8/20/04 - that's when I originally wrote this…my goodness could I be any slower? 0.o oh my…

6/3/06

I've added something to this chapter that was not here before…heh – I won't say what it is cause I'm like that and it appears I've lost track of my two main protagonists... so here we go back to Outset. From here on out, the time streams I've laid out will start to collide at odd and seemingly random times...If you haven't read the previous chapters, this will most certainly cause a great deal of confusion. So, once again, I apologize in advance... As always, Readers: have at it and remember, this is for your own good… Reviewers: Thanks squared.

(No really this will hurt you, more than it will hurt me because I don't own a thing.)


Nagori, Saimon and Senkyoku
by: Achitka

Fairy Woods

Gonzo stood up and put Aryll's letter in his pocket, he rounded the table and met Senza in the hall. The other handed him a knife and short sword, which Gonzo belted in place as he walked toward the steps. On deck, the pirates were assembled as he had requested, all were armed and ready. He pointed to the last five in line.

"You five, secure the decks and see to it no one goes below without the password."

They nodded and took up their posts. Gonzo nodded to the others, and they all walked down the gangplank to the dock. There an irate young woman stopped them.

"Hey there, you're not wanted here, so why don't you climb back on your boat and shove off," she said angrily.

Gonzo looked past the woman and saw Abe was standing a little off to the left of the group. Abe was Zill's father as well as Link's cousin. His face showed the exhaustion that everyone on the little island of Outset was feeling. The tension in the air was palpable, but when Gonzo returned his gaze to the woman in front of him, he saw the grief in her eyes and thought of Aryll. Gonzo paused as he remembered these were the people she loved, and no matter what he was feeling, he'd better not upset them anymore than they already were.

"I was grieved to hear of your Grandfather's passing, Miss Sue Belle," Gonzo said after a moments thought. He noted the confusion in Sue Belle's eyes, she had obviously been expecting a yelling match. "We've come here to find out what happened to Grandmother Namaki and Master Orca, I also have two crewmates who are currently among the missing."

"It was Link!" Sue Belle spat, "He did something to them, just like my Grandfather! I know it!

"Hold on now," Gonzo said and raised his voice only slightly, "you can't really believe that Link would purposely try to harm any of you."

"Well he did! And he killed my Grandfather!"

There was a murmur of assent from the group behind her, and Gonzo frowned. Senza leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, "There's no talking to that one." Gonzo only nodded.

"Well, I don't believe it. Link has always had the highest respect for your Grandfather."

"Respect? You would say that, why I wouldn't be surprised if you and your crew weren't somehow involved."

Gonzo regarded her for a moment. Why was she going out of her way to anger him? It must have shown in his face when he looked directly at her because determined or no, she took a small step back. While Gonzo hadn't had many reasons to speak with Sue Belle in the past, he couldn't say he knew her as more than an acquaintance. Still, she stood defiantly in his way, her long dark hair tied behind her, hands on her hips and a look of resentment that distorted her once calm features. Sue Belle was taking the death of her Grandfather pretty hard, but with everything he'd gone through in the last three days, Gonzo was not inclined to feel much pity for the woman. Her grief had made her unreasonable, and he felt himself losing patience.

"I don't know myself all of what's been going on here, but there's more than you think behind whatever's happened on this island in the last few days. I, myself, need some answers and I have no plans to leave this island without them," Gonzo said and started walking again. He continued forward and the rest of the pirates followed, this disrupted the group still assembled near the end of the gangplank.

Gonzo went up the beach and approached Abe, who continued to stand and silently watch the proceedings. His expression was unreadable, and though Gonzo had a feeling Abe felt the way he did, it could be difficult to tell how people could react if they were frightened. Gonzo looked past the man when he heard the bushes up the hill rustle a little. A tuft of red hair was momentarily visible in the foliage, and Gonzo knew that Zill was hiding in the bushes to get a better view of the goings-on. Guess he didn't make it all the way home after leaving the ship. His attention returned to the man in front of him.

"Abe," Gonzo said by way of greeting

"Gonzo," Abe replied in his soft baritone voice.

"We aren't here to make trouble, we just want to find our crew mates. I understand Zill saw them head up the cliffs."

"Did he?" Abe asked and he snorted. "Well, that explains some things." A loud squawk from the bushes drew both men's attention to the rustling foliage, and Abe shook his head. "I swear that boy's gonna be the death of me," he said with a grim smile. "Come on up to the house, it's close to lunch, and it's been a very busy day."

They started up the hill and stopped when Sue Belle cried out, "How can you do that?" and pushed her way through the pirates to stand with her arms crossed in front of them.

"Do what?" Abe asked evenly.

Gonzo saw the pair were already at odds, and his eyes flicked to Sue Belle as she said acridly, "Invite that murder's friends into your home? But what else should I expect from his kin?"

Abe's face darkened, he was angry, but the tenor of his voice was still sympathetic when he said, "Sue Belle, I understand your upset, but I will not have you wandering the island ranting that Link is a murderer." When Sue Belle opened her mouth to say something else, Abe held up a hand and looked at her very intently. Her eyes dropped to the ground and just as quietly as before, Abe said, "Sue Belle, we all loved your Grandfather, he was a good man and the best teacher our children could ask for, but if you keep this up you'll destroy what's left of the peace on this island. You do your Grandfather's memory dishonor by acting this way." Abe gestured toward her home, and Sue Belle turned her face from him, somewhat stunned by the rebuke. "I believe there are a few things you need to attend to if we are to have things ready for the ceremony tomorrow evening."

Gonzo saw the fresh tears in her eyes as she hesitated for a moment longer, all the fight seemingly gone; she turned and began to walk slowly away.

"Miss Sue Belle?" All heads turned to see a boy trying to break free of the cover of the bushes. "Miss Sue Belle? Gah!" the boy cried again as he fell head long out of the bush. Once he managed his escape, he called to her again, and Gonzo noticed he still had that seagull tucked under his arm. Sue Belle looked at him and scowled anew as Zill ran up and said breathlessly as he held out the bird to her, "I'm supposed to give you this...I mean, him."

Sue Belle looked at the seagull for a moment and asked, "What on earth am I supposed to do with this?"

"I dunno, but Jake said you needed each other, so..."

She hesitated at the mention of the seagull's name.

"Jake said that?"

Zill nodded, and Sue Belle stared at the bird for a few moments. He was old and clearly couldn't fly.

"Is this some kind of joke Zill?"

"No, Miss," Zill said, and his eyes went wide at the accusation. "He asked me to bring him to you, so I am."

With an uncertain frown, Sue Belle reached over and took the bird from him, and she said with consternation, "Jake, huh?"

Again, the boy nodded, and this surprised Gonzo; exactly how many of these islanders could speak to those damned gulls? Sue Belle turned the bird around and looked into its eyes. It crooned to her and a weak smile crept onto her face. It not only replaced her frown, but she looked much calmer.

"He's so old," Sue Belle murmured to herself. "I guess it will be alright." The bird crooned again, and Sue Belle looked down at the boy. "Thank you, Zill."

The boy blushed when she knelt down and hugged him, and Gonzo wasn't sure, but he thought he heard the boy whisper back to her, "I think he can talk too." Sue Belle's small smile grew a little more, and she thanked him again and started toward her home. The rest of the islanders began to move away from the scene, with their leader heading home, they all did the same, and soon it was just the pirates, Abe and Zill on the beach.

"That was a fine thing you did, Son," Abe said, and Zill turned back to his father and Gonzo. "Come on, then, boy. I think you should start from the part where my pocketknife went missing, don't you?"

The boy blinked and Gonzo saw, from the change in the boy's expression, that he knew he had some explaining to do. Zill nodded a little nervously and began his tale again as his father put his arm around the boy's shoulder and guided his youngest son up the hill. Gonzo, having already heard it, let his attention shift to the cliffs again. The bridge was almost back up. Good, he thought, he wanted to get up there before nightfall.

They reached Abe's house in short order, but only Gonzo, Senza, and Nudge went inside. The rest spread out under the few trees that were around to get out of the afternoon sun. Rose Namaki made lunch as she listened to her son detail out what he'd already done that day. Gonzo's attention wandered again, and he looked out the window, something flew quickly past it, but Gonzo couldn't tell what it was, so he dismissed it and returned his attention to the conversation at the small table.

"...a boy? You're sure about that?" Abe asked his son in disbelief.

"Yeah, Dad," Zill said and took another bite of the sandwich his mother had placed in front of him. "I know what a boy looks like," Zill mumbled through his sandwich.

"Don't talk to your Father that way, young man," his Mother admonished from across the table, ", and please don't talk with food in your mouth."

"Yesh, mam," Zill said with more of the sandwich in his mouth. Gonzo smiled, Abe was going to have his hands full when that one was a few years older. "Jake said he would teach me to use his swords, for helping him. Is that alright, Dad?"

Abe raised an eyebrow, but his expression was blank as he gave the answer all parents did when they didn't feel like answering a question right away. Abe looked helplessly at his wife, who smiled and shook her head.

"We'll see, Zill and now that you've managed to choke down that sandwich, go find your brother, we'll need him if we're going to make a proper search of the Fairy Wood."

"Can I come too?"

Abe opened his mouth to answer, but Rose spoke up first, "Absolutely not, young man."

"Awww, but Mom," the boy whined, "Just this once..." She raised an eyebrow, and Gonzo saw the boy's face crumble into despair. "Geez..."

Zill got up then and walked to the door and stopped when his Father said, "Make sure you come right back, we want to get started before sundown."

The boy mumbled a dejected, "Yes sir," and was out the door.

Again, something caught Gonzo's eye through the window, curious, he walked over to it and looked outside. Strange, he thought, he could have sworn he saw something. Gonzo shrugged and sat back at the table, Senza and Nudge were talking quietly, while Rose and Abe laughed about something. He remembered Aryll's letter and pulled it out of his pocket. On the envelope, Gonzo noticed the Rito symbol for undeliverable mail, and that made him wonder when she posted it. Presumably, Zill would be gone for a few minutes, so Gonzo opened the letter, took a deep breath, and pulled it out. As he read the carefully written letters, Gonzo could hear Aryll's voice in his head.

Hoy Gonzo!

I got your letter. That poem you wrote was so romantic. I never would have guessed you had it in you. Whomever the girl is, you wrote that for will just be swept away. (Do I know her?) And yes, you spelled all the words right! I heard you might be coming to Outset for Zill's party. If you are, that's great! We can get caught up then.

Anyway, the strangest thing happened the other day while I was at the coffee bar. I heard a couple of sailors talking to this creepy guy. Of course, I was close enough that I could listen (not that I would ever eavesdrop ha ha) and what were they talking about? Yep, you guessed it, Link. Well, I think they were talking about him, Mr. Pasty face kept mumbling that he had to find the Hero. But he was sooooo nasty, (I don't know how those two managed to stay that close to him.)

I'll be back home for the party (I hope so, anyway, Miss Marie still has some lessons for me, bleh. I'd better get started on them if I want to make it home in time) but if you see Link first, let him know about that guy, okay? There was something not right about him.

Link also tells me Tetra's ticked off at him again; I wonder what my adorable big brother said this time? Maybe we should change his title to Hero full of Wind ha ha ha ha ha. You'd think he'd have learned by now. Say hoy to the others for me, hope to see you all soon,

Love,

Aryll

PS. Is Tetra feeling alright? She looked positively awful when you guys left for Great Fish. Hope it's not the flu.

Gonzo re-read the letter several times, then carefully folded it and put it away. He reached into another of his pockets. The item he was expecting to find was not there, and Senza glanced at him. The first mate noticed his startled expression and gave him a questioning look. Gonzo waved it off, and the large sailor returned his attention to their companion. Gonzo thought about the puzzle of the letter, it was the same one Jasper brought just after they left Great Fish. It was the reason he wrote that letter to Link before their first Octo battle about the pasty-faced little man. Thoughts of the gull made him wonder where Jasper was; Gonzo planned to ask that one a few questions if she/he ever did show up again. Too many unanswered questions.

When Zill returned with his brother, they got up and headed out. Abe and Joel grabbed a pair of walking sticks that were set next to the door and everyone walked down the path to the causeway. Joel, at sixteen, was nearly as tall as his father and bore a striking resemblance to him. When they were almost to the top of the cliff path, Gonzo lost in thought, had his attention pulled back when something, again, flew past him, and up. Eyes drawn upward, he scowled and shouted to the other pirates, "CIRCLE UP, WE'VE GOT MINI'S AT TEN O'CLOCK!"

The pirates immediately circled the islanders and drew their weapons as miniblins began to drop from the heights above. The air was soon choked with an acrid smoke left behind whenever one of the murderous little rats was taken out.

"MOVE IT UP THE PATH!" Gonzo shouted, and they did, but with all the minis about, Gonzo lost track of Abe and the other islanders. When one landed on his head, he cursed and was surprised when Joel brought that walking stick up in a well-practiced arc and knocked it off him. Gonzo nodded his thanks to the young man as he removed it and another few from the area.

"Where the hell did these come from?" Senza yelled to him as he reached back and pulled one off his back. It thudded when it hit the ground, and Senza ran it through with his sword.

"I don't know!" Gonzo yelled back, coughing a little from all the smoke, "but make sure we get them all, I don't want any of the pests to be around to annoy anyone later!"

Once the group neared the top of the cliff pass, the mini's stopped coming and Gonzo paused to take stock of the situation. As the last puffs of smoke cleared out, Abe pointed toward the fairy wood and said, "It looks like we have more trouble."

Gonzo looked to the opposite cliff and saw several kargaroks circling the wood. Someone didn't want them nosing around over there. Noticing the sun was getting lower in the sky, Gonzo cursed. The fight with the miniblins had taken far longer than he'd realized, and it would be getting dark soon. He frowned and came to a quick decision, come hell or high water, he wasn't stopping now.

"It's too dangerous for everyone to go now." Gonzo said.

Goddesses only knows what would happen if they left the village without protection.

"What do you suggest then?" Abe asked as he leaned tiredly on his staff. "You plan on going."

It wasn't a question and Gonzo nodded and said, "Yes I do, but I won't be bringing you along, you have a wife and family to worry about, we're just a bunch of motley pirates."

Abe looked at his oldest son, who only nodded. "Well, I could use a bit of a rest, but Joel would like to tag along."

"No way," Gonzo said flatly.

"Don't worry pirate, he can take care of himself," Abe snorted, "Link isn't the only one on the island trained by Master Orca."

Gonzo couldn't argue with that, his father always said he would rather face a man with a sword, than a farmer with a stick and the knowledge of how to use it any day. He nodded to the boy, who did not smile, but rather fell in with the pirates.

"We'll head back and set up a watch. I just hope Sue Belle stays inside tonight, I don't think I can take another argument with that one," Abe said, and he and the older men started back down the path toward the village.

On the other side of the rope bridge, they paused only for a moment, then headed through the cave into the already dimly lit forest grove. After breaking up into smaller parties, they started their search. Gonzo sent Joel and a few of his men over a small hill, while he, Senza and Nudge searched the area closer to the Great Fairy's Fountain. Gonzo scaled the short ledge and looked down the hole. Always black as pitch, he thought and looked back at the others.

"I'm gonna head down and collect a few more fairies," he said. His companions nodded and continued their search further into the woods.

Gonzo stepped into the hole but was surprised by the gentle landing below. After he stepped out of the portal's ring of stones and looked back and remarked to himself, "No wonder Link jumps down every hole he sees." He noticed how his voice echoed, not only was it too damned quiet, but it was also colder than Ice Ring Island down here. Gonzo shivered and pulled the bottle out of his pocket, just as he neared the edge of the pool, something zipped past him again, and he stopped and looked around.

Finding nothing, he looked back at the pool and raised an eyebrow when he saw the health fairies motionless over the water. They looked frozen in place, and he knelt down and reached out to touch one. As he did, something smacked squarely into his forehead and he was knocked backward as he fumbled with the bottle.

"Please do not go near the water again, Captain." a small voice said from the shadows.

Gonzo knew he'd heard that voice before, but where?

"Why not?" he asked as he examined the darkness above him for the source.

"You will suffer the same fate as my sisters."

Sisters, is it now? He recognized the voice now.

"Why are you here, tekuragari?" Gonzo did not hide the anger in his voice, "I thought I left you on Ice Ring?"

His questions were followed by a shaky, "I mean you no harm, Captain." then silence.

Gonzo looked back at the frozen water and frowned. If it were some sort of trick, why bother stopping him from touching the fairy and becoming an icicle himself?

"If you mean me no harm, why are you lurking in the shadows?" Gonzo asked and strained harder to see into the darkness above him. Still, he was met with only silence and his thoughts turned to Aryll, and he said angrily, "You dole out death to the best among us, without regret..." again silence, even more irritated, he shouted, "Tell me why you're really here and be quick about it, I'm running out of patience, shadow spawn!

Another shorter silence was followed by; "I was sent by the Guardians to find you."

"Guardians?" That gave him pause; it was not an answer he was expecting. He knew the legends, his father had made sure of it. Still, the reply made little sense and Gonzo needed answers, so asked, "And what would they want with the likes of me?"

"I do not know, Captain."

As the fairy spoke, Gonzo was better able to narrow down where the tekuragari might be hidden.

"The white one says it is the only way to find my purpose."

"I thought your purpose was to aid the shadow," Gonzo said to the still hidden fairy. Again, silence.

"I have forsaken the shadow," she said as she fluttered down and Kageri hovered in front of him, but she maintained her distance just out of reach. Gonzo realized this must be true, for she had not a bit of the glowy essence that a fairy of her type should have.

"What's your true name, fairy?"

"Kag-"

"No!" Gonzo shouted angrily, "Not the name you carried as a daemon spawn!"

"I have no other."

"Well you do now, Nazo," and Gonzo thought he must be going nuts, "and if you intend to stay with me get used to it."

"Yes Captain," the fairy said, still sounding dejected, but Gonzo didn't really care all that much, just one more puzzle in this ever deepening sea of confusion. Jasper must have known what she was. It was a complete mystery why the gull would bring something to Aryll that was so obviously dangerous. A better question, why wasn't he just squishing the little pest out of existence? Gonzo rubbed his face in frustration and headed back to the portal.

"Why do I get the feeling I am gonna regret this."

He stepped into the portal's magic and felt himself leave the ground; it was like flying, and that part of him that had yearned for that as a child spoke to him once more. He brushed it aside as he was set lightly down by the portal's magic. He looked around, and was startled as he realized the normally dark woods were awash in bright sunlight.

While he knew he was no longer in the Fairy Wood, he also felt he was closer to his answers. He looked and saw a rough little house setback in the trees. He examined it carefully and noted a small wisp of smoke as it escaped the chimney, and he thought, there were people living there.

"Alright, come on, Nazo, let's go see if anybody's home."

The fairy flew on ahead and would intermittently fly back as he trudged toward the house. He raised his hand to knock but stopped when the door unexpectedly flew open and Mako said with a snarl, knife in his hand; "Die! Daemon Filth!" and lunged forward with all his might.


Makar felt the Tower tremble; he took it as an indication that they should go. There was still no sign of the Earth Sage, but the clouds and the wind were right. So, he gathered up Nagori, and together they flew to the southwest side of the Tower. The little fairy's information had been right. It was especially windy on this side. Makar landed on some rocks and pulled out his bow. Makar first played his special lullaby, and soon all the kargaroks nearby were dozing quietly in their nests. He looked at the little fairy and asked, "Are you ready, little one?"

"Yes, Wind Sage," she giggled with excitement.

"Good, grab hold of my leaf, for I do not wish you to be blown away."

Nagori nodded as she giggled some more and Makar sighed, Young ones, he thought. He steadied his bow and now played the Ode to the Winds. The music slipped over the water like a gentle breeze, and Makar gripped his bow tighter as he felt the firsts wisps of his magic at work. When the wind hit, it propelled him and his passenger up the side of the Tower at frightening speed. He hoped the fairy was able to hold on, it was all Makar could do to keep his concentration focused on his propeller. He couldn't afford to lose control now, or he'd be thrown past the top and into the ocean on the other side. He angled it as he neared the top and as he passed the ledge on the top, his propeller failed and Makar started to fall. He knew he'd used all of his magical energy, keeping himself from slamming into the Tower on the way up.

"Ooooooo!" Makar cried just before he smacked into the large bell. It clanged dully, and Makar fell unconscious toward the floor below.


Medli and Komali made steady progress toward the area where the Tower should be all that afternoon. With no sign of the giant structure in sight, Medli began to worry. She chided herself to have more faith in the Goddesses and as the sun began to set, the Tower that had been missing, appeared quite suddenly and both had to pull up quickly, or they would have smacked into the wall that had materialized in front of them.

When Medli heard the kargaroks nesting all around them, she thought to herself, Gods, not again. The pair started for the top of the Tower, but as they did, Medli thought she heard Makar's violin. The music stopped and everything got deathly quiet as she no longer heard any of the kargaroks. The music started up again and Medli realized it was a song she had never heard before. It, too, stopped, and she and Komali were almost knocked out of the air by the force of the wind that now assaulted them. A dull clang echoed from somewhere above them, and she saw Komali straining as he crested the Tower. Medli followed and paused as she reached the top.

It was near, and Medli shuddered when she felt it. The wrongness, the creepy, greasiness that she had felt in the Earth Temple...the Shadow was close. Komali pulled at her arm as she landed, and together they ran toward the base of the bell tower. Finding the little Wind Sage unconscious, Medli gathered him up and indicated to Komali that they needed to get to the top of the bell tower. Komali grabbed Makar's bow from the ground and flew up to where she waited. Seeing the near panic in her eyes, he looked around. In the northern skies, dark clouds roiled as they approached the Tower with alarming speed.

"We have to get down from here," Komali shouted over the now howling wind.

"No, don't move, don't breathe, or it will find us." She was surprised when he didn't to argue. Instead, he nodded and they flattened themselves and waited. Medli shut her eyes and prayed fervently to the Goddesses for protection from the nightmare as it passed the Tower and headed south.


Under the cover of darkness, Jasper flew into the pirate ship though the open window of the cabin and landed gently next to the bed. When the young man saw the still figure on the bed, he drew closer and slowly pulled the blanket back. Aryll's face was calm, as if she were sleeping, and Jasper gently brushed the hair from her face. It has come already? he wondered.

"So zees ees why my brosser left me to deal with zee chadow by myzelf," he said to the girl who did not answer, "Leetle kotori, had I known zat crystal would do zees, I would haf dropped it in zee ocean myzelf." Jasper sat with her for a while and wondered about the fairy that had given him the crystal to begin with. What was she up to? He had been drawn to the Tower by her singing, it reminded him of happier times so long ago. Something about her was so familiar to him that he had trusted her almost instantly.

If Aryll had been called so young, that meant the fourth would soon follow. Things were coming to a head quickly, and he knew now what he needed to do. Ever so gently, Jasper lifted Aryll from the bed and made his way off the ship. He passed several of the pirates on guard, but none moved or gave him a glance. Unless they truly believed he existed at all, they would not see or hear him if he did not wish it to be so. So few believed that the Guardians existed, he had little trouble making his way down the gangplank and over to the opening to the labyrinth. Jasper thought his passing had gone completely unnoticed and preoccupied, he did not see the boy who hid himself in the bushes to watch for monsters.


So now what?

Link followed Tetra out of the castle, but didn't bother to ask her how she knew the way. He figured it most likely had something to do with the Triforce of Wisdom and the bearers she said she could speak to. They must be telling her which way was what, and he wondered about that. What must it be like to have all those people stuffed in your head all the time? Lost in thought, he walked right through a richly dressed courtier and noticed Tetra sniggering when he jumped. As if it weren't weird enough being stuck in the past, they were also unseen by the people all around them, but what Link found downright unnerving was the complete lack of sound.

Just like seven years before and, Link felt a moment of intense deja vous as he looked up the road that led from the castle grounds. This was the same road he traveled toward his final battle with Ganondorf and his eyes wandered over the buildings that he knew lay in ruins at the bottom of the ocean in his own time. They were all still in place and though the mountain was there, Ganon's Tower was conspicuously absent.

Link heard a strange pop in the air and felt an odd tingle run through the scar on his arm as he felt the world around him ripple. He flexed his fingers when the prickling in his arm intensified, and he turned to look behind him. As he did, he saw a fast approaching light; its brilliance outshone even the radiance of the Sacred Arrows of Light he and Tetra used to defeat Ganondorf and there was no doubt in his mind what would happen if that golden light touched him. Nevertheless, Link didn't move, instead, his eyes locked on the figure behind it, and he thought as the light finally reached him, she was more beautiful than he'd ever seen her before.

"Hey, are you paying attention?" Tetra asked when she saw the vacant expression on his face.

He tripped and heard that funny pop again. The air rippled and Link regained his footing as he focused his attention on Tetra. She still walked beside him and continued to tell him about what had happened to her since she left Great Fish. What was all that about? He shoved it somewhere in the back of his head to wonder about later when he realized Tetra was telling him about when she was on her ship with Aryll. Link still worried about his little sister, why would Aryll be with Jinchi? When he asked Tetra, she said she didn't know, and Link was reminded then of one of the stories his grandmother used to tell when he was small. There were four children. Named... Jake, Jasper... crap he thought, he was drawing a complete blank on the other kids' names.

Jinchi's face floated up in Link's memory, those eyes, golden and dangerous. They nagged at him, and Link realized they were the same as the man he'd seen in that weird vision on Great Fish. If Jinchi was that man's son and was one of the four children in his Grandma's story. Jasper, no Chiyuu, he corrected himself, must be another son. He stopped Tetra then and asked her how they got the names of Jasper and Jake. Again, Tetra didn't know because she was quite sure their names were Chiyuu and Jinchi. Something didn't fit, so Link once again filed the information away for later perusal.

Tetra told him how she'd left instructions for Mako and Zuko to stay on Outset to look after his Grandmother. Link didn't remember seeing them after the bomb incident, so he decided they must still be with his Grandmother. As she spoke, Tetra gave Link a better description of Chiyuu. She mentioned the Guardians looked very similar, but Jinchi was at least six inches taller. When they arrived in the town below the castle, Link said, "Did you know I have a couple of ancestors with the names Jake and Jasper. Funny coincidence, huh?"

Tetra didn't answer. Instead, she scanned the area in front of them. "Just makes you want to scream, doesn't it?"

The town they entered was still alive with people. The citizens of Castletown were silently going about their daily lives, completely oblivious to their impending doom. Link felt that pull from the Master Sword again as he watched a number of children playing near the plaza fountain.

"Yeah," he said and frowned. Link wanted to shout at them to run, but he knew they'd never hear him. Tetra gave his arm a squeeze, and they continued walking until they reached the drawbridge. Though it was late in the day, they left the town and headed out toward the bridge, since Tetra said they needed to head for the river. Once there, she looked downstream and found nothing in that direction but a sheer cliff.

"Guess we head upstream," Tetra said as she looked up. Link nodded in reply and they crossed the bridge. They walked in silence until Tetra said, "So, tell me the fish story."

"It's pretty long."

"And we have something better to do?"

So he did as they walked along the riverbank and when he finished, they were much closer to a cave the river flowed out of. Link glanced over at Tetra and realized he'd been concentrating so hard on getting the details right that he did not notice how tired she was. When he stopped her to rest, she looked like she wanted to argue about it, but another yawn escaped instead and she relented. They sat down and propped the packs against the cliff face, and Link pulled out a bottle of soup and gave it to her.

"Drink it, and don't argue."

Tetra smiled, and drank down half of it. She looked a little less worse for wear, but she still looked tired. Tetra thanked him and handed him back the bottle as she leaned against him and asked, "So what happened to the children after that?"

"I'm guessing he just took them home. Maybe he thought that once they were free of the shadow they could just be kids again, but I don't think it worked out that way, cause there's more..." and he told her of the weird little vision he'd seen on Great Fish.

"Has your boat even spoken to you since...?"

"Nope, not a word, but it was the same day I found the staff."

"What did you say the Shadow call that thing?"

"The kibou staff, why?"

Tetra closed her eyes, as she concentrated on something. "Wishing, the staff of wishing. What an odd name for a weapon." Link watched her and she followed the thought. "Kind of off the subject, but Nagori went missing when you and Al left my ship for Great Fish. I think she must have gone with you when you left."

"How could she do that, I thought she was with you in the time loop?"

"She's a fairy, a suspiciously powerful one too. I wouldn't be surprised by anything she can do. She left me to fulfill her purpose once I managed to get my head screwed on straight. Of course, we don't know what that purpose is, and since you haven't seen her, maybe it has something to do with the staff and Mei." Tetra stopped and Link could tell her thoughts drifted again. "At the end of the vision, you said you got the impression that the fairy queen collected the items left by the Guardian to one day become a new fairy."

Link nodded.

"The Great Deku Tree called Nagori a fairy of memory."

"A fairy of what?" Link was starting to feel left behind.

"A fairy of memory...of course, why didn't I see it before?" she asked him as she turned around and flashed him a smile of triumph. "Link, she must be the memory of the Guardian, the missing piece of the Princess's memory."

"And apparently everyone else's," Link said and tried to focus on that vision again as he thought of the items left behind; some letters, an ocarina, a staff and two empty bottles. "Do you think Nagori left the staff on Great Fish? When the King of Red Lions came back, I remember hearing a song drifting in over the water. Most likely, that means she probably left with Al and Kei. That fairy has to be at the Tower."

"But I never got all the pearls in place, how could she be there?"

"It's just a guess, but since the Princess said the Guardian invoked some kind of powerful magic...it has to be wrapped up with the Fairy Queen's promise of a last wish. I mean, from the way she spoke of it, granting a last wish wasn't something she normally did. In fact, she said she thought him ill used."

"Really? Now that is interesting," Tetra said and turned to look at him, and Link decided she looked much less tired now. "You did eat something, right?" Tetra asked.

"You know it," he lied and switched topics. "Jabun's story said the Guardian made a promise to the ghosts of Al and Delia's parents to help them. He did, but found it wasn't enough with the Tekuragari still lurking about. The vision only showed what happened after he caught up with them and brought them back to the Fairy Queen. The two events are connected somehow, and I'm still forgetting something, I can feel it." Link racked his brain, but couldn't come up with the missing bit of information he was searching for. "Even the Fairy Queen said the children weren't meant to survive, but because of the Guardian they somehow did."

"Do you have any idea how much time passed between those two events?"

Link shook his head.

"Any idea what he wished for?"

"I don't know," Link said, "and the Fairy Queen got iced before I could ask."

Tetra turned back around, rested her head on his shoulder, and shivered. "It's too cold here, damn it."

After a moments thought, Link pulled the sail from his pack and spread it out and over them. When she moved even closer to him to share the warmth, he let his arm wrap around her and his thoughts strayed to their off again, apparently on again relationship. Tetra never lied, and since she already admitted she was going to get rid of him even before the Shadow put that spell on her. Link just couldn't shake his trepidation, and that random doubt wheedled its way even deeper into his heart. She may say it, but part of him really was not sure that she meant it. Tetra always found a way of saying just what people wanted to hear, and he was quite sure he did not want to deal with it if she did not. Isn't that the reason he left the last time?

He closed his eyes when he caught the scent of her hair, and he thought, she has no idea, or worse, maybe she does. Link leaned his head against the wall and thought, As much as you may want it, everything is moving too damn fast. He suppressed a sigh as he tried to think of something else, anything else, and to help that along he banged his head on the wall behind him.

"Ow! What the hell?" Tetra said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"You okay?" he asked, remembering the odd connection that had sprung up between them lately.

"Yeah," she said and moved slightly, "just felt like I bumped my head."

Link made a mental note not to do that again as Tetra yawned and said, "Still too many unanswered questions. I hope we find Lady Natsumi soon, I have a feeling the longer we stay here, the harder it will be to get out again."

The sun sank behind the hills in the distance, and it continued to get cooler. Tetra moved even closer to him and to distract himself, Link let his gaze settle on Kage as the fairy flew intermittently between his hat, to in front of Tetra. After a few minutes of this, Tetra held her hand out and the fairy settled there.

"What's wrong, Speck? You seem a little jumpy."

Link sort of understood why Tetra referred to Kage like that. He just thought Kage's name was just Kage. The Fairy Queen did not mention another, but then he hadn't finished speaking to her before he was forced to leave the island.

"Do you know his name, Princess?" the fairy asked.

"Whose name?"

Kage was silent for a moment, "The Guardian."

Surprised, Tetra answered, "Actually, I don't. The Princess never mentioned one. Perhaps it's one of those details she can't remember." She tilted her head up and looked at him with those beautiful blue eyes and asked, "You got any ideas?"

At first, Link shook his head, but when he looked at Kage again, something Saimon said clicked into place.

"I am such a dolt, Saimon told me that Al's father had the same name as me, Link." Tetra did not look surprised, just amused. "And since Al and Delia were the children from Jabun's story, that makes Jake and Jasper their brothers...but that also makes the Lady Natsumi their mother, since she was married to the Guardian."

"Amazingly, that almost makes sense," Tetra said and looked back at the fairy. "Ring any bells for you, Speck?"

"Who is Al?" Kage looked confused, and his wings twitched nervously.

"Dalkin?" Link offered, but this only garnered a tilt of the fairy's head. "How about Mei then?"

Upon hearing this name, Kage's eyes opened a little wider, and he remained very still for a moment, then asked suddenly, "And who is Saimon?"

"You were."

Again, the curious tilt of the head and the fairy said to himself, "Saimon..." Kage looked again at them and asked with his voice full of disbelief, "I was Saimon?"

When Link nodded, the fairy flew back and forth very quickly and when Kage flew up in front of his face, Link pulled his head back until the fairy shot straight up and out of sight.

"So, where do you think he's gone?" Link asked as he watched the fairy disappear from view.

"Does it really matter?"

Link shrugged. "I guess not. However, I'm starting to think that maybe we should be asking less about the people and more about those fairies. Where did Saimon and Senkyoku come from?" Link asked as he pulled the rubbing out of his pack. "I doubt the Guardian was carrying them around in his pockets..." Link paused as he thought of the dolls from Jabun's story. "Remember those dolls I told you about?"

Tetra nodded.

"Saimon said they were with Al, but why would his brother insist he keep them with him?

"That is a good question," Tetra said as she tilted her head to look at the paper with him. "Whatcha looking at?"

"There are more notes here, see," Link said and pointed to the mirai side of the rubbing. "It reminds me of the Command Melody, or an extended version of it. I wonder what it does." As he looked at the parchment, he absently ticked off the notes in his head and for the briefest of moments, he found himself, looking at himself through Tetra's eyes. Spooked he broke the connection and heard her say, "Link, while at this point it probably doesn't mean much, I want to explain why I told you I didn't want you around anymore."

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Link asked as he struggled to refocus his perspective.

"Just that I know you're not all that sure about our getting back together, and I have the strange feeling that it's important you do understand. Believe me, this hasn't been the most pleasant experience for either of us."

Link finally managed to clear his head and thought, Uh oh, here we go again. He toyed briefly with reminding her of their earlier conversation in the field, but since he preferred his head remain on his shoulders, he said cautiously, "Okay," and managed to ask without a trace of sarcasm, "Tell me Princess, why did you want me gone?"

"Well, to start, it would help if you didn't call me Princess."

Link sighed. "Fine, Tetra, tell me why."

"It was this," she said and lifted his hand.

"My hand?" She's gone nuts for sure, he thought and almost let that thought escape until she said crossly, "Don't interrupt. And yes, this." she said and gave it a little shake. "You just don't seem to understand..." she traced the Triforce symbol on the back of his hand, it glowed dimly but did not resonate. "I didn't want to be the one to fall...kinda stupid when I think about it."

"Tetra, don't you remember-" Link stopped and sighed at the look she shot him.

Her glare softened, and she said, "It made me angry you had that kind of hold over me." She laughed, but her face got serious, and she said, "I'm guessing that's when the Shadow cast his little unbinding. I'm sure without it, I probably would have gotten over that. Ah, but with it, I got it into my head to push you as far out of my life as I could. And once I managed to get you to go, I discovered I missed little things," she paused, "no that's not completely true. I missed everything...about you. Then the whole mess just turned into a downward spiral of anger. The Shadow wanted us apart, and we were," she said and gave his fingers a squeeze. "I think that's why it was you I found in the garden. The unbinding could interfere with my emotions, but couldn't erase the need I felt."

"Tetra?"

"Will you stop interrupting me? I felt you there in my head, Namaki. It was brief but familiar enough that I recognized it was you. I don't know how you did it, which by the way, you'll have to tell me later." Tetra yawned and smiled weakly when she saw the startled look on his face. "Anyway, just keep that in mind, okay? I have a feeling that it's important somehow, like if you don't believe it, I won't be able to when I'll need to."

"I will, I do," he said worriedly, "and I have, but what I really wanted to say was, is it me or do we," and when he said 'we', he meant her, "keep forgetting the details."

"What do you mean?"

"This will be the third...no, maybe the fourth time you've told me you're sorry for being a less than happy pirate."

"Is it?" Confusion crossed her face for a moment, "Crap, no you're right, I do seem to be rehashing a lot of stuff. I must sound like a complete idiot, I wish Nagori were here; there was a song she would hum. It helped keep that from happening." Tetra frowned. "Damn, I must have miscalculated and either that damn trap is getting ready to recycle again or that was some spell that Guardian used." She turned and rested her head on his chest as she pulled the sail up under her chin. "I am so tired, Link. I must not be thinking straight anymore. I do think I'm gonna take a little nap though," she said, yawned and mumbled something about how she was going to sic those damned parasites on Hito to see how he liked it and was asleep.

Link breathed a sigh of relief and closed his own eyes, he was tired, but the rest he craved eluded him. A little bored, he looked around at the sea of grass in front of him and when his thoughts drifted to the variation of the Command Melody, without thinking, he ran through the notes. Everything went suddenly dark, like his eyes were shut. Oh, crap! He thought and realized he was back in Tetra's head. He fought through his moment of panic and forced his eyes open. It was a good thing she was asleep, he shuddered to think what she'd do otherwise.

The contact was brief but from the impressions, Link felt Tetra was thinking about their other situation. It was no wonder she was so tired all the time, he needed to keep that in mind from now on. Trap or no, she'd better be more careful about that. They were important in this somehow, but why? It's not like any of that was planned.

Link stopped and looked down at the top of Tetra's head and realized he thought 'they'. He rubbed the middle of his forehead and thought, Oh sure, as if one wasn't enough...it's all just your imagination Linky boy. He wondered idly when she was going to share that little tidbit of information with him. "Women," he grumbled to himself.

"Wind Waker?"

"Yeah, Speck?" Link replied as he continued kneading his forehead.

"Why did you break my binding with Saimon?"

Link opened his eyes and regarded the fairy through his fingers and wondered, How am I supposed to answer that? Link let his hand drop and began to gently stroke the sleeping pirate's hair, he paused when she shifted a little under his hand and thought, Oh, to hell with it, I'm doomed anyway and answered the fairy carefully, "I'm not sure exactly, it was just a feeling I had that it had to be that way."

"But without him, I do bad things..." Kage said, and the fairy landed on Tetra's shoulder.

"That was a long time ago, Speck, didn't you learn anything in the time you were with him?"

"I thought so, but I led Hito to our mother, and I killed the elder on your island," Kage sat down and said, "If the Guardian had not stopped me I would have sickened that child, but I did not want to. I still don't understand why the Guardian did not destroy me when he caught me. He knew what I was, but he only stuffed me in that bottle."

"I don't know why either, Speck, but he must have known your binding was broken."

"Yes, but it is still odd."

"Yeah it is."

And it came back to him then, that missing bit of something Link couldn't remember earlier. The memory Al thought was his, and Link focused on it again as he tried to recall the details. The man on the ridge, when the children were older, he looked an awful lot like Al did now. Link wondered why he did not notice it before now. Possibly, because the Guardian's spell was beginning to unravel since he decided, even the children looked less like the ones he saw at the beginning of it. Maybe they were not the same children.

"Speck, tell me what you remember of Al, I mean you must remember something, you were together for a long time."

"As Mei I can remember him clearly, but there are other memories, broken and out of order and do not feel like my own, but they must be."

"Why did you help me when the Shadow found me near the beach?"

"When you placed me in the pack, I could no longer sense Hito, he was within a few feet of me and I could no longer feel his presence...and...I wished to remain free of him.

Link never actually considered that, self-preservation. He'd made some pretty big assumptions lately, not all of which were working out too good. He needed to think this out. "Why didn't you show yourself before that?"

"I was trying to hide from Hito, but he found me while you slept and set fire to the house," Kage buried his tiny head in his knees. Link couldn't see well in the dark, but when Kage looked up again, he could have sworn the fairy was crying. "Hito left, expecting me to follow. I did not, but I could not wake the old man, I could no longer find you," Kage said and flew up in front of his face. "I have only been truly frightened a few times during my existence hero, but never more so than at that moment, for I was sure I was lost. Doomed to be a tekuragari once again." Kage did not land but flew over Tetra's face, he looked at her and back at him, "And by some miracle you appeared through the smoke when you shut the book. I was still on it, so was shut inside. I was surprised that the book did not kill me outright, instead it only closed around me, doing me no damage."

Master Sturgeon's book, Link had let that slip his mind. He carefully pulled it out of his pack without waking Tetra and laid it on the ground next to him. He opened it and realized it was too dark to read, so he pulled out the pack of arrows that came with Tetra's letter. He removed one and focused on it for a moment until the tip burst into flame. Link smiled and jabbed the fletched end into the ground next to the book. It wasn't a lot of light, but it was enough.

"Speck, do you know what Master Sturgeon was reading?"

"He was reading about the Guardians. It was not too far into the book, I think," Link flipped through the pages slowly while Kage flew over it. "Stop here!"

Link examined the page and noted the four corners were adorned with the same four bird symbols he noticed on the statues in the basement of Hyrule Castle. As he read the words, he thought about waking Tetra. She was better with this sort of prophetic writing than he was, but when he looked at her, he decided against it and let her sleep. He could always show it to her when she woke up. He continued to read the next few pages and found it odd that he was able to read it at all. This book has to be old...one more thing to worry about later, he thought. When the light of the arrow started to fade, Link pulled out another and set it aflame. He turned another page and read the only words written there:

Four chosen by Farore

To aid Hyrule in times of need.

Tested true by Din's Trial,

Ever-true companions

Chosen to hear Nayru's call

To serve, to aid, to complete the course

Complete the course? To where? This was not helping.

"Speck? How many Guardians were there when Hito got trapped behind the wall?"

"There are always four in times of need."

"Yeah, I got that, but from everything we've managed to piece together so far, the other Link is the only one left in this time."

For whatever reason, Kage seemed unwilling or just unable to answer, he just repeated, "There are always four."

Great, Link thought, another dead end.

"Will we be returning to your time soon?"

"Truthfully, Speck, I have no idea how to do that. We're inside the box and I have no idea how to get us out again."

They fell silent as the flame from the arrow went out again. Link didn't light another, instead, he looked at the stars. The constellations were the same as he remembered, and from their positions in the sky, he guessed they were somewhere near where his island oasis would be in the future. The moon was oddly out of place to him, though, he'd have sworn it was fuller than what he saw now. The cool, brisk wind continued to blow across the sea of grass in front of him, and Link was strangely comforted by it. The way the tall grass danced in the breeze reminded him of his ocean at home. When Link realized he could now hear the grass's movement, he thought of what Tetra said about it being harder to get out. His attention wandered toward the cave and Link felt a tug as he heard that odd haunting melody he played for Tetra in the garden. Curious now, he wondered at the music and pulled out his ocarina to play along with it. As he did, he took note of the simplicity of the song and mentally worked out how he would conduct it with the Wind Waker.

He was pulled out of his musing when Kage said, "At first I mistook you for that one."

"What one?" Link asked quietly.

"The Guardian, he did not intend to give me and Kageri another chance at freedom. You should know when he brought us to our mother it was not his desire to remake us, that happened because we were unrepentant and still very dangerous. Though, at the time, I did not understand why that one would sacrifice himself just to keep us sealed away. Perhaps he knew that without us, Hito had no chance of finding his way out of his prison. However, if the Guardian knew that, he must also have known by doing so, it would also allow Master Hito to survive. It was for this reason I asked the Goddess to remove my essence from me. I had forgotten the light, but Saimon showed me the value of it. Now that I have seen it, I do not wish to dwell in the darkness any longer. Hito is now fully in your present, but without the tekuragari he cannot remain so for long."

"But that makes no sense, what difference does it make whether you're with him or not?"

"The tekuragari are old dark magic, Hero, if even one of us had been with Master Hito on the beach, you would not have survived as easily as you did."

Link could only stare at the little creature in front of him. If Kage thought he made it out of that battle easily, then Link shuddered to think of what the next battle would be like... and Link was quite sure there would be another.

"We existed before that one," the fairy continued, "we were lured by the Gerudo King out of our previous existence to become the tekuragari. He sent us to find Hito, and we did, near the Water Temple after he lost his battle with that hero. He was without shape then, and we did not know the Dark Master bound us to his shadow. We only realized this later as we were forced to wander endlessly in search of a host for him. When Master Hito found the younger, he was able to convince the boy to become one, but the shadow could not hold the binding to the child without us. Soon it will unravel, and he will once again be without a host."

"And you think he'll try to find another?"

Kage fluttered his wings again and looked at him. "Yes."

When the fairy did not elaborate, Link asked, "Then the younger was the brother of the Link in the past. The one you made ill?"

"No Hero, to merge with one such as Hito, you must be willing to lose a part of your soul, just as Mei and Kei were. When we found them, they had very little conscience to begin with, and to become the daemon they forfeited what was left of that part of themselves." Kage paused when he noticed the look Link was giving him.

"You're scaring me, Speck."

"I scare myself."

"Speck?"

Both of them looked down at Tetra, she was awake now, and asked, "How do you know that the boy who died was the same boy who became the Guardian?"

"Master Hito became the mirror image of the Guardian, just as he did the Wind Waker's on Outset. Hitokage is a shadow soul, created to be the shadow of the Hero. Whatever form the Hero takes, so shall his shadow. That is why so many mistakenly refer to him as a twin."

"So now we have strange circumstances surrounding both of them, Speck, do you remember the younger's name?"

Kage stared for a moment. "No, Princess, but I will think on it."

"So finish the story," Link prompted as he put the ocarina in his pack and closed the book.

"The boy led Hito to his brother. He was jealous of the favoritism shown him by the elders. When Hito attempted to destroy him, he only managed to wound him. The younger grew remorseful and was able to throw off the shadow for a time. But only long enough to take his wounded brother to our mother." Kage's voice sounded almost sad. "We followed but could not enter the Fairy Queen's glade, being bound to the shadow as we were, but Venus knew who the boy was meant to be. She could not heal the wound. So, despite the younger's efforts to save him, his brother died. The younger was driven mad by his betrayal and fled, only to be snared again by Hito." Kage stopped and settled for a moment on top of the book and looked upstream. "She sings...it is a sound I have not heard for a very long time."

"Who sings?" Link asked as his eyes followed where the fairy looked.

"Venus, when she prays to the Goddess, she sings..."

Link noticed that Kage's attention was drawn back to the voice that only he could hear. His wings twitched and he fidgeted nervously.

Tetra leaned close to him and whispered, "Whatever he's hearing, we'd best follow it."

Link nodded as she stood up and pulled on her pack, Link did the same and said to the fairy, "Speck, why don't you show us where the song is coming from."

Only a trace of a smile flitted across the fairy's face as he lifted off. Link put away the book and sail in a hurry and, together, he and Tetra followed after Kage into the gloom of the cave. Kage would fly ahead and return, showing them which way to go on the dimly lit path. Once on the other side, Link was able to hear it too. It lilted through the trees, beckoning them forward and as they entered the small glade, Tetra grabbed his arm as she looked around.

"Link," she whispered fiercely, "This is..." and he recognized it then. It was the garden.

6/6/06 - heh heh heh