Disclaimer: I own no rights to the Legend of Zelda or the characters involved in the series.
Okay, so this is the first installment of my re-editing project for chapters 1-14 of Hands of the Dead. If you've already read this, and don't want to read it again, pay no mind. If you want to see how I revised it, go ahead. If you're new to this Fanfiction, pay no mind to this authors note except for the fact that when you're reading this, it may be in any stage of development. Like, only chapter 1 is re-written, and chapters 2-14 are still written in old school, unedited style. I don't know.
Anyways, enjoy the story~
Chapter 1
Link couldn't tell where he was, but his shadow was rippling beneath his feet and the wind was threatening to carry him away. The darkness of the forest scared him, but he continued on, chasing the elusive figure ahead of him, stumbling over his own feet in his haste.
Something shifted to his left, and he tripped in his panic to turn and investigate. A shiver went down his spine – the darkness had eyes… ruby eyes that watched him ruthlessly. He shouted as the eyes got closer, but the wind carried the eyes off with the memory of horror.
But when he caught the glimpse of blue eyes peering at him through the darkness, his heart faltered and his mind reeled. The long blonde hair framing face so familiar to him tangling in the delicate branches that snaked out from the dark lines that separated blue from black… it had to be his mother.
"Mother…!"
"Link…" She breathed, stopping mid step and turning. "Link! I was so worried! You could have died!"
Suddenly, Link was on the busy intersection near his home, his mother standing slightly in the street. Her hands were on his shoulders and she was almost sick with relief.
"Link! How many times have I told you to look both ways! You're almost a grown man! I can't have you being road pizza!" But she was smiling a serene smile.
Link couldn't smile back. There was something wrong, some type of déjà vu. "Link? What's wrong?"
"Mom… I…" He stopped when he looked down into his mother's sapphire eyes.
"Come on Link, your dad's on his way home. We should be there when he gets home."
But before she could step onto the sidewalk and before Link could react… the truck was barreling around the corner and—
Link coughed, feeling the dry and sticky leftovers from a long sleep stick in his throat. He grasped the thin fabric of a shirt over his chest, but his breathing refused to slow and his heart beat out an uneven rhythm. A think sheen of sweat covered his red undertone skin and, distantly, he could hear the ringing of a pre-set alarm.
His phone was also beeping frantically with the arrival of a new message, ringing against a glass of melted ice and rattling towards the edge of his desk. Deftly, his hand reached out and snagged the device before it could fall to its doom. The screen told of Midna—one of Link's long-term friends—and her wrath. His tired, dull eyes scanned the screen once, twice, before finally realizing that Midna had, indeed, cursed him out in her own special way.
The phone danced in his hand again, signaling the inevitable apology from Zelda.
"Sorry Link. Midna's a little angry. Don't worry. See ya in 10."
"See ya in ten?" Link thought, frowning. Where… his eyes flew into focus. After weeks of flaking out on his friends, he'd finally, finally promised to meet them at the café today.
Link ruffled his blonde hair so it stuck up on his head. When he closed his eyes, he could still see the sparkling blue eyes so like his own, looking at him through the darkness before the ruby eyes smudged them from existence…
Link sighed and hopped out of bed and strolled towards the bathroom, tossing his green shirt across a chair. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned, scratching the back of his neck as he examined himself in the mirror.
He looked slightly shaken from the nightmare – sweat was still evident and now that he looked, his eyes were swollen and red – and his hair was disheveled. Without looking, he turned on the water in the sink and jumped back as a ball of brown shot past him.
"Epona…" He sighed as the cat perched herself on his bed and meowed softly, licking the water from her fur in distaste. Her brown eyes followed him lazily as if to show her disapproval in his actions. His phone began to buzz and he frowned, hitting the faucet and listening closely for the ringtone that signaled Midna.
"Hello?" he answered lazily, thankful that it was Saturday and pulling a towel over his shoulders, leaning against the doorframe.
"Where the hell are you! We've been waiting—"
"I'm so sorry Link!" Zelda interrupted, her kind voice sounding through the speakers. "But where have you been? We're waiting for you!"
Link sighed and thought about how Midna and Sheik had bullied him into going out for lunch with them. Zelda had quietly agreed and supported them from the shadows, arguing that he'd picked sleeping over his friends on multiple occasions.
At any other time, Link would have happily complied and even offered to pay. But… this time was not the time for that. Today was one of those days… he was sure Sheik would have fought on his side…
"Sorry Zel, I was running late. I'll be over in ten."
"Okay," Zelda chimed from the other line. "See ya!"
Link fumbled over to his drawer and threw some clothes on his bed, laughing when Epona jumped up in surprise. "Shower or no shower?" He questioned, glancing at the clock. Deciding quickly, he hopped into the shower and nearly tripped over Epona as he stepped out. His small brown cat seemed on edge lately, following his every move.
The cat ran ahead of him as he stepped out of the bathroom and pranced around in front of his bed, meowing anxiously. Her tail wrapped around his leg when he walked up closer and her eyes darted up to his.
"What's wrong girl?" He asked as if he were talking to a dog. Epona meowed more frantically and Link reached down and petted her between her ears. "Oh, I haven't fed you!"
The cat seemed disappointed and hopped up on his bed, plopping down on one of his spare pillows and watching him with intense eyes. Slowly, she brought a paw up as he pulled his jeans off of the bed, snagging her claws in the thigh and leaving a tear. His blue eyes flashed at her and he held the pants up for inspection before shrugging and pulling them on.
Link pulled on a dark green jacket over his black t-shirt and shoved his phone and keys in his pocket, drying his hair with a few quick flicks of his head.
"Come on, Epona!" The small cat hopped up and trotted after Link as he made his way to the kitchen and popped open a can of cat food. The cat meowed happily as he set the food down and began to attack the food. As soon as he stepped towards the front door, however, Epona darted in front of him, effectively tripping him up. She looked up at him and meowed.
"Epona! I have to leave!" He reached down to pet her and she hissed, guarding the door. Link recoiled his hand in surprise as the cat let her sharp claws show. She flattened her ears back and scratched at his sneaker. "No! Epona!" He shouted at the small animal. She gave him an apologetic look and shrunk back into the kitchen.
Link sighed and looked at the small cat. "Epona, you're a smart cat, but…" He checked his phone for new messages and noticed that Midna had sent more threatening haikus. "Dad?" He called upstairs, "I'm leaving out."
"Okay son, have fun!" His dad's gruff voice answered him. A loud yawn followed causing Link to believe he had woken the poor man up. Oh well.
Link strolled out of the front door and towards his driveway where his dark blue SUV waited elegantly. Glancing back at the house, he saw Epona looking through the window, her mouth moving as if she was trying to call to him.
He smiled and hopped into the vehicle, taking a left and speeding off until he reached a familiar intersection. Music was blaring through his speakers and a small, wistful smile replaced his previous happy one. There was a rosary pinned on a street light. That street light. His smile faded into a sorrowful frown and he put his hand over his forehead, sighing in pain.
He waited for the light to change and made another left and pulled up to a small café. When he hopped out of his SUV, he could see Midna's orange-red hair swishing over a chair in the middle of the building. Zelda caught his eye and waved and Sheik looked up, nodding. On Midna's other side, a small girl with green hair looked up also. Orange, red, and blue eyes followed him as he neared the door and he received a loud greeting when he walked in.
"Saria, I thought you were going out of town…?" He started, pulling out the one empty chair and kicking his legs back, offering a small smile to everyone. One side of Sheik's mouth pulled up quickly before dropping. His red eyes were apologetic and Link waved it off quickly, listening to Saria.
"I was… but, things happen."
Midna scowled at Link and sighed, restarting her conversation with Saria, and in a few seconds, the two girls were talking animatedly.
"So, Link, what are you doing for vacation?" Zelda asked politely as the waiter brought a platter of coffee to their table. She grabbed one and blew it gently, her blue eyes examining Link's face. She, too, knew that today was a bad day for Link, and her eyes were also apologetic.
"Vacation? It's barely a week! Christmas break is a real break."
"Link! Any days off from school automatically count as a break! Sheesh!" She shook her head and smiled, sitting the coffee down on the table. "What are you doing for Christmas, then?"
"Well—"
Link was cut off by Midna's surprised squeak, his eyes cutting sharply to her in alarm. She was grinning and waving at the waiter, who was standing at another table. "He's adorable!" Midna shrilled. Sheik snorted and Midna frowned. "Someone's just jealous! Look at him! And his eyes!"
Link and Zelda looked up at the waiter and Link froze as the tall, pale man locked eyes with him. Everything else in the café went dark and Link focused on the ruby eyes staring into his soul… the man's eyes hardened and he looked away quickly, putting all of attention on the customers in front of him. The darkness had eyes.
"Link?!" Saria asked, waving her hand in front of his face. "Are you okay? Do you know that guy?"Suddenly, the green haired girl was sitting right next to him, almost hugging his arm. "He was staring at you…"
"No… he just looks familiar, that's all." Link gave Saria a strange look. "What about it?"
"He seemed like he knew you, too," Midna added, watching Link's face. "I mean, guys shouldn't hold eye-contact for more than a few seconds like that. It's too intense, you know? Could you see into his soul or something?"
"Midna!" Zelda warned. "What are you talking about?" Midna grinned at Zelda and eyed Saria's sudden clinginess knowingly.
Link checked his phone for the time. "Actually guys, I feel a little sick." He stood up, shakily, taking another glance at the unknown waiter. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
Sheik nodded and stood up also. "Can I go with you? I rode here with Zelda."
"Yeah, come on." Link pulled some money out of his wallet and placed it on the table, turning to leave with a small smile offered at his confused friends.
Together, Sheik and Link walked towards the door of the café, looking out to the street and the crowded street in front of each packed storefront. The blue SUV blinked its lights as Link hit the button on the keys and hopped into the driver's seat. He waited for Sheik's door to close, not bothering to look over.
"Today's that day, isn't it?" Sheik asked quietly, buckling up and looking towards his stoic friend.
"Yeah... it is." In front of them, through the crowd of people, a thin wreath of flowers were pinned to the street lamp… the one street lamp that signified the spot where everything changed.
Pulling out into the intersection slowly, Link noted the red light and turned right, not looking straight ahead to the seemingly empty road. Wide eyes, Sheik braced himself for oncoming impact, opening his mouth to shout a warning…
But Sheik's warning reached deaf, blood covered ears and his frantic eyes searched clouded, bloodshot blue.
"Sheik…"
"Hold on Link, you'll be fine. You'll be fine!"
Link's vision blurred as crimson dripped over his line of vision, and the crimson darkness made his heart falter.
Something told Link to open his eyes, but he wasn't sure if it was his mother, visiting him from the other side, the crimson darkness that had overtaken him for so long, or the awful rock music playing from a few feet over. Whatever it was, it prompted him enough to force his eyes open and see the dim light blaring itself into his eyes.
Though, the more he thought about it, the more he could tell it was the darkness, how it had faded around the edges just as it had flooded in during… during… during what?
Link allowed his head to flop over, since lifting it was beyond him, and the music, which was too loud for his ears, was beginning to irritate him.
"You left me here like a chalk outline~" Link recognized Sheik's voice rising in song, watching out of the corner of his eye as the boy's blonde bang swayed with the intense bobbing of his head. Link blinked and tried to open his eyes wider, however, when another deeper and melodious voice joined in. "On the sidewalk, waiting for the rain, to wash away~!" Sheik laughed and whisper screamed, "Wash away!"
"Sheik… shut up…" Link managed through his dry throat, wincing when it burned his mouth and tongue.
"Link! Man, you're alive!" Hazily, Link mumbled something that sounded like, "Yeah… why would I be dead…?" And Sheik grinned, looking over at the unknown figure in the room.
"Hey, this is Link. Though, he's not in the best of conditions right now…"
"None of us are in the best of conditions, bro," The voice replied jokingly, though, it too was raspy.
"What… what happened?" Link asked, frowning and finally opening his eyes enough to see Sheik, but not the person sitting on the far side of the room.
"You don't remember?" Sheik asked as politely as he could without letting shock seep into his voice. "This crazy driver hit us head on!"
"We got hit by a car?"
"In your car, Link do you really not know?"
Link shook his head as gently as he could, feeling a headache coming on, despite whatever medications they had in him to keep away the pain of the other injuries he inevitably had. "I remember the café, and walking out, but…"
Sheik shook his head, opening his mouth to speak and turning around when the door to the hospital room slammed open, revealing a young nurse.
"Hi!" She chirped, eyes wide. "Link! You're awake! How are you feeling? Dizziness? Headache? Nausea?"
Link coughed before replying, "How about 'all of the above.' Is that an option?"
"Ah… yes, it is. The dizziness is most likely because of how long you've been immobilized. Link, I tell you, it is a miracle you aren't permanently damaged from this accident. The headache is probably from the same reason. The nausea is a side effect from the drug you've been injected with to null the pain."
"If you knew that, then why ask?" Link snapped, turning his head away from the door angrily. "Sorry," he heard Sheik apologize. "He's cranky when he first wakes up."
"I can see that…" the nurse replied, smiling gingerly. "Well, I'm Ilia, and I'll be your daytime nurse for the stay. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to properly meet."
"H-how long was I out?" Link suddenly asked, still facing away. Ilia ignored his refusal to look over and recited everything she'd been allowed to know about the accident.
"Well, when paramedics arrived at the scene, it appeared that you and your friend here had been hit head on by an unknown driver. The driver fled the scene, and it appears that the car totaled in the accident was stolen. This young man here," Ilia pointed to the man Link hadn't gotten a chance to speak to, "happened to be a bystander, exiting the café and walking home."
The man laughed. "I feel worse for the poor soul whose car was killed in the making of that accident."
Link chose to ignore him and prompt the nurse for more answers. Was she avoiding the question? "And that was…"
"Three days ago." So much for wanting a simple answer—the knowledge hit Link like a brick. Gritting his teeth, he turned his head over, eyeing the nurse. "Thanks."
"For what?"
"For letting me know." His blue eyes clouded over and he half listened to the rest of Ilia's standard speech, trying to see around Sheik to the man sitting in the hospital bed closest to the door.
"Call me Dark," Link heard the man saying to the nurse, after she'd called him "Mr. Yami" multiple times. Dark Yami, that was his name. Link felt like snorting—this guy… he obviously didn't have any foreign language knowledge. Dark Dark was really a name.
"I'm sorry, it's standard procedure to call any patient eighteen or over—"
"I know, I know, but you're making it sound like I'm an old man. It's just Dark."
"Okay, Just Dark. Your paperwork is all done—you are amazingly lucky to have gotten away with the injuries you have. Just a broken leg? You can apply for some red potion from the doctor and be healed up in a few."
"That'd be great. I can apply for one now, right?"
"Yep," Ilia said, smiling. "We'll get those two up and moving as soon as possible, too, as soon as the other drug clears their system. You're welcome to stop by tomorrow, too, if you'd like."
"Cool," The man mumbled, and Link could hear the smile in his voice. This smooth talking stranger was beginning to irritate him and he could already tell they wouldn't, despite having never talked to the man. But when the man leaned around Sheik to offer a farewell, Link caught a glimpse of his eyes and memories that he'd buried along with his mother came to the surface, scalding his mind.
He didn't notice as Ilia ejected something into his IV, mumbling about him not being fully awake, and completely ignored the man's—Dark's—worried gaze. His mind was in a far off place, watching a man kneeling beside a tree, watching as his ruby eyes gazed at him from the doorway in his home. Watching as his mother invited those eyes in, ignoring the crimson tint that hovered all over him, the tint that was visible, despite the darkness.
The doorbell rang, despite the hour, and Link rushed to the door, eager to answer. "I got it!" and he ripped the door open, revealing a small boy.
"Are you all right?" Eight year-old Link asked, smiling and looking out into the darkness, only asking after the figure stood at the doorway, motionless, eyes closed. Opening his eyes, the other, older boy revealed himself, his ruby eyes suddenly shining from the light in the hall.
"I'm fine," he mumbled. Suddenly, as his eyes connected with Link's, and Link gasped taking a step back away from the ruby eyes.
There was a hand on his shoulder and he turned suddenly to see his mother, standing, ready to kneel down to reach the boy's level. She smiled and chastised Link. "Link! Don't be rude to this boy! Invite him in!"
"But he has scary eyes, momma," he found himself saying. "And he's covered in… in…"
"Don't be afraid of him because he's different!" Link's mother whapped him across his head and then said sweetly, "Come in, young man. Where are your parents?" She doesn't see the blood, Link noticed, closing his mouth.
The boy stared at Link's mother, silent.
"See mommy? He's scary!" He couldn't help but blurting, but his mother gripped his shoulder harder.
Link's mother gasped. "Link!" she hissed. She knelt down to look Dark eye to eye. "Where are your parents, young man?" She placed a hand on his head and he jerked back.
"I came to ask you to call the police. They're dead."
So, there you have it-the chapter 1 draft re-write draft re-write, if that makes sense. R&R.