Wait isn't Spirit the name used for Spirit Tracks Link-- ... Well, I guess I did it again, then-- I didn't mean to XD

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It was a bit strange at first, explaining things without everyone else there. Together, they had developed a sort of loose script to follow.

Time did most of the explaining, while Wars echoed with simpler, more objective words. As a leader of an army, he was good at delivering updates quickly but also with precision. Though, to someone who was trying to wrap their head around all of this, it wasn't sufficient on its own. Legend was in charge or snarky comments, naturally. Mostly the questions of why this new Link was being sent on another quest. And for Sky, it was his role to prove that they were who they said they were with a little help from Fi. (And also to remind everyone just how lovely and caring the goddess was against Legend's remarks.)

Regardless, he made a way by paraphrasing what everyone else had said. It was difficult to know if he was doing a good job since Link didn't ask any questions. The male did seem antsy though, more and more avoiding eye contact, looking here, there and everywhere but at Sky. His feet shifted, and his hands felt around him. It seemed to be a restless movement rather than an anxious one. And despite looking like he might bolt at any moment, he stayed put on the rock he sat on.

"So... we could really use your help." Sky concluded, putting his glowing sword back in her sheath. "Do you have any questions?"

Link shook his head, his gaze flickering to meet Sky's for just a moment. Sky wondered if that was true, or if he just had no way of asking them. He decided not to push it. "Will you join us, then?" A nod. Sky couldn't help but grin. "Great!" He replied. Link matched his smile for a few moments, but then it faded again.

Sky let them enter a silent spell for a minute. Perhaps for anyone else it may have been uncomfortable, but for him, he was used to the often quiet company of Fi. He didn't need a verbal response. 

Link got up and began to wander again. "Right. We should get going." Sky agreed, pulling over his shoes and braces to put them on. Link didn't give him any acknowledgement, walking out of sight.

"Hey, wait up!" Sky called, hurrying up to fasten the straps on his braces. From there, he managed to stuff his feet into his boots before snapping the hidden buttons together. He would usually give more care to his boots lest he wear and break the sides down, but Link was getting away. 

He jumped to his feet, going right into a sprint. Thankfully this time, he did not almost trip himself as he rushed into the brush where the blonde had gone. He called for Link again, but he slowed as he realized he had no idea where he had went. If Link had heard him, he didn't reply. Regardless, he called again and again as he slowed from a run to a walk, and finally a stop altogether. 

Why would this new Link run off? Sky could only think back to how much the teen kept looking around. Was he prone to wander like Hyrule was? Or was he deliberately running from him? And if so, why would that be?

Under normal circumstances, he would have let the Hero be. When Legend marched off, he just needed to cool down in privacy. When Time excused himself, he wasn't in the headspace to be their strong, decisive leader. When Four began muttering to himself, he just needed to sort his thoughts out alone. 

He was the same. Sometimes the pain became too intense, or the longing for Sun cut too deep, or the nightmares full of what he prayed weren't visions clouded his sights and rang too loud in his ears. He had his secrets, his seven friends had theirs. Surely, this new Link was the same. For better or worse, truma seemed to just come with the title of Hero. 

But right now, he needed to make sure Link was going to come back. One of the reasons why the eight of them didn't follow each other was because they knew that they were coming back. They may not know too much about each other, but they trusted each other. He didn't have that connection with this Hero yet, however.

The fact that this was happening so soon after his debriefing was a bad sign too. Maybe not as bad of a sign as Legend slamming the door in their face, or Hyrule breaking into a full sprint and somehow managing to get halfway up a mountain, but bad nonetheless. A bit confusing why it was delayed unlike the aforementioned incidents, but that hardly mattered now, did it?

Right, Sky needed to think. He shook his head, taking out his sword. "Please, Fi..." He muttered as he held out the blade to use dowsing again. He waited for her to activate, but she never did. He frowned as he looked down at the Master Sword. Her answer had been no. He didn't try to argue with her, only put her away. 

So, without any clue as to where he was going yet again, he set off to find where Link had gone. 

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Time leaned up against a tree as he watched Wolfie sniff around the path. They had been at it for most of the day now, and the sun had begun to dip down in the sky. A few hours until sunset, maybe, he figured. Tilting his head back against the wood as he folded his arms, he sighed. "You've circled around this single tree nine times now. Don't you think that it's time to give up?" he asked.

His companion stopped where he was and lifted his head. He let out a bit of a startled yelp before shaking his head no. 

"Pup." Time argued, giving Wolfie a look stern enough that his ears flattened and his head lowered in submission, tail in between his legs. "I know, it would have been really handy to track them, but it's clearly not working. It's been too long." He watched as the wolf whimpered before slowly wandering into the brush. 

Twilight walked out a minute later, rubbing his arm. "I was really hoping that would work." He admitted with his eyes still downcast. 

Time moved over to place a steadying hand on his shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. "I know." He agreed solemnly. "It was a long shot, but I was hoping as well." A silence lingered over them like a cloud thick with failure. Time had to swallow to cut through it. "You didn't happen to pick up Sky's scent, did you?"

Twilight once again shook his head. "Not even a little. Wherever he is, he hasn't come this way at all. Do-- do you think that dragon may have eaten him or something?" 

Time's eye widened at that idea as a shiver ran down his spine. He wanted to deny it, but there was no telling if Sky was alright. He certainly would be lying if he said he wasn't worried; it seemed as though the Chosen Hero should be back now, after all. Sky wouldn't try to keep them waiting any more than he had to, given some leniency with the breaks he needed. Knowing that, with each hour that passed, it became more certain that something happened. 

Still, he shouldn't think about things that would get them nowhere if he could help it. "Sky is tough. I doubt it." He replied with a shake of his own head. "Now come on, we should gather some more materials and get back before it gets dark." He decided.

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When the door to Purah's study opened, Legend still didn't look away from the passed out hylian. Hyrule had woken up earlier, sure, but he was more than out of it and he didn't actually look much better since then.

"Legend, I told you you didn't need to stay here after I cleared you." Wars explained as he shut the door behind him with a soft click. "Once the dizziness and lightheadedness passed from the transfusion, you could go elsewhere."

Why did that hylian have to be so irritating? Legend gritted his teeth as he turned to face the Captain, but he bit back the temptation to yell. Wars may deserve that, but Hyrule sure didn't. "And leave him all by himself?" He challenged instead in something akin to a whisper. 

"No, no, of course not." Wars assured with a wave of his hand. His smile was nauseating to the Veteran; why was he even smiling in the first place? This was no happy matter! Hyrule could -- he could... He didn't want to think about that. Or whatever the hell was going on with Sky, for that matter. "I already had assigned someone to check up on him every five minutes after you left." 

The response only made Legend all the angrier. Hyrule deserved better than that. He deserved the absolute best. He was just some kid unfortunate enough to have to clean up after whatever mess he would leave behind. (He didn't care that Roolie was only 3 years younger than him; sixteen was still a kid.)  "Don't you think he deserves better than that?" He hissed, feeling as energy surged in his veins. He stood up, pushing the chair aside. "He's one of us, isn't he?" He raised his voice.

"That's true, but-" Wars began in a tone that was still calm, but he stopped as his eyes flickered over to Hyrule who had twitched ever so slightly. The volume was disturbing him and at this rate, he might even wake up again if this continued. 

Legend didn't wait for him to finish. "But what?" He snapped, not noticing how Wars was now looking past him. 

Wars only sighed. "Legend, if you want to continue this, let's take this outside. I'll have someone watch him the entire time if you'd like." He replied, keeping his voice level as he kept his face from revealing emotion. It was the face he wore as a soldier and a Captain, a role in which feelings did not matter. It was disgustingly placid and indifferent to Legend's tastes in this scenario, where one of them could even die. 

"Oh some random guy?" Legend yelled as the rage continued to bloom to life within his body and soul. "You don't care about him at all, do you?" 

Wars' eyes widened as he almost let out a gasp. Almost. In the moment, it was all the more satisfying to the Veteran to get a reaction, even if it was slight. Even if he doubled down on the emotionless gaze a moment later, if not for the way his frown was a bit deeper, his eyes sharper in a way that was almost a glare. His reply was barely a whisper, but it held powerful venom within it. "Outside, now." 

He ignored the arsenal of expletives that came from behind him, turning to the door as he threw his scarf over his shoulder with a dramatic flair. He opened it with more force than necessary before he marched through the balcony, down the stairs and onto the ground. The string of insults at his back followed him, growing louder with each passing moment with loud, stomping feet. 

"Really, Mr. Captain of Perfect Hair? Mr. I don't care for any of my men because they're just fucking numbers -- there are thousands of them so what does it matter if we lose a few along the way? You really think you're too high and mighty to even respond to me?" Legend shouted as the two made their way over to the rows of training soldiers. Wind stood in front of the line wielding a stick like his men, but he had his behind his back as he slowly walked back and forth. He was rattling on about something, but he ceased as he heard the commotion. Stopping in his tracks, he turned towards the two of them. 

"Uh--?" He began, unable to keep the surprise, concern or confusion on his face. Before he could say any more, Wars rested a hand on his shoulder, knelt down and whispered something in his ear. Legend didn't care. He tried to cut deeper, to get some kind of reaction. How could Wars be so heartless that he didn't respond to anything that he was saying? But whatever he said caused Wind's gaze to drift over to him. the Sailor frowned before he nodded, handing his stick over to his brother before rushing off towards Purah's study. 

"Asshole, you seriously think you're that much better than me? What you think you're some kind of--" 

Wars whipped around so fast that he startled Legend into a silence. His indifferent expression was gone now, replaced a scowl that looked like it could kill. "You don't think I care?" He asked, his voice hollow at first, but the rage behind his next line was staggering. "You think I'm so happy to see one of our own to writhing in pain, as though they're just begging for an end? Any kind of end? Do you even know how many men I've lost? Friends, comrades that I watched die as I could do nothing about it? Some held in my very arms, gripping my scarf as they cried and begged me to do something -- anything, when I had already exhausted all of our supplies on trying to save them? Do you seriously believe that gets any easier? Do you think that their cries and their moans of pain don't linger in my dreams every night, and that every time I close my eyes all I see is a graveyard with names of everyone I failed to save?" 

Now it was time for Legend to be silent. The fury that had ignited the entirety of himself dispersed as the reality of Wars' words set in. It wasn't enough in the end, because the raging fire would not be put out so easily. 

"Oh, so now you have nothing to say." Wars mocked, setting his hands on his hips as he laughed. "Look, I know you're upset. How could you not be? Hyrule is--" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "The moon pearl got rid of the gloom that clung to his injuries, but -- I can keep his condition from getting worse with potions, but I can't make it any better. To just keep him just on the edge of-- it's almost--" 

He was running out of words. His throat was closing on him. He didn't want to talk about this as though Hyrule would always be in that bed, lest he decide to kill him himself and end the pain. But... that was it, wasn't it? It was surely beginning to seem so. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to remind himself to breathe. He blinked his eyes, trying to rid himself of those goddess damned tears.

No, he didn't want to talk about that, even if it plagued his mind more with each passing hour. And he especially didn't want to bring it into whatever this mess had become. He straightened up, standing tall with better composure from a few moments ago. The stone of a soldier appeared once more, the emotion now hidden safely behind a mask. "My point is, we are all worried, Legend. Every one of us. About Hyrule, and about Sky. Who even knows where he is! Who even knows if he'll somehow end up facing whatever the hell was in that hellhole you two crawled into! If he's in a field somewhere, hurt just like Hyrule and he's alone. But just because you're upset about all of this, even if you are the closest to Hyrule -- don't even try to deny that because we can all see it plain as day -- that does not give you the right to sit there and insult me left and right all over the place." 

The sinking in Legend's chest was indescribable. The raging fire dwindled into ash, coals still warm. He realized it now; all the pent up feelings had gone far out of his control. Sure, he and Wars often fought; they often didn't meet eye-to-eye, but not like this. Never like this. 'I..." What was he supposed to say to that? That he was sorry? He swallowed. He may be in the wrong, sure, but he was never particularly good at saying so. That was especially true when it came to the hylian in front of him, who always seemed to be in the right. Or at least, knew how to dance with words so that Legend couldn't best him. (That was enough to spark a flame in him again, but not near enough to act on it.)

Wars lifted his brow expectantly as he crossed his arms. "You what?" He asked with a frown. 

Such a righteous pose only kindled Legend's stubborn flame all the more. Still, he took a deep breath as he tried to snuff it out the best he could. "Took my anger out on you..." He found himself whispering as he looked away. Warmth flooded his cheeks -- was he blushing? Oh goddesses, he was blushing in front of Wars of all people. Tiny flames of annoyance shot up, trying to mask his embarrassment as they did with all of his negative emotions. "S-" A cough. "ry."

"What was that?" Wars hummed with a goofy grin as he placed a hand behind his ear. "Didn't quite catch that, Vet. Gotta speak up."

Why did he have to be so irritating? "Look, I'm sorry, okay?!" He shouted as he glared back at the Captain. A pause, and he was back to staring at his shoes. If he was sorry, he probably shouldn't be yelling like that. He didn't dare look up at what was probably an annoyingly smug and prideful look. But when a stick was pushed into his hand, curiosity poked at him enough to look up at Wars, who now was standing right in front of him. 

"But you still have anger, don't you? I know I do at least... Maybe this time we call a truce, just this once. We can put all of our anger into sparring instead, rather than insults." Wars suggested. 

Legend's eyes narrowed as a smirk appeared on his lips. The suggestion didn't sound half bad, even if it did come from Wars of all people. "You think you can beat me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, I know so." Wars smirked right back. 

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Sky let out a sigh as he leaned up against a tree. He was tired, so tired. Not just in the physical sense that his body was warning him to slow down, but emotionally too. To have found Link only to lose him was almost worse than to not have found him at all. At least that way, he wouldn't be feeling this frustrated right now. 

How long had he searched for him? He wasn't sure. Time seemed to blend together and spread out infinitely when his mind buzzed in that panic state of needing to rest. He had ignored Fi's warnings to slow down, and she ignored his pleas for help. 

What would the others think if he came back empty handed now? At this rate, if he chose to cut his loses, it would be wise to stay the night up here too. By the time he finally got back, two full days would have passed at least. The others must be worried sick about him... And, admittedly, he felt the same about them. They were already getting assigned to take out threats and go to dangerous places when he left. Who knows what all they had gotten into by now. He knew they could handle themselves, but it still didn't feel right that he wasn't right there, fighting by their side. It didn't feel right that he didn't at least have the chance of guarding one of their backs or protect them. It didn't feel right that he was alone, regardless of the fact that he had spent day after day, month after month alone for most of the day in his first Adventure. 

A strange whirring sound was made right next to his ear. His body startled and almost made him fall over as he looked over. He eyes widened and he let out a cry as he was met with the sight of a robot right next to him, mid-swing with it's club. 

In his exhaustion, he had gotten clumsy. He hadn't scoped out the area well enough. And his sword and shield, while being in reach, couldn't possibly be reached in time to defend from the attack. He did his best to try and get away, holding out his arms to try and protect his head, in the very least. 

A blur came into view, darting in between him and the monster. The club came down on Link's shield and with his strong stance, they were thrown back. Their arms flailed wildly as they tried to regain their balance and he lifted up a flimsy tree branch. 

Wait, what?

Sky blinked as he watched the Hero wildly beat the robot with said tree branch. His Master Sword remained slid in its sheath hidden behind the shield that looked suspiciously exactly like a pot lid upon further inspection. The Hero fought on, hoping side to side and even doing a full backwards flip to dodge. Both the sword and shield remained on his back, untouched. When he charged, he charged without the safety of the shield. When he attacked, he swiped in random directions seemingly without care of what direction he attacked from, which left him dangerously open. He only would hop out of the way at the very last second, as if it were a game of how many swings he could get in a row. 

Who had taught him to fight like that? Maybe it was the rundown toga, or the long mess of hair, or the stick of all things, but he genuinely looked like a wild animal in that moment. But regardless of what it looked like, Sky didn't get to see him fight for very long. With one last hit with his branch, the monster let out a robotic cry before dying in a small explosion. The stick had been destroyed on that last hit, pieces flying in every direction. 

Safe now, Link looked back at Sky with a hum and a tilt of his head. 

"Yeah I'm alright." He assured from where he sat. He wanted to stand up, but he still needed to recover. "But what was that? And where did you run off to?" And why hadn't he used his sword at all? Or his shield, for that matter? And who had he learned under that he left himself with plenty of weak spots when attacking? Sky had many questions, but he couldn't fire them all at once.

Link tilted his head again, as though to ask a question of his own. Had he not understood that Sky had meant, well, everything? Surely he knew that he was fighting odd too, right? .... Right?! RIGHT?!

Regardless if Link noticed Sky's internal panic or not, he began to raise his hands to speak. Then he paused and placed a hand on his magic box instead. His hand lingered there for a few extra moments as though he was debating whether to use it at all. Eventually he did unclip it and began to tap away at it. 

Reluctantly, Sky got to his feet even though it felt as though his legs were going to give out right underneath of him. Link's eyes looked up at him, his blue pupils wide with what looked a lot like fear. He let out a bit of a whimper and held his magic box to his chest, hiding the screen as he blushed. 

Did... he not want to show him? But, wasn't that kind of the point? "Okay, okay." He replied regardless, trying to not sound as confused as he was as he sat back down. It took about ten more seconds for the teen to ease enough to continue tapping away. He paused at one point and held down his finger on the item like he had when the letters quickly vanished before. Then he tapped some more before he stopped, staring at the screen. Sky waited some more before Link finally turned the screen around. 

'I'm used to being alone, so I get overwhelmed sometimes. Did you not think I was coming back?' Was the reply. He slowly lowered the magic box, looking away as his blush deepened, and shame now engulfed his pupils. He was showing his emotions so openly, it was almost hard to remember that this wasn't a child in front of him.

"Oh..." Sky said. He forced a sad smile. "I wasn't sure because I didn't know what you were like. One time, when we approached a new Link we call Hyrule, he ran off as fast as he possibly could. I wasn't sure if you had just been looking for the right time to run off as well." 

He watched as Link nodded in understanding. He reluctantly moved his slate towards himself again, and pressed down on it like he was removing the letters again. However, he did not start tapping the box again, so he must have not meant to say anything back. 

"I'm sorry too. I didn't realize that I had been pushing you." Sky echoed the words that the others had once said to him, after a few miserable days pushing him further than he ever had before. Link waved his hand in a way that said that it was alright as he looked down at his magic box. With hesitance, he wrote out another message. This time, Sky waited for Link to show it on his own terms. 

'If I leave, I'm never far. I followed you.' He explained. 

It was a bit of an odd concept to Sky to have someone be with him, but not actually be with him. Still, he would take what he could get. He just hoped that with time, the teen wouldn't be quite so skittish or solitary. Even if he was, they would work with it as a team; each of them had their oddities, after all. He was the one who befriended a sword of all things. When he put it that way, he was in no position to judge, especially if there could be dark memories attached to Link's reasons. Being alone to the point of needing to be alone certainly hinted at what likely was a dark past, at least. 

"That's good to know." He grinned, and Link's eyes sparkled as he nodded in reply. He put away the magic box after one last tap, a green ball appearing in his hand. he tossed it on the ground, and it shattered, a cooking pot appearing in its wake. Sky nearly jumped at the sudden large object popping out of the small sphere, but he didn't thankfully. Link turned from him, putting his full attention to the pot. Guess that meant it was supper time. 

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Four looked over at all of the weapons and shields that he had tried to clean. Even after all of the hours he had spent scrubbing and refining the metal, it was hardly enough. There were visible holes in the shiny metal, and in most places, it was far too thin to sustain little, if any, wear. If they were any more durable than before, it was by very little. "Well I'll be damned, that's two days we won't ever get back." Blue scoffed out loud. 

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Fairy boy got stuck on a mountain like a cat in a tree. Well, he could have flown down just like how he flew up, but he didn't want to reveal himself when the others came. 

Also I like Sky describing Wild's slate as magic something-or-rather box. It reminds me of the idea of "little people in the tv" or "little man in the fridge who turns the light off and on." He just doesn't get it, lol. (I mean, I guess it's technically magic, but up until the end of this chapter all he saw Wild do was type on it.)

Also, for some reason Four hasn't gotten much screen time. He's just not doing too much interesting so far... maybe I'll find something for him to do. We'll see.