The Crossing of the Paths
By MMM/AJ
Part II: Desert Wind

A/N: I decided to split this book up and publish it in chunks. This is the FOURTH Chunk. This will probably be the last chunk to be published before school starts. Once school does start, my writing will slow down considerably again. I may not have lived up to my goal of finishing Part II before school starts, but I'm satisfied with the progress I've made! Remember, reviews are what keep me writing!

Chapter XII

The original Gerudo civilization split up into four separate tribes; The Red, Blue, Yellow and Green tribes. The Red tribe moved the farthest West out into the desert, making it the most isolated of the four tribes, and therefore the most dependant on the nearby mine. The Yellow tribe moved North, trying to find the cooler arctic climate, but was forced to stop at the North most mine due to lack of supplies. The Green tribe moved south, looking for Tropical rainforests, which were rich with food and water, but were stopped for the same reason as the yellows. The Blues remained in the East, not far from where the original Gerudos first lived. Trading between the four tribes is not organized, but it seems that whenever one leaves it's village, the other hosts it for the week they stay for trading and ceremonies.

Mewtwo awoke to the sound of hustle and bustle. He laid in his bed for awhile to listen to the sounds of the Gerudos preparing the wagons for the trip. He heard voices in Hylian and common, and the sound of crates being dropped onto creaky wooden platforms. He heard footsteps coming towards his hut as well, and he shut his eyes.

A hand shook Mewtwo's shoulder, and he stretched his arms and opened his eyes. Standing there was the young Gerudo woman who was Kalana's sister, the one that he had saved from death. Mewtwo sat up and faced her.

"I… want to thank you. My sis said you saved my life." She said.

"What is your name?" Mewtwo asked.

"Ruru. I was named after the first honorable mother of the first Gerudo tribe." She said.

"Who was that?" Mewtwo asked.

"Nabooru. She was one of the six ancient sages… at least, that's what mom says." Ruru said. "Mom told me to come wake you up."

Mewtwo stood up and stretched. He walked out of the hut with Ruru tagging along behind. They approached the wagons, which were hitched up to what seemed to be crude diesel engines. Mewtwo shook his head again. It was amazing how these people lived.

"Morning sleepyhead! Morning sis!" Kalana shouted from inside a wagon. "Ready to go?"

Ruru laughed and jumped into the wagon with her sister. A furious game of tickle the sister began. Mewtwo laughed as Kalana had a size advantage and Ruru was giggling nonstop. He hadn't seen or felt this kind of love before in his life. It made him long for it, and mildly sad at heart. But he laughed and watched anyway.

The Elder strolled up to Mewtwo's side. "You know they've reclaimed the mine by now? In a few hours the energy drain will reactivate." She said in a low voice.

"I know. I'm surprised they haven't fixed it already." Mewtwo said.

"Oh that device of theirs is pretty fragile. It'll be awhile before it's functional." The Elder said.

"When are we leaving?" Mewtwo asked.

"In about ten minutes. We're fueling up the engines and getting the villagers settled into the passenger wagons."

Mewtwo rubbed the back of his head. "Which wagon am I going to ride in?" He asked.

"Oh I don't know, it's up to you where you ride, just try not to crowd any of the villagers." The Elder said.

There were ten wagons in total, four of which were cargo, and the other six carried the Gerudos. Mewtwo strolled around the wagons. They were crudely constructed out of wood with cloth stretched over the top. They were hitched up to what looked like halves of cars. They looked like human automobiles, but were much sleeker and egg shaped. They were apparently cut in half by the middle, and pegs were hammered into the sides so that they could be hitched to the wagons. Gerudo women were flipping open lids and pouring what appeared to be gasoline into them.

Pretty soon, the Gerudos finished loading up into the wagons and final checks were being made. Mewtwo finally had a chance to count all of the Gerudos. There were six passenger wagons, each holding six passengers and a driver. Also, the cargo wagons held one driver, totaling 46 Gerudos. Mewtwo was still wandering around when the Elder shouted out to him.

"Mewtwo! We're ready to leave! Get in a wagon we're going!" She shouted.

Mewtwo snapped out of his thought and ran back over to the wagon Kalana and Ruru were in.

A horn blew over the now empty village, and the engines suddenly sputtered to life. Mewtwo nearly jumped when he heard how poorly the engines were running. The wagons lurched forward. The wood creaked and the wheels slowly pressed across the sand, and the huts moved past them. Mewtwo could see their outlines through the thin cloth spread over the wagon. He sighed and turned his head to look at the driver holding onto two steel lever which most likely steered the wheels. He felt like they had only moved a few feet, and the huts were still crawling past the wagon at a snail's pace. Mewtwo sighed again and stared out the front of the wagon.

Kalana saw Mewtwo was feeling restless she leaned over to speak to him. "Don't worry, we'll pick up speed once we leave the village." She said.

"I see. I thought we would be going this speed the whole trip." He replied.

Kalana stifled back a laugh. "No silly! It would take months at this speed! Really, once we get going faster it will still take a week to make it all the way across the desert to the Blue Gerudo village." She said.

A few minutes later, the last lookout tower was behind the last wagon, which was now part of an organized formation. The Elder was the driver of the headmost wagon, and the others followed in a 'V' pattern. Because of the number of wagons, the 'V' was lopsided, and one leg was longer than the other. The left leg was the longer leg, and Mewtwo was on the hindmost wagon of the right leg.

Suddenly, the engines smoothed out. The unhealthy puttering eased into a smooth hum and the wagons began to speed up. Mewtwo looked back to see the villages diminishing in the distance. The sun was burning harshly in the sky, and the thin cloth provided surprising protection from the sun. The inside of the wagon was surprisingly cool considering desert heat and six other Gerudos were cramped up in there with them.

Suddenly, the harsh sputtering of the engines smoothed out into a soft hum, and the wagons gently accelerated. The once harsh sputtering eased into a gentle, almost lulling hum. Mewtwo leaned back and pulled his tail out from under him. It poked Kalana, who was sitting next to him. She smiled wryly and pushed it away. Mewtwo chuckled and held it in his lap.

"Sorry, it's kinda cramped in here." He said.

Kalana maintained her cheerful tone. "You'll have to get used to it, we'll be traveling for just a bit over a week!" She said with a twinkle in her eye.

"That's right!" Ruru chimed in. Her head popped out from behind her sister.

Kalana laughed and pushed her sister back playfully. Mewtwo laughed and Kalana reached over and tickled her sister again. Ruru laughed happily. Another Gerudo next to Ruru sighed and shook her head. Kalana stopped tickling Ruru, and sighed. Mewtwo leaned back and looked out of the back of the wagon. The neverchanging constant landscape whizzed by at a brisk pace. Mewtwo gave a rough estimate of around fifty miles per hour in his head, and he marveled at the stability of the seemingly flimsy wooden wagons, which were now speeding across the dunes.

Hours passed at this pace, and there was no detectible change in the desert. The dunes all passed in uniform, and the wagons scaled them and dove down them smoothly, like a ship on the sea. The sun had passed it's apex in the sky and was slowly sinking towards the horizon. Still the wagons rocketed along the dunes.

Mewtwo was lulled almost to sleep by the smooth humming of the motors and the endless infinity of the dunes. The only thing that kept him from drifting off completely was the burning bright sun.

Mewtwo was jolted out of his hypnotic state when suddenly Kalana fell sideways onto him. He looked over to see her fast asleep, breathing gently. She grabbed his tail and snuggled it like a teddy bear. Mewtwo stifled back a painful cry. His tail was very sensitive, and Kalana was squeezing it pretty hard. Tears ran down his cheek, and he didn't know whether they were from the pain streaking up his tail or the emotion that was gripping him. Kalana snored gently and squeezed harder. Mewtwo's face turned beet red and he groaned quietly.

The other Gerudos in the wagon, except the driver of course, were sleeping soundly. Ruru was leaning on Kalana as Kalana snuggled Mewtwo's tail. Mewtwo felt like his backside was on fire. He tried to tolerate the pain and let Kalana sleep, but after half an hour the pain became unbearable. Mewtwo grabbed Kalana's ponytail and yanked hard.

Kalana stirred slightly, but did not let go. Mewtwo groaned and pulled his tail away from her. She still maintained her grip and slept the same. "She has a grip stronger than a Pinsir and sleeps deeper than a Snorlax." Mewtwo thought to himself. He looked to make sure everyone was asleep, and concentrated his power on Kalana. Her grip loosened, and Mewtwo pulled his tail over to the other side.

Mewtwo sighed with relief and laid back against the wagon's side. He was startled again when Kalana latched onto his arm. He chuckled and let Kalana have it. At least this wouldn't hurt.

Chapter XIII

The Blue Gerudo tribe has always been looked down upon by the other three tribes as inferior. Living far east, they are the tribe closest to the heart of the empire and a few radical individuals believe they are allied with the empire. Some scoff at them, believing that just a few miles to the east are the remains of the Hylian kingdom, and possibly a good supply of water and food. But the Blue Gerudos fear to travel any farther East, because an atmosphere of evil seems to hang heavy the farther east that one travels.

The sun was now touching the horizon behind the wagon band. Mewtwo was once again lulled into a near hypnotic state by the gentle hum of the engines, and the Gerudos in the wagon were still sound asleep. Mewtwo was too conked out to notice that the wagons were slowly decelerating. When the wagons slowed down to a crawl-like pace, their engines began sputtering loudly. The sound jolted all the Gerudos awake. Mewtwo shook his head, and Kalana yawned lazily and sat up, releasing Mewtwo's arm. The engines of the wagons fell quiet, and Kalana realized that she had been squeezing Mewtwo's arm.

"I'm so sorry! That happens every time I go on these trips…I end up squeezing the next thing my arms meet." Kalana said. Her face showed embarrassment and shame, and she quickly jumped out of the wagon, followed by the other Gerudos.

"Did she squeeze you?" Ruru asked before jumping out.

"Yes, and rather hard." Mewtwo said, smiling. "Don't worry, it was alright."

Ruru laughed and hopped out of the wagon. Mewtwo stayed in the wagon, choosing to follow with his eyes. He saw that the wagons had stopped in an eerily flat plain. It was still desert, and it was still all sand, it was just eerily flat without a dune in sight.

Mewtwo jumped out of the wagon as a few Gerudos stripped it of its cloth canvas. He watched as they used the fabric from the wagons to build primitive temporary tents. The Gerudos were also emptying one of the cargo wagons. Mewtwo recognized the same food crates that the Gerudos had stolen on the raid. He felt his stomach growling, so he jumped out of the wagon and walked out into the new campsite.

Once everyone had eaten, the sun had fully set. Most of the Gerudos had gone to bed, but a few stayed up for Guard duty. Kalana, who was originally a Village Guard, was one of them. Mewtwo was sleepy, and was going to bed, but he needed to ask Kalana one question before he went to bed.

"There's one thing I'm curious about," Mewtwo said, "How can the Gerudos sleep through the entire day and then go to sleep at night like this?"

"Well, the week we travel is in preparation for the week we are going to spend at the other Tribe's Village. During that time the festivities go on night and day, and hardly any sleep is to be had. We've accustomed ourselves to get extra sleep on the way there." Kalana answered.

"That's impressive…and I think I should probably try to follow suit now. I'm going to bed." Mewtwo said.

"Good night! Sleep well!" Kalana said as Mewtwo walked off to find a tent.

Mewtwo stood alone, floating in an empty void. The blackness stretched into infinity, and Mewtwo stood in awe at the sheer emptiness of it all. It reminded him of the same feeling of sheer sadness he got after his rages. He floated freely for seemingly an eternity, until a sound echoed through the emptiness. It was a scream, and it echoed horribly through the void. It was the shrill shriek of a Gerudo woman, and Mewtwo jerked his head around to see where it came from.

As the scream faded, a red glow formed a few feet away from Mewtwo was standing. Mewtwo floated over to it and saw it swirling like a soup. It formed an image. Blurring at first, Mewtwo made out the form of the Gerudo village. Gerudos buzzed around the market, and the village was full of life. Then, the sand shook, and the ground rumbled. Dark clouds formed in the sky over the village, and the Gerudos stopped what they were doing to look up. The clouds gathered, and the sky rumbled. Out of the black clouds streaked bolts of lightning. The lightning wasn't normal either, but cracking streaks of dark energy. Each bolt flew downwards and struck a Gerudo dead on the spot. Soon all of them were dead, and the huts and bodies were swallowed by the sand as the earth opened up in a mighty cataclysm.

A voice of darkness then whispered across the void as the glow closed up.

"Go into the East in a week and a half, or this will come to pass." The dark voice echoed.

Mewtwo cried and shook his head. Two red eyes appeared in the darkness, burning crimson and focusing on Mewtwo. Mewtwo closed his eyes, but the glow burned through his eyelids and into his mind, seeing all.

Mewtwo sat up in his bed, covered in a cold sweat. The cold of the desert night greeted him as he panted in fear. He wiped his forehead and looked around. The thin fabric of the tent seemed to close in, and Mewtwo shook his head and climbed out of the tent. The air was chilled, and the tents were silent. Torches burned here and there, but mostly the night was eerily black. A whisper of breeze floated in the air, and the atmosphere was serene and calming. Mewtwo took a deep breath and let the tightness and stress flow from him.

As Mewtwo sat on the frigid sand, the slight wind and the cold air had a notable soothing effect on him. The nightmare left his mind, and he looked up at the stars. He didn't notice, but the sigh of the wind and the soothing darkness was lulling him back to sleep. He lay back against the sand, and his eyes closed without him noticing. He slipped into sleep, yet he still saw the stars blinking and felt the sand against his back.

As the soothing desert breeze still caressed Mewtwo's face, even as he lay snoozing. He gazed at the stars, and noticed one star was glowing quite bright. He followed it with his eyes as it seemed to move from near the horizon down into the middle of the sky. It was apparent that it was not a star as it hovered and floated down, glowing a warm green. As it floated down towards the sands, it took on a human form. The form of a little girl descended and alight softly on the sand in front of Mewtwo. Her green glow faded, and Mewtwo saw the warm smiling face of a little girl. Something in the back of his mind stirred.

"Hello Mewtwo." She said.

Mewtwo was silent. His mind stirred, and the girl seemed vaguely familiar to him.

"My you've gotten bigger!" The girl said, giggling. "It has been so many years since we saw each other. Don't you remember?" She said.

Mewtwo shook his head. He stared as his mind throbbed. He knew that he knew this girl, but his memory was fogged.

"Of course you don't! My father had to put you to sleep for many years so you could forget. My name is Ai." She said.

There was no rush of memories, no epiphany, but rather a simple click. Mewtwo remembered the time, he must have still been a child in the cloning tube, when Ai reached out to his mind. He knew little about her, but she came to him, comforted him, and showed him the world in her thoughts. Then she faded away into the darkness, leaving him horribly alone. Soon things went black.

"You remember now?" Ai asked.

"Yes. What happened? Why did you leave me?" Mewtwo asked.

"You're old enough to understand now. You see, my father ran the clone lab you were made in. At the same time he was cloning you, he was cloning me. I had been killed in an accident years before, and he couldn't accept the loss of me. He tried several times, but the process didn't work. My body kept falling apart in the tube and I died again and again, with full memory of it all. If only he knew the pain he was inflicting." Ai said, a tear rolling down her face.

"It was his latest attempt, and your tube was next to mine. We were communicating telepathically. Then, as we talked, my body died. I disappeared, and that's all there is." Ai said.

"I remembered, the last thing you said to me was, 'Life is wonderful', but I didn't understand. Now I do." Mewtwo said.

"Life is a gift, a great blessing, but can only be maintained by order and balance. You are about to face a great trial, and your true identity shall come into question." Ai said.

"What do you mean by 'My true identity?" Mewtwo asked.

"It is not for you to know yet, just remember one thing before I go…no matter what happens, embrace yourself, or all shall be lost." Ai said. She lifted off of the sand, and slowly faded back into the desert night sky. Mewtwo oddly didn't feel sad that she was gone, rather, happy that his life was now complete in his memory. He lay back in the sand again, and the dream faded away into closed sleep.

A/N: This chunk was a bit smaller than the other chunks, but that doesn't mean it isn't as interesting, right? Review please!