A Boy and his Bunny

It might have been confusing to some that even with their warp magic capabilities that the Hyruleans did not rely on them for every trip past a certain distance, but even with as useful as warp spells were, it was equally important to know when to use them as it was how to use them. Warping at every opportunity might save time, but it cut down on being able to better explore the world at large, and in a place as dynamic as the Breach, one could truly miss out by always taking shortcuts. The four Hyruleans did still use warp spells quite frequently, and although Sheik was not quite as skilled at them as Impa was just yet, if the rain lasted past a certain point, he would be very set to activate one.

As it was though… cursed or not, it was nice to get to spend some more time in the forest, even if it was currently watching it from the cover of a cave. With a glance to Link at his note regarding the Song of Storms, Sheik smiled a little more before laughing softly himself. "That's very true… I'm just glad that most of the songs do still work here."

Regardless of the instrument that they were played on, be it the ocarina or lyre, it was comforting to know that many of the magical melodies from Hyrule as well as Termina did still have actual effects on the Breach. Whether it was fixing something damaged with Zelda's Lullaby, calling Epona with the song that bore her name, or warping to the graveyard with the Nocturne of Shadow, most of them acted exactly the same, and even though they had all four since come to think of the Breach as a second home, each song helped serve as another comfort from their homeworld.

"Well, at least it could help a little if we decided to play it," noted Sheik, thinking to himself that he would have to either play it on his lyre or return Link to his true form with some hot water. "It's all right, though… we can let this pass and return home one way or another." They had come this far already after all, splashes and everything.

"Yeah, so am I," said Link, nodding as he thought back to some of the most helpful times that the songs had worked here. Those had namely come in handy for fixing broken pots and other things around the inn, and of course every time that they warped to the Shadow Temple. Other warps were capable and really useful, but for that particular one, the Nocturne of Shadow worked perfectly.

There were of course some instances where an otherwise useful song would not do anything other than sound pretty, such as when they had attempted to play the Song of Healing to remove their curses. That had been a little disheartening even though they had each had their doubts about the curses being removed so easily, but at least they had later figured out it was primarily because of the differing worlds of the song and curses. The question still remained if they would have to find a cure from the world that the curses had originated from or if they would be able to make do with a strong source of magic regardless, such as that of a Great Fairy. To be perfectly honest, he hoped that it would be less complicated and that another source of powerful magic would be enough to help them, but no matter what it took, he was determined to do his best to find the clues to reversing these curses for good.

"It might only help a little, but at least we've got options." Frankly, Tatl was happy to go ahead and get rid of the rain or even warp back, but something about today made lingering about feel like the better decision. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but even with as much as she was looking forward to heading back, she wasn't in a hurry.

Link was glad that his remark about the Song of Storms had helped Sheik smile a little, but when the disguised prince continued, the Hero of Time couldn't help but think he heard something a little… wistful in his friend's voice. He knew that overall both of them were fine right now… he couldn't really describe how he knew, but he just… couldn't really down the feeling that he got on that. Still…

"Sheik?" Link asked, looking up to his friend and hoping that he wouldn't mind him openly checking on him so. "Are you all right?"

With a nod and soft smile to Tatl, Sheik continued to look out over the rainy forest for the time being. Even though it was pouring, it was still a very pretty area, and he was glad for just about every chance he got to visit it. It might not have been the Lost Woods, but between the similar parts of it pulled from Hyrule as well as the new, intriguing ones, it was practically always a wonderful place to explore. Even with less than expected arrivals in it such as the cursed springs themselves, he still enjoyed each chance he had to venture out this way.

As Link spoke his name, Sheik looked to his friend, just before widening his eyes slightly at his question. Had… had he accidentally sounded more down than he'd meant in his words, or was he simply letting his slight disappointment from the rain get to him? It wasn't anything major, but… he had to admit, whilst he was okay, there was definitely something troubling him. He could only put his finger on part of it though… part of it was definitely tied to the fact that they had been cursed for as long as they had and the splash today was just another reminder that they had not found a cure yet, but for the other…

Deep inside, past the current form his body had taken, he had to wonder… was she losing her confidence? She knew it was still there, but had the time they'd all had their curses taken a subconscious toll on her? Was she starting to take on more of a burden being concerned for her family than she already would have? Whether she was thinking too hard or not, she did at least know that it wasn't anything too serious, but now that Link had expressed his concern for her… she felt guilty at the fact that he'd been able to pick up on this. His perception might not have been quite as keen as hers, but he did have an uncanny knack for knowing when someone wasn't feeling well.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," said Sheik, managing to pull himself from his thoughts and nod to Link. Sighing a little as he brushed his bangs aside, his face took on a sheepish expression before he added, "I guess I'm just a little down because it's been three months to the day that we were cursed and we still haven't found a cure yet. I know that these aren't permanent and that they could be worse… I know we've all been over how we mind the involuntary nature of them more than we do the forms themselves. I guess… the month turnover just had me thinking more about it than I normally would."

Tatl raised a dubious wing at Link when he inquired as to if Sheik was okay. Sure, they'd both been caught in the rain to the point of transforming just before they could take cover, but… okay, so the disguised prince did sound the slightest bit down around his otherwise contemplative tone, but surely it was just a lingering side effect of their little bit of bad luck here. Still, she supposed it couldn't hurt to at least ask.

As Sheik widened his eyes somewhat at his question, Link felt a sudden twinge of guilt course through him, but a moment later after he answered and gave him a sheepish look, he felt a little better… good, just as he'd suspected, his friend was fine overall, even if something appeared to be on his mind. So long as he was all right for the most part, that was what mattered the most, but when the disguised prince mentioned just what was on his mind, Link couldn't help but widen his own eyes slightly. He knew that it had been roughly three months ago that they had been cursed, and sure enough, his best friend was right… to the day, that was just how long it had been, and although they had long since gained a better understanding of the curses and gotten even more skilled at contending with them, they were still no closer to finding a permanent cure. He knew it had to be out there somewhere, but none of their searching either in books or in the world itself had turned up any viable leads.

No, the curses weren't permanent and they certainly could be worse, but all the same… it would be really nice to have been cured by now. Even though they all had the chance to return to their true forms with hot water, it didn't help knowing that the next rogue splash would land any of the four of them right back into their cursed bodies.

Although the numbers of some days could be arbitrary, Link knew better than most how keeping track of the passage of time could lead to pondering over some things more than usual. The weeks leading up to this day had been no different than any other, but actually being able to nail down this day as being three months after that accident… he fully understood where Sheik was coming from. They were both fine, but bearing these curses could still be trying at times, and even with as benign as their transformation was today, it had still happened.

"That makes sense… I had thought about how it had been about that long too," noted Link with a nod to his friend. Hoping that he had the right words here, he added, "I'm sorry you're thinking more about it even if you didn't mean to… but I know what that's like. Even though we know we're not stuck like this forever, it can still get a little tiring sometimes. Sure, we can easily reverse the curses, but there's only so much control we have… it might not make us feel completely helpless, but it can wear you down. Believe me… I know exactly how you feel… it's already worn me down a couple of times since it first happened." Just like his friend, the Hero of Time was completely fine, but also just like him… here and there, their predicament did find him in the occasional moment of being a little down.

Although Sheik had not been counting the days since they had been cursed, considering the way that Link, Link, Impa, and he had to rely on calendars for business at the inn, it had been very easy to keep track of the time that had passed without even trying to focus on it too much. This latest day should not have struck him much more than the previous one did, but the disguised prince could not help but notice the fact that it was three months to the day since that fateful afternoon in the forest. He had not set out thinking that he and Link would definitely find clues to a cure, but a small part of him had still hoped for some luck on that front.

The entire experience thus far had definitely been something that the four Hyruleans had grown stronger and closer during, and for that much, Sheik was very grateful. Overall, it had been far more an interesting experience than a negative one, but from time to time, any of the four of them were hit with short bouts of wishing that the curses were gone. Most of the time, such a case of feeling down was very short-lived, but even so, those feelings still stuck. As it stood, whilst Sheik knew that any of them could turn to each other during such, he still felt a little bad that he had come under such a spell himself.

At Link's voiced empathy, Sheik nodded in agreement, and although he was not surprised at all to confirm that his best friend had also been worn down during the time they had been cursed – especially since the three kids only ever tried to hide said feelings a little – he still wished that he had not been affected in the same way. At least with this time as with they others, they were still there for each other.

Managing to smile a little, Sheik noted, "Yeah… you're exactly right. Even with our chances to temporarily reverse them, you can't help but feel a little powerless sometimes. I'm glad that they're not anything bad, and that we're all together in it, but all the same, I'm sorry it's worn you down too."

Although she was usually one of the first to help snap any of her friends out of bouts of thinking too hard, the curses had proven to be a different story for Tatl… for the most part, at least. After Link's time stuck in the body of a Deku Scrub and her own growing since then, she knew that some things were simply more difficult to contend with than they might have appeared on the outside. As benign as the curses were, they were still by their definition curses. It wasn't okay to dwell on them, but it was completely fine to think about them from time to time. Rainy days on their own could be good times for thinking, and that seemed to be just the case for the two Hylian kids here.

"I think it's fair that you thought over it more… the date coupled with the rain alone are good reasons for that. But just remember… neither of you are alone." Just so long as Sheik didn't worry too much, then the Terminian fairy was just fine for any of this…then again, while he was one to get concerned, Tatl knew that the disguised prince handled any such concerns in a reasonable way.

"Yeah," agreed Link, nodding to Tatl, before smiling softly to Sheik. "And it's all right, Sheik… I know you and Link were there to distract me before I could think too much on it." For all three of the kids especially, they had had their own spells of pondering the curses and wishing they were free of them, but even so, the sympathy for those times was just as appreciated now as the care was then. "We've all talked about them, we've all looked out for each other… and like we've each said, we'll get through this."

Link himself was not as troubled over his curse as he had been over his initial transformation into a Deku Scrub, but even so, he had been very grateful to have the support of his family during the past three months. In Termina, he had felt practically alone, as between Tatl's early coldness and seemingly familiar faces not recognizing him at all, those first three days had been three of the longest of his life. Here though… he had Sheik, Link, Impa, and all of the fairies. That same company was what had helped keep this experience as an interesting one, and even if they still had the curses for a little while longer, he knew that everything would be all right once they were cured as well as long after it.

Sheik gave Tatl a grateful nod at her reassurance. The Terminian fairy might have been very apt to be blunt, and her outspokenness could just as easily stun people as it could remind them of important things. From what the disguised prince had seen in his time here and even more what he had learned from Link's adventure in Termina, the pale yellow fairy had managed to grow quite a bit without truly changing who she was at the core.

"That's what friends are for," noted Sheik, nodding firmly and winking to Link. Around any of the kids' bouts of being a little down over the curses, they had been just as ready to sort things out as they were to think up a positive distraction. Various games and snacks had tended to be the best way to brighten any of their spirits, and Sheik was just glad that all three of them had managed to prove themselves quite effective at cheering each other up. He already knew that quite well, but it was always nice to see it in action.

Impa had been something of a different story as she rarely let the kids know when she herself had been thinking too hard about the curses… but even when they had the slightest inklings of such, a well-timed hug or surprise treat seemed to do just the trick for their Sheikah guardian. She might have been the strongest as well as the most experienced of the lot of them, but even with her being the oldest and the best guardian they could have ever asked for, they were all still set to do their part to look after her as well.

"We will… I know we will," agreed Sheik, just before holding out the back of his right hand towards Link. Already starting to feel a little better, he added, "It's been a strange and interesting ride so far, but we'll make it through this, and we'll keep forging good memories before and well and after then."

Link couldn't help but grin at Sheik's statement. He knew that each of them was there for the other no matter what, but he was always glad and grateful to have the disguised prince, the Hero of Winds, and the Sage of Shadow for his closest friends. They were close enough to be his family, and whilst he still missed his friends from Hyrule that had not found their way here, he was still beyond happy that they were here.

At Sheik's echoing of his own sentiment, Link nodded shortly before he caught the gesture from his friend. Readying the back of his left paw as best he could, Link bumped his fist against Sheik's, thinking to himself that Tri-Five was just what the two of them needed right now in addition to each other's company in this stop on their way home. "It has… and I couldn't agree more. It's been a little odd, and definitely very different, but we've got a lot more good memories than anything else from this." That much stood true even with ill-timed splashes or other bouts of bad luck around it. They had all found advantages with their cursed forms, and not even the involuntary changes could lessen the fun they had during any of their visits to the beach.

Around this nice moment for the disguised prince and rabbit, Tatl was glad to see the two of them starting to feel better from where they had first ducked into the cave. They helped make sure each other was just fine, and although it was not any different from any of the other times they were there for each other, she was still glad to see it. As it was, right now, she just hoped the rain would let up soon so they could continue the journey home. A nice, relaxing evening sounded like just the thing for all of the Hyruleans today.

Sheik smiled a little more at Link's words, and with a strong nod to his friend, he looked back out towards the mouth of the cave. The rain might have still been coming down, but he definitely felt quite a bit better from where his subconscious thoughts had started to creep up on him. As he had said when Link first asked him, he was fine… really, he was, but he could not help but get caught in a loop of thoughts thanks to the combination of the calendar date and sudden rainstorm. Even if Link and Tatl had not been here, he would have been all right, but their company was still greatly appreciated.

As it was, he was still set to wait out the heavier part of this summer storm with both of them. Whether the rain let up enough for them to continue back on foot or if it kept up enough for them to use a warp instead, he was still set to make the most of this afternoon.

With a relaxed sigh, Sheik scanned the sky for a moment before turning back to Link, offering, "I can go ahead and get a bottle of water to heat up now if you'd like."

Link returned Sheik's nod with one of his own before following the disguised prince's gaze out towards the forest. The rain did not appear to have gotten any heavier, but it did not seem as though it was going to let up just yet. At the very least, transformed or not, they had different options in order to return home. Personally, he hoped that they would be able to wait out the worst of the rain and make it back to the city in their true forms, especially for their stop to get dessert on their way back. He didn't mind staying as a rabbit if he had to, but he would really prefer to be a boy when they went to get their intended food items!

As a comfortable silence settled over the cave, Tatl contemplated offering to go scout ahead to see what the rain was doing past the forest, but a quick flash of lightning took care of that idea for her. She wasn't scared by any means, but she did not want to be out in a thunderstorm if she could help it.

A few moments later, at catching Sheik's glance and suggestion, Link smiled and nodded to his friend. "That would be great… thanks, Sheik." He had been fine to stay as a rabbit for a while longer if he had to, but since the disguised prince had offered to help him change back, he realized that he was definitely ready to go ahead and do just that now.

"Of course," stated Sheik as he returned Link's smile. "I've got a bottle of water right here." At that, the disguised prince reached behind his back, soon producing the aforementioned bottle from his Hyrulean storage space. Moving to uncork it, he soon held his left hand out under the bottle and took a deep breath, just before focusing some fire magic from his palm towards the water. Heating water up was slightly more complicated than creating a fireball, namely because of trying to make sure that the water did not get too hot to handle, but not only did Sheik already have a strong grasp of fire magic before he had been cursed, he had got quite a bit more practice with precision since that time. He knew that the water would probably be on the warm side, but hopefully it would still be comfortable enough for Link.

"All right, I think I've got it," said Sheik as he felt the glass start to warm up against his fingertips. Stopping the fire magic, he glanced back to his friend, added, "Here you go, Link."

At that, Sheik held the bottle out over the rabbit's head, making sure to carefully pour the water over him whilst keeping his hand high enough so that he would not hit Link in the head once he was a Hylian again.

Link watched as Sheik pulled out the bottle of water before raising his eyebrows slightly as the disguised prince moved to heat it up with fire magic. He knew very well that his best friend was skilled in magic, fire magic being just one of the types he could use, but it was still neat to see it in action, especially when it was focused so gently. To him, that was just as impressive as more complicated or even grander spells, albeit in its own way of course.

A few moments later, Sheik had finished getting the water warm, and with a nod to his friend, Link soon found the bottle over his head. With it set to be poured over him, he held his breath for a moment, just before he felt its sudden warmth cascade over him, instantly changing him back into his true form. With a relieved sigh and a quick shake of his head, he smiled at Sheik, noting, "Thanks again."

Thankfully, he was still in a comfortable sitting position next to the disguised prince, and he figured that the two of them could continue to rest here for a bit more. Although he still would have been fine to remain as a rabbit for a while longer, admittedly, it did feel rather nice to be himself once more.

Once Link changed back to himself, Sheik smiled as he moved to return the now empty bottle to his Hyrulean storage space. As ever, the transformation back to any of their true forms was just as instantaneous as the change into their cursed forms, but aside from the relief of turning back into themselves, that change also came with the added bonus of feeling at least slightly refreshed from the hot water. Granted, hot water poured over ones head was not the same as a rejuvenating shower or relaxing hot spring, but the temperature and the change it carried were still welcome.

"You're welcome," said Sheik with a nod. "I think that after being caught in the rain today, our showers this evening will be even better than usual."

The Hyruleans might have been more than used to being caught outside in any amount of rain or going swimming as part of their adventures, but even with their quick-drying nature, when they were able to get a hot bath, that was always a nice thing. The baths back in their home world were grand in their own way, but as nice as they were, in some respects, they could hardly compare to the cascading effects of a good shower.

"Definitely," agreed Link, chuckling a little as he thought about just how right his friend was. "I'm already looking forward to it!" Although Link, like many kids, had not been too fond of bathing when he was much younger, the older he got, the more he found that he enjoyed baths. Catching one when he could back in the Kokiri Forest had slowly shown him just how relaxing they could be, and once he had arrived on the Breach, the innovations such as hot and cold running water had only enhanced that for him. Baths or showers, he enjoyed them both now! Especially after a long day out!

Link glanced back out towards the rain for a few moments before he blinked, turning back to Sheik with a slightly puzzled expression. Much like himself, he knew that his friend was fine to stay in his, well… her cursed form even if she didn't have to at times, but he was a little curious as to why the disguised prince had not made a move to change back.

"Ah… Sheik? Are you going to change back too?"

Sheik's smile grew a touch at Link's shared sentiment regarding their showers. The four of them had all come to enjoy showers long before they had wound up being cursed, and even though the added bonus of helping make sure they returned to or remained in their true forms was certainly nice, the action was still just as rejuvenating as it had been all along. Until then though, he was once again grateful for the quick drying nature that all four Hyruleans possessed, and he was looking forward to the activities of the evening surrounding those showers.

At catching Link's glance and subsequent question, Sheik perked up slightly before his expression shifted to a sheepish one. He could certainly understand the curious inquiry. "Yeah, I am. I just… I'm fine to sit like this for a little longer. Hot water or not, I'd like to sit for a bit more before being splashed again." Pausing for a moment, the disguised prince sighed slightly and smiled a bit more before adding, "I guess I'm still sorting through those thoughts. I'm all right, really… settling."