All this music and nary a band in sight... what has that go to do with any of this? Probably nothing...maybe. So, since I have a reputation for confusion to keep up, on with the show... Sometimes things just don't work out the way you think their gonna. (I blame Valoo)

(Is this whole disclaimer thingy legal? no! now leave me alone!)

Nagori, Saimon, and Senkyoku
By achitka

Chapter 9:
Prophesy

One made of light, one of dark, brightest day, darkest night.
Not Heaven above, nor Hell below, will save your soul
As evil's children, as one will make you cower.
Mei and Kei together make the perfect shadow

One made of light

Kei cocked her head as she listened intently to the strange music that continued to invade her thoughts. She tried very hard to resist it, but felt so tired. Just a little rest, she thought as the music began to fade.

Delia started when she found herself staring unblinking out the window and struggled with the silence. With it came not with relief, but bits and snatches of long missing images of her childhood. Delia was never quite able to remember everything that Kei did, and while this disturbed her; she worried more about what Kei might do now.

Becoming Kei as a child had been her choice but for the most part her recollections of that time drew mostly a blank; until now that is. The longer Kei was in control, the more she remembered thoughts and feelings brought out of the shadowy places in her head. Where they'd hidden themselves all these years, she'd no idea. The wall they'd lay behind was crumbling more every day. Now many were back and with disturbing clarity. It was hard for her to reconcile that so many had died because of the things she and her brother had done.

Delia also knew, that was only a part of what Kei wanted from her. They'd finally caught up with her brother and with Mei within their grasp, Hito would be preparing. The shadow man wanted his pet daemon back. The sound of the waves hitting the walls below her interrupted her thoughts, so Delia leaned forward and put her head on the cold stones. She closed her eyes and listened. The sound was so calm and soothing she realized just how much she missed that rhythmic sound.

Dalkin's re-appearance was fuzzy but she was sure he was without Saimon. Where could Saimon be? She paused when she realized he was awake. Delia climbed up and sat on the wide sill while she wondered. She didn't know how Al was doing it but even without Saimon he seemed determined to defy Hito. The thought gave her strength, but it wouldn't work of course. She smacked the back of her head against the cold stone. If he can do maybe I can too. She should never have tried to dabble with magic she'd no skill for it. Her mother always told her you either made it your life or you risked invoking what she liked the call, the law of unintended circumstances.

Reaching up she lightly touched the crystal pendant than hung from a braided cord at her throat. It was warm. Senkyoku was there, ever her companion and friend. At first when the voices were so strong she wanted to scream. Sen somehow muted them and always helped to ease her fear and help her cope. She knew she should have listened but the latest bout caused fear so real she panicked. Leaving everything and everyone she loved behind, she ran. Now because of her foolishness, the fairy was trapped in that crystal along with all her hope. She wondered a first why Hito let her keep it, but she soon realized it was to prove to her...she had no hope.

In hindsight she grimaced at the excitement she felt at thinking her escape complete, only to realize that this was exactly as the shadow intended. She shuddered as she remembered how overwhelmed she felt when she saw Senkyoku locked away.

Delia watched the ocean a little longer and sent a silent prayer to the goddesses to put an end to her quickly for she knew her existence here would be the undoing of this world. Hito knew her that well. A whispered voice made her turn, but there was no one there and Delia realized, whatever respite she'd been granted would probably end soon.

This has to end, she thought, and hopped down from the sill. Delia made her way as quickly as she could to the makeshift cell Kei prepared for her brother. On her way, she rebuilt the illusion of Kei, and the shadow's minions scattered. When she arrived, she waved the moblins on guard away from the door. They edged away from her and headed further up the hallway. More than a few of the pig like beasts met a nasty end at Kei's hand. Delia went to unbolt the door and found it already unlocked. She looked through the window, smiled when she saw Dalkin wearing his hat, and went inside.

He eyed her warily, not knowing what to expect. Delia hesitated only for a moment then let the illusion slip away. His eyes went wide but he said nothing. A loud crash behind her made her jump and she turned, but again there was nothing there. Delia turned back to him and could tell from the look of understanding he gave her he knew what happened. Dalkin stood up and approached her cautiously. His face was worn with worry and she saw he'd grown much older than she remembered. The difference between them now was so striking, she wondered if they could ever call themselves twins again.

When he hugged her, she remembered another day, long ago when he'd risked everything to bring her home again. Him and someone else. There was another face hidden within that memory that she couldn't quite grasp, the face of someone very dear. There was another, that was separate it also remained shadowed and she knew she held affection for this person. But the face and the name of that person were missing. She wanted that piece back, but knew it was forbidden knowledge and it was almost more than she could bear. Why would it be forbidden?

Dalkin pulled back a little and carefully lifted the pendant containing Senkyoku from around her neck. Her brother placed it in his pocket and though Delia didn't want to lose her last connection to Senkyoku, she knew it was for the best. If anyone could free the guardian fairy, it was her brother. Delia took a step back, she knew Kei would realize the pendant was missing, so she picked up some of the straw and tried out more of her newly acquired magic. Delia struggled to concentrate but still managed to produce a decent look a like. Dalkin smiled and touched it lightly and supplied the missing ghostly inner glow.

It won't last for long, she thought, but it just might last long enough. Dalkin sat back down to let her know he wasn't going anywhere, his face hidden behind his large hat. Delia closed her eyes. She put the fake pendant around her neck and restored the illusion of Kei as she did. More sounds began to fill the air and she looked at her brother one more time, then fled, for she did not want Kei to take control before she left him.

Back at the window, Delia sighed as she listened to the sound of the breakers. The normal world slowly dimmed but before she let herself retreat once more, Delia needed to find a way to keep hidden from Kei what she'd just done but how? Delia felt a moment of panic, which subsided as a warm feeling filled and calmed her. Delia pulled that bit of herself closer and examined it.

She knew now what needed to be done and with a purpose she'd not felt for some time, she mentally wrapped up the parts of herself that were her self into a small package. All her broken memories, all the ones that mattered to Delia she placed inside. Sealing it, Delia knew it would not be possible to retrieve them again without help. She felt the covering one last time and she knew what it was that made it so strong. Something she thought lost forever and though it was not whole, it had been with her all along. Sure now that her memories would be safe, Delia let Kei take control.

Kei found herself still staring out at the ocean, drowning she fidgeted, time passed, she could feel it, but how much? lost She looked away from the window as she realized her brother was awake fool Something was wrong. idiot She ignored the sound of breaking glass and looked back out the window. She scanned the water in a vain attempt to figure out the source of the music she'd heard earlier. catch me if you can It was gone now though.

"Be wary Kei," said an oily yet silky smooth voice behind her.

It made her blood burn and freeze all at once. Turning slowly, Kei faced the source of all her torment and at the same time, all her joy.

"There is fairy magic in the air." remember She felt her eye twitch nooo! "Mei is here?" Kei only nodded evil "There's been a slight change in plans." She still only looked at him. "The vessel, it appears is no longer a captive." His voice held a level of irritation that made her jump when he moved closer. "and I will have to wait until the current cycle of days to complete before I can ascertain where she's run off to."

When the shadow lightly touched her face, run Kei shrank from his touch and he frowned. unworthy A feeling of intense self-loathing washed over her. wickedness and though she yearned for it, please she feared it far more.

"I will return to you then. Be sure your brother is ready."

Head bowed Kei nodded. betrayer When she looked up again the shadow was gone. Kei sat down with her back against the wall and rested her chin on her knees. sorrow She wrapped her arms around her legs and began rocking, still on edge she tried to cover her ears in a futile attempt to shut out the sounds. quiet!

One of Dark...

Al waited until all was quiet again before he looked up. Delia was gone but she looked to him, just as she had the last time he had seen her some thirty years before. She looked tired and he could tell she would go into a full retreat soon. You really can only stay awake for so long before things started to shut down. It made him wonder just how much time he had left. The part of himself he thought of as Mei had always been there in his head, waiting for a chance to re-emerge. Even now Dalkin struggled with his alter every day to hold at it bay. The inevitable results of choices made when he was too young to understand the monster he was unleashing.

He was never sure what had set him and his sister back on the path toward the light, but their mother never questioned Saimon and Senkyoku's appearance. In fact, she accepted them as if they were nothing more special than a new pair of shoes. That always got him thinking of his father. No one ever talked about him, where he'd gone or why he had never come back. No one could remember what he looked like or explain why there were no pictos of him anywhere. Al himself had a difficult time remembering anything about him, just his name, Lien Namaki. It was as if he never existed. His younger brothers claimed he'd gone off on a dangerous journey and the evil that was loose in the land swallowed him up. Al in his younger days dismissed this idea, but now was not so sure.

He pulled the pendant out of his pocket and held it up to the only light in the room. Senkyoku was in there, but he could see only a dim reflection of her. He was more amazed that Delia let him take her. Was she giving up? What happened to Kei? He gently tapped the palm sized amber crystal as it spun slowly on its gold chain. It was quite hard and changed in appearance since Kei first showed it to him and now held several more facets. What could be causing that?

After a quick glance at the window, he immediately decided against throwing her outside. However, he couldn't keep her either. Eventually when Kei realized the crystal was missing, she'd undoubtedly come here to look for it. He had to think of a way to get it off the island. He looked out the window and watched a lone seagull as it made lazy circles in the sky. The bars on the windows were too close together for him to fit through so that was no good.

He turned when he thought he heard more commotion in the hallway. He pulled out the gossip stone and set to work undoing the cord's knots and braiding. Dalkin looked back at the door and another loud crash confirmed the sounds had been in his head. He determined to ignore any others he heard if they did not involve the door. Once he'd undone the stone's cord, he had about two feet of sturdy leather, which he tied to the pendants chain. He pulled a small cloth out of his pocket and wrapped the crystal in it, then tied one end of the cord around the base of one of the bars and slowly lowered the tiny package out the window. He frowned. That set up was not going to last.

"It'll just have to do," he said as he watched the door. "One seagull and I'm..." he went back to the window and looked for the seagull again, he couldn't see it now, but did hear the raspy call of a raven.

it'll never work

Al froze. Slowly he backed away from the window. With those three words he realized his headache was almost gone you're mine and the ringing in his ears was subsiding. There was nothing to stop it now. Mei was pushing hard at his makeshift prison. The one he put in invented just incase he ever lost Saimon. Hito must be on the island. evil Dalkin returned to his original place against the wall he sat heavily on the floor too close There is no way, he thought, this is going to turn out well.

Brightest Day…

Tetra and Niko headed into the Earth Temple but stopped and both looked down a deep well. "Did Link ever mention how he got in?" she asked.

"No, Miss," Niko said scratching his head. "But there doesn't seem to be any other way."

"All right," she said, "Let's do it." Tetra took one last peek over at Niko then over the edge, closed her eyes and jumped. The expected rough landing didn't happen as the portal slowed her decent letting her easily step away. No wonder Link's always jumping down holes, she thought, its fun! Niko came down right behind her, a look of pure joy on his face and after he stepped out of the ring of stones, a light from above shown on the spot. At least we'll be able to get out if we need to, Tetra thought. She turned her attention to the door. There was a gap between the portal and it was far enough away that it couldn't be jumped and they stood there for a few minutes trying to decide the best way in.

Niko tugged at her sleeve and she looked over to where he was pointing. Tetra walked over and inspected his find. A ladder? Tetra pushed at the ladder with her foot and was a surprised when it gave a little. She looked back at Niko, he just shrugged, and the pair headed down. At the base, she unloaded her gear and pulled out a length of rope. She climbed back up and fastened it near the top then looked down at Niko and asked, "Ready?"

He nodded and picked up the bottom half and started to pull up the slack while she dropped down. She grabbed hold; both dug in her heals and pulled. The ladder creaked a bit but did not pull free. "Niko go to the top and use what you can to pry that thing loose up there."

"Yes Miss," he said and let go of the rope to climb back up the ladder. He pulled a sturdy knife out of his boot and jammed it into the space between the wall and the ladder. He signaled he was ready and Tetra pulled at the ladder while Niko pried at it. With a loud scraping sound, the left side separated from the wall. Tetra smiled.

"Ready for the other?" she asked.

Niko laughed and set his knife into the space on the right. After a few minutes of pulling with no success, Tetra called a short halt. She dug into the hard ground with her sword and wrapped the rope around herself. She set her feet into the shallow hole nodded at Niko and redoubled her efforts. With a loud SNAP the ladder came free and sent her head over heels into a small bush while the ladder clattered on the hard ground nearby. Tetra looked up but Niko was nowhere about. She sat up and pulled some leaves out of her hair. She started when her first mate appeared next to her.

"For crying out loud Niko! Where'd you come from? You trying to give me a heart attack?"

"No Miss," he said in a meek voice while he helped her up. "There was another ladder on the other side."

Tetra sighed. "No, I'm sorry Niko, you startled me and this place has me on edge already."

"I'll be more careful."

"Come on," she said as she dusted herself off. "Lets get moving."

They gathered their gear and headed deeper into the Earth Temple. Tetra let the Princess's memories guide them through the maze of rooms until they reached one that was full of large mirrors. She heard the sounds of someone playing the harp and moved closer to it. Tetra listened for a moment and thoughts of her mother came to her, like little vignettes. They played in her head and reminded her of a time in her life she'd felt completely safe. She smiled and looked over at Niko. He had his eyes closed and was smiling too. That damn music is doing it.

"Hey! Wake up!" Tetra shouted.

Niko opened his eyes, shook his head, and opened his pack. Pulling out the writing kit, he handed her the last two blank letters. Tetra took the letters to the nearest mirror and held them up. Only one reflected back, so she handed Niko the one that didn't and took the kit from him. Tetra wrote as much information as she could on it, but had to hurry, she didn't want to take the chance that Medli would pass by here and miss it. At least that's what Tetra hoped would happen. She spent the whole trip here thinking on it. She just didn't have a lot of faith that it would, but those princess's in her head said it should...maybe. She set it on the ground and waited for the Earth Sage to appear.

Darkest Night...

Medli yawned and rubbed her sore fingers. She'd practiced that haunting song for several hours and decided she'd better get some sleep. As she walked back through the mirror room she paused, and listened carefully. She was sure she'd heard a faint sound. Nothing. Medli continued a little further through the room and paused again. Now she was quite sure she'd heard someone call her name. It sounded like someone calling to her from the bottom of a well, a deep well. Still nothing moved or made a sound. Now this is starting to get creepy, she thought. She passed the last mirror and noticed something odd reflected in it. She took an involuntary step sideways as she sensed someone behind her.

Medli made a pretense of cleaning off some of the dust that had collected and she looked carefully at the reflection. Two shadowy figures stood only a few feet behind her. She slowly turned, but there was still no one there. On the floor, where she thought they were standing, she saw something.

The Earth Sage picked the item off the floor and looked around. There was still no sign of anyone and she glanced at the item in her hand, it was a letter. Medli looked at the envelope. It was addressed to the Sage of Earth. Taking a deep breath she opened it and as she read the contents, she got a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. The letter was from Tetra and Medli thought back to when Link came to Headstone three weeks ago looking for answers. That was the first time she'd heard about Tetra's and her crew's disappearance. As Link had requested she'd sent word to the Rito so they could spread the word and keep an eye out for the pirates. She looked back at the mirror again. Medli gasped when she thought she saw the outlines of two people flicker again in the reflection.

The Earth Sage walked closer to the mirror and set the letter down. I need more light she thought and pulled the harp from her back and played the Earth God's Lyric. There was a grinding of gears as a large disc on the ceiling moved aside allowing the bright morning light come through the exposed hole in the roof.

The light she called, bounced through the room as it hit each mirror in turn. Medli watched the spot where she'd found the letter until the light showed her what was hidden from her. In the gloom of the temple, the outline of a young woman and man coalesced. Both bowed to her when they realized she could in fact see them. She smiled picked up the letter and nodded to them.

Medli stood outside the Earth Temple and paced back and forth across the beach while she scanned the skies. The Rito Chieftain had responded to her request for aide, now all she could do was wait for it to arrive. Whoever they sent had better get here soon, she thought. She looked up in the sky again, still nothing. She leaned against one of the rocky outcroppings.

"A watched pot never boils," she said to one of the crabs that scuttled past her. She heard the rustle of wings behind her and sighed with relief. When she turned and saw that it was Komali and Quill, she was doubly pleased. She waved to them, "Hoy!"

"Greetings Earth Sage!" Komali called as he landed a few feet away.

She rolled her eyes at the Rito Prince. "You know Komali, I still have a name," Medli said as she hugged him. She took a step back and said, "You're so tall, my you've definitely grown up." He blushed. "And please, just call me Medli."

"He's merely being respectful." Quill said as he landed nearby. The older Rito, she knew, had retired recently. "You are quite an honored figure on Dragon Roost."

Medli fixed a glare on the former Rito postman. "Yeah? Well I'm starting to think everyone's forgotten my name. You two are the first Ritos I've seen in almost six months, so stop already." Quill opened him mouth as if he might continue, but a look from Komali stopped him.

"What's going on Ear- uh, Medli," Komali fumbled for a moment. Medli decided Komali was more than just taller; he handsome too. With a shake she refocused on what he was saying. "Father was unclear about what it is you needed us for. Skett and Akoot were ready to leave immediately, but Father insisted it be us."

"I know, I apologize, I was a little vague in my message, but read this," she said as she handed Tetra's letter to Quill. "We have a problem and I know I can trust you two with the this." She started into the temple and waved for them to come after her. "Have either of you heard from Link lately?" The two exchanged worried looks and followed her.

"No," Quill said as he open the letter.

"That's too bad. The reason I requested help is because I need the two of you to take the boat that was on the beach to the Forest Haven."

Komali stopped and caught her arm. "You brought us all the way here to move a boat?"

She smiled and teased, "What? Too much for a big strong Rito like you?" He was blushing again. "I bet you could do it all by yourself. Easy as pie." The Rito Prince either didn't get her joke or he was too embarrassed to answer. Medli sighed and said, "You'll understand better in a minute," and continued further into the temple.

Quill was reading through the letter as they followed her, so when Komali stopped the older Rito ran right into him. The postman looked up and asked "Medli?" She stopped again and turned, "What is this shadow that is written about here."

"Shadow?" Komali asked and Quill handed him the letter.

"That's the main reason I need you to take the boat." She led them to the mirror room Quill stopped at the door and stared at a pair of shimmering shapes. His eyes went wide.

"Is that who I think it is?" Quill asked.

"Yes."

"She looks different." Komali noted as he caught up to them.

Medli nodded and said, "That's not important right now."

"Whose the little guy?" Komali asked.

"One of her crew, actually the last of her crew still with her."

"Where are the others?

"I don't know, I don't think she had time to write that down."

"Well," Quill said, "If she came here in that boat without a sail, she had to have come from Outset." He looked at Komali who nodded in agreement. "Why do we need to take the boat to the Forest Haven?"

"Like the letter says, Tetra is stuck in some kind of time loop, a shrinking one, and she needs to get there as quickly as possible."

"Where is her ship?"

"If she is here and it is not, it's probably with the other pirates," Medli said.

"If they're alive." Quill added.

"Right." Komali said nodding.

"And this shadow?" Quill asked.

"She says it's hunting her but she didn't say why, but I think," Medli said lowering her voice, "it's something to do with Ganon."

"The letter doesn't mention that." Komali said pointing at it.

"No, but I've been got a really bad feeling about all of this and I'm glad you're here Komali, it'll be easier to convince the King if you tell him. And if I am right then this shadow Tetra is hiding from, was the one responsible for the deaths of the previous Sages."

"How can you know that for sure? That happened so long ago." Komali said.

"Just a feeling, it was something the Great Valoo said, before any of this. I'd just become an attendant and was still learning to understand him. Everything he told me that day came as scattered images it was terrifying. I actually managed to put it out of my mind. But reading this brought it all back." She looked at Komali and smiled as she said, "Your grandmother helped me translate and make sense of it."

Broken, battered
Forest and water
Readying the unbelievers
for the slaughter.

As wisdom failed,
and Courage waned.
into the land
will Shadow creep.

Shattering Woods,
Tainting water.
Left only are traces
on a forgotten matter...

Evil stilled long ago,
will return to you
As you die helpless
before the Shadow

Shadows past
fill all with fear
as young and old,
to the very last
will feel the power,
Destruction, mayhem
Filling the hours.

Nights everlasting,
Days without sun.
Run, run, run
while you can little ones.

One made of light,
One made of dark
Brightest Day,
Darkest Night.

Not Heaven above, nor Hell below,
Can save your soul in this dreadful hour
As evil's children make you cower.

One made of Light, One made of Night.
Chosen by fate, delivered in hate
Mei and Kei together make the perfect shadow

Medli shook her head to push the images out of her head. "Your Grandmother insisted it was very important that I remember it all and made me memorize it. I had to repeat that everyday for months until she was sure I would never forget it. It was damn creepy, but let's face it, it meant nothing to me then but it's sure starting to make sense now."

"Why didn't you just ask for more help now?"

"The less people who know where Tetra and Niko are, the fewer people we'll need to worry about letting slip where they're going."

"I guess that make sense, but why would you think it has anything to do with Ganon now?" Quill asked.

"Read the last part of Tetra's letter again."

While the pair looked at the passage again Medli said, "Link, is the hero of our times and he can't be in two places at once and in this case three. He needs back up. Those two," she said as she looked at the still shimmering shapes now sitting on the ground. "Risked their lives to get here and give us this warning. Can we do any less?"

Komali looked up from the letter, "If this is true, then we really don't have a lot of time."

"It will be as you say Earth Sage," Quill said and he and Komali bowed.

The Sage of Earth sighed and looked at Tetra and Niko. "I only hope we do not fail."

A Perfect Shadow

Link spun the staff through a last series of moves, when an idea came to him. With a slight turn of his wrist, he caught the weapon on the ground and while it ricocheted back, he reversed his grip and the staff's momentum finally caught Saimon. He'd watched Orca do it hundreds of times, but hadn't been able to completely pull it off until now. The fairy spun wildly for a moment, then righted, and flew back at him at top speed. Link was only just able to duck out of the way in time.

Even though Link hadn't picked up a weapon of this kind for years, this one felt good in his hands and Link smiled when he remembered the times he'd hit the ground to do the reverse and only managed to smack his own head, or trip himself up in the attempt. Saimon made another pass and Link ducked again. He also decided he better not push his luck with that and put an end to his practice for the time being. Saimon returned again but his anger must have subsided as he'd returned to his original blue tinge.

He held the stick out in front of him and examined it more closely. The graining gave the appearance of wood but the material felt much stronger. Not metal though, too light. The ends were tipped with what looked like bronze, but again, couldn't be. Link could see out of the corner of his eye that Saimon's glow was taking on an angry red tinge, but ignored him and continued to examine the staff. Pretty plain as these things went, except for the engravings and carvings but not much else, maybe Saimon could read it for him.

Well no time for that now, he thought, just have to puzzle that out later. As Link jammed the staff into the ground the area directly around him began to shake. He let go of it in surprise and promptly fell to the ground until the shaking ceased. Saimon laughed and buzzed around his face until he waved a hand at the fairy to get him to stop.

"You knew that was going to happen didn't you." Saimon stopped laughing and ducked into his hat. "It's a wonder Al's still alive, with that one helping him."

Link sat up and brushed the dirt from his clothes. He stopped when he realized that while he still held the staff he wasn't affected by the quake. He stood up and took a closer look at the spot where his hand last held the staff. An odd circular carving with an impression of a wavy line running through the middle caught his attention and Link focused a bit of magic at the spot with the tip of his finger. The leaves on the trees nearby rustled. Link pulled the staff out of the ground and studied it closely for any others.

He was only able to find two more placed near each end. The first looked like a lightening bolt and the other bore a strange resemblance to wind pattern he'd seen so often while collecting the Triforce shards; four crescent moons arranged in a tight circle. He was pretty sure if he held on to the staff while invoking them he would be safe, but decided he better wait, since he'd no idea what would happen if he did.

"Hey!" a muffled voice called.

Link continued to scrutinize the staff but answered, "Yeah Saimon?"

"We have to go!"

"Yes and we will, soon."

"No, we have to leave now! Dalkin needs me!"

Link pulled the hat off his head and Saimon emerged bright yellow with worry. "Yes he does," Link said, "but we don't know where he is, do we."

"The big fish said north." Saimon said and turned that angry red color again.

"No, the big fish said they sailed north," Link said as he started toward the shore, "That doesn't mean they continued that way." Link double checked his hand position and stuck the staff upright in the sand. As he walked toward the King of Red Lions, he unbuckled his sheath pulled out his sword. He stowed it together with the shield in the boat's small hold. He walked back on to the beach with the sheath still in his hand and sat down to begin the process of converting if for use with the staff.

"What are you doing now?" Saimon asked.

"Thinking."

Saimon reverted to his normal light blue hue and drifted into a sickly yellow one. "Will it take long?"

"Only if you keep interrupting me," Link said and Saimon retreated once again. Link shook his head and returned his attention to the sheath and worked on it until he was satisfied the staff would remain in place. He got up and walked back over to staff while he put it on. The sheath, a gift from Orca, was one of Link's favorite pieces of equipment. No matter what size sword he placed in it, the sheath adjusted to it. It's angle was always just right, though Link sometimes thought Orca gave it to him so he wouldn't accidentally slice off his ear. His changes were minor but thought it might be awkward so decided he'd better practice pulling it out anyway. He pulled the staff out of the ground and inserted it into the sheath.

Surprised by the ease with which he managed it, he reached behind his back to check how much of the staff would be sticking out, and discovered only a few inches protruded from the base. The top only cleared as far as the pommel of his sword would have. Ah the random magics of Hyrule. "Thank you Orca," he said as he practiced.

"Can we go now?" Saimon said in a plaintive squeak. Link took one last look around and nodded. Saimon brightened and flew over to the boat to wait. Link climbed aboard and guided the boat out of the tiny bay. When they reached open water Link leaned forward and whispered into one of the boats carved ears, "So which way did they go?"

"Why are you talking to your boat?

"Shhh," Link said as he held up a hand to the fairy. Saimon returned to his perch on top of Link's hat. Link sat back and waited and whether by the wind or current, the boat turned to face a southeasterly direction. Link immediately knew what the boat was trying to show him. The Tower was in that area. Well, he thought, first things first and he pulled out the Wind Waker and conducted the Ballad of Gales. Link had long ago stopped wondering where the Wind Waker drew it's magic from, but whenever he used the baton, the rush of magic it called could leave him a little light headed. Saimon squeaked and ducked into his hat when the fairy noticed a large cyclone coming down on them from the otherwise blue sky. It wrapped itself around the boat and Link fixed a mental picture of Mother and Child Island in his head as the boat lifted from the water.

Tetra turned toward the door in time to see Medli, Quill and another rather tall Rito enter the room. Quill stopped in his tracks and was stared at them, while the other, taller Rito read the letter she's written to the Earth Sage. She glanced at Niko and noticed he was staring off in another direction all together, eyes wide. Tetra followed his line of sight and her mouth dropped open too. A short distance away, a ghostly figure stood and held an exact copy of the harp Medli now wore on her back. Tetra looked back over at the Ritos, their conversation was getting rather lively and they did not seem to notice this new arrival. Niko tugged at her vest and she returned her attention to him and almost tripped over him as she stepped back. The figure, which she decided was female, was now only a few feet away. She was tall and willowy, with pale blue limbs that flowed as if she were underwater. Tetra immediately thought of one of the passages from her histories that always intrigued her.

"You're a Zora," Tetra said to the ghost in disbelief. The apparition smiled and gestured for the pair to sit down. Niko immediately dropped to the ground, still staring. Tetra sat more slowly but did not take her eyes off the spirit.

"You are truly wise Princess," the ghost said, "I was LaRuto, I too was once a Sage in years past." And she sat down nearby. "I have information for you."

"About the shadow?"

"Yes."

"Wouldn't it be better if you told Medli?" Tetra asked

"She has already been made aware." LaRuto said.

"Oh." Tetra waited for the ghost to continue but when she said nothing Tetra added, "Alright then, you have information, then bring it on."

Tetra did not realize what this entailed and froze as the ghost of the former Sage approached her and settled on top and within her. Like the ocean Tetra loved, the Sage's thoughts were fluid, calm and easy to understand. Much like the current Sage of Earth, LaRuto was sea of calm amidst the turmoil around her. Tetra shook her head, when she realized she could hear the Ritos as they talked. Medli turned around and her eyes went a little glassy as she recited a prophecy Tetra remembered though she'd last read it as a child. It was one of the most studied prophecies of those that abounded during the 'end times'.

Along with it came images and feelings of the young girl who had spoken the prophecy. Tetra knew very well the girl's overwhelming sadness and frustration at not being able to help her people. She felt it herself, for the knowledge she gained from the Triforce brought her more than just wisdom. It came with the memories of all that had borne it previously. Now that child called to her and within her call came hope. That little girl had also borne the Triforce and she was trying to make Tetra remember something. Tetra knew it was there, the same as when she first found Link in that garden, but there was a wall between her and that realization and no matter how hard Tetra tried she could not breach it. LaRuto released her then and faced her.

"Princess, even as the magic unravels, the walls of your prison are strong. Your stubbornness and pride has helped make them thick." Tetra, surprised by the ghost's commanding tone, looked away. "You will have to tell the Wind Waker soon," the ghost said as she began to fade away. "To delay longer Princess will destroy you both."

Tetra stared at the spot vacated by the dead sage and looked back at the Ritos again in time to see them bow to Medli. She must have gotten them to agree, Tetra thought, and took a deep breath. Why was it so damn important? She intended to tell him, just not right now. Didn't she have enough to worry about without all this crap? She was further annoyed when she felt a tear in her eye. Tetra blinked it back as she got up with Niko close behind and in a flat voice said, "Let's get back to the boat."

Tetra, lost in her thoughts, let the princess guide them back out of the Earth Temple. She paid little attention to her surroundings and barely heard Niko when he said, "Miss?"

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Tetra said and she continued to walk. When they reached the boat, they climbed aboard and waited.

"Miss?"

"What now Niko."

"What did the ghost lady mean when she said you had to tell Link..." Niko trailed off when she glared at him and he squirmed a little in his seat.

Tetra closed her eyes and sighed. She needed to control her anger. To do otherwise would doom her, she was sure. "I don't really care to talk about that right now, Niko." Tetra noticed his surprised look and realized her clothing had reverted to 'normal'. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. When she looked around again she knew they'd reached their destination. A small sunny patch of grass had replaced the barren beach of Headstone. Tetra looked up at the Forest Haven. In all her years of sailing the Great Sea, she'd never once visited this place. The rumors of sailors being 'lost' within the catacomb of tunnels were more than enough reason not to come to this place. She knew from Link, that within its walls, lived the Great Deku Tree, Forest Guardian, and holder of Farore's Pearl. Tetra needed that pearl.

"What happened?" Niko asked, clearly confused.

"Guess we're still not in sync with regular time yet," Tetra said and noticed the moon it was now only three quarters full. "Come on let's go talk to the tree."

Hell Below

Kei pulled herself together and walked the short distance to her brother's makeshift cell. When she entered, he was sitting on the floor with his hat pulled down. The voices quieted to a dull murmur, as they always seemed to whenever Mei was near. Stupid hat, Kei knew she'd taken that from him on their arrival, she should have burned it. "I know you're awake Mei." He did not move or respond. "You can't fight it forever old man," she said with a sneer, "so why even try?"

"I will not return to shadow Delia," Al said in a flat tone. "Mei is dead."

She laughed, "You're wrong of course, I can feel the turmoil, and he's there just like I was waiting for his chance." Al still would not look up. "You know you want the magic. So bad you can taste it."

"No."

"Oh yes," she said and her smile widened. "Delia was foolish to let her talent go to waste all those years, but she can learn, with a little 'help'. You though, you embraced your talent wholeheartedly and made quite a reputation for yourself. All in all, it's a probably for the best the people you 'helped' never knew what you were really doing. But of course, you had Saimon with you and he's what really made that possible." Her speech was met with stony silence so Kei sat on the floor and held the pendant in front of him and said, "With Saimon gone and Senkyoku imprisoned the time of the awakening draws near. Come on brother, this is what we've always wanted. Real power, together you know we're stronger than Hito."

Al raised his head then to face her, "We can never be more than we were Delia."

"You're wrong."

"Am I?" Al said, "The Hero is coming. By imprisoning the Princess, Hito's put him on our trail and nothing will put off our destruction this time. We are no longer children to be pitied."

"You don't know that."

"I know it in my heart, Delia. His faith in the goddesses is strong and they will shelter and protect him. Hito made a grave mistake when he thought to use the Princess as a tool against that boy and I've a feeling you're also going to discover just how dangerous this Princess is, all on her own. I can tell by the look on your face that Hito has lost track of her just as he did then. The Triforce will aid them and we will be doomed." Al pulled off his hat as he set it aside he reached over and lightly touched her hand. "Our time has passed and we have grown too far apart Delia, we are no longer what we were as children. We should go home, we don't belong here. I know that you too heard the melody. It's trying to pull our memories back together."

"What are you talking about?"

"We are missing so many parts of our past and of what we do remember, there's so much that doesn't fit. We believed for the longest time our father abandon us, it made us angry, it's what sent me off on that quest to find out the truth."

Kei did remember, she thought it a foolish waste of time, but Delia yearned for that answer. "What did you find?"

"Nothing."

"You've lost me."

"Every time I came anywhere near some sort of answer, it would slip away. As if some great and overriding magic was working to keep the answer from me. Didn't you ever wonder where Saimon and Senkyoku came from?"

"What difference does it make they are both gone now," Kei said as she gripped the pendant harder.

"I suppose your right," he said, "but something about all this isn't what we think it is."

"You think to much, Mei."

"So I've been told."

The loud squawk of a seagull outside the window caused them both to look up. Kei could also see her arguments were getting her nowhere, so she switched to a different tack, "We'll be rewarded in the end, all that we were promised then, and more."

"I've already been rewarded with a long and prosperous life Delia, the promised power and riches do not hold the same allure for me as they once did."

"Why are you are so stubborn!" she shouted at him in frustration. She got up and walked toward the window. "I wanted to make this easy for you, but I can see you intend to be difficult. I promised Hito your help, and I will have it whether you choose to cooperate or not."

She picked at some loose mortar near the bars but stopped when he said, "He doesn't love you."

"What?" she said turning back toward him.

"Hito," Al said with remembered sadness, "He cannot love anyone."

Kei smacked him hard across the face and felt her eye start to twitch again, "Don't ever say that again."

Al reached up and dabbed at the blood that was now seeping from his split lip. "Unlike some, I have never lied to you Delia, and I never will."

"You should have left when you could old man," Kei said in a hiss and with a sweeping gesture caused a field of raw energy to appear around the room. "Look familiar? I cooked this one up just for you." She turned and the energy parted enough for her to walk through. The door, she left open, to remind him just how trapped he was.