Apocalypse Here...

Airas was rolling with laughter, "I--AHAHAHAHA--know it's so--AHAHAHAHAH--funny!"

Tara looked from the Kokiri to the Hylians, and back. "I must've missed something..."

Scy nodded, giggling helplessly.

Airas began to cough from laughing so hard..."Can't you just...just picture it! Hahahah!"

THen she made a face. "Ewwww!"

Scy covered her face with her hands. "Make it stop! Hahaha!!!!"

Airas finally got a grip. "Okay...haha...I'm good..."

"That's debatable..." Scypher managed to sit up, gulping deep breaths. "Okay...heh. Now, then...heheh..."

Zelda cocked an eyebrow. "And just what is so funny?"


Airas began to giggle again.

"Nothing...nothing..." Scy bit her fist, trying not to laugh.

Link studied them for a moment, before turning pink. He understood what they thought.

"Umm...Scy? Airas?" he said nervously, "I can assure you that what you're thinking...is not...well I mean.."

"M-hm...It's okay, buddy. We won't tell." Scy coughed, wiping tears from her face.

Zelda looked doubtful. "What are you talking about?" she said to the Kokiri.

"Nothing serious. Nothing at all." Scypher climbed to her feet, a look of amusement on her features. "So...that turned out quite well. No more flaming breaths..."

Tara nodded. "I noticed that we were all a bit calmer..." She glanced at the wagon where Iko lay immobile. "Now, the next problem..."

"And we do mean 'problem'" Link said heavily. "What are we going to do with her?"

Zelda tossed Tara and Scy a wry smile, before addressing the problem at hand. "Any ideas?"

Airas waved an arm in the air. "I could try my powers out on her!" she suggested.

"And be stuck with one of the world's greater evils? I think not." Tara sat on the ground, sighing.

"We could always drop her off the bridge..."

"SCY?!"

"What?"

"We could strap her to a rabid Moblin and drop IT off the bridge..."

[Kiara is back, btw. 'Nother topic]

Vaati, Kiara, Link, Zelda, and Aqua [yeah, her too] stared at the Kokiri, visibly alarmed.

Airas blinked. "...A very small Moblin...and a short bridge...?"

{{Vaati's here, too?}}

Tara sighed. "I want her to be gone, but I can't stand killing anything without a good cause..."

"Why do you hate her so much?" Scy blinked at the Wyndryder. "I mean, I get that she tried to hurt Zelda and Link and you, but..."

[[He fades into the background, poor dear. Not good with crowds. Showed up with Kiara. Wants to keep an eye on her, but doesn't like groups.]]

Airas frowned, "Yeah...I've wondered that myself...what happened back there?"

Tara was silent for a full minute, clearly fighting with herself. When she regained herself, she sighed and raised her head. "It's a long story, and not a happy one at that. I'll tell you, but only if you promise..." She swallowed. "Promise never to speak of it to anyone. Ever."

Scy nodded slowly. "I won't say a word."

"I promise!" Link, Zelda, and Airas practically said together.

Kiara and Aqua exchanged glances, before nodding. Vaati gave no indication of having heard her.

Tara blinked, leaning back as best she could without falling over. "I used to live in the mountain range around Goron City...we were the Eastern Clan, Clan Cirrus...I had just reached my turning, my coming of age. The tradition is...was...each new Clanmember must stay one night alone...I was serving my vigil..." She dipped her head, breathing deeply. Scypher stooped and put a hand on her knee, comforting her.

"I was serving my vigil, spending the night above the Falls...but something told me that I had to go back home...back to my clan..."

Zelda sat down beside Tara, tilting her head to look at her.

"I--I couldn't go back...I couldn't! It was unheard of to return in the middle of one's vigil...I ignored the cries, I told myself that they were just the delirious thoughts.of a weary mind...But I never slept...I wondered if I should go back...So I did."

Here she paused, her body shaking with sobs she wouldn't let escape. "I came home...too late...That--that beast in there had already arrived at the Clan and wreaked her havoc...When I came home she posed as one of my friends..." Tears now flowed freely down her face, making dusty puffs on the ground. "One of my closest...friends...She twisted my mind, and I ended up doing something that I can never forgive myself for..."

Scy bowed her head, figuring out what Iko had made her do. "You...she made you--"

"I killed him! I thought that he was the wrongdoer, that he destroyed my Clan..." She sobbed openly into her hands, her body wracked with sobs. "I killed him..."

{{There. I spoiled it for you. Happy now?}}
{{*goes off to pout*}}

[[Muy]]

Airas quickly rushed to Tara, throwing her arms about her and rocking her gently. Zelda patted her awkwardly on the back, and Link looked on in growing sympathy.

Kiara felt something stir deep within her, her heart lurching, wanting to reach out and comfort Tara, but not knowing how.

Aqua simply watched, analyzing, silent.

Vaati did likewise.

Alena could feel the sadness welling up in her eyes, almost in the form of tears, but she couldn't let them loose.

"Tara..I'm so sorry.." she said, giving her a gentle hug over Airas.

"Oh brother...." Keahi mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Tara's tears slowly died away, and she sat there in the comforting pile of her friends. "So...there you are. Now you know why I hate her, and why I want her gone."

Scypher blinked sadly at Kael. "She's lost someone close, too..."