Disclaimer: Zelda is copyrighted by Nintendo!

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"Link! Look out!"

I quickly looked over in the opposite direction and tried to run, but I wasn't fast enough.

I whimpered in fear as Majora's tentacles wrapped around me and lifted me high into the air.

"Link! See if you can break free!" Tatl, my fairy compainion called to me from the opposite corner of the room.

"Don't you think I'm trying???" I managed to yell back, just before Majora's grip tightened on me.

Majora brought me closer to its large, glowing, yellow eyes. "Yell all you want mortal..." He hissed. "It's much more amusing for me to kill you when you're beggin for mercy..."

"Does it sound like I'm begging for mercy?" I snapped, struggling against the thick tentacle that held me prisoner.

"You will be begging soon enough!" Majora said as his tentacle snapped back and slammed me into the ground. He brought me up to the face again. "Well?" He asked.

I spat the blood out of my mouth. "Ow~You made me bite my tongue..."

He slammed me into the ground again, harder this time. "This is no time for games...boy..."

"I'm not playing with you! I really did bite my tongue!" I yelled.

Majora stared at me. "You are going to die any second now...and you're mad at me for making you bite your tongue." He repeated slowly.

I nodded with a fierce look of determination in my eyes.

Majora laughed. It wasn't a pleasent laugh and it sent chills down my spine.

"Help me..." I muttered to Tatl as she flew by.

"I'm working on it! But you can't expect me to know the weakness of every single monster in the world!" She
said, jingling loudly.

I sweatdropped. "You don't know the weakness of any of the monsters I've met with in my travels."

"Well...uh...that's different." She quickly flew away when she saw Majora glaring at her.

Majora swung his thick tentacles and threw me...hard.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!!" I cried, just before I hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Are you okay??? Talk to me, Link!" Tatl yelled shrilly in the ears.

I sat up and rubbed my shoulder, wincing from the pain of having already been thrown several times. I couldn't get close enough to the mask to stun him with my sword and I had long since run out of arrows. Becoming the Zora wouldn't help because the boomerangs could never get through Majora's strong defense. I rolled up the sleeve of my tunic and could see yet another bruise beginning to form under the many cuts and burns I had recieved earilier in the battle.

"Link, I don't think nows a good time to be tending to injuries."

"I know that..." I said, still looking at my arm.

"Why don't you just use the mask Majora gave you? It might help. It's certainly a lot better than sitting here moping around because you ran out of arrows." Tatl suggested.

"No way! You don't know might happen if I wear it!" I said with a hard edge to my voice.

*whirr*

"Huh?" I looked away from Tatl and leapt to my feet to avoid one of the spinning blades Majora had unleashed into the arena, or at least...I tried to avoid it.

"Ow!" Blood soaked through my tunic, dying it a deep crimson color.

"Tsk tsk..." Majora said, coming closer to me. "I'd thought that a great warrior like you would be able to dodge that...guess I was wrong."

Tatl winced as I ground my teeth in frustration.

"I'm surprised a runt like you managed to free the four guardians of Termina in three days time. I'm must admit, I was very impressed that you even managed to pull it off." Majora continued with a sneer.

Tatl and I grinned. Majora had absolutely no idea that it had actually taken us a LOT more than three days to accomplish that much.

Majora unleashed another one of his spinning blades. I was already too exhausted to avoid it completely and wound up receiving another deep cut.

"Just use the mask! It might help!" Tatl said, flying around my head in frenzy. "Please..."

I pulled out the mask and looked un
certainly at it. "But..."

"Come on! Hit me back little boy, I dare you!" Majora taunted, then held up both tentacles as though preparing another attack.

I pretty much close to tears, knowing that I was unable to attack Majora and that I might have to use the mask he had given me before the battle. It was plain to Majora and Tatl that I couldn't decide. In their eyes, I was just a little boy, lost and confused and thrown unwillingly into this fight.

I shut my eyes tightly and clenched my fists. I can't back out...All the people of Termina are depending on me...I can't back out just because I'm afraid of a mask.

...a cursed mask that contained great powers...great enough to pull the entire moon down upon the land...powerful enough to wipe out all life in a few moments...

I can't back out...

"Majora!" I called.

Majora turned his massive bulk around to face me.

I held up the tattooed mask with trembling hands. "This fight...will be your last!"

I shuddered as the polished wood of the mask touched my face......

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Link0723: Heh...short fic as usual...
Wesley (my brother): Not to mention stupid! ^_^
Link0723: *whacks brother with her sketchbook* Why do you always pop up in the most annoying places??