Sorceress of Shadows: Just a random oneshot made from Dark Link fangirl-ish-ness and…well, something else I found in that place where I keep all my ideas.
Link: This oneshot is just pure, pointless, Dark Link/Saria fluff. But who am I to complain?
Dark Link: You're no one. But I so have the right to complain.
Sorceress: (Smacks Dark Link) Don't complain. Just do the Disclaimer like a good little shadow.
Dark Link: (Cowers, takes out piece of paper, reading fast) Yes ma'am…Sorceress doesn't own Zelda, Nintendo, Link-
Sorceress: Silence, fool. You talk too much.
o~o0o~o
Sick Out
Dark Link leaned over the edge of the water, groaning and clutching his stomach. He didn't know where he was; all he knew was that the world was spinning, that he hurt, and that he was flanked by a waterfall.
He knew how he got there, though. Basically, he realized that Ganondorf would kill him-quite literally-if he ruined the vast room he was staying in. So he just…left. He wished he could remember how, because spending months in that stupid chamber was torture.
So then he was running across the ice and now he was here, about to toss his cookies into an unknown puddle. Oh, but there was something, some sort of passage…
With that thought, Dark Link turned his head to the side-he did want to investigate water not cloudy with vomit-and began retching. Nothing was coming out, but he expected that; he was, after all, a shadow. Even so, it did make his stomach feel better, though it made him weaker; he felt like he was going to pass out.
And pass out he did, only vaguely aware of his falling ungracefully into the puddle as everything faded away to nothing.
o~o0o~o
"Link?" Saria kneeled beside the body floating in the water, straining her eyes to make out his form in the shadowy grove. Through a fleeting shaft of sunlight, Saria caught a glimpse of a black tunic and pale skin, or what would have been pale if it wasn't so flushed.
So he wasn't Link. But she couldn't just leave him there; he didn't look like he would wake up any time soon. She grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him towards land, surprised by his weightlessness. Placing him over her shoulder, she set off towards the Forest Temple, chattering to him even though she knew he couldn't hear her.
"…So I thought you were Link, but then I saw your clothes-Link never wears black-and figured that you weren't him." She was just talking to air and if air was living it would be annoyed, but it had been so long since she'd had anyone real to talk to; she just couldn't stop herself. "But you look a lot like Link. I wonder who you are."
Saria closed her mouth as she adjusted her hold on the pale-skinned boy, gripped the vines clinging to the Forest Temple and began the climb. It wasn't long, per say, but it was steep and difficult to do manually, especially if you only hand one hand free.
Scrambling up the crest (ordinarily she would have made a flying leap to the branch overhanging the temple and swing herself to the top, but she wasn't sure she could manage it without injuring herself or the person she carried) she paused briefly to ponder over what she would do if the being she held turned out to be evil; he did give off a slightly sinister aura…no, not sinister, just dark. And dark wasn't necessarily evil.
o~o0o~o
"Ugh…what…?" Dark Link asked, groggily sitting up and rubbing his eyes tiredly. Everything felt so…so clogged. His head, his ears...everything that could be stuffed, in other words. It was hard to pay attention to anything; if he'd been fighting with Link (or a Stalchild, for that matter) he would have lost.
"Good-you're awake." Dark Link turned his head towards the sound of the voice.
A girl. Dark Link saw lots of girls-he did spend a good part of his life among the Gerudos, a tribe of female warriors-but never one like this. Everything about her was green; her hair, her clothes…everything but her cerulean eyes and cream-colored skin. Dark Link would have destroyed her just for her complete and utter brightness, but he was out of it, so to speak, and it didn't help that his sword and shield were lying across the room from him.
"So." Dark Link sat up, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his head on them. "I hate to ask the generic I've-just-woke-up-in-some-place-I've-never-been question, but where am I, exactly?" The words came out hoarsely, but neither Dark Link nor the girl seemed to notice.
"The Forest Temple," the girl replied quickly. "I am its sage."
Dark Link, midway through running a finger over his nose, paused to stare at her in disbelief. That this…this child could have all the knowledge of a sage and thus, all the power, was nearly inconceivable. "Who are you then?"
The girl smiled. "Call me Saria." This said, she cocked her head to the side with a concerned look on her face. "Your voice…what happened to it?" Leaning towards Dark Link, she placed a hand on his forehead. "Are you sick? You have a fever."
"What's that?" Dark Link inquired, puzzled look on his face.
"I said, are you-"
"Not that! I mean, what is…" Dark Link rolled the new word around on his tongue. "…Being 'sick?'"
"Um…" Saria furrowed her brow; it had been a long time. "There's different kinds, but basically you don't feel well…oh, sometimes your temperature rises, like yours did…" She went on and on, describing multitudes of thing.
"I didn't understand a word of that," Dark Link interrupted, "but if you mean you feel like crap and you don't know why, then yes, I am sick, or whatever you call it."
"Aw…you poor thing." Saria embraced Dark Link, hugging him tightly. It was a lovely sensation, full of good will.
"Wow…" Dark Link murmured. "It feels so nice. So warm…"
Saria shrugged. "It's just a hug." Patting Dark Link's head, she added, "why not rest now?"
"Thanks, but I really should get going." Dark Link struggled to his feet. "I have places to be."
"No way." Grabbing Dark Link's collar, Saria held him in place; she was surprisingly strong. "You're not going anywhere."
Not eager to attempt the experiment again, Dark Link sprawled onto the pile of blankets spread out in the corner. "Fine then," he consented. "It'd probably be stupid to do anything feeling like this anyway." He sniffled, sneezed a couple of times. "Really stupid," he muttered as Saria exited the room.
o~o0o~o
Dark Link idly flipped through some old, mildewed book, one hand supporting his head, the other thumbing a page. You could tell how interested he was by his body language-if it was good he would lean forward, eyes wide, fingers fumbling with the page; if the work bored him he would resume his original stance.
"So you like history?" Saria asked, reappearing in the room.
"It's okay. Thisis good," Dark Link replied, shutting the book gently.
Saria sat down beside him as she broke into the silence with "Did you have a nice nap?"
There was an uncomfortable pause. "…Not really," Dark Link answered truthfully. "I can't sleep." He coughed into his hand. "…And that's why," he groaned, before launching into another fit of coughing. It was annoying and it hurt; Dark felt as though tiny arrows were flying around his lungs. That was, until they just felt blocked. He gripped the edge of the makeshift bed leaning forward as he heaved, painfully, this time bringing up large amounts of bile, gagging for breath, choking…
And then there was a cup being held to his lips; he couldn't do anything but drink, water spilling down his tunic, but whatever did find its way to his mouth felt good, so good.
"Okay you're fine. It's over." Saria rubbed Dark Link's shaking shoulders gently. "Just go sit over there…" She pointed to a small step not far from where the two were. "…And I'll clean this up."
Dark Link nodded, got to his feet and made his way across the room; it couldn't have been more than five feet from where he had been originally, but he collapsed like he'd just ran across Hyrule Field. He panted quietly, putting his head between his knees and wrapping his arms around the latter. He couldn't understand why; it wasn't a long path, yet he felt utterly drained.
"So," Saria spoke up, creating a new bed of sheets. "Did I ever get your name?"
Dark Link shook his head, though it never left the safe haven of his legs. He made an attempt to answer; all that came out was a pathetic little high pitched whimper that sounded like "mmm," rising before it dropped slightly.
Saria smiled compassionately. "It'll be okay," she reassured him, walking over and putting an arm out so that she could support him; it was these little things, Saria had found, that made all the difference.
Dark Link shook his head again, placing a few fingers on his throbbing temples. "I…I'm fine. I don't need help…" He murmured. Sure you don't. Keep on telling yourself that, Dark Link, he thought.
"You are most certainly not fine," Saria snapped. "And you never will be fine if you keep on being so stubborn!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry," she sighed, all traces of impatience gone. "But will you please take my arm?"
Dark Link grasped the outstretched arm, pulling himself up and putting an arm around Saria's shoulder to steady himself. Thus, he managed to make it back to the little pile of blankets, wrapping one around himself, sniffling softly at regular intervals, trembling uncontrollably, such an expression of misery etched onto his pale face that Saria wanted to look away.
"C-cold…" Dark Link complained. "It's s-so…cold…" He looked at Saria, crimson eyes beseeching. "Can you m-make it s-stop?"
Saria placed the back of her hand on his cheek, gazing at him sympathetically. "I don't know," she started. "But I'll see what I can do."
o~o0o~o
"By the way, you never did tell me your name," Saria commented, handing a steaming mug of tea to Dark Link.
The shadow moved himself more comfortable position before simply saying, "Dark Link."
Saria nodded, as though this was the expected response. "I can see how. Anyways, how did you come to be here?"
Dark Link shrugged. "I don't really know. There was some sort of…puddle…" He furrowed his brow, trying to recall. "And I puked...the next thing I knew you were telling me that you were glad I'd woken up."
"You slept for a long time," Saria commented. "You must have been really tired."
"I still am," Dark muttered, rubbing his eyes. Leaning back he sighed. "Bleah."
"You are one sick shadow, aren't you?" Saria asked empathetically.
"You said it," Dark Link groaned, ignoring the fact that she'd just called him a shadow. At any other time he would have stabbed her for that but…he wasn't sure if he could pick up his sword, much less use it. Besides…she didn't seem to say it with any sort of malice.
"It doesn't last forever." Saria stood, pulling the blankets up to Dark Link's neck in a way that made him feel very childish. "You'll probably be well in a day or so." She put a hand on his shoulder before turning on her heels, pausing to stare at him a moment. "Feel better."
o~o0o~o
Saria smiled as her eyes fell across her charge's form. Dark Link was sprawled across the pile of sheets, covers kicked off in the night, coughing occasionally; it sounded like he was breathing through his mouth.
"So you finally got some rest, huh?" Saria asked, wiping a bead of sweat off one of Dark Link's black strands of hair. "That's good. And your fever's going down, so…you can probably leave tomorrow. I don't know where you're going, but…" Saria's eyes softened. "…I enjoyed our time together." She tossed a blanket over Dark Link then, cupping his face gave him a light kiss on his forehead. "Sleep well."
o~o0o~o
Sorceress: First oneshot over two thousand words! Woo!
Dark Link: Great for you…will you ever stop torturing me?
Sorceress: Nope! 'Cause I watched some cutscenes from Twilight Princess and it gave me great ideas!
Link: Okee-dokee…well, review, I guess…
Dark Link: (Quietly to Sorceress) So nothing about the Dark Interlopers?