#shadow four

Unfortunately, he was pretty sure that the hundreds of restless souls currently screaming at him would somehow find a way to contact him regardless of whether or not he could hear them. 

“Gotta migraine,” Wind grumbled simply, not looking up. He could feel the vibrations of Hyrule’s voice as they said something to the others that Wind didn’t quite catch. 

“Do you need something to drink?” Warriors asked, no doubt catching sight of the empty coffee cup sitting around Wind’s slumped form. “I can go grab something else for you. If you’ve got a headache, you need to keep yourself hydrated.”

“More,” Wind agreed, insistently pushing his empty cup away from himself. Warriors stood from the table and disappeared from Wind’s senses. Wind didn’t know whether he was going to find the waitress or what, but honestly didn’t care as long as he got his coffee. 

“What are we talking about?” asked Legend, appearing from nowhere, and taking Warrior’s now empty seat as Four and Twilight also approached. That was nearly everyone then. The only ones not present were Sky and Wild. 

Though Wind was fairly certain Wild was around somewhere, just not in they’re corporeal form. Most likely, they were already headed to cause trouble in the cafe’s kitchen. Even with a friend in need, Wild couldn’t help their nature. Poltergeists were creatures of chaos, after all. That, and Wind wasn’t sure Wild was capable of keeping themselves out of a kitchen if there was one available.

(Wind much preferred the harmless chaos Wild made to the thoughtless shrieks and wails that ghosts repeat mindlessly. Poltergeists were much better than the ghosts that tormented Wind.)

The sounds of Hyrule replying were muffled as the entire world narrowed down to the feeling of Wind’s stomach rebelling against him. Even with his eyes squeezed tight and hidden behind the dark sunglasses he wore, the world still seemed to spin and tilt.

The sound of Legend’s snarky voice managed to cut through the haze in his head, making Wind wince. Another chair was pulled out from the table, so Wind knew that Sky had finally arrived.

Well, that and the fact that the ghosts around him instantly quieted in the newcomer’s presence. For some reason, Ghosts instinctually didn’t like to hang around Demons. It didn’t scare all of them off, but Wind always found it a relief to be around the Demon when things like this happened.

It wasn’t always like this. Usually, the ghosts that lingered in any particular area were manageable. Sometimes, though, the ghosts just piled up, one after another. They realized Wind could hear them, see them, acknowledge them. And of course the more ghosts there were, the more that noticed the mob and joined in. The best thing to do for situations like these was simply ignore the ghosts, and they would leave when they realized they would find no help from Wind.

Not that the strategy of “wait for them to leave” was always effective, as demonstrated now. Sometimes they just refused to leave.

He honestly didn’t know whether he preferred to be alone or in the presence of other people during times like these. On one hand, Sky came with a temporary relief. If he was home, the comfort of his Granny and Arryl- who both understood the feeling of being tormented by spirits, as they were Psychics themselves- was sometimes enough to soothe him. On the other hand, being around people meant talking. 

Wind hated talking at times like these.

He sighed miserably as the others filled Sky in on what was going on. He knew they were trying to be as quiet as they could, but every noise grated on his senses regardless.

Warriors returned, setting another drink down in front of Wind, who immediately began sipping it slowly. He would chug it, but he didn't think his stomach could stand that right now.

This stuff was like the nectar of the Gods. 

(You might think that was a literal phrase, considering how Time chugged the stuff, but right now, Wind could hardly care less.)

Nothing more was said, at least that Wind could make out.

Very slowly, Wind relaxed. The screams were quieter now, almost quiet enough for Wind to be able to ignore them. Faintly, he could make out strains of a quiet song being hummed. Probably Legend, trying to subtly soothe Wind with his siren’s song. Again, much like Hyrule’s magic, it was appreciated, but ultimately not actually useful in this situation.

It was almost peaceful. His eyes were shut tightly to block out the sight of any unsavory-looking spirits. Some of them could be horribly gruesome. He could imagine he was somewhere peaceful, not an unnaturally crowded cafe, surrounded by well-meaning people who didn’t understand.

Then a shriek tears through Wind’s tense peace.

”Look at me, why won’t you look at ME, don’t forget about me, please, PLEASE!” A voice howled right next to his ear. Wind whimpered, curling around himself, not caring who was watching him. He knew better than to look at the spirit calling out to him. Not only would it’s likely gruesome appearance upset his stomach more, but giving them attention only ever made it worse. 

His reaction in response to the yell already made it worse, though. Every spirit crammed into the small cafe started screaming again, uncaring about the demon sitting next to Wind, not now they had finally gotten a reaction out of him. The world was tilting violently again, and it wasn’t stopping.

“Wind?” Someone enquired. 

“Bathroom,” he gagged and stumbled up from the table. 

By some miracle of luck, he managed to find his way to the bathroom. He barely made it to the nearest stall before everything he’d eaten today was violently expelled from his body. 

Wind barely noticed when a hand started rubbing comfortably at his back and sweeping his bangs out of his face. He honestly couldn’t bring himself to care.

When he had finished gagging, the person behind him hummed in sympathy and said, “Feeling a bit better, kid?” Wind wanted to laugh at how wrong Warriors was. He didn't feel better. Not at all. He squinted against the light as he turned to meet Warrior’s blood-red gaze.

“No,” Wind groaned. “Be quiet,” He wasn’t even really speaking to Warriors at this point. He could barely hear anything over the dead. Reality had turned soft and fuzzy around the edges. 

“Are you okay?” Warriors asked, real worry starting to shine in his eyes as Wind started to go limp, leaning back against the vampire. Wind only managed to wheeze in response. Warriors sighed. “That’s a no, then. You don’t normally get headaches this bad. What’s wrong?”

“Too loud,” Wind moaned without thinking about it. Then he tensed up, shoving himself off Warriors, and hunching over the toilet bowl, throwing up again. Now Warriors would think he was crazy, because Warriors would have no idea that the ghosts crowding the bathroom was even there. It probably sounded quiet as the grave in here to him, even with a vampire’s enhanced hearing.

“What do you mean?” Warriors asked, hands tightening on his shoulders. He could tell that Warriors was worried about him now.

He knew Warriors wouldn’t care about the truth. The only reason he had kept the fact that he was a Psychic from him and the rest for so long was simply bad timing. That, and the fact that after he had waited long enough, it sort of because awkward to come out and tell them ‘Oh, yeah, by the way, I’m not fully Hylian, and I know the rest of you aren't either because you all really suck at hiding it, and I’m astounded you haven’t been found out by now.’

So he knew they wouldn’t react badly. They couldn’t judge him for his not-quite-Hylian status. Time was a God, for Hylia’s sake. That was about as far from normal as you could get.

“The ghosts won't leave me alone. They keep trying to get me to fix them so they can leave, but I can’t, not when there are so many of them, and I can’t take it anymore-!” Wind’s voice was rising in his own howl now, countering those of the dead around him. He didn’t care if anyone heard him. Let the Hylians living their comfortable normal lives hear him! Let them think he was insane! He didn’t care! 

He was abruptly shocked into silence as Warriors pulled Wind against his chest. Wind’s head was pressed against Warriors sternum, with the vampire’s hand cupping the other side of his head, protecting his other ear. The unnaturally slow thump… thump… of Warriors’ heart invaded his senses, driving away all over sounds. There was no howling anguish of forgotten souls, no pleas for help easing regrets. There was only the steady echo of Warriors’ heart.

Wind went limp against him, letting his eyes fall shut. It was the most serene he had felt in hours.

“You're a psychic.” It wasn’t a question. The words reverberated through his smaller form as Warriors spoke.

Wind didn’t say anything. It was quiet for once, and he had to savor every scrap of silence while it lasted. “Do you know I’m a Vampire?” Warriors asked. Wind would need to answer that question.

Wind peeled himself away from where he was pressed against Warriors’ chest. The sounds of the ghosts returned, although surprisingly, not as loud as before. It sounded like the shades had all been pushed back several feet from him, instead of wailing right in his ears. 

Something tickled the edge of his senses. He wasn’t very good at sensing auras yet, but he knew the magical signatures of all his friends, and Warriors' magic was starting to saturate the surrounding area. 

“Back off,” it whispered. “This one is mine, you can’t come near him. If you do, you’ll have to deal with me,” He assumed that if he was any better at reading auras, he would be able to make out more than that with several threats thrown in, as the ghosts seemed to be taking Warriors pretty seriously. The nearest one that was still wailing was pressed into the bathroom’s entrance, at least a yard away. 

Warriors’ and Wind’s position was a little uncomfortable, squished into a single stall, but he managed to peer up at the vampire to answer him. “Yeah, I knew. And Time’s a God, and Sky’s a Demon. Wild’s a Poltergeist.” He stopped there, not bothering to list them all out. “And the rest of ‘em,” He murmured, waving his hand vaguely to indicate he knew the truth about all of their friends. He knew about Hyrule being a Fae, and Legend being a Siren. He knew about Four’s true Minish form, knew about Twilight’s furry little problem. He even knew about Mrs. Malon actually being the Goddess of horses.

Warriors paused for a bit, digesting that. “And you’re friends with a bunch of people who think they’re better at keeping secrets than they really are.” He eventually surmised. Wind hummed in agreement.

“Why didn’t you tell us? Many of us could have helped you. Sky, Wild, and even I are all connected to the dead, in one way or another. Hell, even Time could have helped. We could have kept them away for a while if you were feeling overwhelmed.” 

“Sky helped a little,” Wind protested, but knew he was gonna get an earful about this later.

Warriors paused. Wind didn't offer an explanation to him, so Warriors eventually continued on with his questioning. “And if not for your own sake, then Wild’s, at least. I’m sure he would have appreciated being able to let go of his corporeal form around you, if he knew you would still be able to see him.”

“Sorry I didn’t tell you guys.” Wind groaned, but didn’t elaborate on his reasoning. He was getting a little irritated with the questions. He didn't want to answer them right now, not when he was clinging to his dignity on the floor of a cafe bathroom. 

Warriors sighed. “That can wait. Let’s get you cleaned up,” Warriors suggested. He still sounded concerned, but relieved that the cause of Wind’s misery was fixable. He also looked quite pleased with the fact that Wind wasn’t just a Hylian, and Wind couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Warriors helped Wind stand up and brought him over to the sinks to rinse his mouth out. 

When Wind finished up and headed toward the door, his legs finally decided that they had had enough. He stumbled, catching himself against the wall. Warriors was there in an instant, supporting Wind’s weight. When it became clear that Wind wasn’t going to regain his footing, Warriors lifted him bridal style. Again, Wind would normally protest such treatment, but he was exhausted. The sudden decrease in contrast noise around him that Warriors protection had brought him was such a relief that he thought could fall asleep right there in Warriors' arms.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Wind gave a non-committal hum, and let himself relax into Warriors chest, shutting his eyes again as Warriors exited the bathroom. Wind could hear exclamations as the rest of his friends caught sight of him. He probably looked worse than he had when he darted into the bathroom, and seeing him slumped in Warriors’ arms like he had passed out probably didn't help matters. 

Concerned hands fluttered at his forehead, feeling for a temperature. Wind would have smiled at Hyrule’s fanatic need to make sure those they cared for were healthy if he had had the energy. Once Hyrule gave a good prognosis- not unconscious, just on the precipice of sleep- the others calmed down.

There was a muffled conversation at the table as somebody slipped Wind’s sunglasses back on for him, and he could faintly hear Warriors quietly admit, “Wind isn’t a Hylian either,” He did want to hear what everybody thought about that little fact, but the quiet he was able to achieve with his head pressed against Warriors' chest was so peaceful…