Nagori, Saimon and Senkyoku - A Wind Waker Tale

A/N: Here are a few things to note… number one: I hate the bad guy in this fic – he reminds me of someone I know and dislike intensely. Writing anything from his POV leaves me irritable and a less than nice person.

Number Two: I have no idea how Jake and Jasper change from children to adults…they never explained it to me so…yeah

Number Three: Don't tell me the last line of this chapter is impossible...cause it's not - just seems like it should be (o.0)

And Number Four: Remember, never run with scissors, it can end up as a painful experience. What has that got to do with anything? Not a clue, but this fic needed a public service announcement.

So on with the show…


Chapter 28:
Shadow Dance

Hito sat and brooded on his less than triumphant return from Outset while his long legs dangled over the edge of the chair. Well, that little adventure did not go as well as I'd hoped, he thought. If Kei failed to persuade Mei, he'd be forced to use other methods to get her obstinate brother to cooperate, and the girl already knew exactly what that meant. He suppressed a laugh; she was still the most effective tool he had for keeping her brother under control. However, he really didn't have time to waste if she came apart on him again. It took close to two weeks the last time to get her to do anything remotely useful. Still, it did lure Mei out of hiding and he had to admit it was one of his more enjoyable pastimes.

Bored, he glanced toward the window and thought of Kage. He'd lost all contact with Kage's essence and that was something that only happened once before. Now that he'd dealt with Venus, there was little chance of interference from her daughters. Strangely, Hito felt a little uneasy and it grated on him that the tekuragari was still absent. That speck should have easily found his way here by now.

What aggravated Hito more was his connection with that annoying little fleck was so weak that he'd barely been able to find him at all. He'd spent a lot of effort to get the Wind Waker to break that infernal fairy's binding and now that ungrateful little wretch vanished. Hito consoled himself with the thought that Kageri's binding should only last a day or two longer in that crystal, and then he'd finally have all the pieces he needed.

He looked up for a moment as Mei and Kei entered the room, they moved slowly toward him and each knelt on the floor on either side. Such obedient dogs he thought as he reached down to pet Mei's head. The old man did not look up or respond, but sat still and silent as stone. While Hito sensed a struggle deep within Mei he assumed it was that idiot Dalkin still trying to assert his will over Mei's.

He looked over at Kei and thought it really was too bad the girl actually managed it, though it was amusing that her eye twitched almost constantly. Kei too sat unmoving and he cracked a smile at the thought of her earlier resistance. Hito leaned closer and lifted her chin. He stripped her image of Kei away and he said to her in a whisper that was loud enough for her brother to hear, "Later pet, we can have a little fun, Eh?"

She still said nothing and he released her only when she began to tremble. It was obvious she was on the verge of a complete breakdown. Hito's earlier regret melted when he thought, She's still good for a laugh, and sighed. He did get carried away sometimes.

Content for a moment, Hito decided everything seemed to be going well; with the exception of his wandering Princess, his timetable still had a very good chance of working out. Hito got up and walked over to the window. He still wasn't sure how that little wench managed to elude him for almost two full cycles, but at some point, she realized her danger and without warning, the princess actually started the process of breaking the magic box he put her in. Both times, Hito was sure he was in the right place, and both times, nothing, just empty seas. Nevertheless, he knew her time and options were running out. In fact, it was almost time to venture out again.

Keeping tabs on the princess as she progressed through the time loop at first was simple enough, that pirate ship of hers stuck out like a sore thumb. By figuring out how to unload her faithful crew the princess managed to make herself a much smaller target, and much more difficult to find. Of course, that also meant she'd also done a splendid job of isolating herself and without her crew, a much more vulnerable one.

The shadow paused as he caught a glimpse of his newly gained features reflected in the glass. He'd been close this time...the boy wasn't inexperienced, just naive. Someone or something interfered with that battle, and he gingerly rubbed bump on the side of his head, he just didn't know what. Now the little hero was in possession of the Kibou staff and that grated on the shadow. That staff should be mine, he thought. Hito wasted several years searching for it before giving it up for lost.

His thoughts turned to the Guardians, Jake and Jasper. Now that that pair were loose in the world again, Hito needed to find a way to deal with them. He'd almost caught the third, but the girl managed to slip through his fingers. There was still a chance the fourth wouldn't appear, but he knew that was as unlikely as the princess giving herself up. Still, he found it was strange that he'd not felt the presence of at least one of them on the island. There was no way that boy could have managed that move on his own. Had there been a change he'd missed?

Knowledge like that came from only one place and the shadow absently rubbed the bump on his head again. That boy possessed of the devil's own luck and Hito found the boy's extraordinary ability to stay alive and just barely one step ahead of trouble highly annoying. He also knew that if the little hero ever did figure out the true power of that staff, it would be a real problem. It wouldn't do to have that idiot boy remember too much.

How taxing it must be for those Guardians to have two such unfocused Hylians to deal with. Hito smiled as he thought of the nasty surprise he'd left behind for them on that backwater island, a little payback for all their meddling. Perhaps next time he'd try a more subtle approach. He just needed to wait a bit longer...but patience never was his strong suit. Hito felt what little patience he did possess, beginning to wear thin, very thin.

He looked back at his twisted children, finally back together, one big happy...with sunrise still more than a few hours away, he thought, Time for a little fun. He walked back toward the pair, neither moved and with little effort; he lifted Kei from the floor. As he walked walk away with her over his shoulder he said to Mei, "Be a good boy and keep an eye out for Kage will you?"

Al said nothing and did not watch as Hito carried his sister away. Once gone, Al reached into his pocket and realized Senkyoku was with him. It wouldn't do to have them discovered, but that also meant his sister was alone with the shadow once again. For the only time in his life, Al wished he could still hear the distracting sounds and voices. Instead, all Al heard was Mei's maniacal laughter, and in the distance, Kei's screams.

**********************

The King of Red Lions came to rest before dawn in the quiet waters outside of the Forest Haven. Once the boat stopped, Link looked at Tetra, she was back in her usual clothes and still held the bottle with Kage inside. He looked out at the ocean after he saw the curious look on her face.

"Probably wondering why we left Outset in such a hurry?" Link hesitated then took a deep breath and pulled off his hat. He scratched his head and after some hesitation said, "They think I killed Master Sturgeon." Tetra didn't say anything as he reached over and took the bottle that contained the tekuragari from her. "I suppose in a way I did," he said as he stared into the orange glow. "I mean, if I hadn't broken Kage's binding with Saimon...if for half a second I'd stopped to think maybe..."

"Maybe he'd still be alive?" Tetra finished for him.

Without warning Link's grief welled up within him as fresh tears came and he struggled to keep them in.

"Don't do this to yourself, Link," Tetra said as she knelt in front of him. "You didn't know the fairy was with you and you certainly didn't know that he posed that kind of danger to anyone."

"All the more reason not to have tampered with his binding."

"I'm not trying to make excuses for you, Link, but I'm not even sure Kage realizes what he's done."

"Of course he knew," Link said and felt his grip tighten around the bottle. Tetra covered the bottle with both of her hands as she gently unclenched his fingers.

"I'm not so certain," Tetra said as she took the bottle and set it down. "Link, during that battle with the shadow I think he was trying to help you. The second time I went in your head..." Tetra paused at his blank expression and patted his hand and said, "I'll explain that part later. Anyway, there was a voice reminding you to watch the staff. You were already having trouble focusing and that voice; it had a familiar ring to it, Link. It sounded so much like Saimon but it was Kage, I'm sure of it."

Link thought back on that voice, it was sort of familiar. "Maybe," Link said, but his guilt wouldn't let it go. "That still doesn't let me off the hook for what's happened on Outset."

"No. It doesn't let us off the hook."

"You? What for? Sorry, Princess, this screw up is all mine." Link said and pulled his hand away.

"You're wrong of course," Tetra said.

"And why is that?"

"Wisdom failed courage. It's something my Mother used to say when I was a kid," Tetra paused. "She used to say it was the worst thing that could ever happen." While thoroughly confused, Link looked at her and noticed the grimness of her gaze as she continued, "Its really that simple."

"Don't you think that's a little over dramatic?"

"Truthfully? Not at all," Tetra said as she gently touched his hand. "Drama, Link, is waking up to find you've been shut up in a box of your own construction. Discovering the only way out is at the expense of your family. Being dropped into a dress at every turn while a shadow man of unknown origins chases you relentlessly. The best part, you get to be harassed by fairies and over protective seagulls, all of whom enjoy telling you to get your act together. You might say, if I did have the sense the Deku Tree gave a korok, I'd have realized that your feelings for me were never the threat my idiot head made them out to be." Tetra picked up the bottled tekuragari and handed it back to him. "I let you slip out of my life and convinced myself I was happier. Makes me wonder what the hell I was thinking in the first place."

Link noted Tetra said all this without a trace of her usual sarcasm and he wondered again. A lot of venom passed between them in the past year and though there was a part of him that wanted things to work out, it was considerably smaller than the part telling him to make a break for it... now. Tetra, if nothing else was brutally honest, and part of him couldn't shake the idea that maybe they really were better off apart. Link stared at the orange glow of the tekuragari and realized his world, once again, was spinning out of his control.

First things first, he thought as he glanced and from her expression he knew even the supremely confident Miss Tetra was having doubts herself and not just about their supposed relationship. So what do I do now?

Even though Tetra was the most confusing and irritatingly demanding person he'd ever met, Link knew if she started doubting her decisions at this stage of the game, it would be very bad. Wisdom may have failed courage, but he recognized he was just as much to blame for the current situation. Plenty of guilt to share and right now, Tetra needed something completely different, and before she got it into her head to blame it all on herself Link scratched his chin and thought, better to squelch that right now.

"You know, Tetra, you may have pushed it, but near as I can tell it's always taken both of us to have an argument. Well, the interesting ones anyway."

"Well there's pleasant thought..."

"Isn't it? When you think about it, and believe me when I tell you I've been trying not to...who in their right mind could stand to be with either of us?"

Tetra's frown lessened and she asked, "I suppose you think that's a compliment right?"

"Exactly, only the best for you, Princess, and if there's anything you need me to do, anything at all. I'm all over it, with a really big stick," Link said and pointed to the staff and before he could stop it; the question that was brewing in his head since the day before came tumbling out. "While I'm almost afraid to ask this, what about the other?"

"Other what?" Tetra asked.

"You know what I'm talking about Tetra."

She stared at him with a genuinely puzzled look, which turned to a small smile then to outright laughter when she realized what he was talking about.

"Nice Princess, it but it would help just a little if you could stop laughing."

"I'm not laughing," she said and let out one last giggle. "Seriously though, I haven't given it much thought lately but I'm pretty sure that will take care of itself in its own good time."

Link wondered what Tetra was thinking, since her expression made him feel extremely uncomfortable. "Is that all you're going to say about it?" Link asked.

Tetra shrugged. "What do you want me to say? I can't change it, and I don't really have the energy to worry about it right now. Can we get out of this boat now?" she asked changing the subject. Tetra started up the hill and when she looked back at him, she shook her head when she saw he was still sitting in the boat. "Wow, you really are having a hard time with this aren't you."

"Well, it's not like I saw it coming," Link mumbled and followed her ashore. Before they'd gone far his brain ticked back a beat and he said, "You've been talking to Niko."

Tetra smiled and said, "Yes my faithful swabbie and now former first mate."

"Former first mate?" Link asked as he returned Kage to his pack. "You didn't really sack him because of what I said...right?"

"I had to fire him, Link, let's face it, he talked too much and asked way too many questions. Did you know of all the crew, he was the only one who wasn't forgetting the previous cycle? In fact, I left him on this island with the Deku Tree. I hope he's happy here. Gonzo seems to think he's too childish but I'm living proof of what happens when you ignore your problems."

Link heard the melancholy in her voice. Tetra took Niko on as crewman not long before their first adventure. She said back then, she wasn't at all sure why she did, all the others told her it was a bad idea. Tetra though, took a liking to Niko and in true Miss Tetra form, hired him anyway. She paused at the crest of the first hill and after looking at the horizon for a moment, Tetra turned suddenly and asked, "Link do you still have that letter I had your sister send you?"

Surprised, he nodded.

"Can I see it, please?"

Link pulled it out and glanced at it, but stopped before he handed it to her.

"That's what I was afraid of," Tetra said as she took the letter from him. Half the words on the envelope were missing. "It's starting."

********************

Funeral for a Friend

Zill watched in fascination from behind a copse of nearby trees, Link's battle on the beach. When it was over he almost came out but decided not to when a girl, he knew was one of the pirates came down from the watchtower. When the girl kissed Link, Zill groaned and turned his back on the pair.

He rolled from behind the trees and saw Link's book still on the ground by the tree. Zill picked it up and carried back to his house. He wasn't real sure why but he decided to hide it, but he did and since Neville was his responsibility now, no one was likely to find it in the pig's pen. He was just straightening up when he heard his father's voice.

"You're up early young man, the sun won't be up for at least another hour, just couldn't wait to feed your new charge?"

Zill swallowed and turned as he plastered his best smile. He nodded as he nervously patted the big black pig's back and said, "Well, Dad, I'm gonna go in, Neville's all set now."

"Oh, Son?"

Zill froze. "Uh, yeah Dad?"

"It seems my pocket knife has gone missing." Zill almost jumped out of his skin when his Dad turned him around and continued, "If you happen to run across it, would you pick it up for me?" When Zill nodded he continued, "I'm going to try to talk some sense into the others but I'll be back in a bit. I hope Link wasn't too uncomfortable tied up to that tree all night."

"Uhhh, yes sir," Zill said.

"You're a good boy, Zill You go help you mother with breakfast now."

Zill nodded and watched his father start down the hill. Yesterday his Dad tried to convince the others that Link would never harm any of them, and argued against tying him to the tree. Sue Belle, however, was adamant that they restrain the murderer.

Of course if his dad ever figured out where his pocketknife really went, his goose was cooked. Zill almost collapsed in relief when he shut the door behind him. It wasn't too long after that he heard the alarm bell. He and his older brother rushed to the window and could see the other adults on the island searching the nearby houses.

Zill watched as his dad walked over to the tree where Link had been tied up and Zill got a sinking feeling when he saw his dad bend down and pick something up out of the sand. When his father looked back up at their home, Zill dropped out of sight. His older brother ran to their bedroom to grab some clothes so he could help with the search. Cautiously Zill looked back out the window, he looked past the beach near the end of the dock and smiled as a cyclone came down and lifted Link's boat into the sky.

"Awesome," Zill whispered.

With the search for the missing hero well underway, Zill slipped out of the house and made a quick trip up to the cliffs, to watch and stay out of the way. Zill knew that they wouldn't find Link and felt a little guilty that he'd given him that knife, but his heart told him it was the right thing to do.

At the end of the path just before the bridge, Zill found something that surprised him even more. Aryll's friend Jake was sitting near his nest but something was wrong. Usually the gull sat atop it and squawked whenever anyone came near. This time it stood silently nearby and only looked at the strangely silent nest. Zill's eyes adjusted to the gloom and grew wider and he felt suddenly ill as the smell of burnt meat filled his nose. He knew now what the seagull was guarding, the bodies of his dead children.

"Aw Jake, I'm so sorry."

The bird turned its head to him and screed quietly.

"You want to bury them?"

The gull's head cocked the other way straightened and bobbed. Zill took that as a yes and ran back down the path to get a shovel. He didn't really want to try and explain what he was doing, so he snuck around the back of his house. Zill grabbed the shovel and was about to head back when another idea struck him and he set the shovel down and went inside the house. His mother wasn't around so Zill ran to his room and pulled out the small box he kept his favorite things in. After he dumped them on the bed and gave it a shake to make sure there was nothing left inside, he paused and again listened for his mother.

Zill slowly opened the door and carefully looked this way then that. When he saw that the coast was clear, dropped off the porch, grabbed the shovel and took off at a run. He crossed the causeway and sped up the path. When he arrived back at the nest, he was out of breath and relieved that no one saw him. Jake was still there, stoically on guard.

"I hope this will be okay," Zill said as he set the box on the ground. "I brought it for...." Zill faltered, "Your children, you know?"

Apparently the gull did, as it hopped nearer to him and inspected the miniature treasure box. Zill opened it, and the gull looked inside. The soft green cloth liner was still pretty clean and the bird looked up at him and made a sad sound he'd never heard a seagull make before. Jake moved backed away from it and Zill reached over and stroked the bird's feathers. Glancing at the nest, Zill swallowed hard and decided if he was going to wear the Hero's clothes then he'd have to be brave.

He was grim as he stood and reached into the ruined nest and removed the first body and gently placed it in the box, then the second. All the while Jake crooned gently, as if to say farewell to them. Zill couldn't be sure, mostly because he'd never gotten the chance to learn much of the seagull's language, but he thought the bird sounded like he was crying. He felt like crying himself, but knew he couldn't, not yet.

Jake then pushed the lid shut with his beak and started to hop away. The bird went only a few feet, then stopped and waited. Zill figured Jake was waiting on him so he gingerly picked up the box and shovel. He followed the bird up the curved edge of the cliff, and whenever he came close, Jake flew or hopped a little further until they reached the top most part of the Island. Zill set down the box and pointed to a spot near some wildflowers.

The seagull bobbed its head again and Zill started to dig. He made it a good hole; he didn't want any of the scavengers that lived in the rocks to mess with the grave so he made it a little deeper. When he looked back up from his work he was surprised to see a second gull had arrived and stood silently next to Jake.

The other seagull wasn't Jasper though, this one looked really old for a gull. Zill got out of his hole and picked up the box, which he set it gently at the bottom. He knelt near the edge and prayed aloud to the Goddesses on the chick's behalf, that their spirits would find a safe haven in the afterlife of seagulls. This seemed to please the pair of gulls and they stayed still as stone as he filled in the hole. As a last gesture of kindness, Zill dug up three of the flowers from nearby, planted them in the shape of the Triforce to mark the spot, and firmly packed the earth over the grave.

********************

Halfway up the side of the cliff, Link stopped Tetra. As they neared the first of several waterfalls, Link pulled out his grappling hook and once secured he looked back at Tetra and noticed she now looked very tired.

"You alright?" he asked.

She nodded.

"You sure?"

She shook her head this time.

"Can you hold on?"

"I'll do my best." Tetra said sleepily.

"Hmmm," Link turned and when she put her arms around his neck, he looped the rope around her once, he could almost see the raised eyebrow, and he said, "For my benefit, Tetra, I need both hands for this."

"I know," she said and he felt her grip tighten and she said groggily, "Hurry..." and he felt her rest her head on his back.

Crap, he thought, and pulled the rope a little tighter. Link already knew he would never make it all the way up to the entrance of the Deku Tree's haven before whatever was happening finished. Tetra said she needed to be out of sight, probably before sun up and his mind raced. He jumped off the cliff and lowered them until they were aligned with the cave he knew was behind one of the waterfalls.

Link kicked his feet out, and on the third swing, he almost had enough speed to make it through the fast moving water. As his feet splashed through the falls, Link was startled when he felt Tetra start to lose her solidity, the next swing would have to be his last and he hoped he'd gained enough momentum. Link braced himself and got ready to release the grappling hook and at the same moment, Tetra's Triforce piece began to shine very brightly. Link became alarmed as the glow began to leave her hand and swallow them both. Time slowed to a crawl and Link gripped the rope harder as he struggled with a moment of intense vertigo.

As he swung back toward the cave, it felt like he'd stopped all together and it felt like something was trying to pull him or Tetra away. The golden glow of Tetra's Triforce piece continued its march up her arm and when it came into contact with him, Link pulled the rope a little tighter as the Triforce of Courage in his own hand to sprung to life and echoed its sister. The world abruptly started moving again and Link released the hook. Tetra suddenly felt much heavier and together they sailed together through the water and toward the cave. Out of the corner of his mind's eye, Link saw the shadow as it swept near the entrance in its effort to find its quarry.

It headed directly for them, but Link lost track of it as an explosion of feathers suddenly obscured the whole scene. As the golden light of their combined Triforce pieces overtook even that, Link closed his eyes. He managed to turn their bodies so his would be on the bottom, but discovered he didn't need to worry. The radiance that surrounded them cushioned the impact, so all they did was slide a little deeper into the cave.

They came to a halt and the twin glows subsided enough for him to see again. Link listened carefully for any sounds of pursuit and he watched the waterfall for any signs of disturbance. When nothing happened, Link was so relieved he lay there for a few minutes with Tetra apparently asleep on top of him. Once Link managed to get himself into a sitting position, he noticed Tetra currently wore her full princess look and Link sighed when he realized his own clothing had shifted.

His eyes strayed back to the sleeping princess. She was so beautiful like this, too fragile looking to be real, and so not Tetra. He brushed some stray hair from her face and she stirred a little. He never did understand why, but her Princess aspect never appealed to him half as much as when she was just Tetra, dread pirate and terror of the seas. That was the girl he'd fallen for, even when she'd shout at him for this or that, he never minded, well not much, at least she was talking to him.

"I am such a glutton for punishment," he said to the fireflies that flitted around him. "Who knows maybe we can work it out this time."

He leaned back and waited, Tetra most likely would wake up soon and Link yawned. He was puzzled by an overwhelming and unnatural sense of fatigue and now lulled by the sound of the water as it crashed past the cave opening he thought, Naps are good, and his eyes closed and he drifted off.

*********************

Hito growled.

"You've interfered for the last time, Guardian," the shadow said to the boy who stood in his way with arms crossed. Less than five feet tall, the guardian did not make the most daunting of figures. In fact, the bow at his back was almost as tall as he was. So this the best the wretched three could come up with? Hito thought. "Get out of the way, or you'll learn what real pain is."

"Of course, but first ju must do me a favor and answer zees question," the boy said and with an unnatural speed, he pulled his bow from his back and fired an arrow into the ground at Hito's feet. Small crystals of ice started to pop from the shaft and Hito skipped back a few feet as the ground around and in front of him froze. "Well what do ju know...I was wrong, ju can dance. Jour mother would be proud," the boy said glibly as he smiled and cocked another arrow.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you," Hito hissed.

"Ju would enjoy zat eh?" the boy asked and cocked his head. "My brosser thinks ju are a fool, and says I chould leave you to the Wind Waker."

"That idiot boy is not why I came here."

"Jes I know zees, and zat ees why I am here."

Hito started forward slowly but kept his eye on that bow. "You really are nothing more than a half-breed you know, you'll never be as good as him."

"Oh! Ju are such a bad man, now ju haf gone and hurt my feelings," the boy said in a rather petulant tone and loosed the arrow. Hito gasped, not because he was caught unaware, but because he was forced to come up short. Only then did the shadow noticed the edge of his cloak was pinned to the ground. By the time Hito looked up again the boy already notched another and let it fly. This one caught in almost the same spot and he heard the boy say, "Ju really chouldn't aggravate once who haf bones to pick with ju."

"Do you really think your fast enough to stop me?" Hito growled and stomped on the shafts. They shattered and abruptly burst into flames. The boy's laughter fueled Hito's growing resentment and with an angry shout, the shadow man ripped the cloak from his neck.

"I am losing patience half-breed!" Hito shouted and rushed forward but skidded to a halt when he found himself faced with the points of not one, but two arrows. They glowed ominously and were aimed directly at his face.

Hito looked up to see the boy was gone and the young man who faced him now still wore that knowing smile, but there was not touch of humor in his amber eyes as he said evenly, "And so dear Uncle, am I."

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