Disclaimer - I don't own anything of this, only the red rock. All belongs to Nintendo. Hail Nintendo!

I hated every second of it.

Running, running through the field, you slumped over my back as the rain poured on us and drenched us – and I hated that, hated it, because I felt as though it would wash you away too, like the light had taken the shadows from you, what made you Midna, and turned it to white. What did you ever do to him? What was your part in this? It doesn't matter, not now, because he already did it, went ahead and exposed you to the light and almost killed you.

Yes, it was all his fault – all Zant! Because of him, I was sprinting as fast as I could manage, stones cutting into my feet and the rain pouring into my eyes and making everything go blurry, as though we were underwater, and you were clinging to life and I had to get you to the surface. Because of him, you could have died.

And I wanted to help you, make it stop right now, if I had the power to do so. If I were human, I'd have give you every potion I had, and I'd take you to every spring I could get to – anything, anything I needed to do to make you alright again, before it was too late.

But it couldn't be too late, could it? You were Midna, that annoying little imp who still made me laugh, even though I should have been getting annoyed with you. You were Midna. Indestructible, surely?

You had to be.

You couldn't leave me, not now.

I needed you.

You were panting in my ear, but when I got to that tree where I'd once found that red rock, the one that was the same shade as your eyes, you went quiet. I bounded forwards, checking to make sure that you hadn't slipped away, and you groaned weakly, patting my side.

"L-Link," you rasped. "S-stop... please..."

I whined, asking why – had the light taken your sanity? - but you insisted, and I had to stop, then, because you were wasting your energy by talking. I doubled back to the red rock tree, like you told me to, and lay you down. You didn't move for a moment, and I nudged your side. You raised your hand and put it on my paw, your eyes dark.

"There's... no point..." you breathed. "I'm... I'll be... be dead soon, Link... you... can't... stop it..."

I shook my head, nudging your stomach.

"You're wasting... time," you murmured. "It's too... late."

Inside, I was screaming, "NO! I can't let you die!", but I couldn't express it as a beast. I insisted, but you shook your head and sighed, so I lay down and curled up around you.

"W-what are you doing?"

I twitched my tail and then curled it up too, so that we were pretty much under the little canopy of the leaves. You wanted to push me away, but you didn't have the strength.

"L-Link, you'll die here, too," you whispered. "You'll get t-too cold... it'll take you in your sleep..."

I whined, saying I didn't care, that if you wanted to die here then I'd stay with you, till you went or I went.

"You're the h-hero," you insisted. "H-Hyrule needs... you. D-don't risk it for... me..."

I'm not going till you say that you'll hold on, I thought, and I think you picked up on that, because you told me that I was a fool, but you said that you'd try, albeit begrudgingly.

You climbed up onto my back, gasping and moaning, and when you slumped over again, you felt weaker than before. I could feel the pain, and I hated it. What did he do? I wasn't really sure.

"Zelda... she'll..."

You were too weak to form the word, but I understood, and carried on running.

"She'll help us... I... know... it..."

I wasn't sure, not like you, not at all, but I had to get you there as soon as I could, because she was our only hope. No one else would help you, after all – she knew us, knew you, and she'd save you.

She had to.