fleets:

DISCLAIMER: this should have been done last chapter but I forgot - I do not own the concept of the Fourth Triforce Piece. I don't know who came up with it first because I've seen different variations everywhere, but I'm not the first person to mention it. The only concept about it that's mine is the birdie.

Ugh. I return again after clearing up some very depressing moments. Before I never speak of this ever again, I would like to say one last time: don't consider throwing away your own life. Just don't even think about it, or I will be very mad at you. It does not exist on the answer key, okay? Not only does it affect family and people you were close to, but it also affects more people than you can possibly comprehend, even people you didn't even know all that well or knew at all. Consider the 6 degrees of separation principle. Yeah. The impact you create on other people just ripples outward everywhere.
And the excuse "I can't handle it" or "There's nothing worth living for" is the dumbest excuse ever, because you can handle it with the help of people who care about you. Don't give me that crap of not having people who care, because there's someone out there who does. Even in the hypothetical future there will be a person who'll care.

Don't be stupid. Stupid is not cool.

And that's the end of my rant for all you naughty boys and girls who've dared to think of coming up with a vanishing act.

Chapter 15: An Unfair Game of Hide and Seek

"Ready?"

Zelda nodded. Gale, in his visual kei outfit, cautiously pressed his hand against the glass door and looked outside. Night was setting in, and only a sliver of afternoon orange brightened the streets. He noticed a few suited men prowling about, with some of them walking into stores. They had to leave now, or they were going to be in danger of being caught. Taking a deep breath, Gale put pressure on the door and stepped outside with Zelda following closely.

Megumi's voice trailed after them in a girly giggly fit. "Arigatou gozaimashita!" Thank you!

Zelda smiled back, shifting the large bag the girl had given them that contained all of their previous clothes and a photograph of the two of them. Megumi had wanted a picture of the two gaijins in Harajuku wear. Turning back, she looked for Gale who had already strode on ahead through the crowd, careful to stay as far away as possible from anyone who was wearing a black suit. She was surprised by the change in Gale; instead of the grumbling, unenthusiastic teen who had complained about the outfits, Gale was completely playing his part.

He walked like he owned the place.

Zelda jogged after him, slightly bothered by how light her head felt without her hair. It felt so weird not having long hair to brush away from her shoulders. It also felt weird and uncomfortable to not have long hair to hide behind when she was blushing.

She hated it. She hated the fact that she was blushing because of a womanizing asshat who treated her like all of those other guys who just wanted to take advantage of her. She didn't even like him!

Still… Zelda had to admit that when Gale really wanted to, he could make any stonehearted girl melt. In his flamboyant attire, Gale was surprisingly handsome with his head angled in the right amount of cocky coolness. It was all about the confidence, Zelda supposed, and she'd noticed earlier that he had enough charisma to be able to convince people that he must be great because he thought he was great. He looked different from the womanizing idiot she'd seen him as earlier.

No! I won't let him win! Zelda violently shook her head. It was all that adrenaline. It had to be. Research had shown that people were more likely to be attracted to other people when they were placed in situations where blood adrenaline concentration increased. The increased heart rate and breathing were easily mistaken for signs of attraction – she was just being fooled. Why else would she even admit Gale actually looked really good in that stoic, suave way? She hated him and his attitude towards women, treating them like they were his toys.

Her breath stopped when she felt an arm wrap around her waist. Gale pushed her towards a group of otakus holding cameras and conveniently away from a red-tied man creeping around behind them. She tried not to look at him when he winked devilishly, "Some fans want our photos, princess."

In her confused state of mind, all she could do was mutter uncharacteristically. "You're having too much fun with this."

Gale smirked. "What's that? And here I thought you were the one who was all into playing into the Harajuku disguise. You can only succeed if you set your mind to it."

"Yes but that doesn't mean you need to…"

…have fun with it. No, that sounds stupid. Maybe, "That doesn't mean you have to be so light hearted…" ugh but that's like telling someone to be gloomy.

" – need to… to…" she struggled to justify herself, and then gave up, "we're in a serious situation, don't forget that."

A slightly surprised look came over Gale, and then he stared at Zelda accusingly. When she turned away, obviously upset, his devilish grin became a little more evil. "Ahhh, I see how it is."

"What?" she snapped. She didn't have to fake an intense expression for the camera thanks to her mood. The otakus cheered at her fierce look, thinking she was totally into her character.

Gale just chuckled darkly, his grin becoming wider. "Mmm, nothing." This only made Zelda more upset – she wanted to brick him. The silver haired teen bowed at the otakus who'd taken pictures, and strutted away like royalty. He was so into his part that even the red ties that had wandered over to them to see what was up passed over him for being a local Harajuku guy.

They made their way back out of Takeshita Street as casually as possible, and quickened their pace once they were on their way back towards Harajuku station. Zelda felt uneasy every time they were stopped by some tourists for pictures because she was becoming paranoid they were Avilux members. She frowned at her reflection in the store windows, and she had to admit Megumi had lined up quite a look for her and Gale.

Right by the station entrance, Gale grabbed her by the hand and pulled her close – so close she could feel his breath on her skin. Zelda felt extremely angry that her knees had gone weak.

"What is the meaning of this," she hissed.

Gale ignored how she was upset. "Be ready. They're starting to get suspicious."

Zelda glanced behind her, and sure enough, a few smart Reds had caught on and were keeping an eye on them. She could feel her entire face becoming hot from embarrassment. First, she'd assumed something. Second, her general unhappiness and fretting had made her less aware of her surroundings. Third, she hated the fact Gale was slowly gaining power over her in his little game. Fourth, Gale's sly smiles showed he knew he was winning, and he didn't miss an opportunity to gloat about it. How could she not feel ashamed?

Zelda missed Link. A lot. At least with him around those two would just jabber by themselves.

The two tensed when the men in red ties took a step towards them. Gale and Zelda were about to ready themselves for another exhausting and stressful escape, but the men abruptly stopped when a colleague shouted to them. He was speaking to someone on the phone and was relaying information to the group.

Gale and Zelda stood stiff, their minds quickly calculating what they should do. Finally, Zelda whispered, "They're going away."

It had happened so suddenly that it felt incredibly fishy. One moment the Reds had moved to close in on them, and then had disappeared the next. It had to have something to do with the phone call, and Zelda had a bad feeling it had everything to do with Dugal.

"Let's go." She stepped through the ticket gates and into the station uncertainly. Gale followed, equally disquieted.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Link groaned. He felt terrible.

What happened?

He rubbed the back of his head and winced. There was a small bump there from where he'd been hit heavily when he'd been caught.

Oh yeah. That happened.

Link snapped up in panic, remembering how he'd been separated from the other two and had been caught by Avilux I. His head darting from side to side, he expected to be locked up in some sort of jail cell or dungeon. Instead, he found himself propped against a tree in a park somewhere. The woodchips and grass under his legs prickled where he sat. There was no sign of Avilux I anywhere.

Huh?

Link's quick breathing slowed as he gradually relaxed. What was going on? Didn't they catch him, and weren't they trying to kill him earlier? What had happened to the other two?

He winced again, this time noticing he'd been scratching the back of his neck. There was the tingle of an annoying itch, and from the occasional sharp pains that came with scratching it he concluded there was a scab there. He forced himself to stop, knowing that peeling the scab would cause the wound to bleed again. From the size of the affected area, it was apparent that the cut was a large one. He must have gotten it when the two men had knocked him unconscious. They had, after all, provided him with a bit of a struggle.

The sky was already dark, but the surrounding city lights hid the stars. Even at night Tokyo was bustling with people, and there was almost just as much activity during this hour as there was during the day. The city noises drifted into the park that created no noise of its own.

Link carefully stood up with some difficulty. His legs were weak, and his arms were slow to react. His thoughts were slow and muddled.

Another wave of panic set in. I must have been sedated!

He started to shuffle around in his pockets. This drowsiness he felt was not from being beat down unconscious but from being drugged. But for what, and why? How long had he been out for?

Link froze when his hands found some foreign objects inside his coat pockets. He took them out guardedly, and was surprised to see they were all of their passports.

What? How did they get here?

A feeling of dread: that must mean that Dugal and his men had already been to the hotel. Did something happen to Zelda and Gale?

A slip of paper fell out from between the three passports. Link reached down and picked it up; it was a note.

Mr. Petrov:

There has been some sort of misunderstanding with Avilux I internal affairs. A small group of extremists within our company are currently causing problems, and we are doing our best to sort things out and have them fired. The men who have dealt you harm have been caught and are awaiting punishment.

It is unfortunate that I cannot explain this to you in person as I hear you are already back in Tokyo and have left Mt. Omuro. No amount of apologies can make up for what has happened, and I will be sure to arrange compensation for your experiences here. When you return to your hotel rooms, please check that nothing has been stolen from you since my men have found your passports on your attackers. We have returned them to your possession.

Please tell Ms. Sterling that we will contact her again when these affairs are sorted. We understand if she is no longer interested in the position, but if she is, we will be happy to oblige another interview in the spring.

In the meanwhile, please call me and we will exchange your plane tickets for first class so you may have a comfortable trip home.

My many sincere apologies,

Halstead Dugal
Avilux I Chief Executive Consultant

Link crumpled up the note and stuck it in his pocket again. "Lying snake," he said aloud, and frowned at the passports. He couldn't understand the kind of nerve Dugal had to pretend like he had nothing to do with this whole thing. Sure, Dugal could say that he hadn't actively participated in chasing them around the Mt. Omuro facility, and it was true that they hadn't gotten a super clear view of who the driver was in the car chasing them, but at the same time it was so obvious Dugal had been chasing them the whole time. Maybe in court Dugal would be able to weasel out of things and blame everything on all the red tied men and his driver, Condor, who they'd encountered at the stairwell, but Link knew Dugal was behind this whole thing.

Link grumbled. Knowing Dugal, he might even start telling people he had tried to protect us from the guys chasing us when he'd pulled out his gun at the facility…

Dugal was here, in Tokyo, and was pulling all the strings. Link felt extremely uncomfortable knowing that he had been caught and released like bait fish.

He's planning something. He's definitely planning something and I don't like it.

But what? What benefit was there in catching him and then letting him go like nothing had happened? A chill came over him as he realized something.

What if they'd caught Zelda and Gale, and for some reason didn't need me anymore for whatever they were planning to do? I need to find out where they are!

A sweat drop rolled down his forehead even though the night air was pretty chilly. How, how do I contact them?

His hand felt a small, palm-sized object in his pocket. Link perked up. That's it! His cell phone!

Link started to dial Zelda's number, and held his breath as the phone let off a faint ringing noise. Please, please be okay.

XXXXXXXXX

"Sir, he's calling the girl."

"Perfect. I love it when things go the way I plan them to." Dugal drawled lazily, sprawled across his hotel bed with his shoes on and flicking the TV channels every two minutes. "Connect me on their line. We did specifically set up their phones so we could do a little eavesdropping, so I might as well."

"You do like eavesdropping, sir."

"Kestrel, any information you know about someone is an advantage." He turned off the TV and took out his cell phone, punching in the numbers orated by Kestrel in the other line. "Be ready for further orders soon. When will you reach Tokyo?"

"In twenty minutes sir."

"Then I will see you shortly."

XXXXXXXXX

"All right. Let's discuss this before we go any farther," Gale said when they stopped walking in front of the police station near the hotel. At least here, they knew Avilux I wouldn't try anything rash since they were too close to the police. "Do you think it's a good idea to just walk into our hotel rooms?"

Zelda shook her head. "No, I think that's too risky. They know our room numbers, and given the time they might have already set up an ambush."

"Hmm. This is problematic."

The two became quiet for some time, each one going over different scenarios in entering and leaving the hotel safely. After some time, Gale pondered, "A crowd would be our best cover."

Zelda agreed. "I was thinking the same thing. We should go during a time when there're more people, so it'll be better to wait until daytime tomorrow."

"I suppose we can crash somewhere around the police station."

"Maybe. I wanted to avoid that but I think we might not have any other choice."

"Assuming we do go to the hotel tomorrow, bringing a porter along might be a good idea too. Even if there's a crowd at the lobby, if they catch us alone in the elevator or something we're done for."

Zelda slumped against the wall. "This is so risky." A few minutes passed. "Hey Gale?"

The boy tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"What do you suppose happened to Link?"

"Petrov?" Gale shrugged, making as though he weren't too worried. Zelda, however, could see that the issue was troubling Gale more than he would care to admit. After all, they hadn't heard back from him for a couple of hours, and the last they'd seen him he had been dragged away by Avilux I. "He'll be fine."

Zelda hung her head. "But…"

"Don't worry about it," he reassured with a sour smile. "Something tells me that blond nuisance won't be taken down so easily."

Zelda looked at him sharply. Something about Gale was off again in the way he spoke. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, his head facing skywards in bitter nostalgia. "You two have a history?" she asked, choosing her words carefully.

Gale, or rather Vaati as Zelda guessed, scoffed indignantly. "Hmph. One that has gone on way too long for my liking." Cold, cruel eyes gazed into hers. "He always finds a way to give me trouble. Always."

Zelda was frozen in place. The change had been so unexpected and sudden. They stood like that for what seemed like forever, and the pause was broken when Vaati was the first to blink. It was more like a twitch. "What are you staring at?"

"Huh?" Zelda stammered. Was this Vaati or was this Gale? "I, um, nothing. You spaced out."

The red-eyed teen scratched his chin. "I guess. I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing."

Zelda sighed inwardly. Gale was Gale again. Still, it unnerved her in that both Vaati and Gale were so similar it was hard to tell when one switched into the other. She wondered why Gale was flipping back and forth between his alter ego much more often than when she'd first met him, and she wondered if his outburst at the stairwell had anything to do with the frequency. That, and also the fact that this Vaati seemed to know Link pretty well; having Link around might have allowed this personality to surface more readily.

She didn't like it. Whenever Vaati appeared she felt so chilled by the mercilessness the teen had in his eyes. Gale was very similar to Vaati, yes, but he didn't have that sheer aura of extreme resentment and cruelty. Zelda wondered what Vaati had experienced differently from Gale to make him so cold.

Her train of thought was broken when a low ringing noise came from somewhere within the bag she was carrying. "Someone's calling," she observed. Placing the bag down, she rummaged around her previous clothes she had stuffed into the bag until she found the source of the noise. The little blue phone Dugal had lent them was vibrating softly as it rang.

"Who is it?" Gale demanded. Zelda bit her lip.

"It's Link." They both watched the phone ring earnestly. Zelda sighed. "It could be a trap."

"I was thinking of that," Gale agreed. Then, he took the phone out of Zelda's hands. "At the same time, if we approach this thinking it's a trap, we should be fine." Before Zelda could protest, Gale had flipped open the phone. Link's slightly panicked voice called out from the other end of the line.

"Zelda? Zelda, are you there? This is Link! Please answer me."

"…Where the hell are you?"

"Zel – huh? You're not… who is this? Gale? Is that you?"

At this point, neither of them noticed a momentary period of suspicious static in the background. They couldn't know someone had tapped into their phone for some eavesdropping.

"Yeah. So where are you?"

"What happened to Zelda? I called her phone. Is she all right?"

"Relax. She's fine. Calm down and just say where you are."

Link paused. "I… don't really know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Gale quickly waved Zelda away, reassuring her Link was fine.

"Well, I woke up and I found myself in a park of some sort, somewhere."

"What happened to the Avilux I guys?"

"They're gone. I don't know what happened. I just have a goddess awful headache and all of our passports."

Gale blanched. "Passports? What? Why do you have them on you?"

"They were in my pocket, along with a note from Dugal."

"Din."

"He wrote me this BS story about how it was all a misunderstanding and that he ordered the guys who'd caught me to be stopped. He claims his men found the passports in their possession, but I don't know how much of that I believe."

The silver top took a deep breath. "You know this is probably a trap, right?"

"…Probably."

"But at the same time we have no choice but to meet you somewhere since you have the passports."

"I guess."

"This sucks, you know that? Damn. We need to get out of Japan as fast as possible, away from Dugal. Once we figure out where you are, we'll grab a taxi and then we can get our asses over to Narita to fly out of this country."

Somewhere a few blocks down from Gale and Zelda in the upper luxury floors of Hilton Tokyo, Dugal smirked to himself. This was all so easy. Well, not that he'd expected a few kids like them to be any match for him. "Checkmate, kids. Once you get together we'll pick you up all at once." He was about to turn the TV back on, but Link's next words made him stop and listen in on the conversation more closely.

"Wait, Gale. We can't leave Japan just yet."

"What? Why?"

For the first time, Dugal looked puzzled and thrown off his game. What? Why indeed. Curious, he sat up.

"We need to stop Skull Kid and Avilux Ignis."

Ah, so they found out about that, did they? Dugal was impressed. I can see why Boss Ganon doesn't like them very much.

"For that we need you to regain your memories as Vaati. I have an idea to make that happen, if you'll just bear with me a little longer."

Gale didn't answer for some time. Then, "What if I refuse?"

"Then everything you've ever known will probably be sunk underwater. New Jersey is on the coast after all."

"This is crazy."

"What are you afraid of? Gale, don't you realize Vaati is also a part of your identity? If you're afraid of losing yourself then you shouldn't be, because he's just as much you as you are him."

"How do you know that anyway?"

"Because the reason why you've never found direction in your life is because you are missing a part of your identity."

Another moment of silence confirmed that there was some truth to what Link was saying. Link continued, unaware that Dugal was listening in with new fascination.

"Work with me for just a little longer. Didn't you say you wanted to know more about Vaati?"

Link was relieved when Gale finally muttered dejectedly, "How do you suppose you're going to go about 'getting my memories back?'"

"It's an idea I'm not completely sure would work, but I have a feeling it will. I'll give you the details when we meet up again because it'll take a while to explain, but do you remember the sword Dr. Willits was talking about in the Sea of Trees?"

"What about it? You're not saying we're going to go look for that, are you? Even they couldn't find it. For all we know it's a myth."

"That is exactly what we're going to do. If I'm right, then that forest is the Lost Woods back from my age and the sword is the Master Sword. Dr. Willits couldn't find it because only certain people can find the right way to the Temple of Time. Skull Kid and I are one of the few who can take the right turns through the trees."

"Well aren't you special."

"Anyways, I'll call you back once I figure out where I am, and we'll decide where to meet up."

"Fine."

"See you lat – "

"Wait." Gale stopped Link. "Next time you give a call, try to use the public phones, just in case. These phones were given to us by Dugal, and he might have done something to them. I should've realized this earlier."

Dugal laughed out loud in the hotel room. Interesting. You're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for, not that it'll make a difference. I can still listen to your conversations as long as one of the phones you use is the phone I gave you.

"All right."

"See ya, and watch your back."

Dugal waited for the phones to click off before he disconnected his own line. His expression was brighter than it had been earlier; instead of a semi-bored, self-confident smile he now had one of excited enthusiasm. He rubbed his hands together.

What a strange group of kids. They seemed to know more about zerons than they let on, and the things they had been talking about had been unusual. What was this talk about "my age," and "Lost Woods?" Also, what was that whole thing about the coasts being sunk underwater? Weird. And the blond also seemed to know about the sword that Dr. Willits had been crazily searching for at one point. They had the key to understanding the nature of these near magical objects. They had the potential to be profitable. Dugal drummed his fingers thoughtfully. Hmmm.

A short buzz came from the earpiece that he used solely to communicate with the members of Talon Three. Slightly annoyed by the interruption, he answered. "Yes, what is it?"

"This is Kestrel, sir. We've arrived at Shinjuku."

Dugal checked his watch. "How close are you to the hotel?"

"We're just outside it sir."

"Then hurry and get up here. I'm inside the hotel. The brats are probably walking around Shinjuku at the moment and I don't want them to see you. Check the tracker – where's Mr. Petrov?"

"He's moving out of the park, sir."

"Right. Hurry on up, and tell the Reds the whole thing is off. They are to forget everything that has happened because Talon Three will handle things from here on out."

"Yes sir."

"Sir, this is Condor sir. What are you planning?"

Condor and his questions… "We're not going to catch the three rats just yet. They're going to lead us to something potentially useful."

"But the boss, sir? Didn't he want us to get rid of them as soon as possible?"

Dugal was a little miffed. He'd suspected his employer kept him from having too much freedom by telling some of his men information Dugal felt they didn't need to know. Dugal knew that Condor was loyal to him first and foremost, but that didn't mean he wouldn't start questioning him if he started to deviate from Mr. Ganon's original orders. Condor, you're bright and useful but a little troublesome. "We're going to do things a little differently, Condor, and if Mr. Ganon doesn't know then he shouldn't have problems with it. That's why we are going to call off the Reds."

He dismissed his team, and then waited. Forget about Ganon and his orders of getting rid of the three as fast as possible; this was too good to pass up. He wasn't going to let him know about it, of course, since this was going to be his own personal investigation. If he felt this would be worthwhile in letting his employer know, then he would tell him when all was done. After all, if Ganon stepped in he might ruin his fun.

Dugal hadn't had this much fun in a while – not since that assignment that ended with going after a member of his own team. When Talon Three had once been Talon Four. Actually, that hadn't been fun at all after some time. It had been so messy, with so much drama and all that not-so-fun stuff. The only reason why it had seemed fun was because he'd had an opponent that forced him to be meticulous with the mind games - and the only reason why his opponent had been so troublesome was because Dugal had been against his own former team member, Harrier. Harrier. What a mistake. He wondered how that troublemaker was faring right now.

Hmph. What a coincidence, Dugal thought as something struck him. The teens had mentioned the Sea of Trees, which could only mean the Aokigahara Jukai that Dr. Willits had been obsessing about a few years ago. That had also been the place where that had happened with Harrier. And that incident had also been one of the reasons why the search for the sword had been discontinued.

And it all loops back again. What an odd thing Fate is.

Straightening out his tie, he went back to lounging and watching the local news. There wasn't anything interesting on. He looked out the window. Somewhere out there were three teens who had no idea they had already lost his little game the moment it had begun. While they sweated anxiously about his next move, Dugal could laze around and watch the tracking signal pinpoint where they were in the world. He could pick them up whenever it was convenient to do so. For now, he would let the puppies go fetch.

XXXXXXXXX

Link, Gale, and Zelda decided to meet up in front of the police station once they had found out, to their surprise, that Link was not very far away. He had realized that the hotel was just down the street, and that he only had to walk a few blocks to reach the police station. The station sounded the safest place from Dugal and his lackeys, even though none of them really felt safe anywhere at this point. The only consolation they had was that Tokyo was bright as day even during the night.

Link and two figures stared awkwardly at each other for several minutes in front of the police station. The two who were standing in front of them were very similar to Gale and Zelda, but were wearing ridiculous clothes. Besides, he didn't remember Zelda having boyish hair or red eyes…

And that guy. Who did he think he was, wearing maroon eye shadow? Was he a drag queen of some sort?

"You look stoned, Petrov." The guy with a purple streak of hair and a feathery coat scrunched his nose. The way he looked at him disdainfully – who else could it be but Gale?

"Gale… it really is you. Then that means – "

"Hey Link. Don't recognize me, do you?"

"Holy Farore, it really is you. What happened to your hair?"

Zelda's tiny smile was hidden behind the white cloth that covered her face. "We had a little fun disguising ourselves." She ignored Gale muttering at that comment. "The colored contacts are starting to get annoying though, so I'll probably go back to blue eyes soon." She noticed Link having a weird look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He sounded out of it. Link reassured them both that nothing was wrong, but he couldn't stop thinking about how disconcerting it was to see how history liked to repeat itself. Zelda and her Harajuku disguise – it reminded him so much of way back when, during the times the Zelda he knew had disguised herself. Shiek, he thought sadly.

"So they let you go, just like that. No one has followed you here?" Gale asked, on his guard. Link looked over his shoulder and shook his head.

"Not that I know of. Oh, here's the note from Dugal and your passports, by the way." Link handed them over to the surprised two. "I was also wondering if you'd been caught by Dugal's group and had somehow bribed them into letting me go."

"Hah, like I'd actually do that. Ow," Gale rubbed his arm where Zelda had hit him, a scornful look on her face. He leaned over to look at the note she had in her hands. "Geez, this sounds reeeaaaaally fishy though."

Zelda nodded. "We probably shouldn't stay the night at the hotel. They could have something unpleasant ready for us. We should find the least expensive place to stay around here and I'll help pay for expenses."

"First Harajuku and now this. You seem to just make money appear out of thin air," Gale observed.

Zelda shot him a look, making it obvious she didn't like the subject. All she said was, "we have a family inheritance that has kept going thanks to interest." Gale didn't push the issue. The girl crossed her arms. "So Link, what's your plan? I heard from Gale that you think staying in Japan will lead to a solution to this whole flooding, and or Avilux Ignis disaster."

"I hope so," Link replied. He smiled a little, thinking about how progressively weirder this whole situation was becoming. Upon seeing Zelda and Gale watching him, wondering what he thought was so funny, Link explained, "Sorry, I was just thinking about how unbelievable this is becoming." He tried to keep a straight face. "We're going to the Sea of Trees to look for a magical sword that would hopefully reawaken the Sorcerer of Winds, and then we're going to the Palace of Winds to stop the shrine maidens from flooding the world."

"So now you think this is crazy too?" Gale's face cracked into a slanted grin. "About time you agreed with me."

Zelda started to laugh as well. "So just when you'd convinced us to play along with your crazy stories, you're starting to think this is unbelievable?"

"Well you have to admit this is getting complicated."

"No kidding. But we're off to save the world, so it's bound to be complicated," Gale said with a sarcastic smile. "All we have to do is level up enough before we beat the boss, right Link?"

Within a few minutes, all three of them were clutching their stomachs and laughing about their situation. It was a tired sort of laugh, one that comes from relief after being saved from a stressful situation. Gasping for breath, they couldn't stop the giggles that came from the magnitude of the problems they had taken up to solve. The laughter died down to the occasional fit of snickering, which then turned to shoulders silently shaking as each tried to calm down. Gale was the first to recover.

"Seriously though, I don't know what to think any more."

Link grinned mischievously. "You've said that so many times; maybe you should just stop thinking."

"Considering you are the example of what would happen if I stopped thinking, I'd rather avoid that."

"Oh please. I'm much better off than a guy whose vanity is as high as his view of the world is low."

"Since when have I acted vain?"

"Are you going to tell me you haven't checked yourself out in the reflection of that window every two minutes?"

"I'm making sure I don't look like a fool in this outfit."

"I rest my case."

Zelda stifled laughter. "All right you two. Let's go find a place to stay before Dugal does something."

The nervous tension had temporarily disappeared with their reunion. Although their day had been stressful from being chased by a shady company, the three teens had finally managed to bring back some of their light-heartedness. Perhaps it was a psychological defense mechanism – when one is placed in such a bizarre situation, sometimes the only thing a person can do is laugh about it.

Because things were only going to get more bizarre.

Travel Log:

Shinjuku Chuo Park - I personally didn't go here, but according to Link it's a little oasis in this huge, busy metropolis. The park itself is located right next to Hilton Tokyo, and the main part is the small shrine where you can throw coins and make a wish. I know a bunch of Japan enthusiasts are going to complain to me about comparing the shrine to something like a wishing fountain...

fleets: The next few chapters - ohmygoshness I can't wait to write it! Just thinking about it makes this chapter SO boring (because this one's more of a lead up to it than anything). Uh, all righty I'll stop talking because you guys have no idea what I'm talking about. I'll try to get a semi-quick update for the next one. No promises, but we'll see.

Midna Hytwilian: Vaati - Can I come back now?
fleets - No.
Vaati - (sigh)
fleets - Gale, Vaati, what's the difference?
Vaati - Let's see, as Gale I don't know who I am, Link knows more than me and therefore I'm always clueless, I can't blow things up, I -
fleets - Point taken! Yeesh, you'll come back soon enough and you'll have the spotlight.

Ephriokko: Nope, not yet - Link still has it XP
Those three are not in a good position.

Astral S. Kepeire: Wowww. First off, thank you for the review - I think that's one of the longest that I've ever gotten :DD
I'm getting so impatient to let Vaati come back. Those little Vaati moments keep me happy (and they're small bonuses for Vaati fans too) :)

henslight: Nope, I wanted to stay away from maiden in distress (since I think Zelda has the ability to take care of herself). And you're right - the story would have ended if Link got caught and couldn't escape, so if he hadn't been released I'd have let him found a way to do so on his own :P

Reily96: I'm not going to lie - your comment that Gale and Zelda were indeed alone affected the beginning of this chapter XD

Trickster's Imagination: Ah, well, Dugal's not reaaally Helmaroc - I just wanted to throw that reference in there (because he is really sneaky and if I personified Helmaroc he'd probably be less sneaky and more flashy/explosive). Personality-wise I'd say he's a combo of Dethl from my other story and maaaybe a slight Helmy. He's really taken on a character of his own though :)

marium: The one on dA will be explained soonish :) I can't say much here, but if you figure it out it won't be too bad of a spoiler (that's why I thought it'd be ok to post it on dA). Well, that and I also didn't expect anyone to guess correctly :P As for their ages, let's see, Gale and Link is 16 (Link is a mystery, but they assume he's around 16, or maybe even 17). Zelda is also 16, but she skipped two grades to attend the local college.

jioplip: There used to be days when I'd update every day, but those were also days when my writing sucked a little more and I had less school to deal with. Thinking back on my update speed back then makes me feel like a slow old person lol.
Yeah, I was creeped out by Dugal too! I'm still his numbah one fan, but he sometimes makes me back away slowly (or quickly, running in the opposite direction).
Thank you! :)

LinkxDarkLink: This stands completely on its own from Beyond Centuries (I feel that anything more relating to that would exhaust it). So the goddesses despise Vaati, he's still plotting for a takeover, he hasn't learned any lessons, and his name is still associated with bad things. And of course I won't kill you, don't be silly :)

Darkwind: Me too! Japan is not Japan without Harajuku. Sometimes I think I'm having too much fun writing about the real-life places in this story... well, the next one's kinda creepy since it's Aokigahara.

Temyx Mew Mew Haerts: Gale is Vaati; he just doesn't know (or want to admit) that yet. It's tricky though, since you can argue Gale is a different person since he's had different life experiences as "Gale" and not as "Vaati," with all the knowledge of the Minish Cap and everything. Gale's a reincarnation of Vaati according to a spell Vaati screwed up on - Vaati just forgot about the fine-print stuff about how his reincarnations wouldn't remember anything about their past existances. Silly Vaati. It's open for interpretation. I personally take them as "same yet different."
The Zelda question will pop up later in the story. So far, we only know for sure that Link has it. (think of it as the triforce lying dormant for this specific era).
Yup! The spirits are the maidens that appeared in Four Swords Adventures.
And Avilux Ignis is just a random name that I made up using a bunch of Latin words and smushing them together into something phonetically acceptable. Avi = bird, Lux = light, Ignis = fire. :) It's not to be confused with the company Avilux I, which the "I" is the roman numeral 1.

i-wish-a7x: Still haven't found the chip, but now Dugal's playing a new game XD

Purplegc: The chip was pretty "ick" for me to write, and even though I'm a huge fan of Dugal he creeped me out right there. I've a feeling he'll be even less liked as the story progresses - why I like my villains is a mystery I still don't know the answer to. Thank you!

Dark Scrivener: It's amazing what google satellite can help you do - half of these places I haven't even been to but I can kinda guess what it's like from "walking around" on the map lol. Like Harajuku and Hilton Tokyo. And I hear stories. Gosh, it must be so much more in real life than what I've heard though! Thanks!
Gale - ...(all right I admit I like it)