I guess you can't swing a sword around for that long without growing some muscle."

            "Yeah," Tetra paused, biting her lip before continuing, "I've been thinking, Link…"

            "Yeah?"

            "Don't you think it's silly?"

            Link knitted his brow.  "What?"

            "That you're so worried about becoming a hero—when you already are one?"

            "What are you talking about?"

            Tetra got on your knees and leaned on the stool.  "Our destinies.  You're always telling me you're afraid about what the future will bring—about what we will become—not realizing that the future is here and we are changing…"

            Link stood up, startled by Tetra's expression—the same one that had unnerved him before, it now filled him with dread.  Tetra stared at him surprised.

            "Is there something wrong?"

            "Listen to yourself!  What are you talking about?"

            Tetra sighed and stood up.  "You see, this is what I'm talking about—"

            "What are you talking about?"

            "—you don't understand—"

            "What do you mean we're 'changing?'"

            "—and you're afraid because you don't understand."

            "Understand what?  This is crazy!"

            Tetra moved the stool to the side and stepped forward.  "Link…"

            Feeling trapped, Link jumped back.  Without meaning to he said, "No," in a hushed voice.

            Tetra gasped in response to Link's fear, and a hurt look filled her eyes.  "You're just a little boy!  So immature!  You don't see me crying about my destiny!  You're such a child!"

            Link felt his fists tighten.  His eyes felt warm and they stung.  "I'm the one who's immature?!  Well, at least I'm not crazy!"

            Tetra seemed tired and headed for her bed, turning his back to him.  "Just leave, Link.  You're obviously not mature enough to accept the future.  Just forget about it."

            Link grimaced as he felt a tear roll down his cheek.

            "Oh, yeah?" he yelled hatefully, "Well, if accepting the future means crying over the past—"

            Tetra turned around in time to see Link point his finger to a portrait of her mother hanging above her desk.  Tears had welled up inside her eyes before he had finished speaking.

            Blinded by his own indignation, Link finished viciously, "—then you can keep your blasted future!" 

            Nudge's hand crashed onto the blood-soaked rag, ending the match.  Almost immediately, Link, Tetra and the pirates crowded around their friend, who laid breathing on the table.

            "Quick, get some bandages!" shouted Tetra, sending Niko stumbling off.

            Link sprinted towards the door.  "I've got some blue potion!"

            Nudge's arm twitched as his muscles refused to relax.  It had swollen considerably from strain and it was doubtful that he could move it much if at all.  Nudge groaned as his adrenaline receded and the pain from his ruined arm began in earnest.

            For his part, Joe caressed his arm as he rose from his chair.  It too had been through an enormous amount of stress, though if he felt pain, there was no sign of it on his face.  "That was stupid, Nudge."

            Tetra looked up at Joe.  "Go to hell!"

            The Zarep ignored her.  His words brimmed with a mixture of disdain and sympathy.  "You had no hope of winning, and yet you would lose your arm for what?  A game?  How stupid…"   

            Joe headed for the door, stopping before his brothers as he did so.  "I'm going to soak my arm for a bit.  Are you staying?"

            Junior scratched his cheek.  "Yeah, we should help."

            "It's the least we could do." added Cruton.

            Joe nodded and continued on, descending the stairs as Nudge struggled with his pain.

            "Get out, Link!  Get out!  I hate you!"

            The door to her cabin slammed and Tetra was left alone to cry as her mother's image flickered in the candle light.

            Link stormed out into the night air.  He headed for the King of Red Lions, not noticing Gonzo at the helm. 

            "Exciting night, yeah?"

            Link stopped in his tracks.  He blinked a tear back before facing Gonzo.  "Yeah…"

            "I tell you, I was worried about Nudge for a second…  Thought he was gonna keel over any second, to tell you the truth.  Those Zareps are really something.  Same thing Joe did to Nudge, Flammy was going to do to me if I hadn't broken his face.  Good guy, though…"

            Link smiled against his will.  "How is Nudge?"

            "Sleeping," said Gonzo, "thanks to your blue potion.  I didn't think you could rub that stuff directly on wounds—pretty nifty, yeah?  It's gonna take him a day or two to recover, but he'll be fine."

            "I would've let you use more of it, but you wouldn't let me."

            "What, are you kidding?  That stuff's too expensive to waste!  Nudge can do with a little pain for a while."        

             Link laughed quietly.

            "Where were you heading?"

            Link hesitated a moment.  "Uh, to sleep."

            "Already?  I thought you and Miss Tetra were talking.  Done already?"

            Link hissed at the name.  "I don't want to talk to her right now."

            "Ah no!" lamented Gonzo.  "Don't tell me you two got in a fight…"

            "I'm tired of her always treating me like I'm a baby!" said Link.  "Who is she to boss me around and call me names?"

            "She called you names?"

            Link was silent.

            "Did you happen to call her names back?"

            Link couldn't believe what he was hearing.

            "What was I supposed to do?"

            Gonzo let go of the wheel and walked towards Link.  The boat rocked slightly as the gentle breeze took rein over the sails.  At first, the boy seem scared by the pirate's approach, but as he neared, Link could see that Gonzo meant no harm.

            Standing inches away, Gonzo looked into Link's eyes.  He tried to turn away, but the pirate grabbed him by the chin and gently turned his face back.

            After a while, Gonzo let go and said, "Is Tetra crying, Link?"

            The boy broke down as he felt his eyes water again.  He began to yell.  "What was I supposed to do?  She's always treating me like a kid!  She always…"

            Gonzo walked back to the wheel.  Link watched in silence as the pirate ascended the steps.

            Once he had gotten the ship back on course, Gonzo said, "Let me tell you something about Miss Tetra, Link."

            Link rubbed eyes with his sleeve.

            Gonzo took a deep breath as he looked to the sky.  "There was a story Miss Daphnes would always tell Miss Tetra when she was young…"

            Gonzo looked down at Link before continuing.  "Miss Daphnes being Tetra's mother and all…"

            Link nodded.  Gonzo continued.

            "Miss Daphnes would tell her lots of stories, most of them about the lost Kingdom of Old."

            "Hyrule." said Link.

            "Aye," responded Gonzo, "but of all the stories told to her by her mother, Miss Tetra's favorite of all was that of the legendary Sword of Evil's Bane."

            Link thought for a moment.  "The Master Sword!" he said in quiet awe.

            Gonzo nodded.  "It was said that whosoever found that mystical blade would have the power to heal any wound, no matter how deep…  Tetra began searching for that sword after her mother died.  When she finally found it, it was attached to you."

            Link waited quietly for Gonzo to finish.

            "I've known Tetra all her life, Link.  I served her mother and I serve her still, through her daughter.  I'd like to think that I know something about her.  Tetra may seem all spit and fire on the outside, but deep down she's hurting awfully bad.  She was looking for something that could ease her pain in that sword.  What she got instead was you, Link."

            "What are you saying?"

            Gonzo sighed.  "I don't know.  Perhaps she took it as a sign that you were here to help her.  Either way, she's taken a shine to you Link—and Tetra's not one to take a shine with just anyone.  I'm like a father to her and she still treats me like dirt!"

            Gonzo laughed heartily towards the moon.  Link thought about what he had said and was filled with a crushing guilt.  How could I be so selfish…  Tetra comes to me for help and all I do is make her feel worse about herself…  I'm so… weak…

            "What should I do, Gonzo?"
            "I don't know, kid.  That's for you to decide.  I just think it would be a shame for you two to waste your time fighting is all."

            Link lowered his head somberly.  "I have to become stronger," he whispered, "for both our sakes…"

            Gonzo strained to hear, but to no avail.  "What was that, Link?"

            "Nothing.  Hey, are the Zarep's still up?"

            Gonzo looked at the boy, confused.  "I think so.  Why?"

            "Oh, no reason!" he started for the door.  "See ya', Gonzo!"

            Link scurried down the stairs before the pirate could even waive goodbye.
            "But I thought you were going to sleep…"