Wahh! I didn't get to finish!
Riku: "What do you mean?"
This chapter is already 50-something pages; I can't put in more without killing readers!
Sora: "Well, this is two chapters then, what's so bad about that?"
I made Acronos loose his virginity in this chapter and I didn't get to fully exploit it!
Everyone: "(Collective gasp)"
No, not like that, he just gets thrust into his seven-year-older body, which isn't a virgin anymore. Sick people.
Acronos: "But… What?… Huh?"
Just read and try to keep your brain functioning.
Disclaimer: "Author doesn't own anything legally licensed."
The gummi ship floated over the world, which was somewhat large, but not too big.
Tidus: "Acronos, how do you land this thing?"
Acronos: "X_X (Still dead)"
Tidus: "Yeesh. Well, it can't be that difficult, I think. I'll just point us down, the ship should do the rest."
Auron: "Land us in that forest so we don't scare anyone."
Tidus: "Okay." He pointed the ship directly down. To give him some credit, Tidus has no idea whatsoever on how to land, so he guessed. Unfortunately he was wrong, and instead of a landing he was basically aiming the ship at the ground.
Due to boredom, Tidus made it go a bit faster, but instead of a bit faster, he put the ship into full speed. Everyone was flung back and Acronos hit his head again, waking himself up.
Acronos: "What's going on!?"
Tidus: "I don't know how to land!" Acronos jumped to the controls, but it was too late to pull up, so he slowed down the ship as much as possible and when near to the ground, he transported everyone out of the ship. This caused the ship to instantly reappear somewhere in interspace. Everyone proceeded to fall, screaming.
Tidus: "Why did you get us out?"
Acronos: "So we don't die from the crashing ship!" He then made himself move fastest, hoping to land first and perhaps save everyone a bit of pain. He saw that they were aiming for a roof. He summoned the strange aura he had shown Lulu and Malfoy. The roof disappeared and he crashed down.
Acronos: "Owwie..." Cue everyone falling on him. Acronos couldn't even say 'Owwie'. From the top of the pile Yuna looked around, and noticed a little blue light with butterfly wings floating next to a child in a green tunic. Noticing that she was on top, she jumped off and pulled off a few other people. As everyone got up, they looked at the bottom of the pile.
Acronos: "@_@ (Swirly eyes) Owwie. Pain..."
Maioko: "Acronos, are you alive?"
Acane: "I know one way to awaken him."
Irvine: "Actually that would probably kill him."
Light bulb: "Hey! Who are you?"
Acronos: "@_@ Keyblade master... My friends... You are Navi... Hi Link..."
Link: "(Waves)"
Navi: "Ooh! Well, it was nice to meet you, but we have to go to the Great Deku Tree!"
Maioko: "We'll go with you."
Acronos: "Just...give... A second..."
Irvine: "Sigh. Hey look, a bunch of shiny weapons!"
Acronos: "Owwie, where?"
Navi: "Well, C'mon! We were summoned, so we can't be late." They walked out, and met Link's friend Saria.
Acronos: "Now where..."
Tidus: "Hey, it's the Forest (hand is clamped onto mouth)"
Acronos: "The plot?" Tidus nods and they jump down. Link and Navi start to head in a direction, but Acronos turns away.
Acronos: "Go ahead, I'll stay behind for a while."
Tidus: "Why, if... Oh yeah, I'll stay too."
Maioko: "I never played this game, what are you guys waiting for?"
Tidus & Acronos: "Nothing..."
Auron: "Hmm, yes Acane? (She points to Acronos' kilt) Ah. Acronos, get changed already! That will limit you during combat."
Acronos: "Okay, just a second." He rushes to Link's house and takes a few seconds to get changed. He comes back out to see Tidus talking with Saria. He signals for help.
Acronos: "Hey Tidus, we've gotta get some rupees, let's go!"
Saria: "But where exactly are you from?"
Tidus: "Uhh..."
Acronos: "With me, my brain stops around love. For Tidus, his stops around girls flirting with him. Sorry Saria, but we have to go buy something for his girlfriend, and it needs to be done soon." Saria looked a bit confused, and then her eyes brighten.
Saria: "I thought you and that girl in the priestess garments looked close! That's so romantic, two lovers, journeying together... (Content sigh)"
Acronos: "She's like Selphie. (Whispers to Tidus) Let's run while she's distracted." They escape to go and pillage the place for rupees. (By the way, this is Kokiri forest). When the group comes back, they find the guys throwing large rocks at the house of the guy who'd been stopping them. Acronos picked up a rupee from the remains of one of them, and waved.
Acronos: "Hey guys! We've already got enough for a Deku shield." Link looked happy.
Tidus: "I've got a question: are you mute or something?"
Link: "(Tentatively shakes head)"
Navi: "He can talk, but doesn't like to. If my memory of what the Deku Tree told me holds, he was teased so often whenever he spoke, that he believes that not speaking will keep him safe." Link nods, happy that another person knows him. Kairi looks very affected by this, along with several other people.
Acronos: "Hey, if you're ever threatened by someone, we'll defend you."
Auron: "And after you get a weapon we'll teach you to defend yourself."
Tidus: "I'm going to have a little chat with that Mido kid."
Maioko: "Or how about we just beat him senseless and screw the talking?"
Acronos: "Actually I think it's possible to make him feel sorry for his actions." Meanwhile Link had gone and bought a shield. He came back, and his eyes seemed to ask where to now. Maioko, Acronos and Tidus were arguing, so Tifa had to take charge.
Tifa: "Sigh. Let's try up there." They went up a hill and found a really small tunnel there.
Acronos: "Ah, the Hole of Z. (Looks through it) I can't hope to crawl through this tiny space. Guess I'll have to blast my way through!" He rips a hole through the wall with Ultima.
Link: "Well, that's one way of doing it. " They walk through, and see a boulder rolling towards them. Acronos blasted it with Ultima, but that only stopped it for a moment. They proceeded to run full tilt to the nearest place where the boulder wasn't.
Maioko: "Pant, pant, that was close!"
Acane: "Too close."
Link: "(Proudly holds up a new, rather tiny, sword)"
Acronos: "Well, good job, but that's a bit small, it won't do much damage."
Link: "(Shrugs)"
Auron: "One moment. You have a sword and shield now, but do you know how to use them?"
Link: "(Waves hand shakily in front of him, meaning that he sort of does)"
Auron: "Right, I think we should train you." Link nods, and they find a place where there wasn't anything in the way. Auron raises his katana to his shoulder, and the training begins.
Auron: "Show me what you know." Link slashes vertically twice, and slashes the opposite direction. He slashed horizontally in the same manner. Stabbing twice, he slashed to the upper left.
He held his shield up and jumped to his sides, back-flipped, did a strong jumping slash, put his blade behind him and put some of his energy into it, and spun around. He looks expectantly at Auron.
Auron: "Pretty good."
Acronos: "Try to spin your blade while you spin your sword, don't leave your back open at any time." Link nodded.
Auron: "Okay, with a little practice against weaker enemies you should be okay." They headed back to the Deku Tree, and saw Mido in front, still blocking the way.
Acronos: "Hey Link, I have a feeling that Mido will grumble and ask himself how you ended up as the favorite of Saria and the Deku Tree. I'll say it's because you're a nice guy. You should say 'unlike some people'. If he gets annoyed just hit him with your shield." Link looks a bit apprehensive, but nods. They go up to Mido. When he noticed Link's shield and sword, he was very surprised.
Mido: "(After some other grumbling) How did a wimp like you end up the favorite of Saria and the Deku Tree? Grumble, grumble."
Acronos: "It's because he's a nice guy."
Link: "(Remembers something Saria said) Unlike certain bums we all know." Acronos laughs happily and pats him on the back. Mido gets angry and lunges at Link, only to find his head connecting with wood. Maioko smirks and congratulates Link.
Kairi: "You really shouldn't mute yourself anymore, you have a nice voice."
Navi: "His friend Saria says the same thing." They head through the place and a little way in they meet with a thin stalk of a plant.
Navi: "That's a Deku Baba! It may be withered, but it can still hurt you!" Irvine just calmly blasted it. Link walked up to the stalk and picked it up.
Navi: "That's a Deku stick. You can use it to take flames to places, and also as a weapon, but it'll break after one hit." Link nods and they go onwards. They reached the Great Deku Tree. After some introductions, the Deku Tree said that it was cursed. When Link accepted the challenge, it opened its mouth and they started in.
Acronos: "Hold on. If memory serves, Link is capable of going through this entire quest alone."
Tidus: "Also, the dungeons are meant for one person."
Acronos: "We'll need to split up and have some people stay behind."
Irvine: "Hmm, this place doesn't have much technology, does it? I'd be out of place."
Auron: "Call me if you find a strong enemy, I need some rest."
Tidus: "I'm the only other one who knows this place, I'll stay."
Maioko: "Me too, I already told you guys why."
Acronos: "You know I have no choice in the matter."
Kairi: "Hmm, I need some rest too."
Tifa: "Hmm, I think I'll stick around too. Someone needs to keep you kids in line."
Tidus: "Acane, we might need your speed."
Acane: "I'll stick around then."
Selphie: "Hmm… Nah, I'm out of here."
Lulu: "Hmm, call me if you find something to do with the stronger magic. By the way, keep at it Acronos, you seem to have a good start with the stronger time magic."
Wakka: "I see no point to stay here any longer."
Yuna: "Hmm… A six person team counting Link... Maioko, would you mind doing the healing for me?"
Tidus: "You're not coming?"
Yuna: "No, the team is too large."
Acronos: "Well, the Legend of Dragoon team was seven people, it won't be any trouble at all." Link nods happily.
Yuna: "What would I do anyway? I'm a defensive healer. Fighting isn't to my advantage."
Tidus: "You're a summoner, that gives you an advantage!"
Yuna: "In case you forgot, everyone but Link can summon, including you."
Tidus: "You're right, but still..."
Acronos: "As a white mage, your healing and defensive abilities far surpass any of ours. You should come along."
Yuna: "No, no, it's okay. I'll just slow you down." Everyone else who needed to go had teleported, and Yuna started to follow. Link went up to her and gripped her hand and pulled a little. Yuna looked down at him and he gave the cutest look he could muster up, (he's ten so this is pretty effective). She smiled a bit.
Acronos: "See, even Link wants you around."
Maioko: "Yeah, C'mon, the more the merrier."
Acane: "Let's go Yuna, you're taking up more time to disagree than to just go with us."
Tifa: "Having a White Mage is always an advantage, you don't want us to end up dead from lack of healing, do you?"
Tidus: "Please, Yuna."
Yuna: "... Let's go then." Everyone cheered a bit, and entered. They were in a large, circular room made of wood with a bunch of spider webs around. In the center on the bottom floor was a spider web.
Acronos: "Yes! Another memory! I memorized every single dungeon besides the water temple, so HAH!"
Tidus: "I hated the water temple."
Acronos: "It won't be that bad, I can unlock all the doors and get us the long-shot and gold Skultulas quickly."
Tidus: "Thank God! Hold on, what about Ruto?"
Acronos: "We'll take care of that in this time period."
Maioko: "What are you guys talking about?"
Acronos: "You'll find out eventually."
Acane: "Hey, this web is flammable! I'll call Ifrit."
Acronos: "Nah, it's better if we go the long way, there are some items for Link up there." They climbed up in a circular route and came to a chest; Link opened it for a dungeon map. They continued in this route and opened a door, which led to an annoyance that shot nuts at them. Link put up his shield, bouncing them right back. The thing started bouncing around, but Acane caught it. It told Link he could jump off most cliffs and roll to avoid damage when he landed.
It then ran off, leaving an exit open. They went through that door and found a large room that had a large pit in the middle of it, and another ledge a bit farther off at their level, and a flimsy wooden platform suspended in mid-air between them.
Link made to jump, and Acronos thought to stop him, but discarded that notion and had everyone jump across anyway. The platform fell to the ground.
Maioko: "We're stuck in here?"
Acronos: "Not really. Link, would you open the chest?" He did and pulled out a slingshot.
Acane: "Now how is this going to help us?"
Navi: "Look, it's an old ladder suspended up above the door! Try to shoot it down, Link!"
Tidus: "Do you always have to yell?"
Navi: "What do you mean?!"
Tidus: "Oww, that." Link aimed at the ladder.
Acronos: "Hold on there. First off, pull back as much as possible, second off, close one eye, third, aim based upon where the seed is aiming." Link did so, fired, and the ladder fell. Everyone started to climb back up, except for Acane, who ran up the wall and laughed from above them.
They went back out and went to the place where the dungeon map had been. There was a web that went up the wall, but there were a bunch of spiders crawling around on it.
Maioko: "Why are we going up?"
Tidus: "Link, care to work on your aim and kill these annoying spiders?" He did so, and they climbed up. After a bit, they located a door and went through. There was a room with a rather high, (for Link) ledge at the back. Acronos just walked over, jumped up, and got a compass and a gold skultula token. He walked back and Link looked up at him.
Acronos: "Ah the advantages of being tall. Don't worry, you'll get bigger eventually." Link shrugged and they went out the door. They were on the top floor of the place, and there was a giant hole in the middle of the floor that was right over the spider webbing at the bottom.
Acronos walked up to a ledge and killed a big spider over there. He looked down over the ledge, and after a bit of mental calculation, nodded.
Maioko: "Umm, we're not going to jump, are we? (Acronos nods) Oh no, you're kidding. No way am I gonna jump from all the way up here, (shiver) to the bottom floor!"
Acronos: "There's water below the web, and we're more than strong enough to survive a fall onto land."
Maioko: "No way, I'm not jumping."
Acronos: "But what are you going to do?"
Maioko: "I'll walk the rest of the way back."
Tidus: "But that'll take forever!"
Maioko: "It's a safe forever."
Acronos: "Now you're being a bit irrational. It's perfectly safe, and you know I'll end up on the bottom of the pile if we end up falling to the ground."
Maioko: "No way."
Acane: "You're afraid of heights?"
Maioko: "No! Well, maybe a little..."
Acronos: "Well you should use this chance to conquer it."
Link: "(Softly) I don't think it's too bad a fall. Just try."
Maioko: "(Shakes head)"
Tidus: "(Whispering to Acronos) We need to take care of this. Just pick her up and jump."
Acronos: "(Whispering) What!? I wouldn't do that, it's really mean."
Tidus: "You've got to."
Acronos: "No."
Tidus: "Well then, two birds with one stone." Maioko had been backed up somewhere near the edge, so Tidus grabbed Acronos' wrist and flung him into Maioko. This caused them both to go off-balance and fall off. Maioko proceeded to scream her head off and clutch Acronos for dear life.
He, on the other hand, kept his eyes open and calculated where their fall would take them, (while attempting not to suffocate from the vice grip to his neck). He determined that they were a bit off the web, and needed to also hit with their feet, or at least his back.
Using his momentum, he conducted them over the hole and flipped as much as possible. They landed feet-first onto the center of the web, it collapsed, and they continued falling into a small pond of water beneath them.
Maioko went under and kept trying to scream, but choked from that and began flailing and panicking. Acronos grabbed her around the waist with one hand and led her to shore. On dry land, she was still flailing in terror.
Acronos: "Wow, she's really afraid of heights. It wasn't such a good idea to make her jump. D: "Actually Tidus flung you into her, not your fault. Anyway, we've got to stop her or she'll choke herself. Arch: "Will she require CPR?" D: "Not if we stop her." Maioko, you've landed, no more falling! C'mon, wake up!" She continued screaming with her eyes open. Devil stuck an idea in Acronos' head, and he put his hand over her mouth enough to stop her screaming, but not enough to stop her breath.
He looked into her eyes and proceeded to make his eyes shift to each color they were capable of. This is mildly hypnotic, so Maioko's screams slowed and stopped.
Acronos: "You are no longer falling. You are on solid ground. It's over." He removed his hand from her mouth and she just kept looking at him. His eyes stopped changing, and he looked at her with his normal brown eyes. After about a moment of this, Maioko seemed to regain herself and shook her head.
Her body then realized there was water in the air tract, and began coughing. Acronos sat her up and allowed her to cough until she stopped. Another tense moment, and she shivered slightly, and whacked him upside the head, regaining her usual self.
Maioko: "You idiot, I told you I was afraid of heights, but you threw me off anyway! Why'd you end up here so quickly anyway, trying to make an impression?"
Acronos: "No, I'm really sorry, Tidus pushed me into you and we both fell. I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have made you do something you didn't want to. Sorry."
Maioko: "(Raised eyebrow) Well, don't do it again, okay? I haven't had many good experiences with high places, so don't."
Acronos: "Sure, but you don't know what you're missing without flight."
Maioko: "I can't fly, remember?"
Acronos: "I could fly you where you wanted, but forget it. Let's go yell at Tidus." He offers a hand. She grabs his wrist and flings him into the water.
Maioko: "(Laughing) Yeah, I can't fly, but I certainly can make you fly!"
Acronos: "Grr… Attack!" He splashes her.
Maioko: "Ahh, hey! No fair, I'm not in the water!"
Acronos: "Who said I had to fight fair? (Continues splashing)" Maioko laughs and jumps in and the two begin splashing each other like crazy. Meanwhile, everyone else had landed as Maioko had thrown Acronos into the water. They watched curiously.
Acane: "Hmm… Hey, why'd you guys start the party without me? Cannonball!!" Acronos and Maioko smirked to each other and began splashing Acane.
Acane: "Ahh! No fair, two against one!"
Link: "Why miss out?" He jumps in and begins splashing everyone. Tidus goes to jump in as well, but stops when he notices Yuna isn't following.
Tidus: "Yuna, you coming?"
Yuna: "N-no, I think I'll just stay right here where I won't interfere."
Tidus: "What do you mean?"
Yuna: "(Smiles) Oh, it's nothing. Go have fun."
Tidus: "Okay." Yuna's eyes would have shown disappointment, had they been open. She was very surprised when Tidus walked in front of her.
Tidus: "So, anything of interest to discuss?"
Yuna: "But you should be having fun!"
Tidus: "Hey, if I'm with you, I'm having fun."
Yuna: "But..."
Tidus: "Hmm, any luck training your Aeons?"
Yuna: "Well, a bit... Ifrit seems to be the most physically strong, while I gave Valefor the most abilities. Any luck with Solaris?"
Tidus: "Well, to be honest I haven't summoned him after our fight with Yunalesca."
Yuna: "Ah, yes, I remember that."
Tidus: "It was only a while ago." They stood there in a bit of an awkward silence. Tifa also stood a bit behind them. Acronos felt a strange shiver go down his spine and looked towards the three of them. This was not such a good idea considering the circumstances.
Acane: "Alright, if you won't play fair, then neither will I!" She took out her water spear, stuck it into the water, raised it and twirled it above her head, and slashed forward to hit everyone with a tidal wave. Everyone besides her and those not in water were flung onto dry land.
Acronos: "(Swirly eyes) @_@ Owwie."
Maioko: "@_@ ditto." She then noticed that she had gotten stuck onto a wall, and fell down. She landed in a handstand, did a few front-flips, and landed back in the water, where she proceeded to yell at Acane while splashing her and attempting to wrestle the spear from her grasp. Acronos continued to stay there with swirly eyes until he noticed Link standing up. Link was looking at Tidus and Yuna.
Link: "We've got to help them out. Miss Yuna appears to be on a tangent of not being good enough for some reason or another. Tidus appears not to understand what to do, but is trying to help any which way he can. This must be resolved quickly or there could be dire consequences."
Acronos: "What should we do, you think?"
Link: "Perhaps if their lives are threatened, they'll stand nearer to one another?"
Acronos: "Nah, that happens on a daily basis, and even though it just happened…"
Link: "Hmm…."
Navi: "Let me help! Hmm… Why not try the jealousy route, it always works!"
Acronos: "Actually, it never works. I know you're not really putting your heart into any of this. C'mon, really think for once, would you? These are actual people and things could turn out pretty bad."
Navi: "(Seriously) Right. … … … What if we force Yuna into a position where she must rescue us? She'll be too busy helping to berate herself, and should become stronger from it. Might bring them closer too, if we play our cards right."
Acronos: "O_O that's a good idea… Now how to implement it?"
Link: "Hmm… We need a teleport spell."
Navi: "And a dangerous place."
Acronos: "And I have the perfect place in mind, but it'll take a while to get there and set everything up. I'm going to have to get your teleport spell, Link."
Link: "I have a teleport?"
Acronos: "It's called Farore's wind, and it's something you gain from a Great Fairy later. Don't bother asking how I know."
Navi: "Yeah, I've heard of that spell. We'll have to wait to get it though, it's in Zora's fountain."
Link: "We need to do something right now though, the silence is getting deafening."
Acronos: "Hmm……………." He looks at Acane and Maioko and his strategic side begins toying with a few possible ideas. He thinks of making Yuna swim, just in case she has a fear of it…. Nah. How about… that should help out a bit.
Acronos: "Guys, let's go!"
Maioko: "Aww, I almost won!"
Acane: "Hah, never! Victory is mine!" Maioko continues to chase her around while Acane dances around her on top of the water with her speed. Everyone watches as Link gets a few skultula tokens, and solves a few puzzles, and heads them out a nearby door.
Inside this room they find another shrub thing that shot nuts at them, only to be blocked by Link's shield, and caught. After it told them how to defeat its brothers, it scampered off. The exit was still blocked though, and after a bit of studying, Link shot the middle of a diamond-shaped eye on top of the door, opening it. They entered a room with a rotating spiked log in the middle, a platform on water that floated across the water, and a ledge on the other side.
Tidus: "I remember what to do here, let me take care of it." He jumps into the water and dives, pushes a switch underwater, which lowers the water level temporarily, and goes back to where everyone was standing, and they jumped onto the platform and rode it across.
On the opposite ledge they located a block and a skultula that was where the block should end up. The thing died within seconds, and everyone helped push the block even though it wasn't that heavy. They climbed up it and that led into another room.
This was a circular room that seemed to have very little going on, and the décor was the standard wooden walls that seemed still vaguely alive. Link went through the middle, and three eggs fell from the ceiling, and hatched into some freaky looking larvae. Acronos stepped in, along with Link and Tidus, and they blocked when they could, and attacked when the larvae were about to charge, killing them.
Acronos: "Sigh, Link, one thing you should know about dungeon navigation. Never, ever, think you're in a safe room until you have killed everything in there, navigated the traps and puzzles, and have your weapon out and guard up." Link nods. They search along the walls and find two alcoves, both covered in spider webbing.
Tidus: "Link, you know how to use a Deku stick to transfer flames from place to place?"
Link: "Sorta."
Acronos: "Okay. You see that flame over there? Stick a Deku stick tip into it to light it one fire, and run with it to the nearest alcove to burn away the webbing." Link does so, but the stick is still lit.
Tidus: "Don't you have some way of putting it out?" Link wets his fingers by putting them in his mouth, and puts it over the flame, suffocating it.
Acronos: "Okay, now do the exact same thing with the other alcove." He does the same thing, including putting out the stick.
Tidus: "Good job, but now what? That wall can be blown up and entered, and that one's too small for any of us to fit."
Acronos: "(Sounds like Scarface) Meet my little friend, Ultima!" He blasts the wall and they go in, kill a skultula, Acane runs up the wall and grabs it's token, they go out, Acronos blasts the tiny hole making it bigger, and everyone goes through, right back to where they started, except on the ledge above. They see a spider web in the center, and a block off to the side.
Tidus: "Still not perfectly good on transferring flames?"
Link: "But you guys can burn through anything with your magic!"
Acronos: "Yes, but what will you do in your other adventures without us?"
Link: "Point."
Navi: "What do you mean?"
Tidus: "There's far more to come, anyway, you think you can take up the challenge, Link?" He nods, pushes the block down to the previous area, sets a Deku stick on fire, runs to the web, burns it, and puts out the stick, all in nearly record time. Everyone claps a bit, except for Maioko who looks down the hole, a bit frightened.
Tifa: "I suppose you're praying we never see hide nor hair of any place that involves flight, right?"
Maioko: "(Shivers in fear of said world)"
Navi: "Hey, don't look so glum! There are vines going down, so you can climb down! It'll take longer, but then again it might be better for your fear of heights."
Maioko: "Umm, that's not exactly good either, I'll probably look down, and… (Shudders)"
Acronos: "Sigh. Okay, may I offer a suggestion? It's a bit odd, but perhaps may ease your fear. I'll climb down the webbing and you can hold onto me with your eyes closed, I promise not to let anything happen to you." Maioko blinks a few times.
Maioko: "You're right, it is a bit odd, but… I guess."
Link: "Geronimo!" He jumped down happily, landing in the water beneath.
Tidus: "Stay in the water until we get there!"
Yuna: "Umm…."
Tifa: "I really should get a different colored shirt." Acronos pulls out a portion of the bathhouse, a room only, and hands her a red shirt.
Acronos: "Sorry, all I've got."
Tifa: "Better than white in water." She goes in, gets changed, and comes out. Yuna starts to climb slowly down the vines, but slips a bit. With a yelp, she closes her eyes, only to reopen them a moment later, looking at Tidus.
Tidus: "I'll carry you down if you like?"
Yuna: "Thank you, that would be… thanks." He pulls her back up and she wraps her arms around his neck.
Yuna: "You can jump, I'm okay with heights, just that I didn't want to slip or something."
Tidus: "I'll climb down, it's okay. Hey Acronos, wanna race?"
Acronos: "Sure!"
Maioko: "No way in Hell! (Vice grip)"
Acronos: "@_@ Owwie, never mind the race then. (Please note that he hadn't even started to climb them down yet)" Tidus slowly climbed down the vines, making sure to keep an even pace. All the time he was going down, Yuna kept thinking to herself how weak she was, how much of a burden she was on Tidus. At one point he slipped a bit, but his other hand gripped really tightly, and he managed to regain his balance. He managed to climb them down, and gently eased into the water. Link was floating on his back, acting like a fountain to amuse himself.
Meanwhile, Acronos had finally managed to convince Maioko that she wasn't about to die, and he wasn't going to slip, and started his climb down. The moment he was no longer on the floor, Maioko buried her head into his shoulder, terrified. Acronos looked at her, really sad that she had to go through this, and especially that he was making her go through it.
He sighed since he didn't know any teleport spells yet. Continuing his climb down, he made as certain as possible to make very little movement, so as not to disturb Maioko in any way. About halfway, he noticed her grip relax.
For a moment, he thought she was feeling safer perhaps, but automatically dismissed that in favor of the possibility of her being asleep, which would lead to a direct violation of his word not to let anything happen to her.
Acronos: "Maioko, are you awake? Maioko?"
Maioko: "(Mumbling) Yeah, just, I kinda feel weird, safe I suppose. By the way, thanks."
Acronos: "For?"
Maioko: "For just being you, and for this. Nobody really used to care about my dislike of high places. Thanks Acronos, you really go out of the way for someone, makes them feel special, you know?"
Acronos: "Umm, sure. You're welcome. Just don't fall asleep, because if you do, it might mean that I violate my oath not to let anything happen to you."
Maioko: "An oath? But you just gave your word."
Acronos: "My word is my oath to you. I… don't exactly have much to swear on, so I give my word as my oath, that's all I have really." Maioko could feel herself blush just a bit and snuggled into his shoulder again, content. They made their way back down.
Acronos: "We're about to touch the water, it'll be cold."
Maioko: "Hmm, it's okay." He slowly settled them into the water.
Acane: "Yeesh, took your sweet time! We've all been turning to prunes waiting for you!"
Tidus: "Acane, don't."
Acane: "Huh? Oh, yeah. Anyway, why'd we make Link wait?"
Acronos: "'Twenty three is number one' right Tidus?"
Tidus: "Oh yeah. Link, bounce the nuts back at the shrub things in the order of 2-3-1, middle-left-right, okay?"
Link: "(nods)"
Acronos: "(Manages to get Maioko off him and on her own, albeit with hesitation and pointless worrying, whispers to Link) Hey, you remember how we were discussing what do about Yuna back there? I have a plan, but it'll take some pain on your behalf."
Link: "I'm listening."
Navi: "You're always listening."
Acronos: "Instead of actually hitting them in order, miss a few times, and get hit by the cheap shots they'll throw. I'll get Yuna to take your place since she has plenty of reflective barriers." Link nods and goes forward, and proceeds to miss and get hit very often. Yuna gasps when he gets a particularly painful one to the stomach, and everyone winces.
Acronos: "Yuna, you've got some barrier spells, could you take Link's place?"
Yuna: "But my barriers aren't really that good…"
Link: "Oww, don't worry about me."
Navi: "Link you idiot!"
Yuna: "Okay, I'll go." She steps in with a reflect spell in place and heals Link with Cure. The shrubs attempt to blast them both, but Yuna's barriers easily bounce each shot off without her even taking the effort to look. When she finishes healing Link, she stands up to see the lead scrub attempting to run away.
She gives a sour look and points her staff at it, freezing it in place. She goes up to it and grabs what seems to be an ear and drags it over to Link.
Yuna: "(Threatening tone) Now I want you to apologize to Link for hitting him while he was busy. Clear?" It looks scared out of its mind, and apologizes many, many times to Link, and even tells him how to beat the boss. Yuna then lets go of its ear and it runs away as fast as its legs would move.
She looks on with a satisfied smirk on her face. Everyone stares wide eyed at her. Acronos proceeds with his plan anyway, trying to ignore the fact that a smirking Yuna is very odd, but doesn't look half bad on her.
Acronos: "Wow Yuna, you kicked ass!"
Yuna: "(Blush) Well, not really. I wasn't that good, just had a bit of luck."
Maioko: "No, really Yuna, you kicked their butts, and in style! A different style to be sure, but one that rocked!" Yuna keeps blushing.
Yuna: "Well, I suppose it wasn't exactly bad…"
Link: "Miss Yuna? Thank you for healing me."
Acronos: "(Nudges Tidus) Increase her self esteem!"
Tidus: "(Nods) Great job Yuna!"
Yuna: "(Large blush) T-thank you, but it wasn't all that good…"
Tidus: "No, really, it was. Keep it up and soon Acronos will have to worry about his position as top fighter on the Islands!"
Acronos: "Hey! Then again, you may have a point, a perfect defense tends to make one invincible, so I'd better start training again."
Tifa: "You mean you stopped training at one point?"
Maioko: "Hell training?"
Acronos: "Yep, Hell training."
Yuna: "(Major blush) Oh, well… Thanks you guys. Maybe I'm not that weak after all. What are you, kidding? You're a White Mage/Summoner, now that everyone can summon and most have some white magic of their own, you're obsolete. Well, maybe, but I have yet to see anyone top my barriers. … Well… Hah! I win, you loose, go me! Huh, where'd that come from? Umm, aha! They're trying to raise your self-esteem; they don't mean a word of it! Oh yeah, well they've done a good job of it, be quiet! "
Tifa: "Well then, shall we move on our way so Yuna can defeat more of our enemies and make them cower in fear of her might?" Everyone, including Yuna, laughs at this, (Yuna first), and they move on. Entering another room, this place isn't as nice looking as the rest of the place was, and the rest of the place wasn't too nice to begin with.
The ground is covered in fog, the roof seems to be living/petrified bark in veins, and strange pillars are all over the place. Consider the weapons drawn.
Acronos: "Another thing about dungeons and the rest of life. If it gets dark and spooky, bad things tend to happen."
Link: "That's simple common sense."
Tidus: "Yeah, but it's still good to know."
Tifa: "Guys?" They look up. On the ceiling is a giant thing with two legs, a third stalk, a giant yellow eye with a green center and a red division sign in it, and lots of armor. It looks at them, rolls its eye, (yes rolls, as in the pupil rotates back into the head and back forward) and drops down and roars.
Navi: "Parasitic Armored Arachnid Gohma! This thing is vulnerable at its eye!"
Tidus: "When the eye becomes red before an attack or laying eggs,"
Acronos: "Attack with your slingshot to stun it and jump attack the eye!"
Navi: "Or use Deku nuts!"
Acane: "Or just stab it!" She runs forward and jumps into the air, meaning to impale the thing's eye. Of course, that doesn't work since she's swatted out of the air.
The thing's eye changes to red in front of them, and Link shoots it with his slingshot. Everyone, including Acane and Yuna, begin attacking the eye full force. It gets up and crawls away and up a pillar to the ceiling. Tifa fires a long-range punch at it to hit it off the ceiling, but it swats that away.
Tifa: "I don't get it."
Acronos: "This was an action and strategy game, you don't have any particular advantage against a boss, only your own skills, so you must learn to depend solely on strategy."
Maioko: "Is this where you learnt to be strategic?"
Tidus & Acronos: "A bit." The thing's eye turns red, and Link shoots it. Everyone runs in, but Acane delivers the final blow, impaling her spear through its eye. It then dies in a suitably painful looking manner and falls to the ground, where it bursts into blue flames and slowly disintegrates.
Ifrit: "Hmm, based upon the flame composition and the way it's burning, I'd say this was magically created and it's dying due to a lack of life or magic energy to sustain it."
Acane: "Ahh! When did you get here?"
Ifrit: "A second ago."
Maioko: "How can you tell all this?"
Ifrit: "(Gives her an are-you-kidding-me look) I'm the Devil Lord of Fire, duh?"
Maioko: "Oh, yeah, forgot that." It dies and Link picks up a crystal heart with a silver outline.
Tidus: "A heart container."
Acronos: "Now what are you going to do with that to increase your health?" Link puts his hand to it and it drains into his hand completely.
Link: "I feel better, stronger."
Tidus: "That's how." They see a blue light coming from the floor nearby. Upon stepping on it, they are flown outside the Deku Tree. It congratulated them upon freeing it from the curse, but said it was doomed from before they started. Everyone besides Tifa, Tidus, and Acronos gasped.
Tifa: "If you were, why did you send us on that quest?"
Deku Tree: "I needed to test Link's courage and strength. What better way to do so before my death? Now, there is much I have to tell you, will you listen?" Link nodded and Acronos sat down, knowing what was about to be told. He had a feeling this might take a while...
(Evil People's Castle)
Lance: "So, you caught Sora?"
Blasphemy: "Yeah."
Zidane: "Cool. I've got a question?"
Lance: "Yes?"
Zidane: "Well, now that I think about it, I've got two. Anyway, the first is why are we keeping him in the dungeons anyway?"
Blasphemy: "Actually those are just some rooms, I even gave him a PS-2 (Sora: "Why is my adventure cataloged on a video game?"). He's actually free to wander around, just only on this world. All he has to do is figure to pull the bars open."
Zidane: "Cool. Second question: how the heck did Mal end up the second in command?"
Lance: "Good question." They proceeded to wonder how this could have occurred.
Blasphemy: "Well, he sucks up a lot. (Anime image of him bowing until the floor has an indentation in it)"
Lance: "That isn't enough. It could get him a position as our assistant, but second in command?"
Oni: "Actually Mal is the assistant of our Lord. It isn't exactly second in command, but close enough for one to wonder. He never seems to show any affinity for control of the darkness. (Anime image of him dancing in a bright field of flowers while Oni is engulfed in black flames and trying to rip his eyes out in the distance. Oni winces slightly.)"
Blasphemy: "Now that I think about it, I've never sensed him have an energy signature. The only things without any sort of energy are dead things, if he's a sissy he should at least have some sort of signal. (Anime image of Mal as a zombie.)"
Sora: "I overheard. Why not test his fighting power? Sounds like he's really strong but hides it until necessary, to keep your guard down."
Zidane: "That doesn't sound like Mal."
Oni: "But a test would be appropriate. This is a mystery that must be solved (Sherlock Holmes outfit)."
Zidane: "Yeah, but how are we going to test him? (Never wear that again Oni) The tester could be killed, so who's dumb enough to be..."
Bad guys: "Malfoy! (Anime image of him in a dunce cap)"
Sora: "Where is this guy?"
Blasphemy: "Good question."
Lloyd: "Hello all."
Blasphemy: "Hey Lloyd, you know where Malfoy and Mal are?"
Lloyd: "Mal is having a snack in the kitchen, but I don't know about Malfoy."
Blasphemy: "Jafar!"
Jafar: "Yes? Oh, hello keyblade wielder."
Sora: "Jafar? You ended up with these guys? Guess that's the problem with being a genie."
Blasphemy: "Where's Malfoy?"
Jafar: "He just arrived at the front door."
Zidane: "Cool! Let's go get him!" He disappeared; he is a thief after all. Upon locating Malfoy, Lance addressed him.
Lance: "Hey Malfoy."
Blasphemy: "(cuts him off) You've gotten stronger."
Malfoy: "Yes, the keyblade master offered me a way of possibly increasing my magic, and after studying it, I have become far superior."
Lance: "How strong?"
Malfoy: "You wish to test me?"
Lance: "Yes, but not against myself. Test your strength against Mal."
Malfoy: "That wimp? I'll destroy him!"
Zidane: "He should be in the entrance hall." Malfoy matched off, and everyone followed with curiosity.
Malfoy: "Mal!"
Mal: "Yes?"
Malfoy: "How did a weakling like you end up in second in command? I challenge you to a duel, and when I win I shall take your position."
Mal: "Umm, that's not such a good idea. I don't really want to fight you."
Malfoy: "You don't have much of a choice, let the duel begin!" Malfoy held his wand as one would hold a handle, and from it a gigantic flaming broadsword erupted from it. It looked like Cloud's sword times two, and was about three times the height, twice the width, and as thick as a human arm.
He jumped into the air with the air itself slashing about him, bowing to his will, and held his blade above him to deliver a blow that would shatter most steel and flesh. As Malfoy was about to attack him Mal sighed and the air seemed to warp around him.
His scarf wrapped around his neck and went behind him, reaching to the upper leg and becoming spikes, a cape appeared on him, and his clothes seemed like an assassin's, his hair turned very pale white in a short ponytail, and his scarf changed to black and red with a panther ripping and tearing its prey apart, human and animal alike. He reached behind him, under the cape, and pulled out a black as night sword that seemed to be made of segments and had three prongs on the tip.
He held it forehanded, but with the tip held down. This is an uncomfortable position with little ability to attack, but Malfoy was about to hit him. Mal used a strange type of grip, and the segments separated, it was a chain with barbs on each segment.
He swung upwards, blocking Malfoy's strike as if nothing, and turned his chain and swung down while the other segment was still blocking. The chain proceeded to rip a deep gash in Malfoy's chest, sending him flying back. Mal stood there for a moment, basking in his own power, and then returned to his usual sissy style.
Mal: "Malfoy, are you okay? I'm really sorry, I hope you're not hurt too badly!" From their position, every single person gaped at Mal.
Sora: "Did you see that?"
Lance: "Malfoy's energy was incredibly increased, but Mal…"
Blasphemy: "Mal's energy, it was immense! Impossibly immense! I think I just found a new training partner."
Oni: "His darkness, it was of pure rage and hatred. His strength and ability is incredible, I can see why he has his position."
Sora: "This guy probably holds all his strength and coolness inside so we drop our guard. I got the feeling he was an assassin, nothing was inside him besides hatred, and he had that fully under control."
All: "Amazing."
(Back with the good guys.)
Deku Tree: "... And I will give you the treasure of this forest, the Kokiri Emerald! Now go, find the princess of destiny at Hyrule Castle (After Link accepts, slowly) I entreat ye... Navi... (Dies)" Acronos stood up when the Emerald was given, and bowed to the Deku Tree's corpse as his way of paying respects to the dead. Everyone seemed a little bit reverent, except for Tifa, who'd fallen asleep. When the reverence had passed...
Acronos: "Tifa! Wake up!"
Tifa: "Huh, what?"
Acronos: "You're supposed to be the responsible adult here, and you fell asleep!!"
Tifa: "Sorry." Acronos continued to attempt to bite her head off as they left the clearing. Mido stopped them.
Mido: "Hey, what did you do? Did the Deku Tree... Die? How could you?"
Acronos: "He died, but he was prepared to die even before he called us." Mido walked away, not even listening.
Maioko: "Let's leave the forest." They headed for the exit, which was no longer blocked. Link took a few tentative steps outside the exit and they strolled on a bridge. Saria appeared behind them.
Saria: "You're leaving, aren't you? (Silence) I always knew this day would come, because you're different from the rest of us. But that's okay, since we'll be friends forever, right? (Link nods, a bit stupefied) I want you to have this ocarina. When you play it I hope you remember me and come visit the Forest again." Link accepted the ocarina as if handling the most precious thing on Hyrule. He looked at it with awe and pocketed it. Acronos felt the familiar numbness that accompanied his usual stupidity around love.
Acronos: "No, gotta help Link! Link, (whispers) Saria is really sad about you leaving. Do something." Awkwardly, Link stepped forward and embraced his childhood friend. He parts and turns and walks away slowly. In Saria's hand is a rose, with its thorns still. She looks at it, and at Link's retreating form, and smiles. Everyone either walks or silently runs away. Outside, Link takes a large breath of fresh air, and promptly begins coughing.
Tidus: "(Pats his back) Dust, get used to it."
Maioko: "Why did you give her the rose with its thorns?"
Link: "Saria hates it when plants are destroyed or fake. It wouldn't really be a rose without the thorns, right?"
Tidus: "For a kid, you're very deep."
Acane: "Anyway, let's go." They went forward through a sort of open-topped tunnel and at the end a large owl waited above. It began talking, and talking, and still talking. Acane held her spear backhanded and aimed at the owl.
Owl: "Do you want to hear what I said again?"
Link: "(Shakes head)"
Owl: "Hoot, hoot!" It flew off, just as Acane used her spear's powers to send a torrent of water at said escaping owl.
Acane: "Damn, I missed!" They went onwards, but Acronos stopped them.
Acronos: "Hmm, do night and day change as quickly?" He looked at the sun, and it was moving rather fast for a sun. They waited for a few minutes and it became night. This was made certain by a wolf howling in the distance. Skeletal children rose from the ground, two of them, and hobbled over to the group.
Navi: "Stalchild! Don't be afraid of it, but just keep attacking!" Link stopped backing away, and does a horizontal slash. Its head flew up, but it kept going. Maioko dropkicked it into a wall, breaking it. Tifa punched the second one, destroying it. Another two popped up after a moment. Maioko and Tifa broke these two as well.
Tidus: "Back to the Forest for a skultula!" He rushes back, not seeing that about twenty more popped up. He ran in, grabbed the skultula, and went back out to find his friends surrounded by basically an army of skeleton-people.
Of course, this is still a tunnel so there's not a full army. Oh, and just so you know, the skeleton army isn't fighting the group holding back their magic, Acronos is blasting away with Ultima, and people are using some techniques. Unfortunately, for every one they destroy, two appear.
Acronos: "How many people have died in Hyrule?!"
Navi: "There was a war here, one would think that many died!"
Acane: "Great..." Acronos tried Sonic Blade, which incinerated basically everything around them, but more started to pop up. Tidus ran in and cut the things to pieces, and they all proceeded to run away. As they got to about the middle, hundreds of the skeleton kids surrounded them.
Tifa: "This... Could be a problem." Acronos unleashed Sonic Blade once more, but it didn't do too much. Yuna called all her summons at once for a large amount of number reduction, but still not enough. Everyone proceeded to blast through what was near him or her with their strongest attacks, until Tidus remembered his lightning attacks.
Tidus: "Oh yeah, I forgot about my lightning." He proceeded to put about 121 giga-watts of electricity into his blade and tap a skeleton kid. It simply turned to dust and the electricity went forward and proceeded to shock every single skeleton kid in the circle, since they were near one another. The entire circle turned to dust, and another circle arose.
Acane: "Grr, Ifrit!"
Ifrit: "Yes?"
Acane: "You see all these skeletons? Have fun." Ifrit looked around him, smiled, and used Hellfire. Another circle arose, burned again, and again, and again...
Ifrit: "Why don't these things stay DEAD!!!"
Yuna: "Hmm… Life: All!" Say goodbye to the rest of the circles.
Acane: "Finally! Thanks Yuna!"
Acronos: "Question: since when did all these things start popping up?"
Link: "(Shrugs)"
Tidus: "Who knows?" A rooster crows and the castle's gates open. Immediately everyone ran inside.
Acronos: "Okay, that room over there has a bunch of money." They went into a room with many, many pots. Everyone took out their weapons and went and destroyed every single pot and box and whatever else existed within the room. They collected many rupees and a skultula token.
They left the room and went into town. They heard a loud laugh from next to them. Two guys were in a conversation, one laughing, the other talking and trying to convince the other. The talking guy mentioned a way to get to Zelda.
After going around town a while and getting information and an item or two they met with a girl with red hair. She introduced herself as Malon.
Malon: "Your clothes, they're different... Ah, you're a fairy boy from the forest!"
Acronos: "(Whispering to Maioko) That's not really good for his self esteem, neh?" Maioko shakes her head.
Malon: "Well, my dad went to the castle to deliver some milk, but hasn't returned yet. Talk about a responsible adult, eh?"
Link: "(Looks confused)"
Acronos: "Two things you should know. Kids in the Kokiri Forest don't have parents, and Link doesn't talk much."
Malon: "Why not? You look like a smart kid."
Navi: "He was teased a lot."
Malon: "Aww, that's so sad!"
Link: "(Shrugs nonchalantly)"
Malon: "Well don't you worry your pretty little head, if anyone tries to hurt you they'll have to go through me!"
Link: "(Smiles) You can make friends very quickly outside the Forest. "
Navi: "Well guys, we have to get to the castle. It was nice to meet you."
Link: "I'm sure we'll meet again Miss Malon."
Malon: '"Miss'? Just Malon if you please, and you've got a nice voice."
Maioko: "See you later kid." They take their leave, heading for the castle. They meet the owl again, but his speech is a tad shorter and he departs. Rolling into the tree nets them a skultula token. They go to the gate and ask to see Zelda.
Guard: "Hah! The princess would never grant an audience to someone like you!" Link turns to leave, but Acronos doesn't give up that easily.
Acronos: "Underling, you dare halt diplomatic relations from Kokiri Forest?! Tell your king and princess that they should not be so foolish as to refuse a civilization's audience."
Guard: "How dare you call me an underling!"
Acronos: "Easy, I'm the diplomat's interpreter, I could cleave you in two before you could blink."
Guard: "Have you any proof you're from the Forest?"
Acronos: "Hello, the clothes, the hat, the fairy?"
Guard: "Well, that's not real proof..."
Link: "(Pulls out Kokiri emerald)"
Guard: "Whoa, the sacred treasure of the Kokiri? Fine, give us a moment to arrange an audience. Until then, feel free to wander around." The gate opened.
Tidus: "This wasn't in the original game."
Acronos: "No, but it's easier."
Tidus: "But things will be a lot different now, Zelda and Impa might not even know us."
Acronos: "Hey, if they could determine it from what seemed to be a thief, they can tell from a diplomat." They took the path up to the castle.
Link: "Is this such a good idea? What exactly will I say? I'm no diplomat."
Acronos: "Don't worry too much. Just say that the leader of the Forest told you to see Zelda with his dying breath. I'll take care of any money or business stuff, Not that I find the idea pleasant, but I seem to be the best at it. ."
Tidus: "Hmm, the drawbridge is still down. Wanna go chat with Zelda the old fashioned way?"
Acronos: "Why not?"
Maioko: "We're diplomats, if we do something stupid, it'll represent all the Kokiri!"
Link: "Kokiri are kids, so am I, remember?"
Maioko: "Well..."
Tidus: "Actually we shouldn't go now that I think about it. Link's the only one capable of crawling through the drain, and it wouldn't be nice to blow up their wall."
Acronos: "I could use my concentrated fire spell-laser. Wouldn't be disrespectful, might even be helpful."
Tidus: "Hmm…"
Tifa: "Acronos, you got us into this, so you'll have to deal with the consequences."
Acronos: "Ah, I remembered something!" He ran back at full speed to the vine they had considered climbing.
Acane: "When did it become night?"
Maioko: "It's almost day, don't worry." Acronos came back holding an egg.
Acane: "An egg? You making breakfast already?"
Acronos: "Nope, hold on." When the sun rose, a chicken hatched from the egg.
Maioko: "Ah!"
Link: "What is... That?"
Tidus: "It's called a Cucco."
Acronos: "I'll go wake up Talon." They hear a loud rooster cry, and soon following was a man running out of the castle at full speed. Acronos comes back happily. The drawbridge lowers just as he gets there. Several guards come out.
Guard: "The diplomat from Kokiri Forest?"
Link: "(Waves)"
Guard: "Aren't you a bit, young?"
Acronos: "Kokiri don't age past childhood."
Guard: "Oh, follow me." They walked through the castle, almost a maze. The walls were like marble, but everything was a bit too large. This didn't dissuade Maioko, who ran around, examining everything happily. Finally they reached a throne room. A large man in red robes with a white beard sat on a throne. The king of Hyrule sat before them, with Zelda nearby.
King: "Hello. I did not expect a diplomat from the Kokiri Forest now or ever." Everyone bows except for Link who just looks confused until Acronos pulls him to kneeling.
Acronos: "Well, the timing is a bit odd, I agree, but the Great Deku Tree told us to find the princess of destiny with its last breath. The only princess we knew of was here, so here we came."
King: "Well, I suppose you want to talk to my daughter, but I'd like to know if there's any reason why I should ally myself with the Kokiri."
Acronos: "Sigh" He then begins a conversation on what materials are in the Forest, and the advantages, disadvantages, and customs of the Kokiri, all the details surrounding an alliance. Link goes to 'talk' with Zelda.
Link: "(Bows)"
Zelda: "So you come from the forest? I have a question, do you?"
Navi: "Sorry to interrupt, but Link doesn't talk much, just so you know."
Zelda: "(Smiles) That's my first answer, but do you have a green and shining stone?" Link pulls out the Kokiri Emerald, again."
Zelda: "Ah! So it was true. Come with me to the courtyard when your interpreter and my father finish speaking, we have much to, well chances are that I'll be the only one speaking, so I guess I have much to tell you." Acronos and the king finished a few minutes later.
King: "Hmm, your suggestions sound good. I like you, you have an excellent way with diplomacy. Feel free to stop by at any time, that includes your associates as well." Acronos bowed and they started to leave. Zelda offered to show them the way, but lead them to her courtyard. She began explaining a dream of hers to Link, and gave him the quest to find the Spiritual Stones after telling him a few legends. She told him that her attendant would show them out.
They met with Impa, who taught Link a new song. She escorted them outside of Hyrule Castle Town, and pointed them to Death Mountain and the village at its base. With that, she flung a Deku Nut to the ground and disappeared.
Tidus: "(Shakes head) Why can't we do that?"
Yuna: "Because Link has not had the proper training yet."
Acronos: "To Lon-Lon Ranch!" They headed to said place, the enormous circular structure in the middle of Hyrule field. Inside they chatted with Talon, Malon, and the stable-hand named Ingo. After winning one of Talon's challenges, he gave them a bottle of milk. The empty bottle was more important than the milk. Malon taught them a song that a young horse liked, and after that they left for Kakarikio.
Tidus: "Oh yeah, let's head back to the forest and visit Saria!"
Maioko: "Huh? Why?"
Acronos: "Oh yeah, we need to learn a song from her."
Link: "Yes, I think it will be nice, I can tell her all that's happened to us…" With that everyone went on his or her merry way to the Forest, until night came and two stalchildren arose.
Acane: "Not this again." The two were cut through, but no more appeared for a few moments until they went forward a bit, and only two again. Getting to the Forest was no difficulty with this, and soon they'd reached the destination during the day. Going inside, Link immediately led them to Saria's house, but nobody was there.
After a few moments of searching, Saria could not be found. Upon asking some of the other kids around, they said that Saria had instructed Link to meet her at her special place. Link shrugged and went up to the Lost Woods, where Acronos' directional map simply stopped working.
Link: "Yeah, it's easy to get lost in here. I think I can hear Saria playing her song, we'll follow that."
Tidus: "Yeah, but I know some places where we can get some interesting stuff."
Acronos: "Yeah, and I found an easy way of memorizing the route. If the tunnel has light at the end, it leads outside, if not, it leads forward." After searching around for a bit, they came upon two skull kids who had flutes and requested a jam session. Link took out his ocarina and played along with them until they gave him a rupee.
Skull kid: "Does anyone of you have another instrument?"
Acronos: "Hmm… (Pulls out a violin) Where'd I get this from?"
Skull kid: "Follow along."
Acronos: "Just a second, it's been a while since I've played this hunk of junk." After testing where the notes were, and tuning his instrument, he stood up on the stump that seemed to be a stage. He followed the notes they played until they gave him five rupees. Link took the place again, and he played along until they gave him twenty rupees. Acronos stood on the stump.
Skull kid: "You can either play along with us again, or you can make up your own piece and we'll say if it's good or not."
Acronos: "Well, I'll try making something up, or maybe something from memory?" After a bit of thought, he launched into a symphony he'd heard once. The skull kids clapped and gave him a heart piece. After this the group went on their way.
Maioko: "Never knew you played an instrument."
Acronos: "Just something I played to take up space. I suppose I know how to play a tad." Further into the Lost Woods they went, guided along by the helpful Saria's Song. Eventually they got to the ending of the maze, and entered the proper doorway, which led to another maze, but this one also open-air, but with walls.
A wolf-creature rose from the ground, intent on feasting upon new prey. It swung, Link dodged, it left its back open, and Link jump attacked. They progressed through the maze, which really wasn't much of a maze, merely difficult to see through. Reaching the end, they killed some mad scrubs, and finally reached a clearing.
There was a large gray pedestal in the middle with an odd symbol on it, a temple high above all with broken steps, and a stump on which Saria was sitting, playing away on her ocarina. Everyone else backed off while Link went up to her. She stopped playing and greeted him.
Saria: "Hi Link. I'm glad you came. You know, if you play your ocarina here, you can hear the forest spirits talking. I feel that this place will be very important for both of us later on."
Acronos: "(Eyes closed, head tilted back) She's right, there's a congregation of spirits and magical energy in this place… Someone once lived here, many someone's. Many people… who weren't Kokiri… What is this place, some sort of ancient Manor? I can feel so much history and power in this place… It appears the Kokiri were not the first to inhabit this forbidden Forest. Perhaps it was they who made this place forbidden. … So much…" With that he fell to the ground, asleep or unconscious with a smile on his face. Maioko looked down at him, and then at the Forest Temple above them all.
Maioko: "Hey Tidus, is Acronos' question ever answered in the game?"
Tidus: "… No. He's right though, you can feel something in the air, but I guess he's just more sensitive to it. Strange place, this Temple."
Link: "Saria, I want to tell you of what happened."
Saria: "Go ahead, but first let me teach you a song." She taught him the notes that she'd been playing to guide them through the Woods. It was a joyous song, very happy, but in the silence of the woods, and the feeling of history around them, it seemed strangely bittersweet.
Saria: "You can use that song to talk with me wherever you are."
Link: "Thank you. Well, things outside the Forest are very different from in here…" Maioko sat on the pedestal, nearby Acronos. Everyone took a seat somewhere, and simply waited for Link. The quiet was almost absolute, and slightly unnerving, but they sat through it anyway. At one point or other Acronos woke up and looked about him.
Acronos: "The keyhole… It feels like it's here, but not quite."
Acane: "… Perhaps there are two points that require sealing in this world?"
Acronos: "Yes, I can sort of feel where the other one is. It's in the future."
Tidus: "Where in the future?"
Acronos: "The second to last battle in this adventure."
Tidus: "Ah. Figures, that place seems about right for a keyhole." Acronos pointed his blade at what portion of the keyhole there was, and sealed it and unsealed the barrier. He sat against the pedestal, waiting as well. Link finished his speech, (the longest time period he's ever talked), and the group of intrepid adventurers took their leave. After leaving the clearing, and on the route to the regular Forest, Acronos asked Link.
Acronos: "Link, do you like Saria? As more than a friend?"
Link: "Hmm? No, I don't think so. To be honest, I wouldn't really know, would I?"
Acronos: "Ah yes. Well, can you picture your life without her, do you want to be with her constantly, blah, blah, blah?"
Link: "She is my friend, I do wish to stick with her through thick and thin, but I can imagine living without her. I mean seriously, I'm traveling the world with you guys, aren't I?"
Acronos: "True. Perhaps I should ask you this again when you're older and have more experience with different women."
Link: "What do you mean?"
Acronos: "Don't worry, I'll just ask you a similar question later on, okay?" Link nods. They leave the Forest and go to Kakariko. At the town in question, they take their time by finding a bunch of cuccos for a lady who took care of them, (but had allergies, go figure), and went into the graveyard.
Acronos: "Is it just me, or does this entire game seem even more somber than when I actually played it?"
Tidus: "Yeah but it's probably the Forest Temple rubbing off on you."
Acronos: "Strange. Well, I'm going to try and not be so unhappy, I mean seriously, you can get really depressed by a graveyard, but we're going to end up moving graves, fighting zombies, and cursing the day we ever laid eyes on this place pretty soon."
Tidus: "To the Royal Family's tomb!" They progressed through the graveyard, pausing now and then to bow in respect of the dead, and finally reached the largest tomb. The two tombs to the sides revealed ghosts when read. After defeating the ghosts, they revealed to them some secrets about their research.
Playing Zelda's Lullaby on the symbol of the Royal Family caused the tomb to explode, and opened a way down. When they got to the bottom, the group found themselves in a dark blue room covered in writing.
Acronos: "Yuna, this place is crawling in stuff that's weak against holy magic, be ready."
Yuna: "Yes." After Link sniped several bats, a door opened up. Carefully and cautiously they went up to the door, opened it and went through. The room following a short hallway had several pits of acid, and zombies standing around, moving extremely slowly.
Deciding to be brave, Acronos stared one directly in the face, only to have his eyes widen. It felt as though the cold and clammy hand of death itself was gripping his heart. Devil roughly shoved him out of the consciousness and flung a dart into the zombie's head, but to little effect. Zombie and Devil were locked in a staring contest.
Neither was going to win anytime soon, since Devil was barely keeping a hold on himself, while the zombie was as motionless as before. Ah, but there wasn't only one zombie in the room, there were several, each looking like a skeleton with a bit of flesh, and a wooden mask, (more like a block with black holes for eyes and the teeth showing fully).
Each zombie seemed lethargic and rotting where it stood, however, each one inched towards the group, freezing him or her with their terrifying glares. Not even the bravest of souls could win against their stares. Link could barely stand it and cowered behind Tifa, (give him a break, he's only ten).
Devil kept up the staring contest until Acronos regained his composure and reminded him of his friends. Devil simply closed his eyes and shot a blast of dark energy forward. Unfortunately it missed, and merely grazed the zombie's arm, or bone.
From behind Tifa, Link checked his inventory for anything that might help, and finally came up with some Deku Nuts, which stun with a blinding flash. He lobbed one overhead, and it hit the ground. The zombies were frozen in place themselves, and prime targets for Yuna's holy magic. The room cleared, everyone broke out of their trance.
Maioko: "(Shudder) I never want to go through that again."
Tidus: "Unfortunately these things are a staple of this world, but we're about to get something that's good as revenge."
Devil: "Ugh, those things weren't even fully dead. They were somewhere in between life and death, waking dead, wandering the world of the living merely due to fear of death. Their fear is such that it can be sent forward to hit their prey, stopping them long enough for the waking dead to drain their life force and live on. Disgusting things, but effective."
Tifa: "They had all that fear that they gave us, and more? Beyond cowardice, almost worthy of pity."
Acane: "The pity you can give them is death, for there is nothing for a waking dead to do but rest."
Yuna: "Well, I'm glad my magic was enough." The next room housed a wall with some notes on it, notes to a song that is. When Link played it, the sun fell and it became night.
Tidus: "The Sun's Song, ideal for changing night to day, and for freezing Re-dead in their tracks." Exiting the room found them facing the zombies again, now known as Re-dead. Link played his new melody, stopping them from moving or freezing them. With that, the Re-dead no longer became a threat, and it was easily defeated along with its kin.
They exited the tomb, shivering slightly as the fear instilled forcefully in them still hadn't fully abated. Acronos located a grave keeper and gave him ten rupees. He then took the shovel, closed his eyes for a moment, and went to a patch of dirt and dug up a heart piece. He gave it to Link and gave the shovel back to the grave keeper.
Tidus: "I always hated that piece." Acronos nods and pulls open a grave. Down the grave they go, and a chest containing a new shield for Link was their reward. Acronos also bombed the wall behind it and that led to a fountain where Link caught a pink fairy that would revive him if he ever died.
They left and Acronos opened another grave. This one led to a Re-dead sitting down, but it was frozen and defeated with much prejudice. Upon playing the Sun's Song, a chest appeared behind the Re-dead, which contained a heart piece as well. Exiting the grave, they had Link play the Sun's Song one more time to make it daytime again.
Tidus guided them to a house somewhere in town, and upon entering were greeted by a half man-half spider. He told them of a curse placed upon his family, and that only getting the tokens of the skultula would free them. Since Link had taken some time to go bug hunting earlier, they'd already freed one son, who gave them a large wallet that allowed Link to hold 200 rupees instead of his previous 99.
They went to the guard in front of a gate to a trail, and after showing him proof Zelda sent them (a letter she'd given Link without anyone noticing), they headed up the trail. It was long and dusty, with some annoying jumping monsters blocking the path slightly, but nothing anyone couldn't handle. They reached the top, and went inside to find a city of rock-people called Gorons.
They were short and fat, and passed very well as rocks when they curled up, so well in fact that they could even roll down a hill like a wheel. After finding the difficulties plaguing the city, Link and co. went downstairs and after playing Zelda's lullaby, went into a room where the leader of the Gorons waited. After getting mildly ticked that the messenger of the Royal Family was a kid, he proceeded to list the problems, but stated that they were Goron problems and not to be interfered with. Tidus sighed.
Tidus: "Link, play Saria's song next to this guy, and prepare yourself." Link did so, and the leader of the Gorons, the one they called Big Brother, launched into the most horrible and terrifying dance they'd seen up until now.
Now, I don't mean terrible as in dancing in blood and licking it up or something, (ugh!), but terrible as in his dance looked like a seizure, and looked like Barney had momentarily possessed him.
Link watched, utterly confused, Acane proceeded to bang her head on a nearby wall, Tifa shook her head, Tidus sighed again, Acronos tried to absorb any evil spirits possessing him, Maioko attempted to claw her eyes out again, and Yuna just watched with curiosity. Luckily the, Ahem, 'dance' finished quickly, (Maioko: "Not quick enough!") and he seemed a bit happier.
After reevaluating the situation with a happier mood, he still said that he wouldn't give them the spiritual stone of fire that they'd asked for, but would do so if they managed to open up a tunnel nearby and exterminate the creatures within.
He gave Link a golden bracelet with the symbol of the Gorons on it, which increased his strength a bit, just enough to rip out the bomb-flowers that grew in this area. Acronos shook Link's hand and they had a contest of grips, but after a while it was deemed too boring to continue. While nobody was looking, they shook their hands out to stop the pain.
Our intrepid adventurers left the city after lighting all the torches on the ground floor, messing with a huge rotating pot, and bombing an entrance to the Lost Woods which oddly enough connected to the city, and then went outside and to the right, locating a bomb-flower over the blocked tunnel.
Tidus: "No one thought to throw the fricking thing over the ledge?"
Acane: "I'm surprised, I thought they'd try everything."
Tifa: "Perhaps they don't like to touch the flowers?"
Link: "Well, it's still up to us." He pulled the black thing in the center of the foliage, and held it near him.
Link: "One question: how exactly do we bomb out the tunnel?" Everyone was making motions for him to throw it or something. Finally Tidus spoke up as the bomb glowed red at a rapid pace.
Tidus: "Throw the bomb!"
Link: "I have a bomb?"
Tidus: "The one in your arms!"
Link: "This is a bomb? … Ahh!" He threw it to Tidus, who yelled and threw it to Acronos. He yelled and threw it to Link, who threw it to Tidus, who threw it to Acronos, who was blown up by the bomb. Luckily this wasn't a super-large blast, and merely had the effect of burning him.
Acronos: "Cough. Haven't I already been in this situation?" Maioko and Acane begin laughing their heads off at him, while Tifa smirks, Yuna tilts her head in confusion, and Tidus tries to look apologetic. Link waits and picks up the bomb that re-grew, and throws it at the tunnel. It explodes, blowing up the rock in front of it.
Acronos: "Well, I'm already hurt, so you guys go down the sane way, I'll jump to the heart piece."
Tifa: "Perchance, are you nuts?"
Maioko: "Umm, I just realized how high we are… ugh, I feel sick…"
Acronos: "Back-flip!" He does this move and lands on top of the tunnel. After staying in a crouched position for a moment, waiting for the pain to abate, he grabs the heart piece and jumps down, this time managing not to hurt himself.
Acronos: "Well, aside from the most likely broken bones, I feel fine! D: "(To Arch) He's a glutton for punishment, isn't he?" Arch: "Only when it means helping his friends, which unfortunately is very often."" Yuna runs to him and casts Cura on him, ceasing the throbbing in his legs.
Acronos: "Thanks Yuna, but it was only a few broken bones, (laughs)."
Tifa: "Who besides me thinks Acronos hasn't gotten enough sleep?" Everyone raises their hands, including Acronos.
Tidus: "Well then, I can take care of that! Yah!" He knocks Acronos out with a hard strike with the flat of his blade to Acronos' temple. Maioko just stares at him.
Maioko: "You do realize that we have to get that place cleared out soon, and that due to this, someone is most likely going to have to drag him around?"
Tidus: "Thanks for offering yourself for the job Maioko!" He pats her on the shoulder and hands her the sleeping Acronos.
Maioko: "What? But I didn't…"
Tifa: "Don't bother, he doesn't look about to listen." Grumbling about overzealous blondes, she grabs his wrists and proceeds to literally drag him along behind her. They enter the tunnel and Link bombs the door open with a nearby flower.
Acane: "I just realized something, Acronos was the one with the Ultima spell. Now who's going to blow stuff up?"
Ifrit: "You called?"
Acane: "Can you blow up walls?"
Ifrit: "Well, explosives aren't exactly my thing, I prefer slowly burning something and watching it scream, but I suppose I have a few fireballs that'll do the trick. Oh, no, wait… No I don't."
Acane: "Sigh, never mind then."
Tidus: "You mean we're going to have to go through this place the normal way? Damn, that'll take longer!"
Link: "Yes, but it's good training." He sighed and they went into the room beyond the entrance, a rather large room with several entrances and exits, and a giant skull directly in front of them. Tidus sighed and began leading them.
After killing a laser shooting robot-thing known as a Beamos, they went into a hallway. In this hallway were several lizard things that looked like worms, which Tidus told them to run from. They ran until he noticed a different colored wall and stopped. They kept coming at him, and one lunged directly at him, murder in its eyes… He moved to the side calmly, struck it lightly once, and it turned red and blew up, breaking the wall open. He then sliced the rest away, and opened the door.
Everyone stared at him and followed. After Link sniped a few bats, they killed a skultula and went on their way after collecting its token. Outside the door and at the end of the hall were some statues and a switch.
Tidus pushed one onto that switch, opening the door. They entered the room beyond, filled with magma that had cooled into rock, but still hurt to touch, and was still very hot. Maioko wiped the sweat off her brow from dragging Acronos, and slung him over her shoulder to lessen the effort. Tidus instructed Link to put on his Hylian shield, which was bigger than he was and allowed him to curl up and defend like a turtle, and to step forward.
Two lizard people dropped down and began hopping around on the platforms. One jumped over to Link. The lizard slashed down, Link blocked, and did a jump attack. It continued in this pattern for a while until he'd killed both lizards, and they went through the newly opened door.
They were in a rather dark room, until Link lit a Deku stick and began running around to light some torches. To keep them all ablaze, he ignored the enemies around, which were older versions of the exploding lizard-worms. After Link lit all the torches, Tidus decided to have fun. He pulled out a bomb from a flower and set it in front of one of these lizard things, and when it breathed in to breathe fire at them, it inhaled the flower and blew up from the inside.
Ifrit popped out of nowhere and clapped, and Tidus bowed. Another lizard thing came up behind him and Yuna pointed at it, gasping. Tidus appeared to take no notice until it was about to breathe fire on him. Right before it breathed he did a back flip that sent him over the thing's tail, and he executed a downward slash onto its tail. Unfortunately he landed a bit late, and couldn't dodge it swinging around, knocking him off his feet with the swing, and it breathed in to burn him to a crisp.
Note that when it had first breathed fire, it had burnt Ifrit. Normally this is a good thing for Ifrit, screw that, it's always a good thing, but he got mad and grabbed the thing's tail when it turned to Tidus, and began spinning it around.
Ifrit: "Your fire was the weakest thing I've ever felt! Never insult fire like that around me!" Just as he was about to fling the poor lizard into a nearby pillar, it exploded in his face. He blinked a few times and shrugged, disappearing for no real reason.
They exited the room, right back into the place they'd started from. Tidus led them to the other side, and they got a dungeon map, and he continued leading them into a room with many, many bomb-flowers surrounding a staircase that was very high. Acane shrugged and ran up it and taunted everyone from above.
Tidus: "Just you wait!" He went with everyone into another room and Acane followed. In this room were a bunch of statues surrounding a chest. Maioko went up to go push them aside.
Tidus: "Maioko, hold on! That's not a good idea!"
Maioko: "Why not? It's not like they're going to come alive and try to attack." Before Tidus could say that was exactly what they were going to do, she grabbed one and it came alive and jumped at her, hitting her with a body slam.
Maioko: "Oww! Why you stupid piece of concrete!" She then grabbed the nearest weapon, Acronos, and proceeded to use it on the statue. (Acronos: "Oh God, I can see where this is going…") She used him like a club and started whacking away at the statue like crazy. Everyone winced with every hit she landed.
Finally she finished her combo with a vertical swing that sent the thing into a spinning frenzy. She cursed and continued attacking until it blew up in her face. She blinked several times before setting her 'weapon' onto her shoulder in a victory pose.
Maioko: "Is everything here gonna blow up when I kick it's ass?" She turned to see everyone cringing.
Maioko: "What? (She realizes what she's holding as a weapon) Oh my God! Did I just use Acronos' prone body as a club? (Everyone nods) Uhh… This never happened."
Acane: "I don't think he'll remember it either, (notices the many bruises on him). Umm, Yuna, heal him. Tifa, you take him before Maioko actually manages to kill him." Yuna healed Acronos as best she could, and Tifa flung him onto her shoulder. Sighing, they collected the compass from the chest, and went back into the other room. Acane ran up the stairs again and laughed at them.
Tidus went to the door from before for a moment, and after a few seconds ran to the base of the stairs where there wasn't a bomb-flower and chucked another one in that space. It proceeded to blow up, blowing up every other bomb-flower, making the stairs fall down where they stood, burying themselves into the earth enough for them to be able to jump on, and shaking enough to make Acane fall down each step with a painful thud, finally landing on the ground with swirly eyes as everyone climbed up.
Tidus: "(From top step) Hey Acane, are you coming or not? You're slowing us down!" She got up with murder in her eyes and ran up the steps at Tidus. He tossed a stick lightly down the steps, and Acane's legs were caught in it and she tripped right back down the steps once again. Tidus stood at the top, smiling and whistling innocently. Acane took out her spear and blasted him with a torrent of water.
Acane: "There, we're even." She walked up the steps and they went on their way. Not much else happened for a while, until they reached the point where they were about to drop down to the boss.
Tifa: "Ugh, my back's getting tired. Maioko, would you mind taking Acronos again, and try not to nearly kill him this time?"
Maioko: "Sure, I'll be much more careful this time." Link bombed the floor with his new bombs, and they dropped down. At the ground, they were in a circular room with lava in the center… and a giant lizard thing!
It started to roll towards them, and Tidus ran to a corner of the inside, where the giant lizard wouldn't be able to hit them, and everyone else followed his lead. Unfortunately Maioko dropped Acronos mid-way, and was already a few feet away before she managed to turn around. As she ran towards him, the giant lizard was getting really close and Acronos finally woke up.
Acronos: "Yawn, hi guys! I feel much better now, thanks for the nap… Ahh! Giant Lizard!" At the last possible second Maioko managed to tackle him out of the way and they both rolled for a few moments until they ended up on top of one another.
Maioko: "Uhh, hi?"
Acronos: "Hello… What's going on?"
Maioko: "Umm, we're facing the boss of this place, you've been out for the whole dungeon."
Acronos: "Oh." They both stood like that for a bit, neither remembering to get up.
Tidus: "C'mon you guys! If you want to do that later, get a room!" That got them up.
Link: "How do we beat this thing, it's got armor everywhere!"
Tidus: "Uhh, hold on a second…"
Acronos: "Link, a bomb, now!!" Link tossed him a bomb, the giant lizard breathed in to burn them all, and Acronos chucked the bomb into its mouth. After a moment, the bomb exploded inside the giant lizard.
Acronos called forth his keyblade and it burst out in an unusual display of dark and light energies. Everyone proceeded to hack and slash away at the annoying lizard until it died. It roared and rolled around a bit, finally stopping in the lava and slowly sinking and dying. The lava became rock from this, and a heart container appeared where the head was, and a blue light nearby.
Link took the heart container and they all left via the blue light. They appeared outside the tunnel, and Acronos and Tidus ran away, up the hill. As Link started to follow, the Big Brother of the Gorons, Darunia, stopped him by falling from the sky. After a brief conversation, he gave Link the spiritual stone. After that, two other Gorons fell from the sky and tried to give Link a "big Goron hug".
Since the Gorons are rock people, and simply being patted on the back by Darunia had knocked Link almost unconscious, he screamed and ran the hell away. The group had already left when they first heard Darunia falling. Link met up with them near Goron city and Acronos led them to the city, where he directed Link to gaining a new bomb bag, and a gold skultula token.
Tidus then led them up the mountain to the volcano. Problem was, the volcano was still quite active, and pelted them with molten debris almost constantly. Link ducked under his shield or ran away from the shadow of the falling object, Acronos simply cut anything above him in two, Tidus side-stepped, Yuna cast a barrier, Maioko and Tifa punched anything near them into pieces, and Acane simply had fun running around everything.
Finally they reached a sheer cliff that could be climbed, but had the annoying wall Skultulas crawling about. Link sniped them and everyone climbed up. Well actually, Acane ran up as usual, but she tripped on a loose board of wood and fell. Acronos caught her with one arm.
Acronos: "Acane, you shouldn't show off as much, you might get hurt. Try to be more careful next time, okay?"
Acane: "Sure, whatever." She blushed a bit, but started climbing as everyone else was. They reached the summit, and the owl was there. Fortunately for it, it didn't speak when they arrived, waiting for them to ask it something. I say fortunately for it because Acane would have impaled it without hesitation. Tidus and Link bombed a wall, which led them to a fountain.
Tidus: "Link, use Zelda's lullaby on the symbol of the Royal Family." He did so and out came a fairy. Now, this wasn't a tiny fairy like Navi, but a Great Fairy, which looked like a regular woman with pink hair in three braids, and dressed only in vines and long brown boots.
Acronos turned away and Link looked at her, very confused. She had a terrible maniacal laugh and a malicious countenance that made Ganondorf look charming and emotionally stable in comparison, but she appeared to be on their side when she healed them and gave Link the Super Spin Attack.
Acronos: "Thank you Great Fairy."
Great Fairy: "(Suggestive tone) Ah, well, who might you be?"
Acronos: "(Actually catches this and starts sweating) Uhh, I'm the keyblade master, Acronos."
Great Fairy: "Ooh! So, how long is your keyblade?"
Acronos: "(Completely understands what she meant by that, is terrified, eye twitches) Uhh, well, this is my keyblade…" He calls the Devil's Bane keyblade forth and slashes in front of him, hoping to scare her off.
Great Fairy: "Wow! Hmm, you must have a lot of stamina after using a blade like that as your weapon."
Acronos: "(Absolutely terrified, begging mentally for death) Uhh, yeah, I Uhh, have a good deal of strength from defeating many enemies, Uhh, I'm at a high level too, umm…"
Great Fairy: "Hmm, (smiling evilly) you know, I have a friend at Hyrule Castle, we should all get together for some fun, wouldn't you agree?"
Acronos: "(This one he missed) Uh, yeah, sure, I guess?"
Great Fairy: "I'll see you there love, alone if you don't mind. (Winks seductively, disappears)"
Acronos: "Umm, what did she mean by that? Oh, and Link?"
Link: "Yes?"
Acronos: "The next Great Fairy we find, you talk to her, not me, got it?" I would like to mention that during the entire exchange, Maioko was growling, deeply wanting to torture the Great Fairy, and the annoying voice was pressuring her to yell out that he was hers. Luckily the Fairy had left before Maioko could implement any of her tortures.
Navi: "Hmm, I think she liked you Acronos!"
Acronos: "Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Okay, if you need me, I'll be jumping into the lava of Death Mountain Crater." He started off, but Link grabbed his legs, forcing him to work to keep his balance.
Link: "No! Hey, just because you don't like her doesn't mean you have to die or anything!"
Acronos: "I was mostly joking."
Tidus: "'Mostly'?"
Acronos: "Devil side said she appeared to want me in a physical sense, whatever that means. I get the feeling I shouldn't ever be alone near her."
Maioko: "No you won't be!" Everyone stares at her. She lowers her hand from the raised fist it had been in and attempts to become invisible.
Acronos: "Thanks Maioko, I'm glad at least someone will be around to help me." Everyone turns his or her attention to him, and Maioko silently thanks him for that. Tidus then leads them into the crater Acronos had mentioned earlier.
Acronos: "Hey Link, do you think I still need to implement my idea, it takes place here."
Link: "Hold on, I'll ask Saria." He plays her song and closes his eyes for a while. He opens his eyes after a bit.
Link: "Well, Miss Yuna seems okay for now, we just need to make sure she doesn't feel weak."
Acronos: "Okay, I'll just keep my idea in mind anyway." They collect a heart piece and a gold skultula from the crater area, and leave. Link says hi to the owl, which offers to give them a ride down. Maioko's eyes widen and she declines hastily. Acronos stands near her and simply shakes his head.
Acane Triggers her angel form and zooms off on her own, Tifa decides to take it at a run, and Tidus, Yuna, and Link decide to accept. Acronos and Maioko start on the way, but Maioko looks down where they came from.
Maioko: "I climbed all the way up here? Oh God…"
Acronos: "Hop on, I'll climb you down again." She grips his neck and he begins their decent. About mid-way again, Maioko relaxes again, and Acronos just takes a quick look to make sure she's not asleep.
Maioko: "I'm sorry Acronos."
Acronos: "Huh? For what?"
Maioko: "That Fairy, I really don't like her, and she was, well, suggestive to you. I know how you don't like that, but I didn't do anything, I'm sorry."
Acronos: "No problem, just make sure to stay near me when near her, since nearly everyone mistakes us for a couple these days, she might think I'm taken and leave me alone."
Maioko: "Sure. Oh, and if anyone tells you I used you as a club back in the cavern, it's all a lie."
Acronos: "You used me as a club? Well, that's okay I guess, just glad I didn't break anything."
Maioko: "Huh? But… (Smiles) You're a nice guy, you know that?" They reach the bottom, and the volcano starts belching out fire and debris. Maioko gets off Acronos' back and they begin to make their way down the trail at a run, aiming to get back to town before they're missed too much. They reach town as night falls.
Tidus: "What took you? It's already night, and we got another heart piece! Did you take my advice of finding a room, but instead chose the floor or something?" Maioko jumps forward and whacks his head as hard as she can, knocking him into the ground.
Maioko: "Oh, and I'm sure there were plenty of rooms for you and Yuna too! (Whispers to Yuna) Sorry Yuna, no offense, just need to bring his ego down a few notches." She shrugs, and Tidus and Maioko proceed to have a yelling match. Acronos watches with amusement, but his ears perk up as the wind increases.
Acronos: "Hmm… That's a very strong wind… Hey, I can hear the wind sounding like whistling. Is that, the Song of Storms? D: "Yeah, there's a storm definitely coming, a pretty strong one too." Arch: "I wouldn't be surprised if the heartless get here today." But I sealed the keyhole partially! Arch: "Yes, but it's still possible for them to find the core. Hmm…" D: "Yeah, they just forged a link with someone." All: "Ganondorf." Arch: "Still, the storm shall soon be here, I would recommend finding shelter." Guys, I think there's a storm coming."
Acane: "No big thing, it's not like a little rain will hurt us."
Acronos: "No, I mean a storm, not a rain shower. I mean storm in the sense of gale-force winds, torrents of rain, thunder and lightning?"
Acane: "Well, that isn't exactly quest-worthy weather. Perhaps someone here will allow us to stay at his or her house?"
Acronos: "We'll have to check everywhere, seven people are a bit hard to bunk, but if that fails, I could always set up the bathhouse since it has pretty thick walls." They searched around, but nobody was willing to house seven people. Acronos began setting up the bathhouse, preparing it outside of Kakariko.
Finally done, he went to go get Maioko and Tidus who were still arguing and yelling. He'd made sure to get everyone inside the bathhouses and explain the rules to Link before he went, and was glad because it started pouring as soon as he entered the town. He sighed and pulled his hood up.
Pulling out two cloaks, he looked around, but visibility became a bit limited. He sighed and rolled his eyes and began calling out for them. After some searching, he found both of them, only to find Maioko and Tidus fighting desperately against large heartless. These heartless were pulsing with dark power, and the two of them alone stood little chance against a group of six or seven.
Acronos rushed in, but a defender stood in his path. He noticed its symbol, which was that of true darkness and not heartlessness, and absorbed it, gaining a new summon.
Acronos: "Garrison, I think that's a good name." He nodded to himself and ran to help his friends. One heartless noticed him and turned to face him. Despite its size, it was fast and agile, forcing Acronos to jump out of the way of three attacks in the space of three seconds.
It swung around, aiming to unsheathe an axe and swing it into Acronos' head, but he ducked low and called his keyblade, ceasing the barrier and jumping forward to cut through the thing's stomach nicely. It turned to him and swung its axe down at him, ignoring the wound entirely. Acronos jumped out of the way, and again for a second attack, and had to back-flip to avoid an attack to his back by another heartless.
Since he was behind it, he jumped forward, impaling it through the back and running at the other one. It hacked and slashed away at Acronos and his shield, eventually breaking through his shield. Luckily this was doing him a favor and the moment his heartless shield died and his opponent had his blade recoiling from the attack, Acronos unsheathed his blade from his opponent's back and charged to his second opponent, slicing a deeper gash this time.
That was two down, and he turned to his friends, only to see Tidus have to do a spinning attack to not get killed, and Maioko have a pole smashed into her head. She fell to the ground unconscious, and Acronos ran as fast as he could go. The heartless raised its staff for a finishing attack, only to find holes suddenly opened through its stomach and chest. It wavered and fell to the floor, disintegrating as it fell.
Acronos went up to Maioko and cast Curaga on her, and turned to see Tidus in a serious predicament. Acronos reluctantly cast a barrier on Maioko and left her to aid him. His blade sliced the spine of one with a chain, followed by a beheading slash before it could even recognize who was attacking. While he was spinning, he pulled out his knife.
When he landed facing away, he spun into an attack with both at the same time, damaging one with its bare hands as its weapons, and finishing with a spin kick to the head. Tidus took this opportunity to impale another one, rip out his blade, and unleash Energy Rain. The two stood near one another, ready for more as four relatively uninjured heartless faced them and two injured ones.
Tidus: "What took you?"
Acronos: "Had to set up the bathhouse. You didn't feel the rain coming?"
Tidus: "Thought it was one of those weak storms from the game."
Acronos: "Should have sensed the wind." They struck forward, landing hits in on the weaker ones, and switching quickly to end their existence.
Tidus: "Now what?"
Acronos: "How about a combo between Sonic Blade and Energy Rain?"
Tidus: "I'll use the newer Slice and Dice, I think it'll make more of an impression." Instead of distributing his attack throughout the entire group of heartless, Acronos focused on two in particular, which Tidus took out through only his first few strikes. With what remained of their attacks, they focused on one heartless, and it was enough to significantly weaken it.
They stood on either side and strafed around it. Acronos mainly had his eyes on the other one, while Tidus was focused on defeating the opponent in front of him. When Tidus was behind it, Acronos feigned a lunge, but switched directions and jumped towards the other one. The heartless was damaged and weary so it took the lunge as an excuse to attack or defend, which made Tidus attack its exposed back, killing it.
Acronos blocked a slash from a sword and stabbed forward, but made contact with air. As lightning flashed in the air he called forth Marcellus and Sparta. All three looked around, but saw nothing. From his vantage point further away, Tidus could just make out a form in the falling raindrops.
Tidus: "Guys, it's invisible!" Acronos then set his sights on seeing a form, but was distracted by a punch to his face, which knocked him back a bit. Marcellus blocked an attack with his shield, barely, and Sparta took flight to avoid the attack he felt was coming. Acronos looked around almost frantically, and barely dodged a sword swipe to his head based only on his instincts.
With this, he realized sight was totally worthless now and closed his eyes. He heard the rain falling like a machinegun firing, but heard steps in the water. He put more emphasis on his sixth sense and felt a blade coming at him.
He ducked under it and started to slash where his sixth sense said his opponent was, and his hearing verified it was in the area. Unfortunately it was too quick, and Acronos felt it move away. He turned, sliding in the mud, and bumped into the well.
Acronos: "So that's where we are. D: "Focus!" Actually, I have a better idea. " He stood there blatantly with his eyes closed, still hearing and sensing, seeming to bare his neck. To emphasize the heartless' ego, he slashed blindly around, completely away from where he believed it was. He heard the sound of it going up to him, sneaking up to deliver a critical blow to his neck or head.
Marcellus and Sparta had already been instructed on his plan, so they looked around desperately. Acronos waited, and felt the air move with the swing, so he ducked to the side, allowing the heartless to trip into the well. Acronos opened his eyes and looked down, only to see the well filled with water.
He cursed mentally, remembering that it was only emptied later on, and would certainly be full during a storm of this caliber. However, the heartless seemed not to be good in water and had let its invisibility drop, giving Acronos' Ultima spell a target. Said target lived through the spell and flung its blade at Acronos.
He couldn't fully dodge it and it slashed open a deep gash in his left shoulder. He clutched the wounded area, and blasted the heartless with time magic compressed to do damage. It died, and he turned away from the well.
Acronos: "Let's go back, here's a cloak." He tossed a cloak to Tidus and went to Maioko. She was still out, apparently she'd been hit more than once, and so he picked her up and draped the cloak over her. He began to carry her back, but was a lot slower than Tidus. He winced several times, feeling much blood seep out of the wound in his shoulder. He could feel his energy seeping out with it.
Acronos: "Crap. I can't go on too long like this. Curaga!"
Tidus: "You okay man?"
Acronos: "Yeah, I'm fine." In truth, the wound hadn't closed up, but the bleeding had slowed down a bit. Acronos cast Curaga again, fully on the wound this time, which slowed the bleeding to only a trickle, but the wound was nevertheless still there. He cursed mentally and continued onwards.
He cursed again when a harsh breeze blew in, reminding him that he'd forgotten to close up his trench, and his hood had fallen off long ago. He trudged onwards anyway, and they finally got to the bathhouse. Tidus ran in happily and danced around in the warmth and lack of rain.
Tidus: "Thank goodness, it's dry!"
Acronos: "Help me out here, Maioko's still out."
Tidus: "I'll get Yuna."
Acronos: "Knock first, you know how girls tend to jump to conclusions when you enter a bath or something uninvited. Knock loudly."
Tidus: "Boy do I know it." He goes to the girl's side and knocks on the door loudly.
Acane: "Whatever it is, it can wait!"
Tidus: "Can a knocked out Maioko wait? She was hit in the side of the head by something a while ago and still hasn't woken up!" Yuna slammed the door open, wearing only and towel. Tidus blushed and turned away instantly, Yuna just ran to where Maioko was, but when she got there she remembered what she was wearing and blushed fiercely.
Acronos: "Can you help her out?"
Yuna: "Hmm, (checks her out) Curaga! Hmm, I'd say she just needs some sleep."
Acronos: "Okay, I'll get a sleeping bag ready, where are you girls staying?"
Yuna: "In the hot springs to keep warm."
Acronos: "On second thought I'll just carry her to the door and one of you can take the bag and her inside." He does so and Tifa picks her up and Acane grabs the sleeping bag.
Tifa: "What happened?"
Acronos: "They were ambushed by some powerful heartless when we left them. Maioko was hit on the head. She'll be fine, just needs some sleep. (He notices through some pain that his wound has reopened and is bleeding fully again) I don't want to worry anyone. I'll be on my way, I need a shower." He goes to the guy's side and steps into the warmth.
Tidus: "Ahh… this is the life… Acronos, come on in!"
Acronos: "Just a second, I feel like a shower first."
Tidus: "Suit yourself." Acronos goes into the showers and into one stall and pulls the curtains around him. He takes off his trench and his shirt and looks at the wound. It doesn't look too good, and he determines that he'd better clean it and bandage it.
He takes off the rest of his clothes and puts them away and takes a shower, making sure to clean out the wound of anything still in it. He winced every time he touched it, but managed to clean out the damage anyway.
After finishing with the shower, he dries off the area, which has stopped bleeding and is starting to mend a bit, and pulls out some bandages. After giving it a bit of a wrapping, he puts a towel around his waist and goes out of the showers.
Tidus: "And Acronos just tripped the guy into the well and blasted him with Ultima! I'm not sure if he lived, but after a bit he blasted something with a time spell too… Hi Acronos! Hey, what happened to your shoulder?"
Acronos: "Nothing much, it's taken care of anyway." He gets into the pool and relaxes. After a while everyone is done bathing.
Acronos: "Did I leave that sake bottle still in there?" Since he hears nothing, he figures it must be gone, but notices a bottle of sake in their room as well. He shrugs and they all get into pajamas and go to sleep. The next morning Acronos wakes up early as usual and goes to make breakfast after brushing his teeth. Flexing his left arm, he finds that it hurt a bit to move it heavily.
Acronos: "Blasted heartless, this is definitely a scar. Oh well. Cura." The pain ceases and he makes breakfast. Once done with that, he eats some himself and begins practicing his attacks, for lack of anything better to do. Maioko sneaks up behind him and launches a punch at him to get his attention. He dodges, but it manages to scrape the scar, (he dodges to his right in a similar manner, so that point is one that's usually the one the would get scratched or tapped).
Acronos: "Oww!"
Maioko: "Huh? You okay, that was just a grazing punch."
Acronos: "(Clutching shoulder, chuckles) I'm fine, I think I'm just a bit stiff. Anyway, you're feeling better?"
Maioko: "My head's still ringing a bit, but other than that I'm fine. How about you?"
Acronos: "Oh I'm fine, no heartless can seriously hurt me, I even got a new summon, a defender I named Garrison." After everyone finishes eating, they go to Hyrule Castle Town to get Din's Fire. Unfortunately this involves going to a Great Fairy, and Acronos really doesn't feel ready for that. However, he's never one to slow anybody down unless absolutely possible.
They first go bowling with little mouse bombs that move forward and even on walls, which gets them some of these things themselves, a heart piece, and a larger bomb bag. They go to the place where Tidus leads them and Link bombs the boulder blocking the route.
Acronos: "I think I'll stay right here. Arch: "Oh no you're not, you've got that wound and that needs tending to, the Fairy will heal it." I'd prefer suffering to what I might go through in there.
D: "Just Trigger my form when you get in, I doubt many Fairies like the idea of a Devil in bed with them." Do I even want to know what you mean? Oh well, why not? On second thought, I think I'll go in as my Devil self." He Triggers calmly and they walk in. The Fairy comes up with her friend. (I'll refer to the flirting one as Fairy 1 and the other as Fairy 2)
Fairy 2: "Welcome young warriors, I have a spell to offer you, receive it now!" She tosses Link a red crystal with an orb of fire inside.
Fairy 2: "This is Din's Fire, which will engulf the area surrounding you in flames. It's good for burning anything in range, destroying webbing, and lighting torches."
Fairy 1: "Hey, where's the sexy one from before, I told him I'd meet him here."
Acronos: "Say something to try and dissuade her from liking me, or just shut up. I'll stay quiet, it usually works. "
Fairy 1: "Hey, who's the new one with you? Wait, if there's no him, and this guy's new… Hey, it's you! The one I promised to meet!"
Acronos: "Crap! Well, here I am. I hope you don't mind me being one-third Devil, I like to Trigger very often."
Fairy 1: "Your stamina must be incredible, and I don't mind at all, I've always wanted to try something more, new, shall we say."
Acronos: "Gulp. Fairies and Devils? Devil, you told me she wouldn't like me! D: "Hey, I thought she'd run away like every other Fairy! This one must either be extremely promiscuous, or very desperate." Arch: "By the way she's looking at you, I'd say both." That still doesn't exactly help me! "
Fairy 1: "Oh, you're wounded! That's a nasty scar on your shoulder, let me take care of it for you…"
Acronos: "Uhh… (Backs away slowly, starts thinking of possible exits)"
Maioko: "Hands off!"
Fairy 1: "Oh?"
Maioko: "Acronos isn't your type, now move on."
Fairy 1: "He's yours then?"
Maioko: "(Blushes) Well no, but you still shouldn't-"
Fairy 1: "If he's not yours, watch a pro in action, maybe you'll learn a few tips on how to get a man, since you obviously have none."
Maioko: "Why you… I'm not some weak willed person who needs another to stay alive, I'm quite fine on my own!"
Fairy 1: "(Shakes head) Lesson 1: Too much independence makes men think of you as unworthy."
Acronos: "That's not really true, some males like an independent companion… Archangel, don't talk through me!"
Maioko: "Really?"
Acronos: "I wouldn't know… Yes of course my lady, there are many tastes in this world and others… Would you stop doing that already Archangel?!"
Devil: "Kid, make some holograms, you're starting to look crazy." Acronos makes image representations.
Fairy 1: "Three men in one? Oh boy, what a night it's going to be…"
Devil: "To be frank, you're a slut. Stop hitting on the kid." Acronos glares at his Devil form.
Acronos: "That's not really nice you know."
Devil: "You disagree?"
Archangel: "Not a fair question in front of (jerks his head towards Fairy 1)"
Fairy 2: "Hmm… You told me to be here…. You're disgusting!"
Fairy 1: "What?"
Acronos: "(to his sides) Let's leave, now!" They all return to normal form and run away. Everyone else shakes his or her head and follows.
Acronos: "(Outside) This never happened, got it?" They nod simply, since he Triggered before saying that.
Tidus: "Let's go for the next Spiritual Stone." He guided them to the place, and they collected two heart pieces and a skultula token on the way. At the area after that they met up with a species of fish-people called the Zora. After finishing up in the area and beyond, they found a giant whale.
Tidus: "Link, I need a bottle to go get a fish."
Acronos: "No, I get the fish."
Tidus: "Why do you… oh yeah, go ahead." Acronos proceeded to run down and grab a fish, while everyone else went to a nearby Fairy Fountain and got Farore's Wind that allowed teleportation within dungeons. The whale's mouth was open, but Acronos was nowhere in sight.
Tidus knew where he most likely was and led everyone inside the whale. They went through a portion of it and went into a room with many holes all around. Princess Ruto was standing there.
Tidus: "Hey, did you see a guy wearing a trench coat come by here?"
Ruto: "Who are you?"
Tidus: "I'm Tidus, he's Link. We're here to rescue you, your father sent us, blah, blah, blah, did you see him or not?"
Ruto: "(Indignant) Well! (Turns nose up) The man you speak of went by several times." They notice a column over a hole disappear, and moments later Acronos came back to that room.
Acronos: "Hey guys. I took the liberty of solving most of this place. Hey Tidus, wanna just leave Ruto in here and grab the Zora's Sapphire ourselves?"
Ruto: "You know where my mother's stone is? Please, take me to it!"
Acronos: "Well…"
Link: "It isn't right to leave someone in here all alone, and it is her mother's stone. (To Ruto) I'll help you get what you're looking for. I never had a mother, so I'll help you out. Maybe I can understand what having one means?" Ruto looked at him with sparkles in her eyes.
Ruto: "Oh, you poor person! Thank you so much!" She walked near Link and held his hand.
Ruto: "I don't know my way, so could you lead me?" Link nods.
Acronos: "She's… nice?"
Tidus: "Well, perhaps she actually has a heart."
Acronos: "Now that I think about it, she's got a good heart. Remember that she accepts Link wanting someone else even with the whole fiancée thing?"
Tidus: "Yeah, you're right. Link, follow Acronos."
Acronos: "Yeah, we're pretty far into this dungeon. Oh yeah, here, catch." He tosses Link a boomerang. He swishes it through the air and smiles. Acronos jumps down a hole, and everyone follows. In this room is a large platform that Link and Ruto can't see over. Acronos can see over it with ease and climbs up, grabs the Sapphire on it and jumps off quickly.
Acronos: "Sigh, here Ruto, it's your mother's stone."
Ruto: "Yay! I was so worried!"
Link: "Yeah!" They hold hands and bounce around happily. Tidus raises his eyebrow.
Tidus: "Wait, isn't this where…" The platform rises, and comes back down bearing a large octopus-thing.
Acronos: "Stun it with the boomerang and then slice its back!" Link stands in front of Ruto and raises his boomerang, but stops upon seeing Maioko lift it into the air.
Maioko: "Or how about lift it and rip and tear away at the underbelly until we get sushi?"
Acronos: "(Raises blade) Sushi!!" Acane spears the back where there appears to be a weak spot, Tifa helps Maioko hold it up, and Acronos and Tidus hack away at it. Finally it dies and the platform goes down, seeing as it had been high and rotating with spikes during the battle. Everyone climbs on, and it goes up. They navigate through a few more puzzles until they get to the boss.
Tidus: "This thing shoots electricity, and you'll need to use the boomerang." Acane shrugs and goes forward. The thing is visible, and it shoots a bolt at her, but she just puts her swords up, which absorbs the blow.
Acane: "Or I can just block it."
Link: "Miss Acane, could you guard Miss Ruto? I don't want her hurt, but I'm needed in combat." Acane looks at Link briefly, but seeing the determination in his eyes goes and protects Ruto. Everyone proceeds to run around while Link hacks away at it with the boomerang.
Occasionally a magic spell hits a weak point, and eventually the thing blisters and explodes into green slop. A collective sound of disgust echoes through the room, especially from Link who'd been closest. Acronos blasts him with a water spell. They all take the blue light out of there.
Link finds himself way too close to Ruto. He falls into the water while she dives in. After some chatting about how her mother told her to only give it to someone really special, she hands it over.
Acronos: "Hey Ruto, are you sure you want to marry Link, he's a different species!"
Navi: "Link's getting married? Where, when, how did I miss this?!"
Link: "What does 'getting married' mean?"
Maioko: "Umm, it's when two people decide to spend the rest of their lives together."
Acane: "There's a big ceremony to celebrate this."
Tifa: "And usually the two are in love."
Link: "But what exactly is this 'love' thing? I don't understand that either."
Ruto: "Really? Hmm, this will be hard to explain, since, come to think of it, I don't really know myself."
Acronos: "How about this Ruto? Link still needs the Sapphire, but give it to him as a sign of close friendship for now. If you two want to get married when you're older, than do so, but don't make such an important choice right now."
Link: "Okay, but I don't get what's so drastic about marrying someone. It just means sticking with them for your entire life, like a really good friend."
Acronos: "You know, you're rather close to right…"
Tidus: "But then, under the condition that marriage just means staying with someone forever, that we're all married?" Everyone pondered this until they got headaches and just went with Acronos' idea. They proceeded to Kakariko, where they got a few items and skultula tokens, and then on various miscellaneous mini quests. Finally they headed to Hyrule Castle on a particularly bright day.
Link: "It's very hot and bright today."
Acane: "Rain, need rain…"
Maioko: "Hey, why are the torches near the drawbridge lit? Aren't they only lit during the night? And the drawbridge is up as well, that's only during nighttime. What's going on?"
Acronos: "Sigh, something important. Be prepared, in the game this doesn't hurt too much, but with us and the heartless here, who knows." They walked towards the gate, and finally upon reaching it and storm began.
Acane: "Yay, rain…? This storm is foreboding, it accompanies evil." The entire group teleported down from the gummi ship.
Auron: "We got some readings of heavy heartless activity in this place, we thought you might need some help."
Acronos: "The leader on this world is coming. That's the reason for the readings, but keep your guard up anyway." The drawbridge slowly went down.
Link: "This the nightmare I had before this thing began!"
Navi: "Look, someone's coming!" From inside the castle town, a white horse rode out full tilt. On it was Zelda and Impa. Zelda looked behind her and, with a finer throwing arm than many a professional quarterback, chucked something into the moat surrounding the castle.
Wakka whistled in admiration. After a moment, another horse rode out; completely black, with a guy with green skin, a jewel on his forehead, red hair, a cape, and evil reeking off him mounted on top.
Acronos: "(Hissing) Ganondorf…"
Ganondorf: "Dammit, I lost them! You, kids, did you see which way the white horse went?" Link remained silent.
Ganondorf: "You want to protect them, how noble."
Acronos: "Actually sir, I can tell you where they went." Everyone looks at him, shocked.
Acronos: "(Very rude gesture with his hands) Up yours and around the corner." Ganon's eyes widened at this.
Ganondorf: "Okay, now that was just uncalled for. Ah, you're the diplomats from Kokiri Forest, aren't you? I remember you. Perhaps the king will enjoy hearing about this?"
Acronos: "(Smirk) Perhaps he'll enjoy hearing you tried to kidnap his daughter?"
Ganondorf: "Well, well, well… You've got guts kid, I like that. However, you're speaking to Ganondorf, and soon I will rule the world, so learn your place!" He blasts Acronos with a ball of yellow energy. He takes it and looks back at him with a smile.
Acronos: "That it? If you're going to take over the world, you're going to have to better than that and get past Me." He calls his keyblade.
Ganondorf: "Ahh, the diplomat is also the keyblade master, how intriguing. Well, I suppose I can spare some time to kill you." He dismounts, and Acronos' friends surround him, all facing Ganondorf.
Ganondorf: "So you intend to face me together? Well, this could get interesting."
Acronos: "Guys, let me face him alone, he's not that tough without the Triforce, and even with it he's still weak."
Tidus: "He's right…" They move apart and Acronos steps forward and points his blade at Ganondorf, (who I shall now refer to as Ganon). Ganon draws a large broadsword that was as wide as he is, with a crescent curve at the end.
Ganon charges with his blade held high, and strikes at Acronos. He dodges away and lunges forward. Ganon blocks and spins around into a powerful roundhouse kick to Acronos' midsection.
Acronos: "Ugh, forgot that you're good hand-to-hand." He lunges in, jumps from where he was to avoid a knee to the chest, and executes a downward slash that Ganon blocks.
Ganon: "I don't think you're about to beat me, boy!" He flings Acronos off like he was nothing, and he pauses for a moment to strategize.
Acronos: "Of course, this is Legend of Zelda, so it's all strategy here. He's far stronger than me, his blade can guard almost all of him at once, he can move his sword faster than mine, and he knows martial arts, but not any types of grip or defensive ones.
Hmm, I can either try to let him attack and counter when he leaves himself open, or I can press a quick attack. I'll try my defensive one first, but then I'll go to magic and some of my techniques, and if he's about to kill me I'll go with Grand Finale. " Acronos turned and ran in to make Ganon expect an attack. Luckily, Ganon simply put his blade up in a blocking position similar to Acronos', so he smirked, jumped behind him, and slashed the guy's back.
Ganon: "Ugh, not bad." He began swinging quickly, but Acronos dodged his strikes and countered when he had an opening. One time, Ganon swung vertically with a ton of power, so Acronos back flipped away, and Ganon's blade was stuck in the ground.
Acronos launched in to use some attacks while Ganon was 'helpless', but found a fist connecting very painfully with his stomach. The force of the blow sent him back a few feet, but he ran back in, dodged quickly to a different area, and swung for what should have been a direct hit. Unfortunately Ganon pulled out two scimitars and blocked.
Ganon: "Well, you're one of the only ones to make me switch to my scimitars, but consider yourself dead now." Ganon's attacks were about ten times faster, and Acronos was forced to block and dodge as best he could. After a brief pause he pulled out his knife and started attacking with it as well.
The two seemed about even, but Ganon was still far more powerful physically and Acronos was running out of energy. He jumped back and Triggered. The next attack was too fast to see, and Ganon kneeled for a moment.
Ganon: "Much better I see. However, it's time for you to die." The two proceeded to fight faster than the eye could comprehend normally, but it finally resulted in Acronos knocking both blades out of Ganon's hands. He sheathed his knife and went back to normal and readied himself for the finishing strike.
What happened next was almost purely out of the first Devil May Cry.
Acronos swung down, but Ganon rolled away and knocked the blade away. Acronos was completely off balance, and Ganon had enough time to get up. Acronos then swung from where he was, but Ganon jumped over the strike and delivered an overhead kick to Acronos' head. Facing away from him, Ganon hit him with a mule kick, followed by a left hook to the head, sending him to the ground.
Acronos did Riku's spring kick to get up, but Ganon grabbed him from the move and spun him around and flung him into the Kakariko wall. He ran up and pinned him to the wall by his throat.
Ganondorf: "Pant, pant, you're an excellent fighter for your age. That you were able to withstand my assault was in itself an accomplishment, but you actually reduced me to hand-to-sword combat. I am impressed kid, and I don't say that often. In fact, I'm so impressed that I'm going to let you live." With that he flung Acronos into the water, and walked over to his horse, saddled up, and sped away from Hyrule Castle as if nothing had taken place. Everyone rushed over to him.
Acronos got out of the water sporting a few new bruises, and he noticed that he'd gotten another wound near his stomach area, probably another scar. Yuna healed him several times until he looked in decent shape.
Maioko: "Acronos, are you okay?"
Acronos: "Aside from a throbbing headache, perfectly fine."
Tidus: "You, my friend, rock."
Acronos: "I lost."
Auron: "You disarmed your opponent and fought valiantly, even though he was bigger, older, and stronger than you. You may claim victory by staying alive, and besides, he didn't kill you, so it was a tie."
Navi: "That battle must have hurt. Lets check out what Zelda threw at us."
Acronos: "Jeez, you're particularly annoying today."
Navi: "Really? Then I should be doing this. (In a high-pitched whiny voice) Guuuuyyyyysssss! Lets check out what Zeeelldaaa threw at us. Awwwwww, come on, come on, come on!"
Acronos: "ARGH! My ears, my virgin, Well, maybe not, but they still hurt, ears!"" Link dived for it and came up with the Ocarina of Time. After a few seconds to get in front of the castle, he went into a trance. After finishing, he said that he now knew the Song of Time.
They went into the town and into the Temple of Time. On the outside it looked like an ordinary temple, nothing special, and inside wasn't that interesting either. The walls were very high, but the ceiling was coated in darkness, making the temple seem infinitely tall, the walls were of a fine gray rock, and the floors were of marble. There were windows high up projecting the only light into the temple, an alter in front of a door with a strange design on it, a strange raised portion near the door, and red carpet in front of the door and alter. Though nobody was in there, they heard a quire singing the Song of Time, and it caused everyone to be reverent of the place and walk slowly. They went through the temple and to the Door of Time, where Link played the Song of Time and his three stones went onto an alter and the Door opened.
Wakka: "Hey, there are a lot of things with the ending 'Time', ya?"
Acronos & Tidus: "Get used to it!" They went through the door and entered an enormous circular room with one window high above and in front of them, with a raised portion, and in the center was…
Navi: "Guys, it's that blade, the sacred sword, the Master Sword… Come on over and, hey, there's a key chain around the handle!"
Acronos: "That would be mine."
Irvine: "Bit anti-climactic, don't you think? All that work you guys did, just for a sword?" They go up to the Sword anyway, and Acronos takes the chain and hooks it on to his keyblade. It turns to looking like the Master Sword with a triangular hand guard, and a Triforce at the tip of the blade and an Ocarina as the symbol.
The Master Sword was a middle-sized broadsword with the blade thinner at near the handle, and it thinned after a diamond shape with the Triforce engraved into it, and the handle was purple, with two wings as the guard, and a gold colored diamond shape connecting blade to handle, and in between the two wings and all the other connections was a purple bell-looking thing. Link went up to the sword and gripped it.
Acronos: "Hold on there. Just a few things you should know: expect the unexpected, check the dungeon map and compass often, listen for skultula, try and think outside the box, and kill everything that moves."
Link: "Why are you telling me all this, aren't you coming with me?"
Tidus: "Probably not."
Link: "Why?"
Acronos: "Pulling that blade out will imprison you here for seven years while Ganon gets the Triforce of Power and wreaks havoc on Hyrule. We probably won't be able to go with you."
Link: "Ganondorf gets a Triforce?!" He lets go of the blade and jumps down, looking around. He pulls out his slingshot and shoots at the door, eliciting an 'Oww!' from someone. Link pulls out his sword, but Acronos stops him.
Acronos: "It's your destiny to pull that sword out. We'll hold off Ganon, you just take that sword out!" They all surround Link as he goes up to the Sword.
Navi: "Hey, maybe you won't be stuck, and you can fight Ganon with that sword. It'll even the odds a bit, eh?"
Link: "Right!" He pulls the blade out and a beam of blue light starts to rise from around the raised portion.
Acronos: "What the? How are we being imprisoned too?"
Tidus: "It must be due to the beam's effect on all things in this area!"
Acronos: "No! Without me, the worlds will probably be destroyed!" He tries to run out of the beam, but fails and all he sees is darkness, but he hears Ganon.
Ganon: "Thanks for leading me to the Sacred Realm, children. I figured you might know how to get in. Yes I owe it all to you. (He laughs)" All that remained was the darkness of unconsciousness.
What feels like an eternity later
"Wake up. Wake up Link. Link, the hero, wake up!" The area around them was total darkness, except for the platform they were on, blue with several pedestals of different colors and symbols around.
Link: "Ugh, my aching head."
Acronos: "Dear God my head hurts. What kinda handover is this?"
Link: "One that we should never experience again."
"Ahem? People, you've awakened."
Acronos: "Yeah, I can tell. How long have I been asleep…? (Notices the change in attire: He has a golden shirt on now, pointy ears with strange earrings, longer hair, and his amulet courses with energy. His shirt also has his symbol, the one on his hand, on it as well.) Okay old man, (Puts the keyblade to his neck) talk. And if I don't like your answers…"
"My name is Rauru. I am the sage of light, you can't kill me."
Acronos: "Wanna bet? Now, I am pretty sure I didn't look like this before, and neither did Link. We also don't smell seven years old. Who changed our attire, and who bathed us? If it was you, then…"
Rauru: "Don't worry, I did no such thing. I may be old, but I'm not a weirdo like that. You've simply had your souls sealed in here, and then they were placed into your body at this time.
However, on this date in seven years you won't be knocked out, just asked not to come here. Also, you can't leave this world unless you return to your previous ages."
Acronos: "Okay. I'm glad we don't have any problems."
Rauru: "Now, just so you know, the reason why your souls were sealed here for the time being was -."
Acronos: "Link was too young to be the Hero of Time, so he had to be sealed here until he came of age. I know, my memories of this game came back… Along with most of my other ones too, cool! (Actually, this is only the tip of the iceberg)"
Rauru: "So you know what you must do?"
Acronos: "Kick Ganon's sorry ass, seal the keyhole? I knew that the moment we set foot here!"
Link: "yeah, but I still have no idea what's going on."
Acronos: "Okay, here's how it goes. You are now seven years older, along with the rest of us. Your job is to free all the sages and kick Ganon's ass. He's enslaved most of Hyrule too, so we've gotta be careful on that one. Otherwise, it's the same old thing, eh?"
Link: "Another quest. (Sarcastic) Great…"
Acronos: "You got a seven year vacation. Wait until you see what's become of Hyrule castle."
Link: "Okay, maybe this won't be too bad."
Acronos: "Hey wait a sec, Rauru, the only thing we've got from seven years ago is our mind, right?"
Rauru: "Yes."
Acronos: "Great! Who knows what I might've uploaded in the last seven years." With that he opened up today's schedule on the computer.
Computer: "Mornin' Acronos. Have a nice seven year nap?"
Acronos: "Huh? Did you always have a personality?"
Computer: "Seven years. You gain stuff like that."
Acronos: "Ah, so I guess you must know what I want?"
Computer: "Sure, I'll pull up today's schedule and all that jazz." With that a warning sign flashed.
Acronos: "Huh?"
Computer: "Hold on, failsafe or something." A hologram of Acronos as he is now appeared.
Holograph Acronos: "Hello mini-me. I suppose you logged on to try and find out the future, huh? Well I remember doing that too. I'm sorry, but too much is gonna happen for me to let you in on this stuff. I can give you a few hints though.
First off, Ganondorf does have a bit of power to him, even though in the game it was supremely easy to kick his sorry ass. Second, I suppose you're wondering about your ears? Well, you transformed into, what'd I call it back then, oh yeah, the archangel. It's a permanent thing, but you can Devil Trigger.
I suppose since your level is lower than that necessary to control the form or summon it, you won't have too big a power increase. The earrings are custom Master earrings, too many master and time references, huh? They increase your strength, defense, speed, blah, blah, and blah.
Oh yeah, one exceptionally important detail: be extremely cautious of your behavior around Maioko, try not to offend her in any way. Don't fear her or anything, but be sure to act very nice to her, trust me, it'll pay off in the end. You've probably heard that already, but whatever." A holographic Maioko rested her head on the holographic Acronos'.
Maioko: "Hey Acronos, what 'cha doing?"
H Acronos: "Just recording a message to send to when we went forward in time seven years, you remember the Legend of Zelda world?"
H Maioko: "Oh yeah, that! Cool, is my younger self there yet?"
H Acronos: "I couldn't tell, this is a message, so I'm not communicating."
Acronos: "Computer, can you put this into communication, they technically exist at this present moment."
Computer: "Hold on… Yeah, I got it."
Acronos: "Hey… Me!"
H Acronos: "Oh yeah, I did turn it to speaker back then. Hi… Me…. Man this is weird."
Acronos: "Yeah, talking with myself, except that it's normal."
Link: "Hey, is my older self there?"
(Lets stick with Y for young and A for adult: A) Acronos: "Nah, sorry buddy, we're on a different world right now."
Link: "Damn."
A Acronos: "I can give you some advice, though."
Link: "What?"
A Acronos: "Be careful, those girls you met seven years ago, they kinda love you now. Mini-me, you gotta teach him the whole "Birds and Bees" thing. Yuck."
Y Acronos: "Why me?"
A Acronos: "You're there."
Y Acronos: "So are you right now!"
A Maioko: "A fight between the Acronos of both times, this'll be interesting."
Y Acronos: "Lets do this later. What else you got?"
A Maioko: "Hey, how long until we. (Her mouth is covered by Acronos)"
A Acronos: "Shh! We can't reveal that much info, it might not happen!"
A Maioko: "Right. Can I give hints to myself?"
A Acronos: "Yeah, I've already done that for myself, which rocks since only I sometimes understand my riddles."
Y Acronos: "Ahem? The info you are capable of giving?"
A Acronos: "Hmm, oh yeah, Blasphemy isn't what he seems."
Y Acronos: "I kinda figured that out already."
Y Maioko: "Hey, what's up?" She rested her head on Acronos'. He looked up, not expecting much of a change, but boy was he wrong. It was like a slap to the face, she had become beautiful! Not that she was any other way in his normal time, but now she took beauty to the next level, (Please note that I'm using A Acronos' opinion here. Maioko: "(Blush)" Acronos: "Huh?"). Acronos had the sudden, inexplicable desire to embrace her. He immediately shook his head very hard. Maioko looked down to make a joke, but upon seeing him, was hit with the exact same emotions, making her shake her head hard as well. The situation had gone from casual and everyday, to extremely awkward in about two seconds.
A Acronos: "Yep, this is why you need to follow my hint."
A Maioko: "Hey cool, it's my younger self!" This broke the ice and awkwardness.
Y Maioko: "Hey, you're me as I am now! Nice to see you! I look like that? I kick ass!"
A Maioko: "Not only that, but you catch every male's eye in a room, including the one of a certain devilishly handsome swordsman that I can't mention right now… (Seductive grin)"
Y Acronos: "(Supreme blush, steam coming off head)"
A Acronos: "(Slight blush) Ahh, right… Did it just get hotter in here, or was that you?"
Y Acronos: "I evolve into using pick-up lines? Someone shoot me, right now."
Irvine: "That can be arranged. Holy hell! You look like a hero! Not only that, but you look like you could make any female's jaw drop! Maioko, same goes to you, but with male jaws."
Y Maioko: "Huh?"
Y Acronos: "Does he ever get any better?"
A Acronos: "I'm afraid not. He'll actually get worse, the only thing stopping him from flirting with every decent looking female that's moving is Selphie."
Y Acronos: "Speaking of which, where is everyone? Did you finish your quest by now?"
A Acronos: "Been there, done that. Door of light opened, along with justice. Oh yeah, that's the second mission, but you'll find out."
A Maioko: "You almost killed yourself about, hmm, what's the count now… I think you've cheated death 1000 times, from yesterday."
Y Acronos: "A thousand times? I kick ass!"
Y Maioko: "Where are you guys right now?"
A Maioko: "Destiny Islands. Taking a break at our house, (Slaps hands over mouth) you weren't supposed to hear that…"
Y Acronos: "…? Did your house get destroyed or something, for me to be bunking with you again?"
A Maioko: "(Nervous) Ah, yeah. That's it."
Irvine: "(Snickering) Judging by previous comments, I'd say that it's a bit less innocent than that…"
A Acronos: "Irvine, say another word, I dare you. I've got enough dirt on you from your past to make you need therapy for life!"
Irvine: "Uhh, well I guess a joke is only good if it's funny… Heh?"
Y Acronos: "I'll just pretend that never happened. Hmm, Why not play a joke? When did you two get married?"
A Maioko: "Not yet… I mean, we weren't planning to, I mean, we're just friends, I mean, oh screw it!"
A Acronos: "(Smiling kindly) Mai, you do realize what you just did, don't you?"
Y Acronos: "Uhh, good thing I turned that to low volume accidentally, I think I shouldn't have asked that."
A Acronos: "You heard nothing? Remember that I can tell if you lie."
Y Acronos: "Nada."
Y Maioko: "Any other hints?"
A Maioko: "Oh yeah, there is one very important one that applies to you in particular. No matter what, don't jump to any conclusions!! If you do, you risk seriously hurting Acronos, possibly killing him!
Oh, and if you feel any odd feelings that you've never felt before, and kinda don't understand… Just deal with them, don't suppress them. Odds are that things will go your way. This regards extremely strong feelings, if you know what I mean…"
Y Acronos: "Huh? Could you repeat that, this time in English?"
A Maioko: "Ah, I love that childish innocence in you, Acronos."
Y Acronos: "Uhh, which one?"
A Maioko: "Both of you are one person, remember?"
Y Acronos: "(You can practically hear his brain stop completely)."
A Maioko: "It's very useful for sending unheard messages. Did you get that, younger self?"
Y Maioko: "Sorta. Since Acronos always blocks up when the subject turns to love -."
A Acronos: "In a year or two it'll stop."
A Maioko: "But not of your own accord, eh?"
A Acronos: "When did you turn from the girl who was my best friend and loved to beat my head in, to my best friend who loves to beat me senseless with seduction?"
A Maioko: "You know when. (Devilish smirk)"
A Acronos: "(Loving smile) Why do I even try to beat you?"
A Maioko: "I don't know, but it's always good for a laugh."
Y Acronos: "(Lying on the floor in a fetal position, his brain has shut off totally)"
Y Maioko: "Did I start beating your head in about now?"
A Acronos: "When we first met."
Y Maioko: "Ah, good point. (Pokes Acronos a bit, rolls him with her foot, and then smacks him upside the head. About a minute later he gets up and rubs his head.)"
Y Acronos: "Sorry, my brain did a full systems shut down."
Y Maioko: "Ahem?"
Y Acronos: "Oh yeah. Thank thee noble maiden, for rescuing me from the dredges of not having my brain in working order. (Bows extravagantly)"
Y Maioko: "(Giggles a bit) Thou art indeed welcome, brave sir. (Curtsies)"
A Acronos: "Ahh, remember that?"
A Maioko: "Yeah." Everyone begins to wake up.
A Acronos: "Oh boy. Hold on for a bit."
Acane: "Where am I?"
Y Acronos: "Long story short: We're seven years older, along with Hyrule."
Acane: "Why is Maioko floating over your computer?"
A Maioko: "Older Acronos was sending a failsafe transmission, and then his younger self turned it into regular communication."
Acane: "Cool. Do you have any dirt that I can use on anybody?"
A Maioko: "Well, I have dirt on myself that you and Selphie would probably laugh your heads off at, but I'm not about to tell." Older Acronos comes back with everyone else.
A Acronos: "I'm back!" Upon closer inspection, everyone who had just become older began to applaud everyone else's good looks.
A Acane: "Hey, there's me, but technically younger!"
A Selphie: "Hey, me too!"
Y Selphie: "What's going to happen?"
A Selphie: "I'd tell you, but Acronos here says that might interfere with everything."
A Acronos: "What? It's true!"
A Irvine: "Hey Acronos, Maioko, mind if I raid your fridge?"
A Acronos: "You know I never care, Irvine, but I don't know about Maioko."
A Maioko: "Don't give too big a raid, we haven't been shopping in a while, and the rain isn't showing signs of stopping just yet."
A Irvine: "Can't Acronos do a rain stop spell, or just slow down time again?"
Y Acronos: "I learn to slow down time?"
A Irvine: "Hello, haven't you noticed that your name is almost totally centered on 'Chronos', who is usually associated with time?"
Y Acronos: "Can I do it now?"
A Acronos: "First off, be careful, second off, all you should be able to do is use your current time magic with more strength than most other people."
Y Acronos: "Hey, it's better than nothing."
A Kairi: "Hey, can I speak to my younger self?"
Y Kairi: "Yeah, what's up?"
A Kairi: "I have a little advice for you that Acronos says is okay. Never give up hope, the journey that you're actually on will take a long time, but it'll end very well.
Actually, even when you meet your objective, it won't be over for you. C'mon Acronos, can't I tell myself?"
A Acronos: "Well, I guess, but younger Kairi? Remember, if you expect everything and make no attempt to get it, it won't happen the way it's supposed to."
A Kairi: "Yay! Okay, you'll meet with Sora at a ball on Destiny Islands, the celebration for the moon if I'm correct. Acronos will invite everyone he knows, and since he met up with Sora when he was a spirit, Sora will arrive, mainly due to boredom.
You'll see each other, but you'll both be wearing masks. Your instincts will compel you two to dance, and when it's over, you'll ask each other's names. Upon that… I think I'll leave the rest to fate, and your imagination."
A Tifa: "Hey, what'd I miss?"
A Acronos: "Late night with Cloud, or more like a late morning? (Slapped upside the head) OWW!"
A Tifa: "Just so you know, Cloud's out training at Olympus Coliseum today, I just took my time putting on rain gear."
A Maioko: "Sure you did…"
A Tifa: "Grr. So what's the big emergency that you called everyone over for?"
A Acronos: "No emergency, we're just talking with our younger selves, who are currently seven years older because they were in the Legend of Zelda world."
A Tifa: "Sweet! Am I there?"
Y Tifa: "Hmm, I guess I don't look too bad…"
A Tifa: "Younger self!"
Y Tifa: "Hey, it's older me!"
A Tifa: " 'Old'?"
Y Tifa: "Older than me, but not old."
A Tifa: "Right, I forgot you knew what you'd… Ah screw it!"
A Irvine: "Hey, younger me! Find a guy called Leon/Squall, he should help you out in ways even you don't know."
Y Irvine: "Leon or Squall?"
A Irvine: "Yeah. This will help Selphie too."
A Selphie: "Speaking of which, younger self, be sure to continue playing match-maker, but remember: if someone gets together because of you and not because of themselves, their romance always sucks. Follow this strategy for the Paopu ones, and the sun and moon combo. (She means Acronos and Maioko and Tidus and Yuna)"
Y Selphie: "I understand."
Y Acronos: "You do? I sure don't."
A Acane: "Hey, the younger version of me, the kind of guy you're really looking for is someone who's from your world, someone who can share your sorrow totally. There is such a guy, and ripe for the picking too."
Y Acane: "Thanks, I always wanted to figure that out, but now who could it be? Auron? Nah."
A Acane: "(Raised eyebrow) I'll leave you to your devices. Oh… IT'S NOT TIDUS!"
Y Tidus: "Huh?"
A Tidus: "Mini-me, stay strong, and don't be afraid of your emotions. Oh yeah, it's all right to hate someone, and all right to love someone too, just don't get obsessive over anything. Ask Acronos or Maioko on that one… OWW! (Is hit quite hard by both of them)"
A Yuna: "To my younger self: your emotions can be followed, and try to see beyond being kind, but your emotions should help you there. You might go through a bit of a phase of unnecessary toughness for a bit, but remember, the key to life is balance."
A Auron: "… It is fine for you, my younger self, to have emotions, and to talk. Don't restrain yourself absolutely, as Yuna mentioned, balance is key,"
A Acronos: "I think that about wraps it up… Hold on!"
A Riku: "(Fangirls swoon) hey, what's up?"
A Acronos: "We were talking to our younger selves when they turned that way in the Legend of Zelda world."
A Riku: "Am I there?"
Y Acronos: "Hey, you're that Riku person who was supposed to be the keyblade wielder, but chose the darkness!"
A Riku: "So I'm not there. Listen kid; do me a favor, would you? You're bound to meet me at some point, so please try and convince me that all bad things aren't my fault. I may look tough on the outside and all that, but the whole Kingdom Hearts incident is always weighing down on me.
A sparring match might do it, but be careful since if you try to make me deal with it and spar at the same time, I might be a little more powerful than I should be. Hey, Sora's coming, now we're having a full house party!"
A Acronos: "No parties, we don't have enough food, the house isn't ready… Aww who am I kidding, just don't break anything, you guys are always allowed in here."
A Sora: "Hey people!"
Y Kairi: "Sora!"
A Kairi: "Sora!" Both spoke at the same time.
A Sora: "Hey Kairi, you sounded a bit louder than usual?"
A Kairi: "Oh yeah, that's my younger self."
A Sora: "Huh?"
A Acronos: "Failsafe, turned to chatting, should've gotten here on time."
A Sora: "Sorry, bad habit."
Y Kairi: "Sora, where were you all this time?"
A Sora: "I was only at the house, you knew that?"
Y Kairi: "Umm, younger Kairi speaking. I meant in my time."
A Sora: "Oh, I'm so sorry! Actually, I don't know at the moment. I could be anywhere, I tended to teleport a lot."
Y Kairi: "Darn…"
A Sora: "I'm really sorry, but I can't interfere with the past, plus I'm too absentminded to remember exactly where I was at this particular moment. I'm sorry."
Y Kairi: "Sigh, it's okay. At least I know I'll find you at some point."
A Sora: "Yeah, always look on the bright side!"
Y Kairi: "Well, I guess changing a lot just isn't you?"
A Sora: "Well, I have changed, but I'm still the same basic person."
A Acronos: "We all are, we're still as goofy as seven years ago, and probably will be for life!"
A Sora: "This life. I'm probably going to be reincarnated the moment I die, if not earlier."
A Irvine: "Agreed, but I'll be reincarnated a bits slower, unless you can use some influence?"
A Acronos: "You know I'm not even allowed up there yet. I'm barely allowed into the usually meeting place!"
A Irvine: "Sorry."
A Acronos: "No problem. Hmm, well lets at least savor our lives, they're what we've got, no matter how bad the world, at least until we lose them, which isn't cool."
A Tidus: "To savoring our lives."
A Maioko: "Where'd you get that champagne from?"
A Acronos: "Doesn't matter. Oh yeah, one more thing. Younger me, don't try to read today's files, or tomorrow's, or anything like that. Besides, you won't be able to since I've blocked computer not to be able to read memos or that stuff until you leave that world, so, see you!"
With that, the hologram shut down to the image of everyone clinking glasses in a toast. Acronos risked another look at everybody, but of course he looked at Maioko, and some habits were whispering stuff into his head... His brain stopped again. Maioko turned to ask what was wrong, but looked down, and proceeded to get a nosebleed.
Maioko: "Must look away! Hey, where's the annoying voice? It's gone, Yay! " After shaking off the initial headache, everyone went to Acronos' mirror. When Tidus first saw Yuna, he proceeded to open his mouth and out came a waterfall of drool, he couldn't stop himself, especially since she was wearing very, very revealing clothes.
Acane and Selphie looked at Acronos, noticed the fact that he looked like he did, and proceeded to drool. Auron calmly closed Acane's mouth, careful not to get any drool on him. Selphie stopped on her own, remembering she had Irvine. Unfortunately, Maioko's nosebleed wasn't going to stop anytime soon. After another few moments, Acronos' brain rebooted, and he noticed Maioko was bleeding.
Acronos: "Ahh! Maioko, are you okay?" He ran up to her and looked at her closely, concerned. This only made it worse, because now Maioko was fighting the inexplicable, and extremely powerful, urge to kiss him passionately. Acronos looked closer, and noticed that his instincts were saying the same thing, so he backed away before they could take control. He cast Cure on her, stopping the bleeding.
Acronos: "There. Any better?"
Maioko: "(Was about to give up, nods)"
Rauru: "Ahem? You should start up your quest now. I'll give Link the Medallion of Light, and you shall have to go and awaken all the Sages." He gives Link a fancy yellow Medallion with an interesting symbol on it, and they are sent back into the Temple of Time. Everyone looks around them.
Navi: "Well, that was interesting, but it can't really have been seven years, can it?"
Acronos: "Probably was… Yuna, why are you wearing something that, well, Uhh, revealing?"
Yuna: "Hmm, don't know. Hey, I have some guns, cool!" She fires a few times and aims her guns in front of her. Spinning them around, she holsters them.
Irvine: "Nice Yuna, but the shotgun's still better."
Yuna: "Oh yeah?" They begin an argument that seems to pop up around anyone with long-range weapons. After the group takes a few steps forward, past the raised area, they all stop, feeling someone's eyes on them. Link turns, drawing his sword.
Sheik: "I am Sheik."
Tidus: "Zelda!"
Sheik: "My name is not Zelda, I am Sheik."
Tidus: "Zelda."
Sheik: "Sheik."
Tidus: "Zelda."
Sheik: "Sheik."
Tidus: "Zelda."
Sheik: "Sheik."
Tidus: "Zelda."
Sheik: "Sheik."
Tidus: "Zelda!"
Sheik: "My name is Sheik, not the princess of Hyrule, get it right!!!"
Tidus: "Yeesh, all you had to do was tell me your name, no need to get snappy." Sheik does an anime fall.
Sheik: "Well, there goes my image. Sigh. Anyway, in a futile attempt to restore my image and mysteriousness-"
Acronos: "You're going to tell us where the Sages are in a poem and tell us about the Forest Sage."
Sheik: "(Looks miserable) Stop stealing my lines! Okay, that's it, screw what she told me, just get the hell away from me and to Kakariko, go race the dead guy there, get the hook-shot, and go to the Lost Woods for the Forest Temple! … I shouldn't have said that, should I?"
Acronos: "Well, that officially clears up any questions one might have about whether you're a guy or a girl."
Maioko: "I've got a better test." She pulls out some perfume (Maioko: "Why do I have perfume?") and sprays it near Tidus. He hisses and cowers away from it. She repeats with all the other guys for a similar reaction, except for Auron who simply pulls his head deeper into his collar, and Acronos who starts coughing. She sprays it on Selphie, who sniffs and thanks her.
Maioko: "Now that you see the differences…" She sprays Sheik, who jumps back, hissing, and lunges at her, attempting to burn the perfume. Maioko just whacks his head, knocking him out.
Maioko: "He's a guy." They leave Sheik there and go out of the Temple. Acronos stops right outside the door.
Acronos: "Hold on, I feel… different. Hmm… hormone count is different…"
Tidus: "You can tell how many hormones you have?"
Acronos: "It appears that my sixth sense and the rest of my senses have been increased tenfold over the years. Hmm…"
Selphie: "Wait, that stance difference, Acronos!"
Acronos: "Yeah?"
Selphie: "Stand in a comfortable position." He does so, albeit confused.
Selphie: "It's official, our leader-"
Acronos: "Actually I'm navigator, Maioko's leader."
Selphie: "Whatever, I just want to congratulate you. At this age you are no longer a virgin." A collective gasp rings through the group, and Acronos' eyes widen.
Acronos: "Oh, so that's why my body is emitting pheromones in a different manner. Now that I think about it, just about everyone here has a similar scent. My conclusion: none of us are virgins, except for Link, who still smells the same." Another collective gasp.
Link: "What's a virgin?" Anime falls all around.
Tidus: "Who's gonna be the one to explain this to him?"
Acronos: "How about nobody, his mind is still only ten."
Link: "What?!"
Acane: "Another day Link, another day." They leave and head into the market square, or what used to be the market square, but is now merely rubble with a few Re-dead inhabiting it. They are dispatched, and they head to the castle, or what was once the castle, but is now a fort floating over a pit of lava. Link gasps upon seeing this, along with just about everybody else, except for Acronos and Tidus, who merely shake their heads. They start to follow, but Acronos pauses in mid-step.
Acronos: "What's going on? D: "Your memories are coming back all at once, get ready, this will hurt."" Slowly at first, but faster and faster, images began flashing in front of Acronos. He clutched his head, his body making an effort to stop the pain, but it really wasn't about to happen. Finally, after the intense pain of all things returning to him, the images, smells, sounds, tastes, and feelings began to sort themselves out. A few memories decided to stand out.
At a park in Acronos' memories
Chibi Acronos: "(Playing happily)"
Chibi Maioko: "Hi, can I play here?"
Chibi Acronos: "Sure, no problem!" They both play in a sandbox, Acronos working on something that looks a lot like a house. He put the finishing touches on it and smiled proudly.
Chibi Maioko: "Wow, that's really cool! How can you do that?"
Chibi Acronos: "Dunno, but it's fun!" Three bigger kids come over and one grinds his foot into Chibi Acronos' masterpiece. He looks forlornly at what was once a bit of art.
Bully 1: "Hey kids, you have any money?"
Chibi Maioko: "No, and why would I give money to a mean person like you? You broke his house!"
Bully 1: "So? We can do what we want, including that. You have any money, wimp?" Chibi Acronos shakes his head and another bully grabs him and lifts him off the ground by his collar.
Bully 2: "What if we don't believe you?"
Chibi Maioko: "Hey, put him down!" She punched the bully a few times in the stomach, and finally kicks him in the head, forcing him to put down Chibi Acronos and clutch his head. Another one grabs her in a full Nelson, and the other two begin punching her in the stomach. After about a second or two, Chibi Acronos spoke up.
Chibi Acronos: "Put her down and leave her alone!"
Bully 1: "Why should we, because a wimp like you told us to?" Acronos has his hair a bit long, and it goes in front of his eyes as he picks up a rather thick stick. He looks at them, no longer with the wide eyes of a child, but slits of red, those of a Devil.
Chibi Acronos: "I told you to put her down you insignificant sack of putrid flesh. Leave my comrade alone or you shall face the consequences, and they shall not be pleasant." The bullies put her down and walk towards Chibi Acronos with smirks on their faces, cracking their knuckles.
Bully 1: "She's down, but only if you're willing to take her place."
Chibi Acronos: "I will, if you can harm me." They run at him with a war cry. Chibi Acronos smirks defiantly and lowers into a stance, after waiting for the proper opening, he slashes from the lower left into the bully on his right side's stomach, turns his stick and smacks the middle one's stomach as well, and turns and smacks the third's back. He stays with the stick held out in front of him as they get up. The bullies look at him, now a bit frightened.
Though their better instincts tell them to run, they charge again, only to be met with an attack (a slice from lower left to upper right, similar to unsheathing a blade from the hip) with enough force to send them flying and break the stick in half, even though it was about as thick as somebody's hand. Chibi Acronos stands over them, smirking evilly with his eyes shining red, until he remembers that being evil isn't nice, and his eyes go back to brown and he immediately begins fretting. Finally he gives up on them and turns to Maioko, who is looking at him with wide eyes. He rubs the back of his head, expecting her to scream or something, (Maioko: "Devil child!" Acronos: "So sue me, I still hadn't fully gotten my Devil side under control." Devil: "Actually, those were my instincts, but in this situation you were happy to use them." Acronos: "True, but…" Maioko: "You rock even as a kid!").
Chibi Maioko: "Wow that was cool!"
Chibi Acronos: "Huh? You think so?"
Chibi Maioko: "How'd you get that strong?"
Chibi Acronos: "Don't tell anyone, but (looks around) I'm a swordsman in disguise. (Devil: " 'Swordsman'?" Acronos: "(Shrugs) I didn't understand what a demon or a Devil was back then.")"
Chibi Maioko: "Really?"
Chibi Acronos: "Yeah, cool isn't it? The sword-guy is a bit mean, but he's really smart."
Chibi Maioko: "Wow… (Maioko's parents call her) Oh, I've got to leave."
Chibi Acronos: "Aww. I'm on vacation; I don't live here, so I won't see you again. (Acronos: "Ah, my vacation in England, quite nice…")"
Chibi Maioko: "Well, let's still be friends, okay? Pinky swear?"
Chibi Acronos: "Sure!" The shake on it and Acronos' parents call him this time.
Chibi Maioko: "We'll see each other again sometime! Oh, what's your name?"
Chibi Acronos: "My name's Acronos! How about you?"
Chibi Maioko: "My name is Maioko!" They wave and go on their separate ways.
Another memory
A slightly younger Acronos is wandering around near his home and walks into a forested area. After some time he manages to climb up a large hill that overlooks the sea.
Acronos: "Someday I'll get even stronger, and I'll be able to see everything, even what's past here, and not just on a vacation. I'll see it all and learn!"
Shadowed figure (It's not Ansem, just so you know): "Are you really worthy of seeing all that's out there?"
Acronos: "Huh? What do you mean?"
Shadowed Figure: "If you're not strong enough spiritually, you are not worthy of seeing and learning all that is out there."
Acronos: "Well if I'm not, I'll get stronger and stronger, there's no way I'll let anything stop me!"
Shadowed Figure: "Good, you're pretty strong already, perhaps you are the master of the sacred weapon."
Acronos: "Huh?"
Shadowed Figure: "I am but a storyteller, interested in learning of what happens and may happen. I was only passing through when I heard you."
Acronos: "Well, can you help me get where I'm going?"
Shadowed Figure: "Hmm, I don't usually give advice to the characters of the stories in life, but then again, it may be something you should know. To truly be the strongest, there are many methods people say, and few that actually work. To strengthen your heart, know that you must help everybody, work towards everybody's dreams, not just your own. Find your balance in everyone, and grow stronger through balance, not just one thing, do you understand me?"
Acronos: "Not fully, but enough. I will balance myself and not uphold one single dream, but strive to aid others in their dreams. If I am not for myself, then I shall become stronger, is that right?"
Shadowed Figure: "About. Keep at it, little keyblade master. (Disappears)"
Back to reality
Acronos found himself on the ground, still clutching his head, with everyone surrounding him. He shook his head lightly and got up. He smiled at everybody.
Acronos: "No need to worry about me, I'm fine." He motions for them to follow him and takes off at a run, and leads them outside the town and to Lon-Lon Ranch. Acronos stands waiting, knowing he went a bit too fast. He shrugs and begins to survey what has been happening. His friends arrived momentarily, and he gestured for them to follow him. They entered the stables, and Link saw Malon looking a little older, but working at cleaning the place out.
Link: "Hey Malon!"
Malon: "Ahh!" She jumps back, scared witless. Link waits for her to notice who it is, but she doesn't recognize him.
Malon: "Who are you all?" Link looks at her sadly and doesn't say a word.
Acronos: "Umm, just some wanderers are all we are, Miss. Please excuse my friend, he thought you were somebody else." He leads Link outside.
Acronos: "I'm sorry man, but right now she's a bit too preoccupied to know who you are. This ranch is currently owned by Ingo, and the evil radiated through Hyrule affected him as well. So you know, nothing is nice anymore, everything has ended up bad because of Ganon and it's up to you to fix Hyrule. Do you get the gravity of this mission? (Link nods) Good. Now, I want you to go up to Ingo calmly and pretend this never happened. Talk normally with him and ask to ride a horse. Call Epona with the song Malon taught you seven years ago. Wait for the time to end. Do it again and Ingo will probably ask to race you. Keep to the inside of the track, stay in front of him, and do every dirty trick you can think of to win. Race him again and do the same thing, or just race honorably and win in that manner (go for the inside of the track when he goes for the outside). Once you do that, we'll talk again." Link nods, puts on a determined look, and goes to talk with Ingo. Acronos goes to a nearby tree and leans against it.
Maioko: "Was that really necessary?"
Acronos: "It's what needed to be done."
Maioko: "I meant being that harsh."
Acronos: "Harsh? Oh, I was, wasn't I? I should apologize when he comes to talk again, but it wouldn't be good if Link punched Ingo in the face, now would it?" Everyone watches the race, and finally Acronos shakes his head really hard for a good portion of time, and when finished, looks relieved and back to normal. After Link managed to beat Ingo in the race, all gates closed, sealing them in.
Ingo: "You can keep the horse, but you can never leave this ranch."
Tidus: "That's dirty and you know it!"
Ingo: "So?" Acronos just walks up to the gate and dangles a large rupee on the inside.
Acronos: "(Taunting) You know you want it... But you can't have it..." Ingo is slowly led towards the gate until he's against it, attempting to go through it.
Acronos: "Link, I'm sorry about being harsh before."
Link: "No problem."
Acronos: "Alrighty then. At this rate Ingo is going to open the gate (Hey that rhymes!). When he does, take this rupee and jump over the wall with it on Epona. We'll leave the normal way." A moment later Ingo actually ripped through the gate. Acronos tossed the rupee to Link, who rode at full speed and jumped over the wall on his horse. Ingo crashed into the wall and moaned lamely. Acronos calmly opened what little gate there was and they all strolled out. Link came up to them on his horse, breathless.
Link: "That was so cool! I gotta do that again!"
Tidus: "You'll have to wait, we're going to Kakariko."
Link: "See you there, (Cackles while zooming off)"
Acane: "We're never going to hear the end of this, are we?"
Auron: "A horse, he's lucky, they're fast."
Irvine: "Never pictured you as the horse loving person."
Auron: "... Watch your back Irvine."
Irvine: "Huh?" Selphie tackled him, laughing. Irvine was quite surprised, but managed to keep his balance. Auron smirked and left it at that.
Lulu: "Hey Acronos, any luck with your time magic?"
Acronos: "A bit, I'm able to manipulate reality to an extent."
Lulu: "Good job, but I decided to study this, and learnt many of these newer spells myself." Acronos gave her a thumbs up, and they reached Kakariko. They went to the graveyard and Tidus pulled open a grave. They jumped down and the ghost of the grave keeper greeted them with a challenge to race. Everyone smirked and Acane took off.
Acronos: "Wait! He has to lead, we don't know the route!" She slows down to their speed and they manage to get to the end. The grave keeper gave them a hook shot that Link could use. After finding the way out, they came to the windmill where the organ grinder who seemed to live there taught them the song of storms that an ocarina player had used to mess with the windmill.
Kairi: "Hey, if we learnt it from him, and he learnt it from us, then..."
Tidus: "Who…?"
Acronos: "Isn't time travel fun?" After this, Tidus told Link a few places he needed to go for heart pieces and skultula tokens. Returning to Lon-Lon Ranch made Link a lot happier after waking up Talon again in Kakariko and telling him to go back, Malon recognized him as he was walking in and ran up and hugged him.
Malon: "It's you, isn't it, Link?"
Link: "… Took you long enough. (Smiles)"
Malon: "Wow, it's great to finally see you after all these years! Speaking of that, what happened to you? Hyrule has been taken over by Ganondorf, and everyone seems to be turning evil, even around this ranch! Well, that is until you showed up… (Slight blush)" They talked for a while, and Acronos had a sudden surge of evil matchmaking ideas. To save himself from the horrible pain these promised, he told Selphie that a gossip statue had told him that Malon was looking for a knight in shining armor to come for her. He saw her eyes light up and figured he'd done enough. Unfortunately Selphie didn't think so and proceeded to force him to help her. Even more unfortunate, he had to deal with Malon, and he knew what would come from this. As he walked to her he began the spell for a barrier over his head.
Acronos: "So Malon, I heard that you were looking for a knight in shining armor? (She looks at him oddly) No, not me. I just wanted to ask if you were thinking of trading the shiny armor for a bright tunic? (Points at Link)" Malon gaped for a few seconds, turned several shades of red, and finally settled on furious. Luckily Acronos had already sprinted off and climbed to the top of a house and wasn't near enough to incur the full wrath of Malon, (Malon: "Where's my pitchfork?!" Acronos: "O_O Ahh!!! (Runs away)"). Malon grabbed the nearest long-range weapon (milk bottles) and began chucking them at him, yelling like crazy.
Malon: "(After enough yelling to be able to think coherently) And, I don't even feel that way! But if you say anything… (Very threatening tone)"
Acronos: "My lips are sealed, but you really shouldn't hold your emotions in too long… Wait a minute; I'll have to do this again since we'll be going back… (Whacked on head) @_@ Owwie… (Falls down the roof onto the ground in a suitably painful manner)"
They then headed for the Forest temple. Acronos decided to get away as fast as possible, and Link had the same idea with Selphie, so Acronos called Fenrir while Link got on his horse. The two animals looked at each other and gave a few noises in their own language. After some speech, the two went to the exit of Kakariko.
Acronos: "What's going on?"
Fenrir: "A race." Acronos' eyes widened as he relayed this to Link. Both gripped on tightly, Acronos counted down, and they were both flung back by the sheer power of their steeds. Acronos' hair looked like a black flag behind Fenrir, while Link's hat had flown off, only to be barely caught, and his long blonde hair, (almost Acronos' length) whipped behind him along with the long green cap in his hand. As the two reached their destination of Kokiri Forest, the riders were flung off in a burst of speed, and were later found on the ground with swirly eyes. When they entered Kokiri Forest, they saw monsters all over the place. Link called Saria with her song, but she told him she was in the Temple and needed help.
Acane: "I think we've found our first Sage."
Link: "We've got to help her!" He ran through the Lost Woods that still echoed Saria's song. Mido blocked their entrance, but moved aside after Link played Saria's Song. Link was about to run into the hedge maze before the Temple, but Acronos stopped him.
Acronos: "Rushing will just get you killed quickly. Look." Around the corner a pig-humanoid with large muscles and a spear marched.
Acronos: "Either blast his back with the hook-shot, or hit him with a Deku nut and cut him to pieces." Link launches the nut like a grenade and cleaves the pig in half.
Acronos: "Let's save time, I'll give you all a boost to the top of the maze and you can go from there." He does so and they all run across the tops to the end. After dispatching a larger pig, they came upon the Temple, with the stump Saria sat at now empty. Sheik came in and spouted some poetic stuff about the flow of time, but stopped upon noticing that no one was paying the least attention to him, and instead were trying to comfort Link.
Sheik: "Look, hero. Your friend is in that temple, a sage you must awaken. Besides, even if time erodes a memory, that person still lives, within your heart. Now, listen to the Minuet of Forest." Sheik played a song on his harp, and Link and Acronos followed along on their respective instruments. Link's resolve strengthened, he nodded to Sheik.
Sheik: "(Smirk under the bandages over his face) See you later, heroes." He throws a Deku nut down and disappears.
Well that's that, unfortunately.
Riku: "What do you mean, unfortunately, that's a bunch of stuff in one chapter!"
Link: "(Pantomimes)"
Navi: "He says: when did I get to be a diplomat?"
(Shrugs) inspiration and luck, makes more sense than sneaking in, methinks. You are the messenger of the Royal Family, and the Hero of Time, why do anything normally?
Link: "(Blush)"
Mal: "Booyah, go me! Fear my might you puny weaklings!"
Dante: "Fear a weakling like you? Why would I do something like that?"
Dante, when did you get here?
Mal: "Oh yeah? Why don't we make this a duel?"
Dante: "Prepare to have your ass kicked!" In ten seconds he is thrashed painfully.
Mal: "(In assassin mode, sounds evil) Has nobody learnt not to underestimate their opponent yet? C'mon author, make the characters stronger already, I need a challenge!"
Blasphemy, get your cloaked ass out here and give your second in command a challenge!
Narrator: "And they fought, though Blasphemy stood little chance against the might of Mal, he put up a good fight."
Mal: "Good one Blasphemy, I actually broke a sweat."
Blasphemy: "I need to train more… (Twitching spasmodically with his limbs sticking out at odd and painful-looking angles)"
Narrator: "Are you going to keep spouting out these enormous chapters?"
Actually, I thought this would be a short chapter, but I still haven't even gotten the sages saved yet! I barely got them to the Temple of Time! I think next chapter will finish up this world, have a look at Mal's reasoning (though I may save that for later… yeah I will save it), a Riku cameo again, perhaps another bunch of cameos, and then we hit the Rurouni Kenshin world!
Acronos: "Why so excited?"
Two new personalities for you on that world, and your swordsmanship skills will increase 100 fold! Batou Jutsu, Shukuchi, Aoshi's kodachi techniques, etc…
Kenshin: "I do not like the sound of that, that I do not."
Maioko: "Who are you?! Why is your hair red like that?"
Kenshin: "It is a long story, that it is."
Acronos: "What's with the 'that it is' thing?"
Kenshin: "It is a habit. I apologize."
Maioko: "It's okay."
Blasphemy: "Hmm… you're a fighter… a damn good one at that…"
Kenshin: "Shh! You'll alert half the population to that, that you will!"
Acronos: "Alrighty then… uhh, review this story by clicking the little purple button to the lower left to please the author?"
Hey, thanks Acronos!
