As I aimed my arrow, concentrating to make sure I hit what I assumed to be the fleshy neck part of the shit colored like-like, I started to wonder why such an abhorrent monster would ever be called a like-like. Certainly a monster that ate your weapons and clothing would not be ever termed "like-like." I was about to ask Navi just exactly how she found out the name of this weird monster that should've never existed in the first place.

Wait a second...

I took a deep breath and calmed my irritation. I couldn't think like this. I couldn't justify my actions against a living thing. I kept telling myself that I was not a killer, and that I was doing this to save others not to destroy. I took another deep breath and released the arrow that swooped over the spikes and quickly killed the last monster in my pathway. The victim of my arrow quickly wheezed out what I would describe a "like-like" cry and shriveled up quickly. A quick death without too much pain... That's all I could give it.

"Are you okay?" Navi asked suspiciously. "It took you a long time to shoot."

"I'm fine," I replied, shrugging her off. She accepted it quickly. Navi was a very good and lenient companion. She understood when I needed to talk and when I didn't. Although she could never understand when it was time for her to stop talking.

"Well, can you hurry it up? I am so sick of being sopping wet all the time. And this stupid water temple is just too many puzzles. My brain is hurting."

I often times, liked to see what puzzles were used to defend these temples, and feel accomplished and detached from the fact that I could figure them out without dying, or losing limbs (although I have definitely have come close). I like my strategy of scanning rooms, taking out any living breathing obstacles and then testing out anything that stuck out to me. It had been a strategy for each room that usually kept me alive.

Following Navi's advice, I quickly took out my hookshot and aimed at the bullseye, the force of the chain pulled me into an arc over the spikes that blocked my path. As I landed heavily on my wet, soggy boots I took note to this, aware that it would limit my movement in case I needed my sword for the next room. I also noted that I finally used up my last temple key on this door. This was the last route in the temple that was available to me. I scanned my memory and prayed to Farore that I was fully prepared for the next task.

I opened the door, at once my sight was engulfed with mist. The mist was heavy, and certainly limited my sight, but I took another deep breath and confidently stepped onto the sandy ground in the next room.

Was I on a beach? Was there an ocean in front of me? I couldn't tell because of the mist everywhere. Having a limited sight always bothered me. I was especially on edge when I would have to fight or travel in the dark and this mist was causing the same reaction within me.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Navi whimpered out, stating the obvious. I tentatively stepped forwards, feeling soft sand beneath my boots. Then another, and then another...

"Hey, the fog cleared," Navi said more cheerfully, and she was correct. Apparently I had stepped through a circular line of fog that surrounded what appeared to be a misty lake with an island directly in it s center of the circle of fog and on the center of the island was a tree that looked pitch black from being burnt to death. Was there a fire monster in this room? I hadn t encountered any monster close to resembling anything on Death Mountain recently. There were no torches either, although the place was lit up similarly like the constant cloudy days in Kokiri Forest. Although I was very certain that I couldn't be outside.

"This place gives me the creeps," Navi stated as she also examined the room, she then became more focused and hopeful. There's a building on the other side of the lake. Let's hurry and get over there so we can get out!"

That was easier said than done, since I could literally see a whole lake full of potential dangers preventing me from getting to that door. I edged towards the water, seeing that the water was also misty, providing me with no sight of what was underneath those waters. I tapped the surface of the water with the tip of my boot, which brought up a childhood memory of playing with a Kokiri boy who had aquaphobia, would do this same action when being urged to swim.

However, as I started to see this picture in my mind, I immediately forced myself back to reality, where I had no time to ponder whether I should face my fears or live with the embarrassment. I was no longer a child (despite how long I had been consciously awake). There was no time to hesitate. I had my Zora tunic and hookshot at the ready. I started to confidently plunge into the depths, only for my foot to hit solid ground only two inches from the water s surface. All my weight slammed into my ill-prepared foot and I stumbled into what actually was a really large puddle.

Navi failed to hold back a giggle at my surprise. In response I could think of nothing but a glare.

Adjusting to this new change, I started to walk towards the center island with the burnt tree, searching for what might be some sort of fire monster, or really anything to show up and tell me what I have to do to clear out this room. When nothing had happened I sighed. Navi instantly agreed with my response.

"It is way too empty in this place. What's up with that tree? Is it burnt?"

I reached my hand out and felt the bark. It should have been dry and brittle but instead was tough and moist.

"I can't tell how long ago this tree had burned," I told her. Then bit my lip in frustration and confusion in this complete mystery. "The tree feels so healthy I don't think it had been burned at all."

Navi quickly circled around the tree before turning back to me. "Weird, then why does it look like that?"

I shrugged, and then concluding that nothing was happening by just standing there and looking at trees, I then started to walk towards the building, which appeared to have an exit to this confusion.

Then something happened within me as I touched water towards the building. It was as if I felt lighter than I had ever felt before. I felt happy. I could see myself running like a little child in the woods again. Flashes of the woods and playing with Saria and wait, no, what was going on, I m not that kid anymore, I m not ten years old anymore and I m not like any ten year old... I stopped and focused at the door before me, bringing myself back to reality again and finally noticing the metal bars on the door in front of me.

I instantly made the connection that all rooms that have bars like those require that I fight something quite challenging, and whatever that "something" was, was definitely intelligent enough to lead me into a false sense of security. With all that in mind, I instantly did a 180 to face my opponent.

However, my opponent was not some gigantic fire breathing monstrosity like I expected. Instead, he was clearly an average male dressed in a black tunic mirroring my own and black hair that very much mirrored my own and all of a sudden I could see some sort of twisted and darker mirror image of me relaxingly leaning on the black tree on the island. He grinned in an almost deranged way and made a little wave before totally shocking me by speaking.

"Hiya!" He said cheerfully, in a voice that sounded so much like mine, but not like mine. He lifted himself off of the tree and made a step forwards as I edged backwards in shock.

"I guess you finally figured out where this is going, right? He began, his voice giving off the most fake impression that we were somehow the best of friends. "It should be nice being able to brush up on your sword skills again with a real opponent rather than killing a few pests like tektites and those stupid clams."

I didn't know what to say, or what to expect from this opponent, or whether he was an impostor or some form of magic from Ganondorf. My only option was to remain ready for whatever move he chose to take and be ready for anything. However, my enemy chose to continue talking.

"Hmmm, I can tell you didn't expect this," he began. "The last guy you must have faced that could form coherent sentences must have been Ganondorf's ghost boy." I instantly knew he was talking about my encounter with Ganondorf's ghost in the Forest Temple, who didn t do much but chuckle and comment on my sword skills.

"That must have been terrible for you to kill his ghost," he said almost mockingly. "After all, it must help you sleep at night when you know you're only killing off blubbering idiots."

The last comment stung my insides in their entirety. It felt as similar as the time when Mido consistently called me half-person. Except instead of failing to attain a fairy and a normal Kokiri life, I was failing to find justification for killing those "blubbering idiots." For one thing, I knew that this was not just some terrible impostor. For it truly was more difficult to try and kill a human being. Someone who spoke your language and could connect with you rather than scream out animalistic battle cries. I could easily say I would rather kill twenty like-likes than kill a human being. At that moment I realized this situation had become way too personal.

"Who are you?" I decided would be a good start. He replied with a big grin and laughed.

"Why isn t it obvious?" he chuckled. "I'm you! Can't you tell?" He paused and rested his chin on his hand in a thoughtful way. "Or at least, a part of you coupled with some Gerudo magic, enhanced with some Triforce magic to make a manifestation of your dark side." He then theatrically held out his hands and bowed. "You may call me Dark Link."

Navi finally felt the need to reply. "You're not Link, you re just a stupid impostor fixed up by Ganondorf!" Her comment did not provide me any reassurance. Dark Link chuckled again, which still put me off, since he had my voice, laughed in a way that I never would.

"I'm hurt Navi," he replied, putting his hand to his heart. "You both should be grateful and amazed that Ganondorf was able to pull off such a feat. Not many people can say they have seen their dark side face to face. Although I guess it's easier for a dark side to manifest when the person often times wakes up covered in blood that isn't theirs."

Dark Link was grinning and I knew that I was truly the one who was hurt. I breathed through my nose and started the mantra in my head (I'm not a murderer, I'm not a murderer, I'm not a murderer...) while still feeling the stings of guilt. I decided that it was finally time to draw my sword, and Dark Link followed suit. I did my best to clear my head and slowly walked towards my opponent. Dark Link, fully within character, mirrored my moves.

As we closed the distance, Dark Link lunged with his sword at me first. He made two forward stabs, both I effortlessly blocked with my shield before using it to push his sword down and made a slice from the left towards his neck.

It came so close, but he quickly moved back just enough to avoid my sword slicing open his throat. It would've been such a quick end, but I knew it had just begun.

I followed with with two horizontal slashes, both he blocked with his shield almost as if he were repeating my same blocks before breaking away from the game and spinning into a quick slice towards my undefended torso. I instantly moved my sword to block the sneaky attack. He pushed my sword away before slashing upwards, grazing my silver gauntlets before I pulled away from the slash. He sliced again towards my head as I dropped down and made contact with his left leg, slicing through his black boot to make the successful first blood.

He jumped back yet still calm and appearing unaffected by the wound. I didn't have any time to rest or rejoice before he came charging back slamming his shield into mine full force and slicing up towards my face. I blocked that attack with my sword before he moved to push my shield even further away with his sword. I took the blow and slashed at his right before he defended with his shield. With a perfectly controlled twist of his sword, he stabbed with the force of a moblin into my shield forcing me to stumble back from the attack.

Something was wrong. As a mirror of me I would assume we would match in strength, but he was clearly faster, and stronger, and I was tiring way too easily. He remained calm and focused before realizing I was getting tired and grinned again.

"Come on, Link," Dark Link whined impatiently. "You just have to let go. Just lose yourself and forget all the guilt. You're a murderer! A killer! A monster just like everything else in this temple!" He smiled darkly. "You belong in here, just like the rest of us."

"Shut up," I grumbled. I really tried to forget the guilt, but with every word Dark Link said, it came with full force upon my conscience.

"Yeah shut up, impostor!" Navi burst out through all the tension. "He's nothing like you!"

I was hoping that Navi's outburst would provide some distraction, but instead Dark Link had all his focus on me. It was now or never. I charged in and knocked away his sword with my shield before turning into a quick and small spinning slash. Dark Link stepped away and then moved back when I was open enough for attack again. More blocks and more slashes ensued. I had become frustrated again and dropped under his slice for another attack to his other leg. He was ready this time, and moved my target away before angrily moving in with an elbow to my chin.

The next strategy I plotted up was to corner him against the tree, which we were moving more and more towards anyways. As I directed the fight closer and closer to the mysterious tree, Dark Link had picked up my strategy and instead dashed towards the tree, leapt off of it and stabbed with his full force against my shield, denting the metal and pulling the worn leather straps off my arm and knocking it far away from the battle, now useless.

I gained some space as he threw his shield aside to make the battle more equal. It was something I never expected from a battle like this. We were not equals playing fair, we were trying to fight to the death.

Then Dark Link charged again, sword into a stab towards my center which I quickly knocked away. I moved into a flew slices that he stepped away from before he charged into another stab. I moved to the side turning with another quick slash which he blocked with his gauntlets, but it was too little a defense for my long sword to make a slice on his forehead. I pushed forwards to make it deep but he moved with my push leaning to his left side and throwing me off.

I was shocked, and feeling rusty from killing nothing but tektites and clams, and finally my back was exposed, which Dark Link took advantage of by spining into the attack, leaving a deep slice from my left hip up to the middle of my back.

I could feel the pain of the skin separating before feeling myself fall towards the water. Navi's shouting could be heard in the distance but all I could focus on was bracing myself with my arms against the water. I turned and landed on my uninjured side to avoid falling face first into the water and then to brace the agony and the feeling seeing the slowly growing pool of red around me.

If I had the time, I would've quickly pulled out a red potion, but Dark Link was quick to push me onto my back and straddle on top of me and press his palm into my chest straight through to my injured back. The pain was intense and I was certain I cried out. Dark Link pulled on a grin again before gripping my wrists and pressing weight so I had no way out. It was now that I realized that I had dropped my sword when the wound was inflicted.

"Wow, that was easy," Dark Link said with a bright smile. I glared at him as I could hear Navi shouting insults in the distance. "Who knew that the whole could be bested by a part?" Dark Link ranted on. "I mean, I know I'm the part that grants you the power to kill, but still, I've always thought that you would always just try to push me away and keep me locked up and try to ignore me forever."

He then looked up still grinning as if he were talking to someone else. "All thanks to Lord Ganondorf that has changed."

I eyed my sword maybe a few inches away from my reach before assessing what other weapons I could use to defend against my opponent. That is, when I could get my hands free. However, it seemed like he planned on going into another rant, during which I would lose a lot of blood.

"You know, I'm absolutely grateful that I was granted the ability to manifest into my own body, too," Dark Link began. "It was perfect timing, too! I am really at the peak of my abilities." I was starting to feel like Dark Link was too close for comfort. "You know, Link, we re now really seventeen years old, and as seventeen year olds we must act accordingly. But you're still hung up on the pure chastity bull-shit, and the only thing I get outta this is a bunch of sexually frustrated dreams."

"Stop," I almost pleaded weakly. I didn't want to hear him talk about what was happening to me so relaxingly. I didn't feel ready for this body and all the stress that comes with it, but I tried to ignore it as much as possible, just as I tried to ignore Dark Link for most of my life.

"And so," Dark Link started to giggle uncontrollably. "It's just so perfect that I was gifted with this body not too long ago and who conveniently walks into my little comfy home, but the most beautiful boy, the most seductive, delicious, perfect idol of our dreams!" He burst out into laughter. "His excuse was that he sensed some illusionary magic and wanted to help! How perfect!"

Then my stomach dropped, and I knew exactly who he was talking about. Then the denial that the perfect idol of our dreams set foot in such a dangerous situation set it. I hoped, more than anything else in the world, that he and my dark side never met before, for the results would be disastrous, and I would most definitely lose the one person I cared about most.

"Sheik," Dark Link confirmed. "Sheik, sheik, sheik, sheik, sheik... I love calling out that name. I loved calling out that name!" He giggled out again. I gritted my teeth, feeling rage beyond rage start to fill my entire being. He couldn't have. He's lying.

"Liar," I spat at him. "You're just getting under my skin again."

Dark Link smiled, and then yanked my hand into one of his black pouches. The sudden jolt pulled at my back and made me scream through my teeth, and I suddenly noticed that our faces were inches apart.

"Link," he said seriously for once, and suddenly it was if I couldn't distinguish our voices anymore. It was if he were a voice in my mind. "Pull out the cloth."

There was a piece of cloth in his pouch. It felt worn and dirty, but out of both dread and curiosity I made a grip on it. I could feel the familiar texture on it without any doubt. As I pulled out the white and red cloth, torn from Sheik's same tunic. The same tunic was used to warm my hands in the Ice Cavern. By warming my hands he had to, embarrassingly, pull down his cowl and reveal his face for the first time. I had been the first person to see something so personal to a Sheikah in a long time. And now, I could only imagine what the monster in me could potentially force Sheik into revealing. I could only imagine what he forced Sheik to do.

You fucking bastard, I could only think.

It was then that I only had seconds, as Dark Link released my hand and quickly reached for a dagger as I grabbed his right arm, pulled him forwards and turned my hips, lifting him off so that I was on top of him. It was the first time I saw pure shock on Dark Link's face. Quickly pushing off the ground and away from a slash of his dagger, I gained distance, not even caring to look for my sword.

"Erkoo pouros Dinehs," I chanted out as Dark Link started to get up, and soon enough Dark Link recognized the words that issued forth before looking very panicked. He should have, for in the next second he had burst into flame. I could hear a similar sounding cry issue forth from his burnt lips.

He deserved it. He deserved every bit of pain, of suffering, of cruelty... Smoke issued from his body. He sank to his knees, gasping for air, and I stood there, enraged at him, and waiting for the right time to activate Din's Fire once more.

Dark Link looked at the ground soberly. "That was a Goron wrestling move. You tried to figure that move out so many times and failed. I didn't expect you to actually pull that off."

"I didn't expect you to pull off what you did either!" I shouted at him, echoing throughout the room. I repeated the chant, and he screamed, loudly. It was discomforting that those were my screams, but I placed that at the back of my mind. He deserved it. He forced Sheik. He was a monster that needed to be punished, and die.

Yet Dark Link was still alive, still smoking, skin charred but still alive and sitting there. He looked at me pulled off the best grin he could muster. "I can only die by the Master Sword," he stated. He stood up and lifted his arms up in offering. "Will you end my life with the least amount of pain and suffering."

But I couldn't let him go without punishment. I was too angry to let him go that easily. Too angry to even think of potentially giving him a quick death. I wanted him to suffer more than ever. I repeated the chant again. He burst into flames again, screaming, and I slowly started walking towards my sword, but still deciding that he most definitely needed to feel more pain.

"That's right fucker! I finally burst out screaming at him. This is only a taste of the Hell you'll suffer once I kill you!"

The chant was repeated, and the screaming repeated. Except after the fires were gone, he laughed. Dark Link cackled so loudly, before getting the control to form sentences again.

"Except I won't go to Hell," he giggled out, before laughing again. "Just not yet. Not for a long time!" He looked up again. "Do you hear that Ganondorf! You gave me the choice between my death and your death, and I chose your death!"

I repeated the chant again, not really caring what he was blabbering anymore. He burned but then went right back into his speech towards Ganondorf.

"I get immortality this time! Not you! You will die you damned stupid Gerudo, and I shall be the immortal one!" With that, I finally picked up my sword, forced Dark Link to burn, painfully and cruelly for one last time, before driving my sword home through his heart. He looked at me with almost drunken eyes. He gripped the edges of my sword, slicing through his hands, and truly smiled.

"Now you'll never leave me," he stated, before dissolving into smoke.

And as the heavy, heavy, heavy weight of feeling whole and truly feeling everything set in, I realized my dark counterpart was right.

So, yeah, I haven't written anything in forever, let alone fanfiction. This just so happened to pop up in my brain randomly at the end of my school year when I haven't gotten over 4 hours of sleep per day. I'm honestly hoping my writing has changed since then because it really sucked back when I wrote everything else. I know many might disagree (especially the many who really liked "Maybe Its Meant To Be") Hopefully you enjoy this story, both inspired by all the philosophical books I've been reading lately and fullmetal alchemist (pretty much Link=Roy in the end...) I realized I left a lot open for explanation, however, I will write more if I get inspiration, which is rare and and just as unexpected as this story was... (meaning: sorry I probably won't write a sequel!) D:

Also, "erkoo pouros Dinos" is really the ancient greek words "ερκου πυρος Δινος" sounded phonetically. The actual translation is "come fire of Din." I knew there would be some purpose for learning a dead language. XD