A/N: Wow, it's been a hot minute since this story was updated, huh? Hope you guys enjoy!! My muse just kinda goes where it will. This chapter ended up being a bit more Four-centric than I'd like for this story, but *shrugs* eh. What can ya do? The colors get what they want. :)

Four awoke to the sound of rustling fabric. They cracked open an eye to find that Wild, Legend and Hyrule were sneaking out the front door of the house.

"Think we should follow?" Red asked around a yawn.

"Nah, they're just going to find trouble. Best not to be part of it." Blue replied with a mental shrug.

"But what if they get hurt?" Red was falling into full worry-mode.

"Hyrule's with them." Vio reminded him. "They'll be fine. Besides, Legend is fairly responsible. With Legend and Hyrule, even Wild should be fine."

"It's pretty early." Green noted as they glanced out the window. The pre-dawn light was lightening the sky as a thick layer of fog drowned the world in an ethereal veil.

Green took control of the body and stretched, popping joints quietly before climbing out of bed. Since it was their house everyone was staying in, Time insisted that Four keep their own bed. Fine by them.

They finally felt back to normal for the first time since going through that damn portal. They were all fairly sure that Hylia had either forgotten or hadn't fully realized that Four was still, well, four people. And it was absolute hell going through those portals.

It felt like someone was trying to rip them apart, and if they were lucky they only mildly struggled to sort everything out upon landing. The first time they went through a portal, they feared they'd lost Green, who'd been unconscious for hours after the portal. And none of them had ever been unconscious while merged before.

For the most part, they all sort of shared control. For battles, Blue or Vio tended to take over, because they were the stronger and smarter of the four of them. Whenever someone needed an ear, Red was always willing to listen, and when a mediator was required that was Green's job.

But sometimes it was nice to just have a body for a change. Before joining the other Links, they were separated more often than not. It was nice to have extra hands to help out, but even better to have the company. The others just happened to find them when they were merged, and none of them knew how to explain the situation without sounding absolutely insane, having been unable to separate due to an injury at the time. So they opted to wait until the right time.

The 'right time' never came. These past few months have been the longest stretch they'd gone without separating, and things were getting more than a little cramped. They bickered often and more than once someone had responded aloud, garnering concerned glances from the others, which only made them all even more nervous.

In short, it was becoming a train wreck disaster, and none of them could find the time or opportunity to slip away and separate for a few hours. But perhaps here, in Four's home Hyrule, they could find somewhere to take a breather.

Green carefully slipped out of the house, relishing in the cool morning air. His feet followed the path to the bench they'd made behind the forge where a tiny house sat on either side that Red had insisted on making for any traveling Minish. Blue put up special fencing around the area to deter as many predators as possible, and Green planted a ton of thick foliage for cover from both airborne predators and the rain. Vio made little stone pathways so the Minish would always have a solid path to a safe place, with a little runoff area so the rain didn't pool on the path.

Together, they'd made a little safe haven for any Minish that needed it. It was much appreciated, and a small village had cropped up somewhere in their backyard. They'd visit occasionally, and would often find little treasures or rupees hidden in their house and on their property.

Unlike the other Links, they didn't really have any other Hylians that'd care about them. Well, there was Smith, but he was off doing work in a neighboring country. They had no remaining family since their father died during their Second Journey. The village nearby would rather watch him burn than worry over him.

Don't get them wrong, most people in their Hyrule thought they were fine, if a bit strange. A few people seemed to think they were traumatized or something (and maybe they were, but that was their business). It was only this one singular village that hated them, but that was because this was the village they grew up with. These people had known Four before they were four. Back when they were one person and simply Link, Smith's apprentice.

It had taken them a while after their journey's end to figure out how to separate without drawing the Foursword each time. They'd also had a very bad habit of speaking to one another aloud instead of through their mental link. As such, Four was known as... less than sane. Mothers warned their children to stay away from them. And some people were even starting to think they were possessed by evil.

It always made Red depressed to see the people they'd fought so hard to protect whispering venomously behind their backs. Thankfully, their forge was a ways away from the village, so none of the other Links had any clue about Four's less than ideal reputation. And since Vio always insisted on stocking up whenever they had the chance, the house had everything they needed, so there was never an excuse for the others to visit the nearby town.

Dot was completely unaware of how the village treated them. And they were sure that she'd be overjoyed if they moved to Castle Town, but they just couldn't bear to leave the forge behind. This was Smith's secret forge, a place passed down through Smith's family. Nobody but Dot, Four, and now the other Links, knew about it. They couldn't just let it go when it meant so much to them.

Green sighed as he watched the light from the stained glass window dancing on the grass. The greens and blues swayed on the blades as purples and reds reflected the vibrancy of the morning sun.

How he wished they could separate again. He missed having the others physically there with him. Despite this, a small part of him was secretly relishing in being treated as one person. He was sure they were all secretly enjoying it.

Though they knew it couldn't last forever, it was nice to be treated like a normal person again. Perhaps that was why they were all hesitant to reveal this secret to the group. They knew they'd understand. But... what if they didn't?

"Get your head out of the shadows, Green." Vio gently poked him mentally. "We're all okay. Things are fine."

"This journey can't be that much longer, right?" Blue chimed in. "Once it's over, we can go back to how things used to be."

"But... I'm going to miss everyone... and it doesn't feel right to leave on a lie." Red sniffled.

"Do you want to tell them?" Blue challenged.

"N-no..." Red whined. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't!!"

"It might be better this way." Vio reminded him gently. "But if the opportunity arises..."

"Then we'll separate." Green agreed. "Like in a battle or something. Something that'll show them how useful we are... then they'll have to accept us."

"I think Wild and the others are coming back." Vio informed, and Green looked up to realize he was right. He mentally thanked Red for putting up a taller gardening fence around the Minish paths they'd made, otherwise the group may have trampled all over the tiny walkways that were supposed to be safe.

"Hey Four! You're up early!" Hyrule grinned and waved. "Wild's about to start breakfast!! Fresh eggs!"

Four smiled. "I'll be right in." They promised. "Just doing a little yard work."

"Need a hand?" Wild tilted his head.

"Nah, thanks, though. I like to do it myself. Helps me relax."

"Okay, then." He smiled and headed inside. For as good as Wild was at cooking out in the forest, he was even better in a proper kitchen.

They let their smile drop the moment the others were out of sight. Despite their earlier thoughts, it was hard to pretend. To pretend to be one person. To be something they weren't.

"I said that's enough dark thoughts." Vio reprimanded. "Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting hungry. We should head in."

"Right." Green nodded absently as he stood and stretched, letting control bleed back between the four of them.

Perhaps such a thing would be awkward for someone else, but they'd been one person long before they'd been four. And controlling one body wasn't that different from controlling their own, so long as they didn't argue against anything.

Like trying to get Red to drink milk.

The smell hit them full force when they entered the house and a smile spread across Four's lips. "Smells fantastic."

"Wild's making something I can't pronounce! It smells so good!" Wind beamed, jumping around.

"Who gave the brat sugar?" Blue groaned.

"Shush, you." Vio rolled his eyes. "I think it's cute."

Breakfast was a lively and upbeat affair. Whatever fancy dish Wild had cooked up was far above anything else Four had ever tasted. They really hoped they'd be staying here in this Hyrule for a while if this was how they were going to eat.

"Any clue what we need to do here?" Twilight asked, leaning back in his chair.

"No, none. But there's a good chance that the knights stationed in the fort a half day's walk from here might've heard something." Four mused.

"Did you once mention a town that's closer? Maybe they've heard of something?" Warriors suggested.

"No!" Four answered just a little too quickly. "I-I mean, the outpost would have a better opportunity for us, is all." They could tell at a glance that the hurried excuse had done nothing to fool the others. They sighed, fidgeting with their headband. "The village and I... don't exactly get along."

"That's an understatement." Vio remarked dryly.

"If by 'don't get along' you mean 'tries to murder us whenever we stop by', then yeah! We don't get along." Blue tossed in.

"They don't try to murder us, stop exaggerating." Red protested.

"They still throw things at us. At the very least, they don't care if we sustain substantial injury." Vio pointed out, causing Red to sigh.

"Don't get along?" Legend raised an eyebrow.

"I'd like to leave it at that, please." Red spoke up before letting control fade back to the rest of them.

"O...kay." Time said slowly. "In that case, we'll head for the outpost."

Four let their shoulders sag in relief. They dodged that arrow. Barely.

The walk wasn't that bad. The sun was beating down warmly upon them, but the cool breeze of the coming autumn kept everyone at a comfortable temperature.

As per usual, Wild didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by the hike. He walked gracefully over rough dirt patches and didn't even stumble over rocks. He even seemed to subconsciously avoid the rare Minish that darted across the path, often mistaken for a mouse.

"It's like he's more animal than Hylian." Blue noted.

"Don't be rude!" Red chastised. "He's just as Hylian as... everyone else."

"You couldn't even say 'the rest of us'." Blue deadpanned.

"Well, I like to think we're part Minish. I mean, we are honorary Minish!"

"As nice as that is, Red, we're still Hylian." Vio chuckled.

"He breaks so many weapons, though. That can't be pure Hylian strength." Blue argued.

"He does have a bad habit of breaking them, but I don't think we should hold it against him!" Red defended.

"You're just saying that because you like his food." Green smirked.

"NO!" Red paused. "Okay, maybe a little, but his food is so good!"

"Yeah, but he still breaks his weapons. That's bad." Vio reminded them both.

"Hold on." Wild stopped, holding up a hand as his ears twitched. "I hear something up ahead."

"Just how good is your hearing?" Warriors asked in disbelief. Four couldn't hear anything either.

"I'll go check it out." Time spoke up before strolling ahead, Twilight on his heels. They were back in just a few minutes.

"Monster camp over the ridge." Twilight grimaced.

"Right. How many?" Warriors asked, slipping into his captain mode.

"Doesn't seem too bad, but there's a couple Wizzrobes." Twilight sighed and shook his head. Four mentally groaned. Wizzrobes were such a pain.

"It's a Moblin camp." Time explained.

"You have Wizzrobes, too?" Wild blinked at Four.

"Of course." They shook their head. "I'm more surprised you have them. I thought you said your Hyrule didn't have much magic?"

"I said I couldn't really use magic. Most Hylians can't. But my Hyrule is full of magic and mystery." Wild grinned wistfully. It was something they'd all realized—Wild loved his Hyrule. It was a little odd, considering his reluctance to talk about his journey. Hyrule seemed just as reluctant to talk about his journey, but from the little they'd glimpsed of his Hyrule, he wasn't a fan of the land he called home.

"All right, then we should plan accordingly." Time and Warriors started hashing out a fairly simple plan. Wild and Twilight would snipe the Wizzrobes while Hyrule watched their backs. Once the area was clear of them, the rest of the group would head in and engage the Moblins.

"Wild, Twilight; once the Wizzrobes are out of the picture, I want you to engage the enemy, too." Time stated. "The Wizzrobes float high enough for ranged combat to be effective, but the Moblins are in a well-covered area. Arrows won't do us much good, here."

"Right." Wild smirked confidently. "Leave it to me."

The plan started off well enough. Four just couldn't get over how good Wild was with a bow. Even Blue was impressed.

"I wonder if we should look into making arrows? It might be cheaper for us all if we learned the craft, what with how Wild relies on his bow." Red mused.

"I mean, I don't see why not? But making arrows is vastly different from forging swords. It'll take us some time to learn it properly." Vio responded.

"Either way... we can talk about this later." Green cut in. "Look, the last Wizzrobe's nearly out— GO! It's time to move!"

Four rushed in alongside the others, Red taking primary physical control while Vio analyzed their enemies. The Moblins were stronger than they should've been—they were obviously infected. Their suspicions were confirmed when they managed to get a good slice in and a viscous black substance oozed from the wound. Four quickly ducked under an angry swipe from their foe, knocking it back with a well-timed thrust with their shield. The Moblin stumbled, foot slipping on a loose rock. They didn't let the opportunity go to waste as they thrust the Foursword deeply into the Moblin's neck, ending its life.

Four saw a flash of blue from the corner of their eye as the Moblin disintegrated into black smoke. Wild was fighting with a sword. Four realized that—aside from their first encounter with the hero—none of them had seen him fighting at close range.

The other hero was up against a Moblin with a particularly nasty personality. Even so, the scarred youth's face was alight with a feral grin. Wild looked like he was having a blast, and the shiny new sword in his hand from Twilight's Hyrule was serving him well.

His style was certainly ferocious and unreformed. There was a distinct edge of feral to the way Wild fought. As if he'd learned by watching monsters. Four abruptly realized that he very well may have learned how to fight by watching monsters due to his amnesia.

They did a quick sweep of the battlefield to make sure nobody needed help, but everyone was finishing up their own fights. Legend dispatched his Moblin with little hassle and Warriors was helping Wind with his two Moblins. For being infected, these monsters really hadn't given them much trouble. Vio frowned as he chewed on that thought.

Four was heading towards Wild to lend a hand just as the unthinkable happened. Wild ducked under an attack and swung his blade at just the wrong angle, shattering the weapon into far too many pieces for Four to salvage.

The sound of steel shattering reverberated throughout the mostly empty battlefield. While Wild had 'told' them about his weapons occasionally breaking when they first met, Four had never really seen it. And they certainly never expected to see one break mid-battle like this.

There was a breathless moment of 'oh shit' as the realization hit the group as a whole. Wild was without a weapon.

Warriors, Four and Legend made to rush over and help him fight, but Wild took his weapon shattering with the sort of nonchalance of a daily occurrence. He spun away from a slash from the Moblin, and twisted part of the Moblin's wrist, loosening its hold as he stole the Moblin's weapon. Wild wasted no time in skewering the enemy's neck with its own blade, causing his foe to disintegrate into a puff of black smoke.

Four immediately rushed over with Hyrule to assess the damage to their newest member, as Wild calmly tested the weight of the sword he'd stolen from the monster. He didn't seem too badly hurt, but...

Four had never seen someone use a technique like that with that kind of practice. Not for the first time, they wondered what kind of place Wild's Hyrule was.

"You aren't seriously going to take that, are you?" Twilight asked, eyeing the weapon with distaste as Hyrule tended to the cuts on Wild's arm, which he insisted was fine. There were pieces of sword embedded in his arm and he was acting like they were splinters. Four idly noted that Wild was likely the type to hide his injuries, and resolved to warn Time and Hyrule—if they hadn't already deduced the same thing.

"Yeah?" Wild tilted his head. "Why not? It's a perfectly good sword."

"Perfectly good...?" Vio echoed aloud in disbelief. "Monsters aren't known for taking good care of their weapons. That won't last you long..." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Wait... do you steal all your weapons from monsters?"

"Of course I do. How else am I supposed to get them?" Wild answered simply.

Four glanced over towards the sound of Time groaning and smacking his forehead with his fist quietly.

"No wonder your weapons always break!" Blue took over for a brief moment. "Please tell me you know how to care for your weapons?"

"Uh...?" Wild stared at Time and Four with an uncertain look. "You wipe off the blood the first chance you get?"

Well, that explained a lot.

"No wonder they're always breaking! No matter how good the weapon is, if it's not cared for properly it'll break at some point." Vio groaned.

"Hey, it's not his fault he's got amnesia." Red reminded them. "He probably didn't even know that weapons needed maintenance."

"Haha... Not quite. I'll teach you how to take care of your blades." Warriors promised, slinging an arm around Wild with a grin. The shorter hero flinched a bit at the contact, but he was starting to flinch less. Though Four noticed that Wild didn't flinch at all when Legend initiated physical contact. Perhaps they were a bit closer than they first thought? It probably had something to do with the waterfall incident the other day.

"I'm sure I knew once, but..." Wild trailed off.

"I'll look into making you something a bit more durable." Four said, and Wild's grin was unbelievably wide. "When we get to your Hyrule, I'm going to have a talk with some of your blacksmiths." Vio promised.

"Good luck." Wild grimaced. "The only blacksmith I can think of off the top of my head is a Goron. But if you wanted to teach some Hylians, I'd be really grateful."

"The more I hear about your Hyrule, the more curious I become." Warriors stated. "Gorons are your blacksmiths? They aren't known for making the sharpest weapons. Most of their gear relies on brute strength."

"Yeah, that Cobble Crusher is really hard to swing." Wild nodded.

"Cobble...? Do I want to know?" Hyrule grinned as Wild laughed.

"Hey, Four?" Legend looked up from the bag he was rummaging around in. "Do you know a good place to restock? We're running low on medical supplies and I gave Wind the last red potion we had for the gash on his arm."

"I've got supplies at my house." They answered easily. "We can restock there."

"Sounds like a plan." Warriors grinned. "And I'm curious what Wild's got in store for dinner tonight."

"I actually started it before we left. A nice slow-cooked meat-based dish I learned from the Gerudo. It sits and simmers for about 10-12 hours, so it should be ready by the time we get back." Wild grinned.

"I can't wait!" Wind beamed. "It sounds amazing!"

Perhaps it was due to the fact that it was mostly downhill, but the trip back seemed to be a lot faster and easier than the trip to the monster camp. Four smiled as they saw their home in the distance. They'd never get tired of being able to call this place their own.

"Don't forget to stock up on those medical supplies!" Vio reminded them the moment they walked through the door.

"Right." Green muttered aloud, and Wind gave him an odd look. "I was just remembering that we should grab those medical supplies." He covered as he headed towards the supply closet.

"Uh oh..." Red winced when they opened the door. The supplies that they were sure should've been there... were gone. There were still things there, yes, but...

"Smith." Green groaned.

"Isn't he out of the country?" Red frowned.

"Pardon?" Twilight came over to glance at the pantry, and Blue mentally cursed at the fact that he didn't even need to try to see over their head.

"Fucking tall people."

"Blue!" Vio glared. "Language!"

"Bite me."

"My old blacksmith master, Smith. He must've swung by and raided my supplies." Red answered, seeing as Green was busy trying to break up another fight between Blue and Vio. "At least, it's all I can think of. I know I had more supplies than this... But nobody's broken in. I can't think of anyone else... Nobody else but him and Dot know about this place... but last I heard he was out of the country for an indefinite period of time."

"What about the villagers?" Blue spoke up softly. There was a hesitance to his voice that normally wasn't there.

"They wouldn't!" Red denied. "Besides! They don't even know about this place!"

"Wouldn't they?" Blue challenged. "They could've just stumbled upon it. You know how they are... They want us gone. If they heard we were out of town, they could've ransacked the place."

"But they didn't ransack the place." Vio reminded him. "There was no sign of forced entry, and nothing of any true value was stolen. Besides, we've been extra careful to make sure they don't know where we live."

"Four?" Hyrule tilted his head as they realized they'd been quiet for a moment too long.

"Sorry, it's just strange. Smith's the only one that makes sense, anyone else would've ransacked the place." They sighed. "But I haven't seen Smith in years—I last heard that he was several countries away. I really doubt it was him. But other than him, Dot, and you guys, nobody else knows about this place."

"So you've been robbed but only your potions and medical supplies were taken?" Time affirmed.

"It seems so." They shook their head. What a mess.

"Well, I guess we'll have to gather fresh supplies." Sky spoke up. Four's heart skipped several beats.

"No, if they go to the village—"

"It was bound to happen at some point, Red." Vio sighed. "We'll just... have to deal with it. And maybe the villagers won't be as bad when we're with such a large heavily armed group?"

"We can hope." Green mentally shook his head. "We can also stay home? I mean, it's not like we have to go with them?"

"No, you know the rules." Vio shook his head. "We just fought off a group of infected monsters. Chances are high of a switch soon. There's no way Time would let us split up like that now. Half and half? Maybe if it were somewhere in the general vicinity like an inn within a town. But not across a distance like that."

"There's... a town nearby." Green spoke hesitantly, barely holding back a wince as Red mentally kicked him for suggesting it. Red then wrestled control over, trying to figure out some way to keep the others from the town. "I can go and resupply—"

"I think it'd be better to stick together." Time dashed the plan immediately, confirming Vio's theory. Red sunk back in quiet despair, allowing Green to take back control as Vio sent Red a mental glare. "We just fought off a camp of infected monsters, and have no idea when the next Switch will come. I'd rather we all stay as close together as possible."

"I guess that's fair." Wild nodded. "All right, then. Show us the way, Four."

There was still an hour or so of daylight left, and the town was no more than thirty minutes away. They had time to gather supplies and be back by dark.

"I could just stay here—watch the pot and stuff?" Blue tried. He had as much inclination of going to that place as Red. Time gave them a raised eyebrow.

"You said you and the village don't get along, right?" Hyrule recalled. "I'm sure it'll be fine for a quick trip. But if it's going to get dangerous, I'm sure we can find somewhere else to resupply?" That garnered a few odd looks from the others, but Hyrule held Four's gaze.

Hyrule, of all of them, had been the only one to deduce that it could be dangerous to visit a town. Four found themselves questioning just what Hyrule's Hyrule was like.

"It's... It shouldn't be dangerous." Green started.

"Liar." Blue hissed.

"It isn't dangerous." Red pouted

"Just... unpleasant for me." Green continued on, ignoring Red with a practiced ease. He tried his best not to show how uneasy he was at the idea of making this trip.

"Let's get going, then." Vio stated, taking back over. "We're getting nowhere. Obviously, we need to resupply—there's no getting around that. I'd rather face some flying pots and scathing looks than have someone die because we were too afraid to face the music."

The other three mentally sighed. Vio was right. They had no real choice in this matter.

"Are you sure?" Hyrule asked quietly as the others started moving out the door. "If you need me to cover for you somehow, I will."

"I... I really appreciate that, Hyrule. But it's not like I'll be attacked with so many people around."

"GREEN!" Vio cried out. "You just admitted we would be attacked otherwise!!"

Hyrule seemed to pick up on this, too, because he patted Four on the shoulder. "I get it. I'm not well liked in my villages, either. If you need anything, I'm here, okay?"

"Thanks." Four gave him a smile as they set out.

"So Hyrule's like us?" Red asked as they walked.

"Seems so." Vio nodded. "Or, at the very least, he didn't get any positive attention from his people."

"It's sad." Red sniffled. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

"Not even Vaati?" Blue challenged.

"Not even Vaati."

The walk wasn't long. It was about a half hour before they found their way into town. Four hesitated at the threshold, feeling the aura of unwelcome radiating from the place. The whispers started almost as soon as they spotted Four. They tried their best to distance themselves from the group so that maybe the stigma wouldn't follow them, but Hyrule insisted on walking beside Four.

The others picked up on the unusual treatment fairly quickly. "They... aren't too used to strangers, are they?" Twilight asked.

"No, not really." Four answered quietly. Perhaps their answer was a tad clipped, because Legend shot them a calculating look. Hyrule placed a friendly hand on their shoulder, reminding them that he was there. He looked sad, but not confused. Like he'd expected such treatment. Looked like Vio was right again.

"The potions shop is over there, and the shop for medicine is that way." Four gestured. "It... might be best if you guys go in without me."

"Great job, Green. Now they're going to be way more suspicious than they already were!" Blue glared.

"Yeah, well, it's still better than the alternative." Green argued back as they eyed a shopkeep glaring at them from the window.

Time looked at Four for a long moment before nodding. "Twilight, you take Hyrule, Sky, Warriors and Wind to gather the medical supplies. Four, Wild, Legend and I will tackle the potions." Four sighed a bit in relief. At least they'd get the medical supplies.

"Right." Twilight nodded.

"Be careful." Hyrule said as Twilight started to lead his group away.

"Word of advice." Four stopped Hyrule before he could head out. "Don't mention that you know me." He looked at Four for a few seconds before nodding; an understanding gleam in his eye. They let him go, and he quickly rejoined the others.

"All right, let's get this over with." Legend huffed, but stopped when he saw Four standing a fair distance from the group. "What're you doing over there?"

"It's best if I don't go in with you." Four answered, shuffling their feet as they caught a few women gossiping about them nearby. Wild glanced towards the women before turning his attention back to Four.

"I'll stay out here with you, then." Wild offered, coming to stand beside them.

Time and Legend shared a look. "We'll try to be fast." Time promised before heading in. They were only in there a moment before they were sent right back out. Four winced, instantly understanding what had occurred.

"She kicked you out, didn't she?" They guessed.

"She said 'any friend of that isn't welcome here'." Legend scowled and made a rude gesture towards the shop. "Mind explaining?"

"It's just... People don't like me, here."

Time, Wild, and Legend shared a concerned look. Time was about to open his mouth to ask something, when a villager cut him off.

"Damn straight we don't like you!" An older man marched over, looking ready to chuck the pot he was carrying right at Four's face. He seemed to think better of it once he saw the weapons Time and Legend were carrying. "You're nuttier than a squirrel! Why, it's no wonder your whore of a mother chucked you into the river as a babe! Shame you didn't drown."

Four recoiled like they were slapped. They'd been found in the river as a toddler by Smith many years ago. It was assumed that Four had either fallen in and drifted downriver, or their mother had attempted to drown them. Four's biological parents were never found, so nobody really knew. They were adopted by their father when they were three—a man who was a strong knight and a gentle and loving parent. He passed during their second journey. Either way, the insult hurt more than it should've, and Red was just about ready to cry. Blue bristled in fury, and Green was just trying to calm everyone down. Which left Vio in charge of the body.

"Excuse me, sir." Time stepped between the man and Four, a frighteningly blank expression on his face. His eye was shadowed, and Four caught the gleam of unbridled fury in that bright blue gaze. Time's eye was so dark it looked like a storm cloud. His tone cut off the commotion in their head, causing all four of them to pay attention. "But I do not appreciate you insulting my friend."

"Ha! Friend?!" The man laughed. "He didn't even tell ya, did he?! He's keeseshit crazy! Kid talks to himself and holds whole conversations like he's got other people living in his head! Ever since that 'adventure' of his, he's lost it! And several of us are starting to think he's been possessed by evil. He's not welcome here. And if you're with him, neither are you. This town has nothing to sell you. Leave."

"Why, you—" Legend was cut off by Time, who approached the man.

"I don't believe you understand the situation, sir." He spoke with a calmness that belied the raging tempest within. "Perhaps we should take this conversation elsewhere?"

Before Four could blink, Time was dragging the man out of sight. They stared, unable to process the fact that someone stood up for them. Sure, Time had always seemed like a nice guy, but never had any of them dared to hope that he'd do something like that for them. To defend their honor in such a way.

"Do I want to know what happened?" Warriors asked as the second group rejoined them, medical supplies in hand. Twilight and Sky looked furious, and Four realized they must've either heard the earlier conversation, or had the prices jacked up due to their association with him. Hyrule looked more resigned than anything.

"This bastard just comes out of nowhere and starts insulting Four. He even insulted his mother." Legend fumed.

"Really, it's okay." Four reassured, causing Legend and the others to turn towards them in disbelief. "I'm used to it. It's all right."

"Used to it?!" Legend raged. "You shouldn't be used to that kind of treatment! He didn't even treat you like a person!" Four looked away; unable to meet Legend's angered gaze as the realization set in for him that this was normal treatment for them. They noticed that Hyrule looked away, too.

Time came back alone, brushing off his armor casually, the man nowhere in sight. "He's not going to bother you again." For a moment, Four swore they saw Time slipping some kind of mask into his pocket.

"Did you...?" Four's eyes went wide.

"Did he just kill someone?!" Red panicked.

"I don't think so?!" Vio sounded unsure.

"No, but he was certainly given a... talking to." Time reassured them with a smile. "But what he said wasn't right. I don't care what the villagers say. You're not possessed or anything of the sort. And you're not crazy."

Four could feel their face burning bright red, and Red's tears were starting to leak out of their eyes.

"Maybe we should have this conversation elsewhere?" Hyrule spoke up, eyeing the semi-hostile people around them. The glares and tightened grips around gardening tools should be a big warning sign even to the Links who didn't deal with hostile civilians.

"Right." Time agreed as they carefully made their way out of town. The group circled around Four as if to protect them from the acidic words hurled by the villagers.

"That's right! Leave, you cretin!" One man shouted as they left. Four ducked their head, half-expecting something to fly towards them. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Bastard!" Another villager shouted, raising a pitchfork.

"Should've left you to drown in the river!!" A woman cried out, apple clenched tightly in her hand.

"Loon!"

"Stay away from my children, you freak!" The cries were becoming more and more hurtful, and the anger from the town was palpable. Even still, Four kept a tight grip on the people around them, keeping everyone moving.

"Next time you come around, we'll burn you ourselves!!" One drunken man cried out from the pub.

"Death to the monster!" Another drunkard cried, and numerous roars of approval rose into the air.

"Leave it be." Four warned them when they sensed the group gearing up for a confrontation. "They don't know where I live... It's fine. Let's just... leave." They looked up at them. "Please?"

To their surprise, it was Sky that looked the most furious. Sky and Time—the two calmest of the group. Sure, everyone looked angry, but those two looked ready to kill. Thankfully, everyone seemed to listen, and Four let their shoulders relax when they finally rounded the trail into the forest, village out of sight.

"The hell was that?" Legend asked as they walked. "Those people actually wanted to kill you."

"They're not always that bad. There's a festival coming up, and I think they've been drinking." Four fidgeted a bit.

"That doesn't make it right, nor any less concerning." Sky spoke up. "What if they actually did something?"

"I mean..." Green abruptly took over, sensing the self-depreciating comment Vio was about to make. "I've got some friends I could stay with?" At least they knew the Minish would accept them.

"Like it'd really matter if they did kill us?" Red's quiet voice rung in their head. None of them had anything to say against it. Without these eight people, nobody but the Minish and Dot would grieve them. Sure, the rest of the people of their Hyrule were kind, but Four tended to distance themselves from other people. They didn't have friends like Twilight or Time. And Ezlo—

"Friends that won't try to kill you?" Legend raised an eyebrow.

"Friends that I can guarantee will do everything they can to get back at the villagers." Green affirmed. The silence as the group walked was a heavy one, and Four couldn't contain the relief they felt as their house came into view.

"Look. What they said... it wasn't right." Twilight spoke up. He looked pained and angry. "Nobody should be treated like that."

"He's right." Sky nodded. "They were horrible to you. The shopkeeper we got supplies from was gossiping about you, and the things he said..." A look of pure loathing flashed across the Skyloftian's face, startling them for a moment.

"It was all we could do not to kick his face in." Warriors ground out through clenched teeth. "Look, I don't know why they hate you, but from what I've seen, you're a good guy. I'd trust you with my life, Four. Don't listen to what they say."

"We'd all trust you with our lives." Time stated softly, a gentle warmth lighting his eye. "I don't care what happened on your journey—you're family."

Four swallowed hard as tears started building in their eyes.

"They trust us." Green echoed numbly.

"They shouldn't." Blue spat with a mental scowl.

"They deserve to know." Red argued.

"No they don't! They'll be like everyone else!" Blue refused.

"Weren't you listening?!" Red cried. "He called us family!"

"We HAD a family!" Blue snarled. "We don't need another one! We never needed one in the first place, so why the fuck should that change?!"

"Calm down, Blue." Green chimed in. "Red, you know better than to bring that topic up."

"But! Can't we... just this once? Time's so much like Father..." Red said softly, and the other three flinched. "S-sorry. I... I didn't mean—"

"No, you didn't think." Blue glared. "You never think, Red! That's the problem! You just act like everything is fine and dandy, well newsflash! It's NOT! Maybe if you stopped to think for once in your life, Father would still be here."

"Blue! That's enough!" Vio snapped. "You've gone too far."

Blue glared between Vio and Red, but he knew he'd crossed an unspoken line. Red bit back a sob, and he could feel the anger and disapproval radiating off Vio and Green.

"A-all I'm saying is that we can't keep lying like this. It's hurting us, and it's hurting them." Red choked out.

"Yes we can!" Blue shot back, voice raw with a quiet pain. "One day, this journey will end, too. And things will go back to how they were before. It doesn't matter how they feel, we'll just be alone again at the end." Blue paused for a moment, deliberating his next words. "Are you really such a glutton for pain, Red?"

There was a beat. A moment of silence as they carefully let the weight of Blue's statement weigh upon them. Emotions ran raw from the fight and the newly realized truth of this latest journey.

"I still want them to know. I'll regret it forever if we don't." Red spoke up softly.

"I say we keep quiet." Blue's voice was firm.

"There's logic in telling them... At the very least, we'll be able to separate again. We may not get another opportunity like this again." Vio shook his head. The three went quiet, waiting for Green's decision. Either it'd come to a stalemate, or the secret would be spilled.

"Let's do it." Green finally decided. "Fights are getting more heated. We need to separate. I don't care if they like us anymore. I'm sick of this constant tension between us. I'm tired of being Link."

The four shared a mental nod before letting Green take control of the body. Red was far too emotional from the fight, and Blue was still cooling off. Vio was trying to keep any further confrontations from occurring.

Green looked at the others, who were staring at him. They must've been quiet for a long while.

"You okay? You kind of zoned out there." Twilight frowned.

"I... I think there's something I should tell you." He started. "Something we should tell you."

"We?" Twilight tilted his head, confused.

"Fuck it. I'll do it. Gimme control." Blue didn't wait for a response as Green found himself taking a sudden and unwelcome backseat.

"Look. Our journey fucked us up." The others startled at the abrupt personality change. "This Foursword? Yeah, it has a nifty little power to it." Blue grabbed the blade, keeping it sheathed. "There's a reason we never let you touch it."

Then, he pushed their magic into it.

It'd been a long time since they last split, and they felt it. Normally splitting was a welcome relief—a tingling sensation like circulation returning to a limb that hadn't yet fallen asleep. Strange—perhaps a tad uncomfortable—but a relief nonetheless.

This time, it felt almost half as bad as the First Split—a pain that sectioned itself into four pieces, splintering off and tearing away at their very soul. Despite this, it was only seconds before the four of them were plopped on the floor of their home panting for breath. The others stared, unsure of how to take this latest turn of events.

"Damnit, Blue! You can't just take over like that!" Green glared from where he sat on the wooden floor. He felt too dizzy and unsteady to stand. "Jerk."

"You were just gonna flower it up. I wasn't wasting another chance. And look, now we've split, so fuck you."

"Uh... hi?" Red greeted the group unsurely, leaning against the wall. The other Links just stared at the four as they tried to comprehend what they just witnessed.

"Told you this was a mistake." Blue sneered at Red.

"Hey! You haven't even given them a chance to properly process everything!" Vio grabbed Blue's ear before he could stalk away. "And don't think you're not still in trouble for that fight earlier."

"OW! Vio!"

"Stay put and stop running away from your problems."

"V-Vio's right." Red pointed out, eyes still red from crying earlier. "We can't keep running away from this."

Green turned towards the group who was slowly coming out of their shock. "The Foursword isn't like the Master Sword. It has the ability to split one person into four, hence the name."

"Thing is, it splits you down to the soul." Vio picked up. "Once you've split, there's no going back."

A few eyes widened at that. "You mean... you're all Four?" Wind blinked.

"Yeah. I'm Violet, but call me Vio. I'm the one with the braincell around here."

"I'm Red."

"He's the emotional one." Green shook his head. "I'm Green, and the hothead over there is Blue."

"I can introduce myself, dick!"

"We know." Green gave him a grin. "Together we are Four."

"The tunic makes sense, now." Warriors groaned.

"Wait! So when your eyes change color?" Wild spoke up, an excited grin on his face.

"That's one of us influencing more control than the others." Green nodded. "We usually share control. The Four you know is a mixture of us all."

"Does it hurt you? To stay separated like that?" Hyrule asked, brow furrowed in concern.

"It's actually the opposite." Vio chimed in. "It's more painful and stressful for us to be stuffed together in one body. We heal faster when merged, so that's why we weren't separated when you met us. But we tend to stay split any other time."

"Also, if one of us dies, I'm pretty sure we all die." Blue added in.

"BLUE!" Red cried out. "That was not okay! Nobody's dying!!"

"Oh, boy. Here we go again." Green groaned, rubbing his temples. He turned to look at the other Links. "This is why the Village acted the way they did. At first, we weren't too good at keeping conversations quiet, and they were quick to notice the eye color change, too. Since they knew us back before we split, they picked up on the differences pretty quickly."

"Plus there was the incident with..." Vio trailed off as the other three grimaced.

"I stand by what I said." Time spoke up, tactfully ignoring the sensitive topic. "You're not crazy, and you're still part of this group."

"Yeah!! This is so cool!!" Wind beamed.

"It will be nice to have three more fighters around." Legend mused.

"You mean... you don't hate us?" Red looked at them with watery eyes. Blue rolled his eyes and shoved Red with an exasperated expression.

"Why would we hate you?" Wild tilted his head. "You're still Four, just different parts of him. If we didn't hate you before, why would we hate you now? Everyone's got a right to their secrets."

Red sniffled and started to cry as Vio patted him on the shoulder. "He does this a lot. Don't mind him, he just needs to get it out."

"Like we said—emotional one." Green smiled. It was relieving to finally be out in the open. "Come on, I think dinner's ready, yeah?"

They could finally relax and just be themselves for a change. Aside from the initial shock, everything was fine. The rest of the group was making a strong effort to include all four of them in conversations.

Blue, Warriors, and Legend were getting into a heated debate about something allowing Blue to blow off steam from his earlier row with Red. Meanwhile, Red was talking calmly to Hyrule about different medicinal techniques, easily distracted as usual. Vio was reading a book next to Time, and Green was helping Wild in the kitchen.

Everything seemed... fine, for a change. And being split again was nice. Having a clear head was nice.

"Hey, I'm going to go visit the Minish. Make sure everyone's doing okay." Vio stated mentally as he got up and stretched. "I heard the village is doing well."

"Be careful." Green warned, shooting Vio a look. "Want one of us to come with you?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. I'll keep the link open."

"All right." Blue shrugged.

"Hey, where's Vio going?" Wind asked.

"He said he was going to check up on something out back for a bit." Red answered.

"I didn't hear anything?" Wind tilted his head.

"Just because we're split doesn't mean we aren't still technically one person. We can speak mentally over a fair amount of distance." Blue spoke up, having been caught in a lull of the debate.

"That's handy." Twilight blinked. "It'll be useful on patrols, too."

"It used to be a pain." Blue winced. "I remember when we first split that even injuries were shared between us."

"They still technically are." Red reminded them.

"Yeah, but the damage is kept to one person, now." Green spoke up. "If I take a knife to the arm, the rest of you don't have to worry about fighting with one hand."

"True. That was annoying." Blue huffed.

"Everyone's doing just fine. They're happy to hear we're okay. They worry about us a lot when we go to the village." Vio informed them. "Also, they already know about the incident in the village earlier, and will make sure they don't get any rupees for a long while."

Blue snorted, an amused smile crossing his lips. "Vio's being a snark." He explained to the raised eyebrows he received.

"You might want to call Vio back, because dinner's ready!" Wild grinned.