Author's Note: Hi! Sorry for the wait! Let me know what you think about this story! I'm happy to be posting again

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Chapter Six: Journey to the Woods of Mystery

Tatl slips into a few cracks through dented wall. Her small body glides carefully over spaces lined with sharp wood and stone. It was completely unexpected. The second floor had caved into Stock Pot Inn's main lobby. The three were lucky they were stationed far back in the kitchen. No tell-tale signs in the building's interior alerted them it'd suffer the same fate as surrounding structures and catching her attention was daylight. Her tiny wings flutter faster. She pushes herself against a small opening before popping out from between two flimsy pieces of plywood.

"Ah…! W-Whoa!" Tatl rotates in the air. She quickly balances herself and looks back towards what was left of Stock Pot Inn, "Link?! Kafei!?" She calls out to her partner, "Are you two okay in there!?"

"Yeah, just give us a second!"

Tatl felt much better hearing Link answer her. She waits anxiously outside, "Is there anything I can do to help you guys out?!"

"We got it!"

A huff. Inside, the Hero was pushing rubble out of their way. Broken stone, planks, and pieces of furniture piled up to the ceiling. Tatl at least made it out. They are going to have to take a different route than her.

He notices Kafei shivering from behind him; his state is still weakened and in need of huge recovery. The Hero's goal is to make him not overdo himself again. Finding the easiest way possible for Kafei to make it out would do just that. Since the second floor caved in, part of its ceiling and roof came crashing down with it. Both young boys can see clear blue skies above. If they climb the mound instead of finding a space under destruction, they'll escape this faster.

"Kafei?" Link asks.

"Hm?"

The Hero points upwards, "Are you okay to climb?"

His ruby eyes follow. Hesitation crosses his expression, "I-I should be…?"

"Okay, here." The Hero begins. Link pushes down on one part of the pile to make sure it was stable. Next, he climbs onto the flattest part of it and holds his hand out to him. Both boys pull at each other to ascend with the indigo-haired one wincing in the process.

"It's hurting me…!" He grimaces. Link leans himself back as Kafei was starting to lose strength in his arms. He manages to tug him over and saw Kafei's body curling. They still have many more levels to go.

"Giants…!" He hisses through his clenched jaw.

"Sorry!"

"Link!?" The Hero hears Tatl again.

"We're fine, Tatl! Please be patient!" He shouts back.

His elven ears pick on his partner's grumbles again. Link shakes his head and puts attention back onto the other boy. Pain was obvious in Kafei's movements. His extremities were limited to stretching and bending. It worries the Hero how tense he saw him. One wrong move and they'll both fall, "Take it easy, we literally have all day."

That wasn't meant to be a joke. The indigo-haired boy took Link's comment with a grain of salt and hit his thigh. Link yelps to the pain now throbbing his muscle.

"I didn't mean it like that!" he exclaims.

"Sure, you didn't." Kafei glares at him, "…Move." This time, he takes the next step. He copies Link by pressing down on another surface before crawling. Kafei's hands take a pipe wedged into the wall, and as he rises, his knee nearly slips. The Hero rushes to support him. His own shoulder works as an extra platform and Kafei's shoe fit snug at the junction of his neck.

Both sigh in relief that nothing's gone wrong. A few pebbles made sound along with their panting.

"Slower, you're rushing." Link warns. He extends his legs and straightens his posture. This levers Kafei safely over.

"Don't tell me what to do." He grunts. Stubborn again. The Hero wasn't surprised. Over a handful of minutes, both boys take turns to scale up each level, until finally, they stand at the top overlooking Clock Town's east side. Tatl rushes to them, relieved.

"Any scratches?" She asks them.

They shake their heads. Kafei wobbles and his hands grab hold of the Hero's arm. No way was he stable enough to move on his own. Walking looked very difficult for him.

"Dizzy at all?" Link looks at him.

"A little…" Kafei sighs, "I-I see two of you..."

Tatl floats ahead of them, "Come on! There's a Deku Flower just around the corner!" She hovers off the edge to the Inn's balcony, "We have to get to Koume and Kotake before their shop closes for the evening!"

Kafei was guided over and Link could tell by the resistance on his arm that he was not happy with the distance they saw, "T-That's two stories high…" He whispers, clutching Link's arm tighter.

"Didn't you fall out a window?" Link frowns.

"I-I didn't fall out!" He mirrors Link's expression, "But I at least met an awning!" He steps back, "I-I'm not jumping!"

"It's completely safe to!"

"I said-!" Kafei lost strength in his knees. Link catches him and carries him across his chest.

"H-Hey! I can find some other way down!" a loud gasp, "….Link?! LINK-!" Kafei covers his frightened eyes. The Hero had already jumped with his rump landing on plush Deku Flower. It took a moment for the indigo-haired boy to peek and believe he was still alive.

"Sheesh, for twenty years old, you're pretty overdramatic." The Hero mutters.

Kafei's brow ticks and his palm met Link's chin, "You want to say that again, forest kid!?"

"O-Ow!"

"Stop it you two!" Tatl shouts. Her harsh contact with the top of their heads immediately made them regret their arguing. The Hero stands and repositions Kafei so that he holds onto his back.

"Did you have to hit that hard?" Link grunts through the ache in his skull.

"And did you two have to yell over something so stupid? Quit wasting my time!"

Kafei held onto Link around his shoulders. He felt stupid locking thin legs around the boy's waist, but what was he to do? They still tremble with tension and pain. It is as if he was infected with the symptoms of muscle aches and chills that normally come with the flu. The indigo-haired boy would only slow them down trying to walk on his own. Link's shield feels cool against his beating chest.

However, even with their banter and the energy expended from the climb, the Hero does not seem to mind. He was comfortable this way, following Tatl out the East Side's exit.

…

Southern Swamp is home to the Deku Scrubs in Termina. Since Majora's curse was lifted from the Woodfall Temple, water surrounding this area's Swamp Tourist Center ran crystal clear. Large lily pads float over rippling peaks. The trio can see fish finding their way around underwater plant life and towering in the sky was a large pinnacle that reminds Link of Death Mountain Crater.

The Hero had left Kafei at the bottom of the Boat Cruise's pier. He finds that this destination is closed with a large sign indicating its owner will be out of town for a bit. Link never got the name of Tingle's father, and he scratches his head in disappointment.

"This sucks…"

"Link?! What's taking so long?!" A little shout from Tatl below turns into a full line of complaining, "All these gnats…! Shoo! Ugh! I can't stand the humidity here!"

Kafei glances up and the Hero moves himself over the higher platform. They share a glance.

"Everything alright?" he asks him.

Link shrugs, "Its closed. We can break in, make paddles for ourselves out of branches, or we can swim there."

The indigo-haired boy appreciates his way of speaking to him. The Hero always wants to know what he prefers first. His head tilts, "I have no problem with breaking in, so long as it's you doing it."

A scoff came from the forest boy, "Huh, I'm guessing you never get your hands dirty."

This prompts a glower and Link's head disappears from over the edge. A few hits, scuffles, bangs, and clicks, both Tatl and Kafei knew he already managed to open the front door. Kafei stands and holds himself up with the help of a nearby ladder.

"A-Ah! Watch out!" the fairy zips out of way from two paddles falling towards her. They clatter behind Kafei and his ruby eyes meet cerulean ones as Link descends.

"There. Happy now?" he hums.

"Partly." Kafei turns his face away, "For a kid, you got a messy track record."

"Yeah, whatever."

Link scoops both paddles and steps over the pier's empty space. This boat is run by Koume's Boat Cruise services, but she wasn't inside when the Hero checked. He makes space for Kafei and he offers the other boy his hand. Kafei approaches hesitantly.

"You're not going to fall, I got you." Link says to him.

His lips press in a fine line, "It's just that…."

Tatl floats above their heads, "What is it?"

The indigo-haired boy felt incredibly embarrassed. His fingertips brushed Link's before drawing back, "I-I don't think I do well around so much water…"

Link and Tatl share a glance.

"Isn't the Laundry Pool full of water?" Link was perplexed.

Kafei grunts, "On solid ground! It's on solid ground!"

"Oh brother…" Tatl rests on her partner's head. This banter looks like it will take them some more time to finish.

The Hero points to a large wooden gate further up the swamp's north-side stretch, "It is not that far from here, Kafei. The Woods of Mystery is just beyond that point."

He swallows and looks over the pier's edge again. The empty space is no more than two feet away.

"I got you." Link repeats himself a second time. His arm extends, "Trust me, just close your eyes."

A pause.

Kafei takes a deep breath and obeys. His shaking hand grasps Link's, and his firm grip reassures him. Kafei hops over with a small stumble to his step and of course Link expected it. His quick assistance allows him to rest comfortably on the back bench, and the Hero prepares his paddles after slicing apart rope holding the boat to the Swamp Tourist Center.

"K-Keep my eyes closed; you said?" the indigo-haired boy still felt anxious. His eyelids squeezed tight to the feel of the draft and glide of moving water.

"That's if you want to miss the sights." Link was heard driving both paddles into small rifts, "Tatl and I would take pictures here all the time."

"Mhm!" Tatl is heard giggling next, "I remember the first time you held that camera! It flashed right in your face!"

"I-I didn't have things like it in Hyrule!"

They continue to converse with one another as they always do. Kafei's curiosity takes the best of him, and eventually, his lashes flutter open to see a lush green perimeter. Wind sways the leaves of willows hanging above the water's edge. Gum trees stand tall and proud like cotton balls decorating the very sky. So much life lies in this forested wetland. His elven ears could not tune out the loud croaks of frogs and calls from sparrows, herons, and cranes. It wasn't so bad, this trip through the Southern Swamp.

He lifts his chin to find gnats of all kinds flying above him.

And Kafei screams.

Link jolts and looks back as the indigo-haired boy flails his arms. Tatl saw the violent rocking to their boat, "L-Link! It'll tip over…!"

He pulls back the paddles in resting position and rushes over. Kafei, absolutely disgusted by bugs, could not sit still and contain himself. No matter how many times he smacked them away, they continue to buzz against his cheeks and ears. There were never this many bugs in Ikana Canyon! Clock Town would have a few crickets and flies, maybe a spider or two in the month when the hottest season hits, but gnats in this amount was extremely unprecedented for Mayor Dotour's son.

"G-Get away from me…!" he cries out.

"Kafei!" Link exclaims, crouching down in front of him.

"I-I…!?" Ruby red eyes peek to find Link had already moved them away. He had a sweet treat in his pocket that now floats in the center of the swamp. Kafei mumbles "…just how did you…?"

The Hero sighs, embarrassed for himself in the moment, "I-I get hungry during my travels-" A sudden hug startles him.

Kafei is shaking and Link slowly rests his hand over his back.

He was starting to think this hidden adult acts tougher than he really is.

...