Day 1, 7:30 AM, 70 hours left until impact.
Tatl looked at it with some interest as Link haggled with the crazed fairy man. "200 Rupees for the map."
Tingle shook his head profusely, answering, "No, no, no, fairy! I’m afraid that a map of this variety cannot go for any less than 320."
"230?"
"320."
"250?"
"You're cold..."
"270?"
"Warmer..."
She sighed. "300."
"Almost..."
Link dug out her Giant's Wallet with a sensation that she was being robbed blind. "Fine, 320 Rupees."
Tingle began to drop it like it was hot (or... maybe he just danced as usual) as Lina handed him the Rupees, saying, "YOU'RE ON FIRE, MISTER FAIRY! FIRE!!"
---------------------------------------
After reading the map over carefully, Link/a found where the remaining two giants were- the Great Bay, which was to the west of town, and the Ikana Valley to the east.
She looked at her two partners-in-crime, Tatl and Rauru (still disguised as the legendary wise owl). "So, which one next, guys? The bay," she pointed at the blue mass, "or the valley?" she pointed at the large tower in the dark brown area.
Tatl looked at Link, before replying, "My friend blocked off all access to the valley. He did something weird there in the Tower, and now... there's dead people, but they're not dead."
Rauru blinked. "I'm not quite sure I follow."
But Link did. "Redead. Goddesses, I hate those guys."
"Wait- but I thought Redead weren't actual people."
Link closed her eyes, trying to strain her brain for something. "Normally, they're just magic conjured into the form of a walking corpse. But from what Tatl's saying, it sounds like the Termina version is an actual dead person brought back to life."
Rauru shook involuntarily for a moment. "Great. I got really sick and tired of those screams while I was making sure you slept alright, I was really hoping I wouldn't have to listen to it ever again."
Link didn't say anything, but silently agreed with him. Trying to escape Hyrule Castle Town with Malon had given her enough exposure to the zombies for a lifetime.
Tatl shook violently. "No, not just that! There are ghosts there! Really scary ghosts!"
That many problems with an area, and they hadn't even arrived- that assured that they were going to the bay first. As they finally left the western Clock Town gate, Link pulled out her Ocarina, and began to play.
"So... Tatl.... you know the lad who wears the mask, correct?"
Tatl turned to face the bird, dumbfounded as to why he had asked a stupid question to which he already knew the answer.
"It's just- I find it hard to believe that you could be friends with such a boy."
"No, I understand. We were always playing jokes on people, but they were always in good taste, always for fun. When he found that mask," she said before noticing that Epona was quickly approaching, "things got really scary."
----------------------------------------
Day 1, 1:00 PM, 65 hours left.
A while ago, Malon had told Link about the beach, about the sun and the waves, and how much fun she had had. When Link noticed the change in scenery from grass to sand, she saw that her friend had been spot on about the details. Sadly, Link did not have any time to enjoy herself.
As she dismounted Epona, she could see a series of floating platforms floating further off in the bay. There was no way that an ordinary human, even one armed with magical strength enhancers like the Golden Gauntlets, could make it through that current.
"Ugh...."
Obviously, there had been a groan of pain escaping from someone's mouth. Link looked around, and saw nothing. She looked closer at her surroundings, until she found it.
'Holy-'
She finally realized that she had been standing on the belly of one female Zora. There were two things unusual about her, though.
1) She was breathing erratically.
2) She was wearing clothes.
A Zora wearing clothes, to Link, was like a Kokiri outside the forest- she didn't think it was possible. Yet here she was, staring at the older woman. There was a strange device in her left hand, which appeared to be a fish or ax of some kind with strings running down its length.
On the upper edge of the guitar, there was a name- Mikalu. That was probably the name of the suffering artist in front of her. There were also a series of dots that Link was too stressed to read at the moment.
Mikalu tried to get up, but her injuries were too severe. Her left leg had been bandaged, but it had been bleeding badly. And from the looks of it, she'd lost too much blood to recover.
Her eyes tried to focus on Lina. "Listen... the waters are too warm... Gyorg... Lulu-"
She groaned in pain as she suddenly tried to rise, and Link tried to help the Zora in her pain. "The largest fish I ever saw- it took her eggs. And it's killing all the others by making the water- GAHHH!"
Mikalu had tried to stand yet again, and Link assisted her in moving to a nearby palm tree. "The water's too warm for the eggs...Lulu...I promised to get them back but," she pointed at her injuries, "I failed. It breaks my heart to do that."
Link let her go, her breathing still erratic. She dug out her Fairy Ocarina, recognizing that she could still save her. It was just like it had been with the Goron at the Snowfall Mountains; only through the Song of Healing could she live.
As the final note was played, Mikalu had glown bright white before shrinking into a mask, just like Darmuni. Link picked up the mask, and finally noticed something familiar about it.
She then pulled out another mask, the Zora Mask that Mr. Jacob Mathews of the Mask Shop had given him as a reward for selling so many masks. "Tatl... do you think-"
Tatl looked at both masks before agreeing. "The aesthetics are a little different, but I'm getting the same vibe from both masks."
"Wait." Rauru was intrigued by this possibility. "Are you suggesting that this song may have residual effects on similar masks in the nearby area? That both masks-"
"-can turn her into a Zora? It's entirely probable."
Rauru's eyes lit up for a moment, as if he had finally placed the last piece in a complex jigsaw puzzle. "That explains it! Now I get it!"
"Get what?"
Rauru snapped out of it, and stayed silent, muttering that he might have said too much.
-------------------------------
Day 1, 6:00 PM, 60 hours until impact.
The Zora village was nothing like the one that Link had visited in Hyrule. The one in her homeland had been inside a cave, with vast and cool pools where its residents swam. This place was a series of lily pads floating on the seas, and the water she had swum through to get there was remarkably warm, almost to the point of discomfort.
Being a Zora felt like being an adult again. Except that this time, she was a woman. She had to take a moment to get used to the fact that she had breasts while she masqueraded around as the rocker, Mikalu.
As she climbed up onto the nearest pad, a drumstick-holding Zora seemed to be waiting for her. This one was very... uh... big boned, and had the look of a slacker about him. "Mikalu! Where have you been?"
Link nearly forgot to respond. "Out. Why?"
"Lulu's lost her voice! We wu-won't be able to perform tomorrow!" He was extremely flustered, nearly to the point of stuttering. "You gu-gotta snap her outta it!"
The drummer pointed to a fancy domelike house that was slightly larger than the others nearby. "Just pu-play the New Bossa Nova like you always d-do. I'm sure she'll be fine, but help the rest us of sleep a lil' easier, al-alright?"
He walked away, and Link walked behind the house. She pulled out- a guitar, the same one that Mikalu had when Lina had played the Song of Healing. Every detail was exactly as she remembered. The name inscribed on the top, the strings, the dots on the back-
She took a closer look at said dots. They appeared to be specks of dust at first, but upon closer inspection, she could make out a series of notes.
Lina prepared to play this melody, but realized something important. “I don't know how to play the guitar!”
Tatl peered at the instrument. "Lina- I mean, Link, I'm sure that you can do it!"
Rauru perched himself on the edge of the roof, nodding in agreement. "Yes. You are quite skilled at many of the things you try at, Hero. Why not try the guitar?"
Link winced before staring at the two. Bluntly, she commented that, "I'm the Hero of Time, Rauru. I'm not a Guitar Hero!"
-----------------------------
Day 1, 10:00 PM, 56 hours until impact.
Lulu couldn't get to sleep, no matter how hard she tried. Her eggs were missing, she couldn't speak, and she hadn't seen Mikalu all day. She grabbed a nearby cup and gargled its contents, hoping the warm sea water might help. It didn't.
Suddenly, there was a figure at the door. The outline was so familiar-
"Lulu?"
And so was the voice! She smiled, proceeding to walk to the door.
Lina journeyed to the only other person in the room, seeing that she was very glad to see her. Lulu looked surprisingly similar to Princess Ruto, except that she was wearing a turquoise dress. She appeared at ease for a moment, but then became nervous again. Link pulled out the guitar, and began to play.
It was like nothing that she had ever attempted to perform before. Everything else had been slow, somber, and peaceful. This was full of soul, it was invigorating, and it was faster than lighting. The strings on the guitar, the positioning of her fingers, the medalies and the squedalies, it all combined together for one mind-blowing, rock-your-socks-off, groovy experience.
Lulu felt a great swell of joy, like a ton of bricks had been lifted off her throat. "Oh, Mikalu!" Without warning, she ran over and hugged Mikalu. Her momentum caused both of them to fall to the ground, Lulu on top. Then, without any sort of warning, Lulu kissed her. Passionately. With heaping helpings of tongue.
************************************************
WARNING!
Your brain has committed a fatal error in:
C:Lina(Link)/Aspirations/Wants&Fears/FirstKiss.exe
ERROR#: WTFWTFWTFWTFOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGBBQHAXXOR
Your brain has also shut down improperly.
Reboot(Y/N)?
Y
**************************************************
"Mikalu, honey?"
She pinched her lover gently, which brought Link back to reality. Link didn't have any idea what to say, or what to do. All she had to rely on was her old battle-tested deterrent.
"I'm fine."
Lulu sat back up, getting off of the woman she thought was Mikalu. "Mika, you're hurt!"
Link looked down. The wound that Mikalu had suffered earlier hadn't completely healed yet. "I'll be fine."
"But-"
Link stopped the woman, knowing that there was no simple way to fend her off. "Lulu, I came back to check in, okay? Now, I have to get your eggs back, and I promise that I'll be less stressed when I return, okay?"
--------------------------------------------------
Day 2, 1:00 AM, 59 hours until impact.
"Link, there's no way you could've known."
Rauru tried playing the logic card, repeatedly. Tatl had tried to downplay it. "Lina, it's not that big a deal. So she kissed you-"
"It is a big deal! It's a huge deal! I just got kissed by someone who's not even my own species!"
Rauru maintained his calm tone. "Ruto went after you before, Link. It's not like this hasn't happened before."
"Not like this! Ruto never managed to kiss me, this one did!" It had taken a great deal of smooth-talking, more wit than she even knew she had to escape from Mikalu's wife and mother of her children. She raised her head to look at the skies, adding, "Goddesses, is everyone in this fanfiction a lesbian?"
"Fan what?"
"Never mind."
"Link, we've got to stay focused here."
"It's hard to focus when I've just been kissed for the first time!"
Tatl flew to Link's shoulder, hovering an inch or so above it. "Lina, did you feel anything...weird from it?"
"Well, it was kind of odd having someone else's tongue in my mouth..."
The bird saw where the fairy was going with this and ran with it. "No, Link. Did you feel fulfilled? Did it feel right?"
'Did it?' She had to think for a moment. It had felt... unusual, for lack of a better word, to have someone showing deep emotion towards her that wasn't hatred or an apparently platonic friendship. But there hadn't been any sort of real connection between her and the Zora. It had just been two complete strangers frenching each other.
"No. But-"
"Then you have nothing to fear, Hero."
Link dug out her map again, trying to take her mind off of the events that just happened. She searched the area of the map that she knew that she was in, until she came upon it. "The map says that there's an abandoned shrine further out into the ocean."
Tatl looked at the big owl on Link's shoulder. "How much you wanna bet the giant fish is there?"
"Just because the last two bosses were in old, abandoned shrines does not mean that this one will be as well!"
----------------------------------
Day 2, 4:00 AM, 56 hours until impact.
"Pay up, old man."
Rauru reluctantly ate crow as he handed over 200 Rupees. Lina the Zora now found herself in what could be described as a large fish tank, face-to-face with a large fish, one that had to be at least 350 pounds and several meters long. This was probably what Mikalu was referring to when she mentioned 'Gyorg'. 'Any minute now....'
"BOSS FIGHT!!!!"
The fish roared, opened its mouth, and swallowed Link whole.
You have died.
GAME OVER.
Just kidding.
But Link had been swallowed in one piece, being thrust down the fish's esophagus. As she landed in what can only be assumed to be Gyorg's stomach, she noticed how remarkably similar it was in relative structure to the bowels of Jabu-Jabu, the guardian of the Hylian Zora. 'Maybe it's Termina's version?'
Regardless, if it was similar in any respect to Jabu-Jabu, then Link already knew the method to use in destroying it. After walking for about three seconds, she found a large, pulsating object, which was probably the beast's heart.
Link prepared to take off the mask when she noticed something unusual. The fins on her arms had suddenly toughened to the point where they could go up against steel. Going solely on gut instinct, she flung her left arm as if she was slapping an imaginary person. The edge of the hardened fin flew off of her arm, almost like a natural boomerang, and injected itself into the heart of the beast.
Gyorg could feel the pain, and sent out its defense system to deal with the intruder. Just like Jabu-Jabu, the defense force was comprised of jellyfish-like monsters that channeled electricity, which Link had called Bari during his last adventure. But each one of these floating foes fell from one shot of Link's bestial weapons.
Whenever she got a break from the swarms of tiny terrors, she continued to fling her fins at the large entity. After two shots, more Bari were released, which would then be dealt with by Link. Kill, shoot, lather, rinse, repeat...
After three cycles of that monotony, there was a sudden pressure pressed upon Link, seemingly like the wind. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to force Lina out of the belly of the beast (Clichéd expressions FTW!).
As Link recovered from the bowel movement, she noticed the fish, belly-up. 'That worked out nicely. The whole mask thing should happen right about now.' And so it did- the fish began to glow a blinding white, which made everything go black (Didn't see that coming now, did you?).
When the light faded, the only things that could be seen were the usual mask and the usual giant. 'Here we go again.'
Lina dug out the guitar and played the song that the very first giant had taught her. Once the little ditty was done, the oversized moss-covered simian nodded, as if to recognize the stranger as a friend.
The giant walked away, allowing the room to come back into view. Link noticed the usual mask, floating right where the fish had been. She swam out into the body of water to retrieve it, noticing several elliptical objects lying at the bottom.
-----------------------------------------
Day 2, 9:00 AM, 51 hours until impact.
The trek back to the village was much harder than traveling to the Great Bay Shrine. The water was much colder on the way back, not to mention that she was now carrying a bunch of eggs. Climbing back onto network of lily pads, she noticed she was at the part of the village where the eggs were laid. There were dozens of eggs at the bottom of the pool, each group bunched up around a signpost. Each sign appeared to have two names on it, most likely referring to the parents of the eggs.
Lina dove into the pool, being sure to swim slow enough not to cause any of the eggs to be separated from their kin. As she reached the bottom, there was a sign without any eggs, which read 'Mikalu and Lulu'.
'So, the person I'm possessing is the father of these little guys?' It didn't make any sense to Link. From what little knowledge she had of where babies came from, it involved a woman AND a man. So the fact that the parents were two women was headache-inducing. However, for all Link knew, the way that the Zora made babies was probably a little different from how Hylians did it (Although Link had no idea how either one did the deed… It’s not like the Kokiri ever really had Sex Ed.).
As she climbed out of the pool, the drummer from yesterday showed up again, clearly agitated. "Mikalu! There you are!"
He ran over to the guitarist, nearly tripping over himself in the process. "The concert starts in two hours, we've gotta get you over to the Hall!"
The drummer grabbed the disguised Hylian, and began to run to the other side of town. They were taking shortcuts and whatnot, with Link repeatedly getting clipped by bystanders who were too lazy to get out of the way.
-----------------------------------------------
Day 2, 12:00 PM, 48 hours until impact.
‘This is going surprisingly well.’
The performance of the Indigo-Gos was going surprisingly well, especially when the guitarist had never actually ever played before the previous night. Link had been very confused by the other players, mostly because their instruments looked like dead fish or crabs. However, she quickly got over it and ‘relearned’ all of the songs during rehearsal.
Their final song, ‘Ballad of the Wind Fish’, seemed to be a fan favorite of the entire crowd, which had them screaming with joy at its end.
Just then, a shout came out from the crowd, one that is every guitarist’s nightmare, as well as every rock fanatic’s mission to call out. “FREE BIRD!!!”
This gave the entirety of the Indigo-Gos pause, as each and every one of them turned to look at their guitarist. The chant for the legend grew louder, and Link looked back at her mask’s band, panic filling her being. ‘What the heck is a free bird?’
After two seconds, she realized it was a song, one that hadn’t been on the song list. ‘Mikalu, help!’
Lina closed her eyes, and could almost imagine seeing the Zora that she had healed on the beach, telling her to believe in her instincts. ‘Creepy… but I’ve seen weirder things.’ Memories of seeing Zelda escaping the castle before she met Navi now filled her mind.
She exhaled, and strung one of the strings. The piano joined in, and she knew that there was no going back. As she began to hit the beginning stride, she looked at Lulu, who looked back, concerned, as if someone was going to suddenly catch fire.
Her gut told her to keep pushing her fingers, but there were no real problems for about four and a half minutes. Lulu sounded beautiful on the vocals, inspired for some reason. And then the instincts started kicking up in ways Link had never imagined, causing both the greatest music Lina had ever heard, and the greatest pain she’d ever felt in her fingers. It was as if she had grabbed a molten hot tea pot and been unable to let go. It was like that for another two minutes, Lina keeping a calm look on her face.
And then the real pain cometh. It suddenly became chord after chord after chord, as if Ganon had created a new method of torture just for people who played this fish string holder.
Another two minutes, and then it ended just as it had begun- with the sound of a string being plucked. The crowd exploded with exaltation, chanting the name of the band over and over as the curtain finally closed.
The Indigo-Gos (minus Lina and Lulu, who mysteriously vanished after the curtain call) crowded together, yelling that it was ‘Beer Time’. Link still wasn’t entirely sure what was so appealing about ‘beer’ that milk couldn’t do as well. ‘Relieves thirst, probably tastes better... what gives?’
She walked out of the stadium, carefully avoiding any fans. It was like infiltrating the Gerudo’s base way back when. Except for the fact that she wasn’t shooting people with arrows. Or that she wasn’t seventeen. Or that she was currently a girl who was currently disguised as a Zora.
She looked up at a nearby clock. It read ’12:45’. She figured that it was almost time to go back, but she remembered that she’d left one of her bottles at Lulu’s. And after the hell Link had gone through to get it, she was not about to leave it be.
Link walked quietly into the house, hoping she wouldn’t encounter the other resident of the domicile. There, on the nearby table, was the container in question. Silently, she tiptoed across the room, and picked up the bottle.
Before she could turn around to leave, a nearby lamp clicked on. Link turned to find the source of this disturbance, to find Lulu, still wearing that dress, but lying on the bed in a most peculiar manner.
“Mika, honey? Where are you going?”
Link felt like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. She had no idea what headlights or cars were, but it fit the situation. Her eyes wandered involuntarily toward the door. ‘How am I getting out of this one?’
Her focus had been locked on the exit so tightly, that she hadn’t seen her ‘wife’ get up from the bed, taking up position directly behind her. Then, without warning, Lina found two strange, blue hands on Mikalu’s hooters.
She felt strange, as if her personal space had been violated in some strange respect. Yet it was interesting at the same time, in some manner similar to the one that happened when Cremia had kissed her on the forehead. This felt like nothing she’d ever experienced before, it was something akin to a great amount of pleasure- but she knew that she wanted it to stop. It felt like she was betraying someone for some reason.
Once Lulu let go, Lina saw her opening. “Um... Lulu, dear? Can I just have one moment?”
Lulu responded by kissing her lover on the lips for a ever-so-short year before giving her permission. “But be sure to come right back. For once, we’re both together and alone...”
Link was no genius at romance, but even she could figure out that this wasn’t just going to be chocolate and kisses. After she retreated from the room, she took off her mask, returning to the form of a twelve year old Hylian girl. She whipped out the Ocarina, which, for once, was not a guitar, or a set of bongos, or even that weird pipe thingy, and played the Song of Time faster than she had ever before.
As the familiar blue flames covered her, Tatl, and the owl, she thought to herself that the entire experience with Lulu was odd, but strangely intriguing. But she felt guilty for some reason, as if she had taken advantage of the situation.
‘It felt nice...but I’m still supposed to be a guy.’
As the blue lights died down, she decided to redouble her efforts to find a cure once she got to talk to Navi.
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