Shattering the Stars

A Kite... Flying Into A Hurricane

Happy Anniversary, Ocarina of Time! Only a few of you will actually get the title and what it's referencing, but it's alright. Anyways, how about another chapter? I'm super excited for this one! Enjoy!
-Jooostan

Shattering the Stars
Chapter 3: A Kite... Flying Into A Hurricane

Midday. Link slashed the unbalanced sword through the air yet again, but nothing happened. It simply whiffed, striking a nonexistent foe and slamming back into the sand roughly. Jim sighed, crossing his arms and glancing over to Romani, who sat across the beach by the house.

Link breathed heavily, pulling the sword from the ground, flinging grains of sand into the air, which landed on his boots. He tried again, bringing the blade up over his head and swinging, being met with the same result. This had grown tiring, and somewhat exhausting with how heavy but also small the sword was. The hero, now finally out of retirement, didn't want to be delayed by a simple weapon, but it was the only way he knew to travel between realms.

"You sure the sword is even the key?" Jim asked, eyeing the weapon with extreme apathy. Link lamented his friend's lethargic tone, knowing Jim didn't want to see him go either.

"I'm positive," Link replied. He couldn't get the words out of his head, the ones his variant told him. The doubtless expression was something he couldn't shake, how he pointed to the strange sword with certainty. All Link's hopes lied with the weapon that he could barely handle correctly.

After a few more fruitless attempts with the weapon, Link gave up for the time being, his stomach yearning for some sustenance and a headache roaring between his ears. He and Jim joined Romani back in the house, the couple enjoying the rare company of their friend. While lovely in Great Bay, visitors were like gold dust, and just the sight of a familiar face within their home elated Link and Romani.

Jim, taking off his bandana as a sign of respect, left it hand on the chair by the front door, following his friends into the house and to the kitchen. It'd been some time since the Bomber had been enticed to stopover at Great Bay. He wasn't very fond of the breeze, brooding about how saturated it was with the scent of salt.

Link started preparing lunch, a rather large dish of salmon risotto and a side of poultry pilaf. Even though they lived on a beach, there was enough fertile soil for some farming. A small patch of rice, barley, and wheat had been planted just next to the home, and the salmon was sourced right from the sea. The mushrooms, brought all the way from the Southern Swamp, were worth the journey. When the meal was ready, Link, being the best provider he could be, divided the food up into three portions, one for each of them.

"Thank you, honey," Romani said sweetly, licking her lips as she ogled the food ravenously. Jim expressed his gratitude as well, also eager to dig in. Link smiled, memories of his childhood coming back, the frequent sleepovers he had at Romani Ranch being one he admired.

Such a scenario as this, Link, Romani, and Jim, all sharing a table together, had been almost lost to them. They simply didn't have the time to really socialize anymore, their lives becoming more engrossed by the duties of adulthood. Jim's pursuit of all the missions from the Clock Town Guard, Romani's maternity leave, and Link being the one to keep the house up to code as his wife rested and such. He could remember one particular day, when he was thirteen. He, his parents, Romani, Cremia, and Jim, all sat around the Inn lobby and enjoyed a meal, conversing about the littlest of things. Moments like that became reclusive, seemingly without warning.

Link, presently, enjoyed his life, but he'd be remissive if he said that he didn't miss those days. The times when he was just twelve years old, running around Clock Town with his friends, not needing to worry about the secrets of Ikana Canyon. Right after his rematch with Gomess, where he learned of the returning force of the Garo. That day when Romani became a member of the Bomber's Secret Society of Justice was a special one for all of them. Jim felt like he had finally gotten to know folks better, Link started breaking out of his shell, and Romani began to make new friends.

Nowadays, the only real Bombers of the secret society were Jim and two of the other guys. While the whole team hadn't disbanded, the group didn't quite meet up very often. Link and Romani were at Great Bay, one boy had moved to Snowhead, and the last two just got far too busy with their own jobs. Lastly, there was Skull Kid. Link's face grew immensely contrite in a matter of seconds, his fork clattering onto his plate.

"Grasshopper? Is everything alright?" Romani, startled by the sound, could instantly see that something was unbecoming of her husband. When she received no response from him, she set down her own utensils and stood from her chair, approaching him and caressing his cheek.

"Link? Link, look at me," Romani ordered, one of the scarce times she used his goddess-given name instead of the one she thought up for him when they were children. Even though he didn't acknowledge her yet, she still spoke, "Link, honey what's wrong?" She used two fingers to tilt his chin upwards to face her. "Romani's right here, don't worry. She and Jim didn't go anywhere."

Link inwardly cursed the cruel moment before him. Finally dragging his eyes to meet Romani's, sighing. The sheer beauty of his life, next to the idea of it all being taken away by a man who wished to tear it down just for a reason unknown to him, it stabbed his heart and left him in anguish. The fiend named Shatterhand, from what little Link knew, could be the most dangerous, wicked, immoral, vile thing he may ever come across. Worse than the Garo Master, Majora, Ganondorf, or those witch sisters. The vague yet vivid impression he was granted of the man still lingered front and center.

"I-I'm sorry, honey. It's just-" Link eyed the plate on the table, then quickly returned his gaze to his wife. "I can't stop thinking about that... man. I have to- I need to find him, stop him, and make sure everything'll be alright. That sword is a pain, and I know there's no time to linger. The more I delay, the more I risk losing you, and I can't. I just- I just-"

Romani placed her index finger on Link's worried lips, shushing him gently. Even Jim rose from his seat and walked over to his friend. Together, the Bomber and the ranch woman hugged the hero in green, bending down to wrap their arms around him while he remained in his chair.

"I miss him," Link finally said, cowering within his friends.

It took the others a moment to determine what, or rather who, Link was talking about, but a quick survey of the scene brought the burning memory back with a vengeance. Their fourth piece, the imp that had been struck down in Hyrule. The culprit for his demise, the unruly shadow of Link, was long gone. However, his spectre still remained.

"We..." Jim muttered. "We miss him too."

"I can't lose you guys like I lost Skull Kid," Link said, feeling small. "Even though I let go... I can't fail like that again."

"You won't, Link! You've managed to win against worse odds, so I have faith. Right, Romani?" Jim's plucky demeanor had made a welcome return, forcing a smile to weakly creep onto Link's face.

"Absolutely. Grasshopper, while we won't be there to help you, remember that we're still here. We're alright," Romani looked down at her stomach, accentuating her maternal form for her husband. The act made Link blush, embarrassed that she'd do that in front of Jim.

"Th-Thank you, Firefly..." Link stammered, trying not to bring attention to Romani.

The trio looked back at their plates, realizing their food was getting cold. After another hug, Romani and Jim sat down and resumed eating, still giving Link comforting words as he only stared at his lunch. He tried to eat, stuffing some of the rice into his mouth and forcing a swallow, but it rested in the pit of his stomach miserably. His appetite was thoroughly botched, only an unpleasant feeling of nauseousness left.