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Greetings, all! Hope you had a lovely Bonfire Night! Or, um, a lovely November 5th for those who don't have this slightly pyromaniacal celebration! Aaaanyway, before we begin, have you seen the new art for Link Between Worlds? *gasp!* SHADOW LIIIIIIINK! Some say it's Dark Link, but I personally think it's Shadow because Dark is usually depicted as an adult. And since the Link in this game is a child, it only makes sense to have the dark version of him as a child as well. Therefore, let's all hope Shaddy's back!
And yaay, Arashi no Uta is finally up! It's my first serious effort, though, so check it out at your peril. ANYWAY! We begin!
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Chapter Eleven: ...And Shadow's Traumatised (or The Untimely Death Of Red)
Shadow woke with the sun the next morning, stretching himself out across the floor and yawning loudly. He lay on his back scratching his side for a few moments before becoming aware of the grumpy rumblings in his stomach. Deciding to see if there was any food available, he got up and left the room, stepping carefully over his two sleeping masters.
The city was never quiet- if one listened very closely, the sound of primitive machinery could be heard whirring behind the scenes. A giant rotating pot was situated in the main hall just outside Darunia's room, and this too made a significant amount of noise that was greatly amplified in the emptiness of early morning. He stood and watched it for a moment, wondering what strange mechanism caused it to move like this. Eventually, though, his interest waned and he wandered up the neatly- cut steps into a higher area.
As was the norm with Death Mountain, everything followed an inexplicable pattern. In the case of Goron City, this was that the whole place was circular. A stone path ran around the walls much like Zora's Domain, winding up the mountain like a corkscrew before ending at a rounded roof that was evidently man- made. Boulders were thrown everywhere, in seemingly random patterns. However, if one looked closer, it would become evident that they were strategically placed to stop intruders going into sacred places dotted around the city. Sacred places were big business in Hyrule. Unfortunately for those who, at some time long ago, must have thought they were so intelligent to place those rocks there, the barrier they created could now easily be destroyed by the Bomb Flowers that grew nearby. Shadow plucked one from the wall and hurled it nonchalantly at the rock, ducking as it blasted the stone apart with a shuddering boom.
When he was satisfied that all debris had fallen to earth, he picked himself up and walked cautiously through the opening it created. Seeing a hole in the wall, he got down on his hands and knees and crawled through. Looking up expectantly to see what he had chanced upon, his face fell.
"A stinkin' treasure chest?!" he snapped, getting to his feet. "I got my tunic dirty for THIS?! Gee, I don't get what the real Link sees in this questin' stuff!"
He kicked it open anyway.
"TA- DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A ridiculously short man wearing a green sleeved unitard that covered the top of his head burst out of the chest. He struck a pose in front of the startled Shadow, who could do nothing but stare. He was quite Asian- looking, with slightly lined eyes and a cheeky smile. His ears were evidently pointed, suggesting that he was Hylian. He wore a backpack that was almost as large as him.
"W- who the [CENSORED] are you? And... hey, that's cool, though! How'd ya manage to hold your breath in that chest for so long?" Shadow asked, veering from shocked to slightly impressed.
"My name is TINGLE TINGLE KOOLOO- LIMPAH! And I can hold my breath... forever!" Tingle hissed, pushing his face right up next to Shadow's. His breath did not smell the nicest.
"Uh, yeah. I'm sure that's a pretty handy trick to have since your breath smells like that." Shadow muttered. Tingle, not in the least bit offended, jumped down (he seemed to have been levitating or something) and clasped his hands behind his back. "Are you a fairy, Mr. Fairy?"
"Nah, I don't like fairies. Just swan around pretending they're the oracles of the Goddesses, and they don't wear a [CENSORED] thing!"
"Oh, what a shame. You look a lot like a fairy I met a couple of days ago. That fairy always come here for a wander and a chat. With me!"
"... Since when did fairies take up residence 'round here?! She must've been lost..."
Tingle looked confused for a brief moment. "No, Mr. Not- Fairy, you're wrong! She was actually a HE! And he never gets lost... he always carries a map around! And a sword! And a shield! He always wears green as well!"
Shadow froze in horror. "Ya mean... LINK?!"
"Oh, is that his name! Yaaaaay! I like calling him Mr. Fairy, though. D'you know, he wears clothes exactly like me- if I can do things like he does, do you think I could become a fairy too- Hey, where did you go?"
Shadow was long gone, pounding back to Darunia's room in terror with all the speed he could muster.
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"MASTER GANONDORF! MASTER VAATI!"
Vaati stirred blearily. Ganondorf continued to snore.
The wind mage was shocked back into full consciousness by Shadow Link jumping on him and wrenching him to his feet.
"For lord's sake, Shadow Link! What on earth is the matter?!"
"T- there's a weird man in a unitard out there! And- and he thinks I'm a fairy! And LINK'S BEEN HERE! LINK IS STILL IN THE DEATH MOUNTAIN AREA!"
The boy was clearly flustered, almost in tears.
"What's wrong with him?" Ganondorf growled, finally waking up and pointing a rough finger at Shadow.
"Poor boy saw a man in a unitard." Vaati replied, pulling his shaking creation close. "I never got over the first time I saw that either." "NO, YOU JERKS!" Shadow screamed. "LINK IS HERE! LINK!"
Ganondorf sat up quickly. Too quickly. The blood drained from his head and he fainted.
It was left to Vaati to deal with the situation. "Link?" he said, concerned. "Link and his four facets?"
"Well, I assume so! It's the era of the [CENSORED] Four Sword, isn't it?"
The author paged through her copy of Hyrule Historia. "No, actually it's the Shadow Era. Along with multiple other eras. I couldn't be bothered to stay with one." she muttered.
"Alright then, the [CENSORED] Shadow E- Hey, I have an era named after me?!"
Vaati leapt to his feet, grabbing Shadow's hand. "No time for that! Where's this unitard- wearing fool! Take me to him!"
The two made their way at speed to where Tingle had been discovered. However, they were unsuccessful in finding him- as Tingles do, he seemed to have just disappeared into thin air. Shadow couldn't help but be secretly relieved, despite his master's worry. He relaxed the search a little, idly checking under rocks once in a while as Vaati frantically went around shaking awake bleary Gorons ("Hey, have you seen a short guy wearing a green unitard thing? Please!")
Their search once again proved fruitless, and as the sun rose in the sky their hopes of finding out more about Link's location sank. They slumped against a wall, defeated.
"So I suppose we're just gonna let him find us..." Shadow sighed. Vaati clenched his fist.
"Then he can find us! For we will fight until not a single drop of blood is left in our bodies... I still long for revenge! Yes, we shall sit here and wait until he finds us. We shall wait for a thousand years, and even longer, for I have waited my whole life for vengeance!"
He rose to his feet, getting into his stride.
"We shall fight here, without weapons and honourably, until the last Hero falls! Our names shall go down in history, for we shall be the ones who waited... waited for a thousand years for the descendant of the Hero Of Time to find us here, prepared to die in battle for the Kuroi cause. And if we should be the ones who taste sorry defeat, then so be it! For he shall be wounded, and I shall have inflicted on him the pain that I have felt, as I searched and waited for him on every day of these broken centuries! Let it be known that-"
His rousing speech was cut short by a loud cough behind him. Annoyed at this interruption, he whipped round to find-
"GHIRAHIM!" Shadow yelled, leaping to his feet. "Hey, you're back! How was your, er, extended stay in Cardiff?"
Ghirahim furrowed his brow. "It was good... I suppose. I found my cape." he indicated dismissively, running his hand along the silk. He glared at Vaati. "I take it you've made quite a lot of progress in your quest?"
Vaati nodded. "As you can see, we have reached the target destination and-"
Ghi waved a hand. "Stop! Stop! You sound like a flight attendant. Do you still need me, or must I go back to the Kuroi HQ and rue the day I become your lackey?"
The wind mage considered this for a moment. An idea came to him. "Actually, Ghi- we need you. Listen, do one little thing for us and I'll give you a promotion when we get back..."
Ghirahim gritted his teeth in great annoyance as he stayed as still as he possibly could. Vaati held his ankles, holding him out before him. Ghirahim was trying to keep straight, so that he pointed out before Vaati like the Master Sword when Link was dowsing. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard. Being a magical sword spirit, much like Fi, he was able to help his masters track down objects using dowsing powers. Focusing an image of Tingle in his mind, he searched for him subconsciously. He felt his body pulsate as his master got closer to the man's location, and the throbbing die down when they moved away.
"It was back that way!" he snapped, jerking his head to the left. Vaati "accidentally" bumped his head into a wall.
"Well, I'm TERRIBLY SORRY!" the wind mage replied. "I was just making sure Shadow Link didn't fall into a boiling pit of lava!"
As if on cue, Shadow fell into the pit of lava. Whether it was deliberate or not, we will never know. But what we do know is that Vaati didn't care.
"Shadow, that's not big and it's not clever. Stop attention- seeking and get over here." he called back as Shadow scrambled out with his tunic on fire.
"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!" Ghirahim screamed. Vaati gave him a Death Stare.
"What on earth was that stupid sound for?" he asked coldly. Ghirahim attempted to give him a Death Stare back, but pulled a muscle twisting around and flopped down instead, hitting his head painfully on the floor. Through the pain, he managed to speak.
"...We've found him, Master."
Vaati and Shadow looked up, to find Tingle standing before them with a curious, albeit delighted, look on his face. The middle- aged cartographer advanced towards them, hardly able to believe his luck. Three fairies... well, the David Bowie lookalike wasn't dressed in a tunic, but he still had spiky ears! (Well, one). There was the shadow boy he had met before who had run off in such rude haste, and now there was a purple- skinned, taller version of him with floor- length hair, giving him a deadpan look. Tingle tried to return the look, but instead burst into giggles.
"Hello Mr Purple Fairy!" He turned to Ghirahim and bowed. "Hello Mr White Fairy!" Finally, he turned to Shadow and gripped his hand in a handshake that almost crushed his wrists. "And I've met you before, Mr Shadow Fairy! Why, you've brought your friends! I'm so HAPPY to meet them all!"
Shadow pulled away, a disgusted look on his face. "We don't have time for formalities! Where's Link?"
Everyone waited expectantly as Tingle tried to remember where he had seen Mr Green Fairy last. Oh, and Mr Purple Fairy, Mr Red Fairy, and Mr Blue Fairy. He shook his head in despair. He couldn't remember! Looking at the group, though, he could see they were on the evil side. And he had learnt never, EVER to tell the Kuroi you didn't know. The Kuroi side weren't lenient- when they wanted answers, they could turn you upside down and shake the answers out of your brain. They were lethal.
"I... believe he went that way. Him and his three friends." he lied desperately, pointing vaguely to the north. Vaati shook his head.
"That won't do. We need a PROPER direction."
Tingle could have fainted. Luckily, he was saved- by a very coincidental occurrence.
There was a CRASHHHH behind them, the rend of splintering rock making a hideous noise. Gorons who had only just woken up jumped out of the way, shrieking as a person, even shorter than them, burst through the hole the blast had made. He held a sword in his left hand, and his blonde hair waved in the wind as he focused a deep glare on the Kuroi standing in shock before him. He wore a tunic, bunched up around the waist due to the tightness of his belt. His skinny frame betrayed toned muscles, which he flexed menacingly as he swung his sword from side to side in a warning gesture. The only strange thing was- his tunic was red.
Vaati took a step back, instinctively flinging an arm out to protect Shadow Link. Shadow hunched his shoulders, matching the Link's glare but making no move against Vaati's actions. Ganondorf, the mighty King Of Evil, destroyer of worlds, ruler of the Kuroi- farted.
Then he turned and ran away.
"H- Hey, Master!" Shadow yelled, whipping round along with a shocked Vaati. "Get the [CENSORED] back here!"
Red Link blanched at the bad language. Unfortunately for him, Vaati had incredible peripheral vision, and saw his moment of weakness. He quickly capitalized on it.
"[CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED]!"
Shadow Link could have fainted.
This was madness- first his big- headed, testosterone- fuelled lord had turned tail and fled, now his calm, polite master was swearing like a sailor?! He sank to his knees.
"Shadow, get up!" Vaati hissed, grabbing his tunic and wrenching him to his feet. "You're the pro! Swear! Swear like your life ends tomorrow!"
The shadow child's eyes widened in joy. He straightened up, cleared his throat, flexed his fingers, and began.
(To the tune of The Blue Danube)
"Tra la la la la,
[CENSORED], [CENSORED]!
Tra la la [CENSORED] la,
[CENSORED], [CENSORED]!
Tra la la la la,
[CENSORED], [CENSORED]!
Tra la la [CENSORED] la,
[CENSORED], [CENSORED]!
Tra [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED],
[CENSOOORRREEEEDDDD]!,
Tra la [CENSORED], [CENSORED], [CENSORED] la la la!"
Red Link burst into noisy tears. "WAAAAAAAAAAA! You're horrible!"
"Keep at it, Shaddy!" Vaati whooped. His creation complied joyfully, turning the air every colour of the rainbow as Red wailed loudly.
Eventually, when the red Link looked on the brink of committing suicide, Vaati signalled for Shadow to stop. In one swift movement, he swung out an arm and caught him across the cheek, knocking him neatly to the floor and causing his sword to skitter out across the stones. Red made a valiant attempt to snatch at it from his disadvantaged position, but his shadow neatly leapt over him and grabbed it. The Link with the black tunic grinned, weighing the blade in his hand. His pride at having a real sword quickly dissapiated when Vaati snatched it off him.
He glared at his master, but said nothing as Vaati carried out some perfectly telegraphed moves that showed his well- hidden swordfighting prowess. Winning the Picori Tournament was like winning the Olympics in Hyrule.
Red scowled at him from the floor, wiping his face roughly. "Give me my Four Sword back!"
Vaati knelt down in front of him, waving it tauntingly in front of his face. "You want your puny weapon? Then tell us what we want to know."
The facet of Link thought deeply about this. He could guess what the Kuroi wanted to know... the location of the "main" Link, Green. His shoulders slumped in dejection. In all honesty, it was better to obey their orders. It was better to betray a couple of secrets and get the Four Sword back than be dead. He nodded submissively. "What do you want?"
"Which way do you put Y- fronts on?" Shadow interjected before Vaati could speak.
"With the Y in the front." Red replied. "They're called Y- fronts for a reason, Shadow..."
The boy looked shocked. "Hot damn! Whaddya know?" Seeing Vaati's icy glare, he shrank back. "Oh yeah... your turn, Master."
The sorcerer turned his attention back to the whimpering Link. "So, boy... where is Green Link? And where are the rest of you? Did you come on your own, or are they hiding in the shadows somewhere?"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! WE STOLE THE DARK MIRROR! I ADMIT IIIIIITTTTT!" Red squealed. "AND- AND I CAME ON MY OWN, BLUE IS IN ZORA'S DOMAIN, PURPLE IS IN GERUDO VALLEY WITH THE MIRROR, AND GREEN IS ON A DATE WITH MALON!" All this without pausing for breath. There was an incredulous silence after his confessions, in which the two Kuroi just stared at him. They could not believe someone could be so cowardly... but then again, that was the defining characteristic of the wimpiest Link in the history of Zelda. Well, wimpiest quarter- Link anyway. He lay on the ground, breathing becoming more even. Damn, that had been good to get off his chest!
"Well... will you let me go now?" he asked hopefully.
"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULDN'T HURT ME!"
"We promised nothing of the sort." Vaati replied calmly as he turned Red Link around on the spit- roast.
Shadow lay back and rubbed his stomach hungrily. "Hurry up, Vaats, I'm starvin'!"
"I'm cooking him as fast as I can! Damn fire won't heat up..." the sorcerer muttered, picking up a stick and poking at the flames half- heartedly. "Jeez, you would've thought with all the natural heat around here it would go up like a jet."
Ganondorf chose this moment to creep back out of the shadows, hands twisting nervously. Vaati and Shadow both noticed him out of the corners of their eyes but pointedly ignored him. He stood there for a while, examining his feet and kicking at any stones that happened to lie before them in an awkward silence. Still no response from his minions. He decided to take the matter into his own hands.
"Ahem!" He coughed loudly. Vaati and Shadow turned to look at him coldly.
"Yes, Master? Thank ya'll for helpin' with the fight an' all." Shadow hissed.
Ganon shook his head. "No, you don't understand! I, uh... had to take a phone call. That's all. I would've helped, but..."
"You ran away, Master." Vaati replied without looking at him. "Bit cowardly, though? And I mean, it's not as if RED Link is the roughest, toughest hero in town anyway."
Ganondorf didn't know how to reply. True, he should have faced his fears and stood before Red like a man. But it wasn't as though he had the same bravado as Vaati and Shadow, whose unassuming personalities betrayed their courage. Shadow was extroverted, yes, but one would never think of him as a Kuroi hero willing to face a facet of their most dangerous enemy. And the thought of Vaati ever getting into a fight was beyond anyone's imagination- the mage was notorious for never wanting to get his hands dirty. Heck, he even refused to cook raw meat in case he got blood underneath his nails. But no- both of them had stood up to Link, without knowing which Link it was. They hadn't cared at all, even though it could have been the violent, erratic Blue, or the intelligent, deceptive Vio. It was sheer luck that they had ended up facing Red Link, who spent his whole life in an innocent haze of half- terror. Scared of everything and everyone around him, Red was almost a living parody of cowardice. Now, turning slowly on the spit, this was his comeuppance. Not a dignified end for a hero of the Four Sword... but now that a new Link had been born into the world, it was the Kuroi duty to prevent him from becoming known to those who could build him into a saviour.
He jerked out of his thoughts with a quiet gasp. "Whoa, man, that was like... SOOO deep!" Vaati handed him a plate with a sliver of meat on it. "Some Red Link, master?"
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Aaaaaand that concludes Chapter 11! MENTIONS!
SpiritofSilverWater: I agree too! Seeing Ganon get hurt AGAIN and AGAIN is hilarious! Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me writing! And, of course, seeing Vaati's life being slowly ruined.
Swamp Dragon Princess: Thank you once again! I felt quite sorry for the rock as well... I'm sure he doesn't mind really though. Believe me, I had forgotten what the three were supposed to be doing as well. I had to remind myself, and I was going through the files saying "WHAT? REALLY? What kind of storyline IS this?!"
Alas!
Now, a little word for the rest of you. I'm truly honoured that you like my story enough to follow/ favourite it, or even me in some cases, but where are my reviews? I'll let you in on something; a review is worth much more to me. It shows you've actually found the time to tell me what you think, instead of clicking a button and leaving it at that. I appreciate it if you really don't want to, but... if you could, would you leave just a little sentence? For me? Thank you! =)