This chapter almost didn't happen, but I got it! Who cares about homework anyway? Also, I know things in the story don't really follow the game. Don't you worry your pretty little heads, cause I've got this, haha. Oh, and it was brought to my attention that the title of this story is a bit off. I blame my friend, because I'm just that nice. It was originally supposed to be named, 'A Wandering Soul Knows No Rest.' But my friend didn't like it and suggested, 'A Wandering Soul Proceeds All Darkness.' Anyway, the story title will be changing, but only slightly. It is now, 'A Wandering Soul Precedes All Darkness.' So just keep that in mind, please!
CONTEST: That's right, a contest! If you've noticed, I named the Bomber boys. Their names are jumbles of letters I took from my own friends' names. If you can be the first to figure out what they were originally, you'll get your choice between a drawing or a oneshot of some sort. I'm busy though, so the first to answer is the only winner. I wish I could do multiple prizes, but that would be very time consuming. But who knows, I might have more contests in the future. So no worries! For reference, their names are as follows; Zio, Tin (who you haven't seen yet), Honta, Lex, and Kaz. Jim doesn't count, cause he already has a name. Now why am I having a contest anyway? I don't really know, haha. It seemed like a good idea.
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask, does not belong to me. The original ideas in this story kinda do?
Warnings: General weird. Minor Yaoi.
A Wandering Soul Precedes All Darkess
Chapter - V
Title - Stagnant
Without the slightest clue as to where he should look, Dark had started with the easiest places. The town square, the field he had left Link (although the blond was no where to be seen as he ambled about), the stores, homes, empty lots, crates, alcoves and perches. By the time he'd stopped to rest, three hours had passed. The sun had begun to set about half an hour ago, and before long he would have to search by moonlight.
And that moon, truly, was insanely creepy.
Dark would almost swear he could see a face in it's cavernous body. But people always saw things in the moons face, right?
Scaling the side of what appeared to be an item shop, Dark scrambled to the highest point and then leaped for a tall, wooden support. He ascended that too, and then looked out over the town. And, interestingly, over a bit of Termina itself.
Clocktown had high walls sure, but he was at the perfect altitude. Although, he noticed, if he'd returned to the Clocktower, he would surely have been able to see even more.
But he was content here to stare down at the retreating people and the carpenters who tarried on regardless of the night.
Link was down there somewhere...
'I miss him... I miss me.'
Dark didn't particularly enjoy leaving the blond alone, but sometimes he had no choice. Like today, for instance. When he'd caught a whiff of the fountain and it's concentrated magical aura, he couldn't resist.
'And see where that's gotten me... on a wild chase with no leads or, well, anything!'
Growling to himself, Dark tried to focus on Termina, tried to see just what laid out in those vast lands... But the sun was disappearing too quickly, and just as he'd deciphered what looked to be some sort of mountani range, the light snuffed out and all was cast into darkness.
"Great." Dark grumbled. He had wasted his day looking for some silly missing... thing. Before long Link would start worrying about him, wondering where he had been all day. And he couldn't forget the Salesman and Skulkid, both of which he'd tried to block from his mind as much as possible.
Because they only had two days left.
Dejected, Dark descended from his vantage point, and when he reached the bottom, he set out for the southern part of Clocktown. Maybe Link would be around that area, looking for him as well.
With the sun out of the picture he no longer felt the need to carry about in the shadows. The lack of peopled helped as well, and his confidence returned to him. Crowds were dangerous after all, and even more so when he was stuck in a body that probably couldn't fight.
Worry nagged at him, panic for Link and his safety swelling in his heart.
'He better be okay, or I swear to the Goddesses...'
Even as he darted through the cobblestone streets, his mind elsewhere, the thought, 'Do the people here even worship the same Goddesses as the Hylians do?' flashed once in his head, then disappeared.
A carpented nearly tripped over him as he entered the southern part of Clocktown, forcing him to leap up a flight of stairs before the man sought him out. He could hear the muffled, "You know you've been on the clock way too long when you start trippin' over nothin'." but Dark paid it little mind. Because he'd smelled something absolutely wonderful. Something doused in power and magic.
Elated, Dark padded through a back alley that opened into a small clearing and a waterway. A tree hid the moon from this place, and the sound of music filled his ears. A man sat in the corner of the small enclosed area, his hands busy at the keys of an accordion. The sound he made would have been very pleasant to Dark had he been in his regular form. But with the Keaton's enhanced senses, the accordion sounded like the harping of metal on metal.
Needless to say, he didn't care for it.
Sticking to the wall, Dark padded over to the waters edge, watching the tiny fish inside toddle about. He didn't stare long, his nose targeting in on the scent of magic. Testing the air, he followed the water edge to a tiny bridge and crossed it, all the while taking deep, thoughtful breaths. He could see a door at the other end of the path, but the further he walked the dimmer the smell became. So he trotted back to the bridge where it seemed the strongest, and sniffed about the wooden platform.
It had a small arch to let the water flow freely beneath it, and when Dark leaned over the side, maneuvered himself to curl over the edge, he poked his head beneath the platform and was met with the glimmer of fairy magic.
A fairy, glowing faintly pink, fluttered in the small space between the bridge and the water. Dark grinned, and if he had paid attention to his reflection, he would have seen just how demonic his sharp canines and ruby eyes looked in the darkness.
"I finally found you!"
His joy died as a shrill scream assaulted him, and before he knew it, the fairy had fainted. The water swallowed her as as she went limp, and Dark knew he had no choice. In he went, the water cold as ice against him, the lazy current invading his ears and prickling at his eyes. The fairy shone like a beacon, so finding her was no trouble. Picking her up, however, was. The seconds ticked on as he tried to figure out how to grab her. With teeth? With claw? As his lungs began to fail he settled on swimming beneath her, letting her frail body settled between his ears. Dark pushed against the water, surfacing moments later.
Crawling onto the bank, he coughed and spluttered to clear his lungs, then rolled the fairy off his skull. She lay still in the grass, probably playing dead, but Dark could hear the pulse in her veins going strong.
"Hey, I'm here to bring you back to the fountain. And I searched all damn day for you, so stop faking already."
The fairy lay still for another moment or so, and then sighed. She sat up, shaking water from herself and her wings, then took flight. Dark watched as she ran tiny fingers through her hair, straining the water from it. "So you're not going to stomp on me or anything?" She asked him, looking unsure.
Dark chuckled. "No. I just want to take you back to the fountain so I can get back to someone already." He inclined his head, "Hold on to me and we'll be there in no time." Pausing, the fairy hummed a low note, then did as told. Dark was racing from the alley before she'd even had time to seat herself.
Link had gotten himself into trouble, it seemed, before the test had ever truly began. When he'd given Zio the sword, he hadn't expected Jim or, well, anyone else to see. But especially not Jim. Because, unfortunately, Jim couldn't quite see it as a deal making kind of thing. To him, it was nothing but a bribe. It had taken ten minutes to get him to stop shouting, "That isn't fair!" and another five to pull him off Zio, who, in Jim's eyes, had helped Link cheat.
So here he stood, watching as Zio and Jim bickered and the other children just shook their heads.
"Don't worry about it." Honta whispered to him. "Jim is just a big jerk sometimes. Awful hard-head, 'yanno? Zio'll calm 'im down." And Zio had, eventually, gotten the boy in the red bandanna to stop creaming.
"I knew hiding in that tree was a good idea." Jim grumbled. "No I know who I gotta keep a better eyes on!" His stare was fixed on Link, but he and the somber eyed Zio both knew who he was addressing. "But...," Jim continued, looking annoyed. "I guess you did find all the others fair and square. And it's not like you're going to be a full-time member anyway..."
Humming, Jim began to pace, and Link resigned himself to another bout of childish reprimanding. But The Bombers' leader suddenly looked quite a bit happier, and when he turned to Link with a hungry look in his eyes, everyone held their breath.
"Link, I think we can overlook this little 'incident.' But only if you teach me how to use that sword!" The boys went quiet, eyes focused on the sword in Zio's hands, but Link could feel it, could almost hear the bubbling excitement all around him. So when Lex let out an indignant, "Me too!" And Kaz butted in with a, "If he gets to so do I!" Link knew he had to escape. He'd had quite enough for one day, and all he wanted was to curl up with Dark at Anju's inn.
"Alright, alright, I'll teach all of you." He said. "But I'm really tired and I'm sure your parents are going to be wondering where you guys are. So give me a day or two to rest and I'll teach you all I know, okay? At the loud chorus of applause and excited yowls he got, Link knew he'd won these children over. He only hoped they would be able to help him after all the trouble he'd gone to.
Slowly the boys said their goodbyes, each making their way home in separate directions. Kim was the last to leave, and with a critical eye he bid Link a good night and then left. The blade in Links hands felt cold, and he wished he'd just left it with Zio.
But it was fine, it was all fine...
Yawning, Link turned to leave north Clocktown as well, thoughts of Dark shrouding his mind as he trundled on. Just where had the shadow been all day?
As he exited the clearing, a faint, pink light appeared before him. At first he had no idea what it was. But it seemed to be growing from a pinprick to a lantern, and when he finally realized it was a fairy, a heavy weight was already bowling him over.
'What? Fairies aren't heavy!' Link, who had landed on his back, peered down at his chest, at the disgruntled fairy and finally at the Keaton, Dark, who promptly licked his face.
"Hey, Link! Didja' miss me?"
"Hardly." Link retorted, but his tone was playful. Dark lapped at his cheek once more and then stood.
"So I bet you wonder where I've been all day, huh?"
"Sort of. But I've been pretty busy myself, so it's not like I was pining or anything."
Dark, looking disappointed, shook his head.
"Well you'll have to tell me all about it later, because I have something I want to show you."
"Does it have something to do with the poor fairy on your ear?"
Said fairy had long since fainted, her body collapsed over the side of Dark's skull. The Keaton scoffed, one of his tails waving in the darkness.
"Oh, she's fine, just had a bit of a rough ride here. I've been looking for her all day, or, at least I hope I was looking for her all day. But yes, she's part of the surprise. Follow me!"
Confused, Link followed Dark across the clearing, past the fence he'd seen earlier that day and over a small hill bank that opened into a dark crevice. Wind howled inside, making the cave seem alive. But Dark knew just how dead it was.
"What's in there?" Link asked him, looking like he'd really rather not follow as Dark bounded inside.
"You'll see, you'll see. Just come on."
The Deku scrub hesitated, but followed nonetheless. Dark led them through the darkness, the tiles, and the silky curtains, then stopped when they came to the dead fountain. It seemed worse off than it had been earlier that day, what with the crumbling limestone and the stagnant water.
Link gasped at his side, mouthing the name of the Goddess of fire, but staying otherwise quiet. Fairy fountains, after all, did not just die. No, he knew that it took great power to do something of this caliber, and what with the way Dark seemed to just amble about without a care in the world, he knew that the Keaton had no idea just how terrible this was.
Dark walked into the dying water of the fountain, turning his head this way and that when he reached the center to drop the fairy off. She slid from his scalp, dropping into the water with a wet splash. Dark watched as she bopped on her stomach like a dying branch, and then, without warning, a pulse shivered across the room.
Like a heartbeat, Link wondered, this fountain really was living thing.
From the fairies body a pink light spread outwards, rippling over the water and the warriors and the walls. The sparkling lights on the walls reappeared, shuddering like nerves under electricity. The water warmed beneath Dark, and he ran from the pool to avoid whatever happened next. Because as he hit the tile, the fairy in the water exploded, and the room glowed brighter than the sun.
The warriors, shielding themselves from the magic, did not see the fairy twist and turn in the air, morphing like some horribly mutated thing. She expanded and bubbled like water as the room pulsed with life, sparkling like stars and comets as it breathed. Like a trickle from a well the fairy returned to the fountain, and all the darkness that had devoured the purity of the water returned, glowing a hot pink before shining like a mirror.
As the light faded and the room sparkled in pristine health, Dark and Link uncovered their eyes and marveled at the power they had just witnessed.
"And you made her faint." Link finally said, looking to Dark like he was some crazed being.
"Had to get her here somehow." The Keaton simply said, and Link shook his head.
The water bubbled once, twice, and then erupted, showering the room with a liquid so pure it seemed to sparkle with the grandeur of the heavens. A giggle echoed about the room, and the warriors titled their heads back to take in the being before them.
The Great Fairy of Magic, to be precise.
Sorry it was short, but I've been insanely busy. Make sure to keep up with my profile page to know the next chapters release date! Thanks for reading!
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