Chapter Text
The portal was disorienting, and Wind stumbled once he came out, leaning on Spirit for support. Spirit's face was a bit pale, but he seemed otherwise unaffected. Good. That was very good. Spirit still seemed concerned though, although he supposed that was to be expected, wasn't it?
"Are you ok?" Spirit asked. "You look dizzy."
Wind just nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Portals are just… nauseating."
Spirit nodded back. "That's fair, I felt a bit dizzy for a moment too."
It wasn't just dizziness, not really (it felt a little more like the blend-y feeling from last night), but Wind wasn't about to correct him. No need to draw anymore attention to himself than needed.
What was nice though, was that Wind retained full body control this time. Of course, it made sense; he had been the only one sailing when they went through, unlike last time, where he had been sailing with Evelyn. So there wasn't any worthwhile risk. Well, aside from monsters.
"Does anyone recognize this era?" Warriors called out, which made Wind stop and observe his surroundings.
A boundless sea stretched out before him, and the cries of seagulls could be heard all around. Some bomb flowers were nearby, waiting to be thrown, and this place (island. It was an island) had clearly faced a bit of destruction before. Some narrow cliffs were there as well. Wind gasped. He knew this era. He knew this era! Wind would have to be foolish, after all, to not. A very dear friend was on this island, after all, as well as yet another friend. A Sage resided here, attending to Valoo. So yes, Wind recognized it.
"It's mine," he informed everyone, smiling. "We're on Dragon Roost Island. If we can get a boat, I can get us to Outset in no time! Or, wait, hang on." Wind dug through his pouch, looking for a very specific Charm of his. He wasn't sure where it had ended up. Cyclos knew who'd had it last, really.
"Ah-ha!" He cheered, pulling out his Pirate's Charm and beginning to communicate. "Hey, Captain, I'm back. I'm over at Dragon Roost. Do you mind picking me and my crew up?"
After a moment, she replied. "Well, I guess I can, but you better tell me what you've been up to since your last visit. When did you even get a crew, anyway? Or are you referring to those friends of yours?"
"Doesn't matter, but thank you, Captain! How long until you get here, though?"
"Well, if we try, probably a day or so. I hope you and your crew can handle yourselves until then,"
Wind nodded. "We can, don't worry. Captain Link's with us, so we're good."
There was a pause for a moment. "Captain Link, huh? Well, tell him I said hi."
"Aye aye, Captain!" Wind replied, putting the Charm away.
He smiled, looking at the others, especially Spirit. "You're going to love this place, trust me."
Spirit nodded. "Well, I'd hope so. We're in Old Hyrule, right?"
Wind almost choked on air, there. He felt Tune's curious presence come up to the wheel, wondering what the commotion was about. Was his reaction really that obvious?
"Uh— no. Old Hyrule was destroyed by the King. We're currently in the Great Sea, oh, and don't ever drink the water, and keep swimming to a minimum. Water's toxic."
Wild frowned. "It is? Why?"
Wind shrugged. "It's always been like that, so I can't say, sorry."
"Eh, I was just wondering," Wild replied.
"Now," Wind said, addressing the rest of the Chain, "we're going to go meet my era's Rito. Spirit, you're going to go meet Medli with me. Got it?"
The Chain nodded. Good. However, he didn't trust Wild… Ah, well, that wasn't his problem, even if it was his circus…
So, Wind led everyone to where the Rito resided. It was so nice, seeing them again, talking to everyone…
"Say, how's Prince Komali?" Wind asked.
"Same old, same old," the Rito replied. "He's missed you, you know."
Wind felt a bit guilty. "Ah, yeah… I'll go speak to him then. Do you know where he is?"
"In his room,"
So, dragging Spirit right behind him, Wind ran to go say hi to the Rito prince yet again.
"Komali!" He called out. "I'm back, and I have a new friend!"
Komali looked up to see Spirit, then frowned. "He looks just like you…"
Wind chuckled. "I know, right? He's like, a carbon copy of me, or something! He's really good, too. Have you seen him on a train?"
"A train? What's that?"
Spirit then eagerly launched into an explanation, complete with the materials trains were made of, their functioning, etc. It was adorable, if Wind was being honest.
"That's nice," Komali said in reply. "Do you think I can operate one one day?"
Spirit thought for a bit, then nodded. "I'm sure you can, yeah! Just make sure to be responsible and learn safety regulations."
Wind was pretty sure that Komali would be dead by the time trains were invented, but he wasn't a party pooper, so he kept to himself. As the two walked away, Wind asked a question he'd been wondering for a while.
"Say, how old are you?" Wind asked.
"Thirteen," Spirit replied, nervous. "Why?"
Wind gasped, excited. "No way! We're the same age!"
Spirit was… bewildered. Wind guessed that that was to be expected though. From what he could tell, he was seen as a big deal in New Hyrule— kind of like Time on Outset Island— so shock was reasonable.
"R-Really?" Spirit managed to say. Wind just nodded in response.
"Mhm! We've gotta tell the others, come on!"
"We don't even know where they are though, do we?" Spirit had a point. Well, they could just wait for them to turn in for the night, then!
"Well, that means we have time," Wind told Spirit, a mischievious glint in his eyes. "Maybe we can prank them? You and I are pretty alike, after all."
So the two agreed on swapping clothes. The idea was that they'd try and fool the Chain into thinking that they were each other. Wind honestly doubted that Time or Warriors would be fooled for long, but everyone else? They were absolutely fair game.
After changing, the two boys waited for the Chain to arrive. Sure enough, the rest of the Chain came after a bit. This was perfect.
"Time!" Spirit called out. "I was wondering when you'd arrive." Alright, alright, good enough.
Wind just nodded.
Twilight frowned. "Are you ok, sailor? You're acting weird again."
Spirit nodded quickly— too quickly, in fact— and smiled. "Yeah, it's just that I'm really excited to be home, that's all."
Warriors groaned. Yup, he definitely saw through their acts. Now, how long until he told on them was the real question.
As it turned out, not long, as Warriors spoke up right then and there. "Sailor, Spirit, can you two please get back into your normal clothes?"
Wind pouted. "Well, you're no fun! You just can't understand the art of pranks."
"After the War, I am very acquainted with the 'art of pranks'."
"Oh yeah, did you ever manage to get that Chuchu jelly out of your boots?"
"Not relevant."
"Hah! You didn't, did you?"
"I said: not relevant."
After that, the rest of the night went on as nights usually did. However, since this was an island Wind had told the others was safe, there were no watches. Everyone just got as comfortable as possible and slept.
Wind woke up early the next morning, going to wait by the shore for Tetra's ship. If his math served right, she would be there soon. He couldn't wait to see her again. However, he didn't notice that Spirit followed him there. Not until Wind was settled down, and Spirit spoke.
"Um, Wind?"
Wind flinched. "Where did you come from?!" He asked.
"I followed you," Spirit admitted, looking sheepish. "Sorry."
Wind shook his head. "No, it's fine."
The two sat there in silence for a moment, just listening to the waves, before Wind spoke up again.
"Say, do you have anything you want to talk about?" Wind asked, curious. To his surprise, Spirit nodded.
"Yeah. I was just wondering… Um…"
"Well? What is it?"
"Am… am I a good successor? I made you guys scared of me earlier, after all, and—"
Wind's heart ached. Did Spirit really feel that he wasn't good enough? Even though he was one of the coolest people Wind had ever met, second to only Captain Link and the Hero of Time? Really?
Wind shook his head, taking a deep breath. "That's not your fault." He assured him. "We were just on-edge from when we went to Four's era. I don't know the full details, though…"
Spirit just stood there, looking like he didn't know what to think. "Oh."
"Mhm. I think you're a brilliant successor, honestly, and I wouldn't pick anyone else to be New Hyrule's hero."
"Really?" Spirit asked. Wind just nodded.
"Really. Now, come on, how about I tell you about the stars?"
Spirit was intrigued. "You know stuff about them?"
Wind laughed. "Well, I'm a sailor! It'd do me no good to not know the stars. I can even show you my star chart later, if you'd like?"
Spirit nodded. "I'd like that, thank you."
The two spent the rest of the night chatting away about things they knew and liked, until eventually they fell asleep. They were waken up by someone shaking them.
"One more minute…" Wind mumbled.
"Oh come on, Link! That's not any way to treat your captain!" At that, Wind's eyes snapped open, and he stood up instantly.
"Tetra!"
She scoffed. "Yes, it's me. Now, you have a crew to get to, don't you? Go get them. I'll go help your friend here."
Wind nodded. "Aye aye, ma'am!"
Wind ran back to where the rest of the Chain was staying, and after explaining that Tetra was here, everyone was on the move. Wind assured them that the trip to Outset Island would take no time at all, not with a Ballad he knew.
The group boarded the ship, and Tetra approached Wind, aiming to learn what had happened since he'd last been in the era.
Eventually, Wind noticed that Legend had promptly hidden himself in the corner, and that some of the others were glancing out at sea, waiting for Outset to appear. He took out the Wind Waker, looking at Tetra for permission. She rolled her eyes and sighed in response.
"Go ahead." She told him, waving for him to get on with it.
Excitement probably all too obvious in his eyes, Wind waved the baton in a familiar melody.
Down, right, left, up…
"To Outset!" He cried, catching the attention of more than a few people. They didn't have time to ask what that was about though, because a cyclone came and took the ship, spinning it round and round as it went to Wind's home. Just as quickly as it started though, it ended.
"We're here!" He told the others, bouncing up and down. "This is my home! Come on!"
Before he ran off though, he went up to Tetra. "Thank you." He told her.
Tetra rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it."
Wind nodded, going to catch up to Spirit. Oh, he was going to love this place. At least, Wind hoped he would.
"Welcome to my home," he told Spirit, a smile on his face. "Now, let's go meet my grandma!"
He couldn't wait for his grandma to meet their newest member, really. She'd love him, that was for sure, and Wind couldn't blame her. After all, his successor was a truly nice person. They only wished that they'd trusted him with their secret sooner.