Hey readers! I told you I'd get chapter 7 up soon! I just saw the Zohan movie with Adam Sandler in it, and I must say, he's pretty funny! Anyhoo, today's muse is...Moriko!

Moriko: Wow...you really need to redecorate your mind...

Me: Like how?

Moriko: I dunno. Anyway, the Wing Alchemist does not own anyone except for Moriko and all the unheard of characters, such as-

Me: DON'T LIST THEM!!

Moriko: Fine...anyhoo, you know what to do. Read and leave a review so we at least know soem living, breathing people are reading this.

Me: Fine by me! (grins)

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Chapter 7: The Spring

Navi tossed and turned on the windowsill, immersed in her memories. She was remembering her Link, the little boy who'd been put to sleep for seven years. She was remembering their journey across the fields of Hyrule, saving innocents from the clutches of evil. Traveling through time, saving Princess Zelda, defeating Ganon; it all seemed so far away. Out of reach. She remembered when she'd been separated from Link afterwards, how hard she'd searched for him. She hadn't given up until the very end, and that had been after countless years had passed. By that time, it was painfully obvious that she'd never see Link again.

Navi began sniffling when a pale light appeared in front of her, blurred by her tears.

"Navi? Navi, don't cry," a light voice asked.

She dried her tears and looked again. Her eyes went wide.

Standing in front of her, dressed in green, was her Link. The little boy she'd been with through tough times smiled at her with concern and happiness, his arms outstretched towards her. She rushed over to him, getting teary again. He fell backwards as she rammed him in the chest, shouting, "What happened to you?! I can't believe you wandered away from me! You should've stayed put!"

Link sighed and waited until she'd stopped shouting. He'd missed her, but not her nagging.

"Navi, it's okay," he whispered. She sniffled, her sadness disappearing with her tears. She began grinning and flew in circles around Link.

"I missed you, Link! I searched everywhere for you!" she said. Link laughed, remembering how hard he'd searched for her. He told her about his adventures in Termina Town and how he'd stopped the moon from falling on it. About Anju and Kafei, befriending the skull kid, and meeting the people of that world. Navi floated in front of his face, listening intently to his story.

"I know Tatl and Tael!" she jingled angrily when Link finished. "We met in the Lost Woods before I was assigned to you! Ooh! They are going to pay for that! Why didn't they tell me they knew you?!"

"Have you seen them since then?"

"Well…no, but they could've found me and told me!"

"Calm down, Navi," Link said. "It doesn't matter now. If you see them, tell them I said hi. Anyway, I need to talk to you about Moriko."

Navi stopped fuming and flew back to Link, sighing. "What about her, Link?"

"She's in trouble."

Navi was an inch from his face in nanoseconds, fussing. "What?! How's she in trouble?! She's asleep!"

"Let me explain, Navi."

Navi hesitated, then floated into his hand after a bit, calmed, but not for long.

"Okay, so you know that man that she met? He's a criminal."

"What?!"

Link flinched suddenly, then looked to his right.

"Crud, we're out of time. Listen, Navi. Keep her away from him! Don't let her anywhere near him!"

There was a bright flash of light and Navi awoke. She sat up, dazed, and looked out the window. It was pitch black outside, except for the last light of day slowly filtering away. She looked at Taiki, who'd absentmindedly made his way over to her side. Moriko was still snoozing on the bed, one arm dangling off the side.

Suddenly remembering her dream, she shot over to the sleeping girl.

"Moriko, wake up!! We need to talk!"

The girl lay still for a bit, then groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Navi? What time…?"

"No time! Link told me to tell you the man you met was a criminal!"

Moriko's eyes shot open as she grabbed Navi out of the air.

"Link?! When was this?!" she demanded in a whisper. Navi struggled to get out of her hands until she gave up, looking Moriko straight in the eyes.

"Link told me that the man you met was a criminal. My Link!"

Moriko let Navi go, giving her a funny look.

"Your Link? There's more than one Link?"

Navi hit the floor hard, then zipped into Moriko's face, glaring.

"Of course there's more than one Link! Goddesses! Don't you read the legends?!"

"Only the one about the Link from Ordon, since it's my village. I like that one," Moriko said, looking off into space. She remembered every detail of how the village's text, as well as Link, had described the hero's efforts to save the old village's children, including the girl he loved. He was turned into a wolf and met the Princess of the Twilight, and together they-

"Moriko! Earth to Moriko!" Navi shouted, severing Moriko's thoughts there. "Did you hear me?!"

"Uh…no."

"Then listen this time! I was telling you to go to the spring, so we don't have to spend much more time here!"

"Oh…okay. I can do that. Let's go," Moriko said, grabbing her sword from its position against the wall. She clipped it to her belt and grabbed her hotel keys as Navi bumped Taiki off the cushion and onto the floor, giving him a rude awakening. He shot up in the air after a second, glowing bright with embarrassment.

"I didn't do it!" he yelled, in a daze. Moriko sighed and captured him in her hands, then beckoned Navi to follow her out the door. Navi bounced after her and flew a few feet ahead as they made their way down to the door. The door creaked louder than Moriko would've liked, but no one came to look, so she slipped out the door and against the wall. The door quietly slammed behind her as she stepped lightly towards the pool of glowing light, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. She felt as if she shouldn't be outside, but she had a reason to be.

She shed the last of her thoughts as she took the first step into the pool, the cool water soothing her limbs. She may have been sleeping a while ago, but that didn't help when it came down to a pulled muscle or a bruised arm. She was up to her knees now, and nearing the elevated ledge that held the patterned rocks. The light spirit materialized before her, a giant eagle cradling an orb of light in its talons. It floated down to her, barely flapping its wings. It's light was dimmer than Faron and Ordona's but that was probably because there were people living in such close proximity to it.

"I am Eldin," it said. "I have heard of your quest from Faron. You seek the Sacred Items of the Goddesses, correct?"

"I do," Moriko said. Navi and Taiki flew over to them, bouncing in a sort of fairy bow.

"We are the ones looking after the child," Navi said. Taiki bounced in agreement as Moriko shot them a quick look of annoyance. She wasn't a child.

"Ah, of course. Navi and Taiki are your names, correct? I have a few fairies you might be acquainted with." Eldin twitched his beak towards the group of fairies below him, causing two of them to separate and move closer to them. One was a faded yellow, while the other was a dark purple.

"Hello there. I'm Tatl. This is my little brother Tael," the yellow fairy said. The purple one bounced up and down, as if anxious.

"Hey!" Navi shouted, flying within inches of Tatl. "I'm Navi, Link's fairy! I heard you traveled with him for a while! Spill it!"

Tatl twitched for a bit, then shook herself. "Yes, I traveled with Link. He was a good guy. Saved Termina Town and helped get that couple married."

"So that wasn't a dream! He really did come to me!"

"Excuse me, Navi? May I speak to the spirit?" Moriko asked. Navi sighed and bounced off with Tatl, leaving Taiki and Tael with Moriko and the light spirit. Eldin looked back at Moriko, who was fidgeting in the water.

"The item you seek, the Rod of Seasons, resides inside the Goron's home. Inside Death Mountain."

"It's inside the volcano?!" Taiki shouted, flying in distressed circles. "There's no way we can go in there! It's too hot, we'll fall in the lava, and we'll probably singe a limb off!"

"You will not be able to get through the mountain on your own. It will be extremely dangerous. Can you do it?" Eldin asked, ignoring Taiki's cries. Moriko inhaled a huge breath, then nodded. Eldin nodded and wrapped his wings around himself, dissipating into the glow of the pool. Taiki and Tael, now bored, zipped off in the direction Navi and Tatl had gone. Moriko yawned and sloshed her way out of the water. She was dead tired now, so she splashed her face a bit. The water was nice on her face, but it was like moving silk over her skin. A pleasant feeling, but not very lasting.

As Moriko wadded out of the water, she bumped into something in front of her. She wiped the last of the water from her eyes to see Tanner. His face had a puzzled look to it which soon turned into a smirk.

"Tanner?" Moriko whispered, confused as to why he was outside and not asleep. Her wonder disappeared when she remembered his comment from earlier. "Have you come to apologize?" she asked sourly, crossing her arms over her chest. Tanner only smirked. It was creeping her out on the inside, but she didn't show it. Eventually, she gave up on him and turned to go, but he grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her back towards him.

"Aren't you the special one?" he whispered, his voice deeper than it should've been. It sent chills flying up her spine. Her voice caught in her throat when she tried to scream, so she settled for ramming her free hand into Tanner's unprotected face. He caught her fist and twisted it so she was trapped against him by her own arms. "You can make the spirits appear for you. Maybe you really are the one."

"Let go, Tanner!" Moriko demanded tersely, stomping hard on his foot. He let her go as he sucked in a sharp breath, allowing her to get her sword out. It felt heavy in her hand, but she held it up in front of her. Tanner looked up from his foot, a smile on his face. That was no happy smile. That was one of those forced smiles.

"Moriko, don't you like me?" he asked, holding out his hand. Moriko took a step back, shaking her head.

"Tanner is a nice guy. You aren't," she said simply, her voice cracking. He laughed, not the effect she wanted.

"Are you scared, Moriko? But you know me. I thought you'd be glad to see me!" Tanner said, opening his arms wide. Moriko's eyes went wide as Tanner was wrapped in darkness, hiding him from view for a few seconds. When the black cloud disappeared, Tanner was no longer Tanner.

He was Kaiser.

Moriko tried to hide the shocked look on her face, but Kaiser immediately saw it and approached her, taking long strides. His mouth was contorted into that foul smile again. His eyes were still sickeningly orange and full of greed. Moriko staggered backwards, nearly tripping as she stepped into water. There was a shriek behind her as Eldin appeared, furious that darkness was tainting his land. He blew a gust of wind at Kaiser that forced the evil man back several feet, allowing Moriko to get in a strike at his shoulder. She missed, her sword lodging itself in Kaiser's arm. He only laughed as Moriko pulled it out and lunged again.

"You might want to be careful, girl," he said snidely as her sword slashed a half inch through his leg. "Whatever injuries are sustained on this body are kept after I leave it."

Moriko froze in mid swing, stunned by his words. If that were true, then Tanner would be hurt afterwards! Her grip on her sword slackened just enough for Kaiser to knock it from her hands. She jumped back, landed awkwardly on her foot, and fell into the water. Kaiser stopped at the water's edge, clicking his tongue.

"A cowardly tactic, Moriko. I can't touch the water of a light spirit's spring. Until we meet again, I guess," he said with a sigh. He was enveloped in the same darkness as before and disappeared, leaving Tanner standing on his injured leg. He looked at Moriko, who was clutching her ankle.

"Moriko…?" he whispered, catching her attention. She saw him wobble and lurched forward to try and catch him before he hit the water. She managed to catch him, but landed on her bad ankle. She bit back a loud scream and decided on a muffled whimper. Navi and Taiki, who'd been chatting with Tatl and Tael for the duration of the duel, flew over to them, a few other fairies in tow.

"What happened?!" Navi cried, circling the two teens. "We heard Eldin shriek and rushed right back! What-?! Why's Tanner here?!"

"Navi, calm down," Moriko said through gritted teeth, trying to shift her ankle out from under Tanner. "I need you to heal Tanner!"

"But he's the criminal! Why would you-"

"He's not a criminal!" Taiki interrupted, flitting over to Tanner. "He was recruited by the king to arrest a criminal! He's no criminal!"

"And how would you know this?" Navi asked suspiciously. Taiki clammed up, shaking his head. Navi was about to dive-bomb him with more questions when Moriko passed out, having finally dislodged her leg from under Tanner. Every fairy froze, except for Tael, who floated over to the two unconscious teens.

"Are they a couple or something?" he asked Navi, who was tinged pink. One of the fairies flitted over to the teens and scattered its healing dust over them. The wounds in Tanner's arm and leg closed and Moriko sighed in relief as her ankle healed. More fairies joined in until Moriko was awake, and Tanner was at least conscious.

"Ugh…I feel weird," she grumbled as another fairy flew over her. She sneezed and sat up, absentmindedly wringing the water out of her hair. It took her a minute to register Tanner's dozing form by her side. When she stopped panicking, she checked his wounds, realizing the fairies had healed them.

"Thank you," she said, bowing her head. The fairies bounced happily before floating off. Moriko helped Tanner stand up and pulled him towards the inn door.

Tanner began mumbling something as Moriko walked, too slurred to understand. Moriko ignored him and kept walking.

"I'll let you down when we get to my room, Tanner," she said. His mumblings ceased.

Taiki and Navi helped them inside quietly, dimming their glows until they were safely in Moriko's room. Moriko let Tanner sit in the chair by the door while she pulled one of the thinner blankets off the bed and flung it over to the floor under the window. She tossed one of the pillows over there too, forming her own makeshift bed. She turned back to Tanner, who was dozing, and sighed.

"You so owe me for this, man," she mumbled, pulling him out of the chair and helping him over to the bed.

When he was comfortable, Moriko unclipped his sword and set it on the floor beside the bed, dislodging the shield with it. It had a strange symbol on it. It looked like a bird in flight. Above and below it were triangles, though the three on the top caught her eye. Arranged so each shape would touch each other on a corner, the three triangles fit together perfectly.

Moriko looked at her own left hand in confusion, realizing that the triangles were exactly the same. First her dreams, then Kaiser, and now this? It was all so confusing.

"Navi?" she whispered. She turned to find the fairy when no answer came, only to see she and Taiki were sleeping on the windowsill, their combined glows flickering in the moonlight. Moriko sighed, placed the shield on the sword, and pulled the covers over Tanner's sleeping form.

She remembered when she did this with Gabe. He was so sweet, unlike the other boys had been when they'd been his age. Moriko felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She hoped Gabe was being good. She tiptoed to her spot on the floor and wrapped herself in the blanket, resting her head on the soft pillow. She slept soundly that night, dreaming of old times, when her family hadn't been distant from her.

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Sorry it was kinda short, but I had major writers block, and I was also typing this at about...11 that night, so don't flame me for grammar. If you see something, tell me so I can fix it or something. Don't gripe about it.

Moriko: You're too sensetive.

Me: You're one to talk!

Moriko: Uh huh...right. I'm perfectly normal.

Me: Yeah...you keep thinking that, girl. Thanks for reading this chapter, my adored readers! Many, many thanks! Please review and see ya next chapter! XD