Nagori, Saimon and Senkyoku - A Wind Waker Tale

More swearing and whatnot...so yeah - Hito really is a rat bastard - and I don't like him...it...whatever


Chapter 42:
Needs of the Many

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You think he'll pull it off?
I think if there's anyone alive on the Great Sea who can, it's him
I wonder if the Fairy Queen will give him what he wants?
Dunno, she's even harder to fathom than you
Very funny, but seriously don't you ever wonder what Venus's purpose is?
Hmmm...how about...to make our lives just that much more difficult?
Heh, I guess...still it makes me wonder if Nagori found hers
I think she's always known it
Why?
Think about what Saimon and Senkyoku's names mean...
Saimon; address to the gods; type of song, which spread from mountain hermits to the laity during the First Age. Senkyoku; chosen song...augh I hate when you make me do that...
Come on now, you know how cute you are when you become a walking history book, simply irresistible. But more to the point, what do you think we'll find if you put those two together with the kibou Staff and Nagori?
A thought lost to magic...
That's what I'm betting on...We should get going, you still have to send me back and it's getting late.
Yeah, I guess we should.
What are you waiting for?
... I don't know

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Venus, though trapped in the shadow's icy prison, watched as the Princess and the Hero left Saimon and Senkyoku floating above the bedazzled mapmaker's head. Tingle looked back at her and scratched his pointed beard. He returned to the King of Red Lions and pulled out a rough cloth sack, which he sifted through until he pulled out a seagull feather and some parchment. Setting the items aside, Tingle reached back into the sack and pulled out a different item. This he strapped it to his back and used it to inflate a large red balloon. Grabbing the other items, Tingle floated up and went about making a map of the crater.

It amused the Fairy Queen that even with possibility of the mapmaker's fondest desire so close to being granted, Tingle could not resist his nature. He worked quickly and finished his map in an amazingly short amount of time. With his chart completed, Tingle set himself down and spoke to the fairies floating still above his head. Tingle asked them questions like; how much could they carry? How close could he get to the ice without being frozen? Was it pleasant to be a fairy? Did they know what the ice was made of? He pulled a red leather bound book from the sack and scribbled down all this information.

The Mapmaker gave her a calculating gaze and scratched his beard again. He wandered around the frozen pillar as he examined his map and marked it with several small ‘X's. The mapmaker glanced at a watch hanging around his neck then pulled a small square device from his sack. It was only an inch or so thick and fit easily in the palm of his hand. Flipping it open revealed several buttons and a small glass plate. After Tingle pressed a few of the buttons, he frowned as he gave the device a little shake and pressed the buttons again. The Mapmaker needed magic of some kind to power his apparatus and when he told the fairies this; Saimon responded by disappearing into the gadget through the small glass plate on its face. Tingle's eyes lit up as the gadget began to glow and again pushed several buttons.

The Fairy Queen heard a jingle that rang for a moment and then cut out. This happened five or six times until a small image of a head appeared over the glass. The tiny face looked very similar to the mapmaker's and he began a very animated conversation with the head. After a few minutes of this Tingle exchanged angry words with the floating head and at one point Tingle shook the device furiously. Once he managed to calm himself, the mapmaker again reached into his bag. This time Tingle pulled out a pair of silver rupees.

Venus was curious what the Mapmaker would need such a large sum of money for and watched as Tingle inserted the rupees into a slot in the back of the machine. It whirred for a moment as it took them both in and Venus heard laughter coming from the device. The mapmaker's frown deepened as he once again reached into his bag and pulled out two more silver rupees. Once inserted, the mapmaker returned his attention to the block of ice.

Tingle then showed his map to Senkyoku who still floated above his head. The fairy flew very near the map and then shot toward the pillar of ice. Tingle now used Senkyoku as a guide to aim a target that projected from the machine. It whirred again as Tingle pressed several button and everywhere the fairy flew a new ‘X' appeared around the ice column. Tingle glanced at his map and headed for the other side of it. Once again, the mapmaker set about marking the air with his glowing ‘X's. When he was done, Tingle again spoke to the little box and after another argument he paused and looked up at the fairy as she flashed to get his attention.

Senkyoku told Tingle that he must wait for the sun to come up before setting his plan in action. Tingle looked disappointed but his expression turned to anger when he heard the floating head demand another silver rupee. Though clearly irritated, Tingle obliged the device. Leaving the machine ‘on', Tingle sat down on grass near a tree and after a few minutes fell asleep. Senkyoku flew closer to Venus and hovered near her face.

"The Mapmaker is impatient, but confident his plan will work."

(Yes, he is anxious to complete his task, for he wishes his truest desire to be fulfilled.)

"Do you think we will succeed?" Senkyoku asked.

Venus answered, (I do not know daughter, there are still many things that can go wrong in this.)

"Delia is in danger, Kei will not show herself to the shadow again, she fears Mei too much."

(If all goes well you and Saimon will return to Dalkin and Delia soon.)

"But what if the shadow tries to take us back."

(You and Saimon must resist the shadow long enough to fulfill your purpose little one. Others will be there to aid the Princess and the Hero. You will not have to face this trial alone as before.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Komali finished the White bird's song and noticed Makar was awake. He spoke softly with the sea fairy while Medli continued with her barely audible prayer. The black wind that had trapped them there brought with it the, not only the shadow, but Link as well. Komali thought them done for when the shadow lifted Link and hung him above the rock concealed below the bell tower. Even covered in dried muck and seaweed, Komali recognized the shape of the Master Sword that stuck from the very top of the stone. The Shadow must have dragged it up from the depth of the ocean.

"Do you fear what you see young prince?" a tiny voice asked near his ear asked. Komali started and turned his head. How had she gotten up there? He wondered. Then he noticed a set of tiny wings. Nagori looked over at him from his shoulder, completely unfazed by the turmoil around her.

"As a matter of fact, I'm scared silly."

The fairy smiled, "The one you see hanging below us is not who you believe him to be. He is also bound by magic and normal means will not loosen his bonds."

"Then what can we do to help him?"

"You must assist the Wind Sage, and protect him while he sets that one free."

Komali looked back down at the shadow below them, he was ranting at the woman now as the older man walked in an aimless circle. "Well, Wind Sage, it looks like we have our work cut out for us."

"Yes," Makar said as he too looked over the edge and pointed at the shadow, "the fairy tells me to be careful, but I am ready. I have a special song prepared for that one."

The Rito Prince nodded, he wasn't about to contradict the Sage. Makar, Link once told him, was small but only in size. His heart and courage were huge in comparison and Komali understood when he saw the one time forest spirit wore a very determined look upon his leaf.

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"Augghhh!" Delia cried after another slap from Hito sent her sliding across the polished stone floor atop the Tower of the Gods. Landing in a heap near her brother, she heard Dalkin's laughter. It held Mei's cruel edge and Delia whimpered when her brother used her to hair draw her head up off the floor. He twisted her face toward the Shadow and Hito brought his very close to hers. His blood red eyes bore into her mind raking it for any signs of Kei and he asked again in a hiss, "Where is she wench? I know you're hiding her!"

Delia only stared back at him. The dolls that held Saimon and Senkyoku's spirits vanished upon Hito's return with the hero. She was doubly surprised when Kei's influence did not return and marveled when the disturbing voices and sounds remained just a distant buzz beyond the edge of her hearing. Something was blocking them, but she had no idea what.

She felt oddly calm when she looked at him now, as her fear, so overwhelming before, did not manifest. Delia searched the shadow's face but only saw vague reminders of the man who had once been her husband. How could I have been so stupid not to see it before? And Kei answered, because he wasn't always like this. Delia struggled to hold on to her alter, but Kei melted away and Delia thought ruefully that wherever her alter had hidden herself, she had done a good and proper job of it. Not surprisingly, Hito was not amused, and continued with his tirade.
"Tell me what you've done with her? Where is she!"

When Delia met his demands with more silence, Hito used the end of his staff to crush one of her fingers and Delia bit her lip to keep from screaming. He'd asked her that question at least twenty times and each answer brought on another blow. Never enough to kill, no, never that, just enough that she hurt. Hito was all about pain and suffering. He didn't want her dead, just broken, but she knew if she pushed him enough, he'd do it. It really was her only hope and Delia did not change her answer.

"I don't know."

"You lying little bitch!" Hito growled and kicked her again.

Delia coughed as she struggled to regain her breath. Her eyes strayed to the limp form that dangled from the bell tower. From her vantage point on the floor, she saw that Hito had the hero above his precious rock. It took him a long time to drag that stone all the way up here, though why he would bother wasn't known to her. The young man never woke, but there was something familiar about him that nagged at her senses and it made her wonder why. Had Hito put a spell on him?

Her attention went back to the shadow when the staff came down on another finger and she croaked through the pain, "I've told you the truth, I am Kei but I am also Delia, and you are Sarith my husband."

The look of rage that covered the Shadow's face made Delia wince as he shouted, "Don't ever use that name in my presence again!" A nasty backhanded blow followed and Delia saw nothing but stars. Mei laughed as he pulled back her head a little further making her already sore neck and ribs burn with new pain.

Dalkin are you so lost to the madness that you've left me behind?
When Al arrived she sensed he was already two steps away from his alter Mei. She was surprised when he succumbed out of panic. With the voices came the madness, brought on by a despair and self-loathing that were so hard to resist. Dalkin remained as Senkyoku said; unable or perhaps unwilling to accept there was any good in the creature that dwelt within him.

No, he'd retreated from it just as she did. She knew Al was horrified to learn just what he'd done all those years ago. Al thought himself stronger than his alter and now that their memories were almost complete, Delia couldn't blame him, she'd fallen victim to it herself when the Shadow first revealed himself to her in the past. But why was Al so much older than she was? It was hard to reconcile the fact they were twins. Perhaps he was more dependant on Saimon. Losing the fairy twice in less than a week was probably more than he could bear.

Mei released her hair and Delia's head dropped to the ground. While she didn't want to die, Delia knew what was coming and did not shy away. It did not matter anyway, because they both knew that without her, there was no daemon. She almost smiled at the thought. The Goddesses have answered her prayers at last and at least this time she'd be spared having to watch the ruin she helped to create.

"Kei has fled and left your pathetic self in her place. I have no more time to waste so you are useless to me now. But Mei, will have his."

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So, why do you think he's a girl when he's a bird?
What?
Why is -
I heard the question, why are asking it?
Dunno, just wondered
Now?
Well since I'm not where I should be, this is as good a time to wonder as any
Whatever...he's probably started doing it to irk someone, now it's a habit
You think?
Oh definitely, he's just a little too much like his father
What makes you think that?
This...and this...and goddesses help me, this
I suppose you do have a point there...oh the look on your face
Probably Jinchi, he is a little high strung
Hmmm I wonder where he gets that from?
Are you saying I'm high strung?
I'm told it runs in the family
Can we move on now?
Heh, such a good boy
You're impossible...

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The man who had been Chiyuu landed on a little island that once belonged to Miss Marie, a schoolteacher on Windfall Island. Now though, it was known as Link's Oasis and though Chiyuu knew he needed to be here, he still didn't know why. He walked up onto the porch of the cozy bungalow and toward the only door. The carved image of a man dressed in butler's clothes looked disdainfully back at him and Chiyuu remembered the door only opened for Link or whoever held the deed.

A bird's cry above him caught his attention and Chiyuu moved off the porch as he looked up in the sky. The sound was familiar and Chiyuu smiled as the girl who had been Aryll changed form directly in front of him and nearly knocked him over as she hugged him.

"Big brother!" she cried as she tackled him. Chiyuu stopped himself from falling over and hugged her back.

"Kotori?" As soon as the girl heard the name, she paused. She loosened her grip and took a step back.

"Jasper?" When he didn't reply she asked "Chiyuu?"

Chiyuu blinked and then nodded and just then as quickly shook his head.

Kotori cocked her head and she smiled as she whispered in disbelief, "Both then?"

When he nodded in reply, Kotori said, "Oh my...and your eyes. Well this sure does explain a lot..."

Chiyuu regarded her with a quizzical look and asked, "Why are ju here Kotori?"

"Oh, when Tet-" Kotori paused as something occurred to her and she looked back at him, eyes wide and said, "Holy Din, I'm an auntie." Chiyuu realized she was right but put off his question when the other Guardian turned to scan the skies around the island. Chiyuu knew Kotori could sense the life essence of any intelligent being no matter how small. She must have noticed something because she looked confused for a moment and gave herself a little shake.

"Are ju alright Kotori?"

"Never better," she said as she turned back to him. "Anyway when the Princess left me she told me to bring this along and give it to you," she said and shrugged off the pack she was wearing. "She said you'd know what to do with it." Kotori held it up and Chiyuu recognized Link's old leather pack. He hesitated for a moment before he took it from her.

"You look so like him," Kotori said as Chiyuu stuck his nose inside the pack to view its contents. "I don't know how I didn't see it in the fairy fountain." Both paused and turned north as the melody of the white bird drifted over the water. "I'm coming damn it!" Kotori shouted as she shook her fist in the direction of the Tower.

"Ju must go quickly Kotori. Hito has Jake hanging above zat rock. He belifs him to be Link and I am chure he plans to keel him soon. Kaepora went on ahead, but be careful, Mei ees free and Delia is fading quickly."
Kotori just stared at her fellow Guardian and asked, "How, in all that's holy, do you know all that?"

Chiyuu shrugged, "I am note chure, ees like I ham connected to Jinchi soom how."

"Well, you two have always been close."

"Ees note the same, ees like I yam stuck een hees head now...I do not know how to esplain eet. Joost like I don't know why I yam here, I only know I haf to be."

"Gods, this is all moving so fast now." She reached forward and pulled him into a fierce hug. "Be safe. Come as fast as you can."

"I weel, Kotori."

"Damn that Shadow," she muttered as she changed and took off. Chiyuu watched Kotori for a moment as she headed toward the Tower of the Gods and then returned his attention to the pack. He reached inside and pulled out a piece of folded parchment. The gold embossed lettering told him it was the deed to the cabana. Chiyuu smiled and went back to the door. Holding up the document for the carved butler, it opened and Chiyuu walked inside.

He scanned the room until his eyes stopped on a scrambled picture on the wall. He examined it, the tiles were out of place, but the face it held was familiar. After he set the pack on the table, he stepped closer to picture and set about rearranging them.

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So... how bout now?
Why do you want me to do this so badly?
Needs be, Princess
But they'll take you too
You don't know that will happen... and if you don't send me back...
Fine, you idiot, have it your way
Oh, I feel sick...
Serves you right
How long?
Three days and make sure you stay out of sight
Easier said than done Princess
Oh get off it; we both know you can do it with your eyes closed
Hey, there's something I haven't tried, not a bad idea either
Don't you dare
Just kidding, love.
No you weren't, I know you better than that

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When Zill showed up with his half conscious father, Rose Namaki was not about to let her youngest son leave the house again. She left him in his room thinking about all the trouble he'd caused when her older son Joel returned. He looked exhausted and very hungry, but Rose felt relief when he sat down at the table and sighed.

Joel attempted to wave her off when she tried to inspect him for wounds; he was growing up so fast, she thought. Once she was convinced he'd come to no lasting harm she moved to the kitchen to make him some breakfast. Though Zill wasn't supposed to leave his bed, Rose heard him as he quietly slipped into the chair next to his brother and ask, "Did you see him Joel?"

Zill kept his voice low in an attempt to keep her from hearing him. Rose smiled, that boy is always so full of questions.

"See who?" Joel asked.

"Jasper."

"Jasper's a seagull, you nit, and a girl seagull at that."

Rose turned to see a curious look of disappointment on Zill's face. Jasper was one of Aryll's two seagull friends and they were never on the island when Aryll was not. Her husband groaned from the bed in another room and Zill sunk lower in his chair. Rose decided then, that Zill had spent enough time tormenting himself, so Rose asked Joel, "So what kind of monsters did you fight?" She cringed at hearing the details, but knew Zill wanted to hear about his brother's adventure.

"Yeah," Zill said brightening, "were there any big ones?"

"When we first headed up," Joel said leaning close to his brother, "we were beset by a bunch of minblins..." Rose lost track of the conversation as she concentrated on making breakfast. Zill, however listened with rapt attention to his brother tale and when Joel mentioned a giant owl, they'd seen leaving the island Zill stood up so quickly he knocked his chair over.
"WHAT?" Zill cried and bolted out the door.

Zill's mind raced as he pelted full speed down the hill toward Master Sturgeon's house. He skidded to a stop at the base of the ladder that led to the Mater's front door. After he climbed up, he stopped and took a deep breath before he knocked. A voice from within told him to come inside, so Zill opened the door and found Grandma Namaki, Master Orca and a very mean looking pirate sitting around a small table near the window.

"Come in, Zill," Grandma Namaki said, "what can we do for you?"

"Ummm, can I borrow your seagull?" Zill asked and pointed to the crusty old bird in Master Orca's lap. Link's Grandma must be living with Master Orca and Sue Belle since her house burned down, he thought.

"Whatever for?" Grandma Namaki asked.

Zill hesitated for a moment; something about how Grandma Namaki asked it told him she was expecting a certain answer. "Well...I sort of have a few questions for Master Sturgeon."

Master Orca barked out a laugh and then cleared his throat when the bird let out a squawk.

Grandma Namaki was all smiles and she said as if this were nothing out of the ordinary, "Very well, Zill, but please don't take him off the balcony. He can't fly very well. And try not to excite him, dear, or you'll never understand a word he says."

She stood and picked up the bird from Master Orca and ignored the old seagull when it gave a squawk of protest. Zill nodded and took the proffered bird. He bowed to his elders and headed back out the door. He sat down on the balcony and set the bird in front of him. As was his habit, he started to ramble while he worked out the pieces in his head.

"You see Master, both the Guardians I've met remind me of either Link or the Pirate Captain..." he felt a little confused for a second as he struggled to remember something.

Damn...it was gone.

That was just weird, he thought and continued his monologue. "Anyway, you remember that Jake called her a Princess before he turned into an eagle and flew away. I met another man last night; he saved my dad and me. He had this huge longbow and he shot those monsters with it, all of them. Clean through the neck, but no one, but me could see him...it was so creepy...and I didn't notice last night, but except for his amber eyes, he looked a lot like Link."

The seagull screed in agreement so Zill continued, "So that man must be a Guardian too and I'm guessing but I bet his name is Jasper, cause when he changed and flew away, he said I could call him what I always have and that's who the seagull looked like." Zill paused for a moment and the seagull bobbed it's head. "Jasper's a girl right?" Zill didn't wait for a reply as rambled on. "Anyway the man who turned into Jasper took Aryll to the labyrinth hidden in the cliffs because he said it was safer there. Master Sturgeon did Aryll become a Guardian too? Was she the owl my brother saw fly away?"

The bird cocked its head and screed and squawked, but in a calm way, so Zill was able to understand him. "Then the owl wasn't Aryll..." His attention wandered to the pirate ship getting ready to shove off. "Was it the pirate Gonzo then? Cause there's supposed to be four right? And I remember you got real upset on the ship when I asked him if he could turn into a seagull..."

Zill went still when on the edge of his hearing, he heard someone calling his name. It wasn't his mother, but it was so familiar sounding that he closed his eyes to listen closer. It was telling him to follow and even though he had no idea where he was going, he found he couldn't resist it.

"Master Sturgeon, can you make sure someone tells my mom and dad not to worry?" Zill asked the seagull and stood up. The gull answered with a few claps of his beak and screed to him quietly. Zill started down the ladder and said to the seagull as he did, "No, I'm not sure why I have to go, but something is telling me to." The seagull came closer to him and pulled at the green tunic he was still wearing, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Grandma Namaki watched the boy in green through the window as Orca went out to retrieve his brother. Zill hurried down to the dock and she whispered, "Good luck, Zill and may the power of the Triforce protect and shelter you."


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Did you find him?
Yup
And?
And we had a nice chat
But you gave it to him, right?
Yes, relax, he has the one I carved and you sealed.
Did you tell him what it was for?
I told you we had a nice chat
You aren't going to tell me are you.
Nope and you really need to get me out of here, its pulling at me again, so unless you want to show up here in person...
I hate that stupid box

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Now that he'd managed to suppress that idiot Dalkin, Mei was free once more to wreak a little havoc. His hands trembled in anticipation, there was nothing to stop I now. The interference of the fairy magic suddenly disappeared and that was enough of a distraction for Mei to overwhelm his other self.

Outwardly, nothing changed, he still looked the same but Mei expected more of a fight from the old man. That never materialized and he could feel his alter's presence. It was calm and did not struggle against the bonds under which he'd placed it. His only disappointment came when he found Kei did not re-emerge and was angry that the little bitch betrayed him. Now she hid somewhere within the old man's sister.

Mei grinned when Master Hito threw his sister toward him like a cast off shoe. She landed in a heap in front of him and he couldn't help but laugh. Mei grabbed her hair and forced her to look into the Shadows eyes, eager to help and have a chance to taste some of that wonderful pain. Kei's pain was always best when fresh and he delighted as he sensed new wounds to her already battered and scarred psyche.

Still, she did not answer her tormentor and Mei thought gleefully, She'll never make it, heh. Hito continued with his tirade and used the end of his staff to crush one of her fingers.

"Tell me what you've done with her? Tell me where she is!" he shouted

"I don't know."

"You lying little bitch!" Hito growled and kicked her again.

Mei felt an odd twitch as his sister coughed and struggled to regain her breath. However much he wanted a taste of that pain, he flinched when the staff came down on another finger. Delia bit her lip so hard she'd drawn blood and croaked, "I've told you the truth…I am Kei…but I am also Delia, and you are Sarith my husband."

Sarith...Sarith...Mei hated Sarith even more than the shadow but was distracted when his sister caught a nasty backhanded blow in the face. Mei laughed nervously when he heard Kei within his sister, but just as quickly Kei’s presence faded, and he pulled back her head a little further and snickered.

*Dalkin are you so lost to the madness that you've left me behind?*

Mei felt his grip on her hair loosen as he felt his sister's thoughts. Her head sunk to the floor and Mei’s hand shook. Since he'd taken over he was sure those voices would stay silent. He hated them, they hurt him but when she was there, they stayed away. Her voice had always been different. It brought out strange feelings he was never able to accept, but knew he did once a long time ago. It reminded him of a time long ago, when he'd tried to escape the shadow, only to end up suppressed within the old man. Mei wanted it back. He wanted to feel that power again. He wanted to destroy everything and make them pay for locking him away. To fight it Mei whispered the rhyme that would set the daemon free.

We are the discarded fell children. Left to die.
There can be no redemption for two black hearts and the daemon inside
No mercy can save us. No goddess protect us
Help us become darkness and death.
Bring forth the creature reborn of the shadow's dark breath

(It'll never work,) Mei felt the old man say. (Without Kei that rhyme is useless, but we can be free of him, if you let me help you.)

Mei reminded himself there was no good in his heart.

"Kei has fled and left your pathetic self in her place..."

There can be no redemption.

"...I have no more time to waste so you are useless to me now..."

Mei was the creature that dwelt within."

"..But Mei, will have his."

No mercy can save me. No goddess to protect me.

(It doesn't have to end this way, let me help you)

And Mei watched the staff rise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...the sun's coming up
I'm not ready...
Tetra…
Who?
You
Me…
Yes, love, no matter what name you've chosen for yourself, or what magic you invoke to make others believe it, you'll always be the revenge obsessed pirate of my dreams. Vui'ne telleda mi'amio
You're wrong, Hero...it'll never be right again.

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As always thanks for reading, I’m going to take a nap – since I’ve depressed myself again >_>

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