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Petulance and Persistence

I have to admit I had my own reservations about the trip. I wondered whether it would bring up all the past memories built up inside of him. We'd suppressed the feelings deep inside his mind, as the assassin was still there and fighting to get out. I'd know it was happening when his nimble fingers clenched over my throat or his keen teeth tore after my neck. Sure, he had a reputation of relapsing every time I thought we had a few moments to ourselves, but I trusted him. He'd never actually succeeded in hurting me before.

It was Dark's idea. He suggested visiting the old water dungeon. It used to be a dreary, dark place, where Dark had received his eerie complexion. Now it was sunny and warm. My skin crisped into a dark tan as his merely sparkled a cold charcoal in the sun. We lied under the Deku tree tangled in the grass. The sun pierced my light blue eyes, yet I didn't want to take my eyes off of it. The only sound in the distance was that of a waterfall crashing upon the mirror-esque water. Dark would probably want to go swimming, I'd just watch. This was his natural habitat; unfortunately I'd never gotten over my irrational fear of swimming. I suppose that was his fault in the first place.

The night I first met my counterpart was a strange occurrence. Come here often? I imagined him saying. His posture suggested a sense of enjoyment as he stared me down with a sly grin spreading his lips. At this moment I couldn't think much other than… me? It didn't matter if this new Dark me was a challenge or not, the mind game he was playing by staring at me with my own eyes in a devil red was frightening enough. I couldn't move. I could barely breathe and so when he began to approach me I backed up, preparing for a wondrous fight.

He drew his sword or rather, my sword and sauntered towards me. My feet got caught up in the water, shifting awkwardly beneath me, while his glided across the water easily. How do you fight a shadow? He was made here, lived here, I could tell by the color of his face. He looked lucent in the cavernous room. He fancily twirled his sword the way I did when I was bored. Was he bored? Did he really have run-ins with the Goddess' hero every day? Actually, the longing in his eyes looked as though I was the only being he'd ever seen. Surely there were monsters in the dungeon but as for real people, this demon was trapped from civilization.

I drew my sword. All feelings aside, he was going to die, or do whatever it was demons did. I put one arm up to use my shield. He countered with the same move. With his swift movement came a smile as well. I wondered how exactly a demon received enjoyment from a fight. He was created to end me, how did he have enjoyment? I swung my sword with a loud yell. He parried. I nodded, in recognition of his skilled swordsmanship. He raised an eyebrow realizing I'd complimented him. During his moment of distraction I spin attacked. I caught his arm causing it to bleed profusely. His shadowy image disappeared not long after. I searched the dungeon for him to turn up again.

I heard the water moving before I saw him. He rose from the water like a demon of the deep and cut at my leg. I dropped down. He laughed out loud, his voice sounding distorted from mine. I appreciated his mediocre abilities, but knew that I would win this battle. I rose to my knee and hit him with a skyward strike. He dematerialized the moment my sword would have made contact and turned up behind me. I tried to turn but before I could his sword was at my neck. I sucked in a breath. No mercy. Slamming my skull into his face caused him to teeter backwards into the water. I kicked his sword away and put the point of mine on his chest. His eyes, framed in thick eyelashes, grew wide with fear. I was the monster.

His feet wrapped around mine and threw me to the ground. He too kicked my sword away as I watched it roll into the water. I crawled after him putting my hands around his marble-smooth throat. He rolled forward, causing me to lose my grip. I rolled away and he scrambled after me. I kicked him away to no avail. He took a feral pounce at me and landed atop me. I tried to squirm, but he had both my hands suspended above my head in one of his and a tiny throwing knife in the other. I threw myself upwards only to be stopped by the Dark me. He held the blade to my cheek and grinned. He was going to succeed in what he'd been created to do.

I built up all my courage to roll over him, taking a small cut to the cheek. He yelled out at his failure to kill me as I struggled to force his head underwater. In retrospect it probably wasn't a good idea to challenge the demon in the water temple to hold his breath. Once his face was underwater he opened his scarlet eyes and took a gulp of the water. He grinned and kneed me in the stomach. Cackling, he pushed me back, rising to his feet. I skidded across the water, landing near a dead tree. There was nowhere to run as he slowly and steadily approached. When in front of me he put a foot on my chest. I felt the air leaving my lungs as he fully submerged me in the water. I tried to breathe, but my lungs only burned with water.

While searching for some groundcover to pull up on my hand happened across my sword. I lifted it from the water and swung blindly. He jumped back, causing a monumental disturbance in the water. Quickly, I freed myself from the watery abyss. He clutched onto his side as the water turned red beneath him. I suddenly felt bad seeing the real terror on his face. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, was all I could think. He began to have trouble breathing and I knew that I couldn't do this.

I dug in my pocket for a tiny glass vial. Inside was a fairy. My last fairy. He was me after all, how could I leave him for dead? He didn't choose to defeat me it was ingrained in him since creation. I found the exit and walked closer to it, finding my footing on solid ground. From the doors I tossed him the little vial that floated towards him. His confused face altering to gratefulness was the last thing I saw before he found me years after to say thank you.

Even still the event scarred me leaving me fearful of water and drowning.

And so became my fear of swimming. It had to be the pressure of being submerged or the helplessness of floating in the water. It didn't matter what it was, as long as I never felt it again. Dark was persistent though. There wasn't a way in Hyrule that he'd convince me to step a toe into that water, but Dark wasn't so used to the word "no". Demon or not, he was not getting away with a few taunts and the promises of safe arrival on land afterward. I'd been scarred and there wasn't much he could do for me other than lie there and watch me fall victim to the curse.

Dark latched onto my tunic and wrinkled it beyond recognition. I snapped my eyes up at him to make sure he wasn't, once again, relapsing into a murderous mess. His red eyes calmly encouraged me to join him. I smiled a sympathetic half smile and shook my head. His eyes grew wide as he hoped I'd change my mind. After staring at pleadingly for a while he lifted the scruff of my shirt, lifting my torso from the ground. I stared, wide-eyed and bewildered. Sometimes I wondered if he was stronger than me. The idea of it was preposterous. We were meant to be equal in nearly every way. Maybe it was his straightforward attitude or possibly the way that he took control, not worrying whether he was pleasing others, but either way I was genuinely scared of him at times. This was one of those times.

I clasped my hands on his wrists, encouraging him to free me. He grinned a half smile and shook his head no. I let out an exasperated gasp. He put a knee on either side of me and lifted my torso off the ground. We met face to face. His eyes drifted to the water, then back to me, then back to the water. I bit my lip and heaved a breath. He cocked his head to the side. Water? It seemed as though he was asking. I set my jaw, refusing to give in. He chuckled once then rocked back on his heels, standing easily and lifting me, kicking, to my feet. I yelled loudly, allowing it to echo through the dungeon.

I didn't want to swim. I didn't want to touch the water and I most certainly did not want to have another battle-royale in this dungeon. I clawed at him to release me but he wasn't going to have that. I changed my tactics. When puppy dog eyes didn't work I tried to be as heavy as possible, becoming dead weight. He chuckled to himself and lifted me over his shoulder. With a large "hmph" I admitted defeat. He stepped into the water, relishing in the cool liquid. I let him set me down.

I took a sharp intake of breath when I hit the water. My eyes involuntarily closed, but when they opened I found myself staring at a shirtless Dark swimming about in the deep waters. I grinned. This wasn't so bad, I thought, kicking up the water. I laughed to myself and watched Dark's pleased reaction. I even took another uneasy step through the water. Dark effortlessly swam a butterfly stroke through the deeper waters, watching me adjust to the strange liquid.

After a long while of looking at my bare feet I took the initiative to move in. I walked for as far as I could, but when my feet no longer touched the cavern floor I paddled out to Dark. He stopped and laughed as I struggled to keep my head above water. The simple treadmill movement he did with his legs simply perplexed me as he naturally bobbed above the surface. I'm sure my face showed my calm determination as I made it all the way to Dark. He beamed and nodded in approval. I let out a quiet chortle then yelped. I'd lost my rhythm and was sinking below the surface. I was drowning again and I felt my hyperventilation begin.

When I forced my heavy eyelids to open I was surprised to not see the watery abyss, but instead Dark's face, smiling proudly.