The demon lord's quest was nearly over.
Since his defeat at the Fire Sanctuary, Ghirahim decided that following the green-clad boy would be the easiest and fastest way to discovering where the reborn goddess had been hiding. After several days of searching for the spirit maiden, he was finally about to find and capture her. Oh, if only the boy knew he was leading one of his worst enemies to his darling friend's location...
He had seen Link walk into the Sealed Temple, and followed close behind, unnoticed. At one point, his master had broken free from the goddess' seal, only to be sealed again by the sky hero. Unfortunately, there was nothing Ghirahim could've done, not without the spirit maiden.
Ghirahim hid behind a pillar in the temple, waiting to see what the boy would do next. Before his master's attempted escape, he overheard the ancient guardian tell Link to use his enhanced sword to awaken the Gate of Time. Ghirahim's shock had turned into rage when he learned the second gate had been in this temple the whole time. Remembering what the drawing in the Fire Sanctuary looked like, it seemed so obvious now. How could he not have figured it out sooner?! The demon shook with anger, using all of his willpower to not lash out at the humans and give himself away.
Before he could give into temptation, Link raised his sword skyward, the blade filling with a heavenly glow, and slashed at the sleeping stone. The slab responded by glowing, and transformed into a proper Gate of Time, looking identical to the one that was destroyed at the Temple of Time.
After Link activated and went through the gate, Ghirahim followed quickly and silently behind him. Before the gate closed behind him, he heard a gasp from the old woman. She had undoubtedly seen him. It didn't matter, since she couldn't stop him from reaching his goal. Nothing could now...
Within a few moments, he and an oblivious Link reached the other side of the gate. There he noticed the goddess' wretched guardian standing nearby. When she turned to look at the gate, she was shocked to see the demon lord standing right behind the hero with a huge grin on his face. Seeing the surprised expression on the lean woman's face, then finally sensing someone behind him, Link turned around to see an unwelcome sight.
Without giving them a chance to attack, Ghirahim summoned multiple pillars of magic, which shot down from above, striking the two down.
Hearing a pair of creaking doors opening, the demon turned to the source of the sound...
...to see the spirit maiden standing there.
She looked at him, then at the unconscious forms of her supposed protectors, and back to him again. The demon lord gave her a cruel smile, then began to walk toward her, menacingly.
"Greetings, your holiness." As he came closer, the girl backed away slowly, not taking her eyes off the threat.
"Ghirahim..."
"Ah, so you know my name! I'm honored." Ghirahim paused his slow pursuit to bow in a mocking way. "Since you know my name, wouldn't it be fair to tell me yours?"
The maiden, continuing to back away, glared at him and said, "...Zelda."
"Zelda..." the demon purred, "What a lovely name."
"How are you here? How did you find the second Gate of Time?!" the girl asked frantically.
Ghirahim smirked before replying, "Let's just say, I have your hero to thank for allowing me to find you."
Zelda stopped dead in her tracks. He could see her eyes widen from shock, before quickly changing into a look of anger.
"Now, dear Zelda, would you kindly come with me back into the present? I would very much appreciate your cooperation." He offered his hand to her, beckoning for her to take it.
Zelda once again backed away while continuing to glare at him. "No thanks," she spat.
Ghirahim's hand twitched, his friendly facade beginning to fade away. "I insist, Spirit Maiden..." he hissed, his voice having a dangerous tone in it. The little goddess, however, wasn't swayed by his threat.
"Forget it! I won't let you revive the demon king! I'll do anything and everything in my power to protect this world from him, and from you."
The demon slowly lowered his arm, and continued his pursuit toward the defenseless girl. By then, both the demon and maiden were in the empty room that the previously-closed doors kept hidden.
"I'll give you two options, little girl: come with me willingly without any kicking and screaming, or continue to act defiant and be painfully dragged to my master's seal and have your precious soul be torn and ripped apart from your still-living body!" Ghirahim's patience was beginning to wear out. He just wanted to resurrect his master and be done with his mission of capturing the spirit maiden.
By the time his words left his mouth, Zelda bumped into the wall behind her, looking at him in fear. Ghirahim teleported from being two yards away to two inches from the girl. He leaned his hands on the wall, trapping her. The demon put on a calm expression before saying, "My dear, I promise that if you come with me, I'll use another method to revive my master. A method that doesn't involve your death." His voice was soft and gentle. However, Zelda saw right through his lie.
"Even I know there's no way to revive Demise other than him devouring the soul of the one who sealed him away," she said, her eyes continuing to show defiance.
Ghirahim narrowed his eyes at her. "Very well then..." He placed his hand on Zelda's chest, feeling the girl flinch at the unexpected contact. "I suppose I'll just have to do this the easier and less fun way." A pink aura formed around his hand, and Zelda felt herself beginning to feel drowsy.
"No...no!" she cried, and began to struggle in his grasp.
Ghirahim wrapped his left arm around her waist, preventing her from escaping him while continuing to press his hand on her chest. Soon, Zelda's struggles lessened, and her eyes and head started drooping down. The demon lord bent down to whisper in her ear, "My dear Zelda, I have been looking for you since the day you first arrived on the Surface. Now that I have you in my arms, nothing can take you away from me." A nasty grin appeared on his face as he slowly licked his bottom lip. "That includes your hero and that twig of a servant."
Barely conscious, Zelda murmured, "They will...you...won't..." Finally, she passed out.
At last, he had her.
Ghirahim chuckled softly, which soon progressed into maniacal laughter. The joy and relief he felt was almost overwhelming. Finally, finally, he could free his master from that horrid seal!
Wanting a closer look at his prize, he leaned her backwards in his arms while firmly gripping her hair, taking in more detail of her facial features and expression. The girl looked so innocent, pure, lovely even. She truly was Her Grace...
Ghirahim had always been curious of what the goddess was like, and often had fantasies of the moment he'd capture her. When he first saw her at the Temple of Time, the strong urge to grab her had raised his adrenaline and power, which helped him to destroy the sheikah's barrier.
In a sense, the spirit maiden was the most important person in his life, next to his master.
As he thought more about the reborn goddess, a strange feeling began to grow within the demon lord. It was an odd feeling of possessiveness, and it urged him to take the girl for himself. To make her his.
But he knew he couldn't.
Ghirahim didn't know why he had a sudden desire for the little goddess; for a human of all things. Perhaps a part of it was because she was the reason he even existed. He had been given life and freedom to roam around on the Surface, just so he could find and capture her. Another reason could be that if she died, his usefulness and meaning in life would come to an end.
"Such a shame..." the demon whispered to himself.
He absentmindedly stroked Zelda's hair while he was deep into his thoughts. Maybe after sacrificing her soul, his master would allow him to keep her body. He could put it into a crystal, where her corpse would never rot.
Even so, Ghirahim would not, could not, be satisfied. The sight and scent of a human's fear always excited the demon lord, and teasing, toying, and torturing his victim was the most fun he could have. Just looking at the shell of a once living creature wasn't enough. He wanted to see the spirit maiden look at him with fear and helplessness in her eyes, pleading for him to spare her life, or maybe end it. Ghirahim wanted to break her spirit, and make her submit to him.
Keeping the girl alive was a much more pleasing thought.
Just then, an idea popped into his head.
What if he could split the goddess' soul into two?
Yes...he could offer his master one half of Hylia's soul, while keeping the other half within the sky maiden, allowing her to live. Ghirahim just hoped half of her soul would be enough to revive the demon king.
Pleased with the idea, the demon lord turned back to the gate and strode toward it, all the while carrying his little goddess in his arms.
When Ghirahim stepped into the other side of the temple, he noticed the hero and sheikah were missing. Not wanting to waste another moment, he continued forward to the Gate of Time.
A searing pain on his back stopped the demon's tracks.
Snarling, he turned around to discover that Link had woken up, and was ready for a fight. Ghirahim's tolerance for the boy had worn out long ago. "Boy...if you cherish your life, you would be doing yourself a favor to just sit and stay here quietly, like a good little sky child."
Link's only response was to lift his sword higher, his body becoming more tense. Ghirahim growled, "Fine then, you insufferable insect!" Using his magic, Ghirahim lifted Zelda above their heads. "I will enjoy this far more than I should."
Unfortunately for the demon lord, he had forgotten about the spirit maiden's servant. When Zelda was high enough, the sheikah chose that moment to come out of the shadows and leap into the air, grabbing the girl.
Ghirahim was livid now. Turning his attention to the goddess' guard dog, he summoned his hovering knives and aimed them toward her. He flew them at her while also making sure the spirit maiden wouldn't be hit. Impa was far too quick however, as she dodged the knives with little difficulty and came to Link's side.
"Here, Link. Take Her Grace and go through the great doors behind you. I will deal with Ghirahim." The boy sheathed his sword and took Zelda in his arms, following the woman's order and ran to the other room.
"No!" Ghirahim yelled, before charging at Link. Impa rushed to block his path, denying him access to the hero and unconscious maiden.
"You will not touch Her Grace!"
The demon lord gave her a hateful glare. "Out of my way, mutt. I have no time to be dealing with you."
Impa gave him her own hate-filled look before lifting her hands in front of her. In her palms appeared two glowing blue orbs of destructing magic. She replied to him, "If you want the spirit maiden, then you're going to have to kill me first."
Ghirahim snapped his fingers, conjuring his two swords while his mantle disappeared. He growled, "With great pleasure..."
Impa threw one of her orbs at the demon. Assuming the sheikah's power was too weak to hurt him, Ghirahim used one of his swords to slice at the magic ball. When the orb made contact with the dark blade however, it caused an explosion, knocking the demon back. He was flung into the air, but managed to land gracefully on his feet. The demon lord mentally reprimanded himself for forgetting the sheikah used that power to destroy the first Gate of Time.
"It seems you have a bad habit for underestimating your opponents," Impa mocked, looking smug.
Ghirahim said nothing as he teleported behind the woman and positioned his weapons to behead her. The sheikah ducked under the slicing swords before turning around and pushed her second orb onto the demon lord's chest. Ghirahim grunted as the force of the explosion pushed him backwards, sliding on his feet as some of his skin pealed off to show more black cracks.
"Wretched wench..." he hissed.
Impa narrowed her eyes. "Leave this time period, Demon Lord. I will not hold back if you linger here."
Ghirahim merely stared at her, before breaking out into a giggling fit. Temporarily interrupting his own mirth, the demon put on a fake expression of fear. "Not hold back? Oh no! To think you were going easy on me! Oh please have mercy, great and powerful servant of the goddess!" He then started howling with laughter.
The lean sheikah scowled. She took out a hidden knife from the slash around her waist, telling her enemy, "I will protect Her Grace from all that intends to harm her."
Over his laughing fit, the demon crouched slightly in a predator-like stance. Impa mirrored his action. Ghirahim glared at her before saying, "Her soul belongs to my master..." His expression became darker. "She belongs to me!"
And with that, the demon and sheikah's blades collided.
...
Their battle continued and lasted for several minutes, neither of them gaining the upper hand. Once in a while Ghirahim would catch a glimpse of the spirit maiden and the hero conversing with each other. The girl must have awakened soon after Link ran off with her. Every time Ghirahim would try to escape the fight and charge towards Zelda, the sheikah would annoyingly get in his way and force him to fight her. Even when he tried teleporting, some unknown magic prevented the demon from appearing near the spirit maiden. No doubt it was some form of divine intervention. It frustrated him beyond anything.
Parting away, the two enemies took their time to catch their own breath and analyze each other. The demon lord noticed his opponent slightly hunched over and panting lightly, her fatigue starting to show. "Well now, it seems you're having trouble even standing up straight. What were you saying before? Something about you not holding back?" Ghirahim teased with a smile on his face.
Suddenly, a bright light flashed from the room Link and Zelda occupied. Impa smirked. "Too late."
Confused by the woman's statement, the demon lord turned from her and headed towards the light, which began to fade. He became more suspicious when the sheikah did not try to stop him. Once he entered the back chamber, Ghirahim could see an orange crystal hovering on the other side of the room. He noticed Link standing in front of it, his head bowed down while his hands rested on the glassy surface. As he crept closer, the demon could see a person encased within it...
The spirit maiden...
The demon lord seethed with anger. He should've known the sheikah was just trying to waste his time! Hearing growling behind him, Link turned around to see Ghirahim look at him with absolute rage.
Impa sprinted past him and stood next to Link. "It's over, Demon Lord. The crystal the goddess rests in is impossible to break," the sheikah told him. "And it will never break until the demon king is vanquished."
Furious, the demon hissed, "You dog... I promise you this, I will resurrect my master...and you two will suffer my wrath!"
Link withdrew his sword from its scabbard and raised his shield in front of him, preparing for any attack the demon lord might throw at him. However, Impa only stared at the enraged demon, calm and confidant, which angered Ghirahim further. Before he came to the Surface, Demise had warned him of the goddess' plans. As much as he hated it, he'd have to wait for his own master's death before he could even touch the spirit maiden.
For now, there was nothing he could do.
Fighting both the hero and goddess-serving mutt would be too much trouble for Ghirahim at the moment, since he wasted his energy on the sheikah earlier. No...he would kill them later. Let them see his master's return, and watch the world as they knew it burning all around them.
Regaining his composure, the demon lord dissolved his swords into nothingness and rematerialized his mantle. "Very well, I shall take my leave. It will only be a matter of time before Her Grace decides to awaken from her slumber..."
Giving one last glance to the spirit maiden, Ghirahim turned around and walked towards the Gate of Time. Before the gate closed behind him, he heard the sheikah say, "No Link, let him go. He's lost this battle..."
Ghirahim merely smiled.
As he returned to the present and exited the gate, he snapped his fingers to teleport out of the Sealed Temple, not even acknowledging the surprised gasps from the old hag and a boy with gods-awful hair.
The demon lord's plans have changed. If those people were foolish enough to leave the Gate of Time as it was, then they were going to have a nasty surprise when precious Zelda was free from the safety of her own little prison.
Ghirahim grinned when he thought about holding the girl in his arms once again.
Soon, dear Zelda...
You shall be mine.
AN: This is my first story, so I hope it turned out alright.
I'd also like to thank GerudoSpirit for supporting and helping me with this oneshot.