A/N: Told ya the other kids would get more attention, didn't I? Wonder what Veran's up to during all this... *evil grin* Heehee~! Anyways, hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long! Enjoy~!
Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...
Many Thanks To: SoulDea, i-wish-a7x, and LittlePidgey~!
The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)
-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!
-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...
-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!
-Vio has a bow, a quiver full of arrows and, of course, his ever-present book.
-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!!
Chapter 23: Hotheads, Bookworms, and... Ancient History?
Green's ears twitch as he's walking down the path between Jabu Jabu's spring and the rest of Zora's Domain, picking up a faint sound. He turns back towards the spring, a feeling that something's wrong nagging at him.
"(Green) ...Hm? What was that? It sounded like it came from back this way... I know Vaati wanted to be left alone, but it can't hurt to check, right?"
He jogs up the path and arrives back at the spring just in time to see Vaati collapse. The purple-skinned youth is out cold, laying perilously close to the edge of the overhang right above the deepest part of Jabu Jabu's spring...
"(Green) Hey, Vaati! What happened?! ...Looks like he's unconscious. Guess I was right to double back after all. I'll just get him away from the edge, then leave him be... I don't really feel like being snapped at today, after all."
Green looks around quickly, making sure no one's around to see him, then flies up to the top of the overhang, landing easily next to Vaati.
"(Green) Here we go..."
Green picks the purple-skinned youth up and sets him down a good two or three feet away from the edge, his thoughts inevitably straying to how light the Wind Sorcerer is.
'It wasn't just me... He is really light. Too light. He doesn't look like he's been starved or anything though, I remember that from when Shadow helped me treat his wounds. He wouldn't stop complaining the whole time, and absolutely refused to take off his hat. He even threatened to turn us into statues if we tried to get it off him... That cut on his head seems to be healing okay though, which is a relief. Anyway, his size and weight, they just don't add up. He's about half the average weight for the age he seems to be, I think, though it's just a guess... Yet another mystery for the list... ^.^; '
Green sighs, thoroughly confused.
"(Green) I've gotta stop thinking about this, it's giving me a headache."
He looks at Vaati again.
"(Green) Ah, the heck with it. I can't just leave him alone here like this... He can snap at me all he wants when he wakes up."
The boy takes a seat near Vaati, turning his face into the wind and closing his eyes.
"Mmm... This breeze feels really nice. No wonder Vaati came up here..."
~Meanwhile, at Lake Hylia~
Ruto dives into the water and swims deep into the lagoon, the large shadow of the creature guiding her to an underwater cavern, which she assumes to be its home.
"(monster?) Red..."
"(Ruto) ...?!"
'I-it's TALKING, zora?!'
Ruto just stares as it begins talking to itself, seemingly not even aware of the Zora girl's presence.
"(monster?) ...Red... ...why...?! ...you should've just... kept... running...! Now you've been... cursed... ...too... ...Gah...! ...makes me... ...so... MAD...!"
"(Ruto) ...I can hear you, you know, zora... ^.^;"
"(monster?) ...! Huh...? ...You... ...the Zora that... came... with Red... ...I swear... if you... hurt Red, I'll..."
"(Ruto) Calm down, will you? I don't even know who this "Red" person is, zora. And what in the name of Nayru is your problem anyway?! Stirring up trouble in Lake Hylia and scaring everyone, zora... Causing rumors of a "monster" appearing in these waters... But monsters don't talk, zora! So who or what are you?!"
"(monster?) ...Heh..."
'She's a bit like... Green...'
"(monster?) ...I'm... Blue... Some crazy witch... cursed me... and my friends... Red... too. That kitten... is Red... I took... most of the hit... meant for Red... after I got... attacked... so... Red's not... a monster... But... that witch is... after Red... to finish the job...! It... pisses me off...!"
'What's he talking about, zora? Anyway, this guy's really strange... I mean, what kind of weirdo is named after a COLOR, zora?'
Ruto somehow manages to sigh even though she's underwater.
"(Ruto) ...I don't get it, zora... But you don't seem evil, so I won't attack you. To tell the truth, I guess it's because you remind me of Link, zora..."
The creature seems surprised at this.
"(Blue) ...Did you say... "Link"...?! Blonde Hylian, wears green... THAT "Link"...?!"
"(Ruto) *sweat drops* Whoa, calm down... Yes, that's him, zora. Why? Are you saying you know him, zora?"
"(Blue) ...Well, DUH... ...Didn't you... hear... about what... happened with... that jerk Gufuu...?"
"(Ruto) Yeah, what about it, zora? ...Wait... Are you saying that LINK is the hero of the Four Sword, zora?!"
"(Blue) ...Again, DUH...! He's Green...! And he was... attacked, too...! Understand now...?!"
"(Ruto) Huh? Link changed his name? And he was attacked, zora?!"
"(Blue) Are you... stupid or something...? We were ALL attacked...! All four of us...! Me... Red... Green... and Vio...! And I'm... trapped here... because of this... STUUUPID form I'm... stuck in...!"
Ruto does an underwater shrug.
"(Ruto) And what is that supposed to mean to me, zora? Surely you didn't bring me here for no reason. Spit it out already, zora!"
"(Blue) Farore... Nayru... and DIN...!!! Are you... really that... DENSE...?!! I'm ASKING you... to HELP me... you stupid girl...!"
Ruto waves one fist at him angrily.
"(Ruto) Who're you calling stupid, stupid?! You're so dense, you didn't even realize I'm a Princess, zora! Princess Ruto of Zora's Domain! And I'm going to be a great warrior some day! Show some respect, zora!"
"(Blue) So what... if you're... a Princess...! I'll... show respect... if I want to...! And I... DON'T...! You're just a... brat...! And a... warrior...?! YOU...?! Don't make me... laugh...! Girls can't be warriors...! They're wimps...! And airheads...!"
"(Ruto) Take that back right now, zora! You should be grateful you're too big to fight right now and I don't have my weapon, zora, or I'd teach you some manners!"
Blue's silhouetted figure somehow makes a scoffing motion that would translate to a "hmph!" in Human.
"(Blue) Yeah... you and what... army...?!"
"(Ruto) I don't need an army, you stupid boy! Just you wait, zora!"
The two continue to argue with each other, neither one having a clue as to how alike they both sound...
~Meanwhile, at the guest cottage in Zora's Domain~
Shadow is napping in the bedroom while Vio sits in the den with his book and some sheets of paper. He's taking notes as he studies, it seems. One sheet of paper is neatly labelled with the name "Vaati" and details what Vio knows about him so far. Two other such sheets are labelled "Veran" and "boy in white" respectively. The sheet about the white-clad boy is blank save for its label and a brief description of his appearance and actions when Vio first saw him, taking note of his stutter, "baby-talk" level pronunciation skills, and the fact that he wasn't actually physically there in the cavern inside Death Mountain. The questions "Who is he?" and "Why does he look like Shadow?" take up most of the empty space on the page, as Vio has found no information about the boy in his book. Veran's reference sheet is almost as blank, with comments such as "she REALLY hates "Links" and appears to be out for revenge" and "specializes in curses and torture, perhaps?" written in neatly. Vio's attention is currently on the "Vaati" page, however, and as he shifts his hand (which is resting atop it), a fourth sheet, labelled "Gufuu," becomes visible.
"(Vio) Hmm... There are no records for the birth of a purple-skinned Hylian within the past twenty years. Guess that route's a dead end, then. Maybe looking up "Wind Sorcerer" will yield some results."
'This book has anything I may want or need to know in it... Of course, the most accurate parts are copies of things that are actually real written works, which must be why I can't find anything about that boy when I look at the "normal" pages... But that can wait. Better to see what I can find out from reliable, "real" sources first.'
Vio flips to the book's index in the back and finds two main categories under "Wind Sorcerer." One reads "(Demon) Gufuu," the other "Vaati." Vio flips to the first page listed under both "Vaati" and "Gufuu" after a moment of thought.
"(Vio) ...Eh?"
The page Vio has opened to is an entry taken from someone's diary, written in the form of a letter.
Vaati... Please be safe. That, that THING nearly took control of you completely, I could tell. I barely got to you in time. And yet you still managed to keep it from using your body to attack me, giving me the opening I needed to save you, I hope. I'm so proud of you, Vaati. You've grown so much since the incident with the first Cap. Link would be astonished by your maturity now, too, though neither of us has seen him since then. I intend to keep that promise to you, and shall tell nothing to Link about this, nor shall I reveal myself to him. As you asked, I will simply let him believe that we returned home that day as planned rather than cause him any worry. Still, I myself cannot help but worry. That creature was just a formless black mass after you disappeared, but even then I could sense its strength. However, I knew deep down in my heart that it had not been able to consume you, and for that I am grateful, thank the Goddesses. I wonder what it was you wished for, and where you are now... Though I doubt you will ever read this, as it is in my diary and not a true letter, know that I will be waiting for you here with open arms should you ever choose to return...
Vio reads the excerpt over a few times, wondering what it has to do with Gufuu. Remembering certain parts of conversations that did not seem to mean much at first, including one he privately had with Green earlier the night before, the purple-clad boy begins making connections in his mind...
~...~
"(Green) Yeah, I overheard that crazy lady calling Vaati an amnesiac once I finally got through the wind barrier he put up to keep me away. He does seem a little odd, don'tcha think? Like, he knows things, but there always seem to be little gaps and blank areas in that knowledge..."
"(Vio) Amnesia, huh? That makes a lot of things about him make more sense... Was there anything else you noticed at the time that seemed a little strange?"
"(Green) Well, I peeked around the corner after that and saw Vaati being held in the air in front of her by these whip-like things wrapped around his arms... Something looked off about him for a second; couldn't catch what it was; and his eyes widened, then he suddenly let loose a strong blast of wind and startled her enough to make her let go. It was... pretty weird."
~...~
"(Vaati) You "Links"... appear throughout... Hyrule's history... Each one... always named... "Link"... And bearing... the Triforce of... Courage..."
"(Vio) Huh? How do you know they're always named Link? The names of heroes from the past weren't mentioned in any of the books I've read."
"(Vaati) I... knew one... I think... Can't... remember clearly..."
~...~
"(Vio) *thinking out loud* This must be why Vaati doesn't show up in the birth records for the past twenty years. He really is from the past. And Gufuu... This excerpt's relation to him... Could it be that this is an account of how Gufuu came to be, and he was actually born from Vaati himself somehow? I'm fairly certain it's safe to go along with that assumption, since it fits just about all the information I have so far."
He pauses, his eyes straying back to the sentence about "the first Cap."
"(Vio) "Cap"...? Vaati's hat? Come to think of it, he refused to take it off even to treat that cut on his forehead... Looks like I have another lead."
Vio picks up his "Vaati" reference sheet and writes in "his hat may be special somehow," "found a diary entry of someone with a strong connection to him that mentioned a "Link"," "could Vaati be from the past?" and "Gufuu came from him, maybe?". He then moves on to his "Gufuu" reference sheet and writes "born from Vaati?," "doesn't seem to be evil anymore," and "also from the past?". He pauses as he finishes, remembering the legends about Gufuu, then crosses out the last note on Gufuu's page and the one on Vaati's, replacing the one about Vaati with "must be from the time period Gufuu originally came from..."
"(Vio) *sigh...* This is getting complicated. Well, back to work."
He picks up his book again and continues his research session with his usual unwavering focus...
A/N: Lol, Ruto and Blue are too alike... XD Whoever guesses the writer of that diary entry gets a cookie. *prepares to give out lots and lots of cookies* Anyway... Please review! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, just please review! I even allow anonymous reviews, too! Pleeeeaaaase?????? *puppy dog eyes*