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smilesrobotlover · 3 months

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Chapter 4- Being Different Ain’t a Bad Thing

Kori hopped around Kakariko with Rela leading the way. It was morning and Kori was excited to explore the village. Though he’d been there several times, there was always something new going on, particularly the clothes shop that just opened. The rest of the group dispersed, Beth and Colin were with Talo while they waited for Luda to get done with whatever she was doing, Malo was checking on his shop that had apparently been open for years, and his father and grandpa were looking for Renado. Kori wanted to talk to Renado and Luda, being some of his favorite people outside of Ordon, but since they were busy, Kori and Rela decided to check the stores. Despite Rela’s protests, he headed straight to the clothes store.

The sun in Kakariko was always strong, and it agitated Kori, so he was glad to be in some shade as he reached the door to the shop. But when he went to open it, it was locked. He frowned, trying a couple more times, but finally stopped. He looked at Rela who had her brows pinched in confusion as well.

“Maybe they’re still setting things up?” Rela suggested, and Kori shrugged.

“Maybe it’s too early in the morning for them,” he also suggested.

“Actually, no one’s here.”

The two kids looked up at Barnes who stared at the locked shop with a concerned look. Kori frowned and tilted his head.

“What do you mean?”

Barnes crossed his arms and pursed his lips. “The owner of this shop, Beverly I think her name was, isn’t here.”

“Where is she?”

“I dunno, she went to visit her parents in castle town and never came back.”

Rela gasped. “Why didn’t she come back? Is she ok?”

“I wish I knew. She apparently never showed up at castle town, her parents sent a letter to Renado askin’ about her. Some folks tried lookin’ for her in the field, but not even her carriage and horse were spotted. It’s almost as if she disappeared without a trace.”

Kori felt a chill go up his spine and he whimpered a bit. That was scary, that she left and never came back, just when she opened up her shop too!

“There’s somethin’ out in Hyrule field,” Barnes continued, staring at the entrance of Kakariko. “There’s been disappearances all throughout Hyrule, a few days after this lady disappeared, a Goron left for Zora’s domain and also never returned. Somethin’ is causin’ this, but what it is, I don’t know.”

Kori looked at Rela worried, who surprisingly didn’t look scared.

“It’s probably a bunch of monsters making a mess of things!!” She said, crossing her arms and resting her weight on one leg. “They’re probably bokoblins, I could wack them upside the head and save everyone!”

Barnes chuckled, and the two started chatting about it while Kori still stared at the entrance with unease. Was there really a monster out there taking people? His father didn’t seem too worried when they traveled here, running as fast as Epona could and splashing in water, but maybe he didn’t know about any of this.

He walked closer to the entrance so that he could see Hyrule field. There didn’t seem to be anything dangerous out there, but he felt unsettled at the thought of something hiding, waiting to grab him any second. He stared at the rocks around him and whimpered, backing up so he was around people. He didn’t want to get taken by a monster.

He spun around and walked quickly towards the village, staring at the ground until he bumped into someone. A woman spun around and glared at Kori, but then she took a step back, holding her basket of clothes protectively.

“Good goddesses!” She exclaimed, backing away from. “Get away from me you… you fiend!”

Kori looked around, shaking from fear now. Was she talking to him?

“I—I’m sorry—“

“Get away from me!” She yelled again, swatting her hand around violently, causing Kori to jump back, tears forming in his eyes.

“Hey! What’s your deal?”

Kori looked to see Barnes and Rela walking towards them, both looking upset.

“What’s my deal? This thing here just attacked me!”

Kori looked at her in shock. “I— I didn’t—“

Barnes stepped in front of Kori, blocking his vision. “Let’s get one thing straight, Kori is not a thing, he’s a little boy! And he didn’t attack you! I saw, he just bumped into you! I will not tolerate that type of language towards him!”

The woman scoffed, leaning over to see Kori, but Barnes moved so her vision was still blocked.

“Hey lady!” Rela started, “why don’t you just mind your own business and leave him alone!”

“Well he ran into me! I at least expect an apology!”

Kori stared hard at the ground, trying to control his emotions.

“I—I did— I did apologize,” he said quietly.

“Excuse me? Are you sassing me now?” She shrieked, causing Kori to flinch. He didn’t look at her though, he was too scared. “Look at me when I’m talking to you! If you want to be a human so bad, act like it, you freak!”

“That’s enough!” Barnes yelled, leading her away from him. “You, go continue on with your business!”

She huffed and looked back at the group. “If you keep letting creatures like him in here, more people will disappear! It’s only a matter of time!”

“Kori has been comin’ here longer than you have, I think I’ll take my chances,” Barnes said coolly, and the woman stormed off, almost ramming into Renado who looked concerned. He looked at Barnes, then at Kori, and from behind him, his grandpa and father emerged, and Kori couldn’t stop the tears from falling. He jogged over to his father and buried his face in legs.

“Oh Kori,” his father said softly, rubbing his back as he cried. He heard Rela storm past them and yell out a cuss word at the woman, being pulled back by Rusl.

“Thank you for handling that Barnes,” Renado said, and the man waved the thanks away.

“No one messes with the Ordon kids. Not on my watch anyways.”

Kori turned and looked at Barnes.

“T-thank you,” he mumbled, and Barnes ruffled his hair.

“You take care of yourself Kori. I’m gonna go back to my shop, but you folks let me know if you need anythin’. If ya want, I can give you one of my new types of bombs.”

Kori looked at his father who had both a small smile and an annoyed look on his face.

“Right, not old enough for bombs. Well, my shop is open so stop by if you need anythin’.”

“Of course, Barnes, thank you,” his father said.

“Happy birthday Kori,” Barnes muttered before walking away.

Renado watched him for a moment, then looked back at Kori, giving him a sad smile.

“I’m sorry that happened, Kori. There’s been some newcomers and… well… they’re not used to people who are different.”

Kori looked down, then walked over to Renado, giving him a hug. The man chuckled and rubbed his head.

“Do you want to go to the sanctuary? Luda is there and I’m sure she’d love to see you.”

Kori sniffed and nodded, clinging onto Renado as he walked to the sanctuary, with his father following closely behind.

He heard his dad and grandpa talking quietly, but there was a hint of anger in their voices. Rela walked on his other side, her hand resting on his back. He felt relieved when they got close to the sanctuary, glad to be out of the sun and away from strangers. They quickly headed inside, and the smell of cinnamon filled the air. There seemed to be one patient lying on a cot sleeping, but Luda, Beth, Colin, and Talo were all huddled in a corner on the opposite side. They all smiled when they entered, but they picked up on the tense energy, and Talo was at Kori’s side in seconds.

“What’s with the puffy eyes, kiddo?” He asked, and Kori shrugged silently.

“Oh, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Luda came up behind Talo.

“Um, I…” with all eyes on him, he shrunk back, and Renado nudged him towards them.

“Rela, go sit down with Kori,” he said, giving the others a look. As Kori sat down, he heard Renado explaining the situation to the others, and he just stared at the wall. His father sat on the other side from Rela, and he rubbed his back, which felt nice from what happened before.

The woman’s yelling wouldn’t leave his mind, her raised voice, her red face, the things she said, it all reminded Kori too much of Sera and Jaggle. He was no stranger to that type of behavior towards him, but it still hurt. Everyone came by where he was sitting after the quick explanation, giving him small hugs and words of affirmation.

“That sounded like Vanessa, she’s kind of a grump,” Luda said, giving him a tight squeeze.

“Oh I can think of a different word for her,” Talo grumbled, and Luda gave him a look.

“Not in front of the kids, Tal.”

Link chuckled and gave Kori a kiss on the head. “A big meanie is more like it.”

Kori gave a small smile. “She was a big meanie.”

Everyone chuckled.

“You know the things she said to you aren’t true, right?” Rela said in a soft and caring voice.

“Oh… yeah, yeah,” Kori said quickly, but her stare got more firm.

“Rela’s right, Kori,” his grandpa knelt in front of him. “You’re not a fiend, or a thing, or whatever she called you. You are Kori, a sweet kid who just turned ten and loves animals and soup!”

Kori smiled slightly, feeling his cheeks go warm from the attention. His father gave him a big squeeze.

“You’re my son, Kori. You always will be.”

“Yeah! I’m proud to have you as my nephew!” Rela cheered.

“Me too!” Colin said.

“And I’m proud to have you as my grandson,” his grandpa smiled.

“And I’m proud to have you as my favorite little guy!” Talo exclaimed, and the others agreed.

“They just don’t know you like we do, and we know that you’re amazing, Kori,” Luda reassured. Kori lowered his head, his face growing more and more warm. The group all huddled around him, giving him hugs and talking about how amazing he was.

“Oy.”

The group stopped their love-bombing and looked at the patient on the other side of the room.

“Don’t let that lady get you down, little man,” he said, pointing his finger at him.

Kori giggled and rubbed the back of his head.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Now, if you don’t mind, it’s a little loud in here and I’m trying to listen to Miss Luda’s instructions and sleep.”

“Oh!” Luda stood up and bowed. “Apologies, we’ll quiet down for you.”

The man waved her apology away and closed his eyes.

“We weren’t going to stay anyways,” Renado said, giving Kori’s father and grandfather a look. They both nodded and stood up.

“Woah, where are y’all going?” Talo asked.

“Boring adult stuff,” Rusl joked, “it’ll bore you to tears.”

“Uh, I am an adult. We’re all adults, except for Kori and Rela and Malo. Speaking of which, where is Malo?”

Rusl shrugged. “I never know where that kid is. Anyways, we’re gonna do top secret boring super adult stuff, so you kids have fun.”

Everyone waved and Kori’s father gave him a kiss on the head. “We’ll hang out tomorrow, ok? I love you son.”

“I love you too papa.”

He smiled and ruffled his hair, leaving the sanctuary with his grandpa and Renado. When they left, Talo sighed.

“Well, what do we do now?”

“We could look at the shops,” Beth suggested, “that’s why we’re here anyways.”

Kori looked down, he didn’t want to be out there, especially with that lady there. Even if it meant looking at the shops.

“Do you want to do that Kori?” Colin asked, picking up on his hesitation.

“I—I don’t… I don’t know.”

“Let’s go to the hot spring!” Rela shouted, causing Luda to shoot her a glare.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Luda said more quietly, gesturing to the sleeping patient. “That oughta help us relax!”

Kori looked down again, staring at his clasped hands.

“What is it, Kori?” His uncle asked.

“I don’t wanna see that lady again,” he mumbled.

“Don’t worry, Kori! I’ll protect you!” Talo said enthusiastically. “With me by your side, you’ll never feel unsafe again! I’ll give all your enemies a wham! And a pow! And a whack!”

Kori giggled as Talo pretended to be fighting someone, dramatically acting out being punched. Colin joined the pretend battle, both giving dramatic wails as one fell and acted as if he was hurt. Beth sat down next to Kori and rested her hand on his shoulder.

“We got your back, Kori,” she assured, and Kori smiled.

“Thank you. I’m… I’m glad you’re my friends,” he said, staring at his wringing hands.

“Aww,” Talo smiled at him and gestured to the door with his head. “Shall we find my dumb brother and hang out at the hot springs then?”

Kori smiled and nodded.

“Then let’s go!” Talo shouted, causing Luda to scold him, and the group laughed as they all clambered to the door, excited to relax in the hot spring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was dark inside the abandoned clothing shop, and dust caused Rusl to cough slightly.

“Goddesses, how long had she been gone?” He asked, waving the dust away from his face.

“A little over a week. I knew she was going to be gone for a while, so her not being here for a couple of days didn’t concern me,” Renado looked around, a worried expression on his face, “but the letter from her parents did.” He sighed sadly, staring at all the clothes left on dummies and table tops. “She was going to officially open it two days ago, everyone’s been looking forward to it.”

Rusl looked sadly at the store. It was a cute little shop, with purple walls and colorful fabrics all over it. Clearly she worked hard at achieving this dream, and it made Rusl want to find her even faster. Renado let out a sigh and turned to the two men.

“I suppose I’ll leave you two be, I’ll be sure to report whatever you find to Sheik, I know how much he likes things written down,” he said, heading to the door. “Do let me know if you need anything.”

Rusl smiled and nodded at his old friend. He shut the door gently, and Rusl turned to his son, who was fiddling with what he called a shadow crystal. Apparently it was how he was able to turn into a wolf, despite twilight no longer existing in Hyrule.

“Alright, go crazy,” he said, and Link unwrapped it, darkness encasing him as he went on all fours. Rusl took a step back, watching him with awe. He rarely saw him as a wolf, but the fact that he was able to do it was incredible to him. Link sniffed around the store, occasionally knocking over a box or two, and Rusl groaned. “Hey, try not to make a mess, alright?”

Link gave Rusl a look, and he almost snorted. The expressions he had as a wolf were admittedly hilarious. Link sniffed around for a while until he concentrated on a spot, and he jumped, looking around frantically.

“What is it? Did you find her scent?”

Link made a noise which Rusl assumed was “yes”, and he jumped onto a table pushing a window open.

“Woah, woah Link, what are you doing?” He ran over to his son who was sticking his head out the window. “People are gonna see you! Can’t you just turn back into a human and then go hunting for her?”

Link gave him a look and he jumped out the window, hanging onto a windowsill and climbing onto the roof. Rusl groaned and followed him.

Link stayed near the rocky walls surrounding the village, being careful as to not be spotted, meanwhile Rusl did everything he could to block everyone’s view from his son. Luckily no one seemed to notice the man and the wolf on top of the roof, all except Renado and Barnes who looked at them weirdly. Rusl forced a smile and waved at the two casually, then returned to his investigation. When they reached the end, Link hopped down and hid behind the house, looking for an opening to run to the entrance. Rusl hopped down behind him, and Link was already sprinting towards the entrance.

“Link!” He hissed after him, but he was hidden behind the rocky walls. Rusl groaned and jogged where he went. He was patiently waiting for Rusl behind a rock, and when he took off running again, Rusl wished he grabbed his horse. They were running across the big field where bulblins used to roam, and Link was traveling on the path to Hyrule castle, but he stopped abruptly past a pond, right before the bridge to Castle Town. He sniffed for a moment, then turned and ran for the Bridge of Eldin.

“Ah, Link,” Rusl panted, catching his breath before running after him. As he ran, the field looked normal for there being so many disappearances. There weren’t any scuff marks, any signs of struggles, and no debris and lost belongings. But the new path Link was taking was strange. If she was heading to Castle Town, then why was her scent taking them to the Bridge of Eldin? The two crossed the bridge to Rusl’s surprise, Link turning sharply when they reached the end, but when Rusl caught up to him, he was sniffing around frantically, spinning around and eyeing the field in front of him. Rusl frowned at his reaction. They were near a cliff side, tucked away behind the bridge, but there was nothing here. He got a sinking feeling as Link sat down, letting out a huff.

“Link? What is it?”

His son was surrounded by darkness, and his Hylian form started to stand up, his face twisted in confusion.

“The scent ends here.”

Rusl frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Like, it ends here. It doesn’t continue.”

Rusl looked down, dread resting in his stomach. “Is she… is she dead?”

Link shrugged. “I don’t know. If she was, I would've still been able to smell her.”

“I’m confused.”

Link let out a frustrated sigh and gestured to the cliff in front of him. “It’s hard to explain, but as a wolf, I can almost see smell, if she was buried under ground, I would’ve been able to see the scent go underground. If she went over the cliff, I would’ve been able to see the scent over the cliff. But that’s not what happened here, the scent just ends. It doesn’t go anywhere. Almost as if she…” Link trailed off, staring at the ground.

“What?”

Link pursed his lips. “Almost as if she doesn’t exist anymore.”

Rusl stood there staring at him, and Link let out a bitter laugh.

“I don’t know, pa. I know this is weird but that’s all I can really explain.”

Rusl sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Alright, alright. Did you happen to… lose the scent?”

“I mean,” Link huffed, “it doesn’t feel like it. It ends too abruptly.”

Rusl pursed his lips. “Maybe whatever took her hid her scent or something? Is there a new scent?”

“There’s a lot of scents, pa.”

“Ok, maybe you just lost the scent or something, let’s head back and tell Renado what happened before it gets dark, ok?”

Link sighed and nodded, heading towards the bridge.

“And Link?”

His son turned around and looked at Rusl intently.

“Let me get my horse next time? You’re a little too fast for me.”

He grinned and rolled his eyes, turning again towards the bridge and walking to Kakariko, which Rusl was grateful for. He may be well fit and could run well, but age had started to catch up to him, and Kori constantly ramming into his knees certainly didn’t help.

It was almost surreal being in Hyrule field with no monsters looking to attack them. Sure, there were a few, but they kept their distance from the two men as they walked on the trail. He remembered days of constantly shooting and fighting monsters that ambushed him, with it only getting worse with the twilight invasion. But it all slowly went away with time, with peace actually feeling possible to Rusl. Well, almost possible. There was still the missing people situation.

The sun was beginning to set when they came back to Kakariko, and Renado looked relieved when he saw them.

“I was starting to get worried,” he said. “I saw you on the roof and then you were both gone. What happened?”

Rusl gave Link a look who pursed his lips.

“I’m… not sure.”

Renado looked at Rusl confused and he shrugged. “We’ll explain it to you inside. Where’s the kids?”

Renado gestured to the horse stable with his head, and Rusl grinned. “Taking care of the horses huh?”

“They love doing it.”

The two men laughed, and Link stepped up, a more serious look on his face.

“How’s Kori?”

Renado looked at him, then back at the stable. “From what I’ve seen, he’s been having a lot of fun.”

Link smiled slightly, and he headed for the stables where his son was. Rusl stayed back and talked to Renado for a bit, then the large group of kids exited the horse stable. The group all went and got supper, relaxing from what seemed to be an eventful day for the kids. Rusl was grateful for the break, the running across Hyrule field took him out, and before he knew it, he and Link were fast asleep after they ate.

They both woke up early in the morning as everyone else stayed asleep, and Link gave him a teasing smile.

“Did all that running tire you out, old man?”

“Oh hush up, it got to you too.”

“Not as bad as you,” Link sighed and stared at the ceiling. “We’ll just have more running today.”

“No, you will have more running. I’ll be on my horse.”

Link grinned and got up, staring at his sleeping son with love in his eyes. He stooped down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

“You have a good day, Kori,” he whispered, and got his boots on. “We should beat the crowd if we leave right now.”

Rusl gave him a nod and got ready himself. The sky was a beautiful lavender color when they started climbing death mountain, turning darker from the smoke the volcano emitted. The climb up the mountain was anything but pleasant, but he was relieved when they found the chief by the hot springs, not having to climb anymore. Link spoke to him about the missing Goron, and after being given an item, they took off once again.

Unfortunately, their investigation of the missing Goron ended the same as the missing woman. Link would turn into a wolf, smell the scent off an item, then take a path that made sense to Rusl. They were on their way to Zora’s domain (thankfully Rusl had his horse this time around) and then the path once again took a strange turn away from the destination, and then the scent ended, according to Link. It all became more and more baffling to Rusl, and it began to freak him out just a bit. But he still tried to make sense of it. Though Link’s wolf abilities were incredible, they weren’t perfect, and there was a good chance that he simply lost the scent, or it was replaced. That had to be it.

After heading back to Kakariko and explaining the situation to the Goron chief and Renado, they decided to finally rest and spend the rest of the day with the kids. Kori grew impatient and wanted to go to the toy store to finally get his gift, and Link happily obliged. But Rusl couldn’t help but notice Kori’s gaze on the clothes shop, a somber look on his face.

“So where did you and Link go?” Colin asked while Link and Kori headed inside, leaving the rest to loiter outside.

“Oh, we uh…” Rusl got close and kept his voice low. “There’s been some disappearances and the resistance is trying to look for clues.”

Colin’s eyes widened and he nodded. Not many people knew about the resistance, but Colin was one of the few who knew. Being his own son, Rusl trusted him with such a secret.

“Did you… find anything?” Colin asked after a moment of silence, worry apparent on his face.

“No, we didn’t find anything. No tracks, no lost items, nothing. Even Link’s wolf senses couldn’t find anything.”

Colin frowned and glanced at Rela, who was sneaking up behind a cuccoo.

“Try to keep this to yourself, I don’t want to scare anyone,” Rusl said, and Colin snorted.

“Well Barnes told Rela and Colin about the disappearances so…”

Rusl scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Of course he did.”

Colin smiled and chuckled a little. “He doesn’t think about that type of stuff. But don’t worry, the secret is safe with me.”

Rusl smiled and gave him a little squeeze. “I know it is.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Link watched as Kori looked around the shop, the shopkeepers watching him with pleasant looks in their eyes. They were a couple, relatively new to Kakariko, but they’ve seen Kori enough times to grow fond of him.

“What’s the occasion?” The woman behind the counter asked as Kori excitedly looked at the new line of toys.

“It was his birthday a couple of days ago,” Link said, ruffling his hair as he eyed toy soldiers. “He gets a new gift for making it to ten years!”

“Oh my!” The man who was her husband exclaimed, setting down a crate of toys next to an empty shelf. “That’s a big deal!”

“Well happy birthday young one,” the one behind the counter said with a smile. “Why don’t we give you a thirty percent discount just for that!”

Link looked at her in shock. “Oh you— you don’t have to do that!”

“No, we insist! It’s a special occasion!” Her husband said excitedly. “You’re always so well behaved anyways!”

Kori glanced at Link, excitement apparent on his face, but not quite understanding what a discount was. Link smiled and looked at the two shopkeepers.

“Y’all are awfully sweet, thank you.”

The two grinned at him as Kori gently played with the different toys. He made small talk with the two shopkeepers until Kori finally ran up to Link, clutching a cat stuffed animal in his arms, a big toothy grin on his face.

“A stuffed animal? You already have Billy the Goat!” Link said lightheartedly, and Kori frowned.

“But… he needs a friend!”

“Don’t you want a different type of toy? A toy Gramma can’t make on her own?”

“But, but I want Jasper!” Kori cried.

“Jasper?”

“Jasper the cat!”

Link, stared at him for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh. “Oh, alright, but only since you already named it.”

Kori squealed with glee and hugged Jasper as Link paid for the new toy. He once again thanked the kind shopkeepers and they started to head to the door.

“Is that a good enough toy for the big ten years?” He asked as he rested his hand on the handle, and Kori’s gaze turned blank.

“Well, I think I want one more thing,” he muttered, hugging the cat plushie to his chest. Link tilted his head.

“What could that be?”

Kori pursed his lips and glanced at the wall, a worried look on his face. “I want the missing people to come back home, like that lady who owns the clothing shop. I want her home safely.”

Link’s eyes widened, his concern and desire for such a thing at his age shocking him. He smiled and ruffled his hair. “Is it ‘cause you want the stuff from her store?” He teased slightly, and Kori looked up at him.

“No! I’m just… if I was her family, I would be sad that she’s gone. If you or mommy disappeared… I’d be really sad, and scared.”

Link’s teasing manner dropped immediately, and he pulled him close.

“Oh Kori,” He muttered, “you sweet thing.” He hugged him for a moment, frowning at the wall. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that Kori… But I’ll do my best.”

Kori pouted slightly and buried his face in Link’s leg, and the two left the shop with the new birthday present in his arms.

#love at twilight #midlink #Kori #legend of Zelda #twilight princess #smiles writes #yay update!!!!#Kori makes me so soft #poor baby :(((#he doesn’t deserve any of that yelling #I wanna kiss him on the head #I’m excited for the next update hehe 😈#it’s still not finished #the dialogue has been physically killing me #but I’m almost done 😭😭😭

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