A/N: Hi everyone, Happy New Year! I hope this new year will be great.
-Lollilou12- Yay! Fluff. Thank you for reviewing.
Skull Kid woke up slowly. He turned his head to the left to see Kareena curled up beside him. Skull Kid backed shocked with a little squeak. Kareena opened her eyes slowly and laughed. "What's your problem?" Tatl's shrill voice asked now buzzing around his face.
"Sorry, I didn't realize that I rolled so close to you," Kareena said now sitting up.
"It's nothing, we should get going," Skull Kid said. Skull Kid stood up and brushed the sand off of his body. Kareena followed suit also running her hands through the leaves on top of her head and sand fell to the floor.
The Deku Shrub led the way toward the beach that was mere meters from where they were sleeping. Skull Kid caught up to her and stood side by side with her with his feet touching the crest of the waves. The two looked out into the endless blue. "Wood floats, right?" Kareena asked with a laugh.
Skull Kid chuckled slightly. "Maybe we can find a Zora to help us," Skull Kid said. Kareena sighed, but looked for any shapes bobbing in the water.
"We can fly over the water to see if we find anything," Tael volunteered as Tatl bounced in agreement. The two fairies flew over the water. They started beside each other, but then separated into two different directions.
"We should split the beach as well to see if we can find anyone," Kareena suggested. Skull Kid nodded in agreement. He traveled to the south as Kareena traveled north.
Kareena took each step carefully because she sunk into the sand. She didn't see anything for a long time. She looked over the water to see if either fairy found anything. But both the purple light and yellow light kept their erratic flight pattern. The Deku Shrub sighed disappointed, but her sigh was over shadowed by a very creepy laugh.
She turned around to see a man with a large pack on his back. The man looked Hylian, but there was something about him that made Kareena nervous. "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" the man said looking at her through squinted eyes.
"I don't know what you're speaking of," Kareena said taking a step back.
The man chuckled to himself, "You're not a Deku Shrub, correct?"
Kareena narrowed her eyes, "That's right. Now if you don't mind, I need to find a way to reach Zora Hall."
The man took a step closer to her. "May I ask what is of such great importance in the Zora's Hall?"
Kareena frowned, "A whistling stone that whistles the notes of a healing song."
The man's eyes widened interested. "What ailments can this song heal?" he asked.
Kareena shrugged and hoped that Skull Kid would come soon. "Any, I think. It will at least turn me back into myself."
The man smiled as if that was exactly what he wanted to hear. "I can help you get to this Zora Hall, but I need something in return."
Kareena would have raised an eyebrow if she had one. "What's the cost?" she asked suspiciously.
"I would like you to teach the song to me after you learn it in it's entirety," the man said. Kareena thought about the proposition for a moment.
"Okay, deal, but I still have one more part to learn," Kareena said.
The man chuckled to himself, "Then follow me and we'll gather the rest of your group." The man walked ahead. The large pack the man carried was covered in masks. There was one mask that drew all her attention. It was purple and almost heart-shaped. It had multiple spikes on it and a pair of cold, evil-looking eyes. Kareena looked away from the strange mask feeling a shiver crawling up her spine.
"Kareena," Skull Kid's voice called out. Kareena stepped in front of the mask man. Skull Kid noticed her and shot a questioning look to the man. "Who's this?"
"My name is Hans," the mask man said. "Kareena and I have made a deal. I will help you get to Zora Hall and I get to learn this healing song after you complete it."
Skull Kid asked if what the man said was true and Kareena confirmed it. The forest guardian agreed somewhat reluctantly. "How do we get to Zora Hall?" Kareena asked.
Hans pulled off his pack and begun to dig through it. He pulled out three green strands. "These are Zora weeds. Wrap them around your mouth and nose. It would help you to breath underwater," the mask salesman said, smiling his creepy smile.
"What about us?" Tatl's voice called out as she flew in front of the older Hylian's face.
"You can stay in a jar," Hans suggested.
"How dare you suggest such a thing," Tatl shouted in her bell-like voice as she pulsed angrily.
"Tatl, there isn't another way," Tael said trying to calm his sister. The purple fairy convinced the other to fly into an empty jar that Kareena had. Tael squeezed into the jar as well after a couple of shouts. The deku shrub tied the seaweed to her face and nearly gagged at the fishy smell of the foliage. Kareena closed the jar carefully and followed Hans and Skull Kid into the water. She had difficulty staying under the water because her buoyancy caused her to float back to the surface. Eventually, Hans gave her his backpack to carry so she would sink with the others.
Kareena looked at the underwater world fascinated as fish swam right beside her face. She reached out to touch their silvery sides. The fish darted out of the way before Kareena realized that she was falling behind. She ran up to the two males as they started to float upward. The deku shrub looked up to see an underwater cavern. Skull Kid turned back to check up on her and Kareena waved that she was okay.
The trio climbed out of the water and removed their breathing apparatuses. Kareena spotted the whistling stone immediately. In mere moments, she was playing the entire piece flawlessly. Skull Kid complimented her like usual and Hans cheered. Kareena looked up from her lute to see the evil eyes of the purple mask staring at her.
A/N: Yup, I gave Happy Mask Salesman a name. It would have been very wordy to keep typing out Happy Mask Salesman and besides, I doubt the character would call him that.