CHAPTER TEN

Reunion

Frank very quickly proved to be of great use to Saya's group as they headed for the nearest hotel and checked themselves in (Link taking very good care to keep all of his gear hidden and changing his clothes at Frank's request, albeit begrudgingly since they were actually quite comfortable).

As he had stated before, Frank was a freelance photojournalist from the United States, and it turned out that he had been one of the few survivors of the Willamette Parkview Mall viral outbreak a few years prior in which the entire town had become infested with zombies. The American government had tried to cover the whole fiasco up and completely deny involvement in it, but Frank was too crafty to stop there and had quickly spread the information all over the Internet. With all the photographic evidence he had, Saya could now confirm that there was no way he could be lying. Those zombies looked too real to have been photo manipulated, and she had seen a demon up close and personal, so that was saying something.

"I tell ya," he said about it. "That whole experience changed me. Bet the only thing worse was Raccoon City."

Frank had managed to get the entire group a suite, while he had rented an apartment elsewhere and would be busy getting photos of what had just happened. Thus, he left the group to get acquainted with the hotel almost immediately after they walked into their rooms. Dante and Kat stayed in their room, likely to look over all of the things that had just happened and try to piece together some sort of final conclusion. Saya meanwhile went down to the hotel's outside hot spring to relax, Link acknowledging that she deserved it after all the hell she'd been through in the past few days.

After stripping down to nothing but a bathing suit, Saya let herself sink into the warm water, instantly washing out all anxiety of demons chasing her or whatever was going on. The questions still remained. Where did Link come from? Why were he and Dante so bent on protecting her? Would Link take up her offer form him to train her? What did Juri, Morrigan, and Ghirahim want with her ….and were Lucas, Ness, and Ammy okay?

She sighed. She was thinking a lot about Lucas and what had happened. She giggled when she remembered the awkward position they had landed in. She knew he didn't mean for that to happen. If anything, it was her fault for clamping her legs around him. In fact, she kind of enjoyed it.

"He's cute…really cute, in fact."

Then she began thinking of what Lucas was hiding from her. Why had he clammed up like that when Saya mentioned his family…and as for Ness, what in the world was Giygas, and why did he look so scary?

She shrugged it off. They would be fine. With those PSI abilities of theirs, there was little chance of anyone stopping them. The warm water seeped into her pores, relaxing her in the most amazing way possible…steadily causing her to drift off to sleep…

…until she heard a voice behind her.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Saya yelped and turned around to see Link smiling at her.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" she sputtered.

"I was just checking up on you. The hot spring's co-ed, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but…"

"Falling asleep in there isn't a good idea, either."

Saya bit her lip and looked away. Link sat down at the edge and gently dipped his bare feet in the water.

"You know, the two of us haven't really gotten a chance to talk, have we? You probably want to get to know more about me so I don't seem like a complete stranger to you, right?"

"Yeah…but is this really a good time for you to do that?"

"You're nice and relaxed, so why not?"

Saya bit her lip even more, hesitating for a brief moment, but eventually heaved herself up out of the water and onto the spot next to where Link sat.

"There's really a whole lot to ask."

"Well, ask away. We've got loads of time."

"When you were fighting Morrigan, you said that you were a Hylian. What exactly is that?"

"Hylians are the dominant race of a country called Hyrule. It existed a very long time ago, and chances are that it's become so modernized that even I wouldn't be able to recognize it now."

"And Ghirahim…he's from your time?"

"He's an evil being from ancient times, but…there's something about him that might be a little bit weird to you."

"Everything's weird lately."

"The thing is that the form you saw him in is a humanoid manifestation of what he really is. Long ago, he served as the weapon for a beast named Demise."

Saya raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"So Ghirahim's a living sword?"
"Yeah. An ancestor of mine defeated him and Demise with this sword."

He unsheathed his blade and held it out to Saya for her to get a good look at it. Not that she had really seen many blades, but it was one of the finest she'd ever seen next to Dante's sword Rebellion.

"This sword," Link continued. "…is called the Master Sword, also known as the Blade of Evil's Bane, and it's also alive, though the spirit is lying dormant. She's been sleeping since that same ancestor defeated Demise. I'm not really sure why she hasn't woken up."

"What was Demise after?"

"This."

Link held up the back of his hand, exposing the glowing triangles.

"He was after the power of the three Golden Goddesses, which is physically manifested as the Triforce. There are three sections to it, and they represent wisdom, courage, and power respectably. The reason you're seeing this symbol on my hand is because I hold the part of it that represents courage."

Saya smiled.

"And it shows, doesn't it? You faced demons without a single bead of sweat."

Link chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. That's not to say I'm without fear. I still get scared from time to time, but fear and courage complement one another in that one can't exist without the other."

"So where are the other two?"

"The Triforce of Wisdom is in possession of a friend of mine who came to this time to look for you, too. Her name is Zelda, and she's the princess of Hyrule…though really, I think she should just be crowned queen since it's not like there's anyone else in line for the throne."

"She's an orphan?"
"Yeah. We both are. Her parents died when she was very young, but…I never really knew mine. It's like I just came into existence to serve the purpose of saving Hyrule."

"From what?"
"From the keeper of the Triforce of Power, as it turns out. A thief from the Gerudo Desert who wished to claim the entire Triforce and use it to rule the entire world…and even without the Triforce, he very nearly had the power to do it. You see, whoever assembles the complete Triforce and lays his hand on it will have a single wish granted. If the thief were to ever gain that power, there's no telling what it would take to stop him."

"But you and Zelda did."

"Yeah. We make a great team, her and I…come to think of it, man, I hope she's okay. We got separated after we passed into this world to look for you."

"But why did you come to look for me?"

All at once, Link had fallen silent. He had been so talkative not three seconds ago, but now it was as though he wanted to just get up and leave altogether. There was one thing in what he said that caught Saya's attention, though. The Triforce…the one who touched it in its complete form would have any wish of theirs granted in an instant. Saya could already picture many things that she would wish for, but what were the chances of having the entire thing come before her?

"Never mind." she finally said, trying to get Link out of his emotionless state. "Listen…I never got to say this before, but thank you for saving me…and for vowing to help me like you've been doing. I really appreciate it."

To Saya's relief, Link smiled and placed his hand on her head, lightly ruffling her hair. She lightly laughed and stared into his soft blue eyes. Just being with him here in this sort of manner felt so comforting…almost like he were a big brother to her.

"It's my pleasure and duty, Saya. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. And as for the training thing, I really do think you can benefit from it, so how about I get you up early tomorrow and we'll try our hand at it?"

Saya smiled and lightly hugged Link, giving him the answer he needed. This notion of friendliness forced him to chuckle again until he heard voices from the hallway.

"Huh. Sounds like there's another big group heading in…"

Then a certain someone came into view and both Link and Saya widened their eyes.

"Oh, crap!" they both said through clenched teeth as Saya quickly got back into the hot spring and ducked down to stay out of sight.

How Morrigan had managed to track them down to this particular hotel was anyone's guess, and admittedly she was doing a fairly good job of hiding her succubus assets…well, all but those certain two, but I digress. Unfortunately, Morrigan chose that time to turn her head and spot Link, prompting her to come running out to him and seizing him around the middle before he even had a chance to get a grip on his sword.

"There you are!" she said happily. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Who's we?" Link grumbled, trying to wriggle free of Morrigan's embrace of steel. "Will you let go of me already?!"

Saya realized at that moment that Morrigan could see her and she started to back away, though the succubus was quick to calm her.

"It's alright, Saya dear. Your little friends explained your situation to me. I promise that I won't come on to you anymore…well, unless you want me to."

"No...but…little friends?"

Morrigan smiled and turned toward the door.

"Everybody!" she called. "Guess who I found!"

Much to Saya's delight, before her very eyes appeared Ness, Lucas, and Amaterasu, as well as two young men she didn't recognize.

"Saya!" Lucas called out excitedly.

Saya didn't really seem to notice that she was soaking wet. She got up out of the pool and ran to Lucas, hugging him the second she came close enough.

"Thank God…I was so worried about you guys."

"YOU were worried about US?" Ness laughed. "You got dragged away by 'Little Miss Demon' over there as Pit likes to put it."

Amaterasu began barking and pawing at Saya's legs until the girl turned and knelt down to embrace the large white dog. Ness and Lucas looked at her in confusion, not having any idea why she now wasn't speaking and where her markings had gone. It was like she didn't want Saya to know that she was a divine entity and could therefore protect her more than they ever could.

"Methinks that Ammy's a bit loony." Ness whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

As much as calling a goddess loony was undesirable, Lucas couldn't help but agree. Amaterasu had to be the strangest example of a deity they'd ever heard of. She kept her motives a mystery for the most part and she was unnervingly playful, even for a dog. At that moment, Dante and Kat arrived from upstairs and came to check on Saya, only for Dante to groan in frustration at seeing the emerald-haired succubus again.

"You can't be serious!"

Morrigan sneered at him.
"Good to see you, too, fake."

"Okay, so some other guy has the name Dante. It's not like my parents made it up. It's Italian, for God's sake!"

"In any case, looks like we're all on the same side now."

After Saya's group got affiliated with Pit and Takamaru (Saya being amazed that Pit was a real angel and Takamaru had travelled through time in the same manner Link had, though involuntarily), there then came the plan on the rooms.

"Frank was able to get us a suite," Dante started. "But, I dunno…there aren't nearly enough beds to fit all of us."

"Well, Pit and I need to sleep in the same bed, anyway." Morrigan chuckled.
"And why would he do that? He and the rest of us all have the sanity to know that you're a royal pain in the neck."

Pit slapped himself in the face.

"Because we made a bet the last time we fought that if she won, we'd have to sleep together."

"And she kicked your ass?"
"And I've still got the scars to prove it…fine, but one touch in the wrong place, lady, and you get an arrow up your ass…though I get the feeling you might enjoy that."

Morrigan laughed and draped her arm around the angel, hauling him off in her grasp.

"Sounds great. Come along now, Pitty."

"Will you quit calling me that?!"

"Why? Does only Hades get to call you that?"

"No, NOBODY gets to call me that because I hate that name. And yeah, hate's a strong word, meaning many people can share it!"

Dante stood speechless and what had just happened before continuing.

"Oooookaaay….anyway, that leaves three beds and the couch. Looks like your dog there is fine on the floor. I'm fine doubling up with Kat."
"Yeah, but what if I'm not fine with it? We both know how you found release growing up."

"Uhh…I'm not too proud of it now, if it makes you feel any better."

Kat laughed and nudged Dante with her shoulder.

"I'm kidding. But Pit's rule goes for me, too: no touching in the wrong place."

"Got it."

Takamaru stepped forward.

"I'll be fine sleeping on this 'couch'."

"You sure? They may look comfy, but not nearly as much as the beds."

Takamaru smiled and patted his katana.

"Dante, I cut my way through four castles full of demons with nothing but this sword and a bundle of shuriken. The word 'comfortable' is a god sent to me."

Dante smirked.

"A fellow demon killer, huh? You and I should have us a good fight sometime."

"Could be fun." Takamaru replied with a smirk of his own.

"Okay, so Ness, Saya, Lucas and Link…there's two beds left, and we can get one rollaway bed, but that means one of you is gonna have to sleep on the floor.

Lucas stepped forward and seemed ready to offer himself for it, but Saya stopped him with a charming smile.

"Actually…I have a better idea."

"You know, Lucas, you can come a little closer."
"Oh, uh, sorry…are you sure this is okay?"
"Of course. I don't want you to sleep on the floor. Imagine how uncomfortable it is."

"Ammy looked like she was doing fine."
"Yeah, but she's a dog. You're not."

"Alright, you win."

Lucas had been trying for a few minutes not to brush up against Saya or even look at her. It embarrassed him so much to share a bed with a girl who was not only older than him, but also one he barely knew. She was his friend, sure, but it's not like they were inseparable partners for life…as much as he'd like them to be…wait, what was he thinking?!

Nevertheless, he scooted closer to her and looked at her. She now wore a beautiful kimono that the hotel had provided for her, and her pale face seemed to glow in the moonlight steadily streaming in from the window. She was easily the prettiest girl he'd ever met, but he was far too shy to admit it.

Their faces were inches apart, and they could feel each other's breaths. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes before Lucas finally manned up to the challenge.

"You…um…you look really pretty in that nightgown."

"Thank you…it's called a kimono."

"Sorry."

"Don't be…Lucas, I honestly can't tell you how great it is to see you again. I've been worrying about you so much after Morrigan dragged me into Limbo."

"Yeah…me, too."

Once again, Saya began thinking about why Lucas had suddenly gone silent when she asked him about his family. She had no idea that it would be such a sensitive topic for the both of them, but she figured that he would be a bit more open about it.

She gently brushed her hand against his, causing him to flinch but not retreat. It was so soft that it felt as though a cloud had just touched him. The bright look in Saya's eyes served to comfort him even more, and he managed to crack a warm smile.

"Thanks."

"There's something I have to ask you, though. Why are you travelling with Ness? It can't be just because he offered to help you find your way back home."

Lucas bit his lip before sighing.

"Okay, listen, Saya. I haven't told you everything there is to know about me, but…I can't really hold it back anymore. There are things I told Ness but didn't tell you because I thought you'd think of me as…as a cowardly little kid."

"Why would I think that?"

"Saya…the Nowhere Islands don't exist yet."

"Yet? …so you're from the future?"

How was it that Link, Takamaru and Lucas were capable of time travel? With Link, it made a bit more sense because he had both a legendary sword and a divine relic in his possession, but why Takamaru and Lucas?

"I gave up all of my energy to save my home from being destroyed by a cataclysm that I accidentally caused, but in doing so…I ended up getting myself sucked through some kind of wormhole, and when I woke up, I was in Onett with Ness and his friends…it's all Porky Minch's fault."

"Who's Porky Minch?"

"Someone that Ness used to know. He travelled through time so much that he became immortal…and he tried to take over my home and have his army pull the Seven Needles to truly take control of the entire world. He's no king, though…he's nothing but a fat and stupid little kid. I managed to stop him and his army, but…it cost me."

A single tear shed from Lucas' eye. Saya reached over and brushed it away, laying her hand on his cheek and giving him a smile.

"Whatever it was, you've risen above it. You saved your homeland. You should feel good about yourself. Whoever this Porky Minch guy is, he got what he deserved, right?"
"What's the point in that if I lose the people I love the most?"

"…oh my God…Lucas…did your mom and dad die, too?"

Lucas squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment and sniffed. He was trying so hard not to cry, and it didn't seem to be doing him any good. He thought he'd gotten over it, but it just kept coming back to haunt him. After all, he was only twelve years old and it was his mother's death that they were talking about. He'd probably never get over it.

"No. My dad's okay, but my mom…her name was Hinawa. She was my whole world…and then she was taken away from me. Why? Why did she deserve that? She never did anything wrong…she and Claus…they didn't deserve what happened to them. They were good people…and I loved them so much."

Saya began to feel herself growing sadder the longer she listened to Lucas, and that was simply because she could relate to him. They had both lost people they loved at unfair times, and now there was no way for them to get them back. She remembered what Aiko used to tell her: the important thing was to live in the now. The worst is hopefully behind you.

"And now I'm all alone…I wanna go home, but I can't…" Lucas said, his voice starting to get shakier and shakier to the point where he could have started to cry at any given moment. "Ness has been so nice and helpful to me, but it's not the same. He's so much braver than me, but…he doesn't know what he feels like…to be alone in the world."

"You're not alone, Lucas." Saya whispered, coming closer to the point where she could lightly kiss his forehead if she wanted to. "You have me and Ness. We're your friends. We want to help you. And you know what? I'm going to help you find your way back home even if it takes me the rest of time…and when we find a way, I'll go to the Nowhere Islands with you."

Lucas' eyes went wide and he flushed bright red.

"Wha…Saya, you don't need to do that!"

"But I want to. I want you to be happy, and if I make you happy, then I'll stay with you. Where's the harm in it? There's nothing for me here, and I love to go to new places. The Nowhere Islands will be like a whole new world to me."

Lucas lay silent for a few more moments, but gradually smiled.
"Thanks, Saya…I don't know how all this happened, but…I'm really glad it did."

"You mean you're glad that I got snatched away by a succubus and nearly got killed by some psychotic Korean woman?"

"Huh?! I didn't mean…"

Saya giggled and calmed him with a warm hug.

"It's okay. I know what you meant. If none of this had happened, you wouldn't have met me."

"Yeah….I'm just really glad that I met you."

"Me, too."

"Um…to be honest, I've never been this close to a girl before."

"Then let me be the first."

They both shared light laughs and whispered to each other once more before they drifted off to sleep.

"Good-night, Saya."

"Good-night, Lucas."

Neither of them saw Link smiling at them from the doorway before he felt the room, eager to go hop in the hot spring and relax by himself for a brief moment. There seemed to be no one there when he arrived, prompting him to strip down until he wore just his pants and step in…and then he saw a familiar face.

"Quite a great bod you've got there, darling!" Morrigan giggled.

"Uh…you're wearing a swimsuit or underwear or something, right?"
"Of course not. Haven't you ever heard of skinny-dipping?"

"Stupid son of a…goddammit."

Link squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. What was it with him and women? There were those who overtly adored him, those who just liked him as a friend like Zelda, Ilia, and Midna, and then there were those like Morrigan that just wanted a quick fling with him. Nevertheless, he got in the hot spring and remained motionless and the succubus sidled up to him, taking care not to touch her and prevent her from touching him.

"Lucas and Saya make quite a cute couple, don't they?" she asked.
"Better than you and me if that's what you've got on your mind."

"Aw, don't be like that, darling…"

She laughed upon coming intimately closer and having Link unsheathe his sword and plant it against her neck.

"Back it up, lady."

"My, you're awfully rough."

"I don't like fast women, either."

"I don't like it when boys are prudish, but that won't keep me away from you, honey."

"…good goddesses, Dante was right. You're nothin' but a royal pain in the ass. You don't even know what we're up against, do you?"
"You mean other than your temper?"
"Real cute."

"Okay, I'll be serious now. Who's the big bad guy?"

"From what the Celestial Mother Palutena has told Zelda and I..."

"You've been in contact with Palutena, too?"

"I was talking."

"Yeah, sorry, but what's this about Celestial Mothers?"

"Three heavenly beings that watch over everyone as mothers and wish to make the world a better place for everyone. They're like goddesses almost. Palutena is the Mother of Angels, but there's also the Mother of Men and the Mother of Stars."

"No Mother of Demons?"

"Why should there be?"

"I see…anyway, what were you saying before?"
"Jeez, now she cares…I was saying that there is a demon who wishes to dethrone you as the ruler of Makai and replace you with someone who he would consider more responsible, you being a succubus and shirking your duties and all."

Morrigan froze in place and cracked her knuckles before grunting.

"Jedah Dohma. Never was one for making things easy for himself…I sure as hell hope he's not planning on replacing me with that blood-sucking dumbass Maximoff."

"No. Worse. If you ask me, he's chosen the worst possible candidate."

"Who could be worse than Demitri Maximoff?"
"Someone who would want to rule not just the world of demons, but the world of men and everything beyond it. The same threat that my ancestors have fought off for generations on end. The one who seeks to become the perfect king and has the power to do it."

"Who?"

Link sighed and got out of the hot spring, leaving Morrigan to herself as he dried himself off and put his clothes back on. Before he left, however, he looked back at her and said one word. One word that sent shivers down her spine, which in itself was something that rarely ever happened.

"Ganondorf."

We'll start off the author's notes by addressing the two elephants in the room. Firstly, yeah, it's rather cliché having Ganondorf as the villain in a Nintendo crossover story, let alone a Nintendo and Capcom crossover story, but here's my argument: it's freakin' Ganondorf! Even when he seemed kind of phoned in when it came to Twilight Princess, he was still awesome! Oh, and speaking of Twilight Princess, yes. The Link and Zelda in this story are from that game. Why? Because not only is it my favourite Zelda game, it's my favourite game PERIOD.

Secondly, and this one is even bigger: "Who in the bat flipping f*ck is Takamaru?!". To answer your question, he's from a Famicom game called Nazo no Murasame jo (which translates to "The Mysterious Murasame Castle"), but this game was never released outside of Japan mainly because Nintendo thought no one would be interested in it, and it didn't do too well in terms of sales. That said, Takamaru did make a few appearances outside of this game as both a sticker in Brawl (which also has a song from the game) and a playable character in the Japan-only Wii game Captain Rainbow, as well as having a minigame based on his game in Nintendo Land on Wii U. Unfortunately, the only playable appearance Takamaru has made outside of Japan is in the Wii version of Samurai Warriors 3 by Tecmo Koei.

Yes. Believe it or not, Hyrule Warriors isn't the first time Tecmo Koei and Nintendo have collaborated. It's not even the second considering Nintendo and Tecmo Koei co-own the Fatal Frame series now. So yeah. Even though barely anyone knows who Takamaru is, here's hoping he's playable in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. I mean, come on. Marth and Roy were in Melee when no one outside of Japan knew a thing about Fire Emblem, so there's no excuse for Takamaru not to be in it.

SOUNDTRACK SO FAR

Saya, Ness, and Lucas- "Pollyanna" from Earthbound (SSBM)

Marth to the rescue- "Together We Ride" from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (SSBM)

X and Zero versus Kirby and Meta Knight- "Meta Knight's Revenge" from Kirby Super Star (SSBB)

Link versus Morrigan- Morrigan's theme from Marvel versus Capcom 3

Link versus Dante- "Never Surrender" from DmC: Devil May Cry

Krystal and Trish versus the Moblin horde- "Lock and Load" from Devil May Cry 1

Krystal versus Mewtwo- "Poké Floats" from Super Smash Bros. Melee

Saya versus Ghirahim- Ghirahim's battle theme from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Frank versus Ghirahim- "On a Mission" from Dead Rising

Courthouse caving in- "No Redemption" from DmC: Devil May Cry

Samus escapes- Metroid Prime main theme

Chun-Li versus Samus- Chun-Li's theme from Street Fighter IV

Standoff on Mount Fuji- "Douchuumen" from The Mysterious Murasame Castle (go on Youtube and look for a version by a group called ysk1210)

Saya and Lucas- "Love" from Mother 3