AN: Le gasp! It's another chapter! In case you missed it, I also posted chapter 7. So go back if you missed it

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Link

Kagome

"Spirit People"

Light Spirit


As the sun slowly rose to the sky, the inhabitants of the forest came alive, both beast and man. In a house built within a tree, two figures lay upon a bed, the light haired males' large frame dwarfing the figure of the smaller dark haired female. The rays of the morning light fell through the open window and onto the male's face. The light caused his eyelids to squint, before opening to reveal a twin set of blue that rivaled the mid-day sky. Blinking a few times to clear the remaining fog of sleep, he made an attempt to get up but was thwarted by a slight weight on his arm. Looking down, he saw a thick mass of dark hair resting on his outstretched arm. Sitting up as far as he could, he stared down at her still sleeping form. After studying her for a few moments, the youth lay back to stare at the ceiling, contemplating on what he should do for the day.

'I should probably head into the village, just to let them know I'm alive,' he thought. 'Best not to let them know about my being a wolf. Probably shouldn't mention Kagome either, they'll ask questions and want to meet her. Might as well grab some supplies while I'm there.'

Intending to follow through with his set plans for the day, Link eased his arm out from under the sleeping girl's head, allowing her to rest on his pillow. After slowly making his way out of bed, he proceeded to dress himself in his usual. As he was fastening the green leather sleeve, a voice behind him made him pause.

"Link?"

He turned to see Kagome sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Her hair was still mussed from sleep and as she sat up in bed.

"Where, (yawn), are you going?"

Picking up his sandals, he made his way back the bed and sat on the edge in front of her, proceeding to put on his footwear.

"I'm going into the village to let them know I'm alive and to pick up some supplies before we leave tomorrow morning."

"We're leaving tomorrow?"

He turned to look at her, having finished with his sandals.

"We don't know what is waiting for us outside of the forest, its best if we are as rested as possible."

He saw her nod in agreement.

"Why don't you get some more sleep, you look tired. When I get back from the village, we can make plans and then we can just relax and enjoy a lazy summer day."

Seeing her nod sleepily, he gave her a kiss on the forehead, and made his way out the door.

It was after mid-day when Link made it back to his house. His trip to the village was as he predicted. Everyone was happy he was alive; sad when they told him of the children, and happy once more when he volunteered to find them. He visited Rusl, whom was laid up in bed because of his injuries. On his way back to his house he stopped by the general store and picked up a few supplies he thought they would need on the road. All in all, he was tired and very happy to step into his house and see his travel partner cooking dinner. After setting his goods on the floor, he flopped on the bed. Hearing the sound of her giggling, he turned his face towards her and gave her a half-hearted glare.

"Aww, is the poor little warrior tired?"

The glare turned a little less half-hearted. Deciding her not so important right now, he re-buried his face into the bedding. Kagome just continued to giggle. He looked so funny lying face down on his bed like that. Seeing him like that gave Kagome an idea. Giving the pot one final stir, she covered it and made her way over to the bed.

Link looked up when he felt a hand on his back.

"Yes?"

"Take your shirt off and move to the middle of the bed."

Link just blinked at her in surprise. 'Did she just…?'

Kagome rolled her eyes at him.

"I said your shirt, not your clothes, pervert."

"First tell me why."

"I am going to do something, not perverted, that will help you relax."

Narrowing his eyes at her, he did as she said. He looked over his shoulder when he felt her sit on his lower back.

"Turn around."

Again, did as he was told.

"Tell me why I am letting you do this?"

"Because you'll enjoy it."

He felt her hands on his back, rubbing and applying pressure in certain spots.

As Kagome massaged his back, she felt him begin to go limp.

"So how do you feel?"

He gave her a moan in response. Didn't even care when she laughed at him. He did care when he felt her stop and get off of him. He lifted his head to see her walking back over to the fire.

"Where are you going?"

Ignoring him, she kneeled beside the fire and uncovered the cooking pot. Giving it a few stirs, she got two bowls and put some of the stew in each, and placing them on the table and sitting down.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

Link groaned and lifted himself off the bed and put his shirt back on as he made his way to the dinner table. After a comfortably silent dinner, they began to make sure everything was ready so they could leave at dawn.

As planned, they were able to wake and be on their way as the sun began its daily trek across the sky. The trip was spent teaching Kagome about Hyrule. The current lesson was currency.

"In my world, we used gold to determine the value of money. Depending on how much gold the country had, determined how much was in circulation."

"Now see, it's simpler here. We use gems called rupees. The color of the rupee, determines the value."

Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out four different colored gems. He held each one up as he described them.

"A green rupee is worth 1. A blue one is worth five, yellow is 10, and red is 20."

Kagome turned them over in her hands.

"Are there any others, or are these four all there is?"

"Those are what I have on me; there are three more, but harder to come by. Purple ones are worth 50, orange is worth 100, and the rarest is a silver rupee, which is worth 200."

"Wow, that's a lot."

"You can usually find the green and blue ones hidden in patches of grass or in shrubs."

She gave him a skeptical look. "You're kidding."

"Nope. The others can sometimes be hidden like that, but more often than not they are…"

"HEEEEEEY!"

The two travelers stopped in their tracks and just stared at the man approaching them, not quite sure what to think of him.

"Go no further! There is a black wall ahead that blocks the way! I thought I would deliver a few letters, but it seems impossible… I am an honorable and dependable letter carrier, known to some as…the postman. Now that I have introduced myself, please! Take this letter and read it at your leisure! Well, my business is concluded! Onward to mail!"

They continued to stare as he saluted and raced off in a different direction. It was Kagome who broke the silence.

"That man is either very loyal to his profession or…"

"Completely insane."

"I guess we can say both."

They continued their trek until they once again came to the door leading into the Twilight.

This cued everyone's favorite imp.

"Hey, it was much closer than I thought… You remember, right? You know what this is? If you set foot in there, you might be a wolf again for quite some time… For at least as long as it takes you to save the light of Eldin from the twilight, anyway… So, shall we try to go see the light spirit Eldin? Eee hee!"

"We wouldn't have come here if we weren't prepared to go in Midna."

"Alright then!"

Midna soon disappears within the wall; soon the large orange hand comes and draws the two Hylians within.

Upon land on the other side, they feel themselves transform into their bestial forms. And Link, once more, found himself as Midna's transportation.

"Ahh, look! How lovely! The black clouds of twilight are so fetching today… I feel so much more at ease here… And you both look so much better like this than in those dusty old clothes, anyway. Eee hee! So, let's get going!"

I'm going to get going on something alright!

Try not to let her bother you, it only makes her happy.

But she's picking on me!

If you're a good boy and don't complain too much until we turn human, I'll rub your back again.

Link stopped and turned to look at her with his ears perked.

Really?

I promise.

Well then, let's go! The sooner we get to Kakariko the sooner we can find the kids and save the light spirit!

He moved forward with his head up, like a proud beast. Paying no attention to the she-wolf laughing beside him. They continued moving for a few minutes when something caught Kagome's eye.

What's that?

What's what?

There's something in the ground over there.

Curiosities piqued, they both moved forward towards the object.

It's a wooden sword, what's it doing all the way out here?

Link was silent; the wooden sword looked very familiar, almost like... Honing his senses, he discovered three scents attached to it. The most predominant was the scent of the Ordon woods. This was the sword he let Taro use the day of the attack!

It's the children!

What? Where?!

This is the wooden sword I let Taro use the day those things attacked! It still has their scents! It's going this way!

Without a warning, he shot off, following the trail, Kagome following close behind. They followed the trail, ignoring everything in their path.

Link, I really think you should slow down a bit!

Why?

Because we're coming up on a gorge and those things might be waiting to ambush us!

If they were there I would be able to smell them, you would also.

We are only able to smell them AFTER they trap us in a barrier and they fall from the sky, so will you please slow down?

Will you stop worrying? We are not going to…

Crash!

Oh look, you just ran into one of their barriers.

She was currently looking down at the larger wolf that had his paws sitting on the top of his head.

Really? My head hurts enough; I could do without the sarcasm.

That wasn't sarcasm, she said pointedly. That was me pointing out a fact.

A low growl was his response.

Looking up, Kagome saw the strange portal appear, announcing the arrival of the monsters.

You think you can stand; those things will be dropping down soon.

Yeah, just let me get my bearings.

He managed to clear his head just as the Messengers began their descent. The fight was not as long as before. Wanting to do her part, Kagome latched onto the one furthest from Link and brought it down. Link and Midna made quick work of the other two with the energy attack. As soon as the barrier disappeared, they started to the bridge that would take them over the gorge. At least, they would have. A flash of dark lightning hit the bridge and caused it to break from the gorge and lift up into the air before disintegrating into twilight particles and disappearing into the strange portal.

*crickets chirp*

What in the seven hells was that?!

I don't know, but whoever is doing this to us is grating on my last nerve.

"I wonder if this is the work of those shadow creatures…Ugh…What a pain! Ah well, let's look for it…"

Midna calls the map to her and places it on the ground so they could all see it.

"The yellow arrow marks where we are. You did know that right? Whenever you destroy those creatures from darkness, a portal opens that looks like this on the map. You hear me? It's called a portal. You'd better remember that! And…in those woods we came through… Yes! It's got to be around there… I'll use my power to take you to the location of the open portal… Pick where you want to go."

Link turns his attention to the female at his side.

What do you think?

Well…that first portal was at the spring near your house, not much space for a bridge, even if they were trying to hide it.

So the second portal then?

That would have to be my guess.

The question now would have to be, do we both need to go?

Kagome thought of this for a bit.

One of us should stay. We don't know how much power it takes for her to transport us, and add to the fact that that bridge isn't small. Taking both of us when there is no need would just be an unneeded waste of power.

So which of us should go?

I should, you need to rest at some point. And I am willing to bet you're tired of hauling her around all the time.

Well, a break from her would be nice.

A feminine chuckle echoed through his mind.

"What are you doing? Pick which one you want!"

Link laid down where he had stood while Kagome walked over to the map and pointed to the portal in the northern part of Faron Woods.

"So I'm taking you, and leaving him?"

A nod was her response.

"Okay, let's go!"

Link watched as they disappeared from sight.

Link was enjoying his time alone. Although he was still trapped in the twilight, it was quiet. Or, it was. A sudden crash startled him enough to make him jump a foot in the air.

What was that?!

His question was answered when twilight particles fell from the portal above and reassembled into the forms of the two females he traveled with. Who weren't even aware of him apparently.

"See! Just as I thought…Eee hee!"

Their heads turned as Link came to stand by Kagome.

"So, isn't the power of twilight amazing? Call me if you need the power of twilight. It should help you find what we're looking for, don't you think? All right! Let's keep going!"

After taking her rightful place on Link's back, they made their way over the bridge and towards the gate leading into a canyon.

That…is a creepy looking gate.

And foreboding, can't forget foreboding.

No… no, let's not forget foreboding.

Still unable to understand her companions, Midna voiced their thoughts aloud.

"What are they doing there? This is a pretty elaborate gate…What are they trying to keep in?… Or out? I bet it'll be worth our while to dig in…"

Looking around the gate, they find a soft patch of dirt, similar to the one they used to escape from the dungeon. After digging through, they made their way into the canyon. It was a peaceful, albeit creepy, walk, until they were surrounded by a barrier…again.

These creeps are getting very annoying, VERY fast!

All Link could do was stare in slight shock, not to be confused with fear, as Kagome viciously tore into one of the monsters.

I hope this is her mad, it could not possibly any worse than this, he thinks.

Are you going to take care of the other two or am I going to have to do it?!

Not wasting any time, Link and Midna used the energy field to dispose of the final two. A loud, but silent, voice echoed through their heads as the barrier was lifted. It was the spirit Eldin, asking them to retrieve his Tears of Light. It was after the spirit had marked their map that he gave a word of warning.

Be careful…the darkness…now hunts you…

The two wolves just stared back at the spring.

That was kind of creepy.

And foreboding, can't forget foreboding.

"Well, since that spirit was kind enough to tell us we have the attention of those monsters, perhaps we should speed up our search, eh," she brought out her map. "The bugs seem to be more spread out than before, so we'll collect the ones in this area first, then move onto the next."

Look at the map and their surroundings, they were soon able to determine the general area of each bugs hiding place.

"Now that we have that figured out, where should we start?"

I guess we could start from here and work our way out.

Well, do you want to search for the bugs first, or find the kids?

Link was silent for a moment before wordlessly honing his senses.

Their scent leads into that house.

Kagome looked up to see a dome shaped house with a bell above. Without informing Midna, the two beasts walked around the perimeter of the house, trying to find a way in. Seeing what they were doing, Midna decided to be nice and offer her assistance. Flying to the top of the house, she saw a weak spot in the ceiling. If hit with enough force, it should make a big enough hole for them to fall through.

"Hey, you can climb up here!"

Together, the two wolves made their way onto the top of the house. Due to the patch of straw that was used to cover a hole, it didn't take long for them to get in. Compared to all the other landings they made, this was by far the easiest. No one landed on another, and the wolves landed on their feet. Due to the fact that they were covered in twilight, the room seemed empty and cold. Except for the seven balls of light hovering in the air. Honing their senses, they found, what looked to be, the towns inhabitants.

"Cripes!"

The trio turned toward the widow and saw portly man looking out.

"I don't see those black brutes anywhere….They've gotta be hidin' somewhere, waitin' for their helpless little prey to come out! Then they'll FEAST!"

A small whimper brought their attention to the middle of the room. Sitting on a bench was a man in long white robes, which seemed to represent a type of status. His arm was around a girl who looked similar to him. They were not the only ones there though.

That's them!

Kagome looked at Link and saw his ears perked.

Them?

The children from my village!

It was a girl who let out the whimper. The man placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention to him.

"We are safe as long as we remain in here, child. Be at ease."

The man beside the window drew the attention back at himself.

"Oh yeah? I wonder if the monsters out there agree with you… They sure didn't seem impressed by my bombs! How long do you think we can hold this sanctuary against beasts that strong, huh? Once they attack, it's OVER! Remember that lady from the general store? Just one of those things attacked her, and a whole gang from town went to save her! And what happened? She was already gone, and there were TWO monsters waitin'! …You connectin' the dots? That means that if we get attacked by them, then we'll be…"

How dare he say these things in front of those kids? I should bite him for…

"BARNES!" The man with the children glared at the other. The man, now identified as Barnes, sighed heavily as he saw the frightened gazes of the children.

"Look, Renado…All I mean to say is that it's risky here, too! Ain't you got some place we can hide?"

Renado answered hesitantly.

"There is…a cellar."

This caused the portly man to perk up before frantically crawling around the floor, looking for the entrance. His searched was paused when Renado spoke again.

"The entrance to the cellar is designed to open when all of the candles have been lit…"

Kagome snorted as she watched the portly man pick up a stick and walk towards the unlit candles.

How is he going to light those candles with an unlit stick, beat them?

She heard Link's amused chuckle as he bumped the side of her head in a joking reprimand.

Be nice.

Why, it's not like he can hear me. Besides, there has to be a reason why they weren't taken down there when they entered the house!

Maybe it's a last resort.

They turned their attention back to the group as a timid voice spoke out.

"I…would not do that," it was the girl dressed the same as the man. "When father instructed me to secure the cellar, I saw insects like the beasts outside…"

This caused Barnes to drop the stick and scramble back as if burned.

You were saying?

It was possible.

Before Kagome could give a retort, their attention was once again drawn to the group. This time the cause was a loud sob coming from the other girl. They watched as a blonde boy patted her on the back.

"Don't cry Beth! It'll be ok! Link is coming to save us all!…I can feel it!"

Link watched this all with a heavy heart. The mood around the house was a somber one, so of course Midna had to remind them she was there.

"These kids knew you'd come to save them! What a hero! How sad, to be right in front of someone and not be noticed at all…eee hee hee! You are chosen by the gods, and only that keeps you from turning into a spirit, or worse, into a dark monster, when you enter twilight. And no one knows what you have done…you may be doomed to toil in obscurity forever… You're the type to worry about everything, I can tell…but don't fret over Princess Zelda! She chose this state of affairs, after all… Anyway, what's with having to light candles to get to the basement? Not very subtle, is it… So, what are you going to do now? My lonely little hero…eee hee!"

And just like every time before, she disappeared before their eyes.

I hate it when she does that.

Link looked down at the small female at his side.

What do you mean?

She just shows up, makes some sarcastic little comment, then leaves. It's getting really annoying!

Any reply he had was interrupted, once again, by Barnes.

"Cripes! Seems like everyone's tryin' to pull a fast one these days. Boy, I don't have a clue who this Link fella is…but I've gotta say, I ain't overly confidant he's gonna come save this village!"

Barnes was lucky he was unable to hear the two growls within the room.

How dare he try to crush their hopes like that!

The large male said nothing, just continued to glare at the blunt fool. They vaguely heard Renado mention that the room was safest place they could be, for the moment.

After a brief interlude of silence, Link made his way over to the discarded stick from earlier. After picking it up, he placed one end into the fire and waited for it to light.

What are you doing?

He turned to see her head cocked in a confused manner.

The girl said that there were bugs in the cellar, so I'm opening it up.

oh.

As soon as the stick was lit, Link swiftly ran along the wall, lighting all the torches. As soon as the last one was lit, the ground began to shake as the statue in the center of the room began to move aside, revealing the entrance to the cellar. Needless to say, because the room's occupants were unable to see them, they became a bit frightened when the statue moved on its own.

Jumping down into the dark hole, they began their search for the bugs.

It was a grueling two hours later that they finished off the last insect. Granted, there may have been one or two…difficulties (How was I supposed to know that the damn thing would fly out like that and set the house on fire?!)…but their efforts were rewarded as the light was restored to the province, and their bodies returned to their original state.

Just like before, the way was pointed to them by the spirit. Their new destination was the home of the mountain dwellers, the Gorons.

As the light of the spirit died, they heard a startled gasp from behind them. Turning around, they say the blonde boy sticking his head out of the door.

"Link?"

He was pushed to the ground as the other children heard him and ran outside to see their hero. The boy was too happy to care about his rough treatment and quickly got to his feet and made his way over to his friends.

As the children raced towards Link, Kagome stepped out of the way so as not to disturbed them. Their attention was drawn to the three figures walking towards them. The man robed in white was the first to speak.

"…You are the one from Ordon whom these children spoke of? We are well met. I am Renado, shaman of this town. And this…" The portly man from earlier puffs out his chest, but is quickly deflated as Renado skips past him and motions to the girl beside him. "Is my daughter, Luda."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," the blonde warrior gave a slight bow of respect to the holy man. "Can I ask how the children came to be in your care?"

The children's faces turned somber, it was the small blonde boy who spoke.

"The beasts took us and left us to die…" he didn't see the two pairs of eyes narrow at this declaration. "But Mr. Renado found us."

"At first, I couldn't believe they had come from so distant a place as the Ordon Province…"

The group continued to explain that, since their capture, it has been like a nightmare they couldn't escape. Renado further explained about the strange behavior of the Goron tribe.

The young girl with a doll seemed to be the first to notice an extra person in the group.

"Hey, who's she?"

The group looked to see her pointing at a raven haired woman standing off to the side.

Link chuckled when he saw Kagome blush as the group's attention was focused on her.

"That's Kagome," he explained. "She has been helping me search for all of you."

Kagome was a little nervous under the suspicious looks coming from the children, and gave a meek little wave.