OoC: I am putting Keychain aside for a while, considering that I am finishing up with her parts of the series that I've been working on, and turning to a new face in a brand new story that I have invented. HA2 has helped me a lot with inventing the story of Keychain and Luis. It always seems to do good with my story plots.

IC: There was a brief second when light hit the wings of a small fairy. It danced across the thin wings. Diamonds of light erupted everywhere. The attention of people was turned to where it was coming from. However, the small body zipped quickly between people. Nobody got a good glance. All they saw was a tiny, blue body moving quickly through the streets. Some could briefly hear, "Excuse me!", "Pardon me!", and maybe even a small, "I'm terribly sorry! I won't bump into you again!". However, when they told the person beside them, they would say that they heard nothing, and make the person feel like as if they were imagining it.

But they weren't. Mirage, a small, blue fairy, sat on the ledge of a house. She stared at the streets below with her emerald eyes. Her blue-green braided hair tumbled down to her bare feet. Being a fairy, there was no use of shoes when all you did was fly. She tapped one of her small fingers on her lip, scowling down at the crowd. Her dressed looked like as if it was made of blue lily-of-the-valley flowers. Her pants underneath them were a rich color of green, made from fresh leaves. Her mother had insisted that she would wear a dress, and act like a "proper young female fairy" while being out in the world. However, just as she left the sight of her mother, Mirage uncovered her pants and placed them on.

Most fairies do not leave where they are raised. But Mirage was different. She was on a mission. About twelve years ago, when she was much smaller and a more naive little fairy. She had ended up with the top part of her wings ripped off when she collided with a tree branch. The white scar was still visible on her wing. Somehow, a young boy had been able to put it back together with only sticky tree sap and two thin leaves. Ever since, Mirage has been waiting for the moment to be able to leave the small cluster of fairies in which she had once lived in. No one else had openly left before. Being the eighteenth and last child of her mother's, her mother had grown very attached and couldn't bare for her to leave. But now an adult fairy, she could do what she wanted to.

Mirage jumped off and zipped through the crowd. Now where was that little boy that she had met? The one with dusty blond hair and brown eyes. She stopped briefly to look at a little boy. Finding out that he had blue eyes, she flew away. The boy proceeded to shout to his mother about seeing a fairy.

She blew at a loose strand of hair. It's like as if these people have not seen a fairy at all. Mirage caught herself up in the search for the person who had saved her life. She wanted to so badly find the boy, and repay everything that he owed to that she didn't even notice the lantern until she found herself hitting the glass.

"Hey!" she shouted. Frantically getting up, she smoothed out her wings. She spun around for the exit, and saw that it was just shutting on her. So, she turned her attention to the person who had decided to lock her away in the lantern. It was a man who dressed as a beggar, and most likely was one. He grinned at her. Most of his teeth were missing, and the few left were blackened. Mirage shuttered lightly. Not because of his teeth, but because she saw one of his eyes moving around without his control. And the other one had been gouged out. Nothing was covering it up from sight.

"I found m'self a gewd one! I'ma make shome monah tonigh!" His words slurred. Mirage didn't need to see him stumbling to know that he was drunk. A drunk beggar had captured her.

She looked around to find an escape. Was there a small hole that she could slip out of? Nope, it was just an empty lantern with glass that slid upward. Mirage tried to get a grip on the glass, trying to slide it up herself, but her actions were fruitless. Sitting down, she then looked around in a panic. The man had started to laugh hysterically for no reason. Maybe he was also crazy.

Words caught in her throat as the terror built up. The ones that she needed to be shouted would not come out. Instead, her most favorite phrase came out when she was trying to get food at the fairy markets. "Excuse me, would somebody please do something!?" Mirage pushed herself against the lantern, hoping someone would see her blue glow and realize what was going on.


Her body suddenly tumbled backwards as the man began to swing the lantern. A loud, shrilling cry came from her throat. It sounded like as if it could have come from a little girl. Her head hit the opposite pane. Screeching, she gripped her head as her words finally came from her mouth:

"Somebody help me!"

A merry tune carried over the crowd as the Zora strolled through town. He wasn't very good at managing his money, but he still had a lot left over from his winnings at a game in this very town. He had just bought himself a much nicer shield, and him and his parter pigged out at a nice restaurant. Lilly sat on his shoulder as he rounded the corner, and continued down the sidewalk. "I'm so full..." Lilly mumbled as she sprawled out across the Zora's shoulder. He tiny belly bulged slightly from all the food she'd consumed, and it couldn't have made Taint happier. Never had he been able to provide for himself, or anyone for that matter. He smiled warmly at the sky and thanked Nayru for his newfound fortune. His shield shined gallantly in the sunlight provided as they continued on their merry way.

Suddenly, Lilly sat up straight and snapped her head in the other direction. "Taint!!" She cried. The Zora whirled around and looked for any sign of danger. He saw nothing, and watched her flutter around in front of him. She took to the sky and scanned the area before returning to the blue toned man. "There's someone in trouble! A fairy!!" She cried, pulled her hands to her heart. "You have to help!!" Taint thought about this, and shrugged his shoulders. "C'mon Lilly... We're not exactly obligated..." Her face turned surprised. "B-but... You're a hero!!!" The Zora looked at her tiny flustered face, and couldn't help but smile at those words. "Alright then!!" He announced, feeling more manly now. "Let's go!" Lilly's face lit up as she squee'd and led the way. After a bit of hustling, they came to an ugly looking hobo of a man. "See the glow!?" Lilly cried as she pointed to the lantern. "Fire doesn't glow like that, and it's daytime furthermore!"

Taint nodded, and could now hear the cries for help. "Hey!" The Zora called out as he approached the man. He tapped him on the shoulder, and scowled. "She doesn't seem to want to be inside that lantern..." The Zora glared as he rested a hand on his sword.

"Let her go."
Yeah, that sounded cool! he thought as waited for the response.

Mirage's head suddenly collided with the glass very hard. She groaned loud, rubbing her bump. Why did the man suddenly stop? She looked up briefly before jumping to her feet in excitement. Someone was here! They were going to help her! Mirage banged on the glass briefly to get attention.

"Leh who go?" questioned the man. From his tone of voice, it was as if he truly thought that he had nothing inside of the once empty lantern. Annoyed, Mirage banged on the glass to get his other than oblivious attention. He looked down briefly before gasping. "Oh, her? Well, I wash going ta sell her ta geh meh eye backth." He tapped his skull to show even though it was not needed. "If you dun know, seeing with onley one eye ish really difficulth." His lazy eye moved around.

Mirage waved her arms for attention. She gestured to the glass, motioning on how to get it open. If the drunk wouldn't let her out, she was going to break out. She could already feel the air in the lantern starting to run thin with oxygen. If they didn't hurry, she just might be dead by the time they save her!

"Now, if you'll excuse meh," the man mumbled trying to move around. "Dun need a nodder sword in meh taday."

"He's crazy!" Mirage finally spoke. "Just listen to him! He thinks that he can see with his eye even though it's already been removed from the socket. There is no way it would work. He's also very drunk! Watch the way he sways when he walks! You can already tell that he has too much to drink for such an early day today." The lantern shook and she fell backwards, crumbling her wings slightly. "Just break the glass! It's not a normal lantern."

"Shush up, deku," mumbled the man.

Deku?Deku!? The man couldn't be right in his mind to mistake a fairy for a deku. And a lady fairy for that! Mirage stood up and stomped her foot, scowling darkly. She looked at her Zora of a savior and mouthed, "Save me."

Taint's facial expression deteriorated from stern to confused. The drunken cyclops wasn't making a whole lot of sense, but that didn't exactly change the Zora's mindset. "You're not going to sell a living being." Taint stated firmly. "That's completely unethical. Have you no morals?" He asked cocking his head. The man went on and on in his drunken stupor about this that and the other, and didn't seem to have a brain cell left, much less a moral. Taint sighed, and drew his pathetic looking rusted sword. A slight bit of panic rose in a few bystanders, and they quickly vacated the scene. While elder people fled, some of the younger citizens drew nearer eager to watch a fight.

"Release the fairy. I won't ask again." Lilly smirked confidently. She had complete faith in Taint's abilities, unpracticed as they were. The air around the area was rising in intensity as Taint waited for a response. The drunk simply mumbled something in his own language, and turned to leave. This set something off inside the nomad, and he grabbed the man's shoulder and whirled him around. "Pay attention to me!!" He cried, as he struck the lantern with his sword. He was careful to avoid the fairy with his sword. The only harm the little fairy would sustain would be by bits of broken glass.

A yelp came from Mirage's throat. She pressed her body close to the walls of the lantern as the sword first went through the lantern. Breathing deeply, she calmed herself down before leaving the lantern. She flew away and watched from the above. Her blue head poked from behind a nearby building.

"Wasn't I paying attention ta ya?" mumbled the man, looking confused. "Do ya know where ma daughther is ath? She ish going ta have a babah." He scowled lightly at the ground. "Or did she already have ith?" He looked at Taint for a short time. "Excushe me, do you know where ma eye wenth? Some young genthle man said I losh ith in a war, buth I don'th lose things!"

"Definitely crazy," mumbled Mirage. During his drunken talk, Mirage could have sworn he had said something about a war. If he was in one, maybe it could have done something with his mind, making him unattached because of the bloody disputes. Mirage had heard that could happen. She shrugged her shoulders. However it was, the man wasn't safe to be just walking around.

"By the way," the man said. His slurred words started to disappear. His gaze was on the broken lantern with a very befuddled expression. "Did you see a blue flying deku? I could have sworn I had just had it in this lantern. Is that your sword that broke it?"

Now that she wasn't in the lantern, Mirage started to laugh. Hearing the man was just all too funny! She rolled over and faced the man and the Zora with the fairy close by. Just wondering what would happen next made her wonder. The best thing would be to take the man away and keep him from being a threat to the people once again.

As the fairy flew away, Taint breathed a sigh of relief. The little fairy was safe, and this drunken man seemed to have next to no idea what was going on in this world around him. The Zora sheathed his sword, and stared down at the broken glass. The man grumbled on about his daughter having a baby, and how he was in the war. Taint couldn't help but feel bad for breaking what seemed to be the man's only possession. He reached into his pocket, and revealed a red rupee. "Here," he announced, tossing the gem in the man's direction. "Go buy yourself a new lantern..." He shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked in the opposite direction. Lilly buzzed up to his face, and cheered happily. "You did it! I knew you could!" She suddenly noticed the look on her companions face, and stopped.

"Why the long face?" Taint mumbled something under his breath, and continued walking. "Aww, c'mon. You just saved a life! They should call you The Hero of Fairies!" Suddenly, the Zora stopped, and looked down at the ground. It was silent for a moment, and Lilly had to wonder if she'd said something wrong. "Hero of Fairies, huh?.." He paused, and looked up with a smirk on his face. "Yeah! That sounds cool! I like it!" Lilly buzzed around gleefully and landed on his shoulder. "That's the spirit! Now let's get moving! I saw a shop with some delicious looking pastries back on the east side of town!" The Zora rubbed his chin in a thinking fashion. "Ya don't say..." He mulled his over in his head for a brief moment before a smile appeared on his face. His eyes lit up. "Alrighty then! Off we go! Lead the way!" Lilly gave him a big hug, and pecked his cheek with a tiny fairy kiss. "You're the best!" She took off towards the shop she'd seen, and the Zora hurriedly followed.