Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ Fairy Tale ❯ Tetra's Crew ( Chapter 3 )

Blowfish: I'm back! School is a bitch. Kind of, anyway. I actually kind of like school, cuz I'm a dork. Ah well. I got some swell reviews to respond to!

 

The Gemini Sage: Yes, G-dorf is SUPER sucky. And, being Ganondorf, he can only get worse. Ohhh, the foreshadowing…

 

Reaka: I can't say, really. I can only hope it'll get better…eh, who am I kidding? Whatever. Glad you liked the chapter, hope you like this one just as much.

 

Vladmir the Hamster: Darth Tofu wouldn't have been bad either, but I do like your name the way it is. Heh, if you think 22 pages is nuts, check out the latest chapter of TAoTT. That was monstrous; I couldn't believe I could've actually written something that long! Ah, I was hoping somebody would spot the 1986 reference. Nice job. Eh, if you don't like Zelink, that's fine. Even better is the fact that you wouldn't mind if I wrote it. That shows you've got pairing tolerance, it does! Link/Impa…hmm…LIMPA! Gah, that would be a bit odd, wouldn't it? I hope you did like the scene with the Indigo-Gos, I enjoyed writing it. I'm setting the stage for the story that will take place outside HIMI. It's a side-story, but it deserves good effort!

 

Some Say the World will END: Definitely haven't given up. No way. I like this idea far too much to throw in the towel, no sir! Zelda's illness will become quite apparent this chapter, so no need to worry. MediaMiner usually gets updates from me a few minutes after FanFiction does, so you'll still be in good shape if you check there from now on.

 

KittyHorse: Indeed, it was Zelda. What's a Zelda story without some connection to Zelda? You'll know if you're right about her this chapter.

 

Umm…Someone I guess: Nah, it's not. You need to read some of the stuff on Fanfiction, they've got some real crazy-good stuff. Actually, one particular author, Galaxy Girl, is on both MediaMiner and FanFiction. Great writer, check her out. Short attention span? I know what that's like. I'm glad you liked it.

 

Disclaimer: Shigeru Miyamoto owns Zelda. This fanfiction is not written by Shigeru Miyamoto. What does this mean? Hmmmm…I forgot. I just know it didn't have anything to do with the fact that I don't own Zelda and don't want to be sued for writing—OH WAIT.

 

Blowfish: Here it is! The exciting, amazing, spectacular…ahh, screw it, this chapter's okay.

 

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“The Hero snuck through the cave, ever-cautious of the danger he might encounter. The last thing he wanted was to meet another Dodongo. The Goron chieftain had warned him of the horrible beasts, but the Hero had not anticipated so many lurking in the cavern. He had been granted a reprieve, though; he found a secret passageway that, so far, appeared to be safe.”

 

Link peered around the corner. No one here either. He proceeded down the corridor, looking in all directions to be certain he was not being followed.

 

“The Hero continued down the winding tunnel. He took off his hat and put it over his nose to block the foul stench of sulfur and ash that intensified as he went further in. No sign of King Dodongo yet…”

 

Link turned another corner. His stomach was churning. He knew he was close.

 

“The Hero saw that he had come to a huge fire pit in the middle of a large, circular room. No other room in the cavern had been like this. He stepped forward and heard a crunching sound. He looked down to see that he had stepped on a thin bone and snapped it in two. He then realized that all around him were bones: Dodongo bones, Goron bones, even human bones! Now he was certain. This could only be the lair of the infernal dinosaur, King Dodongo! 'Come out, you dirty great beast!' bellowed the Hero.”

 

“That's not nice, Link,” said Dr. Medli.

 

Link paused and looked around as if he had only just realized where he was. “Oh! I…I'm so sorry. I…where…am I?”

 

“You're outside my office. Did you want to see me?”

 

“Um…well…” Link had honestly forgotten why he was standing crouching outside Dr. Medli's office. “No. I'm fine. I just…I dunno.”

“OK,” she said softly. “Would you like me to accompany you to…”—she looked down at her watch—“…oh. Well, I suppose it's lunchtime now, isn't it?”

 

Link nodded. “Yeah. Lunch. I'm hungry.”

 

They walked together to the mess hall. Link was racking his brain trying to remember why he had been outside her office. He didn't need to see her. She wasn't even his therapist. All he could remember was something about a lizard or a dragon or something like that. He sighed.

 

“Something wrong?” asked Medli. Link noticed her ponytail swished from side to side when she walked.

 

“Why do you have so much hair?” he asked abruptly.

 

She actually smiled a bit. “I don't like to go to the salon, so I just let it grow.”

 

“Seems like more trouble than it's worth.”

 

“Maybe it is. I wouldn't know. I haven't cut it in—" She stopped. A boy was standing by the wall. Link recognized him as Komali, a boy who he knew, but rarely spent time with or talked to. Medli seemed a bit surprised to see him, even though he was one of her patients. “Why, hello there, Komali.”

 

Komali said nothing, but took a few steps towards them. Link was not surprised at his lack of response. Komali had never been very talkative—the only sounds one usually got out of him were chirps or a strange warbling sound.

 

“Did you come to see me?” Medli asked tentatively.

 

Komali nodded and took a few more steps towards them. He appeared to be holding something.

 

“I already saw you today, remember? Your session was this morning, like it always is.”

 

Komali continued to step forward until he was directly in front of them. They both stared at him. He thrust out his fist, which held a white flower in it. Medli paused and held out her hand. He uncurled his fingers and it fell into her hand.

 

“For you,” he muttered.

 

Medli held the flower up to her eyes. “It's lovely,” she said. “Thank you.”

A blush crept over Komali's face. He stood shuffling his feet for a few seconds and turned away, walking down the hall very quickly. Link stared at him, and looked back at Medli. She was looking at the flower intently. She paused and gently put it in her coat pocket.

 

“It would look nice in your hair,” commented Link.

 

“Yes,” Medli sighed. “I suppose it would.”

 

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“Gonzo, what are you looking at?”

 

The burly man snapped out of his trance and looked at Senza. He huddled his shoulders and neck together and bore a pained expression, making whining sounds.

 

“Oh—oh no, Gonzo, it's okay, it's—no, I wasn't angry, I was just wondering what you were looking at!” Senza said quickly. Gonzo resumed his stiff posture and gave a small jerk in the direction of a blonde girl sitting on the bench near them. She was swinging her legs back and forth and humming. “Oh. I haven't seen her before.”

“That,” a voice behind Senza said, “is because she is new.” It was Mako, Senza and Gonzo's bespectacled friend. Mako opened the notebook he always kept with him. “`Tuesday. Muggy. Heard doctors talking about a new girl to arrive on Wednesday.' See? Do you see? I heard!”

 

Senza nodded slowly. “Yes, I see.”

“Now I must log this! Where is my Thursday page? Ah-HAH! Here it is.” He began scrawling furiously with his pen. “`Have seen new girl. Engaged.'”

 

“No you haven't.”

 

“Well, obviously I'm going to, aren't I? Now—Gonzo!” Gonzo had gotten up and was walking slowly over to the girl. “Gonzo, stop this instant! You must not engage a lady without proper planning! Stop, do you hear me?”

Gonzo sat down on the bench next to the girl. She stopped humming and smiled at him. “Hi. What's your name?”

 

Gonzo only gave a few grunts in response. Senza approached, Mako screeching at him about the proper way to talk to a lady, but he paid his companion no mind. “He doesn't speak,” Senza explained to the girl. “His name is Gonzo. I'm Senza, and this is—“

”I can introduce myself, thank you very much!” shrieked Mako. He turned to the girl. “Excuse my comrades' manners. I am Mako. It is an honor to make your acquaintance…I don't believe I know your name.”

 

“I'm Tetra!” the girl laughed, seemingly ecstatic at the mere prospect of talking to someone. “I'm so happy you didn't try to guess my name!”

 

“That would be most rude,” Mako huffed.

 

“I know. Everybody keeps going, `You're Zelda, right?' And I have to correct them all the time and they give me this look, like I don't know what I'm talking about or something. But anyway, I'm Tetra, and don't you forget it!”

 

“Yes ma'am!” said a man that had joined the group. “Oh, sorry, I didn't introduce myself. People call me Nudge.”

 

“Hi! Who're the short guys?” asked Tetra, pointing out the two small men that were with him. One of them looked less like a man than a boy, and the other had rather large eyes.

 

“The bugged-out one's called Zuko, and the shrimpy one's name is Niko.”

 

“I am NOT a shrimp!” Niko shouted in protest. “My growth was stunted, is all!”

 

“Ya, stunted he says. Stunted all the way to—to—“ Nudge stared at Niko's hair. “Did you wash your hair this morning, Niko? It looks greasy.”

 

“I washed it last nig—“

 

“LICE! YOU MIGHT HAVE LICE! Oh Din, oh Din, oh Din…” Nudge immediately grabbed Niko's head and began leafing through his hair, resembling a chimp searching for a meal in a friend's fur. However, no chimp had ever so frantically searched for prey. “Oh DIN, they could be everywhere—“

 

“Nudge, if you haven't forgotten, all of us are checked for lice when we come in here and once every six months,” Senza sighed. “The chances of Niko having lice are quite slim.”

 

“B-but then…I'VE GOT HIS HAIR GREASE ALL OVER MY HANDS!”

“Yep. You walked right into that one.”

“AAAAARRRRGGGHH! NIKO'S DEAD SKIN AND GREASE AND SWEAT IS COATING MY PALMS—“

 

“Niko, would you take him to the bathroom so he can wash his hands?”

“Ya, whatever,” muttered Niko. He grabbed Nudge and dragged him away while Nudge was screaming something about “body soil.” Zuko stared at the other three for a few more seconds before trotting off.

 

“Forgive `em,” Senza said to Tetra. “Nudge is okay as long as you're clean, Niko's kinda clingy, and Zuko doesn't say much. Stares a lot, though. He'll talk to ya when he's good 'n' ready.”

 

“What about you?” she asked Gonzo. “Do you talk?”

 

Gonzo hunched over a bit and Senza patted him on the back. “Nah, he's never said a word. Hard to communicate with this guy. But after a while, you get what he really means.”

 

“So, you guys are all friends?”

 

“Yes,” said Mako. “You have to stick together to survive in this place. There,”—he glanced around to check that they weren't being watched—“are some pretty shady characters around here. Like that Ganondorf fellow. He growls at people for no reason, always mumbling to himself. In fact, a lot of the people here,”—he glanced around again—“are a little off, if you know what I mean.” He leaned in close and whispered, “I think they're crazy.”

Senza rolled his eyes.

 

“I must record these events! Good day to all of you.” Mako set off across the courtyard. Gonzo looked at Tetra and started humming tunelessly. Tetra looked at him with a puzzled expression.

 

“I think he wants to know what you were hummin' earlier,” suggested Senza.

 

“Oh. Well, it's nothing, really. Just a tune. Makes me think of the sea.”

 

“Yeh like the sea, then?”

 

“Uh-huh. Never been, but I'd like to. Ahhh, the sea…” She returned to her idle humming. Gonzo joined her, though it took a few moments for him to properly copy the tune. Senza sat watching them for a few minutes, but then interrupted them with a question.

 

“Why would you wanna go to the sea, anyway?”

 

Tetra looked thoughtful. “Well, it's big, it's blue, it's wet, and it's full of adventure. Haven't you ever read any of those books about the pirates and the sailors?”

“Well of course I have, but what's so great about the sea? So it's wet. You could catch a cold. And there are sharks, `n' jellyfish, and `n' lots of other nasty things.”

“Are there? Hm.” She paused, but then smiled. “Well, you have to take the good with the bad too, right?”

 

Senza snorted and went back to staring at the wall with half-lidded eyes. Tetra wondered why he looked so sad. He looked at her. “What're you starin' at?”

 

“Oh, nothing. You're just so grumpy. How `bout you turn that frown upside-down? It's a be-yoo-tiful day!”

 

How someone could be so cheery was something that baffled Senza. “Youthful optimism,” he muttered dryly, as Gonzo and Tetra continued humming.

 

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“Kafei?”

 

Kafei shook the sleepiness from his eyes and looked up. Medli was sitting next to him, trying to get his attention.

 

“Kafei, are you still with us?”

 

“What? Oh, yes! I just—I just—“

“You almost fell asleep in your own sandwich.”

 

“Did I?” He laughed. “Well, I suppose I would've been putting it to good use, hm?” He bit a chunk off of it. “Mmmm. Pillow sandwich.”

 

Medli chuckled, fingering something in her pocket. Kafei eyed her. She had been acting a bit oddly. She noticed his staring. “What? Is there something on my face?”

“No, sorry. What's in your pocket?”

 

“Oh.” She took out a small white flower. Kafei nodded.

 

“Komali again?”

“Yes.” She blushed a bit and put it back in her pocket.

 

“Don't worry about it, Medli. Patient-doctor attachment isn't uncommon.”

 

“Said the doctor with the dependant-slash-narcissistic personality disorder patient.”

Kafei looked amused. “Ruto is quite a case. If it weren't for her crush on Link she'd probably come on to me a lot more often.”

Medli sipped at her coffee. “Link…you know, he turned up outside my office around noon today.”

 

“Did he?”

“Yes. Wasn't exactly sure why he was there.”

 

Kafei nodded again. “It's common for schizophrenics to experience some jumbled thoughts.”

“Jumbled thoughts?” Medli snorted. “Kafei, the boy doesn't know which way is up.”

 

“Well he's a lot more lucid than Ganondorf. Wish I had Link and Rauru had Ganondorf. Always telling me, `Roll it off, Kafei,'” said Kafei, imitating Rauru's wheezy voice. “`You can't let a little uncertainty get in the way of your work.' Uncertainty my ass. I'm worried about getting my neck snapped one day during therapy.”

“Brought in for violence?”

 

“Yep. Ironic…”

 

“What's ironic?”

“Well, another patient of mine was brought in for the same thing, but she's quite nice.”

”I don't follow.”

”Well, she has—“

“Dr. Kafei?” Medli and Kafei turned. Anju was in the door, looking as if she had run all the way to the lounge; she was panting and her hair was a mess.

 

“Anju?” He smiled at her and stood up. “What's your hurry?”

 

“Kafei—I—it's my brother—“

 

Kafei's smile vanished. “What?”

”My father called, he's been in an accident!”

 

“Grog's hurt?”

“Yes, it was a motorcycle accident. I need—I need to leave. I just needed to tell you so I could punch out—“

“Then what are you waiting for? Go!”

 

Anju nodded and ran off. Kafei sat back down, but he looked shaken. Medli put her hand on his. “Are you okay?” she asked.

 

“Yeah, I guess…I know Grog. He's Anju's younger brother, see. He's okay, but most people don't think so. His parents don't approve of what he's made of himself, but Anju sticks by him.”

 

“I see. I hope he's okay.”

”Yeah. Always was afraid he'd get hurt on that damn motorcycle, but he insisted. I wonder who's lookin' after his chickens.”

 

“…Chickens?”

“He's a chicken farmer.”

 

“…Oh. His parents aren't too keen on that?”

 

“No, not really.”

 

“…Chickens? Seriously?”

 

“Yeah. Don't look at me like that!” said Kafei, noticing Medli's baffled expression. “He's alright, Grog. Good man, if a little apathetic.”

 

“An apathetic chicken farmer with a loyal sister and disappointed parents who gets in a motorcycle accident.”

 

“I guess.”

“…That'd make a great TV movie.”

 

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“The Hero noticed a bottle gleaming at the bottom of the lake. He dove down into the water and grabbed it. After surfacing, he read the message. It said—“

“Liiiiiink!” whined Ruto. “Why don't you put down that stuffy book and talk to me?”

 

Link only grunted in response. This seemed to only further irritate Ruto.

 

“Linky, if you don't talk to me, we'll never improve our communication skills! And you know how many relationships collapse because of poor communication?”

Link looked up. “`Relationship?'”

 

“Don't give me that clueless look!” She slid her arms around his neck. Link became immensely uncomfortable. He didn't like being touched. “Oh Link…someday you'll understand. You and all the other males. You're all so blind to the wise ways of us women.”

 

Link didn't know what Ruto meant by that, but he really wished she would get her hands off him. He was embarrassed; there were other people in the TV room, and he didn't want them to get the wrong idea. He knew a lot of people had the wrong idea about him—he heard them through the walls. Another person walked into the room, with two men trailing her. It was the new girl, Zelda. Link saw this as an excellent opportunity to get away from Ruto; he got up and went over to them.

 

“Hi, Zelda.”

 

The blonde looked agitated. “Oh DIN. I've told everyone, like, twenty times today, I'm not Zelda!”

 

Link was confused. “You…you nodded when I asked if your name was Zelda. Yesterday, you did that.”

 

“I did? I don't remember that. I don't even know why I'm in here. Damn place is so stuffy and white. BOOOOOOOOORRRIIIIIIINNG! Can't stand it! Gotta get outta here.”

 

Link was even more confused than before. This girl looked like Zelda, but she acted completely different. Her voice sounded like Zelda, but she insisted that she wasn't. “Well, who are you?”

 

“I'm Tetra. Goddesses, how many times do I have to say it to people?” Her irritable expression turned sunny. “You're cute. What's your name?”

 

Link blushed. No girls had ever said he was cute except Ruto. In fact, girls that weren't Ruto usually had very little to say to him at all. “I'm Link.”

 

“Hm. That's a weird name. But I like it. Oh, I'm so rude!” She gestured to the two men sitting with her. “These are my friends. The burly one is Gonzo, and the grumpy one is Senza.”

“You're just too cheery,” Senza mumbled. “Everyone is just too damn happy all the time.”

 

“You talk like Darunia,” said Link.

 

“Is he a downer too?” asked Tetra. “You make me so sad, Senza.”

 

Link didn't think she looked sad at all. In fact, he had never met someone who acted so positively joyful. She had a smile on her face every second, and a dangerous look in her eyes, as if she was longing to do something wild and adventurous. He almost liked it, but he liked the soft look in her eyes she had had yesterday better.

 

“Is that a book? Can I see?” Link nodded, and Tetra snatched it from his hands. “Well, here's your Zelda! I bet people have been seeing this book and thinking of me for some reason.”

“Well, there is a princess in it. She looks like this.” He flipped open the book and pointed to an illustration of a girl with long, golden locks dressed in royal garb. She was in the middle of a courtyard with birds perched on her arms. “Your hair is kind of like hers.”

“Is it? Well, that's funny. I'm going to go now.”

“Didn't you come in here to watch television like everybody else?”

 

“Oh, I don't know what I came in here for. Besides, you're not watching television, are you?”

“Err…”

“Right then. Off we go!” She led Gonzo and Senza off, humming an odd tune. Link stared after her, and Ruto looked a bit ruffled.

 

“What an odd girl,” Ruto muttered. “She was kind of rude.”

 

“Nah,” said Link. “More like…emotional.”

 

“Hm?”

“Like a person that just won't stop, no matter what. Like a one-dimensional personality.”

“…Link, wh—“

 

“Like how Darunia gets sometimes. When he's not depressed, he's all crazy and happy. Like he could take on the world. But she's different. It's like she's everywhere and nowhere at once.”

 

Ruto stared at him. It was one of those times where Link had shaken off his odd, paranoid behavior and actually began to sound like he was someone who was aware of what was going on around them. It was weird. But just as she was thinking that, he stuck his face back into his book.

 

He didn't speak again for almost an hour.

 

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“Left…up…right…dammit!” Mido growled. “It's all out of tune!”

“Just try again,” said Saria. She played the melody again, and he tried to copy it. He was only marginally more successful that time. Much more so than his first. Or his second. Or his third.

 

“So Link could play this ooka-what's-it?”

 

“It's an ocarina, and yes, he could play it. Very well, in fact.”

 

She was silent for a few moments. Mido fidgeted a little; she always became quiet whenever someone brought up Link. `Come on, Mido, use that gray matter of yours!' he thought. `Turn this into a positive conversation!' “Err…you know, I read somewhere that people that…uhhhh…like…ya know…have some sort of problem end up with these really amazing talents. Like epileptics. A lot of famous writers were epileptic. And savants! Man, they…they've got that, like, uber-talent goin' on. They can play music after hearing it just once, or calculate ten-digit prime numbers in their heads, or paint really cool stuff, or—“

 

“You know, Mido…as much as I appreciate what you're trying to do, I'd really enjoy a change of subject.”

 

“…Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to…uh…ya know—“

 

“Yes, I know.” She sat back on the tree stump, and he fidgeted a little more.

 

“So you live here?” he asked, gesturing to the old, creaky, wooden house behind them. Saria grinned.

 

“You bet. It's small, but it's the coziest little place in the world. Lovely in the spring, but it's a pain to handle by my—” she stopped and winced; she had obviously said something she had not intended to say.

“You live here all by yourself? I thought your grandfather was—“

 

“He's in the hospital right now. He took a fall last week.”

 

Mido was shocked. He put his hands on her shoulders. “Why didn't you say anything?”

 

Saria wouldn't meet his eyes. “We were having such a nice time…I didn't want to—“

 

Mido took his arms from his shoulders and tugged at his hair in frustration. “Farore, Saria, you can't do this!”

 

She looked back up, surprised. “What?”

 

“You never want people to help you! You always act like it's your battle to fight alone, but it's not!” He let out an angry grunt and a few strands of red hair came out between his fingers. He calmed down after that. “Look…you got dealt a shitty hand. Your parents aren't here, and the only family you've got is either in a hospital or…well, in a hospital. But you can't act like this. You're quiet, Saria, too quiet. You never let anyone know if you're hurting.” He smiled. “Makes me think of how we met.”

 

“Gah, don't remind me.”

“'Why hello there, miss. I do seem to have tripped over you. I am ever so sorry. May I ask your name? Miss? Why are you so quiet?'”

 

“Pssh. You were a bit less gentlemanly, if I remember correctly.” She cleared her throat and imitated Mido's voice. “More like: `AAAH! Shit-fuck-Din-damned—oh, sorry! I, err, tripped over you. What's your name? Hey! Why aren't you saying anything?'”

 

“Oh come on, I wasn't that rude.”

 

“You were so that rude.”

 

“Well, you didn't say anything for like, five minutes!”

Saria grinned playfully. “I was just so taken aback by your charisma and dashing good looks.”

“I knew it.”

 

“Yep…after that I stared at you across the hall and I thought to myself: `One day, that foul-mouthed guy is gonna be my boyfriend.'”

 

“You're a prophet, then, eh?” he laughed. “So what's my future, O Prophetess?”

 

“Well…” She leaned in and wrapped her arms around her neck and rested her head on his shoulder. “I see a girl who's…very grateful that she has someone so wonderful to look out for her…if a little hard-hearted sometimes.”

 

Mido blushed, but turned his head and snorted. “Jeez, Saria. Don't go all sentimental on me.”

 

“Pshaw.” She shoved him away and dashed into the woods, knowing that he would be there to chase her all the way.

 

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“So Tetra,” Senza continued. “That's how things run around here, give or take a few oddities…well, more than a few oddities. Whatever.”

 

“Geez, this place is more boring than I thought,” Tetra whined. “We can't even have rubber bands or hair pins? I wanna put my hair up!”

 

“Dangerous, those things. In some hands, anyway. They don't want any problems.”

 

“Maaaaan…what a bunch of tight-asses.” Gonzo laughed a little, and Senza snorted.

 

“Ya wouldn't be sayin' that if you knew more about this place. My wife did a bit o' research before she would send me here. There's been some nasty stuff in the past.”

 

“What kind of stuff?”

 

Senza's eyes looked hollow. “Gruesome things. It's the only place in the area though, so most of us are sent here anyway. They've had the government up in their asses, so they've straightened up since the last…incident. Yeh don't wanna know.”

 

“Probably not,” Tetra agreed. “This place is such a downer already, the Goddesses only know what could make it worse.”

 

“There's…many worse things,” Senza said softly. “Many worse things.”

 

Tetra sighed and sat down on the couch, her eyelids drooping. “It all makes me…so…sad.”

 

Suddenly, Tetra's back stiffened and her eyes went blank. Senza and Gonzo perked up.

 

“Tetra? Is somethin' the matter?”

 

Tetra's posture slackened, and she blinked a few times. Gonzo reached over to put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrank away, her blue eyes no longer gleaming and flashing with daring, but soft and delicate like those of a frightened animal. She tried to speak, but her throat caught. She coughed a bit and then spoke with a stammer.

 

“W-who are y-you?”

 

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Blowfish: Hell yeah. I'll wait for your comments before I say anything, heh. You know you want to review. Come ooooon. Do it. Fine. I'll use my awesome magic powers to compel you!

 

SUGGESTION!

 

…

 

SUGGESTION!

 

…

 

You'll roll a natural 1 on your will save eventually, dammit.

 

(Credit for this joke goes to Rich Burlew, writer of the online comic, “Order of the Stick.” Look it up, Dungeons and Dragons nerds.)