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It was quiet. A bone chilling, unsettling quiet that he had never experienced. He couldn't hear any of the others in his head where there was normally at least one making some sort of noise. There was no breathing to be heard other than his own, the larger group had broken into smaller groups for the night thinking themselves safe. They had wanted to be able to have at least the illusion of privacy. If any of them yelled loud enough or gave their signal the other Links would come running swords drawn bows blazing. But there was no need right? It was probably nothing, just a nightmare. It wouldn't be the first time he had had one like this after all. It was a regular occurrence but most times he was able to reorientate himself in reality fairly quickly. Looking down at his tunic he noticed it was solid green instead of the four way split. Even if they had for some reason he didn't know about separated, he should have still been able to hear them and yet there was nothing but the deafening sound of silence.
"Red?" His own voice broke through the silence nearly startling him; it sounded louder then he had expected it to though he was speaking softly. No reply came as he waited, the unsettling sickly feeling in the air getting thicker as the minutes ticked by unanswered.
"Blue?" His wavering breathing was the only reply.
"Vio….. please?" He could hear his voice start to crack. "Please someone?"
Where was everyone? They couldn't be gone. They wouldn't have left him alone, not after all this time. Something had to have happened. He reaches for his sword intent on going to search for them but grasps only dirt. His world shatters to pieces. That sword was a part of him, when they separated each one materialized with a sword of their own so it's not like one of the others would have taken it. It was gone, they were gone. He was well and truly alone now for the first time sense Shadow con….. fuck!
"Shadow?!"
In wisps of smoke Shadow is before him their smile wide, eyes their normal purple no hint of the red that was there when they first met. But that didn't mean anything as much as he wished it did. He really hoped it wasn't a trick again he needed one of his people.
“Which one of us did you ask out first?”
“None you all did it together”
He flings himself at them as soon as the words leave their mouth. Shadow chuckles and catches him bringing a hand to his cheek running their thumb back and forth over his cheek bone.
"What's up love?"
"They're gone, my sword is gone."
Shadow tenses up realizing just why their security system was used. It had been something long since established with Shadow having broke free of Ganon and the Dark Mirror cycle. A safety check, to insure they were still them and hadn't lost their own control. It was something that their family needed to know, so therefore each person around them had security questions to ask in situations they deemed fit. They had multiple questions depending on the person asking as to hopefully avoid the answers getting out because once they weren't useful anymore they were fucked. They let out a slow deliberate breath wrapping their arms tight around him. He was clutching white knuckle grip to the back of their tunic, his face pressed against their chest, trying to hold back tears as he listened to the steady beating of their heart. Reminding himself he isn't alone again.
"We will. figure. it. out. We won't lose them." The 'We can't' was left unsaid. It had been too close time and time again except every time before it was all four of them on the line. This wasn't even close to those times really, here he was safe and sound, not on the brink of death and losing all of them.
"We could get help finding it."
"Not supposed to signal unless it's an emergency"
"Isn't this?"
Was this enough of an emergency to warrant calling the others? Was it really an emergency? His sword was just missing right? He didn't know if someone else had even seen it. He didn't want to ruin the little peace they all got just because he was lonely. They had all been through so much they deserved to rest for at least the night.
"Not tonight, tomorrow morning if we need but not tonight."
His hands clench and unclench itching to grab something he knows isn't there. Not that he needed it now for the others to appear but pulling the sword always forced it so it would have been appreciated right about now when he was missing his others and they couldn't just appear. But then again he wouldn't need to pull it if he had it.
"Fuck I'm getting nowhere sitting here letting my mind wonder, let's look." His voice drops low and quiet. "I can't think right now if I want to find them" Shadow smiles sadly in his direction.
By the next morning he's in rough shape. Vision blurry, eyes red and puffy. He's not slept since that awful feeling of waking to silence. But he knows he has to meet up with the others or they are gonna worry even more and he won't do that to them. But he also doesn't wanna stop looking no matter how long he has looked with no results. That would feel like giving up and that's something he won’t do. Not until he’s forced to, being sent to another Era at the moment would be devastating but he couldn't refuse it if it happened but damn would he be fighting every step of the way if that was the case.
He barely makes it to their designated gathering point in time in the center clearing of where everyone spent the night to hear Time call "Sound Off.. Time"
"Warrior" Wars barely whispers from Times shoulder.
"Twilight" Twilight is doing a silent check over everyone eyes narrowing when they land on him.
"Legend and Hyrule" Legend has Hyrule tucked securely under one arm.
"Wind"
"Sky and Wild" Sky and Wild are hand and hand.
"One"
Heads snap toward him 'What the fuck' written clear on a few of their faces and all he can do is shrug and gesture toward his tunic. Shadow gives a small wave from behind him.
"Green what's going on?" Time asks gently.
"I" his voice drops, and hands shake as he raises them to roughly sign "My Swords gone, they're gone, it's just me."
"When did you lose it?"
"I don't know for sure, some time yesterday, but someone had to have used it. I mean I have misplaced it a few times when I first got it and they never disappeared like now. I don't know if they will even be them anymore if I can get it back or if it's gonna be like starting over." His hands drop clenching tight as they drop. He was grateful that he kept his nails short otherwise he would have more than just fingerprint bruises on his palms. Thinking about them being different if he gets them back was Fuck nope cant go there.
"Have you slept?"
He shakes his head both in a negative reply and in a there is no way I could have.
Shadow speaks up. “We have been looking all night.”
A few heads tilt in silent question of why didn't you call, but no one voices.
"Okay show us where you left off looking!"
He did appreciate the lack of questions he knew they must all be thinking. They were just ready to go, man he sure did love them.A sword appears before his view at the hands of Wild. A ghost of a smile dusts his face as he checks the weight back and forth between his hands. It's not quite right but he would take what he could get.
Nodding more for himself then toward anyone else he heads back in the direction he came, the others scrambling to follow him. Well scrambling isn't right but it feels that way as he hurries in the direction he needs to look next.
Metal on metal is heard as they come up on break in the woods. He surges forward, this is the first trace of a weapon that they have come across and once through the break in woods a group of Moblins is visible. The moment he sees his sword he freezes. The others rush past him gently but all he can do is watch. He knows he should be in there, knows he should be fighting to get his precious item back. But he can't do more than watch, he won't fight against it. Not when every bone in his body is screaming at him that he can't fight his sword. Sure they train with it but there is a difference between training and sparing versus actually fighting against it in the hands of someone else. The Moblins go down almost all at once. The last one being held at arrow point waiting on him.
"No one touches Fours Sword. Greenie over here, come use your sword, get your guys back." Twilight Calls from across the field near the last one standing guard over his sword.
He drops the sword previously in his hands with a silent apology to the sword and sprints to his. Oh that feeling in his hands, its wonderful, it feels right. He takes a test swing to make sure it wasn't damaged then dispatches the final Moblin in a puff of Purple Smoke. He looks around looking for his others willing them to appear but finds nothing until he turns on himself and sees the tunic back to its four way split in color.
In Quiet whispers, “Come on Come on Come on please be here please be you”
Reds Voice breaks through his senses. “Hey love, we’re here”
“Thank fuck” Smiles shine their way from the rest of the group as he beams at them.
“Roll Call… Time”
“Warrior”
“Twilight”
“Legend and Hyrule”
“Wind”
“Sky and Wild”
“Four”