Huh. I'm sorry guys; this chapter seemed to take forever. I blame school. Sophemore year. No one told me it was going to be this hard. Anyways, thank you all for being patient with me- special thanks to the people who have been faithful in reviewing.

Rilricks: Oh, you have no idea how much they want each other. :3

Gabbiez: It's ok. Dying a little is perfectly normal. And that's interesting... well, opposites attract, no?

Zinachu: Thank you!

Rebel: Funny story. You'll just have to wait and see what happens to our favorite empath and pyro.

Chapter 11

"Shea."

"Go 'way…"

"Shea, wake up. Thought you might want this."

Shea opened his eyes, and sat up slowly, glaring at the pyro standing above him. "And what is it that I'd want that would think you could wake up me up so ear-"

Blaize was holding a familiar sword out in front of him, a neutral expression on his face. Shea blinked, staring at the golden sheath in disbelief. He reached up, and tentatively took the sword in hand, wrapping his hand around the golden hilt. "I never thought I'd see it again." He whispered, almost thinking out loud. He pulled it out, the metal making a wonderful scraping sound against the hard leather of the sheath. Like the first time holding the blade, it felt like it had been made for him. His hand tingled with the familiarity of it.

Blaize shrugged. "You looked pretty awkward with that second-hand one. And I took the liberty of stealing it back from the Exelians when I… left." His voice took on a hateful edge.

Shea looked up at Blaize curiously, putting the sword back into the sheath and laying it at his side. But Blaize shrugged and turned away. "Just thought you'd want it back." He muttered as he went over to his pack and things. After the… conversation with Emri, the girl had demanded that he be as far from them as possible. She called it 'time-out for being so prudently arrogant.'

"…thanks." Shea muttered after a moment. Blaize paused, but didn't turn around.

"Chickens!" Suddenly, Claire broke the still moment with her call that sent her snapping upward, reaching for the closest heavy object… which was a rock. She breathed heavily, looking around warily before yawning, and turning her head to look at Shea with a bleary smile. "Good morning…" and she laid back down, curling herself around the rock and was asleep once more.

Shea shook his head as he stood up, and began to roll his mat.

Another movement drew his attention. Emri sat up, and stretched. Her brown hair was piled on top her head in a ratted mess… Shea looked away as she turned to glare at him. Note to self: Don't cross Emri today. He thought as he continued to pack up his things.

After everyone was up (it took all three of them to finally pull Claire to her feet), Shea scratched his head, looking up at the trees. "So… where are we again?"

"Lavinar." Blaize repeated, keeping his distance from Emri, who looked like she very much wanted to punch him.

"That would be…?" The said girl pressed.

"Pretty much the other side of where you guys were previously." Blaize nonchalantly replied.

Emri's eyes narrowed, "And you're here, why?"

Blaize ignored her, shouldering his pack. "There's a town to the west of here. If we leave now, we can get there before dark."

Shea nodded. "And maybe we can get some more information about why Lavinar's going to war with Hyrule."

This seemed to come as a surprise to Emri and Claire. "What?!" Emri seemed to squeak.

"Blaize'll explain on the way. We need to get moving." Shea looked at the treetops, only able to pick out the slightest bits of sunshine.

The three nodded, and they followed Blaize, who assumed the leadership position for the time being. "Lavinar has declared war on Hyrule," he started to lead into his explanation, "because Hyrule, apparently, has attacked towns on their borders-"

"What!?" Shea echoed Emri, stopping in his tracks and becoming angry. "Hyrule wouldn't- they couldn't-"

"Let me finish." Blaize looked at the blonde, annoyed at being interrupted. "Anyway, the attacks are actually Derrick's doing. He's summoned fallen Hylian soldiers from limbo and used them against the country they had sworn fealty to in their lifetime."

"Why would he want to do that?" Claire's eyebrows furrowed. She, in fact, remembered Derrick saying something about a King Therion and discussing war plans with him…

"Because," Blaize answered, "he's brainwashed the king of Lavinar and is ruling the country from the shadows. And since Hyrule is the most powerful neighboring country, he's taking them out first."

Shea decided to go out on a whim, "Conquer the world?" He said dryly.

"Exactly. He wants power. Power that he didn't get from Ganondorf…" Blaize said grimly. "He's my so-many-times removed cousin. I can't imagine he would have been happy to know that I got the Triforce of Power and he didn't." He was talking almost to himself now, thoughtfully.

"And since Derrick didn't get the triforce," Emri started slowly, "he's searching for more power. And that power is…" Emri looked at Shea.

Shea chewed on his cheek. "So by attacking Hyrule, he plans to also harness Rhairu's powers, making it easier for him to take over the world."

"He also won't stop at the other triforce pieces, if he gets the opportunity." Blaize said in a wary tone. "And since we're all here… traveling in a group, it's like a smorgasbord of limitless power."

Emri snorted, "Smorgasbord?"

Blaize gave her a deadpanned look. "You're not the only one who can use big words."

"While that may be true, you're the only one idiosyncratic individual in this group! And I don't mean that in a good way." Emri smirked.

"I don't even know what that means! But you use it a lot." Blaize sniffed.

"Oh, good. Then I can fully trust that you can never come up with something intelligent to say in response."

Shea and Claire looked at each other, and they both snorted.

--

Derrick's fist tightened around the reins of his horse, eye narrowing at the forest in front of him. He wasn't particularly happy that the two girls had escaped, along with the Rhairu incarnate and his own cousin…

"Sir?" A hiss that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end echoed in his ear.

Derrick shuddered and turned the horse around to look at the vampyre. "What have I said about sneaking up on me?" He growled, running a hand through his hair in a disgruntled fashion. "What do you want?"

The vampyre's yellow eyes narrowed in sick amusement. "We have confirmation that Ulir is dead."

Derrick frowned. Ulir was the vampyre that he had sent to capture Shea… he knew that the boy had gotten away when he learned that he was with the Exelian, but not that the vampyre was dead. Now the creature was completely useless to him, as the soul was now obliterated.

"Anything else?" Derrick said in an odd tone.

"The children are still in the forest, as well. I can smell them…" the vampyre's voice was laced with gluttonous lust, and its eyes sparked.

The Exelian man looked at the creature with hidden disgust. He often asked himself why he relied on creatures such as vampyres and other undead. "Good… I assume they're heading westward towards the village of Arca." He thought aloud to himself before turning to the vampyre, who seemed to float on the ground with the swirling mist that became the creature's cloak. "Burn the forest."

The vampyre looked surprised. "Burn the forest? King Therion-"

"King Therion is nothing. His mind is little more than a vegetable that answers to me and me only." Derrick turned his horse back around to face the forest. "Burn. It."

The vampyre remained silent before gliding away, mumbling a quick, "Yes, Sir."

Derrick felt his mouth pull up in a cynical smile. Those children could hide for days in the forest. But if he flushed them out, they'd have to go to Arca, or some other village… and he'd been waiting.

He turned his eyes to the fire that was being made. Fire… he had looked forward to that… little family reunion. Either way, he'd get it. He would get the power that should have been his, whether it took using the very element that was stolen from him against the thief, or hunting the boy down himself.

But now, Derrick smiled, now the entire Triforce was together. This would be too easy. And his Exelian relatives had already done the dirty work concerning Rhairu for him. He knew it would be tough to bring the god's essence to the surface of Shea's soul.

Now the only thing left to do was kill him, and take the boy's soul for himself.

--

Emri looked at one person when she smelled smoke. She glared at Blaize. "Did you light something on fire again?" She said scathingly.

Blaize looked offended. "No."

"Well, something is burning. And you're the only suspect here."

Shea stopped, and turned around. "Emri's right. Something is burning."

"It's probably some farmer burning a field." Blaize waved it off, scoffing. "I didn't light anything on fire."

Unanimously, they all started walking at a faster pace, anxious to escape the coming fire. They presumed it was far enough to pose no danger, but close enough for caution.

Shea hung around towards the back of the group, tentatively looking over his shoulder more often than what seemed necessary. He might have seen a red-orange glow through the trees a couple of times, but that could have been the failing sun playing tricks on his eyes.

Up ahead, Emri and Blaize had gone back to arguing about something completely irrelevant, once again.

Something sparked in his mind; the forest sparked up around them. There hadn't been any warning; no chest-constricting smoke, no crackle of fire. It was too sudden to be natural.

Emri was thinking along the same lines. "Blaize! I knew it! You didn't put out the fire this morning, and now we're all going to suffer because of you."

"I didn't start it!" Blaize protested, coughing from the smoke.

"I don't care who started it! I'll finish it!" Shea snapped, shoving both Emri and Blaize forward. "But I'd rather not get roasted alive!" He ordered them to run, but speaking was difficult due to the sudden thickening of the smoke in the air.

He took Claire by the shoulders, who had doubled over in a coughing fit, and ran, gently pulling the girl close to him. The heat was making him sweat, and the smoke made his eyes sting and throat clog.

The roar of the fire was all around him, licking at the ground he ran on, threatening to capture him in the wild flames.

Soon, the group broke through the forest, and they all fell to the ground, watching as the fire engulfed the forest behind them and fan out. Fire didn't travel that quickly…

"Do I need to voice my opinion?" Emri muttered gravely.

Shea shook his head. They all were thinking the same thing: Derrick. He hugged Claire close as she finished out her coughing fit.

"…told you I didn't do it."

"Oh, shuttup, you ignoramus."

--

There was only one inn in the small village of Arca. The inn was the center of the village, which fanned out around the large building. A few houses littered the place, but mostly, there were stores and other commercial buildings.

Shea was looking at a bulletin board out in front of the inn, squinting at the small text on some of the pages. Claire was beside him, reading as well. The girl's green eyes scanned quickly over the pages, but she did a double take on one.

"…Blaize, you haven't become a wanted criminal, have you?" She asked warily.

Blaize shoved Claire aside and looked at the poster, tearing it down to get a better look. "It's not just me. That doesn't even look like me, first of all, and secondly, there's Shea, you, and Emri here."

Emri snatched the poster away from Blaize, staring at her small portrait with wide, disbelieving eyes. She blinked a few times. "…I'm not wanted. How can I be wanted? I didn't do anything! I'm not wanted!"

"According to this posture, sweetheart, you are." Blaize drawled.

Emri resisted the urge to punch Blaize in the jaw again. "What I don't get is why Blaize is worth twice as much as I am. 300,000 rupees," she scoffed, handing Shea the posture, "how can I be worth less than Blaize?"

"I'm more dangerous. That's why." Blaize flashed a grin.

"…Shea, you're worth 1,500,000 rupees. That's a lot of rupees." Claire stared at the price with a kind of awe.

"Huh. I wonder what I did wrong." Shea pondered, eyes scanning the page for any rhyme or reason for why they were now criminals.

Wanted

Shea Harkinian (1,500,000 rupees), Blaize (600,000 rupees), Emri Cailyn (300,000 rupees), and Claire (250,000 rupees)

for arson, defiling of an ancient shrine, murder of Lavinian guard, illegal crossing of the Lavinar and Hyrule border, and illegal refuge in the sacred forest

According to Lavinian law, all Hylians having crossed into the Lavinian border without written consent from His Majesty must be arrested and tried for illegal border crossing.

Upon sight of these criminals, contact the local guard immediately. Harkinian claims to be the Hylian God of Balance Incarnate. Blaize claims to control fire. Be alert; any reported sightings will be rewarded with a 100,000 rupee purse.

"Wanted!" Emri exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "I can't believe it. Wanted."

"Claire, this picture looks nothing like you." Shea ignored Emri and held the poster up to Claire's face. "The artist must have screwed up; your neck isn't really that long, and you look like you want to hurt someone." He said, good-humoredly.

Claire snorted, "And what, your picture is perfect?"

"I think it's pretty accurate, actually."

"It's too menacing." Claire simply stated, "You're not mean enough in actuality to look like that."

Shea frowned before commenting, "Emri looks like she wants to punch Blaize in the face."

"Oh, do I…" Emri growled, glaring at Blaize as if this was all his fault.

"And Blaize… your bangs are wrong."

Blaize snorted, and crossed his arms. "That's a good thing. Because no one will ever be able to recognize me." He said smugly.

"You are the only one with cow-colored hair." Emri mumbled under her breath. "And the only one who's bangs stick out a mile from their forehead in carrot-sticks."

The Exelian chose to ignore her. "Anyway, I highly doubt I qualify for being a Hylian-"

"You're a Hylian no matter what two ways you look at it. Now be quiet and think of a way to get us out of this mess." Emri snapped.

Claire tilted her head, "I'm not a Hylian, and neither are you…" she got a curious spark in her eyes. "Where are you from, Emri?"

Shea felt like the odd-one-out, now. But he put the matter aside and too looked at Emri curiously.

The girl felt cornered. She stared at her comrades, and gave a good hearted laugh. "Of course I'm not Hylian. Whatever gave you that idea in the first place?"

"You're hiding something." Blaize stated.

"No, I'm not."

Shea sighed, "Lets just drop the subject, for now and figure out how we're going to go around traveling Lavinar if we're wanted."

"And," Emri, grateful for a change of subject, spoke up, "figure out exactly what Derrick's been doing in Lavinar."

"All the while remaining incognito." Blaize nodded.

"Stop using big words! It doesn't sound right." Emri sniffed. "But Blaize is right… we need disguises."

While the three others threw out ideas, Blaize looked around, and the candle flicked on in his head. "Hey, guys."

Ignoring.

"Emri. Shea. Claire."

Nothing.

"Hello?"

Nope.

"OH, HELL! THE GUARDS ARE COMING!"

Emri spun on her heel, whipping out her bo-staff. Shea quickly drew his sword, and took a stance. Claire put her fists up, looking around wildly.

While Blaize had exclaimed only to get their attention, their reaction was much better than expected. He howled in laughter, doubling over. "You thought I was serious!"

Shea was not amused. He whacked Blaize on the top of the head with the sword hilt. "Of course we did! You don't just find out you're possible the largest criminal in a foreign country and joke about that kind of thing! You just don't!"

Blaize had calmed down, and put his hand up in the air. "Okay, sorry. But seriously, I have an idea."

Claire frowned. "Are we doing to like it?"

Here, Blaize looked nervously at Shea… and then Emri. "Depends on your view of things."

Emri raised an eyebrow. "Spit it out."

"See that building over there?" Blaize pointed to an almost run-down version of the large inn they were standing in front of.

"Yeah…?" Shea failed to see where Blaize was going with this.

"That looks like what a 'red-light district' would be in building form."

Emri scowled, "And how would you know this?"

"Not that I've been to one! I've just seen them from afar!" Blaize argued, "Anyway, a lot of gossip normally pass through those-"

"No." Shea interrupted curtly, face set in a placid expression. "No."

"I'm not implying you doing anything-"

"I know exactly what you're implying. And my answer is no."

Emri caught on. "Uh uh. I'm not dressing up as a… as a… prostitute just to get rumors!"

Claire was the only one who hadn't spoken up. Now, all three faces were turned to look at her. She felt small, especially when Shea and Emri were both bearing down on her. "Um… it's actually a good idea. It'll be easy to hide our appearances because lighting could be dark and make-up can hide our features." She said feebly.

Shea stared at her. He blinked. And blinked again. "…what?"

"I'm saying we go for it."

He wanted to twitch. He wanted to fall onto the ground in a twitching fit. "Claire? Can I talk to you for a second?" Shea said in a strange tone.

Claire nodded, and let Shea lead her over away from the two, who began arguing about whether this was a good idea or not. "Claire, I don't like the plan because it puts you in danger."

Claire laughed, "Shea, I'll be fine-"

"Drunks, Claire. In a brothel. Not a good combination." Shea was starting to become concerned.

"I know." The girl's face straightened into a serious, thin-lipped stare. "But it's the only plan we've got. And besides, I'm probably under-aged anyway."

"That won't stop them from… attempting." Shea struggled out.

"You worry too much." Claire hugged Shea tightly, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "Everything'll be fine."

Shea still didn't agree, but sighed. "If anything happens to you or Emri-"

Claire laughed, and shoved Shea back over to the other two. "Lets do this thing."

--