Copyright disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda, but the Hyrule Historia sits proudly on my bookshelf!

CHAPTER 13: Papaver somniferum II

Skyloft's winters did not bring snow in their very beginnings. Instead, the city was flooded by heavy rain showers. When it didn't rain, the sky stayed a dissatisfying shade of dark grey. After the three or four weeks of rain passed, the residual water froze over and it snowed steadily until the spring came.

On the second week of December, there were flash floods throughout the city though winter hadn't officially begun. By means of winter wear, I was unprepared. I owned a thick green beanie that was pulled graciously over my ears and a light jacket that I put over three or four layers of t-shirts. My canvas shoes were soaked, and they squelched as I tramped into HONEY DROP.

"Link, are you aiming to give yourself pneumonia?" On occasion, Peater's fatherly instincts would shine through his standoffish exterior. He was in the hallway just as I entered, and led me to Tott's office.

"Look at this idiot," Peater said. Tott and Dovos stared at me for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"His nose is red!" someone exclaimed.

"He looks like Tingle!" someone else said, referring to a red-nosed urban legend. More laughter ensued.

"He just looks pitiful," Peater sighed. "Do you have a change of clothes?"

I nodded.

"I'm going to get pumpkin soup from Pumm's for everybody, do you want some?"

"Yes, please," I said weakly, sniffling. I pulled out my wallet.

"No need," Peater said, and left with a large umbrella. I changed into my dance clothes and put on a pair of sweatpants and a sweater, as well as dry wool socks.

"What time does practice start?" I asked, shuffling and sniffling into Tott's office again.

"After lunch," Tott answered. "You didn't have to come early, but we enjoy your company." He and Dovos gave me friendly smiles.

"I didn't plan on coming early. I stayed up late watching this great documentary," I said truthfully. I decided that I'd needed more to talk about, because I'd only watched two documentaries on virus and bacteria and I found that the information disgusted all of my coworkers. The one I watched the night prior was history as well as science, but it was interesting nonetheless. It outlined around forty ancient creatures and their behaviors and habitats, as well as their importance to society. What I found most interesting was the loftwing, a giant bird that was once used for transportation.

I continued. "I don't know what time I went to sleep, but I think I set my alarm wrong. I feel so off-kilter."

"You probably don't have any food in your house either," Dovos said with a grin.

"That too," I laughed.

Just then, Peater walked in with our pumpkin soup. He handed our containers to us and we sat on the floor of the studio to eat.

"Mm, the art of good eating," Dovos said after swallowing a spoonful. Ever since I'd bought him a documentary on gastronomy, or the art of good eating, Dovos began to make references to it almost daily. Even if it was somewhat excessive, he was right about Pumm's. The soup tasted comforting and took the chill right out of me as I ate it. Everything sold at Pumm's contained pumpkin, but the simplest soup was the best. I felt refreshed after eating it.

"So, how are we going to attack this?" Tott asked us after we finished eating. "What's our game plan for this weekend?" He was was referring to the huge private party that we would have that Saturday. All of the dancers were requested, and the headcount for the show would be around thirty. The name on the reservation was the name of my suspect.

"Well, they don't want us all at once, should we still coordinate?"

"I don't know. Doesn't the email say that the theme doesn't matter?"

"So you want to work independently?"

"That's fine with me." We all agreed that we were okay with it, then tried to decide the order.

"Well, Link has to be last," Dovos said. "They requested it in the email."

"O-okay," I said. Talk about convenient. I wouldn't have to worry about any of the dancers coming in after me.

They then decided their order, and we pulled themes out of a hat. Tott received 'nurse', Peater got 'superhero', and Dovos frowned when he opened up his folded peace of paper.

"Cat," he said. "Well, whatever. Go ahead, Link."

I pulled out 'bad boy.' They all snickered and we dispersed to practice our respective routines.

The day ended quickly. We said our see you tomorrows and headed to our homes.

On my way to my apartment, I picked up a brand new pair of winter boots, a pair of gloves, a scarf, and an old wool coat. It ended up not being expensive at all, and I wondered why I hadn't bought the necessities earlier.

At home, I fell asleep quickly. The strange dream in which a voice said to me, "I know you well," came again. After I'd had it a few times, I discerned that the voice was definitely a man's, but I'd never heard it outside of my dream. Whenever I woke up after having the dream, my heart was racing but I couldn't remember anything, save for the voice.

The next morning was no different. I ignored the feeling and called Fi, briefing her. She asked how many people I'd want for backup, and I told her that I'd only need a few. I got dressed for work and headed out.

Even if it was raining and the temperature had dropped even more, I was in a good mood. Firstly, I had winter clothes so hypothermia was no longer a pressing concern for me. Secondly, I was admittedly excited for the drug bust. The whole experience was my first time going incognito, and I hoped to see my work bring good results.

I arrived at HONEY DROP early, so I could pick a song. When we practiced the day before, I had a vague idea of a routine, but I didn't know what music to dance to. I'd texted Dovos, to which he'd replied "Try electro swing" and sent me a YouTube link.

I listened through it, and paced my routine to match the music's meter. Within an hour, I had a routine, and in another hour, I cleaned it up. It wouldn't be awhile until everyone else arrived, so I fell asleep at Tott's desk.

"Hey, kid." Someone poked my forehead.

"Ngh," I said, trying to shake it off. The poking got harder.

"Wake the hell up, it's time for practice," Peater said.

"I'm up, I'm up," I said, yawning. I sat up, and we walked to the studio.

"Did you stay up late again?" Tott asked.

"No, I got here four hours ago," I said, glancing at the clock.

"Either very early or almost late," Dovos joked.

"How far have you guys gotten?" They relayed their progress; none of them had finished and some had come upon hitch.

"I finished this morning," I said.

"Ooh, bad boy did his homework," Peater teased, then snorted.

"Will you show us?" I nodded, and hooked up my phone to the speakers. The music started, and I jumped into my routine. It was one with a lot of movement, both on and off of the pole. When I'd finished, the dancers stared at me. Tott's mouth was agape.

"You've come so far," he said. "That was fantastic."

"Still no sex appeal, though," Peater said.

"You guys tease me too much," I said, laughing.

"No, really, it was perfect."

"No, really, you have no sex appeal." We all laughed then, and Saturday came all too soon.

I'm going to miss these guys, I thought as our last days together came to an end.

Saturday night on the floor went by in a flash. We were dressed like cowboys, and even roped some people onto the stage. Then it was time for the real show.

We changed into our costumes. Mine was, without a doubt, the most modest. I wore very tight, very shiny, very destroyed black leggings. There were rips all over, but that was the worst of it. I had on a white fitted tank top under an open denim shirt. Dovos gave me a pair of green high tops to wear, and he said I could keep them. I slicked my hair back and Tott helped me put on heavy black eye makeup.

Tott's and Peater's costumes were just unspeakable, but Dovos' was so simple that it was funny. He was wearing a full body cat suit, but he said that there was a surprise under it and winked. I shrugged.

Tott was the first to go. We were each to go for thirty minutes, so the party would go on for two hours. I gave Tott a high-five as he walked to the Evergreen Room, where the party was being held.

"See you soon, Kani," he said with a smile.

While waiting, Peater and Dovos played cards, and I watched. A few minutes in, I realized that Peater was cheating so I stood behind him and mouthed to Dovos all the cards that Peater had. After that, Dovos started to win.

"You're up, Peater," Tott said from the doorway of the studio.

"Alright," he said, jumping up. He turned to me. "I know you were cheating," he announced.

I smiled innocently. "No way," I said. "Good luck." He nodded and walked out, and I went to talk to Tott. "How was it?"

"It was fine." I noticed his eyes were glassy.

"Are you—"

"I'll be in my office until closing time," he said, and left. Dovos and I shared a confused look, then he taught me how to play Slapjack. Another thirty minutes passed, and I'd beat Dovos in almost every game.

"You learn too fast," he muttered.

"I'm taking a cab home," Peater said from the doorway.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." He was speaking monotonously, and his cheeks were flushed. "I'll see you guys next week."

"Bye," I said. Dovos headed to the Evergreen Room, and I was left alone. I leaned against the wall and listened to music, thinking about what could have been wrong with Tott and Peater. Were they tired? Did something happen?

Finally, it was my turn. Dovos came into the studio, looking absolutely mortified.

"Link, be careful." His eyes were glassed over too, and when I walked over to him, there was a strange scent.

"What happened?" He looked away.

"Nothing. I'll see you next week, okay?" He hugged me, grabbed his stuff, and hurried out of the club.

It was my turn to entertain the crowd.

I walked down the hall of private party rooms until I got to the one at the end of the hall, the Evergreen Room. Batreaux was there, and he opened the door for me with a smile. I entered the room, and it was completely silent. There were thirty men, but I could tell from the beginning who their leader was. He was the only one sitting on the couch, and everyone else was crowded around him. There were tables strewn about the room, and a thick scent permeated the room.

"Ah, the grand finale," the leader said. His voice was gravelly, but it wasn't all that deep. He looked like a snake from what I could see under the dim green lights; small, stretched out features and a slinky manner.

The music started, and I began my routine. It was only ten minutes long, and through it all, there were astounded gasps from the group of men standing around. I finished, and the leader—my suspect—patted the seat next to him.

I sat, and he put his arm around my shoulders then pulled me closer.

"Don't be shy, Kani," he said. "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you," I said. Was it the tea that made the dancers sick?

"No matter," he said. "I should have known you wouldn't trust me so easily." He moved closer to me. "Anyway, Kani, I just wanted to tell you how talented, how exquisite you are." He stroked my collarbone with his pointer finger, and I noticed he had at least two rings on each finger.

"You have such skill. It feels like five months of hard work were put into that routine, just for me." Did he frequent the club enough to know how long I'd been working there? I needed to hurry and get the information out of him.

"Have you—" I started, but flinched because he ran his thumb over the nape of my neck.

"Are you sensitive here?" he asked. "Mm, your skin is gorgeous," he said, and ran his lips over it. I startled again, and pushed him off of me.

"Please, don't touch me there," I said. His eyes widened.

"Shit, that was so cute, I swear I'm going to jump you..."

"C-can I have some tea now?" I said, to divert his attention. He snapped and one of his men, clad in a suit, brought me a steaming cup.

It smelled like the smoke floating around the room.

"What kind of tea is this?" I inquired.

"Poppy," he responded with a smile. "Come, drink some," he commanded. I hadn't thought that I'd actually have to drink it. I'd only asked for it so he'd stop touching me.

I took a small sip. "It's bitter," I said. "Why poppy?" The tea was the most foul thing I'd ever tasted in my life, but I tried not to show it.

"Don't you know why this place is called HONEY DROP?" he asked, and a bottle of honey was handed to him. He poured some into the tea. "Poppy tea tastes best with a drop of honey." He handed the honey back to his men. "Didn't you make the connection?" He stirred the tea and then tipped the cup to my mouth. He wouldn't budge until I took three big gulps. It still tasted disgusting, but the honey took some of the edge off.

"What connection?" I asked afterwards.

"Let's just stop pretending, Link," he said. What?

"You know who I am, and I know you. I know you well." At that, two men came and looped their arms under my shoulders. I didn't resist so that he'd keep talking.

He came to me, holding a thin pipe in his hand. He took a puff and blew the smoke in my face. "I know you work for SkyCorp, I know you're one of the best detectives, I know that you've been investigating me. Did you think that you'd get anything else when dealing with Boko West? We're the technology geeks." He took another blow of his pipe. "Because of our humble title, we can create whatever information we want, and of course you'll believe it, you'll think, 'I've spent time and hard work searching for this, it has to be true.' So, I'll tell you a fun fact. You investigated the wrong guy. I'm just a decoy."

My heart dropped.

"Of course, I don't think that you're a bad detective. You were given the wrong information from the beginning, starting with the information we leaked to your informant." My body felt strange. My heart was beating too quickly and I felt hot.

"So, why create this mystery for an unknowing detective? There are a few reasons. Well, the boss didn't like that you were meddling around in the first place. But I'm pretty low on the totem pole, so you should be wondering why a small fry such as myself would be the one to execute this." He pulled a picture from his back pocket and showed it to me. It was me, sitting on the train and staring out the window.

"They showed me this picture, and I thought, 'Wow, he's cute.' The boss said that I'd get a huge promotion if I went through this without hitch. So I planned every detail, and here we are. I'll be promoted, and I'll be able to have such a pretty boy on my arm." He touched my face. "Your cheeks are hot," he said. "It looks like the tea has set in." He grabbed the collar of my tank top and tore it open, exposing my chest.

"Your skin is so beautiful," he said.

"Are you going to say anything else of importance?" I asked. I'd gotten used to the effects of the tea and had assessed the two men holding me.

"No," he replied. "I just want to make you mine," he said. I respectively decline.

"If you're done, then I'd like to leave."

"What? Didn't you just hear me—" I dug my heel into the foot of the man holding my left arm back, then forced my foot backward and kicked him in the groin. He fell back, and with my left hand free, I turned and jabbed the other man in the face. He stumbled and I kicked him in the stomach, sending him reeling into a table. I turned to the leader. His greased hair was falling out of place, and he looked like he didn't know what to do. I took a step towards him.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, if you kill me, they'll come for you."

"I fight for justice. I won't kill you unless you try to kill me." With a left hook to the ear, I disrupted his equilibrium. I punched him in the stomach, and when he tipped over, I took his head into my hands and kneed him in the face. He fell flat on the ground.

His henchmen rushed at me, something glinting in their hands. Knives?

One of them shoved it at me. Tasers? I hadn't anticipated it, and almost all of the men had them. I'd have to get them all out of their hands.

I took the arm of the man that'd just tried to attack me and twisted it behind his back. I pressed the button of his taser, and he fell to the ground convulsing. I kicked them out of the hands of four more henchmen, and tried to push them back. My gun was in my waistband, but I didn't want to use it until necessary. One of the men pulled out a knife with a flashing red button on the hilt. He pressed it, and the knife began to spark. Okay, it's necessary now.

The men began to circle around me. Fi was supposed to have called backup by then, But I decided that I'd have to take them on by myself. The circle was wide, but they came closer. I ran at a man standing in front of a pole and vaulted off of him, grabbing the cold metal. I jumped to the next pole; it was closer to the door. They dispersed, which I was hoping for: it'd be easier to fight that way. I slid down the pole and the door burst open.

I was glad that reinforcements were there, but I didn't see anyone. That's why, when Gear walked in, I was so surprised that my defenses dropped completely. One henchman took advantage of this opportunity and tasered me in the back.

I gasped and fell to the ground as every muscle in my body simultaneously contracted. My already quick pulse quickened, as did my breathing. I couldn't stop blinking, and it felt like there was fire under my skin, burning me from the inside. I couldn't move at all, but I could hear.

Everything after that happened quickly. Gear dropped a few people trying to get to me, then picked me up. There was nothing I could do about it, because the effects of the tea and of the tasering were still running through me. Gear made it to the door.

"Gear!" the leader said. His nose was bleeding all over his hand, but he was sitting up. How did he know Gear?

"Are you betraying the Imprisoned?"

"No," he said.

"Then why are you helping him!?"

"Who are you, by the way?" Gear questioned, annoyed.

"Traitor!" He shouted. "They'll know about this by tomorrow!"

"Tell them," Gear growled. "Just cherish your fingers while you still have them."

After that, I felt so detached from reality that I wasn't sure if I was awake or not. When I came to, I was on someone's back with my coat buttoned up, my scarf wrapped snug, my hat over my ears, and my boots laced tight.

"Are you awake?" I was on Gear's back. What was wrong with the world?

"Can you put me down?"

"You can't stand."

"I'm going to vomit." He set me down and I fell on my knees. I retched into the street until my stomach was empty. The taste didn't leave me, and I noticed that it wasn't raining.

"Are you done?"

"Yeah." Without a word, he put me on his back. I was scared that this was all an act and he would throw me into the road at the sight of a speeding car, but he walked in silence. My phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Your phone's been ringing for a while now," he said. I reached for it and saw it was Fi.

"Hello?" I said, answering.

"Oh, thank the goddess," she sighed. There was audible relief. "Where are you?" she asked calmly.

"I'm in a cab," I said.

"Are you okay?"

"I was tasered. It's hard for me to move."

"We let the people here go," she said suddenly.

"W-why?"

"We didn't catch them in the act of assaulting you, or selling drugs. I knew it was a failure when I came in and saw a man with a broken nose and a group of incapacitated men on the floor. The reason we came late was because we couldn't find the room," she said.

"I have a vocal recording of it all."

"Report to Chairwoman Zelda on Monday and give it to her. Goodnight," she said, but didn't hang up right away. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"Yes, I'm alright," I said. "Thank you." I put my phone back in my pocket.

We arrived at my apartment building a few minutes later, and I entered the passcode to open the front door. Gear walked up the stairs with me on his back, all the way to my apartment.

"You can put me down now," I said as I fumbled for my keys. "I think I can walk."

"Just wait." I unlocked the door and he set me on my bed. He pulled out the chair behind my desk and sat in it. Since he'd helped me, I wondered when it was aceptable for me to ask him to leave. Maybe he'll leave on his own, I thought as I went to brush my teeth. When I returned, he was still there. I stood in front of the desk awkwardly.

"Um, thank you?" I said. I wasn't sure. He looked at me blankly.

"Is that a question?"

"...thank you," I said more firmly. He grunted.

"It's three o'clock in the morning. Go to sleep."

"Are you going to stay?" I blurted out. He smirked and stood up, leaning over the desk.

"Why? Would you like me to continue where I left off last time?"

"No. I'm going to sleep. If you stay, don't touch me. If you leave, make sure the door is shut." He didn't say anything and sat down at the desk. I turned the lights off and got under my covers with my coat still on.

When I woke up in the morning, there was snow on the ground. I saw the crystals falling beyond Gear's face, who sat with his back to the window, looking out with a bored expression. I thought briefly that his dangling gemstone earring looked just like it, and then sat up. It was cold.

I padded to the pantry, where my floor heater was collecting dust. I hurried to plug it in and crouched in front of it until it warmed up.

Loving the warmth, I sat in front of it with my legs crossed. Just then, a heaviness washed over me, starting at the ends of my hair, all the way down my body. I could scarcely move, or didn't want to. What came with the heaviness was the realization that I'd failed the drug bust. I'd failed, and it had been a game the entire time, at my own expense. I'd have to start over with investigation, but I'd never know if the information I was collecting was true or fabricated.

I didn't know if I'd be able to face Chairman Zelda after all of that. What made it worse was that I'd allowed a self-proclaimed terrorist to help me.

I felt like I was losing everything. Though I knew I wasn't, I had the nauseating feeling of every secure thing in my life quickly rushing away, leaving me to nothing. I lost my breath but stood anyway and staggered to the bed.

"What is wrong with you?" Gear asked.

"Did you sleep last night?" I asked. My voice sounded strained.

"I do not depend on sleep to stay beautiful," he said.

"Then why did you stay?"

"Because I need to talk to you."

"I appreciate your help last night," I started, "but I need you to get out."

"I am going to speak, and you are going to listen," he said evenly.

I unbuttoned my coat. The heat had finally spread throughout the room. "Now is not the time," I said, throwing my coat on the bed. I was in a rather pessimistic state and if he stayed, we'd probably end up killing each other.

Gear looked me up and down. I was wearing the clothes from my bad boy routine, I realized. I buttoned up the denim shirt.

"Listen to me or I will shoot you." I faced him.

"I'm done with believing your threats," I said. In one swift movement, he'd pulled out his gun and aimed it at me. I did the same thing, almost in time with him.

If he shot me, the neighbor would hear it. There wasn't a silencer on his gun. If he'd shoot me, he'd shoot my neighbor. He had a classic revolver. I couldn't see the number of bullets in the barrel, but it looked like he was missing at least two. It wasn't worth risking.

"What do you want to talk about?" I sighed, unloading my gun and putting it on the desk.

"I've come to a decision," he said, spinning the barrel of his gun and aiming it at his head. He pulled the trigger, and the gun clicked. He spun it again, aimed again—

"Stop, stop, stop!" I shouted, jumping towards him and pushing the gun away. He grinned and put the gun into a holster he had strapped to his thigh.

"Yes, I've come to the decision that I will be spending a lot more time here. You see, I like to control you, and it is not difficult. Hence, I will visit you often so that I can see your reactions while I control you. Your reaction just now was perfect."

"You can't control me," I said.

"I just did. I was not planning to shoot myself," he said. "I wanted to see your face when you tried to stop me."

"You'd risk your life for a reaction?"

"Risk none or risk all," he said with a cryptic smile.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?" I wasn't taking any of his bait. "Goodbye, then."

He glared at me. "You need to be re-educated on manners," he said, and walked out.

With him gone, I was able to sulk. I rolled around restlessly on my bed, watched the snow fall, and stared at my ceiling. The thought of never seeing Tott, Dovos, or Peater again caused a bleak loneliness to keep me from doing anything productive. At one point I thought to remove the taser nubs from my back, and when I did two bright red spots of blood formed in their place.

A/N: Would you like to know something terrible? On Monday, I had this entire chapter edited, with plenty of Ghirahim, not too much awkward flirting from some weird unimportant guy, but guess freaking what? The entire thing was deleted. Considering that it is the longest chapter I've written for Aphelion, I was feeling pretty bitter. Sorry I took so long! I'm being more cautious (obsessive) and saving every time I look away from the computer.

Anyway. enough of my angsty issues. Longest chapter yet, yay!
What she's really thinking: This damn chapter stressed me out so damn much you had better eat every single damn word dammit.

Feel free to comment, follow, favorite, spread the word, or don't. Do whatever you want, but no matter what, don't watch porn! Just kidding. Watch all the porn you want.

Alright, things are getting weird, but are any of the die-hard anime fans excited for all the summer anime coming out next week!? I'm ecstatic for Sailor Moon Crystal, and Zankyou no Terror, and the K movie... and DRAMAtical Murder (oh god I'm sure I'll be disappointed). Love Stage! is coming out too, Tokyo Ghoul, the third season of Black Butler. My crappy social life will soon be even deeper down the toilet.

Sorry, random burst of geekiness. Stay weird, kids (and watch porn)!