So apparently I ship GhiraLink now.
… Um. I really didn't mean for this story to come out this way. But since I wrote it…
Also Lanayru is probably really frickin' OOC. I never paid much attention to him other than to curse him for putting me against The Imprisoned in the last fight for the shield.
A blade to the chest. A string of daggers slicing into flesh. Even months later the scars still ached. The hero had faced countless foes, but none had left more of an impact than the man styling himself lord of the surface.
Several times they had met in battle, each time fighting more passionately than the last. In the beginning Link had been only too eager to fight from a distance, leaping back after each strike, as had his foe. But by their final encounter the two had been entwined in a deadly dance, parting only to draw close to each other once more.
But now... it was over. The Demon King was sealed away and peace reigned. The Skyloftians had even begun to return to life on the surface.
A soft breeze rushed past Link, carrying desert sand with it. He sat perched upon an ancient rock wall, watching the new day begin in the desert. And yet he had been awake for hours. Every time he closed his eyes, all that he could see was Ghirahim's pained expression as a blade was driven into his chest. A blade wielded by his own hand.
Link had spent weeks trying to adjust to the sudden absence of pressure. It was disconcerting to no longer be needed, but he was only too grateful to be able to rest. However, he had quickly realized that his nightmares were not only lingering trauma from his many dangerous encounters. There was an emptiness in his chest that no amount of work or distractions could fill.
Without his Loftwing it took far longer to travel between provinces – he had left his new home in the woods almost a week earlier. The land was no less dangerous to traverse even with the Demon King sealed for eternity. The monsters still saw him as easy hunting, and the quicksand still sucked at his boots like a vacuum. But today he would finally reach his destination.
The sun was high in the sky by the time he reached the great chasm. Link's skin tingled; beneath his feet the sand transitioned smoothly to grass, a sure sign that he had entered the Timeshift Stone's radius. Ahead of him dozed the great Thunder Dragon.
Link approached Lanayru without fear. The two had met many times, Link saving Lanayru's life and the dragon in return offering his power to help Link grow stronger. Since completing his quest, Link had not returned to these trials. Thus it came as no surprise when Lanayru awoke in surprise at having a visitor.
"Ah, Link!" the great dragon boomed. "How good to see you! Pray tell, why have you come?"
Link's throat was dry, both from the desert heat and from anticipation. He licked his lips before replying. "Greetings, great dragon of thunder. Will you allow me to test my strength once more...?"
"Ah, of course. Do you have a foe in mind?"
Link already knew who he wanted to face. It was the reason he had begun this trek.
"Ghirahim."
Lanayru thought to himself for a moment before nodding. "Ghirahim it is."
Link's vision dimmed as though he were about to pass out. When it cleared, he found himself standing upon a floating platform high above the Sealed Grounds. His body felt heavy – he was unaccustomed to the weight of his mail after so long. In his hand was the sacred weapon he had fought and grown alongside for his entire quest – his heart ached at the sight of it. But before him stood the reason he was here.
The Demon Lord was a mere shadow, a figure plucked from Link's memory. But the sight of his smooth, reflective skin caused a lump to form in Link's throat. He was just like the hero remembered.
The shape advanced, his feet clanking on the platform. And Link drove him back to the edge. There was nothing else he could do – illusion or not, Ghirahim would kill him if he did not fight. Link's face was coated in a sheen of sweat by the time he knocked the Demon Lord off the platform, following it up by a fatal strike to the chest.
Ghirahim's mouth gaped in a silent scream as the source of his power was penetrated by cold steel. And Link faltered as the memories rushed back in.
The young hero sprang to his feet and backed away slowly. "G-Ghirahim..."
The illusion was deaf to Link's words. He knew only how to fight. He rose and advanced, causing Link to stumble as he tried to avoid falling to the ground or approaching his foe.
"Ghirahim, stop. I can't fight you. I..."
His words went unheard. Ghirahim was coming closer and closer. Gritting his teeth, Link quickly circled around him and began driving him to the edge again.
Again the false Demon Lord fell. And again Link drove the True Master Sword into his source of power.
His entire body was shaking but he knew this was the only way. For the first time he began to regret making this trek. He had come for one last chance to see Ghirahim, but now he realized that he would be worse off for it.
Tears blurred his vision as he drove the metallic body to the edge once again. He leaped, sword aiming straight for the diamond on the figure's chest. As it sank into Ghirahim's body, Link leaned forward and crushed his lips against his foe's. A single tear dropped from his eye to Ghirahim's cheek, quickly rolling off of the metallic skin.
The final platform sank slowly to the ground as Link crouched over Ghirahim, biting his lip. "I-I don't want to do this," he whispered. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you in months. After what happened... Ghirahim, I saw you die. I can't... I miss you... I..."
He was forced to step back as the Demon Lord slowly rose. Link knew what would happen next – he would summon two sabers and the fight would resume. Quickly he wiped his eyes with the back of a hand and readied himself to fight. There was no other way.
It was a much more solemn young man who emerged from the illusion under the desert sun. Link's hand clenched over empty air, in his mind's eye still gripping the sword that he had just used to shatter Ghirahim's energy source. The Thunder Dragon began to praise Link's performance but stopped when he noticed the hero's condition.
"Young man, is everything-"
"I'm fine," Link interrupted. His voice was harsh from more than just the desert sand, but Lanayru was too unfamiliar with humans to know this. As long as the hero's eyes were dry, he would suspect nothing – and so Link fought to keep it that way.
"Thank you," Link said, "for letting me see... challenge myself once again." He bowed and turned to leave without waiting to claim a prize. Lanayru watched him go with concern. His demeanour was very different than when he had entered the challenge. But the events of the fight occurred only in the participant's mind, so the dragon had no idea of what had happened.
Link waited until he could no longer see the great dragon's territory before sinking to his knees in the dust. It was over – in more ways than one. He had won, despite the wounds that the illusion had managed to inflict. And he knew that he would never see Ghirahim again. He could never bring himself to harm him again in the torturous Lightning Challenge.
The hero hung his head and let himself cry openly for the first time in many months. Ghirahim was gone. There was no doubt about it. He himself had watched the sword disintegrate once its master was defeated. Just like Fi, Ghirahim's spirit was gone forever. Any attempt to see him again would only be a cruel mockery of what he once was.
The young hero stared at his hands. They may as well have been stained crimson with the Demon Lord's blood.
"Ghirahim," Link hissed through his teeth, struggling to steady his voice. "I... I'm sorry. I l-love you..."
Nothing would be the same again.