Super Smash Bros. Odyssey

[Best101]

If look at the times between his other stories they are around the same time intervals as well.

 

[Keotalf]

Good grief I'm angry. It's been 3 or so months. What is wrong?

 

[Golgibodies]

wow zeeke theres no such thing as writers block okay ughh cmon

 

[Keotalf]

OK, there is a such thing as writer's block. But 3-4 Month's? No way.

 

[ZeekeXIV]

Thanks for verifying the existance of Writer's Block, Keotalf. I was just about to say that.

I know this endless hiatus of my story is pissing everyone off. Sorry... All I can say (and it's painfully obvious) is that it's not my main focus, right about now. I can list a whole bunch of other excuses as to why there hasn't been an update, but that'd be unnecessary.

Rest assured, though: this story WILL be finished. I'm not just gonna leave it as is.

Just do me one favor: stop telling me how long it's been since my last update. Seriously, you guys posting about how long it's been since the last time won't bring out a new chapter any quicker.

 

[DarkLink567]

Now worries about the delay as long as you continue to produce the great quality chapters as you always do it is fine.

 

[BloodyMarth]

this is really inspiring, it even gives me ideas for my comic, thanks for the inspiration!!
Bloodymarth

 

[Keotalf]

OK, sorry. Just getting a bit worked up.

 

[comicoolprince]

Good update. It's SAMUS.

yayy i like samus

 

[comicoolprince]

link do knot insult him ok

 

[Meleeruler]

^Hey, comicoolprince, instead of posting twice, could you please just click the "Edit" button to edit your post.

 

[comicoolprince]

i love this story!I dont care about the cursing just stop making link gangsta

ya i agree i like link

 

[comicoolprince]

oh um ok green guy

 

[comicoolprince]

guy making story is it bfinished?

 

[DarkLink567]

No the story hasn't finished yet and use the edit button if you want to add to your post instead of double posting. It could get you in trouble if you double post.

 

[BloodyMarth]

or triple post too

 

[ZeekeXIV]

Hi, guys.

In an attempt to appease the masses, to make up for my severe lack of updates, I've minimally revised Acts 1-6 and overhauled Act 7. I can say with the utmost confidence that it is exponentially better than before, so I highly recommend going back and checking it out.

I think I'll be making revisions until I reach the current point in my story. At the current moment, I really don't know what to write next...

Bear with me. We'll get this story done one year...

EDIT:

This edit is dedicated to my newest reader: comicoolprince.

My buddy. For the love of all that can possibly be loved...

PLEASE STOP SPAMMING.

I'm glad you like the story, but seriously, double/triple posts aren't necessary. Not even a little bit. Just make one post about how you liked the story and edit if need be.

Thanks.

 

[Meleeruler]

Story Started: 2004. Almost one part of three done in two years. If I'm mathamatically correct... ...We'll be done 2010! YAY!!

Once your finish this first part of three, then I'm going to read the whole story again to see all of the stuff you revised/edited/added.

 

[ZeekeXIV]

Man, thanks for reminding me I was supposed to make this a trilogy...

Wow... I can't wait to see what excuse I come up with to make this a... dual...o...gy...

I say you should read 'em now while I'm still proud of my work. Who knows when I'll decide what I just posted sucks; giving me incentive to revise them yet again.

Heh, the way I'm going, I'm gonna end up with a completely different story by the time I'm done with everything.

 

[DarkLink567]

It did start in 2004, it was mid-2004 wasn't it?

You were gonna make it a trilogy? Lol, I always thought it was only going to be a duo. You may be taking your sweet time but at least you aren't discontinuing the story all together, like some authors have done in the past.

 

[Golgibodies]

mmmmmm zeeke you're seriously going to update everything before you make the next REAL update?aaaaah t3h suckage

 

[DarkLink567]

He's a little stuck for ideas for an update so might just be doing some rehashes on previous chapters for the time being.

 

[Keotalf]

Erg. I'm going to explode if there isn't an update within a few months. Even if it's small, I still need something. ANYTHING.

 

[JarrardKO]

Can't wait for the next update, I finished reading about Link in the hospital 'nd stuff and this is an absolutely great story!

Best of wishes to overcome writer's block.

 

[Dibs]

Wow I just finished reading everything in this story. It's friggin great! I can't wait for the next part.

 

[shadowstriker2005]

Yes, this is a great story so far. The amount of time given to character development is amazing. I also like the fact that there are absolutely no fillers so far in the story. Zeeke, take all the time you need to finish the story. The determination of how well this fic has progressed wants to make me give you an award. My Seal of Approval goes to this story.

 

[OnYourMark]

It's so long!!!! I'm just scanning over the story... I guess it looks good, but I have to read it later. ...Swearing, unusual vocabulary... nah... don't listen to me... but I have to say that a more interesting beginning (than the one you have now) would have worked better to grab my attention. Well, anyway, I'll try to read it sometime later so keep writing, k?

 

[Shanx]

there's no problem whtn the story, just been waiting for the rest. If it takes this long it's gotta be good.

 

[LinkMaster12]

Wow... I know everyone else is saying this but i haven't been on this website since before christmas.... i hope the update comes soon

 

[Legomaxx]

I like the stories so far but i have a lot to catch up on. Most awesome job. I keep laughing as i read this like every minute. The swearing on some parts makes it funny.

 

[El Flippage]

Wow. I haven't posted very much on these forums, but this is seriously the best fanfic I have ever read. Well, I haven't read too many of those, but whatever. You should consider selling this... hah.

 

[ZeekeXIV]

First off, welcome to all the new readers. I'm glad I can still attract new readers not only two years after I started this, but also during an inexplicable hiatus.

I'm so great.

Second of all, the hiatus is over.
____________
____________

Act 10: Only the Beginning (Part 7)

D***... That was easy...

It was as if while he was standing across the gap, his eyes focused on Ganondorf's castle, he had simply blinked and that was that. It all happened in a blur. Even as Link lied in the field outside of the newly restored Hyrule Castle, gazing into the spectacular light show that was Hyrule's starlit sky, he still couldn't believe it.

It was finally over.

The fall of Ganondorf heralded the end of his long and arduous quest to rescue Princess Zelda alongside the Mario brothers, who had to save Princess Peach.

And it was just the other day, during the struggle against his greatest nightmare, that he believed he wasn't fit to complete his quest. Now he was looking back at what he accomplished in retrospect. He'd done it all and lived. He remembered all the inescapable situations he escaped... all the unbeatable enemies he defeated... all the times the odds were stacked unfairly against him and he still came out on top.

He let out an unexpected chuckle.

This is kinda funny. I almost believed I'd never be able to chill out like this again. After all the bulls*** that kept happenin'... It all just started feelin' normal. But all that's done. Finally... I'm home.

After a soft sigh, he had to smile. I'm home, he thought again. He had been home for a while, but this marked the moment where he realized he was home comfortably. Peacefully. There'd be no fighting. There'd be no ridiculous odds to overcome. There'd be no forces of evil to worry about. The only thing he had to fight was his urge to do backflips of pure glee. The only thing he had to overcome was his fear of the Peahats that used to chase him throughout Hyrule Field as a child. The only thing he had to worry about was what time to wake up the next day.

A tinge of light suddenly caught his eye. He watched a comet zip across the dark blue sky.

It's been a while since I last saw a shootin' star... I should make a wish. ...but for what? All the important ones came true after Ganondorf got murked.

That wasn't exactly true as Link suddenly thought of something.

Nah... actually... I wish Mario and Luigi stayed for, like... a day at least. Just so we could flaunt our greatness to everyone in Hyrule. A nostalgic grin took control of his face. We were family... I felt like the third Mario brother. ...Link Mario. Link laughed to himself with that thought as he imagined himself wearing blue-jean overalls, a black undershirt, and a black cap, matching the brothers's style. We always looked out for each other. We always had an idea where each one of us was. Now I don't even know where they are. I mean, I know they went home, but I dunno where the hell that is. Other than the available venues in the Smash tournaments, I never explored their home. I even if I wanted to, I can't get there. They can't reach me either... The next time we'll see each other will probably be in the next Smash tournament. Until then, the only time I'll be able to see 'em is in my memories.

All of his memories involving the brothers were important to him, but he spent this time remembering the times where they shined the brightest: in the Coliseum... the Brinstar Depths... Green Hill Zone... Mute City; present and future... Spirit Temple... and probably their greatest moment: during the final battle...

...why don't I remember that? Link was suddenly perplexed. It didn't happen that long ago... I don't even remember them going off to fight...

Link went through the final moments of their journey in his head to try to pinpoint exactly when it happened. He only to come to one conclusion...

...I don't remember anythin' at all... Not even from my battle... It feels like my life skipped a beat. From the moment we left Gerudo Valley to now... nothin'... I don't even remember seein' Mario, Luigi, and Peach off... How the hell could I forget that?

Link let out another sigh.

"Are you alright?" A voice to his right wondered.

Link turned his head and took a look at his worried companion. Her long blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail and rested over her shoulder. Her cerulean eyes looked into Link's with a slight hint of worry, stemming from the fact that they hadn't spoken for a while and Link was sighing to himself often.

"I'm good, Samus-baby. You don't have to look so worried." Link replied.

"Worried? The look I gave you only suggested a slight concern." Samus assured Link.

"Are you kiddin' me? You looked like the world was endin'." Link teased. "'Are you alright, Link?'" He repeated, sitting up to poorly imitate Samus's intelligently-toned voice and over-exaggerating the look in her eyes.

"Please..." Samus said, giving Link a playful shove. "But really, is everything okay?"

"Eh, it's nothin' serious. I guess it's the nostalgia takin' over. I miss my boys." Link admitted, looking down at the perfectly maintained lawn.

"Mario and Luigi..." Samus nodded. "I can only imagine. I never expected you to cry so... hard." Samus couldn't think of a better word to describe it.

"Wait, what?" Link didn't recall this. Because he couldn't... But he played it off like he usually would. "C'mon. We all know I don't cry. My eyes were just burnin' like crazy after the battle, to the point where I had to scream to drown out the pain." Link played it off.

"Link, it's okay. You're not any less of a man if you cry." Samus guaranteed Link, caressing his hair as she spoke. "Besides, you can't tell me what I saw. It was sweet. ...though vaguely disgusting." She added. "But not because you were crying for the brothers. There was just a lot of... snot... falling from your nose... Even the brothers looked slightly uneasy during your final embrace."

"I just can't win..." Link sighed in defeat, shaking his head. "When I try to convince peeps I don't cry, they keep sayin' that I do. Alright, I'll admit it once and for all. I cry passionately. And even after I admit it, I still can't win because it's 'disgusting'." He mocked Samus's tone once again. "I'm sorry my mucus membranes go into overdrive when the tears start fallin'. I can't do anythin' about that." Link sarcastically apologized.

Samus just laughed. "Your tantrums always make me smile."

"Hmph." Link huffed.

She replied by giving Link a kiss on the cheek. Link just let his head drop against his knees.

"Why do you make it so hard to stay mad at you?" Link whined.

Samus rested her head on Link's shoulder. Link rested his head on top of Samus's. With their rate of respiration in perfect harmony, they simply gazed off into the distance, not looking at anything in particular. They were just more than content to be with each other.

Even though he didn't show it, this was a huge deal for Link. Before Samus asked him if he was alright, Link had no idea she was even in his vicinity. But upon seeing her face, instead of flipping out in sheer astonishment, he suddenly felt like he knew she was there with him all along. It certainly seemed like Samus was there for a long time, possibly as far back as when Link was facing off against Ganondorf. Link decided now would be the best time to get a few of his questions answered inconspicuously.

His first step: wrapping his arms around Samus and planting an unprovoked wet kiss on Samus's lips. Link then smiled at his breath-taken girlfriend.

"That was... unexpected." Samus stated.

"But you can't say you didn't like it." Link said with a confident smile.

Though she looked away from him, she smiled because it was true.

"I'm just makin' sure this is real." Link then mentioned, looking down.

"What do you mean?"

"A lotta stuff happened, Samus. I guess I'm overwhelmed by everythin'. All of this almost feels unreal. Especially you bein' here." Link looked up into Samus's eyes. "You were the last person I was expectin'. I actually thought I wouldn't be seein' you again until the next tournament. You know, with the way things were with both of us."

Samus nodded. "It's strange... Even I can't truly explain why I'm here." She admitted. "A force I can't describe just led me here. There was no arguing with what I felt. I was obligated to be here, and I couldn't be late. Seems I was right in being punctual. When I entered the planet's atmosphere, Ganondorf surprised you with some sort of magic. It didn't do any physical harm to you, but it changed your tunic from black to green. I didn't understand its effect at first, but it gradually became clear that you were a lot weaker than before."

Link suddenly felt something different about him. He took a quick look at himself. He definitely was wearing a green tunic... He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but the last time he wore a green tunic was before he fought in that plot-hole in the Darkness of Time. He didn't make it obvious, but he attempted to summon the Sword of Darkness. Nothing... Going by what Samus described, Ganondorf somehow managed to rob Link of his darkness powers.

"You looked as if Ganondorf stole your key to victory. That's when I felt I had to make my surprise guest appearance, as you'd like to call it." Samus said with a smile. "I quickly landed my ship and made it just in time to your rescue."

"How'd you beat him? The only way Ganondorf can truly be defeated is if you have the Light arrows." Link said.

"I was fully aware of that. I had to make due with what I had, though: my Light beam." Samus said. "It was more than adequate. In fact, I nearly killed him with one fully-charged Sunburst."

"Light always disperses the darkness regardless of what form it takes." Link nodded, finally understanding how Ganondorf lost.

Samus smiled. "Since when did you say such noble lore?"

"I'm deep like that, baby." Link said with a wink.

She laughed. "But it's a shame." Samus shook her head. "I remember him from the Smash tournament. I may not have spoken to him often, but I did respect him. He was a formidable rival. Even after reading his tournament biography, I never would've expected him to be that villainous. The man I read about did not match the man I met in the tournament. In fact, the worst thing I can say about Ganondorf is that he had an overbearing amount of confidence."

"You can kinda blame that on me." Link said. "Back when Ganondorf decided to calm down on the evil, we were friends. We were both gonna be in the Smash tournament, so we decided to analyze my old matches to see where I went wrong and how I could get better. Ganondorf saw two things right off the bat. First, I couldn't jump to save my life. Literally. Almost every close match I lost was because I couldn't get enough air to reach that ledge. The other thing wasn't that obvious: it was my attitude."

"I didn't see anything wrong with your demeanor back then." Samus said.

"That's because on the outside, I was like you: I didn't say much of anythin' to anyone. It may've worked for you, but the reason I was so quiet was because I was always nervous. I had a title to live up to; the title of a legend. I never got any sleep because I was always worryin' about the next match and how I was gonna prove myself. And I proved to be hot garbage. I was losin' to Pokemon! Ridiculously cute little two-foot monsters were murkin' the Hero of Time!"

"That is pretty embarrassing." Samus admitted.

"Yep. Ganondorf blamed my ill losin' streak on my attitude. Bein' the strong, silent type definitely doesn't work for me." Link continued. "Especially since I was about as strong as a Deku Scrub... So I decided to go for the complete opposite: blatant and outspoken arrogance. It was all part of my grand master plan. I wanted to piss my opponents off to the point where all they could think about was beatin' the crap outta me. When you're that mad, you can't think straight, and of course, with my cockiness keepin' me cool and collected, I'd be murkin' peeps left and right. And just when I thought that was the alpha and omega, Ganondorf came through and added heavy slang to the mix. That was what we called 'magic', baby. And it worked like a freakin' charm. Especially against Marth. That guy really hated me." He remembered.

"But neither of you made it to the final round." Samus recalled.

"I did make it a lot further than I did in the first tournament, though, right? Add that to the fact that the number of participants doubled since the last tournament. I'd call that a win for me, baby." Link pointed out. "And Ganondorf made it all the way to the semifinals. That's pretty d*** good for his first time in the Smash tourneys. And that's just the beginnin'. I dunno if we're gonna collaborate on a winnin' strategy this time, but you know we're not quittin' with what we already came up with. Like wine, it's only gonna get better as time goes on. Don't be surprised if it's me versus Ganondorf in the finals."

"I actually would be." Samus said. "If my plan for this tournament doesn't guarantee me a spot in the final round, then I just might adopt your strategy."

Link let out a hearty chuckle. "I can't imagine you talkin' like me. That'd be kinda funny, though."

"Ain't nothin' funny about that, homie." Samus smoothly spoke, with an authentic accent straight from the streets.

Link was blown away, to say the least.

"I'm fluent in many dialects, Link." Samus said with a satisfied and confident smile.

"I... love you." Link uttered, still awestruck.

"The feeling's mutual." Samus replied with a grin.

After giving Samus an appreciative smile, Link put his hands behind his head and lied back down on the grass, looking into the sky again. Samus lied close to him, causing Link to free an arm so he could wrap it around her. They gazed into the sky, mesmerized by the marvels of the Hylian night.

Even though she had personally traveled through that night sky, Samus had to admit that it looked even more spectacular when looking up to it, especially with a loved one by her side. The constellations... many of which she'd never seen before. The hue of the sky... a very picturesque midnight blue. The entire environment was like something she'd see in a perfectionist's art book.

Suddenly, Samus started laughing softly.

"Somethin' funny?" Link wondered.

"I strive to gain at least a general understanding of nearly everything I encounter or will ever have to encounter, and yet I will never understand how Fate works." Samus said.

"What brings that up?" Link wondered.

"As a bounty hunter... you tend to believe you'll never experience anything like love, as it could be considered a weakness. I want my foes to believe I have no weaknesses, therefore I promised myself I'd never fall in love. But there were times when I would let my mind wander into the subject. Whenever I'd imagine the man I'd love, I never would've expected him to be anything like you." She followed up with another soft laugh. "You can be very childish and cocky, sometimes."

Link started with a slow exhale. "I can deal with bein' called cocky. But childish? Are you kiddin' me?" Link raised an offended eyebrow. "I'm a man, baby. I'm the man! I'm the Hero of Time!" Link's gallant fanfare blared throughout the relative silence of the night right on cue.

"No, trust me, Link, you can be extremely childish, sometimes. But amazingly, that's what I love about you." Samus warmly admitted. "I'm glad you're not what I imagined. I don't think I would've been truly been happy if I had gotten what I wanted. I would've known how he'd act, I would've known exactly what to expect from him... It would've been a monotonous and boring experience. There'd be no random element to make the relationship... fun. With you, I'm having a lot of fun. And that's something I don't get to have very often." She said with an appreciative smile. "Maybe 'childish' isn't the right word to describe you."

"You can't describe me with just one word. Normally, guys need at least a paragraph." Link boasted. "...but since you're my girl, I'll let you get away with just a sentence."

Samus laughed. "I'll say you're young at heart, and you'll be this way regardless of how old you are or who you're with. I have deep respect for a man who can unconditionally be himself."

Link didn't know what to say after hearing such kind and meaningful words from Samus. Even though it didn't truly express how much he appreciated it, Link locked Samus in a tight embrace. Samus returned Link's affection by wrapping her arms around his body. They remained like that for a little while, unable to comprehend anything else other than just resting in each other's arms. To them, it just felt so perfect...

"Link?" Samus softly called after a while, though reluctantly. She didn't want to break that moment of perfection.

"Yeah?" He replied promptly.

Samus didn't respond right away, mainly because what she wasn't sure if this was the right time to ask the question she was about to raise.

Link was caught off-guard by Samus's delay. Samus never hesitates, Link thought to himself. He put a new hold on her: with his hands consolingly holding her shoulders instead of his arms affectionately around her body.

"What wrong, Samus?" Link inquired.

Her hesitant eyes met with Link's concerned ones. "I'm not even sure I should ask this question. It's very personal... and I don't want to pry too deeply into your past."

"You're my girl, right?" Link asked, knowing fully well that Samus knew the answer. "It's cool. You can chat with me about anythin'."

"Including your previous relationship?"

Link's face involuntarily grimaced. Samus was right; she shouldn't have asked. Zelda was the furthest thing from Link's mind, and though he felt he had rebounded pretty well from the incredible heartbreak she put him through, remembering it reawakened those sour feelings and that regretful void in his stomach.

"The look on your face strongly suggests I shouldn't." Samus noticed.

"Ignore that." Link assured her, forcing himself to relax his look. "It's just that thinkin' about what happened to me and Zelda still hits me pretty hard."

"What exactly did happen? According to your Smash profiles, you two have been friends since childhood." Samus remembered. "And from the way you two acted during the tournament, it looked like you two were the perfect match."

"We were, back then." Link said. "I loved her and she loved me. That was all there was to it. It was great."

"But..."

Link let out a sigh. "...things started changin' after we got home from the tournament. She was gradually gettin' more and more..." He paused for a second, thinking of how to describe the situation. "Okay, you know how in most relationships, someone's clearly wearin' the pants?"

Samus nodded.

"Well, me and Zelda used to share the same pair of overalls. There was no clear 'man' of the relationship." Link said. "But I guess Zelda got tired of sharin'. She started shoppin' for her own fresh pair of jeans and a revealin' miniskirt for me."

"Interesting metaphor." Samus commented.

"Thanks." Link nodded. "So yeah, Zelda wanted more authority in the relationship and, at first, I couldn't figure out why. I thought we were happy with what we had. I was rackin' my brain tryin' to figure out where we went wrong. Then I remembered somethin': even though her bein' a sage would never suggest it, Zelda can be crazy impressionable. Of course, not when it comes to her duties as a sage, but when it comes to everyday dealin's in life, it's easy to steer her in the wrong direction. I guess it's because the sheltered life of a princess doesn't do too much for your street smarts."

Samus nodded in agreement.

"And remember when we all found out Zelda was a really good fighter in the tournament?" Link reminded Samus, who promptly nodded again. "Guys like Roy and Ness did nothin' else but try to convince me and Zelda that she was gonna be the man of the relationship after the tournaments were over. Even Ganondorf would get in on the act, and when he did, he always had the worst stuff to say. I was always shruggin' them off, and I thought Zelda was, too, but I guess she took it to heart. And when she beat me for my spot in the semis without even losin' a stock..." He shook his head, not even needing to say that was the final nail in the coffin. "So after I finally figured it out, I had to let her know the BS had to stop. It happened in a Smash environment, where we were all more-or-less equal to each other in pros and cons, plus it wasn't even her that beat me. Sheik is a cheap b******!"

"I'm guessing it didn't help." Samus said.

"Nope. I just sounded more and more like the naggin' girlfriend of the relationship." Link shook his head. "I couldn't win with her, so there was just one thing left for me to do: break it off."

"How did she cope with it?" Samus wondered.

Link's blood turned ice in his veins. This is what he feared most ever since he got together with her back in Zebes. He didn't make it obvious, but he directed his eyes away from Samus's face. Samus didn't miss a beat, though. Years and years of being best bounty hunter in existence (as some would say) made her very observant. Something was wrong.

"Link?" She asked.

He wanted to look her in the eye while telling her, but he felt so ashamed that he was in this situation. He couldn't make eye contact.

"...we never officially broke up..." Link muttered meekly.

Samus was admittedly surprised when she heard Link's words, as her eyes widened just a little, though noticeably.

"But that doesn't mean I was never gonna make it official!" Link quickly added in after seeing Samus's face. "Ganondorf kidnapped her before I was able to do anythin'."

A wave of relief swept over Samus. She was slightly surprised by this; it wasn't like her to be so easily excited or to jump to conclusions. This must be what love does to you, she thought to herself.

"So after you rescued her, did you call it off?" Samus knew the answer, but just wanted that bit of verification.

"I didn't have to." Link said. "Zelda knows d***-well the relationship's dead now. Not just the relationship, but our friendship, too. All ten years of it. If she thinks it can be salvaged after the BS she did..." Link's rising anger didn't even let him finish his statement.

"How can ten years of friendship be destroyed?" Samus was surprised that things between them were that bad.

"She cheated on me. Nah, eff that. She took my heart and did the freakin' Goron Gambol on it. ...with f***in' Ganondorf." Link's voice faltered a bit.

Samus was shocked. She always held Zelda in high regards, not only because she was a princess, but because there was just an elegant aura around her that made it so that you couldn't help but respect her. How someone like Zelda could destroy half a lifetime of friendship for just a few minutes of questionable pleasure with a man that threatened to transform her homeland into a twisted shadow of its former grandeur was way beyond her mind capacity, and people have described Samus to be among her galaxy's most intelligent beings. This was just something she would never be able to understand.

But after hearing a soft weep from Link and catching a stray tear slide down his cheek, Samus immediately understood one thing: Link needed to be consoled. But she had no idea how someone could be comforted after something like that. Even with Samus's impressive resume, offering solace actually wasn't something she had a lot of knowledge in.

Ignoring that fact, Samus started by cradling Link's head against her chest, gently and comfortingly caressing his hair.

"I don't know if any consolation I could offer would help the pain go away... but I just want you to know that I will never put you through anything like that. Nobody deserves that type of mistreatment." Samus said, following with a kiss to Link's head. "I'm sorry for bringing this up."

Link sat up and rose to his knees, looking down at Samus as he put a loving hand on her cheek while hugging her with his free arm.

"You don't have to be sorry about anythin'." He said as he gazed deeply into her eyes.

God***it, I love her, he thought to himself not only at that moment, but with every time they locked eyes.

Once again, Link bought his lips to Samus's so they could share another kiss. It felt like their first kiss all over again, as they were consumed by an explosion of emotions. With every second they spent in that lip lock, their passion for each other grew more and more intense. Link could think of nothing else than laying Samus on her back and making her feel something she'd never felt before. Samus may have been many places, but Link knew for certain he would be able to take her somewhere she'd never been: pure ecstasy.

"I'm gonna have to stop you right there, Link." He heard a voice say before he could even let his hands wander. A rough tug at his tunic collar also made sure that any plans of intimacy were killed off as the two were separated.

Link slapped off the hand pulling at his collar and jumped to his feet. The unfettered rage he felt convinced him the only possible way to deal with this offender was to mutilate him as violently and painfully as he could possibly could. But with one look at him, all of Link's anger vanished instantly, replaced by utter disbelief and mind-numbing shock.

Samus found herself in a state of awe as well. She could almost say she was seeing double, as their uninvited guest matched Link almost perfectly in appearance. Almost perfectly because where Link's hair was blonde, his was black; where Link's tunic was green, his was black; where Link's boots were brown, his was black. He adorned a shade of black everywhere on his body except his eyes, which shined a bright, almost threatening red. Quite simply, Samus could describe him as Link's literal dark-side.

"Link?" Samus wanted an answer from him, but Link was still too stunned to even speak.

"Close, Samus-baby, close. I guess you could call me Link, since we're almost the same person." The black-shrouded individual answered with a smile.

"I wasn't speaking to you." Samus spat.

"But you want your question answered, right? I'm guessing that question is 'who is he?' Well, I'm dark as hell... I look like Link... a lot like Link... I guess you could call me... Dark Link!" He introduced himself.

"Dark Link..." Link repeated with a growl, finally snapping out of his stupefaction.

"What do you want?" Samus demanded.

"I just wanna chat with your boyfriend real quick. It won't even take a second, I promise." Dark Link held his right hand over his heart and his left up.

"Then speak." Samus ordered.

"I kinda wanted to speak to him alone." Dark Link mentioned.

"Whatever you have to say can be said in front of Samus." Link stated.

"If you think I'm here to try to hurt you, that's not the plan." Dark Link said. "Just hear me out. I got a lotta things to say that you'll definitely wanna hear. It's all confidential, though, which is why Ms. Aran has to go."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going anywhere." Samus refused. "There's something about you that I don't trust. ...that I can't trust."

"Guys, for real, I'm trying to do things diplomatically for once." Dark Link sighed. "I can easily make you leave, Samus, but I don't wanna go there. It'll be that much harder to talk to Link if I take it to that level."

Samus stepped forward, daring Dark Link to do something. "If you must, then so be it. I'm not backing down."

A grin crept up on Dark Link's face. "That's cute, Link. Samus is about to fight me to stay with you. I'm really serious, though. I know it's hard you two to believe, but trust me when I say there isn't a violent thought in my mind right now."

"Trust me when I say there's all types of violent thoughts running through our minds; all of them involve me and Samus tag-team pummeling your a** to death." Link threatened Dark Link while stepping up to Samus and putting an arm around her waist. "Either you chat while Samus is here, or we don't chat at all."

"More like I chat with you Link-to-Link..." Another figure suddenly made an appearance, taking a spot right next to Dark Link. "...and Samus won't find out who she is." He turned his head to her and slid an arm around her waist.

Link felt himself grow sick with a confusion mingled with hint of disgust at the sight. Samus could only wonder what this meant as she felt Link's hand begin to tremble on her waist.

"Link, who is she?" Samus demanded.

He didn't even hear Samus's question. All he could think about was how impossible this was. Never did he ever expect to find himself in a situation like this.

"Dumbfounded." Dark Link stated as he looked at Link. "I guess I could understand. I'd be pretty speechless, too, if my two girlfriends who didn't know each other existed finally met."

"...what?" Samus said. She felt she heard wrong. She wanted to hear wrong.

Dark Link simply nodded as an answer. "Samus..." He turned to his guest, kissing her cheek with an obnoxious and audible "muah". "...meet Raznia. The same way you're supposed to be Link's girlfriend, so is this Gerudian beauty."

She still denied it. It just made no sense to her. Her relationship with Link barely began and he's already sneaking around with other women? How could Link talk about how hurt he was after he learned about Zelda when in the back of his mind he knew he was doing the same exact thing?

Samus turned to Link, who was still staring at Raznia in complete awe. For an optimistic second, before she turned to him, she hoped this was a lie. This was coming from Link's dark copy, after all. But with one look into Link's eyes, she saw it. Guilt. Deep, regretful guilt. Link knew what he did and thought he could get away with it, but unfortunately for him, Fate wasn't having that.

Samus took Link by the wrist that was around her waist and flung it off of her in such a way that it was easy not only to see how deeply offended she was, but also to feel it. With this and two hard blinks, Link finally snapped out of his awe.

"Samus..." Link wanted to try to explain himself, swallowing hard and preparing to apologize.

Samus turned to him, but with a new look in her eyes. No longer was there a warm, loving glow in her cerulean eyes. When Samus looked at Link, he felt his blood freeze from her ice-cold glare; a glare so frigid that it made biting arctic winds seem like gentle tropical breezes.

At that moment, he knew there was no sense in even trying. He did it. He lost her: the girl he loved more than anything, even more than he once did Zelda. And as a way of cementing that fact, Samus's Varia suit covered her body, leaving only her frigid stare viewable through her visors. She didn't even shed a tear.

And with that, she turned her back on Link, heading toward her ship which was remotely prepared for takeoff. After a hop onto her ship and lowering into the cockpit, she was gone. Gone...

"Cheaters never prosper, my man."

Link spun around to face his dark doppelganger. Up until he spoke, he forgot he was even there. Link noticed he was alone, though.

"Where's Raznia?" Link asked in a low, defeated voice.

"Don't worry about it. She was just for show." Dark Link replied.

"Just tell me where she is. I wanna tell her I'm sorry." Link insisted.

"Why? You knew what you were doing and you didn't regret a single minute until now." Dark Link argued.

"I know... But neither of them deserved that." Link said. "I wanted to apologize to Samus, but I can't even look her in the eye without feelin' like complete s***. I have to apologize to Raznia, though. I didn't even remember we had a relationship when I was with Samus. It was like she didn't exist. Raznia deserves better than me."

"Well... I would tell you... but there really isn't any reason to." Dark Link refused.

Link's face screwed up, creating a strange visage of anger mixed with sorrow, regret, and a dash of confusion. He walked up to Dark Link, stopping within an arm's length and grabbing him by the shoulders. Link's grip tightened as he began breathing harder.

"Dark Link..." Link said with a strange growling-sigh.

Before he could continue, Link felt something cold against his right forearm. He glanced at his arm to find an obsidian-colored blade leaning against it. Very gradually, it began pressing against his skin. Link decided to take the hint and let go of Dark Link.

"Thanks." He said. "Now… There's a reason why I'm not taking you to Raz. In fact, there's a reason for everything."

"Then stop wastin' my time and tell me." Link demanded. "You have me all to yourself now."

"Well, my man..." Dark Link began, but stopped in mid-sentence. "Actually, I'll let you figure it out. After the clue I give you, it should be really obvious."

Link's patience was already dwindling; needless to say, he was in absolutely no mood to play guessing games.

"Dark Link... I'm just tired of all the bulls***. After what you just did..." Link searched for the words to adequately describe his current state of mind, but after thinking about it, he figured his failure to complete his sentence said enough. "I don't care what you have to say. Just please leave me alone."

"Trust me, you'll care about this. In fact, everything you find out after this just might cancel out everything that just happened. Do me this favor... this one single favor." Dark Link said.

Link truly didn't want to be bothered, but it was clear that Dark Link wasn't going anywhere. What he said earlier seemed to be true, though: he definitely didn't seem interested in confrontation. He had a sword in hand, and even with Link's constant refusal, he only threatened to use it once, barely, and that was because Link took the offensive first. It may have been against his better judgment, but Link decided to play along, if only for a few seconds.

"Talk." Link simply commanded.

Dark Link gave an approving nod. "Thanks. I'll say it again, this won't take long for you to realize. You said you can't remember anything from the final battle, right?"

Link was slightly taken aback by Dark Link knowing this. "Right..." Link verified.

"Well, what do you remember before that?" Dark Link questioned.

Link took a moment to go through his recent past. The only thing he could clearly remember was his time in Gerudo Valley.

"I was in Gerudo Valley." Link replied.

"Specifics, Link, specifics. Before all this... before you found yourself in these fields, what were you doing?" Dark Link urged him to remember.

"Screw this trip down memory lane, Dark Link." Link spat, quickly growing frustrated. "If you have somethin' to tell me, just do it."

"C'mon, man, humor me. I guarantee you won't be mad after you realize everything." Dark Link promised. "What's the last thing you were doing before all this?"

To "humor" Dark Link, Link just closed his eyes as if he was trying hard to remember what happened back then. Somehow, though, the scenes of that day played back in his head: his slim victory over Nightmare, his violent murder, him meeting with the delightful Mida (a memory which made him cringe slightly), and... a power-nap?

"Why do I remember takin' a nap?" Link muttered to himself.

"I heard that!" Dark Link excitedly announced. "What else do you remember?"

Link took another moment to go through anything that happened back then, but that was it.

"That's the last thing I remember..." Link admitted.

"Alrighty, then." Dark Link nodded. "Back to that power-nap... seems pretty insignificant, right? So why remember it? …unless there's some type of connection between that particular event and now. If I'm not mistaken, you feel like your life skipped a few pages, right?"

"Well… yeah." Link said, admittedly surprised Dark Link knew what he was feeling. "It's weird. I swear this is some type of messed-up dream."

Dark Link just gave Link a smile and a slow, confirming nod after hearing that. Link just gave Dark Link a screwed up look of confusion.

"This is a dream?" Link's eyes went wide in astonishment. "All of this... this is all a dream?"

"Yes, sir." Dark Link verified.

To say Link was shocked would be a massive understatement. On one hand, this was actually excellent news. Neither Samus nor Raznia were really hurt by what he was doing with them. He'd see the Mario brothers again! His new powers were still his. But on the other hand, Ganondorf and Bowser still had control over Hyrule...

"I... I can't... I can't believe this..." Link stammered, not knowing how to express his feelings at the moment.

"Yeah, I can tell. This was a pretty realistic dream." Dark Link said. "But you know that's not all I came here to tell you, right?"

Link only raised an eyebrow in response.

"C'mon, you should've known that. First of all, how pointless would that be? All that suspense for me just to tell you this is a dream. Kinda anticlimactic... Second of all, you know when you realize you're dreaming, you wake up, right?"

Link nodded.

"So then why are we still here?" Dark Link stated with a shrug.

Link realized this was very true. Under normal circumstances, Link would've been wide awake, on his way to tell Mario about how ridiculous his dream was. Under normal circumstances, of course. And with the way things have been going, this dream was anything but normal, Link determined. He took a suspicious look at Dark Link. Dark Link just looked back with an oblivious grin.

"This has somethin' to do with you, doesn't it?" Link suggested.

Dark Link was beaming at this point; a huge grin that belied the innocent smirk from before. If there was such a thing as bright darkness, he could prove it with his smile.

"I won't make you figure things out anymore. I'll tell you everything. On one condition..." Dark Link paused.

"What?" Link wondered, slightly wary of Dark Link's stipulation.

"Trust me." Dark Link stated clearly.

"Trust..." Link could only repeat the first word. The entire concept of Dark Link wishing for his trust was just mind-bending.

"Yeah. The same way you trust Mario... the same way you trust Luigi... the same way you trust all your close friends. I want you to trust me." Dark Link clarified, painting a picture as clear as the night sky.

"...why?" Link could only ask. This may have been a dream, but even so, this whole event was going beyond surreal.

"First, you have to trust me." Dark Link maintained.

Link just stayed silent. He still couldn't believe what he was hearing: Dark Link... asking for friendship? More importantly, trust? Link would sooner give his heart back to Zelda than even fathom becoming friends with Dark Link.

"I don't know what made you wanna ask this, but you gotta realize you're askin' for a lot. Hell, you're basically askin' for the world." Link asserted. "Do you remember what you did to me? You remember what you have done to me? Did you know that you almost killed me back in the Darkness of Time? And after all that, you want to be my friend? You want me to trust you? How can I? Seriously."

Dark Link just shook his head. "I gotta point out the hypocrisy of that speech. You're friends with Ganondorf. Game, set, and match."

"That's different, and admittedly, that was a mistake." Link said. "You know the sayin' 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'? I figured, 'but what if your enemy was your friend?' I don't think I gotta tell you I'm never doin' that again."

"Hold on a second. I'm gonna tell you where you have it all wrong..." Dark Link said. "The friend part. I'm not asking for your trust so we can be friends. Take this as you will, but I'm not really interested in being your friend. This is way bigger than being pals. I'm asking for your trust out of necessity. We need to trust each other. In fact, I'm gonna bet that if we can't do that, we won't live past tomorrow."

"What are you talkin' about?" Link's face grimaced into a look of perplexity. "Did you forget that this is a dream? You don't exist. In real life, you're dead! I killed you."

"And I can imagine you giving yourself a nice pat on the back for overcoming the odds. You know what? Here's one from me." Dark Link stepped up to Link with his arm extended, reaching for Link's back.

"Don't..." Link took a defensive step back, raising his fists.

"Link..." Dark Link grew slightly disheartened. "Even though I said I'm not interested in being cool with you, I'm still trying. I'm really trying, man. You can see that. It'd be so much easier on both of us if we were on that level."

"Why?" Link demanded. "I'm not backin' down from this. You gotta tell me why I should trust you. You gotta tell me why we should be friends. I'll decide if it's really necessary."

This was the first time since his arrival that Dark Link actually grew frustrated. He held his sword in both hands; the hilt in the left, and the face of the blade in the right, audibly breathing out from time to time. This had Link on edge. Dark Link may've said he wasn't there for violence, but with him acting the way he was, Link didn't know what to expect.

Dark Link then held his sword in one hand, almost as if he was assuming an attacking stance. Link was expecting him to come at him with a killing blow, and even though he knew he wouldn't be able to beat him this time, he wouldn't go out without trying.

But to Link's astonishment, Dark Link hurled his weapon away, as far as he could possibly manage. Link could only stare in awe at his dark copy.

"What reasons are left, Link?" Dark Link asked. "I'm like you now. I'm unarmed. I'm helpless. I had an advantage, and I just threw it away. Willingly. What's left, Link? What more do I have to do to get you to trust me?"

Link was left speechless. He just didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. The only thing that kept him conscious was the fact that this was still just a dream. But then again, he wasn't exactly conscious... That quite possibly could've been the real reason he was able to handle this.

Just then, Dark Link extended his arm and held out his hand.

A handshake... Link knew exactly what he wanted. But if he did this, it would basically mean everything Dark Link ever did to him would be forgiven.

"Link, I know what you're thinking. I know it's hard for you to just forget about everything I did." Dark Link said. "But the second you shake my hand is the second everything will make sense." He bought his hand a little closer to Link. "Come on. Please, Link. Trust me."

Link just continued to stare at Dark Link's hand in front of him. He could only ask himself one question:

What the hell am I supposed to do?

He knew the obvious answer: accept Dark Link's gesture and hope for the best. But with Link's current track record of things working out for him, he was understandably wary. But then again, when he considered Dark Link's demeanor from the moment he arrived, there was an unmistakable change in him. That animosity... that hatred... that anger Dark Link permeated was nonexistent. In fact, if he chose another way to make an entrance, Link might've actually enjoyed his presence.

And with that realization, Link finally made his decision. Though hesitant, Link raised his hand and drew it closer and closer to Dark Link's until they finally met. Link did it. He sealed the deal with Dark Link and shook his hand.

"I gotta tell you, though..." Dark Link began. "If you held out any longer, I probably would've told you everything anyway. But don't think this right here isn't pivotal." He said, still holding Link's hand in that handshake position. "You're trusting me without even hearing everything I have to say. For all you know, I could be just doing this to get you in a vulnerable position so I can get my sword back and finish you."

"You know how pissed I'll be if you do that?" Link said.

"I have a vague idea." Dark Link smiled. "But you don't have to worry that happening. If I kill you, I'll be killing myself."

Link couldn't remember the last dream that had his face constantly twisting up in confusion, bewilderment, and befuddlement in that specific order. "That doesn't make any sense. You're already dead, Dark Link. Why do you keep talkin' like you're still alive?" He wondered.

"Because I am still alive."

Being caught so dumbfounded was already becoming annoying, but Link started to realize that it was also pretty exhausting.

"You're probably tired of getting stunned every minute. Hell, you're probably tired of dreaming. After this last revelation, you'll wake up." Dark Link promised.

"I think I'll sit down for this." Link said, preparing to take a seat on the gentle rolling plains.

"You can... but I'm gonna need a brave volunteer from the audience to help me with this last part..." Dark Link said.

"Fine..." Link groaned, standing straight after taking the hint.

Dark Link stared at Link for a second, as if he was figuring out something. Link just stood by idly, waiting for further instruction.

"On second thought... why don't you have a SEAT!" Dark Link suddenly shoved Link to the ground before completing his sentence.

Link just looked up at him like he was crazy. Dark Link just smiled back as if everything was fine.

"What the hell was that?" Link demanded.

"Calm down, I'm just playing around." Dark Link said.

Admittedly, a wave of relief swept over Link. He took Dark Link's action as an attack, and he was definitely planning to counter with nuclear force.

"If we're gonna trust each other, then I gotta tell you about rule number one: no rough-housin'. That s*** just doesn't fly." Link stated.

"Alright, sorry. Lemme help you up, then." Dark Link said, extending a helpful hand.

Link grabbed on and was waiting for Dark Link to pull him up. But instead of helping Link to his feet, Dark Link's hand looked as if it was melting; the black remnants of it seeping into Link's skin. Link tried to pull his arm back, but somehow, Dark Link had a firm grip on him. Soon, both Links were linked at the arm.

At that point, Dark Link looked into Link's wide and fearful eyes. Suddenly, the whole process was accelerated tenfold. Dark Link's entire body dissolved and enveloped Link in an inescapable veil of darkness. Link felt like he couldn't breathe; fighting with everything he had to find a way out. It was all useless; the more he fought, the darker it got until all perception of reality was lost. He kept telling himself this was a dream, but the way he felt himself struggle was suggesting otherwise.

Just as he was about to give up, a bright ray of light broke through his pitch-black prison. The darkness was gone, and in its place, the beautiful Hylian night smiled down on him. Link rose to his feet, checking himself for any unseen or unfelt injuries he may've had. Almost immediately, though, Link's concern for his injuries flew out the window as he noticed his arms were suddenly very-well defined. He also realized that he felt much stronger than he did before.

Throughout all of his findings, though, Link couldn't help but feel this was all very familiar... With a glance down at his tunic, his suspicions were confirmed: his tunic was no longer Kokiri green, but once again donned the same shade of black it did after his ordeal in the Darkness of Time. He could only guess his hood also had a new black color, too.

As a final check, just to be beyond sure, Link held out his arms and closed his eyes, concentrating on the power he felt inside and willing it to manifest itself into a physical form. It worked as he felt two new objects form in his hands. In his right, there was pentagonal shield with a black outline and a strange slit in the center of the handless clock design of its silver face. In his left, there was an obsidian-colored blade with a silver hilt: the Sword of Darkness.

"The pieces of the puzzle fit just right, don't they?"

Upon hearing that voice, Link just smiled as he shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe he didn't figure it out sooner. He had weapons, a tunic, and powers based on darkness, then to top it all off, a voice in his head suddenly appears, claiming it's his conscience, and he still wrote it all off as a big coincidence.

I can't believe I didn't figure this out sooner. All this time, Dark Link... All this time... My sword... my shield... my powers...

"It all used to be mine. Well... they still are mine, but now I'm forced to share."

You planned all this, didn't you? To put an open wound in me and invade so you could escape the Darkness of Time.

"I'm glad you're giving me so much credit, but for real, my original plan was just to kill you. But, of course, you couldn't let it be so simple. You had to fight back. Fine. I could've dealt with that. But you had to win, too? You had to kill my physical form and leave my helpless essence alive?"

That wasn't part of my plan. My plan was to kill you, too.

"Great minds think alike, huh?"

Heh.

"I have to let you know, though, you can't treat my powers like a commodity. In fact, it might be better if you acted like you didn't have 'em at all."

Why? With you and me on the same team, who can touch us? Even Ganondorf would fear us!

"I know, but we're both running huge risks if you use my powers too much."

How much is too much?

"Well... you can't run around and summon your sword and shield just to impress your girlfriend(s) anymore. In fact, the most powerful thing you can do is use my sword and shield the same way you used the Master Sword and the Hylian shield."

What the hell?! That's barely anything!

"Sorry, man, but that's how it has to be. I'm pretty resourceful with the scraps that I'm given and every little movement you do that involves my power somehow will go towards the old, evil, harbinger-of-death me. I'm actually surprised we're still alive to have this talk. You haven't held anything back ever since you got these powers. I guess you macked me harder than I thought."

Wait... there's two sides to you?

"I'm a complicated dude, Link. What you saw in the Darkness of Time... and basically every other time before that... only understands anger and rage. Even though it physically looks like you, it's pretty primal: like a violent animal. You didn't really 'kill' it, though. You weakened it enough so I could take over: the logic inside; the part that actually thinks. But I can't survive on my own. I need a body."

Like a parasite.

"Thanks for making my existence seem so elegant. Anyway, if the old me wakes up, he's gonna find a way out. ...and you'll die..."

...wow...

"Yeah... I did inflict a mortal wound, and you would've died eventually. You're still alive because I'm keeping that wound closed. If I leave, you're screwed."

But you're screwed, too, aren't you? You keep sayin' we need each other to live.

"Yep. You dealt a fatal blow to me, too. No matter what form I take, if I leave your body, I'm gonna die. Not as painfully or messily as you will, though, believe that."

I knew these powers had to have a catch. There's always fine print...

"Sorry, but you have to know about this. You also have to know that you can't, under any circumstances, tell anyone about me."

Not even Mario and Luigi?

"Especially Mario and Luigi. After I was done with you, I had every intention of killing them and I'm sure they know that. There's gonna be that air of uncertainty and mistrust if they know about me. Just do us both a favor and don't say anything."

But my people are understandin'. I trust them. They'll still look at me the same way.

"Link, please. I'm not doubting them. I just don't wanna take the chance, get it? We'll both be better off if we're the only two that know about our situation."

But--

"LINK. You shook my hand because you trusted me. Now prove it."

...alright, fine. We'll do it your way.

"Thank you."

Can I wake up now? This has gotta be the worst dream I've ever had.

"Yeah, go ahead. OH!! This is probably the last time you'll be able to do this: check out the shield's eye one last time. It feels like it's ope--"

Dark Link never got to finish his sentence as Link suddenly felt a sharp squeeze on his right shoulder, sending up a wave of excruciating pain so great that it threatened to redefine "agony". The resulting scream could've bent reality if it was possible. Instead, it violently ripped Link out of his dream and threw him back into reality, where he was writhing in pain in his bed, gripping his shoulder tenderly. Standing over him was the one responsible for his anguish: Mida.

"It didn't have to be so painful." She said, shaking her head.

Link glared at his Gerudian offender with malicious intents, finding it hard to control his heavy, angry breaths.

"What... the f***... is your problem?" Link asked, sitting up in his bed and still gripping his shoulder in pain.

"You wouldn't wake up when I told you to, so I had to make you do it." Mida replied as if anyone in her position would do the same exact thing.

Link continued his glare while his lip involuntarily curled in deep anger.

"It's like you left one nightmare to wake up in another..."

I hate her... so much.

"Mida... you're seriously pissin' me off." Link stated. "I dunno who you're tryin' to impress with this bulls*** you're pullin'. It's not cute at all."

"I'm not trying to impress anyone. I do what I need to do when I need to do it." Mida said matter-of-factly.

On the inside, Link could think about no other reply than slapping this girl senseless. She had a smart-a** response for everything, and not only that, she said it like she was unquestionably correct. It was like she dared you to prove her wrong.

On the outside, Link could only close his eyes and heavily breath out, forcing himself to withstand Mida's presence for just a little longer. He hoped to his three goddesses that she wouldn't say anything else that'd cause him to snap. ...her neck.

"Why... are you here?" Link forced himself into a calm tone, trying his best to hold back his irritation.

"Trust me; I'm not the type that visits people for no reason." Mida assured him.

Suddenly, she whipped out a rolled-up article of clothing she had been holding behind her. She let it uncurl and held it against her slender body. Link's state of mind completely switched, going from irate aggravation to heart-skipping awe.

"Like what you see?" Mida asked with a slight smile creeping onto her face as she watched Link's reaction.

"Wow..." He was struck speechless. "That... looks great." He admitted. "Might be a little tight, though."

"So? It's to accentuate the curves. Duh..." Mida said with a wink, as if it was obvious.

"Yeah, right." Link rolled his eyes. "I just have one complaint." He started, motioning Mida to come closer so he could feel the material. "...green?" Link muttered, making a disappointed face at his new Hylian tunic.

"What's wrong with green?" Mida wondered, handing over the shirt. "Didn't you used to wear green all the time?"

"Key words: used to. It's a new year, it's a new me, and I got a new color: black with the silver linings. ...too cool for words." Link shook his head, reminiscing about the not-so old times.

"Well, you're back to green with the green linings. Just be thankful we even got you some fresh, new clothes." Mida said.

"Who's 'we'?" Link wondered.

"Me, Nabooru, and Raznia." She replied. "The rest of your outfit is right there." She pointed to a new matching green hood and off-white pants resting on a chair, and his brown boots by the door. "Hurry up and get dressed. Nabooru and Raznia want to see you."

"I was kinda plannin' on seein' Mario and Luigi, first." Link said.

"You'd be wasting your time. They're not even here." Mida said.

"What?" Link's face was twisted in confusion.

"They're. Not. Here." Mida spelled out each word as if Link had a learning disability. "Why are you so worried about them? I told you they were fine, right? They probably just went to stretch their legs or something."

"Did anyone see them?" Link wondered.

"Nadee said something about seeing a funny-looking guy in red hanging around the Training Grounds. He probably didn't stick around for long, though. The Training Grounds was destroyed, remember?" Mida reminded Link. "Like I said, don't worry about them. They're not kids, so they'll be fine. I'm sure they wouldn't leave without you, anyway."

"True..." Link agreed. But even so, he still couldn't shake that foreboding feeling he had...

"I'm glad we agree. Now get dressed." Mida commanded.

Link was just about to step out of his bed to start his routine, but he hesitated. There was a problem...

"What are you waiting for?" Mida said, growing agitated.

"You to leave." Link immediately stated.

Mida shook her head. "What difference does it make? You have nothing to hide from me." She pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. My dignity's still here, Mida." Link stated, pounding his chest. "If you're gonna watch me get dressed, I gotta watch you undress. Deal?"

"In your dreams, Link." Mida crossed her arms while rolling her eyes.

"Then be gone. This ain't a peep show." Link said, pointing to the door.

Link was expecting Mida's typical stubbornness to keep her in the room and continue to piss him off with just her presence, but instead...

"Fine." She said with a slight shrug. "Seeing too much of a good thing makes it bad, anyway." Mida finally left the room. She even closed the door as an added bonus.

"Thank you, Din." Link sighed in relief, looking upward appreciatively and finally got on his feet for the first time in a while. His legs felt wobbly and he felt a slight case of vertigo from standing vertical once again. He began the dress-up routine by starting with his pants.

"Wow. She actually complied. Ten points."

It was either that, or it was about to get real violent. I really can't stand that girl.

"You know what I think? I think she needs a stern talking to."

...I know you don't mean with words...

"You know me so well. Of course I mean pillow-talk."

Well, I won't be the one to do that. Just thinkin' about it demeans my soul.

"That's sad, especially since you'd be the best man for the job. I think she has a thing for you."

Too bad I don't give two d***s. I'll go out with you before I go out with Mida.

"Well, I'm kind of a part of you, so you really can't help--"

You know what I mean!

"You dressed yet?" Mida called from behind the closed door.

"It hasn't even been a god*** minute..." Link muttered to himself. "I'll be out when I'm done. Chill the hell out." He called back.

"Two minutes, then I'm coming in, regardless." Mida warned.

Link just sighed in frustration as he continued to get dressed.

"Hey, don't forget to check your shield."

Oh yeah.

Only half-dressed with a pair of pants, Link held his arm out and summoned his shield. His source of protection greeted him with a wide-opened, bloodshot gaze.

"That can't be good..." Link muttered to himself.

"Not even a little bit... This has to be about the brothers."

I pray to Din it doesn't, but with my luck...

"What are we gonna do about Mida..."

Screw Mida! Nabi and Raz will understand if I'm a little late, but Mida's too d*** stubborn to even listen.

"How're you gonna deal with her, then?"

I'm just gonna punch her in the face if she gets in my way.

"I know you can do better than that. Whatever you decide has to be quick, though. Two minutes is almost up. Take any window of opportunity you have."

I'm so glad you said that.

Link just then caught a glimpse of an opened window. He headed over to it and took a look outside. He was one story up.

"Think you can make a jump like that after what you've been through?"

Are you kiddin' me? I dive off the cliff of Gerudo Valley into Gerudo River for fun. This is nothin'.

"Thought so."

Link hopped onto the window-sill, psyching himself up momentarily before taking the dive. He barely had enough time to breathe in, though, when the door suddenly swung opened; an impatient Mida was standing in the doorway.

"Time's up." She announced, but was immediately shocked to see Link literally standing on the edge. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Leavin'." Link replied, promptly jumping from the window after throwing Mida a peace sign.

"Nice exit. Where are we heading first?"

The only thing we have to go on is the last place Mario was seen: the Training Grounds.
____________
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Third of all, the next update shouldn't take nearly as long to be posted. But then again, I say that all the time, so my word probably holds no meaning. *sigh*

Just be on the lookout for the next update, and I hope you enjoyed this one.

 

[Meleeruler]

I. Havent. Even. Read. It. Yet. I'm. So. Happy. Now. I'm. Going. To. Read. It. And. Edit. My. Post. Later. Yay!.

EDIT: Pretty cool update.

 

[Nigguh-witta-attitude]

that was whack

 

[MewtwoMaster2002]

Great update. I was somewhat confused at first. I wonder where Mario and Luigi are.

 

[andalau]

Is it just me or you guys have way too much time writing this stuff?

 

[Dibs]

Thank god that that wasn't really the end of the story. I was starting to get disappointed but then yeah. Haha nice trick. This is a pretty nice update. I love the addition of dark link and his role now.

Can't wait for the next update. Keep it up yo.

 

[keeeen]

Very nice, once again, I can't wait for the next one!

 

[BloodyMarth]

I.............am happy.

BloodyMArth........."expecting ti see something Rev related to this"....

 

[Keotalf]

Nice update. I say that as soon as you finish this act, you should start on the next part of the trilogy.