Ghirahim's Return - A Skyward Sword Fanfic

Chapter 1 - Return to the Surface
(Links to other chapters in description!)

Zelda waited by the stairs for Karane, flipping through the pages of her book. Light shone through the windows of the Skyloft Knight Academy brightly. It was another beautiful day in Skyloft, which didn't surprise anybody, really. The weather was regularly bright and sunny, due to the fact they were high above the bulk of clouds. The only real stormy whether anyone experienced was inside the thunderhead. Flying was so easy when you didn't have to deal with bad weather, and you could enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. Zelda, Karane, Link and Pipit often went out flying together, stopping at the Lumpy Pumpkin for some soup and then taking off again.
After class, they were going to the surface. Zelda loved returning to the surface since she discovered who she really was. She considered living down there, but she decided against it, thinking she'd be better off staying up in Skyloft but returning whenever she wished. Karane and Pipit had never been to the surface. Karane was a bit worried but Pipit swore he would protect her from any harm, even though he was a little nervous himself, not that he'd admit that to Karane, of course. Zelda and Link had convinced the pair that it was now safe to go down there, anyway. The other residents of Skyloft weren't as easily convinced.
"Good morning, Zelda!" Karane said, smiling, as she came out of her room. The girls' rooms were situated upstairs in the academy, along with the instructor's rooms, Headmaster Gaepora's office and the bathroom.
"Morning!" Zelda grinned back, "Are you ready for later?"
"As ready as I'll ever be. But, if it's so safe, how come only you, Link and Groose are the only three who really go down there?"
"I suppose it has different meaning for us. We know all about it and we were down there for a while, so…" Zelda's voice trailed off. Cawlin and Strich had been down to the surface for a few minutes, only staying by the Goddess statue, but refused to go back. They weren't as tough as they made out to be. Zelda's father had also visited once, visiting the Goddess statue also, but he hadn't returned since, either, not giving any real reason why.
"C'mon, shall we go down to the classroom?" Karane suggested.
"Let me just go and wake Link," Zelda said. They went downstairs and Karane spotted Pipit in the classroom so she ran over to him whilst Zelda stood outside of Link's room and knocked twice. She waited until she heard some sort of movement before shouting, "C'mon, sleepyhead, or you'll be late!"
She waited again, and then she heard Link cry out as he fell out of bed. Zelda rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She leant against the wall and Link's door flung open. He looked out and Zelda smirked when she noticed his hair, "Good morning, Groose."
"…What?" he asked. He noticed she was looking at his hair, so he reached up and felt his hair sticking straight in the air like that familiar red pompadour a certain student shows off every day. Link glared towards the classroom, muttering, "Oh that little…" He then remembered Zelda, "Oh, uh, yeah, good morning!" He gave her his boyish grin that she loved. She smiled properly and kissed his cheek, making him go red. She loved that, too.
"Get dressed, or you really will be late," Zelda said, and then she walked away to the classroom. Link stared after her for a moment, but then he shut the door and quickly pulled on his green knights' tunic and hat. He fixed his hair as best he could. He brushed it repeatedly, but the amount of gel was ridiculous. It seemed like he'd have to fix it properly after class, probably with Zelda's help. At least it wasn't sticking straight up in the air now.
He grabbed his things and then got to the classroom just as Instructor Owlan walked in. Groose noticed that Link's hair was no longer vertical and smirked at Cawlin and Strich, nudging them in the ribs and whispering something to them. They looked up at Link and starting grinning, too.
Zelda pulled Link onto the bench next her and thrust a book at him. He smiled at her to thank her and opened the book when Owlan said, "Turn to page thirty-two whilst I go and get something from upstairs."
He left the room and the quiet conversations started. Well, the only person who wasn't quiet was Groose, but that's always expected.
Pipit and Karane quietly spoke about their fears about going to the surface. They were so quiet that no one else had a chance of hearing them.
"I want to go, but I'm nervous, y'know?" Karane whispered.
Pipit smiled, "It'll be fine. I trust Link and Zelda. Besides, you'll have me there to protect you." He put his arm around her shoulders. Neither of them took any notice of Cawlin watching them.
"So, where are we headed, then?" Zelda asked.
Link looked up at Zelda, knowing exactly what she meant and he responded with, "Well, how about we start them off easy. Faron Woods? We don't want to overpower them too much. Besides, Eldin Volcano and Lanayru Desert can be quite dangerous if you don't know what you're doing."
"Alright, we'll go to Faron Woods, then. We could take a picnic, too! That'd be great…" Zelda mused, mumbling more possibilities for later.
Instructor Owlan returned and said, "Alright, everyone, Instructor Horwell and I have set up some targets in the sky, so we're going out to try some different flying techniques. Leave the books where they are and we'll come back later."
Everyone stood up and followed Owlan outside, Link breaking away from the group to grab his sword, shield and pouch from his room. He never went out flying without them for fear of something happening and him needing them. Nobody knows what happened below the clouds apart from Link, Zelda and Groose, but people know they went down there and had to deal with something big. Big and dangerous. Link, Zelda and Groose never say any more than that. They agreed to keep everything to themselves, and that's just how it will stay. That's one reason why people are so scared to venture to the surface. No one else knows what it's like, which scares them.
As they walked outside, Groose joined Link and said, "Didn't like the hair then, Link?"
"Oh, yeah, I was meaning to thank you for that," Link said, sarcastically.
"I knew you'd love it! But, why haven't you still got it?" Groose asked, oblivious to his sarcasm. Link snorted and ignored him. He didn't want to know how he even got into his room in the first place.
The floating island everyone lived on was surrounded by brilliant blue. The clouds underneath the islands looked like a sea of simple white, seeming safe enough that you could jump onto them and not fall though. The tall light tower stood at the edge of the plaza, one of the most noticeable things on Skyloft other than the big bazaar in the middle of the island. The group walked over to the plaza and stood by the ledge.
Outside, Owlan told everyone what they had to do and they took it in turns to hit the targets. As Link flew around the island, he glanced to where the Isle of the Goddess once was. They're planning on having a new statue made by the waterfall, now.
Link finished with his turn at hitting targets and jumped off of his Loftwing and used his sailcloth to land back on Skyloft.
"Nicely done, Link. I expected perfection from you, anyway." Owlan said.
"You're head won't be able to fit through the door if people keep telling you things like that," Zelda said when Link walked back over to her.
"You're funny," Link said as Owlan called her over to have a go. Link muttered, "Let's see you do better."
"Ok. Watch this," Zelda said, poking Link in the chest. She ran and jumped over the edge and whistled. Link laughed when she flew up high and stuck her tongue out at him. No matter how much of being the goddess she had remembered, she certainly could be the usual Zelda at times.
Link watched her pull off the tricks pretty well and when she landed back next to him, Link said, "Well, I hate to admit it, but that was pretty good."
"See," She said, crossing her arms and grinning.

Zelda straightened her white dress out and fixed her hair. She felt that she should always wear the outfit she wore when she discovered who she really was when she returned to the surface. It made her remember who she really was and made her feel happy about it. It also gave her a feeling of security with a connection to the world below the clouds. She smiled at her reflection approvingly and then went to see her father before she decided to get Karane.
Headmaster Gaepora stood with his back to the door. Zelda said, "Father?"
He turned and smiled at Zelda, "My daughter. Headed for the surface again?"
"Yes. Link and I are going with Karane and Pipit," She said.
"That's nice. Headed for the woods you have told me so much about?" he asked.
"Yes," She repeated. She paused, but then said, "The other parts of the surface may be a bit much for them to handle on their first visit."
The headmaster looked concerned as he said, "You don't tell me much about the surface. Is it dangerous?"
"Not now. I have and always will trust Link with my life. He has saved me before and, not that he should need to, he can do it again and I fully trust him," Zelda said.
"I trust him too," he said. Zelda would have continued. She would have explained everything to her father, but she couldn't. She wouldn't. Maybe a day might come when she would, but that day is not soon.
"See you later," Zelda said.
"Yes, have fun." He smiled again and Zelda left. She grabbed a basket from her room, but before she went, she knocked on Instructor Owlan's door.
"Come in," she heard, so she opened the door gently. Owlan looked up and smiled, "Zelda. How may I help you?"
"Could I see Oolo for a moment?" she asked. A 'kwee' sound came from next to him as the little Kikwi stood up at looked at her.
"Of course," Owlan said.
Zelda crouched next to the Kikwi and said, "I'm returning to the woods. Is there anything you would like me to bring you?"
"Yes! Could you bring me some of my favourite berries? Bucha has a stash of them he keeps for us Kikwi. Also, could you tell Bucha I am happy and safe up here? I know you tell him every time, but I thought I should ask again," Oolo said.
"Alright. We'll be back later." Zelda thanked Owlan and left to go and get Karane. Link would have gone to get Pipit by now, so the girls will probably meet them in Zelda and Link's usual meeting place.
In her room, Karane sat on her bed, still a bit nervous. She trusted both Link and Pipit, but it didn't shift the nervous feelings she had. Oh well, she supposed she should live a little, and there's not much adventure around here. Well, that's not really true. There were loads of things to do in the sky. But sure, she could do this. They've got protection and she was also excited for their trip.
Karane jumped up and left her room, locking it behind her. Zelda was coming out of Owlan's room, so the met in the hallway.
"Wow, Zelda. You look lovely," Karane said.
"Thank you, Karane. Come on, let's go and meet the boys," Zelda said, smiling.
They left the academy and walked to the bazaar. Zelda had to get some red potions, just in case. They then met the boys by the waterfall. All four of them smiled when they saw each other.
"Alright, Pipit, Karane, just follow us and do as we do. See that green light? That's where we're headed," Link explained. Since their adventure ended, the columns of light had disappeared, but the holes in the clouds were still there and gave off a dim glow of red, green and yellow like the columns, so they were easy to find.
All four students leapt off of the edge, but only three whistled. Three Loftwings flew from different directions and caught their owner. However, Link's red Loftwing caught both Link and Zelda.
The wind blew through Zelda's long hair. Sitting on Link's lap, she smiled at him and then turned to point to the gap in the clouds. The other two Loftwings then proceeded to follow Link's red Loftwing to the green glow. Zelda nestled herself towards Link's body and he put his arm around her, kissing her forehead.
As they neared, Link said to Zelda, "Ready to jump?"
She smiled encouragingly as she nodded and they both jumped from his bird, falling down below the clouds.
Link directed himself towards the Sealed Grounds and landed in front of the giant Goddess Statue that fell from Skyloft. Glancing up, he saw Zelda clutching the basket, followed by Karane and then Pipit. They all landed and then Karane and Pipit looked up at the Goddess Statue.
Karane said what they were both thinking, "So this is where the Goddess Statue went."
They then looked towards the Sealed Temple and then surveyed the area. They had never seen so many trees in one area.
It was beautiful.
Karane was the first to notice the tiny birds pecking at the ground by the entrance to the temple. She smiled and walked towards them. Surprisingly, they didn't fly away. Instead, they glanced up towards her. She crouched down and held her hand out, to which they flew up onto her fingers. She started to smile. These birds were so small compared to the ones she's used to.
"Pipit, look…" she whispered. The bird hopped down to the ground again and then the whole group of birds flew off and over the Sealed Temple.
"This is amazing," Pipit said.
"Just wait until we get to the woods. I just need to go in here for a few minutes," Zelda said, pointing to the Sealed Temple. She left the three of them to enter the ruins that housed her for so long.
Such a long sleep.
And yet, Link didn't fail to wake her up.
She left the ancient door open for the others, but did not turn to see whether they were following or not. Instead, she carried on walking, glancing to the left at the tree Link planted in the past as she went, towards the huge doors to the smaller part of the temple where she slept.
She then stopped. Zelda knelt in front of the sword in its pedestal. She ran her finger along its blade. The temple was now being watched by a sword, in place of Impa.
"Impa," Zelda started to whisper. She clasped her hands together and continued, "Impa, I know I say this every time, but I cannot thank you enough for what you did. You and Link are my heroes. You both helped me when I needed it most, when I was in danger, and I am so grateful to both of you. You sitting in this spot where I kneel now for all of those years just for my protection and the protection of this land was incredible. I miss you so much and I know you are still protecting me, wherever you are now."
Zelda bowed her head for a moment. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Link. He was looking at the sword.
"Not just Impa, but I thank Fi, again, for her help. Without her, I would have been lost," he said.
Zelda stood up and wrapped her arms around Link's waist. She said, "Thank you, Link. I love you."
"I love you too," he whispered. She let go of him as he said, "I'm going back to Pipit and Karane. We'll be right outside."
He went to leave, but Zelda caught up with him and held his hand, saying, "I'm finished. I just like to… thank her."
"I know."
The couple left the temple hand in hand. As soon as the door closed, a pair of brown eyes opened in the shadows, joined by a wicked grin.
"There you are. I'm not going to lose you this time," a menacing voice said. A tongue ran along the grinning lips before they disappeared into the shadows again.