Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ Ethereal Wings ❯ Chapter II: Inner Defiance Outer Alliance! ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter II: Inner Defiance Outer Alliance!


Nozomi peered over the open field of Hyrule, scanning the darkness for any sign of danger. Her fairy, Kazu, jingled in warning as I glanced back at the camp set behind us. The two of us sat stealthily by a wicker bush, keeping a look out for any followers.

"Aiko! Hurry!" She whispered impatiently, already running across the great lawn.

"Oh, coming!" I replied loud enough tracing her footsteps in a diligent and silent fashion.

I caught up to her where she was hiding behind the large oak tree on the outskirts of Kokiri Woods. Once I reached her, she nodded and began to run again through the enormous log tunnel at the entrance of Kokiri Woods. I slowed down though as our feet echoed along the wooden bridge inside the tunnel, hesitating before we crossed the threshold.

Nozomi glanced back at me, stopping quite puzzled with my sudden action.

"Aiko...come on" She signaled at me, thinking I was just pausing for a stupid reason, but realized there was something more. Her eyes caught mine in a concerned look, "hey...Ai, what's wrong?"

"...These woods...I guess it's just been so long" I replied in a daze. Nozomi meandered over, noticing the sound of nostalgia in my voice and stared up into the sky.

"Yeah...a lot of memories from this place, huh?" she commented as the stars twinkled in the heavens above us, waiting for an answer. I was still in a daze. Nozomi sighed about to say something, but Jin interrupted her abruptly swarming around our heads.
“Aiko! We can't dilly-dally any longer. Daybreak is just around the corner and we have to return to camp with the forest medallion before the boys wake up!” Jin nagged pulling at a strand of my hair forward. Nozomi looked at Kazu in agreement to my fairy as I pat him away gently.

“He's right, we have to move. Let's go” She concurred. I nodded as we both passed beyond the mouth of the tunnel to the other side. To what we used to call home. We set foot into the trimmed grass, feeling a chilled night breeze of spring carry along the air. Nightingales cooed, giving a sense of watchfulness to Nozomi and me.

Like ninjas, we snuck along the walls and paths of the village, careful not to make a sound.
`We know this place as well as the boys do.' I defied in my mind, `We definitely don't need them to lead us through here as if we're some sort of royalty.' My thoughts were quickly stopped though as I ran straight into Nozomi who stood perfectly still. My nose throbbed with the force of her back and I staggered slightly to regain my balance.

“UGH! Damnit Nozomi, you could have at least given me warn—“I was silenced by the sight before our very eyes. There swaying in the wood way in an eerie light was a skeleton kid, who looked eerily just like the one we chased that one very night. Nozomi didn't budge and was as concentrated as a predator that just spotted its prey. Kazu had disappeared into her fairy pouch and Jin was probably hiding in mine too.
`Can't blame `em' I thought, `this lil guy is creepy' We held our composition in an effigy state, waiting for the skeleton kid to make its move. I was growing tired with all the cautions surrounding the moment until I saw Nozomi gradually reaching down ever so slightly to her sword handle.
`She couldn't' I started up again, but her fingers were now wrapping gingerly around the grip, `She wouldn't!' My thoughts were running rampant about what to do and what would happen when I heard a faint sound coming beyond us. It sounded as if it were an ocarina being played.

This was no normal ocarina tune though, resounding in the Lost Woods behind this skeleton child barricading the way. This was that familiar hint of playing that I was so familiar with.
“Nozomi! Listen!” I shouted, obviously startling the child and causing him to run into the Woods.
“Quick! After him!” Nozomi cried chasing swiftly after him with me close on her heels. As Nozomi hooked turns and cut edges preoccupied with this forest sprite, I was too busy searching for the melody of the forest that was playing earlier. Every move we made following the skeleton kid, the ocarina song seemed to grow louder and stronger, yet every wrong path we took, it would fade out.

“N-Nozomi!” I yelled ahead between breaths, “Why are we following this thing anyway?”
“Because” She panted halting, taking a glimpse in each direction for the sprite, finally seeing him resting at the end of another log tunnel, “He's going to lead us to the Forest Temple!” As she said this, Nozomi lunged at the creature to grab him, but suddenly fell through the ground that was in front of him. It was a trap. It was too late for me to realize it though as I was pulled down and tripped by Nozomi.

Over and over we tumbled down a dirt draft, colliding into walls and one another, screaming as our visions blurred with the momentum. Our weapons and traveling packs crashed and stabbed against us as we landed with a hard thump in a pile of sycamore leaves.

The two of us moaned rubbing our sides and rears from impact of the fall, Nozomi cursing under her breath as I rolled off her.
“Stupid…skeleton…kid”
“Look!R 21; my voice broke the silence. Yes, silence. No more birds chirping, no more wind whistling, crickets chirping, or even the sound of the ocarina, “We're here” Nozomi rubbed her eyes, double glancing, then leaned over me for a better look.

“That's the Forest Temple?” She said sort of disillusioned as I helped her up. We observed the front of the building, if you could call it that. There were cinder pillars, broken and full surrounding it in a small courtyard as a tree grew right up to the left ledge. It was a small stone hallway that led back into the mountain's side like a cave with vines hanging all around. Nothing like we had ever seen before, but we were expecting this reaction for any temple.

After all; it IS a temple for the spirits and medallion…right?
“Well, we better not waste anymore time” I took a deep breath brushing myself off and walking forward towards the tree stump in the middle of the courtyard.
“Umm…not to be a bubble-buster, but what do you expect us to do?” She questioned as I was now observing the tree and knocking on its bark with my bow, “There aren't any stairs, there isn't a safe ledge to climb to, the pillars aren't tall enough, and we don't have a grappling hook” Nozomi waited for a reply once again, but none was received.

“Are you even listening to me?” She looked up from counting her fingers revealing me stepping off the last branch of the tree and onto the extended platform. As my foot tapped against the ground, I rolled my shoulders to stretch after the climb.
“Are you done rambling? Come on now we haven't got all night” I teased seeing Nozomi stomping over. Happy we found a way up, upset she didn't find it first.

"Ha-ha, very funny" She tilted her head side to side in a joking manner, "Go check and see if we need anything to open the temple door though. I don't want to go up there and then have to come back down and search the forest for a key or something"

I took the friendly gesture as an order and ambled down the diminutive stone passage. Coming to the door I went to touch it, but the presence going near the rock slab made it rise.
"Woah..." I murmured in amazement at the surprise.
"How long does it take to see if a door has a key hole?" Nozomi laughed irritably as I scowled.
"Just a minute, I wanna check it out some more, just in case" I responded. Leaning through the doorway, I examined the inner chamber. Placed in the center of the room was a large worn out marble tablet with four torches in the corners of the granite wall surrounding it. The flames were dancing brightly in different colors; red, yellow, blue, green.

I was about to continue my exploration, but I heard of what I thought was a clash of blades.

'Nozomi!' Immediately she popped to mind as I ran back through the corridor to the front entrance. Skidding to the edge, rubble slid off the stone platform from my speed.

There below me were three grey wolves swiping at Nozomi as she deflected their large claws with her moon blade.

"Nozomi!" I hollered. She went to make a move at them, but they flipped back, evading her attack, giving her time to notice my return.
"It's about time" She huffed hitting a wolf a few feet away with an extended attack.
"What are these things?" I shouted getting down on my knees ready to help her up.

"I don't know, they just came out of nowhere," Nozomi sliced through one as it howled disappearing into mist, the other two coming at her. She saw my hand lower down, attempting an assist for an escape.
"Quick! Jump!" I commanded as she did, grabbing my wrist. Clenching one another, I began to pull up as hard and fast as I could, Nozomi tucking her knees close near herself so the wolves couldn't hurt her.
"Here, swing me side to side" She suggested.
"WHAT?! Are you nuts?!" I raised my voice at her absurd idea.
"Just do it!"

I rolled my eyes and began to shift my weight left and right, gaining the rocking momentum Nozomi hoped for.
'I hope you have a plan for this' I doubted, my pace quickening. Nozomi's face was concentrated with her eyes locked on the tree branch. She had a plan. It was going from the start.
"Now let go on the count of three" She said.
"What?"
"One..."
"Nozomi, what are you doing?"
"Two..."
"Wait a sec!"
"THREE!" Instinctively, I released my grip on her wrist and sure enough she went flying into the tree, catching the tree branch as she coiled around it securely. Scampering through the leaves, Nozomi joined me on the ledge, overlooking the two wolves as they ran around in circles wanting their meal to return to them. One bat at the pillar holding up the platform and we began to feel the vibration.

The two of us exchanged eye contact, getting that gut feeling.
'Run' we agreed calmly dashing towards the temple door as the stone commenced to crumbled beneath us. Sprinting down the brown stone hallway, we didn't even bother to look back at the edge razing from the wolves force. Nozomi slid to a stop into the large rotunda of the room where the tablet was as I ran past her to a slow jog to decrease my rate. As we did, I noticed the flames go out suddenly with our entrance deep into the room. I was breathing heavily after lifting someone my size up off the ground and swaying them back and forth. Not to mention the running wasn't too much of a needed exercise. Nozomi sauntered by me as I was sitting on the floor resting my elbows on my knees.

"That wasn't such a good idea, you know" I heaved, "it's a lot harder to pick you up then I thought. But..." I waved my hands getting up un-enthusiastically, "Here we are"
"Here we are indeed" Nozomi awed walking around the room, "Aiko have you seen these designs and stuff? They have to be ancient" I made my way to her observing everything like before.
"Mmm-hmm" I hummed in accord, "This is an ancient temple and stuff" Nozomi raised an eyebrow though.
"It can't be that ancient" she commented bending down and picking up a rolled piece of parchment, "Check it out"

Unrolling the paper, it revealed ink stains and writings with pictures and drawings spread across.
"It's a map" I alleged.
"It's a chamber map" She corrected smiling and nodding, "oh well with this thing, it'll be much easier than we expected"
"Hey!" Kazu fluttered all of a sudden from Nozomi's pouch, "Listen! That may be a map of the Forest Temple, but there seems to be some changes on here as if it were tampered with"
"Yeah Zomi...maybe we should just find this on our own” I advised as she turned her side to me still studying this found clue.
“But we can still use the basics. Like where the north and south passages are and all that” She advocated, “Here, take a look” I hovered over her shoulder to read the map closer, noticing the faint yet large outline of the rooms, “See? There's the boss room. It's below this level right now”

“What's that?” I pointed to a green checkered area in zigzags.
“It's a maze. You know like a labyrinth. It says the boss key is there, with a little symbol of a gold key”
“But that's down in here too…” I objected as Nozomi glared at me then back at the paper befuddled, “Right there” It showed a stairwell going down to the boss' level with the same symbol Nozomi showed me.
“Hmm…that's strange” She muttered.
“There can't be two keys” I added, “Kazu was right, I think this map has been tampered with. We can't take any chances”

“No” Nozomi argued rolling the map back into its original condition, “We have got to find this medallion and fast. This might be our only way” She looked at me with deep determination as I envied her will, staring at my feet with concurrence.
“Okay, now since I know you don't want to do this, I'll let you handle the staircase. That doesn't seem too hard, and I'll go in the maze”
“But what does the key look like? Will it just be sitting there?” I asked.
“No, no. It'll be in a blue chest, you'll probably have to kick it or pry it open. From the appearance of this place the thing might not have been opened since…well…whenever. I don't know” Nozomi wiggled her fingers in a mystic way as I smirked with her goofiness.

“So where do we meet back then?”
“Here” She stated confidently, “We'll meet back here. Got it?”
“Yeah” I affirmed breathing a little nervous, but overall good. Walking in the direction the map was showing, I initiated my mini-mission as Nozomi headed towards the north door for the maze.
“Hey be careful, `kay?” She called out saluting as Kazu bounced about anxiously.
“Don't worry about me, just don't get stuck in your garden adventures” I mocked as she laughed out loud while exiting the main chamber and I did the same.

When we were kids, Nozomi was always the one who'd end up missing in the lost woods when we'd play soldiers or hide-n-go-seek. The last thing we would need on this escapade would be Nozomi in some sort of simple danger. After all, she never had any sense of direction.

- - -

Link suddenly shot up from his nap-sack in a cold sweat. His palms were shaking which he steadied by holding his head between them. The fire was smoldering as embers barely glowed in the night's ambience.
“You felt it too?” Lee remarked resting his arms on his knees; glaring into the charred cool wood that was once their warmth. Link let out a deep breath nodding as his brother stabbed the sticks, little sparks emitting from the lumber.

“Yeah…” he gulped down, “What about you? How long did it keep you up?”
Lee shrugged nonchalantly.
“I don't know. I've gotten used to not being able to get any sleep. I dozed off for a little while, but that…that thing woke me up” He chuckled a bit to himself, “Screaming…I think I might have startled the girls…”
“You wanna go check on them?” Link suggested, but Lee shook his head.
“Nah…they're probably mad enough at me for not explaining myself earlier…”

“Pssh, especially Aiko” Link criticized getting up from his sleeping bag, “I'll go check on her and Nozomi and see if their alright” As he did, Lee was silent and sat there, enjoying the company of the crickets chirping throughout Hyrule's fields.
“Why does this thing keep coming back to me…?” He garbled aloud, running a train of thoughts, but was quickly disturbed by Link running back to him gasping for air.
“Woah, slow down there little brother” He kid, raising an eyebrow sarcastically, “What's the matter; see them changing or something?” But Link shook his head regretfully.

“The girls…” He breathed heavily, “…they're gone” As soon as the last word fell off his tongue, Lee's eyes widened with dread. “Nozomi…and Aiko”
“What do you mean gone?” Lee questioned angrily.
“They're not in their tent...I just checked everywhere around camp…they're no where”
“They have to be somewhere” he began to pace back and forth, “think Lee, THINK” he kicked the embers with such force that it made Link jump and as he did, something fell from his pocket. Link's fairy Navi flew out of Link's fairy pouch ringing with notice.
“Look you two!” She grabbed their attention, her petit voice shrill in the night.

It must have been a sign of some sort because both the boy's eyes caught a glimpse of it and looked at each other. There in the dust was Link's childhood ocarina that he got in Kokiri.
"Kokiri Village!" Link exclaimed at the clue
"The Lost Woods" Lee specified sternly grabbing his sword sheath, Link doing the same. Link's fairy soared past the two Elvin brothers as Lee's fairy Tatl floated up to Lee's collar.
"Where are we going?" She inquired curiously.
"To the Forest Temple, and we need to know a short-cut; now" They knew what we were up too, and they didn't seem too happy about it as they ran off towards our direction.

- - -
I wandered through the hallways, my bow arched and ready as I walked down stair steps.

'Those stupid poes, where are they now?' I asked myself side stepping charily. I'd been roaming these cavities for who knows how long trying to find these little guys. According to an inscription on a previous stone tablet, it said that the way to unlock the boss chamber was to light all the torches, but those torches are occupied by the four `Little Women' poes. Jin floated around my head shaking nervously.
"I-I have a bad feeling about this" he heeded as I smiled slightly.
"Oh calm down Jin, if anything happens, you'll sense it."

As I talked to him though, one of the poes snuck up behind me, snatching my fairy and snickering. I heard the foul sound and spun around seeing it starting to fade with Jin clenched between its bony claws.
"Jin!!" I screamed, arching an arrow hastily and releasing it. The poe twirled quickly and vanished, causing my arrow to nail a painting right behind it. It would have been a perfect shot. The poe scoffed appearing two stairwells below me with my fairy still in captivation.
"Damnit" I muttered, bounding over the railing, "Hold on Jin!!" Saying that, I arched another arrow coming right down onto the red poe, who didn't see my move. In a flash the my attack impaled it and a bright flame shone in a dome around my arrow. I shielded myself landing above it, but the force of the fire made me float down to the ground in a surrending manner.

Immediately hitting the stone pavement, Jin hurried into me, huddling beneath my chin and cupped in my hands in a warm and welcomed embrace.
"I'm so sorry" I apologized nuzzling his wings. For a moment we rested there appreciating one another's company, but had to realize we had an objective to complete. Standing up, I pulled out a bottle and swung it through the flame, catching some of it in there.
"Got it!" I rejoiced placing it back into my pouch, "One down; three to go"

- - -

Nozomi marched through the maze hesitantly taking turns and directions, coming to a fork in the road. A bit thrown off, she pulled out the guiding parchment

"Let's see here..." Nozomi mumbled holding the map sprawled between her hands. Glancing up every now and then to compare the map to her surroundings, she spoke illogically with Kazu circling her head bored, "Take a left up here, then a right up there, go straight-no, no, no, no, no. Take a left DOWN there, go straight, come to a trellis-UGH!"

She groaned in frustration stomping her foot, startling Kazu.
"Why can't this be easy!?" She yelled slumping onto the green lawn inside the pathway, discouraged as her voice lowered to a dull murmur, "Why can't Link be here..."
"Nozomi, everything will be okay. Don't worry. We already more than half way through" Kazu encouraged.
“But that means we still have the last thirty percent or so to go, and that's usually the hardest!” She complained shaking the map, “you're right Kazu, this map probably was tampered with…”

Nozomi tossed it to the side as it rolled up against the hedges.
“We're never going to find our way out of here” She trudged towards the vine walls, unsheathing her sword and stabbing the grassy barrier, but heard a grunt come from the other side. Bewildered by the sound, she gave it a good jab a few more times, received the same reaction. Then there came a low growl beneath the grunts in an irritated way.
“Kazu…you hear that?” she whispers fascinated yet shocked. Kazu was suspended on the obstacle though, trembling and jingling with alert at the sight, “Hey what is it Kazu?”

“RUUUUUUN!” He barked zooming past Nozomi who was still holding her sword in its spot. She was about to ask what his problem was, but the grassy wall was soon ripped through by a giant goblin-like monster wearing chain shorts and carrying a large spear. He charged towards her roaring with fury his spear in line as Nozomi screamed and began running for her life.

“AHHHHH! WHY COULDN'T AIKO PICK THIS ONE?!” She wailed slipping while cutting a corner with the creature on her heels. Kazu rang again to give her heads up.
“Over here!” He signaled to a patch of tall grass cutting into the maze for a cache. Nozomi saw his precursor and acknowledged it by leaping into the grass and out of sight of the monstrous beast chasing after her. He kept running forward snarling as Nozomi snuck a quick look beyond the blades of grass.

“Is the coast clear?” She hummed; Kazu fluttering into the open.
“Yup, and I saw a ladder somewhere when we were running too. We could probably climb it and spot where the key is”
“Good idea” Nozomi army crawled out of the grass and got to her feet as fast as she could, then sprinted back in the direction they came.

Sure enough, hidden in the vines, there was a moldy old ladder propped against the hedge.
“Yes!” She fisted silently as she ascended up the steps singing to herself, “Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me” Reaching the top of the trim, Nozomi balanced warily gazing out across the maze.
`It looks so much easier from up here' she judged.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the goblin-like creature still rampaging about the maze, searching for her. She gulped tip-toeing along the grassy ramparts.
`There have to be more of those things in here' she started up again, `just gotta stay calm and be careful'
“Nozomi!” Kazu blurted out, jolting her as she struggled to maintain her balance. Glaring menacingly at the fairy, she whipped her head back.
“What Kazu?” She hissed between clenched teeth.
“Look up ahead” He replied buzzing past her gaily in large swoops to a little cavern carved into the mountain side. There neatly located in the center of the grotto was a dark emerald green chest with golden décor lacing it. Kazu circled around it ecstatically.

“Bingo” She said aloud, teetering as if on a tight rope along the maze tops.
“How do you expect we open it though Zomi?” he asked doubtingly as she was closing in on the spot, “Don't we need a key or something?” Yet Nozomi grinned finally reaching her destination, pulling out her sword once more. With a swift move of her wrist, she jammed the weapon into the lock and wriggled it around, a loud click following the procedure.

She winked at Kazu as he twittered about eagerly; waiting for Nozomi to open the chest they had so long been searching for. Lifting the hatch, there on a velvet mattress inside the trunk was a small golden key with a ruby in the middle of the handle. She squealed with excitement snatching it and leaving the box open.
“Alright, let's go get Aiko then!” She elucidated. Nozomi put her hands together, pulling them back by her side ready to use Farore's Wind.
“HAIIII!” she exclaimed curtly as a green light engulfed her and began to transport her back to the main chamber to join up with me.
- - -

Another arrow whistled past the blue poe as it faded away still laughing in its demon way.
“Jin” I ordered, “It would be nice for you to target them any day now” I scanned the staircase avidly hunting the last two `Little Women' poes. Purple and blue. That's all that were left and I had them, trapped in between two areas; the stairwell and a separate room at the bottom of the steps where two blank canvases were, awaiting the poe's decease.

A faint ripple of the air startled me as Jin tuned to get my attention. Jerking to my right, Jin was flashing above the blue poe that just appeared.
“Got'cha” I stated releasing the grip on my strings, piercing the ghost as it gave off a merciful shriek, dispersing into a large flame, like the first. I ran up the steps, detaining the flame into the bottle where the yellow and red poe's essence resided.

“Good work Aiko” Jin congratulated.
“Hmm” I smiled, “Thanks, but we're not quite done yet. We still have the purple poe and then we'll be finished with this charade” The two of us agreed on our duty and ambled up and down the staircase seeking out the solitary last apparition. After many attempts to look for it, we stood at the top of the first stair case huffing with disillusionment at where this poe could have gone.

“We've checked everywhere” I assured matter-of-factly, “but still no sign of it” It. That stupid poe that got me into this mess and crazy rendezvous.
“We're just wasting time now” I said, kicking a pebble down the steps, bouncing off each one. As it came to the bottom step, there was a soft clunk and my eyes blinked rapidly.

There innocently waving from side to side was the purple poe, not even noticing that she was now in plain site. I motioned Jin not to make any abrupt movements as I snuck, q-u-i-e-t-l-y down the steps, careful not to disturb her. But when I reached her, she must have sensed it because she gasped and flew into the opposite room.
`Crap, I can't let her get away!' I reflected dodge rolling after her.

The door closed behind the two of us, locking us both in there, but I didn't care. I was coming out of this room with either one of two things. The poe's flame, or the poe close to death. It was too close of range for my arrows, so I pulled out my twin daggers, prepared for battle. The poe squeaked as if a cry for help. Suddenly though, it closed its eyes and shook rapidly and before I could do anything, she turned into the flame that I needed.

“…” Too in shock to say a word, I took out my bottle suspiciously and ran it through the fire, trapping it inside. Sure enough, the door re-opened and the rest of the fire evaporated.
“That…was…odd” I muttered under my breathe meandering outside the chamber and back into the stairwell.
“Did you get it? Did you?” Jin bounced about as I nodded. He barrel rolled with vibrancy as I placed the bottle back in my pouch.
“Glad that's over” I noted brushing my hair back relieved.

“Helloooo down there!” A familiar voice resound down the draft. Jin and I glimpsed up, spotting Nozomi leaning over the edge hollering at us.
“Hey, how'd you get over here so quick?” I questioned making my way up the steps, keeping eye contact with her.
“Transportation. You should try it some time” She taunted facetiously. I finally got to her at the top and she looked exhausted. Her face was flushed red and she had scratches on her knees and elbows. But then again I wasn't in the best condition either.

We both smiled at one another and did a secret handshake to welcome one another back.
“You got the key?”
“You got your key?” We chimed.
“Well I got the boss key if that's what you mean” Nozomi replied.
“Yeah. But I got something totally different that'll help” I added.
“Really? What is it?” She inquired curiously looking up and down me for something obviously out of place.

“Come on, I'll show you!” I grabbed her hand rushing out the entrance and back into the main room. Still in the center was the large alter stone with the four torches in the corners. Letting go of Nozomi's hand, I walked forward towards these stands, getting out the bottle in my fairy pouch.
“I still don't see what you're doing” Nozomi exasperated apathetically and edgy.
“Just hold on and watch this okay?” I answered, “You'll be amazed at this” Standing on the marble slab I raised the container above my head, ready to smash it at my feet.
“Aiko, don't you'll attract the spirits—“

But it was too late. The shards of glass scattered from corner to corner and the four flames began to dance around me with aggressive force. I clamped my eyes shut, holding my skirt down to keep from flying up, but I myself began to levitate.
“Ah!” I gasped.
“Aiko!” Nozomi rushed over to me and went to pull me down, but she too began to float upward, “Woah!” The flames divided to their own torches and when they did, the chaos stopped and the tablet we were placed on clicked and gravity came back into play. Landing not so gracefully on the platform, we fell with a soft thud on our feet.

We heard wheels, ratchets, and all sorts of gadgets beginning to clink with the activation method as Nozomi and I both just observed everything; gradually descending below ground.
“You're right. That was amazing” She commented giving a strict nod, “but now…we have to face the boss. Are you ready?”
“Yeah…you?” I responded.
“Like always...heheh…this'll be like fighting guys right?” She attempted to cheer the mood. I half smiled.
“Like fightin' the guys…” I repeat. We both stood silently there for a moment until Nozomi snorted a bit holding back humor.
In a simultaneous instant, we broke into laughter. The comparison wasn't even that funny, but the idea brought happiness to the gloomy situation around us. That's how you could know if you were best friends with someone; in a life or death situation, you are the two that are laughing your heads off before an execution.

Simmering down, the platform finally hit solid ground as we stepped off, still giggling a bit, but becoming serious shortly after. At the end of the pathway there was a large door with chains around it and a golden keyhole. Nozomi and I exchanged glances knowing what was ahead as Jin and Kazu huddled close in anticipation. Taking a deep breath, Nozomi stride in front as I paced in format, ready to face the boss. She fiddled through her pocket and placed the device in the lock, only to hear another click and the door was now un-sealed.

We began to walk in, but we heard Jin and Kazu peep from the back. Gazing over our shoulders, the two were still huddled together in fear.
“You guys, now's not the time for this” I willed them towards us with my hands, but they both shook.
“There's a spell within that chamber” Kazu elaborated.
“We can't go in there” Jin put in plain words, “It'll disable our wings, our magic, and your commands”
“Who knows what'll happen in there” Kazu furthered with worry in his voice.

“Shh” I calmed empathetically.
“Okay, okay. You all can stay out here, but be on the look out. If anything goes wrong…well…you know what to do Kazu” Kazu jingled in affirmation as Jin and I both looked confused. The door was closing behind us though as we walked in.
“What do you mean `You know what to do'?” I quoted Nozomi disturbed.
“Now's not the time Ai” She avoided the conversation short and sweet
`What could she mean by that? That doesn't even sound like something Zomi would say' I ruminated. The very presence of the room sent goose bumps under my skin.

I was afraid. I was really truly afraid.

“I don't like this place” I heard Nozomi state touching a painting with Ganondorf on a stallion in it.
“I agree!” I breathed unsteadily, “Oh my gosh, I think I saw a painting just move!” She looked back at me with an absurd look on her face.
“Oh come on Aiko, it's creepy, but not that creepy” She tried to comfort me, “Let's try to be realistic:” She turned her head back to the image, “Paintings cannot come to—MOTHER OF!!”

Nozomi hurdled back to the middle of the room where I stood, astounded at the vision she witnessed. The Ganondorf that was once in the painting had now vanished from sight.
“W-what the hell just happened?” She stuttered in disbelief.
“I don't know, let's get out of here!” I yelped dashing towards the exit, but the door was gone and all there was was a gate. I was speechless; the only sound coming from me was the buckling of my knees.

This was the real thing. An ominous laughter filled the room, not belonging to Nozomi or myself.
“What was that?” she asked glancing uneasy at the paintings. Suddenly, one of the painted figures jumped out of its frame, riding a midnight-black steed in the image of Ganondorf. It was the same Ganondorf who tried to destroy us years ago as he kidnapped us from Kokiri. Startling Nozomi and I, we screamed connecting together for defense, but Nozomi sneered in an animalistic nature, her body tingling with hate.
“Ganondorf!!” She called out taking a brave one step out, “What business do you have here?” But he snickered maliciously galloping straight at as we dodged out of his path whilst he went back into another painting.
When he did, I squinted with foresight and as he rode off into the image, I noticed that he changed into something completely different.
“That isn't Ganondorf” I alleged releasing myself from a ducking position.
“Excuse me?” Nozomi smart-alecked brushing her shoulders off from hitting the floor so fast, “The Lord of all Darkness just stared you directly in the face and you're saying that's NOT him?”
“That's NOT Ganondorf. I-I mean look! He just changed into something else inside a painting, and not even Ganondorf can do that” I waved my hands about my head trying to get across my point.
“So what are you trying to say?” She inquired.

“The paintings, the images, the poe canvases” I listed counting, “What I'm trying to say is that…this is all just an illusion. Ganondorf is creating a distortion in our minds, like he's a…a”
“A phantom?” Nozomi completed my sentence and I nodded. She beamed with poise as she drew her moon blade and I pulled out my bow, reaching in my quiver for the first arrow.

“In that case, this might not be as bad as we expected” She evaluated, “Now, the next time he arrives in the painting I want you to shoot him every chance you see him coming from the canvas. Got that?”
“Right” I arched my arrow for the ready.
“Good, now we'll do it so many times until he falls off his horse, and then I'll come in for a close attack. Sound good?” But I launched an arrow over her head at the steed leaping out of the picture and I nailed it right in the side, causing it to buck and ride into another frame.

“Alright! Give me some notice next time!” Nozomi bickered standing up another instant. The two of us stood back to back, awaiting the next attack or appearance from the ghost rider.
“To the Left!” She shouted and I turned to my left which was her right and fired, but it didn't stop it. So I shot to her left as well, but it kept coming.
“What?” I whispered, Nozomi yelling something that I didn't hear. I went to look over at her, but she was on the ground and coming at me was Ganondorf's horse. I felt a harsh blow hit me in the arm sending me toppling backwards into the wall as Nozomi shouted something again; swinging at the stallion's hind legs.

My left arm throbbed as I clinched it biting my lip in pain.
“Aiko, what happened?” Nozomi insisted kneeling down by me as I stumbled up regaining my composure.
“I…I honestly don't know. I shot at him from two different directions, but it wasn't him” I countered, “They were fakes”

“Damn him” She cursed beneath her breath, “Can you still fight?”
“I'm fine, it's only my right arm I really need. I can handle it really”
She patted me on the shoulder as we returned to the middle.
“Try to stay with me here, we need to pay close and detailed attention”
“Got it…yeah” I nodded arching four arrows.
`Geez my arm is KILLING me...' I deliberated to myself, `Why didn't I just stop, drop and roll?'
“AIKO!” Nozomi hollered again
`Oops, supposed to be paying attention' I spun in a circle, firing all four shots to each painting. One of them had to have hit, and sure enough it did. The real steed whinnied and reared, throwing Ganondorf off.

“Now!” Nozomi threw herself at him, up cutting with her blade, hitting him rapid times as he retaliated. I went to help, but his horse was beginning to go crazy and run towards Nozomi.
“Noz—“ I stopped myself though.
`She's busy right now with Phantom Ganon; I've gotta take care of this horse!'
In a split second I ran in front of Nozomi, Ganondorf, and the horse and attempt to block it to gain its attention. The animal's beaming red eyes stared me down and it reared, hooves high and kicking the wind.

The stallion's feet began to come down and I made a drastic decision. I clapped my hands together and pulled them apart.
“HUP!” I yelled quickly as a soft blue light in the shape of a diamond surrounded me and Nozomi in the spell Nayru's Love. The hooves came fast and hard and pounded against the shield, rippling it and sending booming waves inside the force field. My arm was still aching with pain from the blow before. My breathing came unevenly as Nozomi noticed.

“Aiko, call off the spell now, or you won't have any energy left” She commanded.
“I can hold it for just a little bit longer though if you want to escape to a safer spot and avoid the horse” I reasoned. Nozomi took the idea and went to roll out of the shield, however when she did, Ganondorf knocked her off the ground and into the painting with a loud crack.
“NOZOMI!” I cried dropping my guard about to rush to her, but the whiny of the horse drew me back to my circumstance. My eyes saw the coming of the dark soot stained hoof towards my face and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor; in so much pain it was unimaginable. More traumatic blasts came to my collar, my legs and my stomach and it was done.

My legs were trampled in such an odd position, I couldn't feel one anymore. My torso was bruised on my ribs and sides so badly that I could hardly breathe. My arm was limp, my neck was pulsing, and one of my eyes was swollen. My throat felt as if it were sealed shut as I heard Nozomi yelling and shouting for me and then wailing in pain herself.

Tears swelled in my eyes, as I tried to cry for help.
“…Help…” it only came out as a murmuring plee, “help…” I cried louder, my voice rasping. My eye stung with pain as it slowly began to close. As it did I heard a collision of blades and saw a figure standing above me in black and another rush by.
“…Help” I whispered only hoping it wasn't Ganondorf. The figure moved closer to me, sliding its hands beneath my head.
“Aiko. Aiko stay with me” The stranger spoke soothingly with a hint of distress in their voice.
“Please” I lipped my S.O.S one last time as my eye lid finally surrendered to the darkness, only hearing the voices fading little by little.
`Help…Nozomi…stay with me'

- - -

I sat in the grass with my arms crossed and bandaged as my leg was stretched out upon the pile of blankets in the same condition. My eye was healing rapidly already, but still it had a small purple ring below the eye from the previous battle.
“Aw come on Lee go easy on her!” Nozomi begged as Lee paced the lawn near Link and Nozomi, her arm in a sling and with a bandage on her cheek.

“No! Do you realize how much danger you got yourselves into?!” He lectured, “I mean what made you think that you could handle that?”
“We didn't want to bother you guys to come on this journey with us.” I stood up for Nozomi and my intentions.
“So you thought you could do it alone, is that what you're saying? You don't need my brother or me to help?!” Lee jumped to conclusions.

“We never said that!!” Nozomi and I objected.
“Then why did you go on without us?” Link asked into the argument, “It's the Forest Temple. It's kind of a big deal…” Nozomi sighed trying to find a way to put this.
“We…we thought that if we went ahead and did this alone, we could prove to Princess Zelda that we're just as reliable as you two…”
“Who said you weren't reliable?” Link looked bemused at our notion.

“Look, what's in the past is in the past” Nozomi closed her eyes getting that Hakuna-Matata feel, “Let's hear a thank-you. You're welcome. And let's go.”
“I'm not letting this go till I get an honest answer” Lee replied hastily, butting back in.
“Well what do you want us to say then Lee?” I snapped glaring at him from the ground, “That was the honest answer. What did you think we would do that for?”

“Don't play coy with me Aiko” He assumed as I tilted my head in anger at his ignorance.
`Who does he think he is?' I picked at myself, `Calling me `coy' HA. That's alright Ai. Keep it together'
“Going out and fighting Phantom Ganon ALONE isn't going to solve you being reliable!”
`Oh he's dead now'
“So what, you running away from Kokiri Village when I was 12 was gonna solve something?” I could feel all those emotions from six years beginning to rise within me as my eyes burned with tears and rage.

Link and Nozomi both glanced at one another and kept quiet. This was a discussion between Lee and I now.
“Aiko that has nothing to do with this!” He cut me short looking at Nozomi and Link giving them a signal to leave for a moment, but I scoffed.
“It has everything to do with this, Lee.” I interjected, “Why did you leave?”
“That's not to point; we're talking about you right now. As a your guardian it is my duty to protect you—“
“Then where was your duty six years ago?” I laid down my last line of that conversation and got up, ready to stomp over to Nozomi and Link standing by the tents, leaving Lee there to think about what I said.

“I don't know.” I heard him answer humbly though, making me stop in my tracks.
“What…?” I questioned to see if my ears were hearing correctly, but he stood up and came over to me, a completely different look in his eyes. Now that we were standing next to each other I felt so pathetic. He was taller than me, his neck coming to about my nose and my hands were like children's hands compared to his. But this look he gave me made me feel so insecure and so guilty, that I just wanted to weep like a baby in his arms. I knew I couldn't though, which was the worst part.

I went to say something but he wore a half-hearted grin. It was a fake. I could always tell. So he brushed past me without saying a word, and I did the same. I shook my head wiping away some lone tears that were bunching up in my eye.
`I hate being stubborn' I told myself, `I hate it!'

The next thing I felt were someone's arms around me in a warm embrace. I didn't get to turn around to see them, but from the corner of my eye, I saw long flowing black hair resting on my shoulders and I knew immediately who it was.
“Hey Ai. Don't be upset” She comforted me, leaning her chin on my neckline, “You know they were just worried about us. That's all…”
“Yeah…”I sniffled, “I know”
“Okay good. `Cause Link proposed that for a team bonding session we go to Kakariko Village and get some healing potions for us and stay there until we're rested and get the other medallion!” She rejoiced as I gasped almost choking.

“Y-you mean we actually got the medallion from the Forest Temple?” I shouted as she covered my mouth with her hand.
“Yeah, Link and Lee got it…”
“Well, why don't I remember that?”
“Because you were in and out of conscious state Ai” Link joined the conversation as he was rolling up a sleeping bag from the tent.
“Lee was worried sick about you. He almost wouldn't let Nozomi go with you because the two of you were in such poor condition, you would have been easy prey.”
“So I had to use Farore's Wind to transport us to an area in the lost woods where the know-it-all's used to hang out. Remember?”
“But how did Lee and Link get it? The medallion I mean.” She laughed at all my questions.
“You'll just have to ask them yourselves tonight at the fire place or over supper, we need to pack up. `Cause we're going to Kakariko Village!”

She jumped with excitement, skipping in a circle, grabbing my
hands and tugging on them to join. I giggled freely as we hopped to and fro
about the mini celebration going to take place, but as we did, I
glanced up at where the village was located: Death Mountain. The fiery ring
suspended dawdling above the top of the crater.

"Aiko, Aiko. Aiko!" My name repeat as I snapped out of a daze to
see Lee staring at me freaked out with a bundle of supplies slung over
his shoulder, "You feelin' okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Just a little out of it, that's all" I grinned blushing a
bit.

'He acted like nothing happened before…' I declared to myself silently.

"Alright...then, you better get packed up because we're planning on
staying the night in the village and we want to get there before dusk." I
nodded as we both traded smiles, but we didn't mean them.



'You'll just have to ask them yourselves' I heard Nozomi say in my
head once again. There was still something unsettled between the four of us all,
and tonight was the night to confront it.