A/n: Thanx to all my reviewers…I'd list your names but I'm too lazy to look them up…maybe next time…I haven't updated in quite awhile O.o Luckily, I'm on Christmas break now so hopefully I can get pretty far on this! Yeah! So anyways, thanks to the people who let me know that 'You Only Live Twice' isn't by Coldplay, and is on a James Bond movie…I've never seen that movie before, but I'll make sure someday I watch at least the beginning so that I can hear the song that I'm basing an entire story off of =S 'You Only Live Twice' is copyrighted to its author, whoever they are ., and I don't own it. I don't own Zelda either. Nope. Not mine. I made up the storyline to this, and Michi and Ochi and Reona are figments of my imagination, but nothing else, nope nope. So…without further ado…here's chapter four!
Chapter IV: The Journey Begins
"We're ready now," she said to me. I'd sat on the edge of the bed, stuff lying beside me, ready to go. "I hope you're up for a long trip."
I'd looked at a vague map of Labrynna, and had worked out that we could take a pretty much straightforward trip from our current location on Crescent Island to Symmetry Village.
"I don't think it'll take that long," I frowned, showing her a route I'd traced lightly on the map.
Reona looked at the map, thought about it for a few seconds, and laughed.
"If that worked I'd probably feel about a hundred years younger," she shook her head. "But that way would be much harder. Not only would we run into monsters, but we'd have to cross huge cliffs and many say that rockslides are common on those cliffs. Not a safe place to cross. Actually, we have a bunch of places to stop at. Starting with the Black Tower. I've got a job to do y'know."
"What's your job?" I asked her as we walked out of the house and towards the beach.
"I'm the vicinity's guardian," Reona smiled proudly, staring down proudly at the mark of the Triforce stitched in her sleeves. Apparently this was a mark of her rank or something. I noticed the outfit she was wearing today was a lot different than the simple one she'd worn yesterday. She was wearing black today, a black shirt with the golden Triforce on the sleeves and around the neckline as well. On the back was a design of angel wings, though I wasn't exactly sure what those symbolized. "I try to keep the vicinity safe from monsters, mainly the Shadow but some of his followers as well."
"What exactly does the 'vicinity' consist of?" I questioned.
"Crescent Island, Faerie's Woods, the Black Tower, Lynna City, South Lynna, the Forest of Time, Yoll Graveyard, and the Rolling Ridge Base," Reona rattled off.
"You guard all of that?" I asked skeptically, looking at a map.
"I attempt," Reona sighed, "and fail frequently. Yet no one else wants this job."
"Why'd you take it?" I couldn't help but inquire.
"...needed the rupees," Reona replied simply, yet I had a feeling it was something deeper than that.
"So why are we going to this Black Tower?"
"The elder of Lynna City helps supervise renovation of the Black Tower at this hour of the morning. He'll be there. He coordinates where I work. It's my payday, and I need to tell him to leave my rupees with Michi."
"Hmm," I nodded, faintly wondering why the elder only was at the Black Tower at 'this hour'. "What's the elder do after that?"
Reona smiled.
"Babysits the children of renovators of the Black Tower. He babysits Ochi a lot."
"Then Michiko works at the Black Tower?"
"Yeah," Reona frowned. "Makes me mad. I wish I could make enough money that Michi could stay at home with Ochi and then Michi wouldn't have to work so hard too..."
"Reona how old are you anyway?" I finally had to ask.
"Seventeen," she answered. "What, do I look thirty?"
"No, you look seventeen, but I figured you and Michiko were older...with all the work you do..."
"Someone's gotta support us," she shrugged. "And what are you, ninety? You're ninety if I've ever seen it," Reona grinned evilly.
"Pretty close," I ran a hand through my hair, fighting off a grin. Something I hadn't done in a long time. "I'm nineteen."
"Only a few years off," she commented cheerfully, then picked up the pace, her black shoes thudding quietly in the sand as she hopped on a small, definitely not safe, raft.
"Well, are you coming with me or are you swimming to Symmetry Village?"
"Reona, look at the clouds. It's about to storm. You plan on getting to the mainland or wherever it is we're going on that little raft?"
"I do every day," Reona shrugged.
"What about that raft over there? The safer looking one?" I pointed at another raft, one that looked a lot more durable.
"That's the one Michi and Ochi ride on. I'd prefer putting myself in danger before them, even if it means putting you in danger also. My most sincere apologies," she shrugged, untying the raft. "Well?" she asked me. "Are you going to walk to Symmetry on your own or are you coming with me?"
I climbed on the raft beside her, having a bad, bad feeling about this.
~//~
A few rain droplets fell around us, the beginning of the long ride. Land was nowhere in sight, which bothered me slightly. Had I been in Hyrule, the entire story would have been different. But I was in Labrynna, and the only way I would know how to get around was Reona.
Reona was adjusting the ratted sail attached to the raft, making sure the wind guided her in the right direction. The furious wind was blowing her black and violet hair all over the place, and judging by the way was continually batting at it, I highly doubt it was making her happy.
"Um…Reona? Is there any way I can help you?" I finally asked.
"Nope…I got it under control," she turned and smiled at me. I wanted to trust her, but the torrents of rain that had suddenly began to fall and the angry wind doused any fragment of trust I'd placed in our safety.
"Where are we at?" I finally asked.
"The Sea of Storms," she replied, nonchalantly and quietly.
"We're on a tiny raft in a place called the Sea of Storms?!"
"Um, yeah," Reona smiled weakly. "We are."
"How close are we to the mainland?!" I demanded.
"Well, we're getting blown a little off course," she said faintly, voice getting lost in the howling wind.
"How far off course?"
"…a lot. Hope Michi picks up my paycheck."
Personally, I had no idea how she could smile and make jokes at a time like this.
"Whoa, Link, calm down! It's okay! There's a lot of currents in the Sea of Storms! We'll just wash up on the South Shore instead of in the Yoll Graveyard like I anticipated," she explained, though there was a slight note of uncertainty in her voice I picked up on.
"Um…Reona?!" I glanced behind her.
"Yeah?" she questioned, then turned to see what I was staring at.
A giant wave, taller than the raft, Reona, and I put together, was looming. White on chop and a horrible grey I'd never forget, it hovered over us like a gigantic foe.
"Oh Din," Reona whispered. "Farore, Nayru, Din…"
"Do something!" I yelled.
"I'm gonna try and surf through it!" she shrieked, hopping off the lightweight raft and awkwardly swimming around behind it, pushing it and me towards the wave.
"You're crazy! Get back up here!"
"Why don't you help me?! It's gonna break any second now!"
I jumped off but no sooner had I done so did the wave crash down upon the both of us. I frantically started trying to swim, the cool darkness surrounding me. I wanted to call out, to make sure that Reona was okay as well…but if I opened my mouth, I would surely breathe…there was nothing I could do but frantically try to surface…
…Zelda…please don't let this be my last adventure…
~//~
