Lucky devils, aintcha? Why? Because I forgot to ask specifically for five reviews and, thusly, cannot hold you liable for only getting three. Let's reply!

Numdenu: (Legend of Advertisement) Funny, eh? I like yours too and eagerly await the next chapter!

JMG: Still nothing to say? Well, jeeeeeeez. You can just rant, y'know? Ranting is ocassionally humorous, if you do it right.

Dragon-Charmer16: You're in school, aren't you? I can tell because your review came late and it was kinda short. No worries; a review is a review. I think you'll like the next chapter. I think everyone will like the next chapter! Muahahahahahhahaha!

That does it for my (three) review replies. School being imminent and all, I think I'll drop the five review policy. Reviews aren't everything, right? Note: Got some help on this chapter from a great friend o' mine. See the ending authoress rant for more info.

Let's get this chapter started!

Chapter 12: Sky

Hieke paused in the center of the Sacred Ground. "Belong," she whispered, her eyes closed. Link took her hand and led her away from the place, towards the castle. Zelda and the others came running from the courtyard to meet them. "Miss Hieke, are you all right?" James asked, tugging gently at the Spirit's robe. Kaze led him away from the girl.

"Link! You're okay! What happened?" Navi asked eagerly. "We killed Wythe," Link reported simply. Hieke sat down against a wall, her cloak folded around her. Kaze sat beside her. "Hey," he greeted with a smile. She didn't seem to acknowledge him. "I know you can hear me," the thief sighed. "Say, Hieke… That song Lea used to sing, the lullaby, do you think you could sing it now?"

Hieke opened her eyes and stared at Kaze. She turned away and began to sing:

"The sand drifts slowly amongst the stars

and settles by the moon

Across the Sands of Time they fly

To sing to the land their tune.

The stars shine bright with the Goddesses' light

Who dance across the sky

They sing to the heavens and to the night

Their haunting lullaby."

Link stared at his friends, momentarily enraptured by the melody, and joined them. "I didn't know that song had lyrics," he smiled. Hieke blinked at him and closed her eyes again. She was like a robot: she would only react if she received a command. Malon noticed the small congregation and chose to join them as well. "What are you doing?" she asked cheerfully.

"Trying to get Hieke back," Kaze muttered sorrowfully, his amethyst eyes downcast. "I am here," the Spirit reminded. Link nodded. "You're here with us physically, but in heart, you could never be further away…"

"I do not understand," Hieke replied. She stared up at the clouded sky. "There's evil brewing," Malon warned with a shiver. Zelda and Navi joined them now. "What are you going to do now, Link?" Navi asked. Link shook his head with a sigh. "Go back to that castle and fight against Drakar, I suppose," he shrugged. "Can you defeat him?" Zelda inquired worriedly.

"Of course we can!" Kaze snapped. "We beat Wythe, didn't we?"

Link looked at Hieke and he closed his eyes, drawing his knees to his chest and resting his chin upon them. Where is my friend…? he asked himself. He felt a hand on his shoulder and expected it to be Zelda's or Malon's, but found in surprise that the hand belonged to none other than Hieke.

"Lord Kuro would expect you to be upset," she stated with the faintest glimmer of a smile. Link smiled and looked back to the sky, which had cleared somewhat. "When this is over, I hope I can just have a break," he sighed. "Saving Hyrule every other month gets awfully tiresome, y'know?"

Zelda nodded. "Fretting over the fate of the world isn't an easy task, either," she added. "Got to constantly check up on the people of the country and make sure they're all right. Often I lay awake at night just worrying about everyone."

"Oh, please!" Kaze scoffed. "Your job is to sit on your royal butt all day and write things down! Link and me do the real fighting. We're the ones that should be lying awake at night if anyone!"

"Guys, my mind is constantly plagued by all kinds of horrendous nightmares of evil and darkness! While I get to sleep, never is it restful!" Malon interjected.

"Link is my best friend!" Navi chirped. "Constantly he throws himself into danger! Time and time again he has nearly been killed! And who do you think worries her little wings off for him?"

"Well, I sit around feeling completely useless!" James argued. "All I can do is sit here and wait for them to come back! How do you think that makes me feel?"

The debate continued for the longest time, until at last someone spoke out. The voice was an empty ghost rustling the trees on an autumn day. "Stop," the meek, emotionless voice demanded. They looked at her, wondering why she had spoken without being spoken to. Hieke's eyes were open and she gazed ahead blankly.

"Link, you are a great hero. You deserve rest. Zelda, your job can at times be stressful. Kaze, you are a fierce warrior and fight many dreadful battles. Malon, your gift for sensing evil comes with a terrible price on your emotionally stability. Navi, you are justified to worry for your friend. James, there is a great deal that you are not included in. You are all correct. There is no use in argument."

The others looked at each other shamefully. They all needed to calm their nerves. To think they were fighting one another instead of Kuro! "Hieke… you have more right to complain than any of us," Link said. "Your very soul has been stripped away from your body. You can barely think for yourself and have lost all emotion…"

"Not so," Hieke objected. "I have my free thought. What do you think I'm doing when I sit down and close my eyes or stare into the distance? I have lost my soul, not my mind. Though if my soul is not soon returned to me, I fear I may lose my mind."

"Hieke!" Kaze exclaimed. "Did you just make a joke? Ha! I never thought I'd hear it from you again! Now can't you give us a heartfelt smile?"

Hieke shook her head. "I'm sorry, but even I have my limits," she replied, slightly regretful. Zelda stood up and clasped her hands together. "Just because your soul is gone doesn't mean you have to walk around in those rags!" she smiled, taking Hieke's hand and leading her into the castle. "Navi! Malon! Come on!" she called. The two followed curiously.

After a long wait, Zelda, Navi, Malon, and Hieke emerged from the castle. It seemed as though the girls had decided Hieke needed a new set of clothes…

She wore a white shirt with silver ribbons and amber gems and a long blue skirt with a hem of cerulean beads. Chains of glass beads hung around her waist. Ivory bracelets rested at her wrists. Her boots were gray with more ribbon tying it tight. Her hair was set in a long ponytail, held in two places: at her head and halfway down its length. Link and Kaze stared for a long while in awestruck silence. "Girls and their wardrobes," James muttered, rolling his eyes.

"She looks much better this way, doesn't she?" Zelda giggled. Link reached into his pocket, then jumped up and stood in front of Hieke. He held out the Moon Pendant and tied it around her neck. "I kept it… from when you disappeared," he smiled. "Now it's back where it belongs."

Hieke gave an expressionless smile. "Thank you, Link," she said. Kaze sat against the wall, tapping his finger against the floor anxiously. I knew I should have kept it! he scolded himself. Now I don't have a gift for her! Darn you, Link!

Hieke looked at up at the clearing sky. "Master Drakar… do you want help defeating him?" she asked. Link looked at Kaze, who nodded eagerly. But James seemed to have his own plans for the coming battle.

"I'm coming this time!" the child said forcefully.

"Uh… James, I don't think you understand," Link said, smiling nervously. "Drakar is a really strong man. We're going to fight him."

"I know that!" James shouted. "And I'm gonna help! 'Cause if you're willing to put yourselves in danger, then so am I!" The ex-Bomber took out his slingshot proudly. "That won't do anything!" Kaze smirked. He took out a pair of glossy daggers with jeweled hilts and tossed them to the boy. "Fight with 'em. They're much stronger than that little toy you have."

"Kaze!" Link said in a lecturing voice. "He's just a kid! We can't let him fight Drakar!"

"Were you not but a child yourself when you ventured from your forest home to save Hyrule for the first time?" Hieke reminded. She then shrugged and turned her gaze back to the sky. Link bowed his head with a sigh. James was persistent; he wouldn't be left behind this time if he had anything to say about.

"Fine, you can come along. But take care of yourself, all right?" Link agreed in defeat. James laughed at his victory and twirled his new daggers on his fingers. "I'll be fine!" he promised as he tucked the weapons into his pockets.

"No, no! That's no way to carry them!" Kaze objected as he went to find a belt and holsters for James. Link approached Hieke and looked up to the place she was staring at unmercifully. "What is it?" he asked, resting a hand on her shoulder and pulling her body near to his. "Just the sky," Hieke replied simply. "It's big, you know."

Link chuckled softly. "Yeah, it's enormous…"

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I no write-y the song. 'Twas my good friend Ka—er, Mxedcherub. The lyrics I had written sucked horribly badly, so I turned to my musically apt friend, a more than decent (which is code for 'really, really good') minstrel and poetess.

I know, I know. This chapter was BORING, wasn't it? Next chapter will more than make up for it. Oh, next chapter is one of the best in the whole fic. …OH NO! This is chapter twelve and I'm still working on chapter fourteen! -shrieks- No panic, no worries, no, no, no… Okay, the updates MIGHT start coming a little bit later. Or not. Once school starts, I'm bound to have a lot of free time, especially in math class when we learn how to order fractions for the thousandth time. (Note: I'm going into ninth grade. Sad, isn't it?) REVIEWS, PLEASE!