Chapter 12: Into the Past: Link's First Winter

Tis the season for random inspiration to strike and ruin concentration for writing chapters of other stories.

A look into the past, to Link's first encounter of winter in Earthland.

Link's First Winter

Young Link shivered under his blankets, his body curled tight to conserve warmth, before the sound of his chattering teeth woke him up.

Co... cold... Link thought as he shivered. It feels worse than when Zora's- Link's train of thought cut off as his eyes widened in surprise when he saw his breath.

What is this! ? Link thought in shock before squeezing his eyes tight. Need to... get up and to the Guild... should be warm there... Link thought before forcing himself out from under his blankets to quickly get dressed.

"Huuuuh?" Gray asked with a curious expression as he walked with Cana in the snow covered streets towards Fairy Tail. "What do you mean it's too cold? You're wearing a coat and pants." He said and Cana shot him an unhappy glare.

"I'm not an ice mage, Gray." Cana said as she shivered slightly in her yellow coat. "So all this cold doesn't agree with me." She said and Gray smirked as he put his hands behind his head.

"I actually wish it would stay like this more often, it's more comfortable than all that warm weather." Gray said and Cana shivered as she hugged her coat tighter.

"Don't even joke about that, Gray." She said and Gray chuckled.

"Well if that's the case, how come you decided to come to the Guild so early?" Gray asked and Cana shot him another glare.

"You know I like getting my hot chocolate when there's still plenty of marshmallows still available." She said as she stuck her tongue out at him and Gray shrugged before pausing.

"Hmm?" Gray said curiously before his eyes went wide in shock when he saw the destroyed doors into Fairy Tail.

"The Guild!" Gray and Cana yelled as they quickly ran up before quickly going to each side of the entryway and peaking in.

"Do you see anything?" Gray whispered as Cana took out a card.

"No, it looks like no one else has gotten here yet." Cana said and Gray's eyes tightened slightly.

Master and the workers usually get here by now... Gray thought before looking bringing his hands together in case he had to cast a spell quickly before running in through the opening. "Who's here! ?" Gray demanded, Cana coming up behind to protect his flank.

After a few tense seconds, Makarov suddenly poked his head out from the right hallway that leads to the kitchen. "Ah, Gray, Cana." He said in mild surprise.

"Master, what happened?" Gray asked as he got out of his stance and Makarov tilted his head slightly before realization dawned on him.

"You must be talking about the doors, right?" He asked and Gray slowly nodded his head. "No need to be alarmed, Link just broke in last night." Makarov said before disappearing down the hall again.

"L-link did what! ?" Gray and Cana yelled in surprise before stopping when they heard a sigh behind them. Both of them turned around and Gray took one step back in surprise and a small amount of fear when he saw Erza, who was in her regular armor though with a thicker shirt and pants under her skirt.

"So that's all it was." Erza said as she sheathed her saber. "Really now, I thought the Guild was under attack." She said before walking forward. "Just what was Link thinking, destroying the doors like this and breaking in?" She asked as she walked past Cana and Gray.

"Maybe he left something in the Guild?" Cana speculated as she walked with Erza, Gray cautiously walking behind them, and Erza put her hand to her chin thoughtfully.

"I don't remember seeing him take anything out yesterday before we left." Erza said and Cana looked at her before grinning slightly.

"Ne, where are exactly do you two go in the afternoons anyway?" Cana asked as they walked down the hall and Erza froze before looking to the side.

"N-nowhere important." She said with a small blush and Cana giggled while Gray smirked.

"You two act so mature all the time, don't tell me you're getting a head start on being boyfriend and gir- URK!" Gray's comment was cut short as he froze in terror when Erza looked back at him with glowing eyes, her hand resting on the hilt of her saber.

"What are you implying, Gray?" Erza asked as she began to sloooowly draw her saber.

"Gr-Gray only meant to ask if maybe you two were practicing kissing?" Cana said as she waved her hands back and forth, trying to minimize the importance of Gray's comment, a blush on her face because of how blunt she had to ask the question.

"WE'RE NOT!" Erza screamed as she turned to glare at Cana, who immediately froze.

A couple seconds later a loud yawn turned their attention to a door a few feet away before it opened. "You kids are too loud." Makarov said before giving a small sigh. "Though given Link's hearing he could have been dead and that scream would've woken him up." He said and they all looked in before their eyes went wide in surprise to see Link sitting up, his large blanket on the ground around him, rubbing his right eye sleepily.

"Link!" Erza said in surprise and Link's ears twitched as he grimaced in pain. "What were thinking, breaking into Fairy Tail! ?" Erza demanded as she walked forward before stopping as Makarov held his hand up then turned around.

"I'm actually curious about that myself, Link." Makarov said and Link shivered before bringing his blanket up around and pulled it tight.

"Hmm... you don't have any heating in your house?" Makarov asked and Link nodded his head.

"Link, how could you not get ready for winter! ?" Erza demanded almost angrily and Link looked at her with a confused expression.

"Win... ter?" Link asked curiously and they all looked at him in surprise.

"Link, you've never experienced winter before?" Makarov asked and Link looked at him before looking up curiously. "Have you ever seen snow before?" He asked and Link looked back at him while cocking his head to the side, his ears twitching with the movement.

"It should have been all over the ground while you were walking here." Gray said and Link blinked before shrugging slightly.

"Too tired and cold to notice, huh?" Makarov asked and Link nodded his head. "Very well, follow me." He said before turning around and walking out of the kitchen. "Mustn't keep the cooks away from their jobs too much longer." Makarov said with a smile and Link blinked before looking around at the all the smiling cooks.

Link immediately jumped up and did a quick bow, getting a small laugh from some of them, before following Makarov out the door.

"Link, I can't believe you actually destroyed the doors." Erza scolded and Link rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment before suddenly shivering as the cold from outside hit him.

This feeling... Link thought before freezing when he saw the snow on the ground. I've seen this... He thought before his eyes widened before he suddenly dashed forward, taking everyone by surprise.

"Link!" Makarov yelled in surprise as Link rushed past him, pulling the Kokiri Sword from his bag and looping it on to his back.

Has Magnolia been cursed like -! Link wondered before he was suddenly being reeled in by Makarov's enlarged left arm.

"Link, calm down right now!" Makarov commanded but Link was not in the mood to listen as he slammed one hand on a nerve on Makarov's hand, making his hand immediately open from reflex.

Once Link landed he immediately charged forward again before being slammed into the ground from Makarov's right fist. "Damn brat, holding him while he's conscious is too hard when he gets that look in his eyes." Makarov grumbled as he picked up Link.

Close to an hour later Link was sitting at a table with Erza, Gray, Cana, and Makarov sitting around him, all them with a mug of hot chocolate in front of them. By this time more Guild members had filtered in and were talking amongst themselves or looking at jobs on the Guild Board.

"So that's why you reacted that way." Makarov said with a sigh before blowing on his mug of hot chocolate. "You thought this was a repeat of a curse you had seen before." He said and Link nodded his head as he gripped his own mug of chocolate with both hands.

"So this is your first time seeing winter?" Cana asked and Link nodded his head before looking over as Erza suddenly stood up.

"Right, then we need to get you some winter clothes." Erza said firmly and Link blinked before he was suddenly being pulled along by his arm towards the newly repaired doors.

"Erza, you could at least let your boyfriend finish his hot choco- OOF!" Gray started to say with a smirk before going flying from a punch courtesy of Erza.

"When are you going to stop trying to pick fights with Erza?" Cana asked with a sigh as everyone laughed before she blinked as she remembered something. "Link, isn't your house a couple of miles into the woods?" She asked and Link nodded his head as he looked at her curiously.

"How did you manage the walk all the way to the Guild?" She asked and Link tilted his head slightly before bringing his right palm to his left fist.

"Oh, the move you used to beat Erza!" Cana said as she raised one finger up in realization before pausing. "Wait, then why didn't you use it to stay warm at your place?" She asked and Link just looked at her.

"Link probably doesn't have the control to keep it from destroying everything around him, and didn't want to burn his home down." Makarov said and Link nodded his head.

"Let's go, Link." Erza said and Link looked at her before pointing at his mug of hot chocolate. "You can get more later, this is important." She said and Link shook his head before sitting down resolutely and grabbed his mug.

"Poor kid." Macao remarked several seconds later as Erza pulled an unconscious Link to the doors.

"Wonder what he did to get on her bad side this time." Wakabe said as he took of a puff of his cigarette.

"There, that should be good for now." Erza said as she and Link walked out of a clothes store, Link tying up the strings of his pouch in his new green coat and pants. "I really wish you knew how to make another one of those pouches, it would make carrying around my things much easier." Erza said as she looked back at Link.

Link offered a small sigh as he looked up at her then offered a small shrug.

"Well, I suppose it's not truly important." Erza said as they walked down the street. "Now we can go back and get some hot chocolate." She said and Link shot her a small glare as he rubbed the back of his head. "If you had just come along, I wouldn't have had to knock you unconscious." She said and Link looked at her blankly. "Don't take that tone of look with me!" Erza said as she stopped and pointed a finger at Link.

For several seconds they locked eyes before Link cracked a grin. It wasn't long before Erza's stern expression cracked as well and they were both laughing.

"The first one there gets to pay!" Erza declared before taking off, leaving a startled Link behind for a second before he quickly took off after her.

When they were almost there they stopped when they saw Gray standing in the middle of the street with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "Erza, Link, this is your first winter, right?" Gray asked as he knelt down to pick up some snow.

"What of it?" Erza asked somewhat curiously and Gray's smirk widened slightly.

"Think fast!" Gray yelled as he suddenly threw a snowball at Link.

Link, taken by surprise, could only duck down low enough for the snowball to narrowly miss him, instead knocking his green cap off his head.

"Heh, as quick as ever." Gray said as Link slowly turned around to look at his cap, his ears hanging low and twitching slightly.

"Gray, what is the meaning of this?" Erza demanded but Gray just crossed his arms.

"It's a snowball fight, a competition where all you can do is throw snowballs at the other person till they give up." Gray said and Erza blinked as she brought her hand to her chin thoughtfully and looked down.

"I remember reading about this in a book once." Erza said before she looked up and nodded. "Very well, your challenge is accepted." She said and Gray looked over at Link before blinking to see him gone.

"Heh, looks like Link knows better than to accept a challenge like this from an ice mage." Gray said and Erza blinked before looking back.

"Link?" Erza called out, confused that Link had just left without saying, or at least indicating, he was leaving.

A second later a huge snowball, easily ten feet in diameter, rolled around a corner, pushed along by Link.

"Link?" Erza said in surprise as Link stopped rolling the snow boulder.

"What the hell?" Gray said as his smirk quickly vanished while Link crouched down and put his hands underneath the snow boulder.

"Hup." Link said as he picked up the large snowball with almost no apparent effort then turned to look at Gray as he held it over his head. "Never touch the cap." Link said, his face dead serious, and Erza quickly jumped out of the way as Gray stared with wide eyes. "HAAA!" Link yelled as he threw the snow boulder at Gray, who snapped out of his shock with barely enough time to get his arms up defend himself.

"... This is all from a snowball fight?" Makarov asked with a disbelieving expression as he looked at a moderately bandaged Gray; Link and Erza standing on either side of him.

"More like a snow massacre." Gray grumbled to himself.

"After Gray hit Link's cap, Link went a little overboard." Erza said and Link rubbed the back of his head.

"I think maybe I should be the one to show them how to fun in winter." Cana said and Gray looked at her indignantly. "Unless of course you'd like to be in the hospital next time." She added and Gray paused before looking away as he put his hands behind his head.

"Tch, whatever." Gray grumbled as Link looked at Cana curiously.

"There's more than just snowball fights, come on." Cana said with a wide smile but Link shook his head before he walked over to the Guild Board.

"Link, this is your first winter, right?" Makarov asked and Link stopped to look back with a nod. "Why don't you take the time to relax and enjoy it?" He asked but Link shook his head. "Are you in that much of a hurry?" Makarov asked and Link continued to look at him steadily while Gray and Cana looked on in confusion, Erza looking to the side unhappily.

"I have to get back." Link said and Makarov locked eyes with him before giving a small sigh.

"You're far too serious, Link." Makarov said before drinking some of his hot chocolate. "It's important to build memories while you're still young, taking time off now and then isn't a crime." He said but Link only shook his head.

"I think it sounds like a good idea." Erza said and Link looked over at her before hesitating as she looked at him hopefully. "I've never played in the snow before, and it won't hurt to take one or two days off, right?" She asked and Link continued to look at her before smiling and nodded his head in agreement.

"Looks like Link can't say no to his girlfrien- urk!" Gray started to say before freezing as Erza glared at him with glowing eyes, her hands on her saber.

"Let's go!" Cana said quickly as she ran to the door and Gray quickly took off after, Link and Erza not far behind.

At the end of the day all four of them were back in the Guild, all of them but Gray of shivering slightly as they enjoyed some hot chocolate.

"So, what did you two think?" Cana asked and Erza gave a small grin as she recalled building snowmen and sledding, as well as a more tame snowball fight.

"It was certainly fun." Erza said before drinking some hot chocolate.

"You two certainly picked up on everything quickly." Gray said as he drank some cold soda.

"So, I guess you'll be back to work tomorrow?" Cana asked and Erza nodded her head.

"I found a job that-"

"I..." Link said before trailing off and all three of them looked at him in surprise. "I... would like to play some more tomorrow..." Link trailed off as he kept looking down at his chocolate milk, a small look of embarrassment on his face.

Erza's expression went from surprise to a gentle smile. "That sounds fun." She said and Link looked at her with a small smile before drinking some of his hot chocolate, its warmth amplifying what was already spreading from his heart.

Everyone have a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday.

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.

Till next time.