Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Link was a normal kid.

Link was a normal foster kid that stayed with his foster dad, Alfonzo, his foster grandpa, Nico, and his best friend, Zelda. He went to high school and tolerated the other kids, just as the other kids tolerated him. He liked cars, and trains, and mechanics in general. He shared silly nicknames with his best friend that only they had - Spirit for Link and Phantom for Zelda. He was normal. He was good.

So why was his best friend currently dying?

Phantom had been sick for a while. It had started as a small cough but it had only gotten worse over the last few weeks. She'd gotten paler than her hair, she was running a constant fever, and it became harder for her to walk as the days went by. Alfonzo had finally taken her to the hospital after Phantom had collapsed and vomited in the hallway.

Phantom had been poisoned. The doctors had reported a small but consistent dosage of Malice being the cause, something that had been occurring a lot but no one knew how. But the fact their home had been targeted didn't stop the hospital from charging more money than Link had seen in his life just to treat her. All they needed was Maladraxin pills to save Phantom and the damned bottle cost double Alfonzo and Nico's life savings combined.

Link was currently sat on the curb in front of the hospital as Alfonzo prepared to take Phantom home for her last days. Link would have helped but he couldn't even look at Phantom right now, let alone help her. It made Link sick that he couldn't help her at all. For Hylia's sake, he wasn't even allowed to drive his best friend home because he didn't have a license! There was nothing he could do and it made the feeling of helplessness overwhelming.

He was just a kid.

The sound of heels clicking on the pavement that stopped right beside Link caught the teen's attention. He looked up to find a boy that looked remarkably like himself. Mind you, there were some minor differences. The other boy had a light tan, black eyes, and his hair was slightly wavier. However, all of that paled in comparison to their differences in style.

Link couldn't ever imagine himself wearing what looked like a contemporary take on a pirate costume that somehow had no black at all. Link didn't think he'd be caught dead wearing such a bright outfit. The only thing in his wardrobe that compared to this - admittedly cool - outfit was the green and white sweater with a matching beanie that Phantom had gotten him as a thank you gift for teaching her how to fight.

Phantom said she was going to beat Spirit one day. Spirit had believed her.

The other teen, who couldn't be more than a year older than Link, gestured to Link's side. "Can I sit here?" He asked.

Link huffed, turning away. "Sure."

The other teen carefully sat himself a foot away from Link, draping the end of his long, blue coat behind him.

"Are you waiting for someone too?" The pirate asked.

Link looked up to where Alfonzo was wheeling Phantom up to his old, rusty pick up. Alfonzo adored the truck but Link could already tell it was the wrong vehicle to transport Phantom in if they wanted to make sure she got home alive. By the looks of it, Alfonzo was thinking along the same lines, as he frowned at the truck with a level of contempt that Link had never thought the man could hold.

"My best friend." Link said, his voice quiet and hopeless.

There was a moment of silence between the two teens. Link could only imagine what the other boy was doing. Maybe he was following Link's eye to watch his family try to do the simple task of getting into their truck. Maybe he was looking at Link with pity. Maybe he was stuck in his own head. Maybe he was looking for his own family. Link didn't know.

"What happened to her?" The pirate asked, his dangling earrings clinking together as he shifted.

Link felt his breath catch at those words. How did he answer that? How did he tell this boy that his best friend was dying and that this could have been prevented if they'd just done something earlier? How did he tell this boy that his dreams of growing up with Phantom at his side was burning in front of his eyes? Did he even want to tell this boy anything? He didn't know this boy.

But what else could Link do? Talking to someone about his problems wasn't going to make anything worse. He didn't want to burden Alfonzo and Nico more than they already were. What's the worst that could happen? He dies too?

"She was poisoned," Link said. "They said it was Malice. We don't know how she's been consuming Malice but she has, and now she can't even move without nearly screaming in pain. The hospital's trying to charge us double our life savings just for some stupid fucking miracle pills that might not even work."

Link took a deep breath, wiping desperately at his wet eyes. "It's not fair. I can't even help her. I'm not allowed to drive. I'm not allowed to carry her. I'm not allowed to cook, or help her change, or help her get cleaned, or anything besides keep her company. And it hurts to look at her now. I don't want to stop looking at my best friend. She's the only friend I've got. I just- I wish there was something I could do but there isn't. Hylia, I feel so fucking useless." Link sobbed, his head falling to his knees.

A gentle hand rested carefully on Link's back, rubbing comforting circles as Link sobbed.

"You know," The pirate chuckled, something bitter and resigned. "I didn't think we'd have both the same face and the same problem. Must be destiny or something."

Link's sobs hitched into silence as he turned to the other boy. He'd thought he'd misheard or was going crazy but no. The other boy had a tired smile, dark eyebags under his eyes to match. Now that Link was looking, he realized the boys eyes weren't black but a dark bluish-green that had dulled to a lifeless gray. His hair was a mess and looked as if the boy hadn't left the hospital in days. Dawning horror set into Link's bones the longer he stared at the boy.

"Who?" Link asked, dreading the answer he would get.

"My grandma." The pirate replied. His eyes and head fell to stare at his shoes. "She's all me and my baby sister have. I don't know what we'll do if she dies but we can't afford Maladraxin."

Link's head fell back to his knees. "I wish we could do something." He muttered.

"What if I said we could?" The other boy asked.

Link scoffed. "What are we supposed to do? Ask nicely? Drown our families in debt?"

"I was thinking something... a little less legal."

Link's head shot up. The other boy gave him a scheming smile.

"I did some research while I've been stuck here." The boy confided. "The patent for Maladraxin belongs to a man named Chandler Cole. He has a monopoly over the pills and no one's been able to do a thing about it because he keeps the formula under lock and key. I also figured out he's one of the people behind the Malice conspiracy. He's been targeting families across Hyrule, those in fragile situations, forcing them to sell their souls for his miracle drug. He cornered me this morning and I told him to get the fuck out of my face."

The boy clenched his fists. "He's evil. I want him fucking dead. But I can't just kill him, not if I want to get that miracle drug and save grandma. That's where you come in."

"Me?" Link asked, bewildered.

The pirate nodded. "I have a plan to break into Cole's lab tonight. But I need two people to pull it off. At least, it will if I don't want to get caught."

"I'm a stranger." Link pointed out. "Surely you know someone who could help you?"

"I did." The pirate grumbled. "But I don't trust her anymore. I figure I'll have better luck with someone that's been through the same thing as me."

Link almost recoiled at the easy admission. He scowled in disgust.

"Are you using our families as an excuse to get rid of this guy?"

The pirate's eyes turned cold and he straightened in his spot. His face was blank but Link couldn't mistake the fury barely being held back. Link ignored his head screaming about danger and returned the boy's glare.

"I love my family more than anything in this world." The boy hissed. "Everything I do is for them. If I have to kill a man to save them, so be it."

Link wanted to be upset by the words. He wanted to feel disgusted at the easy admittance. He wanted to feel repulsed at the idea of killing someone. But he wasn't. Instead, he felt hope.

Link was just a kid. But now he could do something. He had a chance to save his best friend. He wasn't just about to let this opportunity pass him by.

"What's your name?" Link asked.

The fury of the other boy melted away, being replaced by his tired smile. "Link Outset, call me Wind." The boy replied, holding out his hand towards Link.

Link gave a surprised laugh. "That's funny. I'm Lincoln Steamer but everyone calls me Link. Well, Phantom calls me Spirit, so I guess you can too." He said, shaking Wind's hand.

Wind grinned. "It's nice to meet you, Spirit."

"You too, Wind." Spirit said before letting go of Wind's hand. "Now, you said you had a plan?"

"Are we sure this is all we need?" Spirit asked, digging through the supplies in his backpack.

There wasn't much to carry but each of their bags were a little heavy. Spirit was carrying a hand axe, some electrical gloves, a pair of earplugs, a tiny flashlight, and a small pistol that he knew was already loaded. Spirit knew Wind had a mini sledge hammer, lock picks, another pistol, protective glasses, and earplugs.

Wind nodded. "Trust me. As soon as we take care of the power, we'll have free reign of the place." He said, lounging on the train bench across from Spirit.

"But won't that set off any alarms?" Spirit asked. "Wouldn't it be better to just break through the wall and not worry about the electricity?"

Wind shook his head. "Nah, mate. Maybe he'll have alarms to let him know that someone broke into his lab but we'll have a fifteen minute window between Cole receiving the alarm at home and him reaching the lab. The lab's pretty secluded, so we should be fine. What I'm really worried about is the security cameras. We don't want to leave behind any evidence that we were there."

"And you're sure there are no guards?"

"I scouted the place earlier. There's no evidence that Cole hires any guards at all."

Spirit tapped his foot as he thought. "What if someone's there? Like an assistant or someone working late?"

Wind considered this for a moment before giving Spirit a resigned look. "Dead men tell no tales."

Spirit stared at Wind for a moment before mentally shrugging. He couldn't really refute that, after all. They couldn't afford to get caught.

The rest of the train ride up town was spent in silence, as was most of the trek up the mountain to the lab. Wind helped Spirit get through some of the property's security measures without incident before reaching the lab.

The building itself was boring, all things considered. A square, white building in the middle of the woods was a strange choice to Spirit but he wasn't a building designer so he didn't think he had any legs to stand on. The lack of windows just made the place seem slightly creepy.

Wind stopped Spirit just on the edge of the tree line, pointing out the nearest cameras when prompted. They crept around in the darkness until Wind was sure they'd found a blind spot and lead them straight to the building's power box, mounted in view of an open shed. Spirit took a glance into the shed and felt his jaw drop.

"Is that a Locomo TRX?" Spirit harshly whispered, staring at the sleek, blue car with awe and envy. "Chandler Cole owns a Locomo TRX? Lucky bastard!"

Wind rolled his eyes, tugging on Spirit's backpack. "Come on, Engie. We can try stealing the car later. We have a job to do."

Spirit sighed sadly, giving the TRX one last, longing look before dropping his bag at his feet. He pulled out the gloves and slid them on before taking the safety glasses from Wind and grabbing his axe.

Wind took as many steps back as he dared before giving Spirit a nod. Spirit returned the nod before pulling the axe back like a baseball bat, angling himself just right. He swung the axe forward and hit dead center on the power box.

Sparks flew in every direction. Spirit couldn't stop himself from closing his eyes at the bright light and the blazing power of the jumping electricity. However, he kept his feet planted and his hands firmly on the axe's wooden handle until the sparks died down to something resembling safe. He carefully pulled the axe out of the power box before turning to Wind.

Wind took careful steps forward to take the safety glasses off of Spirit's face. Spirit watched Wind's movements, unsure if he should turn his back on the other boy or not. However, he did turn back once Wind lifted his sledge hammer.

Spirit could hear the wall crumble under the force of the sledge hammer. With each hit, more and more dust kicked up from the rubble, nearly sending Spirit into a coughing fit. He covered his mouth with the edge of Nico's old mechanic jacket. When Wind finally let up on his work, Spirit turned to find a hole in the white brick wall, only large enough for them to crawl through.

The two boys were quick to pack up their things and head into the building. Spirit landed in a heap on the ground while Wind dropped into a roll and onto his feet. Spirit scrambled to his feet, dusting himself off and following Wind in taking out his flashlight. With a quick glance around, Spirit's nose wrinkled at the state of the lab.

"This place is a pigsty." Spirit muttered, stepping around an uncleaned desk. He couldn't help but think of how Phantom would have been uphauled at the neglected mess.

"This is going to be trickier than I thought." Wind scowled, scanning over some papers. "If they don't even bother to clean their lab, than there's no guarantee their pills and documents are going to be in their rightful place."

Spirit hummed in thought before nodding. "Doesn't change too much. We were already planning to split up."

"True," Wind agreed. He rolled his shoulders and moved forward. "Alright, keep your eyes out. If you can't tell what something is, take it anyways. And remember, we're looking for Maladraxin."

"Right," Spirit nodded before moving in the opposite direction of the pirate.

The lab really was a mess, like the scientists had been too lazy to clean up for the night. Beakers were filled with crusted residue. Dangerous equipment was still plugged into walls instead of put away. Cabinets had been left open. Research papers were left on tables instead of in the nearby filing cabinets, though most were neatly stacked at table corners.

Spirit made sure to check every paper stack. Just in case any of them were helpful.

They weren't.

Spirit found it strange that he couldn't find any pills at all. It made Spirit very aware of how little time he and Wind had to find the miracle drug. There were left out chemicals, trash, food, and tools but none of it was helpful. None of it was what he needed. None of it could save Phantom.

Spirit spotted a briefcase on a lone table, near the lab's front door. He approached it, unsure if it was actually important or if it was just someone's work left behind. Next to the briefcase was a large stack of manila folders.

Spirit clicked open the brief case to find rows and rows of pill bottles. Spirit felt hope spike in his heart. He picked up one of the bottles, giving it an experimental shake to hear the pills rattling inside. He flashed his light across the bottle's label, searching for only one word.

Maladraxin

"Wind!" Spirit shouted, turning to desperately search in the darkness for the other boy. "I found it!"

There was a small crash from the other side of the lab before Wind formed out of the darkness, racing towards Spirit with little care to his surroundings. He crashed into Spirit's side to stop himself from slamming into the table. He snatched a bottle from the briefcase, squinting at it to read the label before he burst into disbelieving laughter.

"We found it..." He breathed, elated.

Wind turned his sights to the manilla folders. He put the pill bottle down before flicking open the top most folder. There was a long moment of silence as Wind read through the file. Spirit watched as Wind's smile slowly grew to something unbearably bright.

"It looks like someone forgot to lock away their life's work." Wind tutted. He turned to Spirit with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "This is the formula for our little miracle drug."

Spirit's eyes trailed back to the manilla folders in disbelief. They'd found the formula? Just like that? This was too easy. They'd basically been handed their solution, giftwrapped.

Spirit's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "This isn't right."

Wind paused from where he was stuffing the folders into his bag. His gaze slowly turned sharp as he caught onto Spirit's worry. He slowly zipped up his bag as he glanced around, suspicious.

"Grab the case. We're leaving." Wind whispered.

Spirit didn't need to be told twice. He went to grab the loose pill bottles when a noise caught his and Wind's attention.

A car was rolling up to the building. It was quiet, near silent. Spirit knows they wouldn't have heard it if there wasn't a large hole in the wall.

Spirit and Wind didn't share a single glance before they were scrambling. Spirit stuffed the loose bottles into his pocket before he slammed the briefcase closed and chased after Wind to the exit.

Wind went to dive out of the hole but quickly jumped out of the way before a loud gunshot was heard. A nearby beaker shattered, sending glass flying. Spirit stopped on the other side of the hole, shooting Wind a desperate look.

"I know you're there." An unfamiliar voice called from outside. "Come out, come out, little pirate."

Spirit scowled at Wind, who ignored him in favor of pulling out his earplugs and pistol. Spirit was quick to follow suit, though not with the pistol. He wasn't the best shot and he knew it.

Wind and Spirit waited, silently, as footsteps approached the opening in the wall. The footsteps stopped for only a moment before Wind moved, aiming out of the hole and shooting. A strangled cry was heard, along with the person collapsing on the ground.

"Run!" Wind shouted, lunging through the hole in the wall. Spirit scrambled out behind him, racing away from the building shoot out. He b-lined for the black Locomo AMD parked in front of the building, still happily running. He hopped into the front seat before throwing his bag and the briefcase into the back seat.

The passenger door opened and Wind all but collapsed into the seat. As soon as the door was shut behind him, Spirit sent the car peeling out of the clearing and down the narrow, dirt road.

"What the hell was that?" Spirit snarled, making a sharp turn around a cluster of bushes. "He was waiting for you! What the fuck, Wind?"

"I guess he was planning a confrontation with me." Wind said, trying and failing to go for a lighthearted tone.

"You think?" Spirit exclaimed.

"I don't know! I don't exactly let my enemies monologue!" Wind shouted.

Both boys flinched as something hit the back of the car. Spirit glanced at his mirrors to find Cole driving behind them in the TRX, his head hanging out the window as he shot at the AMD. Wind cursed, rolling down his window and leaning out of it to shoot at Cole.

"How many enemies do you have?" Spirit demanded, reaching over to grab Wind's coat before making another sharp turn.

Wind ducked back into the car with a curse. "Do you want a list when we get out of this?"

Spirit made another sharp turn onto a paved, mostly straight road. "If we die here, I'm going to drag your spirit to Demise myself!"

"Join the fucking club!" Wind snarled before leaning back out the window for a few more pot shots. "Aryll's gonna revive me just to kill me again!"

"She better!" Spirit shouted. "You made this plan in a day! I should have know it would get me killed!"

"What was I supposed to do?" Wind demanded, ducking back into the car. "My grandma is dying! I didn't exactly have time to stew on this! And you didn't either!"

Spirit growled in frustration before spotting a sharp turn ahead. There was a barrier, making it clear just what was awaiting Spirit if he didn't time his next move well.

"Get ready to jump ship!" Spirit ordered.

"Are you insane?" Wind howled.

"Just aim for the grass! Trust me!"

Wind was silent for a moment. "Don't get us killed."

Spirit nodded. "On three. One."

Wind and Spirit cracked their doors open.

"Two."

A mirror shattered, making the boys flinch.

"Three!"

Spirit and Wind pushed their doors open and bailed out of the car. Spirit tried to roll to lessen the blow but the landing still felt like faceplanting on spikes. Spirit rolled to a stop, leaving him wheezing with the wind knocked out of him. His ears were ringing and his vision swam in rhythm with the pounding of his head.

The first thing that Spirit could process was a burning, orange light, just in his periphery. He tried to turn to see it better but his stomach swam with nausea in his attempt. He squeezed his eyes shut until the feeling went away and the ringing in his ears started dying down. He peeled his eyes open once more to find the world slowly coming into focus.

Spirit could see a short man towering over Wind's prone form with a gun aimed at the pirate's heart. Wind glared up at the man from where he laid on the grass. Wind's bag was at his side, far enough away that he couldn't easily reach it. His gun was behind Cole, closer to Spirit than it was the other two. Spirit tried to listen in to Cole's raving as the ringing finally subsided.

"... lions. You've lost. Maybe you're not as impressive as your title makes you out to be." Cole spat, blood and spittle flying with his words.

Wind grinned, a nasty thing that made Spirit's skin crawl. "If you really think that, why haven't you killed me yet?" He asked, a whisper in the wind but firm as a mountain.

Cole snarled, cocking his pistol. "It would be a waste if I just killed the most dangerous child in the depths. I have questions and I will get my answers, no matter the cost."

Spirit scowled, both in pain and in rage. This bastard had poisoned Phantom. He'd poisoned Wind's grandma. He'd poisoned who knew how many other people. He was stopping Spirit and Wind from saving their families - their lives - all because he was curious. Pathetic, evil bastard.

Spirit forced himself to sit up, trying to keep himself silent. Wind caught his eye, something sparking in the dark green-blue that Spirit could only describe as hope.

Wind turned his full attention to Cole. His shoulders slumped and his smile fell but that newly formed fire never diminished. Spirit struggled to his knees.

"What questions?" Wind asked.

"How did you kill a King of Evil four years ago?" Cole asked. "No one has been able to kill a member of the Ganon Family for ages and then, suddenly, their highest members begin to be picked off left and right over the past couple decades. And, by some miracle, you got the last laugh to impossible odds. A child. So how is it that you were able to kill a King of Evil and his highest lieutenant before ever tasting puberty?"

Wind gave a condescending laugh, covering how Spirit stumbled to his feet. "Everyone forgets that the Ganon's are still people. They may be monsters but they're human monsters. You'd be surprised how effective an axe to the head can be."

Cole scoffed. "Don't lie to me, child. You would never be able to kill a King of Evil through normal means. You must have had help. Men on the inside. People to carry you through the endeavor. King's of Evil are not so easily killed. You would physically not be strong enough to beat one in a one on one fight."

"Gymnastics classes are very helpful." Wind joked, covering up the sound of Spirit picking up the discarded pistol.

"Do not forget where you are." Cole growled, moving his aim from Wind's heart to his head. "Now tell the truth. Who helped you kill one of the most powerful men in the depths? Did Captain Tetra help you?"

"How did you figure out it was me?" Wind asked, completely ignoring Cole's questions. "Only a select few know how I was involved in the downfall of the Forsaken Fortress."

Spirit almost fell at Wind's words. Cole wasn't mistaken? Wind really was a dangerous criminal? He'd killed people?

Spirit mentally shook himself back to the present. Wind's past didn't matter right now. The only thing that mattered was getting himself and his partner home alive.

"You think there was no evidence of you being there? I'm not stupid." Cole said, his saccharine sweet voice covering Spirit's fumbling with the gun. "Captain Tetra keeps a tight knit group. Then, suddenly, she's adding another kid to her crew a few months after the fall of the Forsaken Fortress. Few would see the connection but I pay attention to the connections across the criminal underground. Many only know you by your name but I know your true face. A sniveling, weak, useless child, desperate for power."

Wind chuckled. "That's where you're wrong. Having others at my back does not diminish my accomplishments. They only serve to make me more accomplished. And, unlike you, I know how to keep my friends closer than my enemies."

"Than you really are an idiot, k-"

BANG!

Spirit stumbled, the force of the gun being enough to jar his arm. He caught himself from falling but there was no one to catch Cole. Spirit stared as Cole hit the ground, lifeless. Spirit could now see blood oozing from the back of the small man's neck, just as it did from his hip. 

It was odd. Spirit thought he'd be disgusted with himself if he ever killed anyone. He didn't know what it said about him that he didn't feel anything at all.

Wind let out a disbelieving breath. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Spirit mumbled, mouth suddenly dry.

Spirit didn't know what to do next. He'd just killed a man to save a kid he barely knew. This boy had done Gods knew what and Spirit had just saved him from what was probably an inevitable fate. What did it say about Spirit that he'd rather save a boogeyman of the depths over a nice car and a whole ass other person? He was just a kid. A normal kid didn't do this kind of thing.

But Phantom was worth it. Maybe this kid was worth it too?

Wind tried to stand but hissed in pain when he tried to move his leg. "Oh, ow."

Spirit stepped over to Wind, finally noticing the large gash across his partner's calf. Spirit was quick to shed Nico's jacket and his flannel in order to wrap Wind's leg the best he could with the flannel. Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do, Spirit didn't know. But he could only think to clean and wrap the injury. It would have to do until they reached his house, where Alfonzo could help Wind, no questions asked.

Well, one question. But Spirit already had a lie prepared for this entire night.

"Thanks," Wind smiled, something soft that made Spirit feel safe instead of unnerved.

"Don't mention it." Spirit repeated, returning the smile.

Spirit glanced around as he helped Wind to a careful stand. The Locomo TRX was there. It had a couple... problems from the car chase but it was useable. Spirit had no clue how Cole had stopped in time to not go careening over the edge like the car blazing at the bottom of the cliff but the skid marks left behind gave a pretty good image.

"Come on," Spirit urged, scooping up Wind's bag. "Let's go home."

"Where's the case?" Wind asked. "And your bag?"

Spirit glanced around but couldn't spot either item on the asphalt or the grass. His heart sunk as he remembered what he'd done with them. Of how he'd carelessly tossed them into the back of the car that was now nothing more than a smoldering pile of junk. He hadn't even thought to grab them.

It was gone. All of the medicine was gone, just like that. Wind had the formula but did they have enough time to make a new batch of pills? Did they have the resources? Had he killed Wind's grandma? His best friend? How could they get more?

But they didn't need more.

Spirit patted down his pockets with his free hand. He felt a large lump in his jacket pocket and pulled out two small bottles labeled "Maladraxin". Spirit and Wind gave twin laughs of relief.

"Oh thank fuck." Wind sighed.

"You can say that again." Spirit chuckled, feeling relieved tears prick his eyes. "Now come on. We don't have a lot of time."

"Right," Wind nodded.

Spirit helped his partner into the passenger seat of the TRX before taking the driver's seat and driving them back towards home. The drive was mostly silent, both boys allowing themselves to calm down from the night. However, Spirit broke the silence.

"What are you planning to do with the formula?" He asked. "Are you going to sell it?"

"No," Wind grunted from where he was laying his head against the window. "I have some friends who can get it into circulation. They've been itching to rip Cole a new one for a while now. They'll be happy to make sure it gets to the right people. Make sure everyone has access to it and all that."

Spirit blinked in surprise. He hadn't really considered the idea that Wind wanted to help people. He'd seen a kid going through the same thing as him and thought that was all that mattered to both of them. Spirit's ears burned with shame.

A literal criminal was a better person than Spirit. What did that say about him?

"What about you?" Wind asked Spirit. "What are your plans when your friend gets better?"

Spirit's mind immediately went to Phantom, happy and healthy once more. He thought of growing up with her, continuing to teach her how to fight. He thought about when he would get his license, taking Phantom for a trip around Hyrule. He thought of Alfonzo scolding Phantom and him for whatever trouble they got into next. He thought about watching Phantom and Nico playing chess as she recovered. He thought of how this clusterfuck of a night might allow him and Phantom to become closer than they'd ever been before.

Spirit thought of when Phantom would wake up without pain. He thought of how he would hold her close, assuring her that he'd never let anything happen to her. He thought of apologies, and promises, and proximity, and tension.

Spirit thought of kissing Phantom. Of holding her hand. Of what they'd do when they were both aged out of the system. He thought of them, together.

"I think I'll tell her I love her." Spirit mumbled, unsure if he was ready to consider such an option. He was young, and he was dumb, and he didn't want to risk hurting Phantom. But that didn't change the fact that he loved his best friend more than anything else in this world.

Wind was silent for a moment before he shifted to look at Spirit. "I think you should do that, too." He said. "Make sure she knows she's loved. Don't throw that chance away."

Spirit glanced to Wind only long enough to see the melancholy in his eyes. Spirit pursed his lips.

"She'll be okay." Spirit assured. "If Phantom is going to be okay, than your grandma will be okay too. I know it."

"Maybe you're right." Wind gave a tired chuckle. "Who knows. Maybe this whole night was just destiny."

"Not destiny." Spirit scoffed. "Nothing's destiny. I think we're just kindred spirits that happened to bump into each other."

"Maybe," Wind sighed, turning to lean against the window again. "Maybe..."

Spirit walked down the boardwalk of Windfall Pier. Spirit's hand swung back and forth, Phantom's fingers intwined with his own.

It had taken two days of Phantom taking the Maladraxin pills to show any signs of recovering. But, once she'd woken up, it was like magic. Her skin had regained color within a week. She'd started walking again only a couple days after that. It wasn't long after that when Phantom went back to being her old self, facing the world with her usual force and fearlessness.

With Phantom attempting to act as if nothing had ever happened, Spirit couldn't hold back his words. He'd dragged Phantom to go on a walk with him so he could tell her what had actually happened. He told her how she'd gotten sick. He told her how he'd teamed up with another kid to get the medicine they needed. He skipped over the chase and criminal discovery, he'll admit that.

Spirit also admitted how much he loved Phantom. To his shock, Phantom had reciprocated his feelings with vigor. It wasn't long after that when they started dating in secret. More specifically, they kept Alfonzo in the dark. Nico knew the day they'd gone on their first date.

Spirit and Phantom didn't look at each other or Nico for a week after that talk.

Nearly a month after that fateful night, Spirit had decided to take Phantom out to the pier for their second date. Seagulls flew above head as Phantom snacked on cotton candy. Spirit adjusted his grip on the silly ghost plush that Phantom had won for him at the nearby arcade. It was nearing sunset and Phantom was excited for the fall light show.

Spirit and Phantom were nearing the picnic area of the pier when a glare hit Spirit's eye. He looked over, expecting it to just be the ocean reflecting the setting sun. Instead, Spirit spotted a boy in a familiar blue coat standing at the end of the pier, along with a even younger girl dressed in the exact same blue. The two were holding each other's hand as they watched the seagulls fly around them.

Spirit hadn't realized he'd stopped moving until he felt Phantom gently tug on his hand.

"Spirit?" Phantom asked, brows furrowed.

Spirit pursed his lips as he gazed at the familiar boy and his sister before coming to a decision. He sent a reassuring smile to his girlfriend, gently tugging her in the direction of the siblings.

"Would you like to meet Wind?" Spirit asked.

Phantom smiled. "I would love to." She looked to where Spirit had been gazing before and sped up, tugging Spirit to go faster.

"Phantom!" Spirit exclaimed, unable to stop his smile from growing.

Phantom only laughed, going faster until the two of them were racing down the pier.

The closer they got to the siblings, the more familiar details that Spirit could catch. The combat boots with new and flaking stickers. The brown pants that looked orange in the right lighting. The wavey, sunshine yellow hair that had been hidden under a navy beanie. The dangling earrings of silver and gold, a singular pink one catching the sun in it's jewel and playing with the light like a disco ball.

Spirit and Phantom weren't too far away when Wind and his sister heard them coming. They turned in sync, equally dark eyes quickly finding the young couple. Wind's baby sister didn't look a lot like her brother but they had the same eyes and the same hair color. The girl tightened her grip on her brother but Wind didn't react to it. Instead, Wind sent Spirit a small, sad smile.

Spirit's smile fell as he reached the two siblings. This close, he could see the dark bags under both of the siblings eyes. He could see the slightly shabby state of their clothes, extra wrinkled and with small holes in unimportant places. He met Wind's eyes to find them just as dull as the first time they'd met.

"Oh, Wind," Spirit softly said. "I'm so sorry."

"I haven't even said anything yet." Wind laughed, bitterly.

"You don't need to," Spirit told him. "You're expression says it all."

"Oh goddess," Phantom said, somber empathy filling her words. "Spirit told me what happened. I'm so sorry. Is there anything we can do to help?"

Wind shook his head. "Thank you for your concern. But there's not much to do at the moment."

"Big brother?" Wind's sister asked. "Who are they?"

"Oop, sorry," Spirit chuckled, resisting the urge to scratch at the back of his neck. "I'm Lincoln but you can call me Spirit. And this is Zelda." Spirit introduced.

"You can call me Phantom." His girlfriend added.

"It's nice to meet you, Phantom." Wind greeted. "I'm Link, though you can call me Wind. And this is my baby sister, Aryll." Wind then turned to Aryll. "Spirit is the one who helped me get the medicine for grandma."

Aryll looked up to meet Spirit's eyes, earnestly. "Thank you for helping grandma. She would have been in a lot more pain without you."

Spirit swallowed back the reactionary pang in his heart. "I only wish I could have helped sooner."

"That's stupid." Aryll frowned. "I could've lost all of my family but I didn't. You're the reason I still have my big brother with me. Thank you for helping him."

"I came to thank him, not to be thanked." Spirit said, meeting Wind's eyes. "Thank you. I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for you. Seriously. If you need somewhere to stay, just find me and I'll make it happen."

"No need," Wind brushed off. "We're staying with a good friend of mine. He has enough space at the marina for us. He even lent us a boat for ourselves."

"Wind?" Phantom spoke up. "I know Spirit hasn't told me everything about what you two did that night. But I want to know something, if you're willing to tell me the truth."

"Go ahead."

"Chandler Cole; was that your doing or Spirit's?"

Spirit felt his heart stop. Wind and Aryll fell silent. Aryll moved to hold her brother's arm in both of hers as he fell still. Wind's eyes were a calculating sort of dangerous; sharp and unwavering like some sort of predator. Spirit felt Phantom's grip tighten as she froze up at the look.

What had she just asked?

Wind moved after a long moment but only his gaze. His sharp eyes met Spirit's dark brown ones. It was as if he was asking permission, inquiring about something. Spirit glanced to his girlfriend, pursing his lips.

Would Phantom tell anyone? Spirit trusted her to not tell anyone about the plan that saved her. He trusted her to not tell people about Wind's involvement. But did he trust her with anything past the surface level information? Did he trust her with Wind's identity? With what they had both done that night? With what Spirit had gotten himself tangled up with?

Spirit turned his gaze back to Wind and gave a single, firm nod.

Wind turned his dark gaze back to Phantom. He studied her for one more long, silent moment before speaking.

"I didn't give the final blow."

Phantom's eyes hesitantly trailed to meet Spirit's. Spirit could tell she was conflicted about this new bit of information. All Spirit could think was how much he wished he could relate. Phantom's expression cleared after a long minute, her expression turning determined. She turned to Wind with a pursed smile.

"I know we don't know each other." She said. "But please, next time you two decide to pull something, at least warn me so I can cover for you?"

Wind blinked in surprise before giving her a mischievous grin. "Well, I suppose I can't deny such a tempting offer. I'll see what I can do."

Phantom nodded. She glanced to Spirit before turning to Aryll.

"Aryll, would you like to help me get some food? I'm sure Spirit and Wind have a lot to catch up on."

"Can we grab bird food to?" Aryll asked, a smile finally coming to her lips.

Phantom nodded, turning to leave. "Sure, if we can find some." She gave Spirit a quick kiss on the cheek before patting his shoulder. "We'll be back soon."

"Take your time." Spirit said.

Phantom nodded before heading down the pier with Aryll, the two falling into easy conversation about Spirit and Wind's bad taste in food. Spirit rolled his eyes before turning to Wind.

Wind held Spirit's gaze for all of two seconds before turning back towards the ocean, his eyes cast to the setting sun. Spirit moved to stand next to him, following his gaze.

"Are you going back to the criminal life?" Spirit asked.

"The depths are just as much a home as the sea, to me." Wind said, dismissively.

Phantom huffed. "Are you going back to Tetra or whatever her name was?"

"No." Wind scoffed. "She made it pretty clear that she wasn't going to do more than necessary to keep our contract in tact. I don't work for people who care more about being seen as tough than helping the people who need them."

Spirit frowned. "She sounds like a dick."

Wind chuckled, sadly. "Yeah, she was. I'm not quite sure what I saw in her."

"Do you still have a contract with her?"

"Yeah, I do. As long as I don't leave Hyrule, me and Aryll don't exist."

"What do you plan to do with that kind of power?" Spirit joked.

"I don't know." Wind quietly admitted. "I just want to take my sister somewhere safe and far away but I don't even know where we would go. Right now, I just need to find jobs that will help keep us afloat."

Spirit hummed, a smile coming to his lips. "I can help you, you know, if you're willing to keep dealing with me."

Spirit turned at the jingling of jewelry, finding Wind staring at him in disbelief. "What? You want to work together again?"

"You're a good person." Spirit shrugged. "At least, you're a better person than me. I want to see you keep being a good person."

"I've killed people." Wind pointed out. "How am I good?"

"You help people." Spirit said. "When you got hurt, you went looking for me; someone who felt just as useless and had the same desire to change that. You plotted a heist and risked getting caught in order to get that medicine into circulation. You wanted to save your grandma not just because she was your family but because you didn't want to risk losing your sister. You helped me save my best friend and gave me the courage to tell her how I really feel about her."

Spirit grasped Wind's shoulder. "I know you've done a lot of horrible things. I know you've done things I couldn't possibly think of. But I also know you want to help people. I want to see you become a better person. I want to be there to watch your back as you help people for the sake of helping them. I don't want to watch as you just survive, I want to be with you as you figure out how to live again. I don't want to see either of us turn into men like Cole or any other bastard you might have killed."

Spirit squeezed Wind's shoulder. "If we're going to work together, you have to prove to me that you're better than them."

Wind stared at Spirit in awed disbelief for a moment before turning away. He didn't laugh. He didn't poke fun at Spirit's little speech. Spirit could see him considering the words very seriously, standing silently as he did. Spirit let go to give him that moment to think, turning his own gaze back to the setting sun.

"I became a criminal to take care of my family. To save it." Wind began, hesitant and shy in a way that Spirit didn't expect from the older teen. "I stayed a criminal because I found friends who made me feel at home. Who understood me like no one else."

Spirit turned at the feeling of Wind placing his hand on his shoulder. "I guess I'll have to become a criminal for the forces of good. A vigilante, if you will. At least, if it means keeping those that are still mine. And only as long as you're at my back." Wind said. 

"I think you've got yourself a deal." Spirit said, sticking his hand out.

Wind grinned, shaking Spirit's hand vigorously enough to send the younger off kilter. Spirit only scowled at the pirate's laughter for a moment before he couldn't hold back his own laughter.

Maybe he shouldn't have been laughing. Maybe he should be in a deep gloom with the weight of his sins on his shoulders or some other poetic bullshit. Maybe he shouldn't be befriending a confirmed murderer. Normal kids wouldn't act like this.

But he wasn't a normal kid anymore. Maybe he had never been.

Chapter Text

Zelda wasn't a stranger to corruption. It came hand in hand with being part of the police force.

Sure, everyone saw one police officer's mistakes and another's bigotry but Zelda didn't think of those as corruption. Zelda was thinking more along the lines of the behind the scenes work. An officer being paid off here. Evidence mysteriously vanishing there. Reports being altered. Violent officers not even getting a slap on the wrist for obstructing the law. Officers using their position in order to commit more crime. It was rampant and it left a bad taste in Zelda's mouth. 

No, Zelda was no stranger to horrible people pretending to be good. 

Still, Zelda started to understand all of it when she found one little piece of evidence that snowballed into a full blown conspiracy.

It started small, as all fallen hero stories go.

Zelda had been one of the officers on sight the night after Chandler Cole died. He could tell none of the other officers were too rushed to solve the case. Zelda could understand, what with Cole hording a technically legal monopoly on Maladraxin, the only cure for Malice poisoning, which just so happened to be on the rise. Zelda hadn't been able to do more than watch as people died, families fell apart, and Cole "employed" people in exchange for the medicine.

Zelda wasn't about to make this case go faster. She hated the bastard. Cole's only saving grace was that he wasn't associated with Null. Zelda didn't even want to consider what would happen if those two worked together.

Zelda had been in charge of the team investigating Cole's lab. It didn't take long for one of the officers to find the destroyed power box and the hole in the wall. That was even before they'd entered the building. The mess of the lab made things harder and Zelda was cursing whoever decided not to clean the lab for the night. The place was a hazard and Zelda had been hesitant to let any of her officers in. Still, it was their job, so they'd moved in.

Zelda's team was careful, searching through files, comparing lists to the supplies in the building, and searching for physical evidence of the assailants. However, no one could quite figure out what was missing. No one except Zelda, who realized one very important thing.

If Cole was the one who manufactured the Maladraxin pills, where were the pills? Or, for a matter of fact, where was the formula? Zelda would have had both taken in as evidence or to find anyone with the rights to them but neither was in the lab. So where were they?

"Ma'am?" Officer Beecher spoke up, coming up to Zelda's side. "What's that face for? Did you find something?"

Zelda frowned but shook her head. "No," She sighed. She didn't want to say what she'd figured out. Not until she knew what it meant.

Beecher stared at her for a moment, searching for a lie. However, he quickly shrugged it off and moved on.

Zelda did one more sweep around the lab, looking for more evidence of what had happened, when she'd found it. A lone table with nothing on it. The only cleanly spot in the lab. Zelda's brows furrowed in confusion.

Nowhere was clean in the lab. Everything had been left out but there were no dangerous chemical mixes or anything that couldn't quickly be cleaned the next morning. It didn't look as if someone had trashed the place, it was like the scientists had simply walked out in the middle of their shift. But one clean table, with nothing on it and nothing surrounding it, that just so happened to be near the front door? That was deliberate, perhaps even intended to draw the eye. Why? Had something been there before? If so, what was it?

Zelda thought over the evidence again. She knew Cole had been killed with a gun in his hands a couple dozen feet away from where a car had driven over the cliff and combusted into flames. The power box for the building had been taken out, probably by an axe based on the damage. A hole had been made in the outer wall of the building, made in the only wall not integral to holding the structure up. The lab was a mess except for a single, inconspicuously clean table. All of the Maladraxin and it's formula were missing.

But what did it all mean? Was Cole expecting someone to steal from him? But who? Why?

Zelda was quick to write down her thoughts but didn't let anyone know just yet. Something wasn't right here and signs were pointing to Cole having a bigger hand in his own death than he should have. She needed more information to figure that out.

"Ma'am," One of the officers spoke up, catching Zelda's attention. "We've searched the entirety of the premises. We believe there's nothing else for us to find, at the moment. Permission to head back to the station?"

Link nodded. "Contact Chief Wright and Deputy Might. There's nothing left for us here."

The officer nodded before heading off, speaking into their radio. Zelda only had to give a quick confirmation when radioed. Soon after, her squad was heading out and back down to the station.

"Zelda?" Beecher asked, once he and Zelda were alone in their squad car. "Do you have any thoughts on what's really going on? Cause I can't make heads or tails of it."

Zelda hesitated to answer. "I'm tired." She eventually said, pushing back the questions and theories racing through her mind.

"Ah, alright. You're gonna sleep on it, than. Gotcha. Just let me know if you figure something out, okay?"

Zelda didn't reply. But she did sleep on the matter.

When Zelda woke up the next day, something dawned on her. Cole had died with a gun in his hands and a gun at his side. However, Cole only had one holster on his person. If Cole had brought only one gun, why would the criminal leave theirs behind at risk of being found?

Zelda had seen the confiscated guns. Cole's gun was a larger hand gun, one that could do serious damage and practically broke the sound barrier with how loud it got. But the borrowed gun was so small it could fit in a clutch, simple enough that a kid could have put the thing together. And it was quiet, or at least quieter than most other guns with not a lot of power behind it. Cole had been prepared for a fight and the second person had probably just packed something to protect themself.

Cole wasn't the victim. He was the aggressor.

Evidence flew through Zelda's head as scenario after scenario danced over her eyes until only one was left. With all the information she had, it was the only situation that made sense.

Cole had a monopoly on a hard to get medicine. Someone knew someone else that was dying and decided to take things into their own hands. However, Cole was expecting them to break into his lab and set up a trap, of sorts. Cole got the drop on the person, which ended in a car chase and the mystery person jumping out of the car, either because they weren't confident in their driving or because the car was malfunctioning. Either way, Cole stopped in time to confront them when they were able to get the drop on him and shoot him. They stole the car and headed out, leaving Cole's body to be discovered the next evening.

Zelda was satisfied with that answer but two things still bugged her. The hole in the wall was big enough for an adult to crawl through but only barely. And, if the mystery person really did jump out of the car and got confronted by Cole, how did they kill him from behind?

It would make more sense for another person to be present, possibly even a child if they wanted to get through the hole quickly. But that was impossible. Two people would have made the escape slower and having one of them be a child was ridiculous to even think about. You might as well say that Cole was killed by two kids...

Was Cole killed by two kids? No, it couldn't be.

Could it?

Well, two kids would have easily been able to slip in and out through the hole in the wall. And the gun was simple enough to make if a parent owned the right pieces or just the entire thing. And if it was two kids that broke into the lab, it makes more sense for there to be two of them. And it explained why they broke in the way they did, though it still felt like a leap for them to jump to demolition.

But if it really was two kids, that meant Cole had wanted to confront at least one of them, if not both of them. The question is why. Why target a child? If children really were involved, then this child had to be important. The problem is that Cole had no living relatives and his associates didn't have kids. And with the person most likely stealing everything on Maladraxin, they must have been someone loosing a family member to Malice. If the rumors are true, than the kids believed that Cole was poisoning people with Malice for his own gain.

Zelda... decided she needed to figure out how to format this into a report. She had work to do and people to save.

It didn't matter why two kids had killed Cole, what mattered was who they were. They still killed a man and their age did not change that. That was assuming they were kids at all, or that there were even two of them. No, Zelda just had to get this all to Chief Wright and be done with it. She was a police detective, she couldn't be hesitating like this for two potential kids...

But she was.

Curse her stupid, bleeding heart. Curse her running thoughts. There were no kids!

There was no proof that there were kids at the scene of the crime. There was no proof of Cole even knowing any kids. There was no real proof of a partner in crime. She needed to stop going down the deep end before she arrested someone innocent because no kid could have done this.

But this was all so familiar. Painfully familiar. Kids were a lot more capable than adults gave them credit for, after all.

Zelda sighed, scrubbing at her face. She wasn't even done with breakfast and she was already giving herself a headache. Typical.

Zelda glared down at her work book on the corner of her coffee table. Usually it was nice to have an easy way to get all of her ideas out without being forced to speak them aloud but right now it was daunting. It was as if the simple notebook was taunting her for her overactive thoughts.

Zelda...

Zelda was going to get a new notebook. Just to get her thoughts in order. It was about time she didn't clutter her work with rambling thoughts.

Yes, that's what Zelda would do.

A new notebook.

Zelda was going to be in so much trouble if she was right.

Zelda stared at the four files in front of her. One was for the Chandler Cole case from five months ago. Another was from the Demond Malladus case from three months ago. The third one was from the Volga Volvagia case from one month ago. The last one was from Zelda's latest case, involving the death of Cia Thyme.

She didn't want to believe these four cases were related. Dammit, there was barely a connection between all of them. There was nothing to relate all of them together.

But they all would have been stupidly easy for two children to get away with.

Zelda quickly stood from her desk and started to pace her office. Her finger tapped nervously against her cheek as she thought over the cases again and again. But it was no use. There was no two ways around it.

Two children were taking out some of the most powerful people in Hyrule.

But her traitorous thoughts whispered sweet lies of this not being an issue. All of those people had been horrible in life, exploiting people's suffering for their own gain.

There was evidence that Malladus had been kidnapping young girls to traffic. There was evidence of Volga being in cahoots with some of the lowest members of the criminal underbelly. There was evidence of Cia being a serial rapist and stalker. All of them had evidence of crimes that should have gotten all of them life in prison, at the very least, but didn't because of their political connections.

Zelda would have never been able to bring them to justice. Not legally. How could she fault two kids for doing what the police refused to do? What Zelda had refused to do for years?

She would have done the same thing as these kids when she was younger. What made now any different?

No! No, that was so wrong! She shouldn't even be thinking these things. It didn't matter who they were killing or that they were kids doing good through these deeds. They were still killers. Who knew what else these kids had done? Hell, they could have publicly robbed a bank and Zelda would be none the wiser, with their track record.

Zelda didn't even know who these stupidly smart kids were. She didn't have names. She didn't have faces. She didn't have a motive. All she had was a gut feeling that these crimes were being committed by children.

Zelda had told Beecher her suspicion of children being involved in these cases after the Malladus Case. Beecher had laughed in her face.

Zelda would not feel bad for two kids that were outplaying her. Zelda didn't give up. Maybe she needed Link's help, just like old times? He'd certainly see some angles she hadn't been able to. He'd always been good at grounding her when she got trapped in her thoughts. Maybe that was what she needed to solve these cases?

But what would he do if there really were two children involved? Zelda knew Link's own bleeding heart came from helping the other street kids growing up while Zelda had been raised to think for the good of the many. If Link found out about the two kids, he'd struggle to arrest them too.

Especially after what they'd been through as kids.

No, it was best if Zelda got real evidence before bringing anyone else into these cases. If not to keep from wasting time than to save her pride. It wouldn't do good to be laughed at again. Zelda had better ways to make a fool of herself. 

Zelda sighed, looking back to the files on her desk. It would do no good to keep pacing like this. Her shift was almost over anyways.

Zelda closed the files and slid them back into their designated cabinet. She grabbed her blue jacket and slid on her weapon patterned computer bag before heading out of her office.

When Link spotted Zelda stepping out of her office, he signed at her with a knowing smile. [Heading home already?]

Zelda nodded, letting out a frustrated breath. "I really hope I'm able to sleep tonight."

Link hissed in sympathy. [That bad? My shift's almost over. You wait and we'll get drinks.]

Zelda shook her head. "Thank you, Link. I'm okay, though. Just need to clear my head."

Link gave a nod of understanding. [Good night. Sleep well. Cuddle Tri. Visit me if you need.] He told her.

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know. I'll keep that in mind." She sent Link a thankful smile as she passed him. "See you Tuesday, Link."

[You too.]

And with that, Zelda headed out of the precinct and into the busy streets of the city. She made her way towards the Keystone Bakery, somewhere with enough foot traffic to drown out her stupid thoughts. It wasn't long before she reached the place and breathed in the scent of fresh pastries.

Despite it's name, Keystone Bakery wasn't a bakery, it was a cafe. The place used to be a bakery but started getting more business once they put down some tables and started selling coffee. They were kinda forced to expand their list of products after that but, all things considered, they made the right call. Zelda always found comfort in their baked goods.

Zelda grabbed a coffee and a fresh slice of pie before seating herself at one of the outdoor tables. The spring breeze was nice and Zelda felt a little too trapped inside of the cafe. The only other patrons eating at the outdoor tables were a pair of twin boys in their mid teens chatting over some breakfast sandwiches, hot drinks, and a shared slice of cake. Zelda sat with her back to the two boys but couldn't keep herself from eavesdropping a little on their conversation. She would have tried harder not to but she'd left work in order to distract herself. It didn't hurt to hear the teen gossip every once in a while.

"How are you and Phantom doing?" One of the boys asked. "I haven't heard from her in a while."

"You would if you just took our invitations to hang out." The other boy teased. "We're doing great, though. We went to the skating rink last night. Thanks for the suggestion."

"It was Winter Wonderland night. They only do four of those a year after New Year's. Me and Aryll can't go this year, so I thought you two would have fun."

"You can come with us next weekend. I'm sure Aryll would want to get away from the boat every once in a while."

"You know why I can't agree to that."

The other boy sighed. "I know you want to keep Aryll safe but you should relax a little. Your life isn't going to be ruined just because you two went roller skating."

"You don't know that."

Zelda forced herself to not freeze up. What the fuck were these two talking about? Protecting Aryll? Who's Aryll? And were these boys not actually related? Who was Phantom? Who were these kids that just having Aryll be seen was akin to a death sentence?

"I'm just saying. If you need a break one of these nights, I can take care of things for you. I'm your partner for a reason."

"Thanks mate but watch your tongue. You never know who's listening."

Zelda suddenly felt very exposed. She didn't flee, that would just be suspicious. However, she was more focused on finishing her food now.

These kids were partners? Partners in what? Love? No, Phantom seemed to be the second kid's romantic partner. School? He didn't sound like he was referring to school. Crime? But what crimes? Was it a joke? It couldn't be with how these two were talking. It was like Aryll and the first teen were under witness protection or on the run.

Were they on the run? Had the kid done something bad and put his family in danger? Was the other kid actually his partner in crime? Had Zelda just found her kid killers?

Zelda casually cleaned up her trash and made her way to the nearest trash can. She subtly looked at the two boys as she threw her trash away, committing their image to memory.

By all means, there wasn't anything all that special about the two teens. Yeah, they looked nearly identical and one of them wore jewelry with bright colors but Zelda would have never given the two a second glance before now. By all means, the two of them could walk into a crowd and disappear without anyone the wiser if they wanted.

Zelda was quick to move on when the boy in bright colors looked up at her, suspicion written all over his face. That was too close for comfort and Zelda suddenly had a very important search to do. She didn't look back as she walked down the street and she very deliberately did not do any research until she was in her apartment and seated at her computer.

Zelda started with the easy research. She looked for all Aryll's with brothers in their teens. She narrowed down the search to Hyrule City, ignored all the results of an Aryll that was not disabled or younger than her brother, and looked for brothers with dark eyes and sunshine blonde hair. What Zelda found at the end surprised her.

Nothing.

There was no match for the boy Zelda had seen earlier. So Zelda expanded her search to variations of the name Aryll. Maybe Aryll was a nickname like how Link was a nickname? Sure, it wasn't nearly as common as nicknaming your L named son "Link" but it wasn't unheard of. Aryll was probably short for Aryella or something.

Nope. Still nothing.

Maybe Aryll was a middle name?

Nope.

A surname?

Nada.

A title?

Nu-uh.

Maybe they were from out of Hyrule?

Still no.

At this point, Zelda was pulling out his hair in frustration and scaring her kitten, Tri. Did these kids just not exist? They had to have had some record or another. But it was now midnight and Zelda still had nothing on these kids. Who the fuck were they?

By one in the morning, Zelda threw in the towel and decided to reverse search for the partner in crime. Luckily and frustratingly, the partner was infinitely easier to find.

Lincoln Trent Steamer, known as Link literally everywhere else. He was the foster kid of mechanics named Alfonzo Rallye and Nico Saylor, along with a girl named Zelda Fawn Geist. He went to Station High School as a sophomore and had just won his first artistic award with a train statue made of welded together metal scraps. Alfonzo and Nico both used to work for the old Spirit Tracks Train Station before it closed to the public and Nico had been a sailor before that.

Still, Zelda couldn't find the other boy. He wasn't a student. He wasn't part of any extra-curriculars. He didn't show up in any of Lincoln's posts. Nothing.

Fine. If Zelda couldn't find the kid this way, she could hunt him down in the marina. Then she'd get her evidence, turn it in, and arrest the two little punks.

The two little punks who had a girlfriend and a little sister. Two punks who killed four untouchable criminals. Two punks who'd somehow gotten Maladraxin into circulation. Who'd saved dozens of starving little girls. Who'd weakened the criminal underbelly with barely any effort. Who'd gotten justice for dozens of assault victims. Who'd stayed completely under the radar and Zelda had found by chance.

Zelda scrubbed her face. It looked like she was going to Realm Marina tomorrow.

Despite how close it was to Windfall Pier, Realm Marina was filthy.

Zelda wrinkled her nose at the stench of dead fish. She kept her distance from discarded fishing gear and loose trash to the best of her abilities. Each step she took was accompanied by the creak of a rotting board or the crunch of wet pebbles. The green sea water made the lack of hiding spots all the more apparent.

Zelda really regretted wearing a skirt today. She was going to start wearing pants outside of work. 

Zelda squared her shoulders and continued her way deeper into the marina. She wasn't sure what ship belonged to Aryll and her brother but she did have a number for a singular boat that was listed to have no permanent residents. The owner of the boat was a conman named Linebeck, known for his bad products and charming looks. Zelda would have arrested him long ago if all of his crimes didn't have technical loopholes. 

As Zelda neared the farthest edge of the marina, she spotted the boat she was looking for. It was an odd looking boat, being bright red with an almost dragon-like head mounted on the front of it. Zelda couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a tiny pirate ship or a large sail boat.

Zelda got closer to the boat, using ships and canopies to hide her approach. With her notebook in her hands and camera around her neck, Zelda felt she would be prepared for whatever she found.

Peaking around a conveniently hung tarp, Zelda spotted a familiar boy and a young girl that she could only assume was Aryll. The two didn't look very similar but, even from this distance, Zelda could tell that they had the exact same shade of sunny blonde hair. The two wore the same shade of blue, almost allowing them to blend in with the sky. The boy's blue pirate coat was a style that should have stood out more than it did but the blue jacket around Aryll's waist almost made her look boring. Zelda would have completely skipped over the two if she hadn't already known what she was looking for.

Zelda held her notebook and pen in her mouth as she lifted her camera to take a couple quick pictures of the scene. She quickly hid back behind the tarp, checking over the pictures. With the zoom on, Zelda could better see that the two siblings were in the middle of an argument.

Maybe the two had a bad relationship? Would that mean Aryll would be happy if her brother got arrested?

Zelda peaked back out at the still arguing siblings but couldn't see any other form of life near their boat. It was likely that no one else was there. Whether that meant there was no adult currently present or no adult caring for them remained to be seen.

Zelda hid back behind the tarp before beginning to take notes. She was quick to write down her observations and questions, keeping her notes short and clean. When she had nothing else to write, she slid her notebook into her hoodie pocket and grabbed her camera again.

A clicking sound next to her head made Zelda freeze. She didn't dare move but she did let her gaze drift down and to the right. She found combat boots covered in stickers with nearly orange pants rolled up over them.

"Detective Shade." The young man spoke calmly, even as his voice threatened to crack from youth. "I didn't think you were going to show up so soon."

Zelda turned her head enough to meet the boy's dark eyes. This close, she could see hints of blue and green in the kid's steely gaze. A pistol was aimed directly at Zelda's temple.

Zelda's lips pursed. Her gaze flicked between the teen and his weapon, almost convinced the kid was about to shoot her. Instead, the boy gave the detective a teasing smile.

"Tell me, Detective. Do you have a warrant?" The boy asked.

"No." Zelda admitted, forcing her voice to stay steady.

"Did you get permission for a stakeout?"

"No," Zelda hesitantly answered.

"Are you on the clock?"

Zelda didn't answer, only glared at the kid. The kid's smile grew.

"Than I believe you're breaking the law, Detective. I mean, it's a little creepy to be taking pictures of little girl's, isn't it?"

Zelda scowled in disgust. The boy laughed.

"Touchy subject, huh? I get that." The boy nodded, sympathetically. "It's hard protecting the women in your life, especially those you don't know."

So the kid didn't want Zelda sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Zelda wasn't sure how likely she was to get out alive if she refused to do just that.

Still, the wording bugged her. Protecting women that Zelda didn't know? Zelda would have expected him to imply she was scared for herself. Did the boy actually mean girls? Like the girls kidnapped by Malladus? Or maybe he meant women as in half of Cia's pool of victims? Or maybe there was something else that Zelda was missing. The kid obviously did his research so was he referring to what happened with Null?

"Still, I can't have you snitching to your mates that I threatened you." The boy shrugged. His finger tightened on the trigger and Zelda tensed up. "Sweet dreams-"

Zelda moved before she could think better of it. Her hands lashed out, one grabbing the gun and the other pushing the boys arms away.

The shot flew wide and Zelda took her chance. She yanked the gun out of the kid's hands before turning and slamming her elbow into the kid's stomach.

The kid landed harshly on the dock but didn't let himself linger before he was rolling to his feet. The boy lunged forward, pulling a knife from within his large coat before Zelda could even aim at him. The kid swiped at her, forcing her to collide with one of the dock pilings. The knife barely missed Zelda but caught the camera strap just right to make it snap and fall. 

Zelda could do nothing as the camera tumbled across the dock and into the ocean. 

Zelda kicked her foot out, hitting the kid in the knee, making him loose both his footing and his knife. She grabbed the kid by the coat, attempting to push him back when the kid latched onto her wrist. The kid let himself drop like a bag of bricks, dragging Zelda down with him before kicking the detective over his head.

Zelda slammed into the dock's edge, her legs dangling off the wood enough for her feet to reach the lapping waves. Zelda rolled over in order to get back to her feet but was stunned by a kick to her head.

Zelda forced herself to keep moving. She ignored the feeling of her head splitting open in order to crawl back onto the dock. She pushed herself up to her knees, tightening her grip on the gun still in her hand. She looked up, expecting to find the kid either running or trying to get in her face again.

The kid stood up a few paces away, glaring at Zelda. A smirk was playing at his lips, as if he'd already won despite having lost his knife. Zelda didn't understand what the kid had won until a voice spoke up in the distance.

"Lose the gun, ma'am." A young, familiar voice spoke up.

Zelda turned to find Lincoln Steamer standing a few yards away, trucker cap low on his head and a revolver in his hand. It was aimed directly at Zelda and the detective wasn't stupid enough to believe the kid would miss.

Zelda glanced back at the smug boy in front of him. She let out frustrated huff to let her displeasure of being cornered by two kids be known. She slowly and deliberately telegraphed her movements before dropping the pistol in the green water behind her, leaving the kids with only one weapon they could access.

The pirate boy's eyes narrowed at the show of defiance. He stepped forward, uncaring of Zelda's free limbs as he snatched the notebook out of her pocket.

Zelda could do nothing but allow him to take it. Her brows furrowed and her lips screwed into a displeased pout. Zelda could lose her life at any second, she was not going to hold back her sour mood.

She should have brought Link with her.

"I believe we can add 'assault and battery of a child' to your list of crimes, Detective." The boy mused, flipping the notebook open to the first page. "Now let's see what you've been working on."

The boy took a few steps back before turning his eyes completely to the notebook in his hands. Zelda searched for a way to escape without risk of drowning but Lincoln's aim was still deadly and true.

"September 25th," The boy read, loud enough for Zelda and Lincoln to hear but quiet enough for the waves and seagulls to drown out. "I have a hunch that Chandler Cole was killed by two children."

Lincoln giggled at his partner's exaggerated tone. Zelda didn't see the humor.

The boy continued his narration. "The hole in the wall is too small for an adult to get through it quickly. The shot from behind is too low, though that could be coincidence. The guns are easy to assemble and aren't made to do much damage. Cole was most likely the aggressor, not the thieves..." The boy trailed off, brows furrowed.

Lincoln tilted his head in confusion.

The boy skipped ahead a couple pages, ignoring the rest of the first page. "October 3rd, Maladraxin has been put into circulation. No credit or patent to go off of. Vigilante work or a long con? Why put the drug into circulation? Sick family member is the mostly likely answer for initial heist but not for circulation. What criminal wouldn't want to be paid for their work?"

Another few pages were skipped, a little more quickly. "November 11th, Malladus may have been killed by mystery kids. Lots of evidence of Malladus kidnapping girls but no proof. Did Malladus kidnap a family member or a friend? Did they learn what Malladus does to his victims? I wish they hadn't killed him so Malladus could face the justice he deserves, though it may be for the best that he didn't have a chance to walk free. Note: Keep evidence to self until there's undeniable proof. Beecher thinks I'm on drugs now."

Lincoln moved to stand at his partner's side. He read over the boy's shoulder as more pages were skipped. The pirate stopped to stare at a specific page. One of the later entries, by the looks of it.

"February 28th, I found them. They're not as young as I thought they would be. No information on Aryll and her brother. Lincoln Steamer looks to be a normal kid. Could he really have killed so many criminals? What have the criminals done to make such a good kid snap? Does he try to justify his actions or is there nothing to justify? Zelda Geist was hospitalized in September and began recovery two days after Cole's death. Was Lincoln the one to put Maladraxin into circulation? How do I get proof that others will believe?"

The nearly identical boys turned their gazes to the detective. Zelda didn't squirm under their scrutiny, holding her head high.

The still nameless boy pursed his lips in thought but Lincoln stroked his chin like he had a beard. Lincoln's scrutinizing gaze was almost laughably adorable but his unwavering aim gave him plenty of points for intimidation.

"If you met the kids you were looking for..." The pirate asked, picking his words carefully. "Would you want to arrest them?"

Zelda wanted to nod. She wanted to scream 'yes' into the great beyond until the whole universe believed her. She wanted to lie until she could believe herself.

Zelda had never been able to lie to herself.

After a long enough stretch of silence passed between detective and teens, the pirate spoke up again.

"If you could meet these killer kids, would you hate them or thank them?"

Zelda didn't have an answer to that.

The boy pushed on. "If you could meet these kids, and they turned out to only be doing these things to protect their loved ones... What would you do?"

Zelda leaned back until she was able to stare at unobstructed sky. She hadn't really thought about that question before. It hadn't mattered what answer she could give to that, not when her job was on the line. Zelda was dedicated to the pursuit of justice and she thought that was what mattered most.

But when some kids are risking their lives just to protect their families, Zelda can't help but think back to Link. He'd saved Zelda when they were kids and she'd save him in return. They'd been kidnapped by the same person, along with many other kids, most of which were younger than them. They'd fought back when given the chance and nearly killed their captor in order to escape and get help.

Zelda couldn't fault these kids for protecting their families. Not when she still wished she had landed that final blow that would have kill Null.

"If you met these kids," The boy continued, taking a step towards Zelda. "Would you hear them out? Would you help them?"

Zelda looked away, thinking. If she did help these kids than it would just turn her into any other corrupt cop. Zelda had always resented corrupt cops. Could she really throw away the law to pursue a new form of justice that she knew little about?

Well, if it turned out to be a lie, she could always turn the boys in later. She'd have more blackmail on them than they had on her by then, surely.

"That depends," Zelda said. "Are you willing to talk?"

The two teens shared a look. A silent conversation comprised entirely of eyebrow movement passed between the two. After a short, tense moment, Lincoln put his gun away.

Zelda barely had time to let out a breathe of relief before the kids grabbed her by the arms and started dragging her out of the marina. Zelda startled a little at being manhandled. Lincoln gave her a bright, reassuring smile, showing off the gap between his front teeth. 

"If we're going to talk, we're going somewhere none of us have any power." Lincoln cheerfully explained. "The Keystone Bakery."

It started as every fallen hero story starts. Something happens and someone reacts in a way that's morally incorrect. That's how it goes.

But Zelda can see only from her own perspective and she can't see herself as a villain. Maybe she's fallen from grace over the past month of working with two punk kids. Maybe her morals have become a little more gray as she's swept specific pieces of evidence under the rug. Maybe she's made friends with the wrong side in order to watch horrible people fall.

Zelda can't say she regrets her decision to work with Wind and Spirit. They do good by a lot of people and Zelda can see them getting better every day. The punk teens have weaseled their way into Zelda's heart and there wasn't much she could do about it.

She just wished they'd start letting her in on their plots so she could work around them better.

Zelda heard her phone buzzing on the table as she ate breakfast with Tri. A quick check of the ID had her checking the message before she could think better of it.

Pirate: Wanna meet our friend?

Zelda couldn't help but smile. It seemed Wind and Spirit's puzzle buddy finally caught onto their schemes. It must have gone well if Wind was texting so casually.

Priestess : How excited is he to meet me?

Pirate: He's happy that we have "adult supervision", whatever that means.

Zelda rolled her eyes. Children, honestly.

Priestess: I'll meet you at the marina.

Engie: You better hurry, Echo. Aryll's already declared him her best friend.

No words could make Zelda move faster. She had a title to defend. She couldn't let the rookie steal it out from under her. That would just be disgraceful.

Chapter Text

Link half-listened to the news as he fixed his appearance in the mirror. 

Chandler Cole's death and Maladraxin going into circulation have been making the rounds for months and the police were no closer to solving the case. And now, with the death of Demond Malladus and the recent upheaval of his child trafficking ring, people were catching onto the fact that there was potentially a dangerous vigilante in Hyrule. 

Listening to the news anchors debate the evidence of the two crimes being connected was a little grating. All they were doing was talking in circles, completely avoiding the fact that the vigilante and killer aspects of these crimes were not exclusive from each other. There was a very high likelihood that the vigilante was killing people in the hopes of snipping problems in the bud. Link hoped that, if this was the case, the vigilante knew what they were doing so they wouldn't topple all of Hyrule too.

"You're still listening to this crap?" Lana asked, stepping into the bathroom. 

Link made room for her at the sink as he finished cleaning his face of shaving cream. He hasn't been able to put this much work into his appearance since he'd last stayed with Lana months ago. Lana always had enough products for both of them. 

"It's good to stay up to date." Link told her, grabbing his shirt from off the toilet lid and throwing it on. 

"They haven't talked about anything new in days." Lana complained, beginning her makeup routine for performance days. "They're completely skipping over the bigger issues in order to speculate about this Phantom Killer. They're not even talking about the Draco Ganondorf murder because of this and it hasn't even been two days." 

"Everyone thought Draco Ganondorf was dead until three months ago. They're not going to bat an eye at his real death." Link pointed out, fixing his hair. 

"If it's his real death." Lana said, conspiratorially. 

Link rolled his eyes. "If Dr. Lindwyrm says he's dead, I'm inclined to believe her." 

"He's a criminal master mind, Linden. He could have pulled something out of his ass and gone underground again." 

"There are capable criminals out there that can pull that card twice. He is not one of them." Link stated, sliding on a green sweater. He grabbed his blue and orange scarf before sliding past Lana and out of the bathroom. "I'll be back in a few hours." 

"I'll leave the door unlocked when I leave." Lana waved him off. "Just lock it when you get back. I won't be back until one tonight." 

"I won't forget." Link promised, wrapping his scarf around his shoulders. "Say hello to Artemis for me." 

Lana yelled a confirmation as Link snatched up his backpack and headed out the door. He checked his watch and cursed, picking up the pace down the street. He was running later than he thought. He wasn't about to lose this job just because he was late. He was lucky he had a job at all right now. 

Link was a home teacher, which wasn't a job he thought he would every have. He'd gotten a teaching license so he could teach at schools or online. However, when Link had been struggling for job opportunities, he'd found a kid asking for help. Link Outset - who also went by "Tune" - had come into custody of his little sister, Aryll, after their grandmother died of Malice poisoning but he didn't yet have the money to keep Aryll in school. Tune was looking for someone who could teach his little sister while he was working or away for any small job he could take. 

Link, maybe somewhat foolishly, took the job before he could think any better of it. He knew all too well about struggling for a job and  it guaranteed Link a paycheck at the end of every week. It turned out alright though, as Link was paid fairly well and got a nice employer out of the deal. All Link had to do was teach Aryll the necessary curriculum for four hours a day, plus a few breaks here and there. It was a pretty sweet deal and Link even got food out of it, most days. 

Aryll was a nice girl, even if she was a bit blunt and pushy. She was intelligent and very mature for her age, to the point that Link was worried she was forcing herself to grow up too fast. She was often worrying after her brother and confided in Link that Tune was going to work himself to death if he didn't slow down some time soon. 

Link had wanted to keep his relationship with Aryll and Tune completely professional but thinking of a sixteen year old kid working himself to death felt uncomfortably familiar. It reminded Link about his time in the war a decade back. Link hated thinking about that time but Tune and Aryll were constant reminders of the lowest point in Link's life. 

When Tune had come home with his right arm covered in bloody bandages from his more labor intense job, Link couldn't take it anymore. The worry eating him alive had burst forward in a protective fury. Link had cleaned and re-wrapped the arm while scolding Tune for overworking himself, no matter the intention. Link had lectured Tune on how he had to take care of himself before he could take care of Aryll or else he wouldn't be able to take care of Aryll at all anymore. Link told Tune about the soldiers he'd worked with who had lost their families to the war or had died and left their families behind. Link had made Tune promise not to be so reckless and slow down, if only enough to sleep better. 

Link finally realized how many professional lines he was crossing when Tune smiled and agreed. Link had been embarrassed about his outburst, convinced he was about to lose his job again. 

Instead, Tune had laughed and waved him off. He was happy that someone seemed to worry about the well-being of him and his sister, past some buddies of his called "Phantom" and "Train". Link, appalled at the thought of two kids having no support structure, had offered to take the two out to eat. Tune had agreed on the terms it was at the Keystone Bakery, which Link was perfectly fine with if he ignored his meager savings. 

It had become tradition after that, to go to the Keystone Bakery at the end of every school week. Link and Aryll would study and play games at the marina until Tune was done with work. They'd meet up with Tune for dinner at the cafe, taking the time to chat and relax after a stressful week. When food was eaten and conversation had been exhausted, Tune would hand Link his week's pay and they would go their separate ways until Monday arrived again. 

Link smiled when he spotted the red boat in the distance. His speed picked up a little more as he pushed himself to reach the ship before Aryll came looking for him. Still, it appeared time was against Link, as he spotted Aryll running into view. 

Aryll raised her hands to block the sun as she searched for Link. When she spotted him, the distance couldn't hide how widely she smiled. 

"Captain!" Aryll crowed, holding her arms out for a hug. 

"Aryll!" Link laughed, picking Aryll up into a spinning hug. His grin only brightened at the girl's bubbly laughter. 

"Link, Link, Link!" Aryll quickly called, leaning back to look over her shoulder. "The Captain's here!" 

Link looked up to see Tune walking into view on the bow of the boat. "He sure is, Gull." Tune smiled, leaning over the boat's railing. "Ahoy, Captain. Any new stories today?" 

"None I'm willing to share until you're older." Link teased, taking great enjoyment in Tune's petulant pout. "Now, why are you here? I thought you had work today?" He asked as he carried Aryll towards the ship steps. 

Tune waved his hand, dismissively. "Got called off for the day. I'll be working from home today. Train's coming over later, too. We've got a personal project we think could bring in a little cash if we do it right." 

"Than I wish you the best of luck. Just make sure to take a break every once in a while." Link said, letting Aryll down so she could board the boat on her own. 

Tune met Link at the final step, jokingly offering his hand to help Link onto the boat. Link rolled his eyes, gently shoving Tune's shoulder. Tune laughed and let Link board the ship without any more trouble. 

The boat was unique in the way it felt like a DIY project. It was as if someone had taken a small yacht and converted it into a sail boat by taking the top off. Someone had mounted a carved dragon head on the bow of the boat and painted the body of the boat red. It looked kinda silly and was made even sillier by the fact there was a small sailboat tied to the back of the boat that looked like the improved concept of whatever the previous owner was trying to turn the bigger boat into. 

"I'll be in the dinette if you need me." Tune told Link, already moving to go bellow deck. "Send Train down there when he gets here." 

"I don't even know who Train is." Link pointed out. 

"You'll know him when you see him." Tune sent a mischievous grin towards Link before disappearing into the bowels of the boat. 

Was it bowels? Link didn't know enough boat terms to actually say. 

Link shook his head before turning to Aryll, who was already setting up her school work on the deck. Link sat in the desk chair across from her, opening his backpack to pull out the textbooks he'd borrowed from the library. 

"What subject would you like to start with today, Aryll?" Link asked. 

"Geography!" Aryll cheered. 

Link gave an amused huff. Honestly, he should have expected that answer. Aryll was always curious about the lands across the ocean. She said she wanted to go traveling some day but her brother was too busy to indulge her. Even on the one occasion that Link had seen Aryll and Tune take the small sail boat out, they hadn't strayed far from shore. 

For the next half hour, Link taught Aryll all about the places surrounding Greater Hyrule. The many smaller islands interested Aryll the most but she still found enjoyment in learning where she could eventually visit. She especially loved the idea of visiting Holodrom to experience it's unique weather patterns. 

It was when they were moving onto math that there was a change in Aryll's attention. Link was more than familiar with Aryll's hatred for math but she'd always been determined to know the material. Today, however, was derailed the moment Aryll looked off the side of the boat and gasped in excitement. 

"Train!" Aryll exclaimed, jumping out of her seat to go meet Tune's mysterious friend. 

"Hey, Gull!" A young boy called back. His voice sounded weirdly similar to Tune's, only the accent was wrong. 

Link turned as a young, familiar looking boy boarded the boat. For a moment, as Aryll jumped into the boy's arms, Link had been tricked into thinking that she was hugging her brother. But the boy's clothing were too boring to be something Tune would wear, even for his more labor intense gigs. 

Train lowered Aryll back to the ground, ruffling her hair just to hear her complain. Train looked up to Link and smiled, showing off his gap tooth as he quickly approached. 

"You must be the Captain I've been hearing so much about." Train said, holding his hand out for Link to shake. "I'm Lincoln Steamer, but you can call me Train." 

"Ah," Link grinned, taking the boy's hand. "Another Link. Aryll must be collecting us." He joked. 

"Nah," Train laughed. "Tune's the one doing the collecting. Aryll's just here for the show, I think." 

Link gave an exaggerated sigh. "Ah, the woes of having a name that starts with L." 

Train gave a somber nod, slightly ruined by the fact he couldn't really pull off the faux-serious expression needed. "Always forced to have nicknames for nicknames." 

The two Link's stood there in silence for only a moment before bursting into laughter. It was always nice to meet someone else named Link. It always seemed to bring easy comradery. Link still remembers how well he got along with Mask in the war. Mask had always been able to bring out Link's inner child during their time together in the war. Even during the worst of it, Mask always found a way to bring a sense of lightness to their moments of rest. 

Train retreated first, holding himself with an easy peace that Link envied. "Well, Captain. It was nice meeting you. We'll have to chat some other time." 

"We should," Link easily agreed. 

Train turned to Aryll, who was pouting at being left out of the conversation. "I wish I could stay and hang out, Aryll. But me and Tune have some work to do. Where is he, anyways?" 

"He's in the dinette." Aryll huffed. "You're not gonna leave before we hang out this time, right?" She asked, pulling out the saddest puppy dog eyes Link had ever seen. 

Train's smile turned pained. "I'm sorry, Gull. I just might..." 

Aryll's lip wobbled and Link could see Train starting to fold. Link, wanting his pay for the day, spoke up to save the poor kid. 

"Come on, Aryll. Let's get back to work. You can catch Train on his way out, today." Link told the young girl. 

Aryll started to whine and complain as Link corralled her back to the deck chairs. Train sent him a thankful smile before disappearing through the same door Wind had. 

The rest of Aryll's lessons went off without a hitch. They'd taken a break for lunch, passing Tune and Train as they debated building layouts over a couple notebooks. Link didn't bother trying to understanding it. However, when lessons were done for the day and Link went to go over Aryll's homework with Tune, he found the boys debating over a new, less professional looking building layout. 

"What are you two working on?" Link asked, leaning on the bolted down table to peer over the sketched over blueprints. He could spot the notes of camera placements and security measures. 

"Ah, nothing special." Train shyly chuckled. 

"Just a game." Tune added, giving Link a strained smile. He scowled at the paper. "Co-worker of mine gave me an escape room puzzle. Thought it'd be fun but we're completely stumped." 

"Is your co-worker an architect?" Link asked, eyeing the nearly professional layout of the printed papers. 

"Nah, but he loves mazes and terrariums. I think that's why he keeps giving me these types of puzzles." 

Link hummed in interest. "Well, perhaps I could help? Me and Aryll just finished her lessons, so I can spare the time." 

"Has she started on her homework?" Tune asked. 

"Not yet," Link said. He sent a smile towards Train. "She said she wanted to finish her present for Train and his girlfriend." 

Train ducked his head, tugging the lip of his hat down to cover his face. Tune laughed freely. 

"Awe, Train! Look at that! Aryll remembered your anniversary before you did!" Tune teased. 

"Anniversary?" Link teased, raising an eyebrow at Train. 

"It's just our two month anniversary. I don't get what the big deal is." Train grumbled. He waved his hand to cut Link off before he could speak up. "Captain, you said you wanted to help us?" 

Link let the subject change go, pulling the paper a little closer to himself. "Talk me through it. What's got you stuck?" 

"My co-worker says we're taking the role of criminals." Tune began, leaning forward on his elbows. "One of us mans the car and can short the building's power for a few minutes by overloading the circuit breaker." 

"But that would leave both of us vulnerable and split." Train cut in, like this was something they'd already been debating. "What we're supposed to do is get into this room-" He pointed his pencil to one of the central rooms on the ground floor. "And steal a specific set of physical documents. However, there are a lot of cameras-" 

"Plenty of locks, too. Electronic, normal, and ones with keypads." Tune interrupted. "No way to tell what doors have what locks until we're in the building." 

"And the only way we'd be able to sneak in without being spotted by the guard rotation is through the vents. The problem is that the vents we could feasibly fit through don't reach that filing room." 

"And the guards are on a five minute rotation." Tune added. 

"That's not even considering the fact that we'd need to find a way to quickly climb in and out of the vents because they're higher up than we can jump." 

Link hummed in thought, looking over the layout with new eyes. "I see why you need my help with this." He mused. "However, I think this job is all about timing." 

The boys sent him twin looks of confusion. 

"You see," Link continued, taking the pencil from Train. "There are two of you and you have a five minute window to get your work done, if you don't take the cameras into account. However, you've already said you'd take out the power for as long as possible, right?" 

"Right," Train nodded, watching as Link placed X's on the page to mark each boy's spot. 

"Since the driver would be the one taking out the power than the thief would have to be smaller, faster, and quieter. Since you boys are the same size, than I'd go off whoever is more agile." Link moved to jot down some bullet points. "If the guards are taking their jobs seriously than they're either going to stay in place or run to where they believe the issue is. The best way to combat this would be timing when to take out the power. I suggest halfway through the rotation." 

"Wouldn't that just shorten the time we'd have to steal the documents?" Train asked. 

"There's a risk of that, yes." Link nodded. "However, I would expect better trained guards to search the building as they went through lockdown procedures. So your time wouldn't shorten by much, I'd assume. Realistically you'd only need a few stakeouts to figure the timing out in reality. Then again, I'm not the one who designed this puzzle. You'd have to ask Tune's co-worker." 

"I'm sure he'd be willing to tell us." Tune said, tone dismissive as he looked over the page. He was giving the puzzle more scrutiny than Link thought it deserved before leaning back with a satisfied smile. "Thanks, Captain." Tune said, helping Train to clean up the papers. "I might give you overtime pay for this." He joked. 

Link laughed along, standing straight again. "I won't deny a little extra pay." He half-joked. He finally handed Tune Aryll's homework for the night. "I'll be heading out now. Aryll doesn't need to turn anything in until next weekend but I expect all of it done by that Sunday. Between you and me, I think she'd appreciate it if you took the time to work through some of it with her." 

Tune's smile softened as he took the small stack of papers. "Thank you, Captain. Where would we ever be without you?" 

"I should be asking you the same thing." Link replied. He sent a nod towards Train. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Steamer. Perhaps we'll run into each other again." 

"Oh I'm sure we will, Captain." Train grinned. "Just drop the honorifics, please." 

Link chuckled. "Alright, Train." 

"Breaking news!" The tv loudly announced. 

Link turned an ear to the tv as he ate takeout with Artemis. Artemis looked up from her ramen and through her kitchen doorway with furrowed brows. 

"What in Hylia's name could be so important this late at night?" She muttered, standing up to go turn the sound up on the tv. 

Link stood to follow his friend, leaning out the doorway to see the tv over his friend's head as she reached for the remote. Artemis turned the sound up a few clicks before she and Link settled in to watch. 

"-at 9:37 tonight, disaster struck Volvagia Co. as the current CEO, Volga Volvagia, was found dead after a mysterious break in. Security guards on the scene report that the power had gone out for five minutes before coming back on. They say it was during this five minute power outage that Volga was killed." 

"General Volvagia?" Artemis asked, disbelieving. "I know he wasn't on our side during the war but why would anyone kill him now?" 

Link could think of a few reasons why, not least of which being that Volga was an asshole. Link was shamefully happy to hear that the man was dead. He was a greedy bastard that would rather hide behind a sex obsessed crazy lady than share his wealth with those who needed it. The world needed less people like him in it and Link wasn't about to feel bad for the man that had almost killed him and his friends in the war. 

Link listened back into the news. "Reports also say that the blueprints for Volvagia Co.'s latest product have been stolen. No one quite knows what these blueprints had depicted but we've gotten major hints that it was some form of mobility aid for Rito. The police have given no comments on the matter-" 

Link's brows furrowed. This was an odd coincidence. This almost sounded like that puzzle he'd helped Train and Tune with a couple months ago. Train and Tune had brought him a few more puzzles they'd been stuck on after that one but the first one was a little too close to this report for comfort. 

But it would be silly to think that Train and Tune would kill anyone. Train was a sweet, somewhat shy kid and Tune had too much on the line to get caught up in things like this. Besides, that puzzle was from months ago. What teen would have the patience to wait this long for a murder plot? It was a morbidly funny coincidence and that's all it was. 

Link had to remind himself that it was just a coincidence when he saw Tune and Train working on a riddle that happened to match up weirdly well with a stolen semi truck bringing the food inside to homeless shelters across the city a few weeks later. And again when another puzzle of theirs coincided with a factory being shut down for previously undiscovered malpractice. And when a senator getting arrested happened to resemble a puzzle Link had already helped the boys with weeks prior. 

Link could excuse a lot of things as coincidence. He chalked it up to his paranoia getting the better of him again. But there would always be the point where one coincidence became one too many. 

Link found that point when Cia Thyme had been murdered hours before police discovered her room full of trophies and stalker photos. 

When Link saw Cia's picture on the news, he knew what had happened. He'd dropped one of Impa's plates when he saw the woman that haunted his dreams had been killed. He almost couldn't believe it. 

She was dead. That devil woman was dead. She was dead, and gone, and Link wouldn't have to ever worry about her taking advantage of him or anyone else again. She'd never be able to touch his kids... 

His kids... Who had been trying to find a way to repay Link for all of his hard work... And liked to solve crime themed puzzles... 

The wheels in Link's head began to turn as pieces began to fall into place. 

Did Link know what jobs Tune was working? He knew one was labor intensive enough to often leave the kid badly hurt. Aryll seemed to be of the opinion that Tune's working habits were going to get him killed one day. 

Tune's other job... well, quite frankly, Link had no fucking clue what Tune did for his second job. And while Link knew where in Hyrule Tune's odd jobs happened, he never quite learned what the jobs were. If he'd paid more attention to Tune's stories, maybe Link would have been able to tell if they coincided with the stories on the news too. 

Link had less information on Train outside of the fact he was still in school but that only made Link more suspicious. Link had lost count of how many times he'd interacted with the kid and yet he knew next to nothing past the fact that Train was really into his namesake. He knew Train had a girlfriend he deeply loved but Link had never even learned the girl's first name. 

For two talkative teens, they sure liked to keep their mouths shut. 

Still, this could all be one massive coincidence. What, two kids who couldn't legally drive were slowly killing off the rich and powerful? Link honestly couldn't believe he was humoring the thought. Train had come to Link on two separate occasions to help him with his homework and Tune had dropped out of high school to take care of his baby sister. There was no way either of them had the know-how to pull off some of these crimes, even with Link's help. 

Oh sweet Golden Goddesses, Link was an accessory to murder. 

No! No he wasn't! Because there was no way that Tune and Train would be able to hide the fact that they were murderous vigilantes. They couldn't even hide the fact they were starting to see Link as a father figure. Why would they betray not only Link but Aryll in order to start some bullshit war on whatever they were fighting against? 

It didn't make sense. By Hylia's dress, none of this made sense! Why would his boys do this? Was Aryll being left in the dark or was she in on the whole thing? 

Link needed proof. Proof of his boys being killers or not, Link didn't know. All he knew was that he would not be blindsided by betrayal again and he'd make sure Aryll wasn't either. 

Aryll didn't deserve any of this! She deserved a home were she could be safe! She deserved a home where she could be loved, protected, and nurtured. She deserved a family that... A family that Tune was already providing. 

Link really hoped he didn't regret this. 

Link took a deep breathe when he spotted the familiar red boat in the distance. 

Link had spent the past month researching every unsolved crime he could find. He's noted down every reference to Tune's work that he could remember and learn. He connected as many as he could through the games Tune and Train had played over the months. He'd figured out the motivation behind each and every job. 

Link wasn't sure how to feel when he realized his boys were the mysterious vigilante. They'd hurt a lot of people but every job they pulled seemed to do more good than harm. Countless kidnapping victims returned to their loved ones. Dangerous buildings being destroyed so the city would be forced to rebuild them. Stealing mountains of money from exploitative companies to force them into better practices at the risk of becoming bankrupt. 

Link's boys hurt a lot of people. They also saved countless more. Link could already see Hyrule slowly changing for the better as the rich and powerful began to realize they were in very real danger. Link would have called it all a work of mastery if he didn't already see the cracks in the wall keeping Tune and Train's schemes from being revealed. 

Link thought about the file in his bag and debated whether he could bring himself to tear that wall down. He wondered what all would fall if he did. Could Link afford to tear down Tune and Train's lies or was that wall now loadbearing? 

Link spotted Aryll looking for him and couldn't help but smile when she spotted him. 

"Captain!" Aryll squealed, racing forward so Link had to catch her in a hug. 

"Hello, Aryll." Link quietly greeted, hugging Aryll tightly. 

Aryll gave Link a confused look. "You okay?" She asked. 

Link sighed, forcing his smile to stay. "Just a lot on my mind right now. I need to talk to your brother about something." 

Aryll frowned. "What's wrong? You're not quitting, are you?" 

Link winced. "Aryll-" 

Aryll gasped, her grip on Link's sweater tightening. "You're quitting? You can't quit! How are we going to stay best friends if you quit?" 

"I'm not quitting." Link assured, brushing back Aryll's bangs. "I just have something very important to talk to your brother about." 

"And what would that be, Captain?" 

Speak of Demise and he shall appear. Link looked up to see Tune watching him and Aryll from the bow of the boat with a cold, unreadable expression. Train came up behind Tune, brows pinched and lips pursed. 

This was almost perfect. Link could already feel the anxiety of entering the lion's den. He wasn't sure what his boys would do once he boarded the boat but he knew it was important that he moved forward. 

Link straightened. "Some issues that recently arose. I wanted to discuss them with you after Aryll's lessons today." 

"Why wait?" Tune asked, a smile coming to his lips. It wasn't a nice smile. It was sharp and thin, like bait on a hook. Link could only spot the danger because he'd been expecting it. "Why don't you come aboard and we can go over these problems of yours?" 

Link felt a shiver run down his back. It was funny, really. This all reminded Warriors of a poem he'd read when he was younger. Only Link never thought he'd be playing the part of the fly. 

"Of course," Link agreed, trying to come off as tired rather than guarded. He looked back down to Aryll. "How about you set up our lessons for the day and I'll find you when I'm done talking to your brother?" He suggested. 

Aryll sent a worried glanced to her brother before giving Link a terse nod. "Okay." 

Link sent Aryll one more smile before boarding the boat. He followed Tune below deck, Train following him, trapping Link between the two boys. They lead him to the back of the boat and onto a platform that tethered the small sailing boat to the bigger one. The platform itself almost looked like a patio with a swimming pool in the middle, beach chairs and all. 

"Will you walk into my parlor" said the spider to the Fly. Warriors wanted to laugh at his silent musings. Thinking about that old poem was almost soothing, in a way. 

Train closed the door to the weird boat patio as Tune pulled forward the three beach chairs. Link couldn't stop the way his mind mapped multiple escape routes incase things turned south. 

"So what's on your mind?" Tune asked, taking his seat. "Must be important if you're willing to interrupt my day off this month." 

"It is," Link said, refusing to let Tune's words make him feel guilty. "And I'm truly sorry for taking your time."

Link moved to take his seat but paused when he saw Train take the last remaining chair. Suddenly, he had an idea on how to turn this whole confrontation around into his favor. 

Link innocently tilted his hair. "Wait, Train. Why are you here?" 

Train blinked. "Huh?" 

"Sorry," Link smiled. "It's just, I could have sworn it wasn't a holiday today." 

Train's brows furrowed as he tilted his head. "It's not." 

Tune's expression twisted with realization before immediately being schooled into an indifferent expression that would have been convincing if he didn't start glaring at Train. 

"Than why aren't you in school?" Link asked, placing his bag on the last, empty beach chair. 

Train's eyes widened and he gave Link a nervous smile. "Ah. Alfonzo got me excused for the day." 

"But why?" Link asked. "Was it to hang out with Tune?" 

"I-" 

"Because, if so, that is very irresponsible. It's against the law for a guardian, especially those of the foster variety, to keep their children from going to school. And if it's a repeated offense than Alfonzo could get arrested. But, of course, you haven't skipped school before. Oh, wait." 

Link reached into his bag to pull out a cheap day planner filled to the brim with sticky notes. Tune's eyes narrowed and Train gripped the edge of his seat hard enough to turn his knuckles white. 

"You have." Link told them, waving the planner for emphasis. "In fact, you skip school at an average rate of once every two weeks. Half of my interactions with you have happened on a weekday during school hours. Makes me wonder what's more important than staying with Alfonzo." 

Train scowled but kept his mouth shut. Tune had no such restraint. 

"How dare you!" Tune snarled. "He would never endanger his home like that!" 

"And would you?" Link retorted. 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tune demanded, jumping to his feet. 

"You seem quite content to overwork yourself at the risk of neglecting Aryll." Link said.  "Though, you never did tell me what your jobs are. Care to share?" 

"You know nothing." Tune hissed. 

"I think I know more than any of us would like." Link said. He pulled out the file from his bag. "And I happen to know just what jobs you've been taking over the past few months. That's actually what I wanted to talk about today. Fact check a few things, you know?" 

Tune stared at the file, horror turning to resigned determination. Train was eying the side of the boat, no doubt plotting an escape like Link had. 

Tune took a deep breathe before meeting Link's eyes. "What exactly are you accusing us of?" 

"I'm certain that you two are the Phantom Killer." Link said. "Every time I've helped you with a puzzle, it was always followed by a nearly identical crime. One or two- hell, even five times I could excuse it as a coincidence. But there have been dozens of these coincidences, to the point that I feel stupid for believing any of those puzzles were games at all." 

"So what if there are a few too many coincidences?" Tune brushed off. "Weirder things have happened." 

"With explanation." Link countered. "All of these cases have only one explanation that connects them and it's your puzzles." 

"Connecting all that to me?" Tune asked, feigning innocence. "You really think I'm capable of doing all of that?" 

"Not you," Link corrected. He sent a glare towards Train, freezing him in place. "Both of you." 

Tune laughed, like he was trying to play Link's words off as a joke. "Are you kidding? Train's too sweet to do any of that stuff." 

Yes, Train was a sweet kid. But sweet did not mean innocent. But Tune would never give in with such a simple answer. The kid would argue circles all day if it meant he got to walk free with his little sister and supports. 

Link gave a defeated sigh. "You're right. He's too innocent to kill children." 

Tune recoiled. "I've never killed a child. Are you implying I would kill the people meant to be saved?" 

Link stared at Tune, a smile slowly growing on his lips. "Meant to be saved? How would you know who the Phantom Killer is saving if you're not them?" 

"Don't twist my words, Captain." Tune snapped. 

"How do you know it's us?" Train asked. 

Link and Tune snapped their attention to the youngest blonde. Train didn't waver under their intense gazes, only kept his eyes on Link. 

"So you are the Phantom Killer." Link said, bitterly. 

"Answer the question." Train said. "How did you figure it out?" 

Link ignored Tune's intense glare as he held up his file and planner. "I was suspicious when you killed Volga Volvagia. The case was nearly identical to that puzzle I helped you solve the day we met. However, I started compiling my evidence when you killed Cia Thyme." 

Link grit his teeth. "I'm not sure how you found out my connection to her. I don't want to know if she tried to target one of you, or Phantom, or Aryll like she targeted me. Frankly, I'm not sure I want to know. But my relief at her being gone was squashed out by the thought that you'd targeted her on my behalf. I was-" 

Link swallowed back his fears and shook himself back to the matter at hand. He could worry for his boys later. He was looking for answers now. 

"Point is, I've been researching all of your crimes. I gathered evidence, compared data, and compiled the few things you two let slip. I was able to figure out your MO, what Phantom's role in all of this is, and why you commit all of these crimes. I just don't know what your initial motive is yet." 

"You've been compiling evidence for a month?" Train asked, softly. "That's not good." 

Link's brows furrowed. That was an odd thing to say. He'd think Train would be a lot more panicked. 

"I don't follow." Link said. 

"You've been hanging around us for a month, knowing full well we were hurting people. And you still helped us with our plans." Train explained. "That means you're an accomplice instead of an accessory to crime." 

"Which means we're at an impasse." Tune realized, surprisingly subdued. 

Link exhaled, slowly. "I know." He admitted. "I know full well that, if I turn you in, I am also turning myself in." 

"Than why do this?" Tune asked. "Why tell us instead of just turning us in?" 

Link couldn't look his boys in the eyes. He let his gaze fall to his file and planner, chewing over his words. 

"Because I'm still not sure what the right thing to do is." Link confessed. "If I was younger, back when I was in the army, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice myself. But I can see the good you're doing. I can see the unsteady pedestal you're building and I can see that it's going to collapse if something doesn't change, fast. I have lived, knowing that your actions have given me peace of mind. Well, the closest I could ever get to peace of mind." 

Link sighed, sliding his file and planner back into his bag. "Most of all, I see Aryll and what would happen to her if I did turn all of us in. She only has you, Tune. Everyone else in your family is gone. I would take her in myself but I can't if I'm behind bars. I have friends that would happily take her in but they don't know her and Aryll most certainly wouldn't want to understand why I took away her big brother." 

Link zipped up his bag and picked it up. He brushed a thumb over the shabby stitching before looking up to meet Tune's green-blue gaze. 

"If you can give me one, good, honest reason why i shouldn't turn you in right now, I won't. But if you can't give me anything new to sway me in your favor, I will do everything in my power to reach the nearest police station with everything I've found." 

Tune didn't answer for a moment. His lips pursed in thought. 

"If this isn't enough for you," Tune began, sticking a finger in Link's face. "You have to promise me you'll give Aryll enough time to run before anything else." 

"I swear on the Lady's White Dress." Link vowed. 

That seemed to mollify Tune. He lead Link and Train back into the boat before opening up a small door that lead to an equally small office. Link could see that it barely fit the graffitied school desk, laptop, and filing cabinet it held at the moment. A corkboard on the wall was covered in pictures, notes, and colored string. An ancient looking camera sat precariously on the edge of the filing cabinet, holding up a trash bag filled with wadded up papers. 

Train urged Link to sit down as Tune dug through the surprisingly full filing cabinet. The room was a little too cramped with all three of them in the room but Link could see that was on purpose. Train was leaning against the doorframe and Tune was able to lean back and against the desk without taking more than a tiny step. Link was caged in and he couldn't help but feel proud. 

His boys were taking precautions. Link was tempted to call it adorable. 

Tune handed Link a thick file. "That's the formula for Maladraxin, along with pharmaceutical notes and thank you letters from people all across Greater Hyrule. We even got some letters from the people that had been employed by Cole." 

Link flipped the file open and had to scramble to catch the loose paper on top. Snatching it up, Link found that it was a personalized letter to Tune. Not some silly alias, just Tune. It seemed to be from a medical student. Link lifted the page for Tune to see. 

"She knows you?" Link asked. 

Tune smiled, taking the letter in his hands. "Medli's a good friend of mine. Maybe I can introduce you one day." 

"Why would she be in the know of all of this if she's only a medical student?" Link asked, looking over the other letters and a patent. 

Tune was silent for a moment as he contemplated his words. He handed the letter back for Link to slide back into the file. Link gave him time, busying himself with looking over the formula in front of him. 

"I met her in the Depths. I entered the Depths for the first time on my twelfth birthday." Tune said, his voice quiet and subdued. 

Link's hand froze in the middle of flipping through pages. He lifted his gaze to find Tune watching something that wasn't there. 

"It was just me, Aryll, and Grandma at the time. We lived in a tight knit community where everyone knew everyone, so Grandma always had someone around to help take care of me and Aryll. That also meant everyone witnessed the car chase going through our neighborhood. Me and Aryll saw a young girl jump out of the trunk of the car being chased, so we went to help her." 

Link placed the file down to put his whole focus on Tune. It seemed Tune had lost track of the question he was answering but Warriors wasn't going to stop the boy from giving up information. 

"I raced ahead to try and find where the girl, Tetra, had landed. When I found her, so did one of her friends. But the person who'd tried to kidnap Tetra wasn't gone, he just changed his target. He took Aryll right in front of my eyes and I could do nothing to save her." 

Tune clenched his fists. "I went with Tetra's Crew to where they believed Aryll was being kept, the Forsaken Fortress. I found Aryll but I got my ass beat for my troubles. Daphnes found me and nursed me back to health. Daphnes was the best driver I knew but his mobility was shot to hell. That didn't stop him from helping me save Aryll, even if we did have to work with Tetra's Crew a few times." 

Tune chuckle. "It turned out that Tetra was the heir to a respected title in the Depths; the Pirate Queen. She became legit and, when I lost Daphnes, she offered me a place in her crew. I accepted and things were good, for a few years." 

Tune blinked back to the present and met Link's gaze. "I've done a lot of horrible things during my time under Tetra's command. I've killed some very powerful people, even before I met Train. I've lost count of how many places I've robbed. I've made binding deals, stolen precious items, ruined too many lives. I am not a good person and I'm not sure I ever was." 

"Than why do you continue to do these things?" Link asked. "I assume you don't work for Tetra anymore so why do you keep going?" 

"Because Tetra still has control over me." Tune admitted. "I'm under contract. The moment that contract is broken and my family becomes visible to the public again, I'm dead. I have a title and a reputation that would only put Aryll in danger if it got out. Hell, my Grandma was killed because Chandler Cole figured out my identity." 

"Curious bastard." Train hissed. 

"I am stuck being a criminal if I want to protect my little sister." Tune continued. "I use that so I can provide for her and so I can use my reputation for good. I'll never make up for the things I've done, not with the way my life is going. But Daphnes fought for a better future and I intend to make that future happen." 

"Who's Daphnes?" Link asked. "His name sounds familiar." 

"It should. He fought in the same war you did." Tune explained. "He... He did try to push me to be something I'm not, when we met, but he did his best to fix his mistakes, even if it cost him his life. He was a good man and I'm proud to call him my mentor." 

Link hummed. "You still haven't told me what Medli has to do with all of this." 

"I have a lot of connections," Tune said. "From the early days of my criminal career. Medli is one of those connections. She's the current Earth Sage and works directly for Valoo." 

"She's also really nice!" A new voice spoke up. 

The three men turned to find Aryll standing behind a surprised Train. She smiled when she spotted Link. 

"Is the Captain joining our family?" She asked Tune. 

Link blinked before turning to Tune. "Aryll's working with you too?" 

"No, she's just in the know." Tune said, moving to trade places with Train. He pulled Aryll into his side. "As for you, no. The Captain is not joining our family." 

Link honestly felt offended by those words. "And why not?" He asked. 

Tune and Train gave Link bewildered looks. 

"Why would you want to join a crime family?" Train asked. "Didn't you come here to stop us?" 

"I came here for answers." Link corrected. "And I'm satisfied with the answers I got. Besides, I've been helping you for months. If I can help you two become better without having to kill quite so many people, than I will." 

Link surprised himself with how honest his words felt. The idea of going against the law still made Link's skin crawl, at least a little. But no matter how conflicted Link felt about the morals of what he was agreeing to, he cared about his kids more. And, from the looks of it, they needed all the help they could get. 

Train and Tune shared a look before relaxing for the first time that day. Tune smiled. 

"Well than, Captain," Tune began, reaching out to where Train was offering him a notebook. "How do you feel about joining the Hero Family?" 

Link chuckled at the name. "That entirely depends on the benefits." He half-joked. 

That answer seemed to amuse the kids. "Don't worry, Captain." Tune said. "You'll be getting a large raise." 

"Than I'd be happy to join." Link quickly said. 

"Good," Tune nodded, writing something down. "Now, for our first course of action. What title would you like? For example, my title is Wind, Pirate of the Hero Family." 

Link didn't have to put much thought into his answer. "Than I believe the best title for me would be Warriors, the Captain of the Hero Family." 

"Than that settles it." Tune- Wind grinned. "Congratulations, Warriors, you are now our strategist." 

"A strategist," Warriors hummed, nostalgia of his time in the army playing with his words. "Must be destiny." 

"Not destiny." Spirit denied. "Just kindred spirits." 

"I'll let Echo know the good news." Wind said, pulling out his phone. 

"Echo?" Warriors asked. 

"Detective Shade." Spirit supplied. "She's been working with use for a while now." 

Of course she has. "At least you have some form of adult supervision." Warriors sighed. "But with her help, there's no wonder no one has figured you two out yet." 

"We try to be careful," Spirit admitted, checking his own phone. "But it really is a miracle that we haven't been found out yet." 

"Well than I think I know what my first order of business is." Warriors said. 

"And what's that?" Spirit asked. 

"Rules." 

--- 

"So what title did they give you?" 

Warriors looked up from where he was watching the teens swim near the edge of the boat. A woman stood in the doorway to the fake patio with a calm smile. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a neat bun and her white pants were in pristine condition. 

Warriors raised a brow at the woman. "That depends. Would you happen to be Detective Shade?" 

"That's me." The woman confirmed, pulling up a chair beside Warriors. "My name's Zelda. But I'm sure you know me better as Echo." 

"That I would." Warriors agreed. 

The teens noticed Echo and gave her their excitable greetings. Echo returned the greetings with light laughter and questions over their health. When the kids went back to their play, Echo turned back to Warriors. 

"Now are you going to answer my question?" The Detective asked, her teal eyes bright with curiosity. 

"We've decided on Warriors." 

"Fitting, for a war hero." Echo mused. "Now, I'd like to take this chance to thank you." 

"Thank me?" Warriors asked. "What have I done to be thanked for?" 

Echo tilted her head. "You feel shame too, don't you?" 

"You did too?" 

"For months." Echo glanced to the kids before giving Warriors a tired smile. "They're tricky, those three. They had me running in circles for months before I even learned who I was chasing. I had a lot of time to stew on all of this, even before you joined their lives." 

Warriors sighed. "Is it bad that I'm only sticking around because they're so young? Because they need someone to take care of them?" 

"Not at all." Echo assured. "That's exactly why I joined too. Their story hits a little too close to home for me, so I can't exactly fault them." 

"But they're kids." Warriors said, sadly. 

"But they're kids." Echo nodded. 

"What do we do now?" Warriors asked. "My job now is to help them plan ahead but I'm not sure how to move forward from here." 

"Well," Echo began, playing with one of her blue earrings. "I know Wind has some goal in mind. He just won't tell me what it is." 

"He told me he wanted to make a better future." Warriors said. "But I'm not sure even he knows what that better future is." 

"Than I guess that's what you need to help him figure out." 

"What do you mean?" 

"If Wind isn't sure what he needs to focus on to make a better future, than it's your job to point him in the right direction." Echo explained. "He's already laid a pretty good foundation. You might as well take advantage of that." 

Warriors thought for a moment. "I think we need to focus on the wellbeing of the people. Wind and Spirit have been doing well in just that but their scope is too broad. We need to narrow down our jobs. Our MO, if you will." 

"I think rescues would work best." Echo offered. "It's what they do the most." 

"That's not quite it." Warriors denied. "They'll just as often steal things for the benefit of others." 

"So our MO is breaking and entering for the benefit of others?" 

"Or answering cries for help." 

"Mass tragedies." Echo realized. "Those two always make sure to save large groups with each job they do." 

"So we need to figure out how to save as many people as possible with as few casualties as possible." Warriors concluded. 

"That would sure make my job a whole lot easier." Echo said. "Now where do we begin, Captain?" 

Warriors rolled his eyes, unsurprised that would be the one thing Echo knew about him. "I saw the boys were working on something. Their cork board was covered. Would you happen to have any idea what that's about?" 

Echo pursed her lips. "I don't know all the details myself but the boys told me they were answering the call of an old criminal. The guy, Time, hasn't been in the game since the start of the Calamity War. He reached out for the first time in half a decade because his son disappeared. Wind says no one else has anything on the son so he and Spirit have been traveling all over Hyrule trying find out who took the son of Time." 

Warriors hummed in thought. "I have a lot of friends I could potentially contact. We'll have to work quickly, though I'm not quite sure who we're looking for." 

"The guy's name is Lenox Lon Jr., though I heard he goes by Link just like every other guy in Hyrule." Echo said. 

Warriors froze, his mind screeching to a halt. "Did you say Lon?" 

Echo gave Warriors a confused look before she was slapped in the face with a realization. "You know Time?" 

"He was in my squadron during the war." Warriors explained, still reeling. "Are you telling me that Mask, the grumpy prankster who never gave a direct answer to anything, is a criminal?" 

"He used to be a big deal too." Echo confirmed. "I don't know much about him but his son's been kidnapped before. When Jr. was Wind's age, he and a few of his friends disappeared and showed up on his own a few months later. I think that's why people aren't really helping Time out. They think Jr. is just gonna pop back up again." 

Warriors pursed his lips in thought. It turned out that not one but two of Warriors squadron members were dangerous, respected criminals. What was next, Lana was an accomplice to her sister's crimes? Warriors was glad to hear that Mask had stopped but, with the disappearance of his son, Warriors wasn't sure that Mask's good streak would last much longer. Warriors needed to act now if he wanted to keep that from happening. 

"Maybe it's a good thing you know Time." 

Warriors blinked back to the present to give Echo a confused look. She waved him off. 

"Hear me out." Echo began. "You already have a relationship with him, which is more than the rest of us can say. If you can get us on his good side, than he'll be more likely to help us get his son back." 

"Why would we need to convince him to help us?" Warriors asked. 

"Because Wind says we could potentially use Time's help for more than information. He just won't tell me why." Echo grumbled. 

Warriors hummed. "I'll talk to him about keeping you in the loop." 

Warriors leaned back in his seat. The kids were still playing in the water but Wind sent a few curious glances to the two adults. Warriors watched as Spirit jumped on Wind and pushed him under the water. 

"I'll admit that I'm not comfortable with dragging Mask back into this life we're now involved in." Warriors told Echo. "But I know Mask. If he thinks helping Wind will do any good, than he won't hesitate to do so." 

"Is this you agreeing to help?" Echo asked. 

"I think," Warriors said, chewing on his words. "That we need to find who's keeping Mask's son first so we can figure out the scale we need to work with. Once we have that, than I'll reach out to Mask. He'll refuse our help if we come to him with nothing but a friendly face but answers will get him to do almost anything." 

Echo smiled, rising to her feet. "Than I guess we better get started. Wanna call the kids in?" 

Warriors glanced back to his kids before smiling. "No," He shook his head. "Let them play for a while longer. I'm sure we can have food here by the time they're done." 

Echo chuckled, helping Warriors to a stand. "Sounds like a plan, Captain. Any recommendations?" 

"I know a Rito place that Wind and Aryll like to order out from." Warriors said, following Echo onto the boat. "I think we'd all enjoy a little seafood right now." 

"I think you're right." Echo said, pulling out her phone. She the paused, turning back to Warriors. "And Captain?" 

"Yes?" 

"I know you're always going to worry about whether we're really in the right. But trust me when I say you won't regret joining this family." Echo promised. 

Warriors sighed. "I'm not sure I can believe you." 

"That's okay." Echo said. "You will one day. 

Warriors really hoped so. 

Chapter Text

Link sat at his kitchen table, uselessly.

The world was too loud and the house was too silent. Thunder and lightning crashed outside the window but Link could still hear the ticking of the kitchen clock. He counted each second, minute, and hour while waiting for any form of information to be found.

Link carefully held his son's necklace in a cloth. He watched as a flash of lightning cast the black and red crystal in an ethereal glow. It felt as if the crystal was mocking him. A reminder of his failure.

"Dear?" Malon's soft voice announced her arrival at Link's side. She carefully took the necklace out of Link's hands and placed it on the table. She entwined her fingers with Link's as he raised his eyes to meet her tearful gaze. She gave him the best smile she could but she couldn't stop how it wobbled.

"We'll find him." Malon assured, though Link couldn't tell if the words were for him or herself.

"Will we?" Link asked, his voice sharper than intended.

Malon didn't have a response to that. All she could do was hold Link's hands tighter and press their foreheads together.

Link allowed himself to close his eyes and imagine that it was just another peaceful night on the ranch. Rusl and Uli had just left with their kids for the night and Twilight was out in the field, getting his last laps with Epona Jr.

But Link couldn't bring himself too dream for long. Not when his little pup had been missing for over a week. Not when Link still had no clue where he could have been taken. Not when he'd reached back into the Depths just to find his son and no one was willing or able to help him.

Link had reached out to the Impa's, Ruto's family, Darunia's heirs, Naboruu, Lullaby, and Lullaby's daughters. Hell, Link even reached out to Rauru's granddaughter, Dr. Lindwyrm.

There was nothing.

Link was snapped out of his spiraling thoughts by a knock at the front door not a moment later. Malon looked up in confusion but Link narrowed his good eye as he stood and approached the door. He grasped the nearest weapon he could find before opening it and holding the shovel at the ready.

Instead of an enemy, Link found his old army captain being flanked by twin, teenage boys. Captain Link stood like he was still a soldier, ready to give out instruction. The boy in black stood on his right, fiddling with the string of the umbrella he held over himself and the captain. The boy in blue, only half shielded by the umbrella, stood confidently with a bag over his shoulder, patterned with cartoon weapons.

Captain Link bowed his head in respect. "Good evening, Mask. Could we come in?"

"Captain?" Link asked, lowering his shovel in confusion. "What is all of this?"

"We heard about your son." Captain Link said, causing Link's breath to stutter. "We believe we know where he could be."

Link almost didn't ask more questions. Link almost threw the door open and welcomed them in with open arms. But something was deeply wrong.

Why would Captain Link know about where his son was taken? Link had reached his hand back into the Depths, not to his old war buddies.

Link narrowed his eye again.

"Who told you that?" Link- no, Time asked.

The Captain's expression was impassive but his companions weren't so skilled at hiding their emotions. The boy in black glanced to the boy in blue before turning his gaze back to Time. It was so fast that Time almost thought he'd imagined it. The boy in blue's lips twitched downward for a moment before he forcefully schooled his expression. 

"A friend of mine." The captain said. "I would have rather it had been you to tell me but I suppose it doesn't matter now." He said, barely letting slip a hint of bitterness. Time didn't know if he was upset with himself or Time.

"Captain," Time pushed. "Who told you?"

The captain opened his mouth to answer but was beaten to the punch by his colorful companions.

"Detective Zelda Shade," The boy in blue told Time. He gave the rancher a tight smile. "She mentioned that your son had been reported missing."

"It just so happens that we were able to spot him near Bridge Street." The boy in black added.

"Warriors wanted to lend his help." The blue boy said, giving the captain a meaningful look.

"So we're here." The captain, supposedly now called Warriors, finished. "Can we come in and show you what we found?" He asked, his eyes filled with understanding.

Time pursed his lips. He hadn't been aware that Warriors was friends with a detective. Time didn't even know who Detective Shade was. How had she known about his son? It was possible she was a police detective but that didn't explain why she would reach out to Warriors and two random boys about this. Warriors wasn't sharing everything and Time had a hunch it had to do with why there were two kids here at all.

Time was pulled out of his thoughts by a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned enough to see his wife giving the boys in front of them a relieved smile.

"Please, come in." Malon said, pulling Time into the house so their mysterious guests could get out of the rain. "You poor things must be freezing. I'll get started on some tea for y'all." She said as she pulled the shovel out of Time's hand and placed it back where it was before.

"Oh, that's not necessary, ma'am." The boy in black nervously chuckled.

"Nonsense," Malon tutted, ushering the boys to hang their coats and umbrella in the entryway. "It's the least I can do for you."

"Thank you, Miss Malon." Warriors smiled, interrupting the boy in black before he could deny Malon any further.

"No need for formalities, Linky." Malon grinned.

"Linky?" The boy in blue teased.

Warriors rolled his eyes. "Call me Warriors." He told Malon. He then gestured to the boys beside him. "These are my associates. The one covered in oil is Spirit and the one with an ego is Wind."

"Oi!" Wind snapped, even as Spirit failed to hide his laughter. The cheerful sound felt wrong to hear.

Time sat at the kitchen table. "Should we begin?" He asked, impatiently.

Wind nodded, quickly taking a seat beside Time. Spirit took the seat across from his brother, leaving Warriors to take the seat across from Time himself. Malon disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Time alone with the boys.

Wind pulled his bag up and onto the table, allowing Warriors to take it. Warriors reached into the bag and pulled out a thin file. He opened the file and began to spread out the notes and pictures across the table.

"We found out about your son's disappearance on Saturday." Warriors began, speaking like a commander in a war debriefing. "We immediately went out searching for leads and answers. We weren't able to get any solid information until Wind had stumbled upon what was first assumed to be a cartel transfer. While that was technically correct, the Bulblin's and Goron's weren't transferring drugs but rather fighters. With those fighters was a man that we believe to be your son."

Warriors tapped a specific photo. It was two vans parked beside each other in a wide alley. Time could see a Goron speaking to a Bulblin man as a line of young men were being shoved into the back of the Bulblin's van. One of the men, who had been circled with red pen, had dirty blonde hair that had been messily chopped. The man was turned towards the camera enough to get a glimpse of a familiar face tattoo.

"Why didn't you bring this to us sooner?" Time asked, blinking away tears. "If my son has been taken by the Bullbo's, than you should have brought this to me immediately."

"We would have come forward with our discoveries sooner but we had some... family problems." Warriors admitted, sending a quick glare to the boys on either side of him. Wind returned his glare and Spirit blew a petulant raspberry.

That... shouldn't be true. Time knows Warriors. If it had been up to Warriors, nothing would have stopped him from running straight to Time with this information. Time had been the first person Warriors told about Cia's advances during the Calamity War. Time had been the first person Warriors went to when he struggled to keep a job. Time had been the one Warriors trusted to be his last resort. So why would he wait to give Time vital information that could potentially get Twilight killed if it wasn't shared?

Just like that, it clicked in Time's mind.

"You're not in charge here." Time told Warriors.

Warriors startled slightly. "I assure you, I am-"

"No, you're not." Time cut off. "Which means someone is putting you up to this." Time looked to the two younger boys. "The question now is who."

"No one has put me up to anything I wasn't willing to do." Warriors told Time. "I am here to help you find Twilight and the other kidnapped kids."

"Others?" Time asked, feeling an icy chill up his spine. "Who else reached out to you?"

"No one." Spirit said, drawing Time's eye. "But you're not the only one hurt by these obductions. We're going to save as many people as we can and you've given us the perfect opportunity to do just that. Now all we need is your help to get them out."

Time's eye narrowed. "No."

"Mask-" Warriors tried to soothe.

"It took me fourteen years to drag myself out of the Depths. I'm not going back." Time said, leaving no room for debate.

"That's funny," Wind deadpanned, his expression unreadable. "Because, last we checked, you already have."

Time's blood ran cold at the boy's words. "No. I haven't." He said, trying to assure himself more than convince his guests.

"You did." Wind reaffirmed, leaning forward. "You called into the Depths for help and we answered. Desperation does not change the fact you've made an opening for the worst of the worst to take advantage of."

Time leaned back in his seat, soul crushing realization taking over his thoughts. Wind reached out, placing his hand gently upon Time's forearm.

"We can help you. But we need your help too. All you need to do is help us get these kids back to their homes and we can help to protect your family again." Wind calmly bargained.

Time lifted his gaze enough to meet blue-green eyes filled with too much understanding to come from a normal kid. Time remembered when his eyes looked like that, having that spiteful spark edged in hard fought kindness. Time's brows furrowed.

"Who are you?" Time asked.

"Wind, Pirate of the Hero Family." Wind said, without missing a beat.

Time narrowed his eye. "That's not what I meant."

Wind didn't speak, for a moment. He stared at Time with impassive eyes for an uncomfortably long time. He sat straight in his seat before a slow smile crawled onto his lips.

"Tell me, oh great Mask of Time," Wind began, almost as if he was mocking Time. "Have you ever heard about the King of Red Lions?"

Time took a sharp breath, involuntarily pushing his chair back a few inches. His hand itched for the shovel he'd abandoned by the door as his mind flared with panic.

"He's dead." Time hissed. "He died without an heir."

"Did he?" Wind asked, completely ignoring the confusion of his companions. He chuckled, pulling out a heavily decorated, gold coin from his pocket. "I could have sworn he named me his heir before he died."

Time nervously eyed the water dragon design on the coin before it was flipped to show the design of a crown overlapping the Triforce. Time set his jaw before meeting Wind's gaze again.

"If you're really... him now than why stay in hiding?" Time asked.

"Would you listen to a teenager claiming to be the heir of Daphnes?" Wind scoffed. "No, it was much safer to stay hidden. A lot less attempts on my head that way."

"I'm sorry." Spirit cut in. "Who's the King of Red Lions? And why is he a big deal?"

Warriors looked just as confused as Spirit, if not a little more nervous. Time slowly blinked before turning his gaze back to Wind.

"They have no experience." Time stated.

Wind waved him off. "They have plenty of experience. Just very little of it being real criminals. Spirit's been working with me for months and Warriors is no slouch either."

"As long as you can get our son back, I don't care how experienced you are or what your title is." Malon said, announcing her arrival.

Malon's sudden appearance made the boys in front of Time startle. She placed down a tea tray, allowing them all to make their own tea.

"Can someone answer my question?" Spirit asked, impatiently.

"The King of Red Lions is exactly who I need Time to pretend to be." Wind explained, causing Time and Malon to freeze up.

"Excuse me?" Time asked.

"That doesn't answer the question, Tune." Warriors said, raising a brow.

Wind waved him off. "That's a story for another time. Besides, that's not why we're here. How about you explain the plan, dear Captain?"

Warriors narrowed his eyes but let Wind's avoidance slide. "Our plan is fairly simple." He began, meeting Time's eye. "You and I will be esteemed guests at a fight this Tuesday. This will allow Wind to sneak in the back, unnoticed. Our job is to distract everyone important so Wind can free the unwilling fighters with as little issue as possible. Outside, Spirit and Malon will be waiting on the bus-"

"Bus?" Malon mumbled.

"My bus." Spirit said, like it was perfectly normal for a teenager to own an entire bus.

Warriors continued, like he hadn't been interrupted. "They'll have medical supplies, blankets, pillows, food, and whatever else we think we may need so the fighters have as comfortable a ride home as possible. Wind will lead Twilight and the other fighters to the bus with whatever files he was able to get his hands on."

"Files on the fighters?" Time asked. "Why would we need those if we're just returning kids home?"

"That's where the second part of our plan comes in." Warriors smiled. "Echo, the last member of our family, will be our ride, splitting our enemy's attention if things go wrong. She can also use the stolen files to get the leaders of the Bullbo's arrested." He explained, gesturing between himself and Time.

"You're going to create a power vacuum if you plan to take the entire ring out." Time pointed out.

"We're aware." Warriors nodded. "Which is why we'll only be looking to take out the leaders of the Bullbo's. Some people genuinely love a life or death fight, so leaving them behind without their biggest enforcers will hopefully force the rings to collapse in on itself or spread out enough for the police to get their eyes on them."

"Why bring in the police?" Malon asked. "Aren't they untrustworthy when you're a criminal?"

"If we can keep law enforcement on our side, we won't ever have to worry about the risk of being caught." Wind said. "The best way to do that is to bring them solved cases, giftwrapped."

"And it helps us with our investigations if we can get more information from the police." Spirit added. "We want to help as many people as we can and we're better able to do that if we have outside help."

"Detective Shade," Time hummed. "She's your man on the inside, isn't she?"

"She does her job well." Wind grinned. "Now what do you think? Willing to dive into the deep end one more time?" He asked, pulling out a second golden coin for Time to take.

Time glanced to Malon, who was giving him a pleading look. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

For Twilight. He just had to remind himself that this was for Twilight.

Time took the coin.

Waiting is always the worst part of any job. Time had hated waiting when he was first starting out and he hated it now.

Spirit didn't make another appearance on the ranch but Wind and Warriors had been stopping by every day to iron out the finer points of their plan. More often than not, it was only one or the other. However, the morning before the plan was to be put into effect, nearly the entirety of the Hero Family had shown up at the ranch, including a little girl that Time hadn't heard about.

"Time, Malon, meet Aryll, my sister." Wind introduced. His eyes were as sharp as his smile, an unspoken threat. "You wouldn't mind her staying at the ranch while we take care of this job, would ya?"

"Not at all," Time lied, more aware of who he was talking to than he had been over the past few days. "We needed a house sitter anyways."

"Good to hear." Wind nodded.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Lon." Aryll said, smiling a smile so sweet it was suspicious. It looked far too much like Fado's smile when he was about to show Time something he absolutely shouldn't have.

"You as well, Ms. Aryll." Time greeted, shaking her hand.

"Why don't I show you around?" Malon suggested, taking her turn to shake Aryll's hand. "Rusl's family is taking care of the ranch while we're gone but I was hoping you'd be willing to take care of the cuckoos."

Aryll gasped. "I get to take care of your birds?" She squealed.

Aryll was quick to agree at Malon's confirmation, bouncing on her toes as she followed the woman farther into the ranch. Time turned a suspicious glare to Wind, who only gave Time an innocent look.

It wasn't long before Time and Malon were piling onto a double decker bus with Warriors and Wind. Spirit was the last one on the bus and, perhaps unsurprisingly, took the driver's seat.

"We're not stopping for at least five hours." Spirit told his passengers as he started the bus. "This is your last chance to take care of your business or forever hold your piss."

The boy's words elicited an eyeroll from Warriors and a laugh from Wind. Malon herself shook her head in exasperation.

"I believe we're all good to go." Time said, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Than all aboard! Next stop, Kakariko City!" Spirit loudly announced, honking the bus's horn like it was a train whistle.

And with that, they were off. There was nothing to do but find ways to pass the time as they drove. Time knew they'd be driving through the night in order to reach lower Eldin in time for the fight the next evening. He worried that Spirit wasn't going to be able to drive the entire trip but Wind had assured him that Spirit would get a break.

It didn't take long for Malon to get wrapped into conversation with Wind and Warriors. Despite the stressful circumstances, Time knew his wife enjoyed the company of the criminals. She was especially happy to be able to talk to Warriors again. It had been too long since they'd seen hide or hair of him.

Time moved to the second floor of the bus as soon as he was sure his wife would be alright. Time trusted Warriors and Warriors seemed to trust Wind, so Time wasn't too worried about leaving his wife alone.

He just needed some space. The bus felt too small. It was suffocating.

Reaching the top of the bus, Time took the first clear bench he could find. Most every other bench was occupied by a box or bedding. It didn't help with the feeling of being trapped but it did help to quiet Time's thoughts, for the moment.

As soon as Time had gotten himself comfortable, he took out Twilight's necklace from his pocket. He unwrapped the fabric around so he could admire it.

Twilight had never told Time where he'd gotten the necklace but Time didn't need to be told. Only something made by a Twili could make his son turn into a wolf just by touching it. Time had been exposed to a lot of magic items over the years and he knew very few races could actually make them. Making such a thing came at the cost of giving up part of your natural magic and very few saw the results to be worth the cost. It was why only fairies really made magical items anymore.

Time knew that, if you did have a magic item, you hid it and only used it when your life was on the line. He'd gotten a heart attack the first time Twilight had used his Shadow Crystal without a care in the world. He understood the crystal was now a part of his son but it was also extremely dangerous for Twilight to show anyone his gift.

Time remembered that day, vividly. Twilight had just returned home from being kidnapped and Time had woken up to find a wolf in his kitchen. Twilight had been quick to reveal himself and Time had scolded him for his open use of magic. Twilight had thought his dad was scared of his son becoming an animal, so Time had to show him how that wasn't the case.

Time had brought Twilight to his and Malon's room to show him a special safe under their floorboards. Time had showed Twilight the many transformation masks he had and told his son what each of them did. He'd told his son of the story behind each mask and warned him of what could happen if the wrong person found out about their existence. Time had begged his son to be more careful with his gift and Twilight had promised he would.

Twilight had broken his promise.

"That's a fancy little bomb you've got there."

Time startled at the unexpected voice. He looked over to find Wind taking a seat on the bench next to him. Wind gestured to the necklace.

"What kind of magic is that?" The boy asked.

Time held the necklace to his chest. "Why does it matter?" He asked, suspicious of the boy's intentions.

Wind shrugged. "It doesn't, really. But it must be important to you if you're so openly carrying it around."

Time's fist clenched around the necklace as he mentally berated himself. "You've never done the same?" Time asked.

"Sure I have," Wind confirmed. "When I was first starting out. Now I keep my most precious items locked away."

"A wise decision." Time said, stuffing the necklace into his pocket.

The two fell into a tense silence. Time counted boxes and Wind watched the passing traffic as they tried to ignore each other. However, Wind only lasted a few minutes before he spoke up again.

"It's your son's, isn't it?" The boy asked, not turning to meet Time's eye.

Time turned an impassive gaze towards Wind but didn't reply.

Wind continued. "That's why your son was kidnapped. He doesn't understand why he needs to take caution?"

"He's a good kid." Time said, sharply. "He's cautious, too. I told him, long ago, about the dangers of magic items."

"And yet he got himself caught." Wind said, bitterly.

Time frowned. "Someone was watching us. I'm sure of it."

"The hunter becomes the prey and all that, yeah?" Wind chuckled. He turned to meet Time's gaze with understanding. "I guess we'll just have to turn the tides back in our favor."

"Yes," Time agreed. "We do."

Wind shifted so he could lean back against the side of the bus. "Think your ready?" Wind asked. "For tomorrow? You're gonna have to sell the terror behind my name."

"I would rather know how you'd like me to act." Time said, meeting Wind's eyes evenly.

"However you like." Wind shrugged. "All you have to be is scary and attention grabbing. Besides that, I don't really care. It's not like you'll be ruining my reputation."

"I must admit, dividing your identities is pretty clever." Time said. "However, you're going to need to figure out a permanent fix soon. People are going to realize your connection to the King of Red Lions sooner than later. And taking down the Bullbo's isn't going to do you any favors."

"Well that's the thing," Wind grinned. "You pretending to be me is exactly what i need to keep both of us safe."

Time blinked in surprise. "You've made me your permanent pawn." He realized.

"You made it surprisingly easy." Wind happily said. "Now all you have to do is sell this performance and you'll be as safe as you could ever get."

"You're putting my family in danger just to keep yourself alive." Time scowled.

"Not at all." Wind said, crossing his arms behind his head. "Think of it this way. The Mask of Time vanishes from the Depths for years, only to reappear as the King of Red Lions, the title held by only one who is able to rival the Goddesses and the Kings of Evil. Imagine how people would react to that. The new boogeyman is the man who shook the entire Depths at the age of twelve." He chuckled. "No one is going to mess with you. I guarantee it."

Time's brows furrowed. "I wasn't twelve."

Wind gave Time a confused look. "What do you mean? Didn't you kill Dragmire when you were twelve?"

"No," Time said, feeling slightly hollow. "I was nine."

Wind shot up to sit straight. His eyes were wide and his mouth was agape. He rapidly blinked as he slowly shook his head.

"I-" The boy swallowed, looking away. "I'm sorry. I thought- Tetra told me I was the same age as you when we started. I looked up to you as a way to survive. A goal to reach rather than a person. I-" Wind looked away. "You were forced into this life too, weren't you? There wasn't a real choice for you either?"

Time released the breathe he was holding, letting his eye fall shut. "No. There wasn't." He admitted. "The man I saw as a father figure... He groomed me into this life. He wanted someone who could take down even the most dangerous criminal."

"Daphnes wanted me to be like that too." Wind admitted. "He wanted me to be your second coming, once he realized I had the drive."

Time opened his eye to see Wind hugging his knees to his chest. Wind met his gaze with a watery smile.

"I can't bring myself to hate him, even if I try." Wind quietly said.

Time swallowed back the growing lump in his throat. "I get the feeling."

"Well, at least we have the power to protect what's ours, now." Wind said, squaring his shoulders and letting his legs drop. "We can be better than the bastards who got us here."

Time chuckled. "I think we already are." He gave the boy a smile. "Thank you. I don't think I've told you that yet."

Wind waved his hand, dismissively. "I'm part of the Hero Family. This is what we do."

"Than I wish you luck." Time said, holding out his hand. "You'll need it if you plan to do this forever."

Wind grinned, taking Time's hand and shaking it. "Thanks, I'll take it."

Time found himself unable to sleep that night. The noise of the city mixed with the constant rocking of the bus was uncomfortable enough alone. However, bus benches didn't make the best beds and were too small for him to have his wife sleep beside him. Not even the softest blankets or pillows in the world would have let Time sleep for longer than three hours in the damn bus.

Time sat up on his bench, huffing in frustration. Malon was asleep on the bench in front of him, cocooned in fluffy blankets and leaned against the wall of the bus. Warriors was laying down in the bench across from Time, his legs sprawled out in the walkway and his scarf covering his eyes. Wind was curled up against the wall in front of Warriors, no blankets to be seen but too many pillows to count. Spirit was still sat behind the wheel, driving the bus out of the city's edge and into a rural street. 

Time watched as asphalt turned to dirt and farms slowly turned to mountains. He watched the sky, counting stars and constellations whenever he could see past the treetops. He let himself sit in silence until the first signs of light reached over the horizon, counting the seconds until they would reach Tarrey Town. 

When Time saw light begin to bleed out from the horizon, he couldn't help but wonder how far he'd traveled. And when the bus began to drive across a cliff's edge, he couldn't help but wonder when the future he was chasing would come crashing down again. 

Time shook his head, attempting to clear it. He stood up with a soft groan, trying not to wake those around him. He carefully made his way to the front of the bus, grabbing ahold of the stability bar closest to the driver's seat. 

Spirit didn't spare Time a glance but he did spare a soft smile. "Can't sleep?" he quietly asked. Time couldn't help but think he didn't look the least bit tired. 

"I've never been able to sleep in vehicles." Time replied, watching the narrow road in order to distract his mind. 

Spirit hummed. "That explains why you've just been staring out the window for the past few hours." He said, conversationally. 

Time sighed but didn't let himself react otherwise. He didn't need to stress the kid with his worry, considering at least six different lives relied on the kid making it through the mountain pass. Time had half a mind to believe that the kid wouldn't make it to Minishville before he fell asleep behind the wheel or the bus tipped over the cliff ledge. 

"What's on your mind, sir?" Spirit asked. 

"No need to call me sir, kid." Time corrected. 

"There's no need to call me kid, sir." Spirit snarked in response. "Now answer the question." 

Time glanced over his shoulder as he stewed over his words. Malon slept deeply but Time could tell it wasn't restful. Warriors was constantly shifting like he used to do during the later years of the war, showing his stress and uneasy rest. Wind, however, slept soundly, his face smoothed with relaxation. Seeing Wind so calm helped to calm Time's nerves, just a little. 

"Do you think the plan will work?" Time asked. 

Spirit huffed in amusement. "Goddesses no." He said, his smile widening. "But I think everything will work out, in the end." 

"Why do you say that?" Time asked, curiously. 

"Our plans are much better than they were," Spirit began, sparing Time a short glance. "But not even Warriors can predict every complication. Something is bound to go wrong and we'll be forced to improvise, just like always." 

"How can you trust a plan when you know it's going to fail?" Time asked, trying to ignore the sinking of his heart. 

"That's the thing," Spirit said. "Our plans always fall apart but they haven't failed us yet. Yes, sometimes we lose more than we gain, or we're unable to save everyone, but we always get what we were searching for. Warriors is new to what we do. He only recently teamed up with me and Wind, at least knowingly." 

Time went to ask what Spirit meant but the bus jerked, nearly sending Time toppling. Spirit, however, fell silent for a moment to focus on the road. It was only a couple short minutes before the bus was finally out of the mountain pass and back onto stable ground. Spirit didn't hesitate to continue his previous thought. 

"He's still learning how to take in all the variables he needs to in order to keep our plans intact. Until then, me and Wind are more than used to acting on the fly. As long as you and Warriors follow the plan, Wind should be able to get his job done." 

"And what if things go wrong on our side?" Time asked. 

"You're the Mask of Time." Spirit pointed out. "If what Wind says is true, than you've been in the game longer than the three of us combined. If you can't get yourself out of that situation, than Wind should really get a better idol." 

Time frowned. "Why do you trust him, anyways?" Time asked. "You didn't even know he was the King of Red Lions a few days ago. How can you work under someone you don't even know?" 

"For one, I do know him. The real him." Spirit said, sounding tired in a way he did not look. "Secondly, there's no one reason i trust him. I could tell you about all our different jobs, or his relationship with his sister. But that's not what you want to hear. You want me to invalidate your reasons to distrust him and I can't do that." 

Spirit turned the bus onto a small, paved road, only large enough for one vehicle. The trees began to thin out and the first light of dawn could be seen on the horizon. Spirit was bathed in golden light as he pulled out a pair of sunglasses from seemingly nowhere. 

"What I can tell you is that my relationship with Wind is built on promises." Spirit continued as he slipped on his sunglasses. "Not contracts. Not life debts. Just promises. He promised to help people and I promised to stay by his side. He promised to protect me and I promised to protect him. He promised he would be my friend and i promised to be his. We rely very heavily on our promises to each other and they've brought us closer than I could have ever predicted." 

"But didn't he bring you into this life?" Time asked. "You could have stayed a normal kid without him." 

"I don't think so." Spirit said. "I don't think I was ever anything resembling 'normal'. Wind just helped me realize that. And before you ask, no, I don't regret my decisions. Someone important to me is alive because I decided to put my trust in Wind. Because I chose to become a criminal. I will never regret that. Ever." 

"And Warriors? Why trust him. I know Warriors and he's never been very... fond of people like us. Certainly he didn't willingly join your crusade." Time argued. 

"He wasn't happy when he found out, that's for sure." Spirit snorted. "But he came around. Would you believe me if I said he came to us with an ultimatum before forcing his way into our family?" 

"Really?" Time asked, intrigued. 

"Oh yes," Spirit nodded. "Apparently he figured us out and had a month to stew over the pros and cons of turning us in before deciding that he was basically just going to take over as our manager. I guess we were just that bad at covering our tracks." He joked. 

"How have you not been caught yet?" Time asked. 

Spirit grinned. "Would you take 'luck' as a good enough answer?" 

"No." 

"Eh, it was worth a shot." Spirit shrugged. "You should probably try to get a little more sleep." 

Time narrowed his eye. "Why are you changing the subject?" 

"Because you should get some sleep before we meet up with Echo." Spirit innocently said. 

Time stared at Spirit to try and will the answers he wanted out of the kid. However, when Spirit didn't even glance his way after several long moments of silence, he knew he'd been beat. He was too tired to fight the kid anyways. 

Time sighed as he turned to go back to his bench. He wrapped himself into a thick comforter before closing his good eye and hoping he'd at least get a little rest before he had to meet Echo. 

"Everything has to go perfectly-"

"Oh, you worry too much, Captain. Everything is going to be just fine."

"You don't know that. We have multiple lives on the line here. We can't afford to-"

"Geez, no need to bring the mood down. You're not even the ones with the hard part of the plan."

Time struggled to tune out Echo's and Warriors's bickering. It was both unappreciated and unhelpful. Time couldn't remember Warriors ever being this talkative but it seemed that Echo was the only person in the world that could get him to talk for hours on end. Warriors hadn't even talked this much to Malon the day before.

Meeting Echo hadn't been anything special. The Priestess had shown up with her hair tucked into her cap, Sheikah style makeup, a chauffeur uniform, and driving a limo. She'd been polite and sympathetic to the Lon couple's plight before quickly ushering Time and Warriors into Spirit's limo. Because of course the kid had a limo too. 

The first hour of the drive had been pleasant, Warriors taking the time to try and reacquaint himself with Time after the two years it had been since they'd last seen each other. However, when, conversation dried up between the two, Warriors had opened the small window to the front of the limo in order to ask how long it would be until they reached the fight.

Echo, it appeared, did not take a liking to impatience.

"Look," Echo harshly said, grabbing Time's attention yet again. "Wind is more than capable of sneaking around. You know that. I know that. Everyone knows that. Nothing short of a miracle could get that kid caught."

"But there are so many variables we can't take account for." Warriors fretted. "Not least of which is the captives themselves."

"Twilight will take care of that." Time spoke before he'd even realized it.

Warriors and Echo fell silent for a moment, the former giving Time a conflicted look. Echo, however, let out a short, proud laugh.

"Ha, see? Even Time has more faith in your plan than you do." Echo teased. "So just relax and trust yourself."

Warriors, it seemed, had finally decided to keep his mouth shut. He looked out the window to hide his nervous scowl, something Time recognized all too well. Time reached over to pat him on the knee, grabbing the Captain's attention.

"I know you're smart." Time began, looking directly in the Captain's eye. "It may not be a battlefield but do not discredit the battle we're about to enter. I'm trusting you to get us through this alive."

Warriors squared his shoulders at Time's words. A small, cocky smirk pulled at his lips, something he'd always done to steel himself in the face of danger.

"You can count on me."

"Good."

It wasn't too long after that the car slowed to a stop in front of a small, indiscript building. Echo opened the door for the two men to climb out of the limo before driving off to park around the corner. Warriors and Time waltzed into the building to find an empty bar. The only patron present was a bulblin behind the bar, taking stock and organizing glasses.

The bulblin woman looked up at the two's entrance before smiling. "Good evening, gentlemen. How can I help you?"

"We heard you had a special drink here." Time said, glancing to Warriors.

"What was it called?" Warriors asked, leaning against the bar. "It was the Dark Reflection, right?"

"What would you like in it?" The woman asked, a greedy glint in her eyes.

"Milk." Time and Warriors replied at the same time.

The woman grinned. "Welcome, gentlemen. Come on back here and go right through that trapped door." She said, opening the bar's hinged counter so the two men could step through.

True to word, there was a trap door not two feet away from the alcohol shelf. Warriors and Time were quick to climb down. What greeted them was another bulblin.

"Names and association." The man grunted, writing on a clipboard.

"Warriors, Captain of the Hero Family."

"Mask of Time, the King of Red Lions and Mask of the Hero Family."

The bulblin froze. He slowly looked up at Time with nervous eyes. Time didn't need to say anything, only pull out his borrowed coin to send the man scrambling.

"Your majesty! What an honor to meet you! I apologize, I wasn't aware you'd be here."

"That is often the point of leaving the Depths." Time said, enjoying the way the bulblin twitched under his scrutiny.

"You said you'd have a box for us?" Warriors said, his smile sharp and gaze half-lidded.

The blublin swallowed, avoiding Warriors's gaze. "No sir- I mean, yes sir! We've fixed up the private box just for you. Right this way."

And just like that, Time and Warriors were being led deeper underground. They shared a satisfied look when the man's back was turned.

The small stairway soon opened up to a stadium no larger than a school gym. It was built like any other stadium, only the center was blocked off by a metal fence made to keep the fighters inside. Time could see the bloodstains all the way from the top of the stadium.

There were two fighters already in the cage. One was much bigger than the other but the smaller was much faster. The smaller one looked young, even from this distance, while the bigger one was clearly an adult. The two were covered in blood and it took one punch to the face from the bigger man to know all of it was from the smaller.

Time almost couldn't watch as the fight wound down to an end but he forced himself to with the blankest expression he could muster. The kid tried their best to stay up, getting in a few good hits, but the adult was just too strong. With two final hits to the gut and temple, the kid went down. Instead of the fight ending, the bigger raised his foot into the air and brought it down on the kid's chest with an audible crack.

The cheers of the audience couldn't hide how the kid's scream had been cut short.

"That's Codai," The bulblin said as the big guy was named the victor. "We brought him in a few months ago. Now he's one of our best. It took us a while to get him to actually fight. We don't have many fighters that can go toe to toe with him, except the Devine Beast."

"The Devine Beast?" Warriors asked, faking interest to hide the way his lips twitched downward. "Who is that?"

"Oh, he's great! We got him in a couple weeks ago! He's-" The bulblin cut himself off as he caught Time's gaze. He quickly turned away with a cough. "Ah, never mind that. Your seats are right here."

Time's eye narrowed for a moment but a brush of Warriors's hand against his elbow was all he needed to school his expression back into an indifferent mask. It was a good thing too, as there was another bulblin waiting for them in the box.

The escourt gave the larger bulblin a deep bow. "King Bulblin. May I present the Hero Family. Warriors, the Captain, as well as the Mask of Time, also known as the King of Red Lions."

King Blublin's eyes widened with both nerves and greedy interest. Time casually flashed the coin, causing King Bulbin to grin and usher him in. As there was only one seat besides the one King Bulblin sat in, Time took that seat as Warriors stood at attention on his left.

"It's a pleasure." Time greeted, even as his insides curled at the words.

King Bulblin nodded, as if returning Time's sentiment. He glanced to the next fight starting below before shooting Time a questioning look.

"I haven't watched a fight in years." Time told the man, watching as two children were thrown into the ring. "Not since before my son had first been in one."

Time glanced to see that tension had entered King Bulblin's shoulders. Looking closer, Time could tell this wasn't the King that his son had gained the respect of. This man was avoiding Time's eye like the plague while the King Twilight knew met every challenge head on.

Time vaguely wondered what had happened to the last King Bulblin. Maybe his death had been a merciful one.

Time let his gaze wander, taking in the fact there was suddenly more bulblin's surrounding the box than there had been not a minute ago. And oh look, two more were subtly making their way over from two different directions.

"I heard you had someone called the Devine Beast fighting tonight." Time said, conversationally. "Will I be seeing him?"

King Bulblin shook his head with what seemed to be much struggle.

Time hummed. "A pity." 

"A real shame." Warriors piped up. "I was interested to see your best fighter. Or, well, who I assume to be your best fighter."

King Bulblin gave a painfully reluctant nod. Time felt pride swell in him at the thought of his little pup living up to his legacy.

"My son told me how fights started giving out prizes to the week's winner." Time said, trying to keep attention on him. "Do you offer any prizes?"

King Bulblin thought for a moment before giving a nasty grin. "The Mystic Rabbit came to sing."

"Truly?" Time asked, faking interest.

Time had been out of the game long enough not to know who the Mystic Rabbit was. However, he'd been in the game long enough to know he should never admit to that fact. Names had power in the Depths and knowing them even more so. If he was going to sell this act, he had to pretend he knew everybody who is anybody.

"Beautiful singer," King Bulblin said. "Even more beautiful girl. She makes for a good prize."

Time knew Warriors well enough to know those words were about to send him into a mental spiral. So he turned to Warriors with a casual smile that he hoped conveyed assurance.

"I need a drink." He said, forcing it out like an order.

Warriors took the dismissal for what it was, gripping Time's shoulder with a too sharp smile. "One Old Fashioned, coming right up." He said, allowing himself a single second more to ground himself before making a hasty yet somehow casual retreat to where they'd come from.

Time took another headcount of the surrounding bulblin's. There were five more than he'd seen previously.

Time turned back to King Bulblin with a relaxed expression to hide his disgust and worry. "Have you worked with any Skyll Kid's before? From my experience, they're nasty fighters." He suggested, knowing full well the bulblin's would be ripped to shreds by his old playmates.

King Bulblin sneered. "One." He said.

Time couldn't help the way a slow smile grew on his lips. That meant the Bullbo's couldn't contain such rambunctious and destructive kids for long.

Good.

"That's a shame." Time hummed. "Majora had been fun to play with." He said, remembering how his friend had remembered only what Majora had wanted him to remember. The fun. That was until it all fell apart and Time could do nothing but help his friend through the grief of ending so many innocent lives. 

Time had enjoyed killing Majora. The bastard deserved it.

King Bulblin grunted in reply, keeping his gaze firmly on the fight below.

Time didn't speak another word until Warriors returned with his drink. He watched the fights moments at a time, unable to watch them in their entirety. He watched as the surrounding bulblins doubled, then trippled. He continued to hold himself with a confident and relaxed air.

When Warriors returned and handed Time his drink with newly steady hands, Time only had one thought on his mind.

Please, Hylia, for once let our efforts be enough.

Chapter Text

Some part of Twilight was glad to be captured. 

He felt relief that it had been him to be taken rather than Colin. Twilight had a chance to get himself out while Colin would have died within hours. Even if Colin survived long enough to stand a chance, that would have meant Colin would forever stain his hands in blood like Twilight had been forced to once before. 

Colin was a kid. Barely a teenager. Twilight would rather die than let that happen. 

What was worse, Twilight knew where he was the moment he'd been thrown into a wooden cell. The Bullbo's had quickly corrected their mistake after Twilight's first escape attempt but that only allowed Twilight to learn everything he needed to know. The Bullbo's were under new management and Twilight could do nothing about the changes they made. 

Twilight hadn't been friends with the previous King Bulblin. They'd hated each other far too long to have anything more than a mutual respect. But at least the last King Bulblin hadn't been kidnapping children in order to make them fight each other. The children had been hostages, a means to an end. The Bullbo's had been gaining fighters from prisons, taking in killers and professional criminals alike for their entertainment. 

Twilight didn't like the last King Bulblin. But he liked him a lot more than the current one. 

The sound of a door creaking open brought Twilight out of his sleep-idled thoughts. Twilight peaked his eye open to see two of his minders opening his cage, allowing enough light in to make Twilight uncomfortable. Twilight didn't bother sitting up from where he was slouched in the back of his cage. He glared and snarled but he didn't fight when his minders yanked him out of the cage and to his feet. 

Twilight stumbled to his feet as he was impatiently pushed forward, causing his chains to loudly clash against each other. 

"Get moving, mutt." The smaller minder hissed, pushing Twilight forward yet again. 

Twilight did as he was told, even if he didn't yet understand why. He exited the isolated room his cage was located, squinting to adjust to the bright hallway. However, when he turned to head for a fight, he was pushed to go in the opposite direction. 

"Nice try, mutt. We've got special orders." The taller bulblin said. 

Twilight's brows furrowed. He wasn't heading for a fight? Why else would they grab him? 

Twilight was brought past isolation rooms, group cells, an office, restrooms, a kitchen, and some doors he wasn't sure lead anywhere important before he found himself in front of a cellar door. His smaller minder was quick to start working at the lock while his taller minder harshly grabbed Twilight's jaw to make him meet her eyes. 

"You are going to go down there and be nice and quiet. If we find out you broke anything, or you do anything to try to escape, than we'll pit you against Codai in your next fight. Do you understand me?" She told Twilight, her nails digging into his chin. 

Twilight gave an affirming grunt, satisfying his minder enough to get her to let him go. Twilight didn't bother with his now bleeding jaw. It would stop, eventually. Twilight was more preoccupied with trying to figure out what he'd done to deserve being hidden in the deepest depths of the ring. 

"Hurry up!" The taller minder snapped at her partner. 

"I'm trying but none of these damn keys are working!" The shorter minder snapped back. 

"Looking for something?" A childish, clearly Rito voice asked. 

Twilight turned with his minders to find a very Hylian boy giving them a cheeky grin. In his hand he was jingling a ring of keys nearly identical to the one in the smaller minder's hand. The pirate - because he was obviously trying to be a pirate - was leaned against the wall with his free hand in his pocket like he wasn't in enemy territory, facing down two angry bulblin's and their monstrous captive. 

Kid was ballsy, Twilight would give him that. 

"How did you get down here?" The smaller minder demanded. 

"That is something we in the business call 'classified information'." The pirate teased, twirling the key ring around his finger. "Now, how 'bout you make this easy for all of us and just hand over Twilight without a fuss?" 

Twilight? Why was some random kid looking for him? And how did he know that name? Why and how did he find Twilight in the first place? Twilight was expecting to have to bide his time to get out but this kid, who thought sky blue was a stealth suit, just waltzed in and decided to save Twilight? This kid had to be someone important but his dad and Midna had never warned him about a pirate dressed in blue. Was he part of the Pirate Queen's crew? 

"Fat chance." The taller minder snarled, taking a threatening step forward. "Now stay still so I can kill you. King Bulblin wouldn't be happy if he knew we let a snitch walk away, scot-free." 

"You're right. He won't be." The kid agreed. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, revealing a small pistol with a comically long silencer. 

BANG! 

Twilight watched, in vague surprise, as his taller minder fell to the ground. He half-expected her to get back up until he saw how quickly red spread across her entire torso. 

BANG! 

A thud against the metal, cellar door sounded before Twilight could even turn to confirm that his other minder was dead too. The man slowly slid down the slightly slanted door until he was on his knees, his eyes wide with fear. 

Coward didn't even try to put up a fight. 

Twilight turned at the sound of jangling keys and clicking heels. The kid approached him with a smile much softer than the one he held moments ago. He stepped around Twilight long enough to snatch up the keys that had fallen to the ground before turning back to Twilight. 

"You alright?" The boy asked, holding out his hand and the key ring in a gesture that even Twilight could read. 

Twilight held up his chained wrists, allowing the kid to start working at the locks. "I'm fine." He said, unsure if he should be trusting the kid in front of him or not. "Why are you looking for me?" 

"Your parents are mighty worried about you." The boy said. "Good thing too. Me and Spirit have been itching to take a place like this down for months." 

"Spirit?" Twilight asked. "Who is that? Actually, who are you?" 

"Wind, Pirate of the hero Family." The boys replied in time with the click of a manacle being unlocked. "Spirit is our Engineer. He's going to be make sure you and your mom get home." 

"Ma?" Twilight breathed. "She's here?" 

"Both your parents are here." Wind explained as he unlocked the rest of Twilight's shackles. "Your mom is helping Spirit in the bus while your dad is helping Warriors to distract Mister Mean-And-Ugly. I can show you where the exit is so you can reach the bus but we're not leaving yet." 

"Are you planning to burn this place down?" Twilight asked, rubbing at his raw wrists. 

Wind shook his head. "Too risky. I'm here to save a lot of kids and parents, not topple a fighting ring. At least, not yet." 

Twilight perked up at those words. "What do you need me to do?" 

"You don't need to-" 

"They tried to kidnap one of my kids." Twilight snarled, stepping to get into Wind's face. "I'm helping." 

Wind, to his credit, wasn't fazed by Twilight's intimidating display. He barely even thought before shrugging. 

"Fair enough," Wind said. "Alright, I need to find some sort of filing system that keeps track of all the fighters, as well as a way to find all the fighters that are being held here against their will. Any clue where we can start?" 

Twilight smiled. "I know just where to start." He said, turning on his bare heel. "Follow me." 

And just like that, Twilight found himself leading a pirate down a set of creepy hallways. Wind stopped him a few times, once to show Twilight that one of the seemingly unimportant doors was actually the exit, and the rest of the time to pull Twilight out of sight of any passing guards. Guards seemed to walk right past them without realizing they were there, no matter where Wind had the two of them hide. Twilight knew he didn't have a stealthy bone in his body, so either Wind had some Sheikah blood or the kid's coat was magic. 

It wasn't too long before Twilight showed Wind where the office he'd seen earlier was. Wind quietly cheered, moving around the desk to access the computer. The pirate scoffed when he easily logged into a supposedly highly secure computer. 

"What self-respecting bastard writes all of their passwords on a single sticky note?" Wind muttered, irritably. "I come here for a challenge and you give me this shit? This almost isn't worth the effort." 

Twilight repressed his amusement as he kept watch. He glanced back to see Wind insert a flash drive into the computer before trotting back over to Twilight. 

"That's going to take a minute to download so let's focus on getting people out." Wind whispered, which Twilight eagerly agreed to. 

The first stop, to Twilight, was pretty obvious. 

Twilight lead Wind through the halls until they reached the start of the cell blocks. Twilight moved past the cells he knew were packed full of proud fighters before turning into a comparably empty block. Twilight worked with Wind to get fighters in this particular block out and telling them where to go but Twilight kept his ear out for a familiar voice. However, the longer Twilight couldn't hear the rough timber of his new friend, the more dread he felt. 

Wind and Twilight were helping out a young bokoblin kid that was too malnourished to move on his own when they heard a loud, beastly roar. Twilight's blood ran cold and he quickly pushed Wind and the bokoblin, Gurt, into the nearest cell. He held a finger to his mouth to urge the two to keep quiet before turning towards the door just barely out of his view. 

Another roar was heard, much louder than the last, accompanied by annoyed yelling. Twilight flinched at the sound of an electric shock, accompanied by a pained cry that was all too familiar. It was only a moment later that the door to the cell block burst open, a familiar Yeti falling to the ground with another painful shock to his system. 

Twilight didn't hesitate after that. The moment one of Codai's minder came into view, he launched himself forward with a war cry. He slammed his shoulder into the first minder, harshly connecting their head with the bars of a cell. 

Twilight only allowed himself enough breathing room to count the three remaining minders as the first one flopped to the floor. He quickly launched himself at the next closest one, shoving them into their closest buddy to make both of them fall. 

The last minder caught a fist to the face with a sickening crack. They instinctively clutched at their nose as they stumbled back, giving Twilight the opening he needed to grab them by the horn and slam their head into the wall, knocking them out cold. 

A hand clawed at Twilight's bare shoulder, ripping skin with ease. Twilight snarled, his hand clamping down on the offender's wrist before flipping the first minder over his shoulder. 

A roar behind him momentarily distracted Twilight. He saw Codai up on his feet, large fists raised for a devastating ground pound on the guards left prone on the floor. However, he didn't get to watch Codai finish his strike before a clawed foot slammed into Twilight's ankle, causing him to stumble to his knee. 

The first minder swiped at Twilight's face, their claw missing Twilight's eyes by a mere centimeter, catching him by the nose instead. Twilight growled in frustration. He reached forward, grabbing the bulblin by the elbow and neck. He yanked their arm back in the same moment he shoved their head forward, dislocating their shoulder with an audible pop. He then used his full weight to push the prone bulblin to the ground, allowing him to bring his fist down on their temple. The bulblin fell limp and Twilight whipped around to check his surroundings. 

The minders Codai had targeted were very clearly not getting back up and Wind was peaking out of the nearby cell, Gurt's head buried in his shoulder. He gave Twilight a concerned look but Twilight waved him off. Wind was quick to move on, giving a low whistle as he surveyed the scene. 

"Impressive. But I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by that." Wind stepped forward, eyeing Codai curiously. "I've never seen anyone like you before. What are you?" 

"Codai is Codai." Said man grunted. 

Twilight chuckled at Wind's confused look. "Codai is a Yeti. Most of them live up on snowy mountain peaks." 

"Ah," Wind hummed. "That's why. I don't do well in the cold. Well, it's wonderful to meet you, Codai. Are you ready to go home?" 

"Home?" Codai asked, hesitant yet hopeful as he looked to Twilight. 

"That's right." Twilight confirmed. "Wind and his family are here to get as many people home as they can. They're going to get you back to your brother." 

"Codai can see Conde?" Codai asked, too shocked to believe it. 

Twilight nodded. "As soon as possible. But we need to get as many people out as we can." 

"Could you take Gurt out to the bus with you?" Wind asked, stepping even closer to Codai. "He needs help but I still have a job to do. Can you protect him for me?"

"Codai has hurt many little ones." The Yeti softly confessed. He carefully reached out to take Gurt into his arms, cradling him like one would an infant. "Codai will fix mistake. For Conde." 

Wind gave Codai an understanding smile. "Your brother is going to be so proud of you." 

Codai smiled. "Codai will hope." 

Wind and Twilight were quick to give Codai the directions he needed to escape before they were back on their way. They avoided guards and minders where they could but took out anyone that wasn't supposed to see them. They let out dozens of children, parents, and previously innocent before Twilight was sure they'd gotten everyone they could. 

Twilight and Wind made their way back to the office, only for Wind to stop them outside the door. He signaled for Twilight to be silent before carefully peaking around the door. After a moment, he cautiously stepped into the room, his ears twitching to and fro. 

Twilight focused on the silent hallway around him. He couldn't hear a sound, not even Wind's footsteps. The air was too still and the hallway too bright for anyone to be hiding nearby. So what had Wind so nervous? 

Wind grabbed the flash drive and shoved it into his pocket before pausing in place. He pulled a wadded up fabric from his pocket before smiling. He ushered Twilight into the room and held out the cloth bundle for Twilight to take. 

"I completely forgot your dad told me to give this to you." Wind whispered, still warry but now overcome with excitement. "He never told me what it did but I figured you'd make better use of it than I could." 

Twilight's eyes widened before he unwrapped the fabric. Inside sat his shadow crystal, perfectly polished with not a chip or scratch. Twilight couldn't help but think of his pa when he saw how well cared for his necklace was. Twilight met Wind's eye with a wobbly smile. 

"Thank you." 

Wind waved him off. "Not my trinket to care for. I've got enough of those bombs sitting at home base." 

Twilight opened his mouth to ask just how many magic items Wind had but was distracted by a near silent beeping sound. Twilight looked down, sure the sound came from below him but wasn't sure where it was from. 

Wind, seeing Twilight's confusion, glanced around. "What is it?" He asked. 

"Something's beeping." Twilight replied, leaning to look under the desk but finding nothing. 

"You hear it too?" Wind asked as he began to dig through the contents covering the desk. After a moment of searching, he suddenly stopping dead in his tracks. "Oh no..." 

Twilight looked up, about to ask what was wrong, when he saw it. A notice on the computer talking of a security program that would corrupt all files if something was being downloaded incorrectly. Not a moment later, the computer glitched out with a nearly inaudible screech before shutting down completely. 

Twilight turned to see Wind pull out the flash drive from his pocket. The kid scowled, looking around the room. He immediately moved to start digging through filing cabinets, going through them at record speed. 

"Find me a bag. Now." Wind ordered. 

Twilight didn't hesitate to do as he was told. He looked around the room for a full minute before finding a nearly empty duffle bag in a random drawer, the only thing left in it being some sort of medicine bottle. Twilight was quick to bring the bag to Wind, who immediately threw in a group of files, bound together with a thin wrapping of tape. 

Twilight and Wind worked quickly, with Wind picking out files carefully and Twilight binding stacks of ten of them together with tape before stuffing them in the duffle bag. Once they'd finished, Wind and Twilight wasted no time racing for the exit. 

Twilight could feel hope building in his heart with each step. Freedom was so close he could taste it. His family was just out of his reach and all he needed to do was escape. 

Twilight was thrown out of his thoughts by Wind tackling him around a corner. A rain of bullets whizzed past as Wind pulled out his own gun. Wind turned back around the corner, letting out his own stream of shots before dragging Twilight back to his feet. 

"Go, go, go!" 

Twilight glanced back long enough to see four guards dead on the ground before he followed Wind out the exit door. Moonlight was the first thing to greet them, almost making Twilight collapse from relief. Wind grasped his hand and tugged him around the street corner to keep him moving. 

Twilight was quick to spot the red, double decker bus that Wind had described dozens of times over the past hour or so. Right outside the doors was a kid in a mechanic's jacket who looked identical to Wind. He - who Twilight was going to assume was Wind's twin brother - spotted them quickly and immediately jumped onto the bus. 

Wind pushed Twilight into the bus, hopping in after him just in time to avoid the closing doors. Wind's twin hopped into the driver's seat and had the bus shooting down the road in record time, forcing Twilight and Wind to find purchase wherever they could. 

As soon as the bus was on the main road and slowed to a more manageable pace, Twilight took stock of it's occupants. Every bench had been filled with the many victims that Twilight had just helped to save. Many of them were wrapped with bandages and blankets. Most everyone had some sort of snack, drink, or pillow. And there, towards the back, caring for Codai and Gurt, was a woman with fiery red hair and a soothing voice that Twilight could place in even the busiest street. 

"Ma!" Twilight cried out, dropping the duffle bag to shuffle as fast as he could to the back of the bus. 

Ma turned before giving a shocked but relieved gasp. "Twilight!" 

The two didn't care for whoever was there to witness their reunion. They crashed into each other's arms and Twilight couldn't help the tears that began to pour from his eyes, slowly washing away some of the blood on his face. His ma rocked him back and forth. 

"Oh, Puppy, I was so worried! I- I thought we'd never-! You were-" Ma sobbed, holding her son closer. 

"I know, ma. It's okay. I'm here now, that's all that matters." Twilight said, trying desperately to blink back his tears. 

"Don't you dare imply your safety doesn't matter!" His ma scolded, brushing a hand through his hair. "If you ever scare me like that again, I'm stapling you to the dog bed." She threatened, though it was ruined slightly by the wet patch slowly forming in her son's hair. 

"I won't ma. I won't." Twilight promised. 

The bus ride was fairly uneventful, relatively speaking. Ma was busy helping victims bandage each other up and Wind was always two steps behind her. Wind checked on each and every victim of the Bullbo's to make sure they had gotten medical attention, food, and something comfortable to hold onto. 

Twilight had sat himself at the very front of the bus, hoping to get a nap in, when Wind showed up with a small first-aid kit of his own and coerced Twilight into getting some help. Ma showed up a moment later to bandage up Twilight while Wind made sure to give Twilight a small stash of snack foods and one of the softest blankets Twilight had ever felt. 

It was two hours and four stops after leaving the fighting pit that Spirit, who apparently wasn't Wind's brother, parked the bus in an empty parking lot in a neighboring town. It was only a few minutes of waiting later that a limo pulled up next to them. Spirit ordered the remaining fighters to stay seated as Ma and Wind lead Twilight off the bus. Twilight only had a moment of confusion before he recognized the person stepping out of the limo. 

"Pa!" 

"Pup!" 

Twilight fell into his pa's arms. His pa's shoulders shook but he didn't let any tears fall. Twilight held his pa tighter, who didn't hesitate to reciprocate. 

"I'm so glad it worked." Twilight heard his pa whisper. Twilight pulled away far enough to give his pa a confused look. 

"Wind said you were helping him by distracting King Bulblin but how? Why would you be let in?" Twilight asked. 

His pa opened his mouth to answer but Wind's voice cut him off. 

"Time." 

The three Lon's looked over to see Wind approaching them with a soft yet satisfied smile. Twilight felt his pa tense slightly and felt his ma's sturdy hand land on his shoulder. Wind held out his hand, which Twilight's pa took. 

"Thank you for everything. We couldn't have done this without any of you." Wind said. 

"I thought I was supposed to be thanking you." Pa said. "We might never have found our son without you." 

Twilight blinked in surprise. "Pa, you actually know him?" 

"Not really," Pa replied. "I reached out to some old contacts for help and instead found myself with a family of heroes." 

Wind chuckled. "It is our family name." 

"I suppose I should return this to you." Pa said, pulling out a gold coin and holding it out for Wind to take. 

Wind, however, didn't take the coin. He reached forward to curl pa's hand around the coin. 

"Keep it." Wind said. "It'll keep your enemies off your back. I'll take it back when I find a successor of my own." 

"And if you die before then?" Pa asked, giving Wind a considering look. 

Wind shrugged. "Than I guess you truly take my name. Or you just pass it down to the next willing taker." 

"Wind," A familiar man in a blue scarf called from the bus doors, though Twilight couldn't place where he knew him. "We're running out of daylight, Pirate." 

"I'm coming," Wind called back. He gave the Lon family one last smile. "You know how to contact us if you need us. Don't hesitate to reach out." 

"At what cost?" Ma asked. 

"No cost." Wind said, turning to leave. "We promised you protection and that's what you'll get. Us heroes protect what's ours." Wind gave one more nod. "Until next time, Twilight. Malon. Time." 

And like that, Wind and his family were gone, along with the rescued captives. 

Twilight turned to ask his parents so many questions but their attention had been drawn to a blonde woman exiting the limo's driver side. She moved to greet Twilight with a smile and a handshake. 

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lon." The woman greeted. "I'm Echo, Priestess of the Hero Family. I'll be escorting you and your family home. Have you ever ridden a train before?" 

"Can't say I have." Twilight said, giving his parents confused glances. His parents, however, were not helpful. They only threw him encouraging looks before climbing into the limo. 

Echo pulled away from Twilight in order to hand him a bag covered in cartoon weapons. "Here are some clean clothes for you, as well as some wipes and extra bandages. We'll be reaching the train station in three hours, so feel free to take your time making yourself presentable. The station is always crowded and we don't want to cause a scene. If you need anything from me, you just ask." 

"...Thanks." Twilight said, unsure if he should feel insulted or relieved by Echo's help. 

"Of course," Echo nodded, ushering Twilight towards the limo. "Now let's get you home. You've been through far too much." 

Twilight couldn't help but agree. So he allowed himself to relax with his fretting parents in a too cushy limo. He was so relaxed, in fact, that he hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep until his ma was shaking him awake. 

"We're almost there, Twi. Hurry and get dressed." 

Twilight grumbled but obliged. His parents were already dressed in new outfits that obviously weren't their choice or preference. His pa was dressed like a librarian while his ma looked like she was ready for a punk concert. Neither seemed particularly comfortable with these choices but neither was complaining. 

When Twilight first saw what Echo had brought for him to wear, Twilight was apprehensive too. A band tee with a ghost graphic on the front, ripped jeans faded to hell and back, spiked sneakers, and a thin belt with pants chains to match. The only thing Twilight actually liked was the asymmetrical, faux leather jacket that had a collar lined with faux fur. He might actually keep the jacket, once this is all over. 

Twilight quickly changed and was surprised to find he didn't actually look half bad. It was a bit hot and his ma had gelled his hair back but besides that it was fine. Comfortable, even. Except the sneakers. He hated the sneakers and Twilight could already tell he was going to have blisters on the back of his heels by the time he was actually home. 

Maybe Twilight needed to start branching out his outfit choices? He'd see if Ilia or Beth wanted to help him with that. 

When they arrived at the station, Twilight was a little surprised to find how small it was. There were three tracks for trains to go down and the station building itself was barely larger than the ranch house and his tree house combined. But what was more surprising was just how busy the station was. Crowds of people bustling about in a too small space. It was cramped enough that Echo had Twilight and his parents hold hands as she lead them to the ticket counter.

"Next!" The elderly woman behind the counter called.

Echo wasted no time in approaching the booth. "Good morning, Anjean." She greeted, her smile bright.

Anjean smiled from behind the counter. "Ah! Good morning, Ms. Shade. How are the little Steam Trains doing?"

"Train and Phantom are doing great. I heard they went stargazing a few days ago." Echo told Anjean. "And Train wanted me to thank you on his behalf. Alfonzo's been much happier since you got him that job."

"It was no skin off my teeth." Anjean waved off. "Now, is it a ticket for one?"

"Ticket for four, actually." Echo corrected.

"Four? Where are your friends?" Anjean asked, moving to pull the tickets.

"I'm with friends you haven't met yet. I've been staying with them the past couple days and now they're coming to visit my home for the weekend." Echo easily lied, moving to pay what Anjean asked.

Anjean nodded, like she wasn't really listening. "That's nice to hear. Well enjoy your trip." Anjean said, handing over the tickets.

"We will!" Echo replied. She spun around, her skirt twisting to follow the motion as she began to drag the Lon Family towards the train platform.

"I didn't even know you could ride the train. How is it so crowded?" Twilight loudly asked, having to lean closer to Echo for her to hear him.

Echo's smile turned slightly sad. "This is the last train line left that will take passengers. The Spirit Tracks Train Station would have been my first choice but it shut down a little over two years ago. Now we've only got this, the Zonai Temple Station. It's the cheapest way to travel from one side of Hyrule to the other but it's too big of a price compared to the convenience of a car."

Twilight frowned. "How do you know all that?"

"Spirit knows a lot about trains." Echo shrugged, nearly sending her oversized zip-up off her shoulders. She flipped up the hood of her blue zip-up as the train blew it's loud whistle. "Looks like we're right on time. The train's about to leave."

True to word, as soon as Echo and the Lon Family found their compartment on the train, it began to move. A ticket master was quick to stop by but after that, the group was completely alone and isolated.

Twilight turned to his pa as soon as he was certain no one would be listening in. "What's so important about a coin?" He asked.

Pa let out a sigh from his nose. Twilight could see him thinking through his words and prepared for an answer he wouldn't like.

"Have I ever told you about the story of the last King of Hyrule?" Pa asked.

"No," Twilight said. He knew this was how his pa always started his stories about his experience with the Depths. Twilight leaned forward in his seat to show his interest, Echo doing the same beside him.

"The general public believes the last King of Hyrule was killed during the First Calamity War, as that's when the monarchy fell. However, only the most diligent of studies know that King Rauru died to take down the Demise of his time. With him, the King brought a court of heroes from across the land, each from every walk of life but still loyal to him. Since then, his title has been passed down from teacher to student, signified by both a mark of freedom and the mark of the first King of Red Lions."

Pa pulled out the golden coin from before out of his pocket. He held it out for Twilight to see. It was a beautiful thing, so detailed that Twilight could barely understand what it was supposed to depict.

"The trouble is, no one can find the current King of Red Lions. It is believed that the last one died before he could pass on his name to an heir. But they are wrong and the current King is building himself a new court of heroes."

"You were left with the coin." Twilight whispered in cold realization.

"And another holds a second." Pa nodded.

Twilight thought back to Wind and how he held himself. Twilight thought the kid was cocky but the more he thought about it the more he remembered how easily Wind had moved, as if the ground itself would rise to meet his every step. He remembered how he'd met Wind and realized how purposeful the boy's act was. He rembered how Wind had gone from fighter to fighter, unafraid and unendingly kind, helping where he could and pushing others to be strong when he couldn't.

Twilight remembered how Wind had followed him. How Wind had allowed him to help. How Wind returned the Shadow Crystal to Twilight without a second thought. He realized how much trust Wind had put in him like it was as easy as breathing.

Twilight dragged a hand down his face. "Pa, how powerful is the King of Red Lions supposed to be?"

"The respect for the King of Red Lions has always been on parr with the Goddess Court and the Kings of Evil. However, the strength of the King and his court differs from generation to generation." Pa explained.

Twilight could hear the implied 'never underestimate them' hidden in his father's words.

Twilight turned to Echo. "And you're part of this." He stated. It wasn't a question and Echo didn't act like it was.

"It's very flattering to think of myself as a lady of the court." Echo chuckled. "I would have liked to know that sooner but the King seems to like keeping us courtiers in the dark. Something about plausible deniability and all that if something goes horribly wrong. The Captain is working on getting him to communicate better, though."

Twilight's brows rose. "Does that mean we-"

"No," Echo interrupted, shaking her head. "You're more like the treasury now, if we're sticking with the royal analogies. As you are now under our protection, we consider you to be ours in almost the same way you can claim money to be yours. Eventually that money might find a new home with someone else but we'll keep it secure as long as we can. And if someone tries to steal from the treasury, we, as the royal guards, are tasked with doing everything in our power to protect said treasures and money."

"So we're not completely bound to this... agreement?" Ma asked, wariness Twilight hadn't noticed starting to lift from her shoulders.

"No, ma'am." Echo replied. "You can leave whenever you like. Just don't forget to let the King know. I swear, it's like he has eyes everywhere with how much he knows."

"Is anyone else lumped in with the agreement?" Pa asked.

"They'd have to be direct family or living with you. Unless you're part of the family but I think that's a given." Echo said.

Pa hummed in understanding but said nothing else. Twilight, however, was now more curious than ever. He wanted to know how the Hero Family operated. Was it like the Resistance, all disparate parts that would come together for a common goal? Or was it like Midna's old gang, where there was one person making all of the shots and everyone else followed? And what about the court? They got protection, sure, but what else were they in it for? The current family was only four people, far as Twilight could tell. What could they possibly be getting out of working together when there were so few of them?

Most of all, Twilight was worried for Wind. He was just a kid and he was leading a group that was respected enough to get into the Bullbo's fighting ring. Wind had a title so grand that he couldn't possibly stand tall with it on his shoulders. The kid acted confident but how long would he last with kindness as his main weapon instead of bloodlust?

Twilight knew the darkest depths of the criminal underbelly. Being forced to be something he just wasn't and needing to still fight to survive was a kick in the teeth. To have almost everyone he knew and loved look at him with nothing but fear had only twisted the knife. Even his parents had reacted like he was a dangerous animal until he revealed himself that first time.

Wind was the same age Twilight had been but he acted too confident and was too quick on his feet not to have more experience. What had lead him to the life he had? How could he take all that weight onto his shoulders and still smile? How could he look at the horrible things happening behind closed doors and still find a way to help?

"Why did you save us?" Twilight asked Echo.

"Pardon?" Echo asked, like it was a silly question.

"What do you get out of saving us?"

Echo looked shocked that Twilight was being serious. She tilted her head in confusion, turning to see ma and pa waiting for her answer too.

"I think there's a bit of a miscommunication here." Echo began, giving the Lon's a soft smile. "We're not the ones that benefit from all of this. We seek no money, nor power. Our goal is to cut down on the amount of organized crime happening across Hyrule. I didn't join anyone on the assumption that I would be getting payment or revenge for anything. My job is to save people and I take that job very seriously."

"By killing people." Pa added, seriously.

Echo huffed. "I haven't killed anyone. That's not my job. What the rest of the family does to reach our goals is not my business until the mission is over."

"You're the reason the family hasn't been caught yet." Pa sighed. "I should have known."

"How would you have known?" Twilight asked.

"She's a detective." Pa said without further explanation.

Twilight turned to Echo. Her expression shifted from annoyed to serious as she sent a warning glare to Twilight. That was the second he finally understood.

The King of Red Lions had a police detective in his pocket. With someone like Echo in his corner, he could do practically whatever he wanted and be assured it was always swept under the rug. Who else did he have in his corner? He already had two different people he could let take the fall for him, that being pa and Spirit. And that blue guy with the scarf, what was his job? What did he have to protect Wind's identity? 

Twilight's family could be ruined if Wind wished. But he'd promised them protection instead. A promise even pa seemed to trust. The kid could probably make anyone disappear without lifting a finger but he was working to make things better. He had thrown himself into the fight and brought hope instead of fear. 

Why did the kid have to care? And why was Twilight starting to care about the kid? 

Twilight had tried to go back to his normal life, once he'd returned home. Ma and pa were doing the same. But Twilight could tell that none of them could quite fit back into their normal life after Echo had dropped them off with a panic button and a promise to be just a call away. 

It was strange how unusual everything felt. Like the world had moved on without the Lon Family. Rusl's family had kept up with ranch chores. Fado still stopped by to ask Twilight for help with his goats. Ilia and the neighborhood kids asked if Twilight would spend time with them. Everyone was acting as if Twilight had never been gone at all. 

Except Colin. Colin looked at Twilight like a disaster waiting to happen. 

Twilight could tell Colin was trying to stick by his side but the kid couldn't stop looking over his shoulder, as if someone would jump out of the trees again. Twilight tried to help him but Colin didn't want help. He hated that he'd gotten Twilight taken away and no one had been willing to talk to him about it until Twilight was already back. 

Twilight asked why Rusl hadn't done anything when Colin had told his dad what happened. Colin said that Rusl had been in denial about Twilight's disappearance until Twilight's parents had left without a word to anyone and a little girl no one knew was watching over the ranch. Rusl had tried to reach out to Twilight's pa but pa never answered. 

Colin apologized for not fighting hard enough to help Twilight. Twilight didn't understand why Colin was the one apologizing. 

Twilight later asked his pa why he hadn't answered Rusl's calls. Pa said the man had ignored all of his calls for help, so pa had decided to return the favor. Twilight asked if the rest of the Resistance had done the same and pa had hesitated to confirm that was so. Twilight hesitantly asked if Dusk had also refused to help and pa could only tell him that she tried her best. 

So life moved on. It moved on without Twilight and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Each day moved like molasses and Twilight wasn't sure what to do. 

 When Rusl attempted to apologize, he had stated his troubles with a long going turf war that needed the attention of the entire Resistance. All Twilight could think about was how a random kid had trusted a dangerous stranger to watch his back. 

Ilia scolded Twilight for neglecting Epona Jr. the day after Twilight had been returned home, only for her complaints to turn into smothering worry when she'd seen how heavily bandaged he was. All Twilight could think about was how a kid had believed him when Twilight had said he was fine and had made sure Twilight had been cared for just as well as the other victims once they were safe. 

Malo, Talo, and Beth had shown up the second day of Twilight's return to drag him into a game, uncaring for his injuries and complaints. All Twilight could think about was how carefully a big brother had cradled Gurt and how he'd trusted Codai to be just as careful. 

Fado showed up on the third day to ask Twilight for help wrangling his goats, only for ma to take Epona Jr. to do it for Twilight when Fado wouldn't take no for an answer. All Twilight could think of was how a teenage boy hadn't expected anything from Twilight in return for rescuing him. 

It was on the fourth day that Colin had shown up, crying, because he'd dreamt that Twilight had been taken again and wasn't come back this time. All Twilight could think was that Wind had hugged Aryll when they'd reunited the same way Twilight was hugging Colin. 

That fourth day, pa had found Twilight in the kitchen, observing his necklace in a cloth, remembering how Wind hadn't hesitated to return it to him. Pa gently pushed Twilight's hand to the table in order to catch his son's eye. He didn't say anything, only sat at the kitchen table in silent solidarity. 

Twilight was starting to hate silence. 

"I want to call them." 

Pa flinched in a way Twilight knew was shock before quickly collecting himself. Pa leaned forward, fixing his son with a serious gaze. 

"You don't want to be part of that life." Pa said. "You've already had enough involvement in the Depths. You should know how much it changes a man. How it shackles him to a set path." 

"Have you ever thought that maybe that's changing?" Twilight asked. "That maybe we could change that?" 

"We don't have to." Pa said, almost a plead. "Twilight, it took me over a decade to escape that life. I don't want to lose you to the same fate." 

"And what else am I supposed to do?" Twilight demanded, voice harsh with frustration. "Stay here and ignore the fact that the people we consider family don't actually care about us as much as we thought they did? Ignore the fact that the only person that actually believed I was gone was the little boy that saw it happen? Ignore the fact that I'm so disposable that my own parents won't even-" 

Twilight cut himself off by slapping a hand over his mouth. A frustrated growl slipped out as Twilight found himself glaring at his necklace. 

"Pup," Pa breathed. "I don't know what's going on in that head of yours but I promise you that you're not disposable. Me and your mother love you with all of our hearts. We risked everything to get you back." Pa reached out, petting down Twilight's hair. "I understand your heartbreak. I was hurt by someone I saw as family too. But we can't let those betrayals shape who we are. And we can't let our darker impulses win out." 

"Why not?" Twilight laughed, bitterly, letting his hand drop. "I'm already a monster." 

"You are not." Pa hissed. "You are my son. You are so full of love that you would sacrifice everything to save someone else." 

"I've killed so many people." Twilight argued, frustrated tears stinging his eyes. "So many kids." 

"You are not a monster for doing what it took to survive." Pa assured, cupping the back of Twilight's neck when their shining eyes met. "Me and your mother will never fault you for what you had to do to come home." 

"But I couldn't save them." Twilight grit out through his teeth. "I couldn't save anyone on my own. All I could do was give them a quick death. I don't want to ever be the person who's forced to kill kids for his own gain. Not anymore." 

"And you're not." Pa promised. "You've left that behind." 

"For how long?" Twilight snapped. "How long will I live until the next time I find myself in a fighting ring with a kid that I'm forced to kill? How many years do I have until the next time I have to look a pregnant woman in the eye and decide it's me over her and her baby? How many more days do I have with you and ma until the next day I vanish off the face of the earth, only to appear a week- or-or-or a month later with a kill count that's reached the hundreds? How long do I have until I stop being a person and become the very monsters that turned me into a killing machine?" 

Twilight didn't realize he was crying until he found his pa pulling him into a tight hug. Twilight couldn't hold back his sobs as he clutched his pa's cotton shirt. 

"Please, pa." Twilight hiccupped. "Please, I have to do this. I just want a choice." 

For a long time, pa didn't answer. For a while, the two Lon men only held each other close as the rest of the world fell away. For a long time, the only sound Twilight could hear was his father's breathes and his ma singing a song to the Epona's. 

"Let me talk to your mother." Pa finally replied. "I'll see if she wants to come with us." 

"Pa?" Twilight asked, slowly pulling away from the hug. 

Pa gave Twilight a teary smile. "I'm not about to let you out of my sight. If this is how you want to help people, I will be there to support you." 

"Really?" Twilight asked, almost not believing his ears. 

"Really." Pa nodded. "I already have a role in that family. I might as well play it." 

Twilight couldn't help the laugh of relief that escaped him. He pulled his pa into a tight yet short hug before scrambling to his feet. He picked up his discarded necklace before racing towards the door. 

"I'll grab ma! Y'all can talk while I finish up chores!" Twilight called, barely hearing his pa's laugh before he was out the door and racing for the stable. 

Ma was a bit confused when Twilight had shooed her out of the stable but humored her son when he said pa wanted to talk to her. Twilight finished cleaning the stable, feeding the horses, and caring for the cuccoos in record time, excited by his pa's easy acceptance. Twilight, however, kept his distance from the house. 

Twilight knew his parents could always tell when he was eavesdropping. He never figured out how they knew but he wasn't about to risk his pa's decision to follow him by trying to figure it out. Still, he watched the open window to the kitchen without a problem from the highest window in his treehouse. 

Twilight could see his parents arguing. It looked to be winding down from a very heated debate. Ma crossed her arms at something pa said here. Pa raised his hands in defense at something ma said there. Back and forth it went, almost like a game of catch. It wasn't until it was well and truly dark out that Twilight saw the two finally calm down. Ma turned to leave, turning only to get the last word in before disappearing further into the house. 

Pa turned to look out the window at Twilight's treehouse before also disappearing further into the house without any sign as to if he'd won the debate or not. Twilight sighed and resigned himself to waiting until morning. He climbed into his loft and ignored the fact he wasn't going to get much sleep. 

When the next morning did arrive, Twilight beat his parents to the kitchen, laying in front of the door as a wolf. Ma paused at the sight of his expectant puppy eyes. She turned to pa, only to see him also giving her an expectant look. Ma sighed before giving both men a fond look. 

"If you can find a way for all of us to work with that little family while also running the ranch, than I'll agree. Understand?" 

Twilight was quickly on his feet, barking excitedly. He happily rubbed against his ma's legs in thanks, making her laugh and scratch him behind the ears. 

"You boys can never leave things be, can you?" Ma said, exasperated. 

"I believe that's a skill we Link's lack." Pa joked, getting a joking glare from ma. 

Twilight still had to wait for the call to the Hero Family. There were chores to do, breakfast to be had, and bandages to be changed. But after all that, Twilight helped his parents lock down the house the best they possibly could. It wasn't just locking the doors and closing the blinds, either. Pa checked the entire house for bugs, ma barricaded every possible entrance she could think of, and Twilight had searched the entire house as a wolf to find any sign that anyone would be able to hear in on their call. 

Once the Lon's were positive that no one would be able to listen in, ma brought out the panic button Echo had gifted them nearly a week ago. The little device had three actual buttons. One was labeled 'help', the second was labeled 'favor' and the last was labeled 'call'. Ma pressed the call button and the three ranchers settled in for a long wait. 

It took nearly fifteen minutes before there was any change. It started with a clicking noise coming from the panic button. Ma picked up the device once more, only for the back to open and  two, teeny antennae to pop out, making the device look like some sort of beetle. There was radio static for a moment, clicking between two random channels. 

"-why would-" 

"-I don't know how long-" 

"-I can take-" 

"-just watch your-"

"-it to me-" 

"-necting now-" 

"-hello? Hello, hello? Anyone there?" A familiar, accented voice asked. 

"Pirate?" Ma called. 

"Ah! Ahoy, Miss Malon!" Wind cheered. "I gotta admit, we didn't think you'd call us so soon. We thought there'd be a while before you needed our help again. What can we do for you?" 

"It seems you made a strong impression on my boys." Ma said, shooting the two Lon men a tired look. "So we're reaching out to see if you'd be willing to let us join your little family of heroes?" 

"Join us?" Wind asked, surprised. However, he quickly covered his confusion with a laugh. "I've been waiting for you to ask. We'd love to have your family join ours." 

"I only have two conditions." Ma said, raising her hand to keep Twilight from speaking up. "My first condition is that our ranch comes first. I'm not going to stop doing what I love just because you're trying to fight the good fight." 

"I guess we can work with that." Wind said, voice steady. 

"My second condition is that there are no strings attached. If we ever want to walk away, no one is allowed to stop us." 

"Absolutely," Wind agreed. "I also have a condition, if you'll humor me." 

"What condition?" Pa asked, now on high alert. 

"We've been struggling to find a home base for a while now." Wind explained. "I've got a place we could go to but if anyone that isn't me gets the deed to that place, suspicion will rise. However, I don't legally exist at the moment, so I can't claim the place as my own. But, with the Mask of Time now being connected to the King of Red Lions and the leader of the Hero Family, I think there's a way we can get our hands on the place." 

"How is that?" Pa asked. 

Ma perked up in realization. "Oh, I think I get it. Since you and Link both have a fancy coin, you can pretend you're his successor, allowing you to get ahold of that place of yours without suspicion." 

"You got it in one." Wind confirmed, his grin audible. "It's not a perfect plan but it's the cleanest one we have. We can send you the address as soon as this call ends. However, if you really want to join, we'll need to go over jobs and titles. Time already has his, though we can hash out the finer details in person. Is your son there with you?" 

"I'm here." Twilight confirmed. 

"Perfect, because we already have an idea for what job to give you." 

"What would that be?" 

"A bodyguard." Wind answered. "You'll be the backup of anyone who needs it. During missions, you'll usually be by my side. During meetings, you'll be with your father. And during downtime, you'll be with my sister." 

Twilight pursed his lips. "Do I get a say in how I protect you?" 

"Of course." Wind said, like it was a stupid question. "We're not going to force you to kill anyone or even to be a complete pacifist. Your job is to keep yourself and your partner alive, that's it. You can do that however you need to." 

That was good to hear. "Than I want to keep Twilight as my main name. And... I suppose you could call me a beast." Twilight said, ignoring the sad look his parents shot him. 

"Not a beast." Wind scoffed. "The beast." 

Twilight blinked in surprise. It was a simple change but it felt bigger than just a word change. It was as if Wind thought of Twilight as an equal instead of the simple shield he was about to become. 

"Warriors, are you taking notes?" Wind asked, his voice going distant. 

"Yes sir." The strangely familiar man from a few days ago spoke, voice even more distant. "We have Time, Mask of the Hero Family; job designation of Facade. And Twilight, Beast of the Hero Family; job designation of Brawler." 

"And that leaves Malon." Wind added. 

"I want a support role." Ma said before Wind could suggest anything. "Something I can do on the side that doesn't need my constant attention." 

"You did well with medical relief." Wind noted. "Perhaps you could be our medic? Or a secretary of some kind? Are you good with computers?" 

"I'm afraid I'm not good with tech." Ma said. "I'll take a medic role. And maybe just call me Malanya? I'm not sure what I would put as the second part of my title." 

"Taking the name of the Horse God, are ya?" Wind chuckled. "Warriors, do you have any suggestions?" 

"Aren't healers of the Depths known as witches? How about that?" 

"A witch?" Ma asked, amused. "I kinda like the sound of that." 

"It suits you well." Pa complimented, gaining himself a smile from ma. "Though, I was sure Fairies were the healers of the Depths." 

"It's been a while since your time, Mask." Wind said. "Witches have changed from dealers to healers over the past decade. The Fairies have moved on to become something more." 

"So, Malanya, Witch of the Hero Family; job designation of Healer." Warriors said, like he was trying to draw attention to himself. "How flexible is your schedule?" 

"I'll write it out for you when we meet." Ma said. 

"Than let's not wait." Wind said. "Are you able to meet tonight? We could meet you at our address an hour after sunset." 

"Just don't forget to send that address through and you've got yourself a deal." Ma agreed. 

"Perfect! We'll see you tonight, than." 

And just like that, the call was cut. The antennae shrunk back into the device and it's back closed. Twilight thought the theatrics were silly but didn't have enough time for his musings before the device started beeping again. 

Pa immediately fell into action, scribbling down on the closest scrap of paper he could find, marking it with dots and dashes. Twilight had never been able to understand morse code, so he kept his mouth shut and let his pa focus. 

Once pa had decoded the full address, the Lon family got to work putting their home back the way it was. They had plenty of time to get all of their work and chores done for the day before they had to meet up with the rest of their new family. 

Twilight just hoped he'd made the right choice in choosing them as family. 

Outset was one of those smaller places in Faron that was only appealing because of how isolated it was. There were plenty of towns and neighborhoods nearby but everything was so far apart. Outset itself only had a house every mile or so, property lines being split only by tropical forests and large lakes.

The Cabana - which Twilight thought was a stupid name when the place was in the middle of a forest - was especially far from any nearby farms or settlements, being near the peak of Outset Mountain. The view was gorgeous and there was no light pollution to hide the stars above but Twilight couldn't help the feeling that his family wasn't supposed to be driving up to the mountain's peak. The forest seemed to wind on forever and the yawning darkness left only questions of what was hiding out of sight. 

Eventually, the truck came to a stop right inside an open gate, parking right between a nice, gray car and an expensive, blue car. Hopping out of the truck, Twilight could finally see why the Cabana was called the Cabana. Instead of a cabin in the woods, as expected, the place looked like an expensive beach house, thatched roof and all. It fits the tropical forest just fine but Twilight couldn't see anything special about it. 

A larger group than expected was stood at the steps of the Cabana. Twilight expected Wind, Echo, Spirit, and Warriors but not Aryll or a girl that looked like a ghost. Ma looked just as confused as Twilight felt but pa didn't look phased in the slightest. 

Warriors had been the first to turn to the new arrivals but Aryll was the first to greet them. She smiled and waved the three ranchers over. 

"Hi, Malon! Hi, Mr. Link! Hi, Little Link!" The young girl excitedly greeted. 

The Lon's couldn't help but smile. 

"Evening, Aryll." Twilight greeted. "I hope we're not too late." 

"You're right on time, actually." Warriors said, stepping forwards with Aryll. He then smiled, holding out his hand. "It's good to see you again, Twilight. And I'm relieved to see you're healing well." 

Twilight took the man's hand with an awkward smile. "I apologize but I don't remember ever meeting you." 

Warriors scoffed. "You don't recognize me? I know it's been a couple years but I was hoping I was hard to forget. I did sleep on your couch, for a while." 

Slept on Twilight's couch? Twilight didn't have a couch. Was he talking about before Twilight had turned his treehouse into an actual home? Twilight hasn't lived inside the ranch house since before he was kidnapped the first time. That only left the time after the war- 

"Oh!" Twilight exclaimed. "You're pa's captain friend! Link Knights!" 

"That's me." Warriors grinned, something as handsome as it was crooked. "Though, you might want to stick with my surname when in public." 

"Why?" Twilight asked. 

"Because all of us men are called Link." The captain said, his icy blue eyes drifting towards the others. 

Twilight ignored Aryll's giggling in order to follow the captain's gaze. Wind was talking, very seriously, with pa and Echo while ma talked with Spirit and the ghostly girl holding his hand. 

"All of us?" Twilight asked, amused. 

"It's to be somewhat expected." Warriors muttered. "What with all of us having semi-similar names. Link, Lincoln, Linden, Lenox; a pattern like that can only mean trouble, really." 

"Big brother thinks it's funny." Aryll said, playing with the ends of the captain's scarf. 

Twilight rolled his eyes. "Of course he does. He's a teenage boy. I would have done the same thing, if I had the chance." 

"Create a gang made up entirely of Link's?" Warriors asked, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. 

"Make a friend group entirely of Link's." Twilight corrected, shaking his head. 

Warriors seemed to freeze up, for some reason, giving Twilight a considering look. However, Twilight didn't get a chance to question him before Spirit let out a sharp whistle. Once all eyes had turned to him, he turned to Wind. 

"Thank you, Engie." Wind smiled before addressing everyone. "Now that everyone is here, we're going to set up the security system so that all of us have safe access to the Cabana. You will be asked for your name and an access code. You are going to give the system your full family title, a password unique to you that you will remember, and you will ask it to never directly address you by name at the door. Understood?" 

Everyone gave their verbal confirmations, satisfying Wind. They all wandered back towards the steps of the Cabana as Wind and Time stepped up, directly to the door. Wind raised his hand to knock on the door before leaning back to wait. Pa gave him a confused look but the only answer he got in return was Wind silently counting down on his fingers before pointing to the door. 

The moment Wind gestured to the door, a holographic image of a butler appeared. "Greetings, Master Link. How can I be of service?" The hologram greeted. 

What? 

"Evening, Butler." Wind casually greeted. "I'd like to gift co-ownership of the Cabana, as well as grant guest access to the Cabana." 

Huh?

"Very well, young Master Link. How many shall be granted ownership?" 

"One." 

"Name?" 

Wind turned to Pa, expectantly. To pa's credit, he didn't hesitate long before addressing the strange hologram. 

"Time, Mask of the Hero Family." 

"Legal name?" 

The fuck? 

Pa gave Wind an alarmed look. The kid waved him off. 

"It's only for the co-ownership." Wind assured. 

Pa, mollified by the answer, turned back to Butler. "Lenox Tyler Lon Sr." 

"Access Code?" 

"Fierce Deity." 

"Special Orders?" 

"Do not address me by name unless I am inside the Cabana." 

"Very good." Butler bowed before he... slid over to the wall beside the front door. The door swung open. "Welcome, Master." 

Pa glanced to Wind, who gestured him inside. "Just stay in the entryway until I'm able to check the system and you'll be fine." Wind assured. 

Pa did not seem assured but he did follow Wind's lead. He stepped through the threshold and the door slammed shut behind him. Butler slid back into place on top of the door. 

"How many guests?" Butler asked Wind. 

"Six high priority guests and one low priority guest." Wind answered. 

"Very well," Butler said. "Shall I put in the high priority guests first?" 

"Start with low priority." Wind said, turning to wave down the ghostly girl. 

"Understood." Butler said as the ghostly girl climbed the Cabana steps. "Name?" 

"Phantom." The girl answered. 

Twilight's brows furrowed at the short answer. He leaned closer to Warriors. "I thought we were saying our full titles." Twilight whispered. 

"Phantom isn't officially part of the family." Warriors whispered back. "Technically, she's only a volunteer. She helps create alibis for us but she only really works with Spirit, because she's his girlfriend. Wind offered her a place in the family but she told him she'd only join if she married into the family." 

"She didn't." Twilight grinned. 

Warriors nodded, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Wind says Spirit was red for weeks. Apparently the two had only been dating for a little over a month when she said that." 

Twilight covered his mouth to hide his snickering. Spirit sent him and Warriors a suspicious look but turned back to his girlfriend when Warriors waved him off. 

"Welcome, ma'am." Butler said, drawing Twilight and Warriors back to the moment. 

Spirit was quick to follow his girlfriend in getting his information in. 

"Access Code?" 

"Professional Bunny Catcher." 

"Special orders?" 

"Don't say my name unless I'm inside the Cabana." 

"Very good. Welcome, sir." 

Once he was done, ma stepped up to the plate. 

"Name?" 

"Malanya, Witch of the Hero Family." 

"Access Code?" 

"Aliens are real." 

Twilight sighed, letting his head fall. 

"Special Orders?" 

"Don't address me by name unless I am inside the Cabana walls." 

"Very good. Welcome, Madame." 

Ma tilted her head in confusion as Butler opened the door for her. Wind gave a shrug at her questioning look. 

"Don't think too hard about it. Sheikah tech is weird. I'm going to be looking for someone soon to help me figure out everything Butler can do." 

Ma nodded, appeased enough to enter the Cabana. Twilight moved to follow her and almost forgot he wasn't able to enter with her. Butler slammed the door in his face before sliding into place. 

"Name?" 

"Twilight, Beast of the Hero Family." 

"Access Code?" 

"Devine Shadows." 

"Special Orders?" 

"Don't address me by name unless I'm inside the Cabana." 

"Very good," Butler opened the door, letting Twilight walk in. "Welcome, young Master." 

Young Master? 

Twilight turned to ask Wind what that meant but the door slammed in his face yet again. Twilight turned to give the awaiting group a questioning look, only to find Phantom and his ma poking at a device on the wall. 

"And he said it was Sheikah tech?" Phantom asked ma. 

"He did." Ma confirmed. "He doesn't know everything it can do. Any clue how to fix that problem?" 

"I've never used Sheikah tech before. I don't think I'll be much help. But I can try to help Wind figure it out." 

"If anyone can figure it out, Phantom can." Spirit added from where he stood beside pa. 

"Have that much faith in your girlfriend, already?" Twilight teased. 

Spirit softly blushed as he shrunk in on himself. "Well, I mean, she can already keep up with me in a fight. Learning this stuff should be a peace of cake, for her." 

Phantom giggled, also now blushing. "You think too highly of me." 

"I'm just saying you're amazing and you should know that." Spirit argued, smiling when Phantom let out another flustered giggle. 

"Young love." Pa drawled, affectionately. 

"Sound familiar?" Ma asked pa, her tone teasing. 

Pa rolled his eye but said nothing else as the door opened, allowing Echo in. 

It wasn't long before everyone had been granted access to the Cabana. Wind and Aryll were the last ones inside, walking side-by-side. Phantom and ma acquiesced when Wind kicked them off the screen on the wall. He tapped in a few commands before the wall behind pa and Spirit opened to reveal a screen four times the size of the one Wind stood at. 

Wind stepped up to the new screen and addressed the small crowd. "Alright, let's get down to business. As you can tell, the Cabana is not what it seems on the outside. This top floor is only the living area, where we will all be allowed to stay whenever we like. Don't worry, we have plenty of room so that no one needs to share a bed." 

Wind tapped a few things on the big screen before a multi-layered map was shown. It was a map of the mountain but only the inside. The inside of the mountain was filled with large rooms, interconnected tunnels, ventilation shafts, and an unholy amount of plumbing. 

"As you see here, this entire mountain has hidden tunnels and bunkers. The Cabana, however, is unique, as it's bunker is both disconnected from the rest of Outset and multi-layered. We'll be able to convert these floors into whatever we like. Spirit, however, you'll be happy to know that out bottom floor is already made to be a very large garage that we can easily convert into a body shop." 

Spirit pumped his fist in silent excitement, making a couple people chuckle. 

"That leaves us three floors to convert into anything we want. We can have a meeting on what to do with them at a later date but for now, you'll have access to these floors through the fireplace in the family room. The grand chandelier has a chain you can pull that will open the back of the fireplace for you to step into an elevator for access to these floors. Likewise, I will be showing you a special tree on our way out that will show you the special entrance to the garage. Any questions so far?" 

No one spoke up. 

"Good," Wind nodded. He tapped the screen again, switching it to something resembling a notepad. "Alright, now everyone is going to write down who they are and what jobs they would like. Write down your skills and how you are willing to use them to our advantage. I will be looking over these later so i can work individually with each of you to find a way for you to be as comfortable in this family as possible. Any questions?" 

Still, no one spoke up. 

"Alright, have at it." 

Everyone meandered towards the screen to start typing out what they wanted to do. All except Twilight, who was wondering what he was even supposed to write down. Wind came up to his side with an encouraging nudge. 

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Wind joked, though Twilight could see the concern in his eyes. 

Twilight shook his head, watching his parents quietly bicker over what to write down. "You already gave me my job. I don't see why I need to add anything else." 

Wind tilted his head. "I don't control you." He said, hesitantly. "You do understand that, right? I'm giving you control of what your job means to you. You're a bodyguard because that's what I need you to be but that doesn't have to be your entire schtick." 

Twilight shifted, uncomfortable. "You're my boss now. I figure you already know everything you want me to do." 

"But what do you want?" Wind asked. "You reached out to me. That means you want something. So what do you want?" 

Twilight wasn't sure how to answer that. Not really. He couldn't remember the last time he got to make a choice without thinking about how it affected others. He had too many responsibilities for that. 

But he'd joined Wind because he wanted to have a choice. So what did he want now? 

Wind was quickly called away by pa and Warriors asking him a question, leaving Twilight by himself. Twilight stared down the quickly covered screen. All but one corner of the page had been completely filled with notes and requests by the time everyone was done with the page. 

Twilight stepped up to the page, selecting the empty corner to type in. Twilight hesitated, questioning what he really wanted out of his time with Wind. 

Any clue where we can start? 

Twilight hummed to himself before slowly tapping out some ideas he found appealing. If Wind was going to give him choices, Twilight wasn't going to take it for granted. 

Chapter Text

Link really thought he was going to be a lot more stressed about this whole thing. But, in all honesty, Link was kind of excited for this year's science conference. Especially with the presentation he and Zelda had planned. 

The conference itself was going to be boring. Link had no doubt of that. It was all idle chatter and probing questions between scientists, something Link wanted no part in. But this year was going to be different because there was finally an importance to all of it. 

"We're going to do fine. It's just one presentation." Zelda told Link. By the slight shake to her hands in the mirror reflection, Link was sure she was assuring herself more than him. 

Link finished tying his hair up before turning to his fiancé. "Zel, Flower, light of my life." He began, moving to adjust her lab coat. He pecked her lips. "Fucking chill. It's going to be okay." 

Zelda groaned, leaning forward to bury her face in Link's shoulder. "How can you say that? How can you possibly be so relaxed about this? We're about to tell every scientist in the city that they're wrong." 

"That's not the way I see it." Link said, rubbing comforting circles in Zelda's back. "How I see it; we just found the root of the Malice problem. We're fixing false information. We're helping people." 

Zelda took a deep breath before standing straight again. "Right. Helping people. We're about to save lives." 

"So many lives." Link agreed. "So we're going to get up on that stage and you're going to tell those snobs exactly what's up." 

"Just don't go running wild, Darling." Zelda said, a teasing glint in her eyes. "We don't need you blowing up the building by mixing the wrong chemicals." 

Link scoffed. "I'm no amateur. The building would only get a little burned. We don't have the right stuff for explosions." 

Zelda fondly rolled her eyes. "A shame, I'm sure." 

A knock at the door caught the attention of the two scientists. Robbie popped his head in and gave the two a bright smile. 

"Yeah! You guys are on in five minutes. Good luck." 

"Thank you, Robbie." Zelda smiled, absentmindedly fixing Link's lab coat. 

Link took his fiancé's hand as Robbie left. "Shall we go, my lady?" He asked, planting a soft kiss on Zelda's knuckles. 

"Such a gentleman." Zelda chuckled, pulling Link towards the door. "Can you stay this professional? For me?" 

"I'd do anything for you." Link said. "You should know that by now." 

"Just checking." 

The two quickly raced to the stage to help Robbie and Josha set up a table covered in chemistry equipment. Purah was stood at the front of the stage, addressing the larger than expected crowd of scientists. Actually, there were far too many people for there to only be scientists attending. And there were cameras. A lot of cameras. 

Link could now see why Zelda had been so nervous. Still, Zelda was going to kill this presentation. All Link had to do was not set anything on fire. 

Maybe Link should have paid more attention when Purah offered to set up the conference time for him and Zelda. 

It's fine. No pressure. 

"With all that out of the way, I am happy to welcome Dr. Lindwyrm and Dr. Gunnar to the stage." Purah turned to Zelda, holding the mic out for her to take. "Dr. Lindwyrm, the floor is yours." 

Zelda gratefully took the mic. "Thank you, Dr. Impa." Zelda then turned to the audience as the three Sheikah exited the stage, leaving Wild behind the chem table. "There has been a plague on Hyrule since the end of the Calamity War. Though we have found a reliable cure, no one has managed to pin down the true origin of Malice. There are many theories, ranging from natural to magical. However, my partner, Dr. Gunnar, and I have come to discover that the true nature of Malice is more biological than originally suspected." 

Link took his cue to begin the demonstration. He moved his largest beaker to the center of the table, allowing the closest camera to focus on the movement. Link ignored how his every movement was being projected onto one of two large screens behind himself. He reached for the small tube of Malice, holding it up for the camera to catch. 

"Though it is well known that Malice is largely made up of vegetable matter and minerals often found in our rarest gemstones, there is a chemical variable that we scientists have struggled to identify. The most common theory is that whoever was the original creator of Malice used magic in order to allow it to spread without becoming contagious. However, there is no way to confirm this theory, as there is no discernable trace of magic within the poison itself." 

Link uncorked the Malice and carefully poured it into the beaker. It writhed and swirled, as if alive. Link resisted the urge to scowl at it's constant movement. He picked up the stirring stick and held it up for the world to see. 

"Another common theory is that Malice comes from a naturally occurring plant that had mutated and now has begun to grow in abundance. However, no one has been able to pin down what plant could produce such a result or if there is an as of yet undiscovered plant that has been producing these results much longer than we know of. The theory we present today is that the almost magical properties of Malice come from not a singular source but a highly accessible one. Monsters." 

The audience erupted into harsh murmurs that Link forced himself to ignore. he poked the Malice with his stirring stick, only long enough for it to latch onto the tip. He lifted the stick barely two inches above the beaker for the camera to catch. The Malice stretched like string cheese but clumped up like old paint. 

"Monster biology is far different from most other biology. Unlike Hylians, Zoras, or the like, monsters are well known for their unusual form of death. When a monster dies, their body disintegrates into smoke and ash, making it notoriously difficult to identify their remains or to perform life saving procedures on them. However, this also means that it is nearly impossible to produce any samples of monster DNA, as even a drop of blood will disintegrate the moment it leaves the bloodstream." 

Magenta and yellow broke through black, almost reaching further up the stirring stick. Link was quick to lower the stick and tap quickly against the glass to dislodge the Malice from it's perch. He moved the wooden stick to a bucket and dropped a lit match inside to dispose of the excess Malice. 

"In the past decade, there has been a major discovery when it comes to monster DNA. We are able to preserve it in the event that we are able to mix it with something else, such as water or ground up minerals. Though most medical professionals have adapted to the diluted affects of water on monster DNA, that is due to the potency added to the DNA when mixed with most other additives. When monster DNA is mixed with the wrong material before being reintroduced to the body, the results can be fatal." 

Link held up a vile with a taped on label reading 'aluminum oxide', making sure the camera caught the full label. Link carefully sprinkled only a pinch of the stuff into the large beaker. The Malice was quick to absorb the mineral and even quicker to begin expanding. Link only allowed the Malice to expand about half an inch before he grabbed a small beaker of water and poured it directly onto the Malice. He watched in satisfaction as the Malice shrunk away, it's size reducing by nearly half. 

"Another unique property of monster DNA, their blood specifically, is that it is highly susceptible to heat. This is believed to be because of how fire reacts to oxygen, just as monster bodies do in death. As you may have guessed, Malice has the same reaction to heat, if only a little more explosive." 

Link lit a match and dropped it inside the beaker. He couldn't help but grin as the Malice combusted into flame, completely evaporating in five seconds flat. Quiet exclamations rippled across the conference hall at the sight, only making Link's grin widen. 

"I won't go into detail of the magical properties of many monsters. They are just as much people as the rest of us, whether they're passing us in the street or eating with us at our tables. However, I will bring your attention to the affects monster magic has on Hylains, specifically. Most every monster with natural magic has a harmful effect to Hylians. This is what we believe allows Malice to be nearly five times as fatal to Hylians than most other races. There are different strains of Malice that are more effective on other races but this can be explained through specific monster DNA being used for specific strains." 

Zelda turned to Link with a slightly strained smile that Link returned. "Thank you, Dr. Gunnar." 

Link nodded and began to clean up his things. He was a little disappointed that he didn't get to use all of his supplies but most of it was only brought along incase something went wrong. 

Zelda turned back to the audience. "Any questions?" 

The audience roared, clamoring for Zelda's attention. Link did not envy his fiancé. He packed up as quickly and carefully as possible before Josha snuck back on stage to help him take everything away. Once Link had everything packed up in his car, he let out a tired sigh, trying to ignore the itching sensation under his scars that came with anxiety or stress. 

Link kept forgetting how much he hated being in front of a crowd. The pressure to be perfect was an uncomfortably familiar feeling that never failed to make Link nauseous. He didn't remember much of his time in the Calamity War or anything before that but his body never seemed to forget how the limelight burned. 

Link should have stopped working with his fiancé a long time ago, if he was being honest with himself. The work was fun and spending time with his love was always a good thing, yes. But he couldn't handle the scrutiny of people expecting him to be professional and collected at all times. 

He just wanted to help people. At the moment, this was the only way he could help people. He just needed to remember that before he did something drastic. 

Link gave himself one more moment to just breathe before heading back into the conference hall. He slipped into the room, glancing around to make sure he wasn't spotted. He smiled as he watched Zelda answering questions on stage, looking much more relaxed than she had when Link left the stage. Zelda had been raised to lead her father's company. This probably felt like a vacation compared to that. 

Link should have watched where he was moving in such a large crowd. His back bumped into a surprisingly solid chest. Link jumped is surprise, whirling around to whoever he'd run into. 

The man was young, maybe his early twenties, with tattoos on his forehead and temples. His clothes were formal enough, for a cowboy, mixing dark, Sunday clothes with studs and riding boots. The man was the epitome of intimidation until he smiled, looking something like what Link thought only mothers could pull off. 

"Y'alright there?" The man gently asked, his accent thick enough that Link struggled to catch his words. Link distantly thought the man sounded like he was from Faron. 

"I'm fine." Link said, plastering on a smile of his own. "I'm sorry for bumping into you." 

"S'alright," The man said. He held out his hand. "I'm Link." 

Link's smile melted into something more genuine as he took the man's hand. "Nice to meet you Link. I'm Link." 

"Very nice ta meet ya." The man said, his smile growing. He then paused, tilting his head. "Hey, weren't ya just on stage?" 

Link repressed a sigh. "Yeah, that was me." 

The other Link nodded. "I liked the demonstration. I've ne'er seen actual Malice before." 

Link's brows furrowed in confusion. "Are you not a scientist?" He asked.

The other Link shook his head. "Nah, ain't my thing. My ma's a pretty good medic, though. Family friend recommended this conference to her. Gotta admit, it's been interestin'. 'M glad someone's looking out for us lil' guys. 'Specially with that heat tip. Gotta couple friends who'd've liked to know that tip a while ago. Betcha it's 'bout to save more lives than you can count. Thank ya, friend." 

Link's shoulders relaxed. "I'm just doing what I can. No one needs to die. Not in pain." 

The other Link softened. "More people need to start thinkin' like you. It'd make life a whole lot easier." 

Link huffed. "Oh, I know. Trust me, I know." 

"Twilight?" 

Link and the other Link turned to an unfamiliar, even more intimidating man. His right eye was scarred over and surrounded by colorful tattoos. He was slightly bigger than the other Link, and slightly taller too. His hair was much lighter than the other Link's, as was his white and gold suit. The man looked to the other Link, gesturing to Link himself. 

"Who's your new friend?" The man asked. His accent was not nearly as thick as his companion's. It was almost disappointing. 

The other Link laughed, clapping the man on the shoulder. "Pa, I want you to meet Link. Link, this is my father, Link." He introduced. 

Link couldn't help but laugh and the eldest Link seemed to agree. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Link Sr." Link joked. 

Link Sr. took Link's offered hand, shaking it. "You as well, Link. Though, I'd rather call you something else, if you don't mind." 

"Not at all, sir." Link said. "Though, I don't really have a nickname past 'Champion'. Maybe 'Wild' if we stretch the definition of nickname." 

"You can call me 'Time'." 

"Or 'Old Man'." Link Jr. added, giving Wild a conspiratorial wink. "And you can call me Twilight." 

"Or 'Pup'." Time added, ignoring his son's stink-eye with practiced ease. 

"Wild and I were just talkin' 'bout his role in the presentation." Twilight told his dad. 

Wild waved him off. "Zelda did much more work than me. She's been leading the charge against Malice for years. I'm just her assistant." 

"Is that so?" Time asked, raising a brow. "Than I suppose you wouldn't be willing to give advice on the best way to prevent Malice poisoning? Or perhaps to slow the spread to the rest of the body?" 

"Heating pads." Wild answered, without much thought. "Lots of heating pads. And hot baths. Hot soup works wonders. Visiting a sauna, if they let you in. Honestly, just bundle yourself in the warmest blankets you have and hope you don't get heatstroke." Link - Wild - shrugged. "As we demonstrated, Malice is most susceptible to heat. It's not the only way to prevent it; you could technically get the same result with extreme cold or electricity. However, heat is the safest way to combat Malice poisoning." 

"When was this discovered?" Time asked. 

"It was... three months ago? Me and Zel were trying to figure out what type of magic was fueling Malice, because that was the theory we were following at the time. Then I accidentally set our sample on fire and, well, you saw what happens. That's what finally got us onto the monster blood idea, I think." 

"Would monster hair work just as well as monster blood in Malice? Or perhaps skin or nails?" Time asked, gaining a warning glare from his son. 

Wild hummed in thought, ignoring how anxiety itched at his scars. "Theoretically it wouldn't matter what part of a monster is used for Malice. But blood is the easiest thing to store. It's why monster blood is comparatively easy to get your hands on instead of any other part of the body. I mean, it's a whole lot easier to fill half of a syringe with water and the other half with blood than it is to cut off a toe without letting it die." 

"A strong theory." Time nodded. "Did Dr. Lindwyrm come up with it?" 

"We came up with it together." Wild said. 

"Truly? It looks to me as if she's taking all the credit." 

"Pa!" Twilight hissed in warning. He gave Wild a nervous smile. "I apologize for him." 

Wild shook his head. "It's alright. It's not like he isn't right." Wild turned back to Time. "Zelda is the publisher for our research. I am more than happy to take the sideline. Zelda is much better at being professional than I am anyways." 

"Not your strong suit?" Time asked. 

"Too much attention." Wild said, fiddling with his sleeve. 

"Than I think that's enough work talk." Twilight interrupted, giving his dad a sharp look. 

Time gave his son a considering yet sharp look before nodding. "Should we go find your mother? I think she got swallowed by the crowd." 

Twilight huffed. "We can't track her down in this crowd. There's too many people." 

"What does she look like?" Wild asked, moving deeper into the crowd before he could think better. 

Twilight and Time followed after him, almost thoughtlessly. 

"She's a lil' shorter than me," Twilight began, raising his hand to be level with his temple tattoos. "Her hair's the brightest shade of ginger you'd've ever seen. Got a bright yellow shawl and a laugh that can light up a room." 

Time hummed in agreement. "And she has a thick, Ordon accent." 

Wild nodded, his eyes already searching the crowd. He was quick to spot many red heads but most of them either weren't women or weren't wearing yellow. It wasn't until Wild neared the very back of the hall that he spotted who he was actually looking for. 

There was a woman, with bright, fiery red hair, a white sundress, and a yellow shawl. She was clearly just as strong as the men of her family and, by the way men cowered under her angry gaze, just as intimidating.

"What's that 'spossed ta mean? Just cuz I don't talk fancy don't mean I've lost my brain." The woman scolded, her accent thicker than her son's.

"Well," One of the more posh men began, nervously. "There are no scientists from Ordon. You wouldn't understand what we were talking about."

The woman looked as if she would have felt less insulted if the man had called her a whore to her face. Her face quickly began to turn the same color as her hair and her knuckles turned white from how tightly she was clutching her shawl.

It was almost a shame that Wild had to interrupt. Almost.

"Excuse me?"

The woman sharply turned to Wild, about to fire off her building rage at him. However, she startled when she saw Time and Twilight at his back. Wild smiled, gesturing to said men.

"I heard you lost your family in the crowd. I thought you'd want them back." Wild said, good-natured.

The woman seemed to calm at his words, giving an exasperated huff. "There you boys are. Where have you been?" She asked, moving to fix her husband's clothes.

"Right where ya left us." Twilight joked.

"Was there any trouble?" Time asked, sending a one-eyed glare towards the sniveling cowards that had the gall to to offend his wife.

"Of course not," Wild said, laying on a thick layer of cheerfulness as he clapped one of the cowering men on the shoulder; the one that he had seen talk. "Purah would have been called in, if we did. Speaking of calling," Wild turned to the man, beside him, who was giving him a wary look. "Would you be willing to assist me in an experiment? I want to see if we can burn Malice off of flesh before it spreads in order to prevent infection."

The man under Wild's grip tried to slip away but Wild only tightened his hold. He could see the man begin to sweat and the man's friends begin to flee.

"Dr. Lindwyrm and I have been planning to do this experiment for a while now. We just haven't had any volunteers. But I promise, it's safe. There's only a small chance of being poisoned. You're way more likely to be burned alive." Wild gave the man an innocent smile. "So what do you say? Wanna join the team?"

The man did not, in fact, want to join the team. He barely bothered with politely excusing himself before he was bolting away. Wild snickered at his retreating form.

"What a coward." Wild tutted, not bothering to hide his amusement. He turned back to the nicest people in the room and offered his hand to the woman. "Hi, I'm Link. Though, your boys have been calling me Wild. Can't imagine why."

The woman laughed freely, taking Wild's hand in her own. "I'm Malon. Though, my kids call me Malanya."

"The Horse God?" Wild gasped. "I didn't realize I had a goddess in my midst." Wild turned to Time and Twilight. "Why didn't you warn me I was meeting a goddess? I would have just let her smite those men."

"That's exactly why we didn't tell you." Twilight grinned.

"Her wrath is too great for mere mortals." Time added, pulling his wife into his side. Malon lightly smacked her husband in the chest, earning her a slight smile from said man. 

Wild couldn't help the way his grin widened. "Does that mean you're a family of gods? Man, I really need to be on your good side now." He said, wiggling his shoulders and eyebrows playfully. 

"We prefer 'Deity Family'." Twilight happily corrected, elbowing Wild in the shoulder with a wink. 

Wild nodded, like that was a completely reasonable surname. "Of course, of course. My mistake, your godliness." Wild said, giving Twilight a shallow bow. 

Twilight fought back a laugh. "Don't let it happen again." He warned in an exaggerated, scolding tone. 

Wild met Twilight's gaze and saw how his midnight eyes glittered with joy. It made Wild realize that all the stress he'd collected during the presentation was completely gone. Wild expected to have to deal with the annoying itch under his scars until he and Zelda were out of the building all together. It was nice to actually enjoy himself during a conference, for once. 

Applause erupted across the conference hall. Wild looked up to find Zelda bowing to the audience before exiting the stage, Purah taking the mic and her place. Wild was almost disappointed but he was happy to get out of this hall of doom. 

Wild turned to the Deity Family with an apologetic smile. "That's my cue. I should get going." 

"Already? You just got off stage." Twilight said, brows furrowed in disappointment. 

Wild shrugged, ignoring the small tendril of disappointment building in his own heart. "Zel and I have places to be today. Besides, we need to get our equipment back to the lab." 

Twilight opened his mouth to protest but it was Time's turn to cut in. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Wild." Time said, holding his hand out. "Hopefully it won't be for the last time." 

Wild took his hand. "I hope you're the last Time. It'd get confusing otherwise." 

Time's expression didn't change but Wild could just tell he was amused. If nothing else, Twilight seemed to appreciate the joke, seeing as he was trying to fight down his smile. 

"Take care, ya hear?" Malon said, shaking Wild's hand next. "The streets have been getting more dangerous lately. We don't want you getting hurt out there." 

Wild shook his head, a little amused. "We'll be fine, ma'am. I assure you." 

"I guess I'll see ya 'round, Wild." Twilight said, shaking Wild's offered hand. 

"Hopefully some time soon." Wild said, giving Twilight a hopeful look. 

Twilight smiled a little, nodding. "Sure thing." 

With nothing else to say, Wild pushed through the crowd to find his fiancé. It wasn't hard to find her when she was looking for him too. They quickly fled to their car and sped off before anyone could try and stop them. 

Zelda gave a tired sigh. "How are you holding up, Love?" She asked. 

Wild sent her a smile. "I'm great. I met a nice family that really seemed to like the presentation." 

Zelda smiled. "I'm glad you weren't just standing around. Who were they?" 

Wild shrugged. "Some farmers from Ordon, I think. Malon, the mother, is a medical professional of some kind. Apparently a family friend had recommended she come to the conference. I think her son and husband just came to support her." 

"That was nice of them." Zelda hummed. She paused, watching Wild curiously when he glanced over to her. "You seem lighter than usual." She noted. 

Wild's smile widened, a little. "I really liked them. They all look scary but they're fun. Twilight especially- He's the son. I think we clicked. Kinda like me and Sidon, right? And-" Wild cut himself off as he realized something vital. "And I forgot to get his number. Fuck." He groused, resisting the urge to hit his head on the steering wheel as he drove down the road. 

Zelda chuckled, stuck between humor and pity. "Oh, Link. I'm sure it'll be alright. You've always had a knack for finding things. I'm sure you'll find him again." 

"I hope so." Wild sighed. "I really hope so." 

"Come on, Champ! Let's go already!" Tulin shouted, bouncing impatiently. 

Wild and Teba shared a commiserating look before shaking their heads in amusement. Neither was going to scold Tulin for being excited. They were at a paintball court, after all; the best one in Hyrule, at that. Wild, Teba, and Buliara had signed who knew how many waivers in order for Riju and Tulin to get the full experience. 

The court was more like a campsite, originally created for hunters to practice their skills by competing against each other. The place - The Swamp Shooting Gallery - was designed to mimic an actual swamp inside of an absolutely massive arena that Wild was positive used to be a small sports arena. You could pay to watch competitive matches or you could rent the building for a few hours in order to battle it out against strangers. 

Wild and Teba were about to be trapped in a building with two excitable teenagers in order to shoot four strangers of unknown skill level with paintballs. Wild could not be more excited. Unfortunately, this was one of those times where his role as a 'responsible adult' overruled his fun uncle status. 

He could go apeshit once they were in the arena. He just had to make sure Riju and Tulin didn't hurt themselves before they even got the ball rolling. 

"We're not going to start any sooner." Riju pointed out to the excitable Rito. "Our time doesn't start for another thirty minutes. All rushing will do is extend our idle time." 

Tulin's feather's ruffled as he ducked his beak in the Rito equivalent of a pout. "But it takes forever to get our gear on!" 

"We're not going to be late." Teba said, matter of fact. "We'll have plenty of time. No need to rush." 

Wild closed the trunk of his car. "And we've got everything we need." He said, hoisting multiple large bags of gear, paintball guns, and ammo onto his shoulders. He turned, giving the two teens a slightly feral smile. "Let's go." 

Tulin cheered, racing into the building. Riju, despite her earlier words, was right on his tail feathers with a childish smile. Wild hadn't seen either teen this carefree in years. It was healing to see them acting like kids again. 

One glance at Teba showed that he was thinking the same thing. The feathers on his neck were settled and flat, making it easier for Wild to see the soft look in his eye. Teba caught Wild's eye and, for once, did not quail under Wild's open, affectionate stare. He gave Wild a small nod before walking ahead to catch up with Tulin and Riju. 

Wild couldn't help but think back to Revali, in that moment. Wild knew, on some level, that Revali had cared deeply for the kids in his community. However, it hadn't been until Tulin had grown into his own wings that Wild finally internalized that fact. Every time Tulin and Teba let down their prickly walls, Wild could understand Revali a little more. 

Wild would do better with them. For Revali he would continue to do better. 

It didn't take long to check in and, for Wild and Riju, it took just as long to get geared up. Wild and Riju sat in the waiting room, chatting idly about new recipes for Wild to try as they waited for their friends. They didn't mind waiting; they knew how long it took to cover your entire body for those with feathers. Tulin had complained more than once that the gear made him look naked, enough so that Wild had brought both Tulin and Teba's gear to Cece for a cool paint and embroidery job. Making the two Rito look like dragons seemed fitting and Riju had immediately gone to Rhodson for a similar touchup to her gear. 

Wild, not wanting to be left out, had also gotten his body armor modified to match. Letting Rhodson and Cece meet had been the best mistake he'd ever made in his life. The women were just competitive enough to try and one up each other at every given opportunity. However, they were absolutely smitten enough with fashion that they were constantly hyping up each other's designs. It was going to be amazing for the fashion industry but it was horrible for Wild's already dwindling sanity. 

"Your monster cakes were delectable, Champion. Can't you just make more of those for the festival?" Riju asked, a small plead in her tone. 

Wild shook his head. "I've made monster cake too many times. I want to do something new, this time. Something I've never done before." 

Riju hummed in thought. "How about fruit sandwiches? They seem simple enough. I'm sure your friend, Koko, could teach you how to make them." 

"Fruit sandwiches?" A young, excited girl suddenly asked as she walked out of the dressing room. Her sunshine blonde hair was tied back in two, low pigtails and her bangs were almost long enough to cover her black eyes. She came to stand in front of Wild and Riju, ignoring the woman and man that walked out of the dressing rooms after her. "What are those?" She asked. 

"Aryll," The man scolded. He looked almost picture perfect, with not a hair out of place and not a single blemish on his porcelain skin. His icy blue eyes softened like Teba's often did, telling Wild everything he needed to know about the situation at hand. "It's rude to butt into other people's conversations." 

Wild shook his head with and amused smile. "Oh, I don't mind." Wild then turned his gaze to Aryll. "Fruit sandwiches are a Sheikah dessert where they turn a sandwich into a cake. I have a friend in Kakariko who's daughters love to cook and might be willing to teach me how to make it." 

"That sounds so good!" Aryll sighed. She turned to the man behind her. "Can we get some, Wars? Please?" 

Wild's brows furrowed. Alright, not a traditional parent-child dynamic. Maybe it was adoption? Or a godparent situation? 

Wars opened his mouth to answer but the woman's snort cut him off. "Are you kidding? Of course we can! We'll just have to find a place that sells it on our way home." She said, her teal eyes trailing to Wars with a mischievous glint. "I'm sure our dear old captain here wouldn't mind one bit." 

"Don't promise her sugar." Wars scowled at the woman, though there was no bite. "You're not the one that has to deal with her in the aftermath." 

"You don't either." The woman grinned, raising an eyebrow in challenge. 

"No but I'm the one that has to explain to her brother why she didn't sleep and his home is ruined." He said, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

A brother implied to be related to Aryll but not either adult. Were they family friends? Babysitters? Cousins? 

"If you want to try them," Riju began, her voice lowered. She leaned closer to Aryll with a conspiratorial smile, raising her hand in a bad attempt to hide her words from the adults in the room. "Champion is supposed to be making monster cakes for the Picori Festival but he's making fruit sandwiches instead. If you come later in the night, I guarantee he'll have one saved for you." She told the younger girl. 

"Oh Din, I would literally die!" Aryll loudly whispered back, rocking side to side with a wide grin. 

Wild sighed. It looked like he was making fruit sandwiches for the Picori Festival. 

"Why're ya dying?" A familiar, thickly accented voice asked as the door to the men's changing room opened. 

Wild leaned around the girls in front of him to see a familiar man. There was Twilight, stupid face tattoos and all. He looked vaguely uncomfortable as he picked at his tight clothing and gear. The tightness certainly accentuated his muscles and a glance at Riju showed pretty concisely what she thought of that. 

Wild couldn't help but grin. "Twilight!" He called, jumping to his feet. 

Everyone snapped their attention to Wild, each one surprised. Twilight, however, let out a disbelieving laugh when he saw Wild. 

"Wild!" The larger man crowed. He moved towards Wild, hand outstretched, and Wild didn't hesitate to meet him halfway. "By Ordona's horns, it's good to see ya." 

"You as well, my friend." Wild said. "How have you been? How's your family? Is your mother using my advice?" 

"We're doing just fine. Pa gave ma the rundown of what you told us. Ended up being a lifesaver for my grandpa. We can't thank you enough, partner." 

"Don't thank me. I'm just glad it worked." Wild brushed off, relieved to hear his and Zelda's theory was already making a difference. 

"Champion? Who's this?" Riju asked, interrupting the surprise reunion. 

"You've met?" Wars asked Twilight, raising an unimpressed brow. 

"He's a new friend of mine." Twilight answered, clapping Wild on the shoulder. "We met at that expo, last month." 

"Twilight's mother is a medic." Wild told Riju. He turned back to Twilight. "I assume she works in close proximity of Malice victims, am I correct?" 

"Yeah," Twilight nodded, his lips twitching downwards. "Real close." 

The door to the men's changing room opened once more, revealing Teba and Tulin, dressed head to toe in green and red dragon armor. With their crested helmets and ribbon flares to mimic feathers along their wings, the two really did look the part of mighty dragons. 

Aryll gave a loud gasp as she saw them and Wars gave a low whistle. 

"Where did you get those?" The woman asked, awe and envy clear in her eyes. 

"Uncle Champ got us these!" Tulin cawed, racing to the middle of the group to show off the glitter of his green scales. "Now I don't have to fly to look cool." He bragged. 

"You never look cool." Riju teased, standing and lifting her helmet to show off. "Besides, mine is clearly better." 

"Is not!" Tulin argued. 

"Tulin, settle down. Riju, stop provoking him." Teba calmly scolded. "Champion, I see you've already made friends. Gonna introduce us?" 

"You got it," Wild nodded. "Teba, Riju, Tulin, this is Twilight and his friends I've never met before. Twilight and friends, this is my pseudo-brother, my almost godson, and my honorary niece." 

"It's nice ta meet y'all." Twilight greeted. He gestured to his friends. "This is my pa's pal, Warriors, his pal, Echo, and our mutual pal's little sister, Aryll." 

"My brother's working over night." Aryll added. She was still smiling but Wild couldn't help but think she was upset by that fact. 

"So we agreed to watch her for him." Echo said, pulling Aryll into a tight side hug. 

"I agreed to watch her." Warriors corrected. "You just wanted to join us for paintball." 

Echo shrugged. "You can afford it." She joked. 

An alarm rang over the speakers, catching everyone's attention. "Weapons down! Guay Team Wins! Please exit the court in a timely manner! Dragon Team, Royal Team, please make your way to the eastern and western entrances!" A booming, feminine voice announced. 

"Team Royal?" Wild asked, turning to Riju. "Why didn't we think of that?"

"Because you and Tulin thought it would be fun to call ourselves dragons." Riju said, sliding her helmet on as she, Tulin, and Teba headed for the eastern gate.

Wild shrugged. It was true, after all. He glanced back to throw a lazy salute at Twilight. 

"See you on the other side, brother." Wild said, walking backwards to keep up with his friends while watching Twilight. 

"May the best team win." Twilight waved, following his own team. 

It didn't take long for Wild's team to enter the arena and even less time for the games to begin. 

The arena was a jungle, quite literally. Fake trees with ropes made to look like thick vines. Hiding spots of wired fence were designed to look like large bushes. The ground was uneven and there were even pools and mud patches to hide in if you were desperate enough. Speakers disguised as rocks played animal sounds and fake flowers spewed heavy fog. With how tightly packed the arena was, it was hard to keep an eye on your team, let alone your enemy. 

If you could find your enemy, that is. 

Teba and Tulin being unable to fly didn't stop them from taking the high ground. With bags of ammo strapped to their sides and slingshots in hand, the two Rito were quick to scale the nearest trees. They soared through the air as they hopped from branch, to limb, to vine. They used their talons to keep themselves steady, hindering their stealth but only allowing them to move faster. 

Riju stayed low to the ground, using the foliage as cover. She kept herself alert and her dual pistols at the ready as she dashed from place to place. A silent hunter searching for her next target, risking the element of surprise in order to cover more distance. 

Wild hung back, taking his time to survey and scout the arena from the safety of the shadows. He made an effort to keep track of where his team was while also searching for the enemy team. With only a sniper rifle and a relatively small bag of ammo at his disposal, he planned to play the long game and make each hit count. 

Wild knew he wasn't the best shot. Tulin and Teba had a mile lead on that. But Rito couldn't use many firearms due to the size of their feathered fingers. They had to resort to bows and slingshots for their long ranged attacks. But if Wild remembered anything from his past, it was that Revali had only the highest expectations and Wild hadn't wanted to fail. 

There was only a small handful of trees that Wild could use to see across the entire arena, if he was careful. That was okay thought. Wild didn't need to be stuck to one place. He just needed a few places to bounce between so his enemies wouldn't be able to pin him down. It's not like it would be much of a problem. He had a few hours to kill as the teens got their energy out. 

Wild settled himself in a precarious tangle of fake branches. Plenty of cover for him that only kinda obscured his vision. It was one of the highest points of access in the entire arena, only accessible by expert climbers and the criminally insane. Luckily, Wild was both. 

It wasn't too long of waiting before Wild spotted a bit of movement in the distance. He looked through the scope of his gun to find Twilight creeping his way through the shrubbery. His protective gear was already caked in mud, helping him to blend in better with his surroundings. His head swiveled this way and that but he stepped with the carefulness of a predator stalking their prey. 

Wild let out an amused huff. "No hard feelings, Pup." He mumbled to himself. 

Wild followed Twilight's movements with the muzzle of his rifle as he slowed his breathing. Between one breath and another, time slowed to a crawl with Wild's focus. A slight shift of his hand - a tightening of the trigger - and Wild let his shot fly with a crack. 

Seeing cyan splatter across Twilight's shoulder was as exhilarating as it was terrifying. On one hand, Wild couldn't help but crow in excitement at this small victory. On the other hand, there was a fraction of a second where he saw red and he regretted ever walking into the building. 

Twilight barely reacted to the blob of paint hitting him. Wild thought it would at least stagger him from velocity alone but Twilight almost seemed to have not noticed. The only reaction Twilight gave was a quick glance to the paint across his shoulder before he turned to follow the trajectory of the shot. 

Twilight looked up, craning his head to look directly at Wild. Wild decided it was time to move. 

Wild barely gave a thought to his safety before he was following in the footsteps of his Rito compatriots. He flew across the treetops, already planning his route to the ground as he scuttled across branches. He jumped and caught himself on a vine to slow his descent into a much shorter tree before he was rocketing off once more. 

A shot whizzed past his head, hitting a vine beside him hard enough to make it swing. A sharp glance down showed Twilight hot on Wild's tail. Wild grinned, continuing his course through the jungle. 

Between a swing of a vine and a game of hopscotch across branches, Wild could see his path to escape. A small tunnel designed to look like an oversized, rotten log. However, Wild wouldn't be able to escape with Twilight on his tail. Wild knew he should take a moment to think critically about how to lose the overgrown dog of a man relentlessly hunting him down. 

But what was the fun in that? 

Wild took one last step to reach the lowest branch that could safely hold his weight. He twisted his body with a hop, lifting his gun between one breath and another. Twilight's mask was clear as day through the scope and Wild's grin only grew with the fact it had little ears at the top. Twilight didn't have time to react before Wild took his shot. 

Crack! 

Wild was practiced enough to let himself roll as he landed, falling backwards with maybe not enough grace to be painless. Still, it was entirely worth it to see Twilight's mask completely covered in cyan as he staggered backwards. Wild took his chance to run as Twilight uselessly swiped at his mask with quickening curses flying from his tongue. 

Wild crawled through the log at record pace and kept himself low to the ground in order to avoid Twilight's attention. He wouldn't be able to reach his next perch with Twilight so close. The guy obviously knew what he was doing and Wild was not a hunter by trade; he was a war veteran and a chemist. He couldn't play super spy and he couldn't pretend to be a strategic mind. Wild was never good at playing the long game without any real incentive. 

Luckily, Wild didn't need the long game. He just needed an opening. 

Wild had that opening. 

Wild settled himself behind one of the wire bushes as he heard someone stepping through a nearby mud puddle. Wild wasn't particularly comfortable as he waited; he was laid on the ground with his legs stuck in a shallow pond. Still, Wild kept his breathing slow and his rifle's muzzle level. Wild's hands stilled between one breath and another. 

Step. Step. Step. Step. Boot. 

Crack! 

Twilight stumbled to a knee with a curse. Wild laughed as the bigger man flipped him the bird. 

"What is that now?" Wild asked, standing. He walked over to Twilight's side, holding out a hand to help him up. "Zero to three?" 

"I didn't know y'er a cheater." Twilight growled, allowing Wild to help him to his feet. He punched Wild in the shoulder, hard enough for it to genuinely hurt. "A lil warnin' next time." 

"What's the fun in that?" Wild asked, rubbing his aching shoulder. "I say it's a fun way to get to know each other." Wild paused. "Oh, wow, that makes it sound like we're on a date."

Twilight tilted his head. "Is this you asking me out?" He asked, genuinely curious.

Wild shook his head. "I'm already spoken for, I'm afraid. Why? Disappointed?" He teased as he began to walk.

Twilight followed with a huff. "Nah, y'ain't my type." He nudged Wild's shoulder, playfully. "I'll settle for friends with benefits, though." He joked.

Wild laughed. "That depends. What are the benefits, exactly?"

"I'm good friends with the owner of a pub." Twilight said as he and Wild trudged through the mud. "I'm sure she's got some good recipes to teach ya if she happens to learn you're a buddy o' mine." 

Wild hummed in thought. "Tempting..." 

Aryll must have told Twilight about the fruit sandwiches. Did that mean Twilight was going to be at the Picori Festival? It would be nice to introduce Twilight to Zelda. Wild had a feeling they'd get along. 

"I'll make you a deal." Wild said. "We can trade numbers after this is all over and my fiancé can choose whether we're aloud to become friends or not." He bargained, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively with a goofy smile on his face. 

Twilight thought with a faux-serious expression, rubbing his chin as if he had a beard. "Alright. Where would I be meeting them?" Twilight asked. 

"The Picori Festival." Wild said, pausing in front of the tree that held his next perch. "I owe Aryll a fruit sandwich." 

Twilight's amusement softened into genuine fondness at Aryll's name. "Than I s'pose we'll meet you there." 

"You better. I don't wanna be waiting around all day for nothing." Wild said, already pulling himself up onto the closest branch. 

It would be nice for Wild to finally have a friend he wasn't working for. It would also be nice to have a friend that didn't already know him. 

It was nice to have a friend that didn't have the expectation of his past to build on. 

The day of the Picori Festival came with excitement and fanfare. With Wild, Zelda, and their friends helping to coordinate the event, there wasn't much time for Wild to keep his eye on the surrounding crowd. Between the different tournaments, the many food stands that needed help being set up and maintained, and the fireworks finally arriving for the ending spectacular, Wild was being pulled in too many directions. He hadn't been able to even check the time before he was on the move again.

Wild had gotten Hylia knew how many texts throughout the day. He only knew they were coming from his team because he couldn't go an hour without Zelda, Sidon, Yunobo, or any of the others asking him about a text he hadn't had the chance to check. Still, there was a part of Wild that was terrified of missing a crucial text from Twilight.

Wild knew he and Twilight had a place and time they were meeting that night. Twilight knew Wild was helping with the firework show and would be saving a place for the rancher and Aryll to watch, alongside Zelda. However, Wild also knew that Twilight worried way too much, no matter how short his time with the man had been so far.

Wild had only had Twilight's number for about a week and he could already tell the man was a mother cuckoo. Twilight could not last a single day without fretting over the things Wild did in his day to day life. Wild couldn't even climb a light pole to take a picture without Twilight scolding him for being reckless.

He was a real stick in the mud, honestly.

Finally, a short time before sunset, Wild finished setting up fireworks with Yunobo and a small portion of his demolition crew. They all split up to take their small break before they had to start the show. Wild found Zelda waiting for him with Paya, who was running Wild's dessert booth for him. Wild packed up a basket with blankets, drinks, and a pre-wrapped fruit sandwich before heading off with Zelda to the meeting spot. 

Wild and Zelda only had to wait under their designated apple tree for a few minutes before Wild spotted a familiar pair of blondes. Twilight and Aryll spotted them before Wild could call out to them, both pointing him out to two blonde teens. The girl clung onto the young boy with carefree cheer, giving a bright smile and wave to the waiting couple. The boy, however, seemed to recognize Zelda, as he nearly fell on his face when he spotted the two. Twilight fretted over the boy but he waved Twilight off with a bashful smile.

"Good evening, Twilight, Aryll, people I've never met." Wild greeted once the group was close enough. He held his hand out to give the teens quick handshakes. "I didn't know Twilight was bringing more friends."

"We're watching Aryll for the day." The girl explained. "I'm Zelda. But you can call me Phantom."

"And I'm Spirit," The boy said. "I'm best friends with Aryll's brother.

"It's wonderful to meet you." Zelda greeted, shaking hands with the teens. "My name is also Zelda. Though, I suppose you could call me Flora."

"And I'm Wild. Though I'm sure you already know that."

"We didn't, actually." Phantom said. "Twilight just said we'd be meeting up with a friend of his so we could watch the fireworks."

Wild blinked before giving Twilight the most exaggerated expression of betrayal he could. "Am I just a tool for your convenience? Do I mean so little that you wouldn't even tell your friends my name?"

Twilight was confused for a mere second before he finally realized what Wild was doing. He couldn't quite suppress his smile as he waved his hands in denial. "What? No! I'd never do that to ya!"

"Don't lie to me!" Wild fake sobbed as he brought the back of his hand to his forehead. "You just want me for my money."

"Is that a crime?" Twilight asked, clutching at his non-existent pearls.

Spirit, Phantom, Aryll, and Flora watched the two in amusement, heads turning this way and that like the whole thing was a volleyball match. Flora laughed, leaning over to loudly whisper to Phantom.

"He does this all the time with Sidon."

Twilight's head snapped to look at Flora, his mouth falling open in fake shock. He harshly gestured towards her as he leveled a joking glare at Wild.

"Who's Sidon? Are you cheating on me?" Twilight asked.

Wild loudly gasped. "How dare you accuse me of cheating! We've known each other for weeks now and you think I'd cheat?"

"You're a cheater at paintball! Why not this!"

"It's like a TV drama." Spirit noted.

"Link would love this." Aryll giggled.

Wild paused in his play to give Aryll a curious look. "Who's Link?" He asked.

"Which one?" Aryll returned, giving Wild an innocent smile.

Wild sighed. "Alright, you win." He crouched down, reaching for his now nearly empty basket. "Now if you would come here, I have a gift for you."

Aryll gasped, skipping forward. "You made one for me?"

"You asked for one." Wild said, easily handing over the dessert. "How could I refuse?"

"Aryll," Spirit said, a warning in his voice. "You know not to take anything from strangers."

"It's alright," Twilight soothed, clapping Spirit on the shoulder. "Wild's a good guy."

"But is it safe?" Spirit asked, eyeing the sandwich with suspicion.

Wild was honestly hurt. "I'll have you know, I'm an excellent baker."

"It's from our booth." Flora added, sitting down and winding her arm around Wild's waist. "Perhaps you saw it? A Sheikah woman was running it. She was wearing a large sun hat."

Phantom's eyes lit up with recognition. She nudged Spirit. "I know what booth they're talking about. It's fine."

Spirit hesitantly relented. "If you say so."

Aryll needed no more prompting before she dug into her sandwich. Her face lit up at the taste. "Holy Nayru, how is this so good?" She turned to Spirit, holding the sandwich out to him. "Train, you have to try this! It's too good!"

Spirit hesitated but took a small bite. He froze at the taste before he seemed to melt. "Holy shit, did you sell your soul? This can't possibly be natural."

"Let me try." Phantom requested, taking a bite when the sandwich was passed to her. Her eyes widened. "Oh, wow." She said, eloquently.

"Making Phantom speechless?" Twilight chuckled, sitting beside Wild on the blanket. "Your desserts must be somethin' else."

"Oh, they are." Flora agreed.

Wild only had enough time to shyly duck his head before a hush fell over the crowd. Wild looked up in time to see a light shriek into the sky before exploding into a large burst of color.

Wild held his fiancé close as the teens hurried to take their seats. They laid back to watch as glitter painted the sky.

The quickly darkening sky was dusted in rainbow stars, flying and raining in a carefully crafted pattern. Dragons popped into existence. Birds whizzed into the sky. Pigs were painted over clouds. Each firework was larger and brighter than the last, earning cheers and awe from festival goers. 

Wild pulled Flora closer as the show came to an end. He pressed a kiss to her cheek as the crowd roared around them. "Are you ready to pack up?" 

Flora sighed, nodding. "Let's get started. We don't want to be out all night." 

Wild and Flora stood, catching the attention of those around them. Flora gave the group a polite smile. "I apologize but we really must be going." She bent down to grab the edge of the closest banket. "Could one of you help me fold these?" 

Spirit was quick to lend his aid, ushering everyone off the blankets so he and Flora could fold them back into the basket. Wild turned to Twilight, who had a frustrated frown. 

"What's wrong, Pup?" Wild asked, tilting his head. 

Twilight sighed. "It's nothing. I just-" His ears flicked in annoyance. "Y'can't stick around for even a little longer?" 

Wild's smile fell a little. He knew how lonely Twilight felt. He had his group of friends and his parents but Twilight had described his relationship to them almost as co-workers. They were people he let into his life because of work. And even then, he wasn't as close to them as they were to each other. He thought he'd only have his parents left if he really let his current job go. 

Wild could sympathize all too well. He'd met each and every one of his friends out of necessity. Flora was probably the only reason he kept in touch with them at all. Even Sidon, his best friend, felt a world away. There was such a large gap between who Wild was now and who he used to be that he struggled to really connect to the people he cared most about. 

But Twilight felt different. Twilight didn't know Wild. He didn't care about who Wild used to be or what Wild had accomplished. Wild didn't have to be anything but himself around the man and, by the looks of it, Twilight felt the same. 

"How about I make you a deal?" Wild began. "I pay for lunch next week and you choose the place. How does that sound?" 

Twilight's ears perked up as he smiled. "Sounds good to me." 

"Come along, darling." Flora called as she began to walk off, waving her phone. Clearly Yunobo had texted her an update on how to start closing the festival. 

"Yes, dear." Wild nodded. He waved goodbye to Twilight and his young friends before heading out. 

As Flora read off the list of things that needed to be cleaned, Wild glanced back to Twilight. However, instead of Twilight's lonely eyes looking back, it was Spirit's sharp, brown ones. Spirit was quick to flash a smile and wave but Wild couldn't help the way his scars began to itch. 

When Twilight suggested meeting up at the Keystone Bakery, Wild hadn't expected it to be so... empty. Wild knew, theoretically, that there were slower parts of the work day than others in the food service industry but this was a little ridiculous. Of course, it was a relatively small business and the staff happily welcomed him in, so he didn't really pay much mind. 

He took a booth in the corner, giving him a view of the entire cafe and it's entrance, just as Buliara and Impa had taught him to do. A short teen in roller skates stopped by his booth to ask if he was gonna order anything but Wild told them he was waiting for a friend first. The kid shrugged and moved on with their cleaning, which left Wild to play on his phone as he waited for Twilight. A text popped up on his phone that made Wild groan in annoyance. 

Pup: Hey, I'm running late. I'll be there as soon as I can. 

Cub: It's fine. 

It was not fine. Now what was Wild supposed to do with himself? Sit here and think about his life choices? Ha! Hard pass. He's already had over half a decade to think about that, thanks. 

The clinking of a bell caught Wild's attention. He looked up to see Spirit walking into the cafe, being welcomed by the teen on skates as they both headed for the counter. Spirit spotted Wild and smiled. 

"Hi, Wild!" Spirit waved, the bag slung over his shoulder swinging with the motion. 

Wild returned the wave. "Hello, Spirit." 

"Hold on, I wanna come talk to you. Just give me a minute." Spirit told him. 

Wild opened his mouth to say no. To say that he was waiting for Twilight. But the kid was already talking to the teen behind the counter. The two were talking too fast for Wild to really understand them so Wild just tuned them out, going back to looking at his phone. 

It wasn't too long before Spirit sat across from Wild with a large bag of pastries and a single cup of coffee. He took a long sip of his coffee before sighing contently. He gave Wild a shy smile, leaning his chin on his palm as he eyed Wild's phone. 

"Who ya waiting for?" The boy asked, his black eyes wide with polite curiosity. 

"Just Twilight," Wild shrugged. "He's running late but he says he'll be here soon." 

Spirit hissed, leaning back. "Am I interrupting a date or something?" He quietly asked, almost whispering. 

Wild shook his head. "No. Well- I mean, yes. You are interrupting. But it's not a date. Just trying to find time to catch up." 

Spirit hummed, reaching for his bag. "Well, than I'm sorry I have to cut it short." 

Wild was confused for only a moment before he realized something. 

Spirit didn't have black eyes. He had brown eyes. 

Wild reached for his side, where he kept a spare knife, but the imposter held up his hand. 

"Let's not be rash now." The boy said, a Rito accent slipping into his voice. "I wouldn't want to hurt Twilight's feelings because we couldn't play nice." 

"Who are you?" Wild asked, glancing around for any way to escape the situation. There was the front door but he needed to find a way to stop the kid. There were civilians here. Where were the civilians? 

Wild looked to the counter but the teen boy was no longer there. Neither were the two bakers. The only thing left behind was a phone, face down. The bottom of it was directed straight at Wild's booth, like one would when trying to record audio without wanting to be seen. 

Shit. 

"I suppose you could call me Wind," The boy said, casually flipping open his bag. Wild couldn't help but note it was covered in cartoon weapons. "Though you might know me better as Aryll's big brother." 

Wild looked back to Wind as he pulled out a thin file. He placed it down on the table, flipped it around, and pushed it forward, like an invitation. Wild gave Wind a skeptical look before slowly opening the file. He looked down and felt his blood run cold. 

The file wasn't large. Honestly, it was mostly pictures. But the pictures were enough. 

The first one was of Wild going about his day, coffees in one hand and his phone in the other as he talked to someone over call. The one under it was of his and Flora's recent date at the park, Flora braiding his hair as Wild cloud gazed, unbothered by his exposed scars. The one under that was the photo Twilight had taken after their paintball match, both of their teams smiling at the camera. The one under that was a blurry shot of Wild directing Twilight and his parents through the science expo, clearly taken from security footage. The last was a photo from the Picori Festival, fireworks going off in the background as Wild, Flora, and Twilight watched, only Aryll and Phantom's feet peeking into frame. 

Under the pictures was two pages of notes on Wild, covered front to back. Observations and questions that made Wild's scars itch. 

"And I suppose I should call you Dr. Gunnar, right?" Wind asked, though Wild clearly wasn't meant to answer. 

Wild sent a sharp glare to the kid, silently promising vengeance if Wind even dared to use any of this information against him. Wind waved him off with a smile, though Wild knew it wasn't meant to be kind. 

"Relax already. I'll keep this brief." The kid said, lightly. He tapped the picture of the paintball teams. "I've come upon a dilemma, you see. It seems you've accidentally befriended every member of my family without even meaning to. Even Warriors doesn't want to see you dead, despite learning who you are. Or, more accurately, were." 

Wind held up the picture he'd singled out, like it was nothing more than a random postcard. He then also picked up the picture of the park date. He held the two side by side, looking over them like he'd looked at them a hundred times before. 

"It was quite a shock to learn that Twilight's new, favorite person also happened to be not only a favorite of the Dragon Sages but also a war hero. Truly, it was such a shock that Twilight had hid away in his silence. He felt a little betrayed that his little slice of normal life wasn't so normal and real after all." 

Wild's ears flicked down, both in shame and annoyance. Was this kid seriously trying to guilt trip him over something Twilight had also done? Shouldn't Wild be the one feeling betrayed? He hadn't dug into Twilight's secret life, why had Twilight dug into his?

"Of course, it's not like you're a real Sage. Not even a husband yet. Just a bodyguard. An extra pair of hands. Always on the side. Easy to dispose of." Wind sighed, putting the photos down. "But that's where my little dilemma comes in. You see, my family is made of a lot of good people. Good people that don't like it when I just kill off our problems. And, honestly, I don't think I want to kill you off either." 

Wild blinked, bewildered by what the teen was saying. "Why not?" He asked, because obviously questioning the kid would go well for him. 

Surprisingly, Wind only smiled, something softer and kinder. "You've brought a weird sense of joy to my family. Excitement, more like. Time and Malon appreciate your expertise. Warriors likes that you can keep him on his toes. Echo thinks you're just fun. Spirit likes your food. Aryll thinks you're the coolest person to walk the earth. And Twilight finally found a friend that understands him." 

Wild smiled, thinking back to all the fun and laughs he's had over the past month. Seeing Time and Malon take him seriously. Seeing Echo and Warriors dote over Aryll like she was their own. Seeing Spirit and Phantom gushing over cake. 

And Twilight. Just knowing Twilight was a friend that just wanted the same thing Wild wanted. A clean slate. A second chance at normal. 

"Plus, Twilight would be sad if I just killed you." Wind shrugged, completely breaking the weird calm that had built between them. "So the way I see it, we have two options. You either get paid into silence or you get brought into our family. Either way, I don't have to treat you like a problem anymore and you can keep being friends with our Devine Beast. The choice is yours." 

"What do you mean by joining your family?" Wild asked. 

"Well," Wind began. "For starters, we'd need to give you a role, as well as a title. For example, I am Wind, Pirate of the Hero Family. My job is to, well, deliver messages." He explained with a sharp grin. 

"And the rest of it?" Wild asked, unimpressed by the kid's "scary criminal" act. He didn't see the point in keeping it up when he wasn't even gonna kill Wild. 

"Nothing too fancy." Wind brushed off. "Mostly a lot of planning between you, me, and the big guy about how your role would impact the family, as well as what jobs you'd be willing to do for us. We'd figure out if you're willing to kill or not, as well as how far you're willing to go if we need you to play a role outside of your specialty. We'd also need to figure out who we'd bring under your protection-" 

"My protection?" Wild asked. 

"Yes." Wind confirmed. "Your protection. We're the Hero Family. We protect what's ours. And those we claim as ours will be hoarded like gold." Wind then closed the file in front of him and put it back in his bag. "And if you decide not to join the family, we'll still protect you and your fiancé. Just no one else. Twilight likes you too much not to bring you into the treasury." 

"The treasury?" Wild muttered to himself. 

Wind rolled his eyes. "It's what we call the people not part of our family that we still like enough to keep tabs on and provide protection from criminals." He closed his bag with a snap and met Wild's gaze dead on. "So what will it be? Protection or a job?" 

Wild leaned back in his seat, tapping his fingers against the table as he thought over his options. Wind let him, the kid focusing his attention on his drink. 

Alright, Wild had two known options. Option one, he and his future wife get an extra dose of protection and a little money on the side to add to their honeymoon fund. Option two, he joins a crime family that he knows nothing about past who the members are and guarantee that the Dragon Sages have backup if the need arises. 

Option one was fine. It had practically no effect on Wild's daily life. Wild had never been the one being protected as he was always the one protecting others, so that would be a nice change of pace. However, that meant he'd never know if a private moment was truly a private moment, which would be an actual nightmare. Still, it would be the cleanest option to integrate into his life. 

Option two was complicated. For one, again, Wild knew nothing about the Hero Family, seeing as he'd never even heard of them before. He liked most of the members well enough but he didn't even know who the leader was, just that Wind was their gofer and Twilight was the "Devine Beast", which honestly explained a lot more than Wild was willing to admit. Wind said Wild would have the freedom to chose what job he got but what would he be forced to do? Wild wasn't too bothered about killing people but he took issue with targeting people just because they were an inconvenience. Was this Hero Family like the Dragon Sages or were they closer to the Yiga? 

But that brought to question what Wild wanted. He could try to look at all of this objectively but he knew he wasn't very good at it. If Flora was to be believed, he'd never been. So Wild took a step back and looked at the whole picture. 

On one side of the board was a life that wouldn't change. Wild would continue to support his friends and his fiancé. He could continue to follow them into the spotlight and put his own comforts aside to watch them grow. Riju was about to start college and Tulin was about to start high school. Sidon and Yona's wedding was right around the corner. Yunobo was finally finding his footing to lead his company. Flora was becoming one of the most influential scientists in the world and Wild was her assistant. Wild was going to see and experience it all but he'd be forced into the public eye to do it. 

On the other side of the board, Wild could find his own life. He could join the world of shadows and find his own place where he would be appreciated for his own work and not what he did with others. He didn't have to choose the danger of the spotlight or the safety of the dark. He could do his own research and save so many more lives without restriction. Plus, Twilight would be at his side and able to help Wild find his way in the family. 

Wild should consult Flora. That would be the safest option. If Wind really wanted him to join the family than he would let Wild tell his fiancé what was going on. 

But what would be the fun in that? Wild had a better way to test Wind. 

"Say I do join you," Wild began. "How far am I allowed to go?" 

"What do you mean?" Wind asked, tilting his head. 

"Well, I'm a chemist," Wild said, idly playing with his hair. "My job is to innovate. To find the formula to a better future. And I intend to do that at any cost. So tell me, Wind." Wild leaned forward, giving the boy the coldest smile he could muster. "How far am I allowed to go?" 

Wind's eyes narrowed, his carefree smile falling and being replaced by a blank, calculating expression. "I would need some examples to judge." He said, no longer trying to act in order to understand what Wild was trying to pull. 

"Examples? I can do that." Wild asked, almost playfully. "Firstly, what am I allowed to experiment on? I've focused my research on Malice and I don't intend to stop. I've already learned how to combat it so now I want to see how it can change. How it can get stronger. How else it can be used." 

There it was. The discomfort. Barely a tick of a brow but it was there. Now to get the kid to admit it. 

"And who can I use to test my experiments? Animals? Other criminals? Civilians? Surely one of you Heroes every once in a while. I'm sure you wouldn't mind being my lab rats. There's only a small chance you'll die." 

Wind tightened his grip on his cup. 

"And materials. What materials could I use? What space would I get? You can't expect me to work in a random kitchen somewhere. I need a lab of my own. Perhaps we could take over an existing lab? Get rid of any witnesses and turn the whole building into my own personal lab. No guide lines. No rules. No one to tell me no. Just a place I can research the effects of Malice on our world. That brings me to the question of plants. What would happen if we were able to infect plants? What about animals? Could it affect the water supply? If so, how do we exploit that-?" 

"We're not exploiting anyone." The kid said, any hint of amusement now replaced by cold anger. "We're the Hero Family. We wear our values on our sleeves. If you can't understand those values, than I believe we're done." 

Wild's smile softened as he watched the kid grab his bags. "So you do have a moral backbone. That's a relief." 

Wind paused in his movements, turning suspicious eyes to Wild. Wild opened a folder on his phone and slid it over to Wind. 

"You said you worked with good people. I hope they're as disgusted as you are, because I have multiple labs you could target for immoral practices. That is, if you're really the heroes you call yourselves." 

Wind took the phone and carefully read the first page of the file. Wild knows he read the first page of the file because he was completely silent for well over five minutes. When he finished, he put the phone down with a silent exhale. He remained quiet for only a moment longer before smiling. 

"Well played, Doctor." 

Wild shrugged, crossing his arms behind his head as he leaned back. "I don't know you. I don't know the Hero Family or the political drama my friends get up to. But I do know the things I want to see fixed. If your words are really true than you will help me fix this." 

Wind chuckled. "We can do that. On one condition." 

Wild raised a brow. 

"We stay on the same page." Wind said. "No more tricks from either of us, aye?" 

Wild couldn't help but laugh, moving to shake Winds outstretched hand. "It's a deal." He stood up, slipping out of the booth. "Alright, who do I talk to now? If I'm joining this family, I'm going to make sure the right person knows." 

Wind's smile twisted, as if he was laughing at a joke only he was privy to. "You'll see. Follow me." He said, sliding out of the booth and heading out the door. 

Wild barely registered the fact the teen from before was back to wish them a good day before he was out the door and being ushered towards a limousine parked around the corner. Despite his best judgement, Wild climbed in to find Twilight and Warriors waiting for him. Wind climbed in right behind him, closing the door and knocking on the separator between them and the mysterious driver. 

"Take us home, Spirit. And call the others." Wind said, surprising Wild.

"You got it." Spirit called back before the divider raised to a close. Wild barely felt the car move as it merged into traffic. 

"Where are we going?" Wild asked, raising an unimpressed brow at Twilight. 

Twilight held his hands up in defense. "Don't look at me like that. This wasn't my call." 

Wild glared at Twilight before deciding he really didn't want to be mad at his friend. He rolled his eyes before focusing in on Warriors, who was taking an offered pastry from Wind. 

"We're heading to our headquarters. If you're going to join the family, we're going to sick Butler on you." Warriors explained, barely sparing Wild a glance. 

"Butler?" Wild asked. 

"A Sheikah tech program." Twilight explained. "He knows more than all of us combined. He's gonna run an extra through background check on you... Though we still haven't figured out how to get him to share what he's found with us." 

"Sheikah tech?" Wild asked, interested. "Could I have a look?" 

"When we get there." Warriors said. "Under supervision." 

Wild sighed and settled in for the ride. "Fine." 

"Good," Warriors nodded. "Than let's talk jobs. What would you like to accomplish while working with us?" 

Wild raised a brow. "I thought I was waiting for the boss. Is that you?"

Warriors raised a brow. Twilight pursed his lips to try and hide his smile. They both turned to Wind, who gave a way too innocent smile.

"Oh. Did I forget to mention that?" He said, pretending to be apologetic. 

Wild was confused for only a moment before his mouth fell open. It flapped uselessly as he wildly gestured to the kid. "You said we weren't going to trick each other."

"That was the last trick, I promise." Wind defended, laughing. "Now just answer our questions and we can figure out how big to make your lab back at base." 

Wild perked up at the idea of having his own lab. Twilight laughed, ruffling his hair enough to ruin his ponytail. Warriors and Wind asked questions and named off protocol, which Wild was happy to follow along with. With so many options at his fingertips, Wild couldn't help but be excited, despite the unknowns of his new future. All he had left to do was answer one question. 

How the hell was he going to explain this to Flora?