Schism

by Aevir

Sheik meets a young woman on a mission to destroy the Mask of Truth, during the slumber of the Hero of Time, and has to face the question of who he truly is: Sheik or Zelda? Yes, it's pure angst, but it does deal with some deeper issues too.

Author's Note: Before you continue, discard all your preconceptions about Sheik. Trust me, it'll be confusing and more if you don't. And now, without any further ado...

-[schism]-

-[by aevir]-

-[part one, bolero of fire]-

Lightning crashed over the Lost Woods, and sheets of rain lashed the ancient trees into a frenzy of fallen leaves and twigs. Underneath crept a figure possibly more lost than the woods themselves; cloaked in darkness and mystery, waiting and watching. The darkened outline, darker still than the stormy night overhead, sank against a tree and into an old, gnarled alcove, sheltered from the elements.

Even the Skulltula are hiding tonight, he mused, brushing a soaked lock of blond hair away from red eyes. Not that there's much prey out on a night like this. He thought, not for the first time, that he should've stayed at the inn a mile or so back. But then again, six years solitude had given him a new appreciation for being alone, and he normally preferred to stay well out of the view of people and monsters alike.

He curled up and yawned. Sleep was ever more hard to come by, with the evil Ganondorf's power growing daily. A storm like this would provide rare cover for a quick rest. Crimson eyes closed, and he slipped to the edges of sleep.

A sound pulled him back. A howl, a scream. A girl's scream. He leapt to his feet, immediately awake as necessity had taught him to be, and focused on the sound. A full chorus of wolflike cries caught his attention. Wolfos, he decided, probably attacking some poor traveler. He dashed into the dark, buffeted by the wind.

The noise was right in front of him now, and he whipped out a harp. He plucked the opening strains of a song, the Bolero of Fire. Sparks rained down upon the matted fur of the pack of Wolfos, igniting despite the bitter cold and rain. With pained yelps, they scattered, yellow eyes disappearing into the night. Darkness returned to the little clearing.

"Are you alright?" The lightning flashed, revealing a girl, brown hair to her shoulders, clutching a leather bag and back against a tree. She wore a blue tunic below her waist, tied with a belt, and leather leggings. In one hand, she held the useless remains of a wooden staff splintered by the powerful jaws of her Wolfos assailants.

"I-I'm fine," she stammered. "Who are you? You're not going to attack me too, are you?"

"No, I'm not. Ganondorf's allies are my enemies, and his enemies are my friends. Call me Sheik." He stepped into the clearing, extending his hand to the young woman. She took it.

"I'm Rioko, from the Castle Town. Are you one of the Sheikah? I mean, with a name like Sheik..."

"That's right. I'm named after those that have fought and died for the Royal Family of Hyrule." Not quite a lie; he had indeed named himself in honor of the Sheikah, especially the most honorable Impa. And he was indeed a Sheikah, made so by magic.

"How did you do that?"

"The fire? With my harp, the Skysong. It's a Royal Family treasure, given to--" A blood-chilling howl pierced the night, followed by countless others, all too close. "There's no time to talk here. I'll be right behind you. Run." Sheik melted into the shadows, and Rioko fled away from the howls. Thunder crashed menacingly close, while the branches of trees whipped her face and hands and caught her clothing.

A Wolfos snapped at her heels, nearly grabbing her boot. She leapt upon a tree and began to climb, hands slipping uselessly on the slimy, rain-soaked bark. Suddenly Sheik was there behind her, lifting her into the tree. She glanced around just in time to watch the Wolfos close in on him.

"Sheik!" she cried. There was a blinding flash, a puff of smoke, and the mysterious youth was pulling her up higher into the dark branches.

"I've got my own ways of getting out of trouble," he said, almost conspiratorially. "Don't worry too hard about me." He turned red eyes to the pack of beasts howling around the bottom of the tree. "They're White Wolfos. They usually don't come any farther south than Death Mountain, ever. What's so important about you that they've followed you all the way to the Lost Woods?"

Rioko gripped her bag harder. "I've got a delivery to the Temple of Time." She hesitantly loosed the drawstrings of her sack and allowed Sheik to peer within. A grinning red-and-white mask sparkled back at him, bearing the same eye as his shroud.

"The Mask of Truth," he whispered. "How'd you get this?"

Rioko shook her head. "This'll sound crazy, but a man calling himself Rauru and claiming to be the Sage of Light appeared to me and told me to take this to the Temple of Time for the Hero of Time. I don't understand any of it, but..." She trailed off uncertainly. "I don't even know what it does."

Sheik retied the bag for her and pressed it tightly into her arms. "Under no circumstances can we let Ganondorf get this," he hissed intently. The lightning flashed. "If he gets his evil hands on this, everybody's innermost thoughts will be laid bare for him to read. He would know everything. This mask is the most powerful and most dangerous relic of the Sheikah." Rauru must've taken it from the Hero of Time while he slept in the Sacred Realm, Sheik thought. Even now, Link was sealed in the Sacred Realm of the Triforce. His own power kept him hidden while Ganondorf corrupted the Realm, but such a powerful object as the Mask of Truth would not have been safe. It would've drawn Ganondorf like a magnet. "It allows the wearer to divulge both the secrets of the hearts of men and the mysteries of the land. We've got to take this to the Temple as soon as we can."

"We?" Rioko asked.

"You're unarmed," he pointed out. "Do you really want to face them alone?" Sheik glanced down to the pack of white beasts slavering and howling at the base of the tree.

Rioko quickly shook her head. "All right," she agreed, "We'll go together. You probably know the way better than I do, anyway."

"It's no use waiting here for them to leave. It'll be days before that happens." Sheik raised the Skysong again. "I've still got some tricks up my sleeve. Find something to hang onto." He began to play an ascending line, twice, then a flurry of notes: the Song of Storms. Wrapped fingertips struck resonating chords, and the harp sparkled. He repeated the melody, changed to a higher key, played louder. The clouds boiled wildly. Violet electricity rent the black sky. Sheik changed to a yet higher key, minor. Rioko clung tightly to his side and squeezed her eyes shut. He improvised a dizzying series of scales, ripped the melody apart and bound it together again with terrifying power, and played against the wind. The lightning illuminated the Lost Woods almost constantly. The White Wolfos whimpered and bolted, howling in terror. Finally Sheik dropped back to the original key, repeating the last notes several times into silence. The wind died with the song, until only a few tattered leaves floated in the air. Destroyed branches littered the black, ancient forest.

It was several moments before Rioko could speak. "Are they gone?"

"For now. Even that won't keep them at bay for long. Only daylight will do that, and I can't move the sun with a simple song." Although another might have that ability, Sheik thought but didn't say. He slid down the trunk of the tree and caught Rioko as she did the same. "We'd still better run."

They dashed away into the night, Rioko clambering over logs and stones. Sheik seemed to float over the rough terrain, always somehow appearing in front of Rioko to pull her up the steepest ridges. They made good time, and though the Wolfos could occasionally be heard in the distance, they weren't seen again. By sunrise, the howls had stopped completely and Rioko and Sheik both began to relax.

"I'm so tired," the brown-haired girl finally sighed, sinking down on a fallen log. She brushed at a dirt streak on her soft blue tunic. "Can't we take a quick rest?"

Sheik glanced around, listened for a while, and nodded. "Sorry, I'm used to travelling by myself and not stopping for much. Go ahead. There's nothing around for quite a distance." He leapt up to a standing stone and seated himself cross-legged on top, standing watch. The sunlight felt good, and his sodden hair began to dry in the warm breeze. Rioko stretched and laid her bag at her feet. She closed her eyes and fell asleep within seconds.

Poor girl, given a task like that, thought Sheik absentmindedly. I'm sure Rauru has his reasons, but she's just not cut out for travelling and battle. And being from Hyrule Castle Town, I'm sure her home's been destroyed, too. These are dark times indeed. He pulled his legs up and crossed his arms over them, resting his chin on his knees. They'll end eventually, at least.

The warm sun and wind felt so nice and Sheik felt so tired that it was no small wonder he soon nodded off, too. He awoke with a start some time later, surprised at himself for letting his guard down so easily, and glanced around warily. Rioko's bag was empty.

Sheik leapt to the ground, picked up the leather pouch, and spun around at a giggle behind him. "Skull Kid. I should've guessed."

A scrawny little imp, resembling a scarecrow with a skull head, grasped the Mask of Truth with its sticklike fingers. "Hee hee, this one's pretty," he giggled. "I had a mask too, once. A nice, scary one."

"That's great, but that one's ours. Give it back." Sheik held his hand out expectantly.

"I can't even try it on? Not once?" He held it near his face. "Not even for a second?"

"No, you can't," Sheik scolded angrily. "Don't play with things that aren't yours, fool Skull Kid." He lunged at the mask, but the Skull Kid pulled it out of his reach.

"Tell me a story, and I'll give it back," he laughed.

Rioko sat up, rubbing her eyes. She saw the Skull Kid and stifled a shout. "What...is that thing?"

"I'm not a thing, I'm the Skull Kid and this mean man's trying to grab things out of my hands!" the little scarecrow boy whined. "Tell me a storyyyyy!"

"Oh, all right," fumed Sheik. "Once upon a time there was a Skull Kid who stole from a Sheikah and got the life wrung out of him, the end."

"Nope, not long enough," Skull Kid teased. "I wonder if this fits?" He put the Mask of Truth to his face. Its golden pupil glittered as he stared hard at Sheik. "Great Farore, you're mmrfmumf mrrrma!" Sheik had jumped on him and covered his creepy little mouth with both hands.

"If you ever tell a single soul what you just saw, I'll..." He leaned down and whispered something in the Skull Kid's ear that made him turn white and tremble. The stick figure boy ripped the Mask of Truth off, threw it at Sheik, and backed away.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sheikah! I won't do it again! Honest!" he squeaked, and ran into the forest. Rioko stared after him, confused.

"Little thief," Sheik spat. "Sorry I fell asleep."

"I shouldn't've set the mask down." Sheik handed it to Rioko, and she retied it in her bag. As she did, her stomach growled loudly.

"Hungry?" asked Sheik.

"I haven't eaten a thing since yesterday morning," Rioko admitted. "I'm still more tired than hungry, though."

The blue-clad Sheikah glanced up at the sun. "It's getting near sunset," he thought out loud. "We'll need a place to hide for the night soon." In the blink of an eye, a handful of metal spikes appeared in his hand, and he spun on his heel and threw them blindingly fast into the thick bushes bordering the clearing. Something grunted, and a reptilian creature wearing armor fell dead into the open, bristling with needles. "There are more persistant things than Wolfos about. Like this Dinolfos."

Rioko drew back from the dead monster, gripping the Mask of Truth in its bag. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Then we should get as much distance between these things and us as we can before sundown," whispered Sheik urgently. "After the light's gone, I'd expect to see Stalfos and more Dinolfos. We'll keep heading west."

Their flight west was followed by a flock of Keese, watching their every move with beady, bloodshot eyes. Sheik knew it, but couldn't do much about it. He decided that telling Rioko would only worry her more and not help anything, so he kept silent. The sun slipped dangerously low, and still they didn't have a safe resting place for the night. Finally they settled for a niche in a rocky cliff, sheltered by a fallen tree and a tangle of vines.

Rioko huddled in the back of the hole, shivering. "I heard one time that everybody that enters the Lost Woods is lost to wander until they die and become Stalfos..." she whispered, trailing off with a shiver.

"It's just a myth," Sheik whispered in reply. "I've never heard of it happening to anyone. I've only heard the story. It's just an old wives' tale, that's all."

"I hope so." Rioko curled into a miserable ball, hugging her knees. She shivered again; the air had become bitterly cold as the sun dropped below the horizon, but they couldn't afford to light a fire for fear of attracting attention.

"Here, take this." Sheik pulled off his shroud and handed it to Rioko. She slipped it over her head, not realizing how rarely the red-eyed youth ever took it off, let alone loaned it to others. It was too big, and she felt that she probably looked silly, but it was surprisingly warm.

"You sure you don't need it?" she asked.

Sheik shook his head. "I'm fine. Let me see if I can't do something about this cold." He produced his harp again, and, muting the strings with one hand, he almost silently strummed the Bolero of Fire. The little cave slowly became warmer, but as soon as he stopped, the temperature dropped again. "Hmm, maybe not."

"You never finished telling me about it. I mean, the Skysong," Rioko whispered.

"Oh, right. The Sheikah gave it to the Royal Hylian Family when they first pledged their allegiance, as a token of loyalty and goodwill. At that time, it was the most powerful magic they possessed, since the Mask of Truth had been lost years before. The Royal Family kept it safe through the generations, and eventually, as Ganondorf came to power, they entrusted it to me for safekeeping."

"You can't make food with it, can you?" Rioko asked.

Sheik half-smiled, knowing that Rioko only half-joked. "I don't doubt that I could, if there were a magical food song," he said. "I've never heard of one, though."

"Oh," sighed Rioko quietly. Her brown hair spilled over her emerald eyes as she set her chin back on her knees. Long, graceful Hylian ears swept out of her shining hair, and Sheik suddenly realized (much to his surprise) that Rioko was really quite pretty.

Useless kind of thought anyway, he scolded himself. It's not like I'm really Sheik of the Sheikah, not really...

-[part two, minuet of forest]-

The next morning found Sheik and Rioko asleep again, but this time still in possession of the dangerous Mask of Truth. Sheik awoke with the sun to find Rioko curled up tightly against his side, so that he had to be very careful not to wake her up when he arose.

When Rioko finally did wake up, it was to the smell of meat over an open fire. She rubbed her eyes and crawled outside. Sheik sat crosslegged on the grass, turning a makeshift spit on which a few small animals were skinned and skewered. "Good morning, or at least as good as can be expected," he greeted her. "I thought you'd probably gone long enough without anything to eat, so I took the liberty of stalking up some breakfast."

"Thanks," she said, sitting next to him. She still wore his shroud, now rumpled and creased from sleeping in it. "Where are we?"

He glanced up and around. "I'd say about ten miles from the edge of the Lost Woods. It's a natural maze, so it's hard to tell, but I'm fairly certain."

"Ten miles," Rioko groaned. "That's too far. I just want to drop this off and go home." She lay on her back in a sunny patch and tried to soak the warmth into her cold, stiff muscles. At least the daytime was warm enough.

Sheik pulled one of the animals off the spit. "I'll have to agree with you on that." He poked at it, then took a bite. "They're done, if you want one. Don't burn yourself."

Rioko grabbed a creature, hungrily ripping off a piece of meat. "What are they?" she asked offhandedly. "They kind of look like birds."

"They are," replied Sheik, not bothering to explain exactly what kind of bird. Edible was good enough. They polished them off very quickly and resumed their journey in silence, Sheik again wearing his shroud. As they walked, Sheik became more and more aware that though every step he took was now dangerous, he was almost coming to enjoy the time spent with Rioko. Stop, you fool, he told himself. You're not Sheik. Give it up already.

The day passed mostly without speaking. Once or twice they stopped to rest, and Sheik killed another Dinolfos trailing them, but other than that nothing of note occurred. The clouds thickened after morning, and by noon a steady rain was falling. By nighttime, a full-fledged storm whipped the clouds and trees both with sharp gusts.

It was almost completely dark, and sleep tugged insistently at Rioko's eyelids when Sheik froze in his tracks and held up a hand for Rioko to do the same. He listened to the wind, then without moving, whispered, "We're surrounded. Don't move." Tense moments passed. "I can't fight them all. Sounds like Dinalfos, possibly Stalfos, some Wolfos...When I tell you, run that way." He tipped his head ever-so-slightly to the north. "Alright...go." The two of them bolted, and behind them, monsters sprang from every conceivable hiding place, leaping from trees, waving swords and fangs and claws. The rain soaked Sheik and Rioko to the bone once more. Rioko screamed as a Stalfos jumped down in front of them, lunging at her with its rusty blade. In a smooth series of kicks, Sheik destroyed it. It collapsed into a heap of bones and melted to nothingness.

Total darkness overtook the forest, punctuated only by split-second lightning. Sheik ran, needled a White Wolfos to death, and glanced back to make sure Rioko was fine. She was gone. He skidded to a stop in the mud despite the fast-approaching howls and shrieks, afraid and breathing hard. "Rioko?" he yelled, the only reply a cacophony of inhuman cries. "Rioko! Where are you?"

"Sheik! Help!" He span around, trying to see into the blackness. "Sheik!" Her voice seemed like it came from the earth.

"Rioko?" Then, a scream, but not Rioko's voice. Sheik's blood froze as his crimson eyes widened in recognition: ReDead. He dashed back to where he thought he'd heard the scream. "Rioko!" No reply. Turning again to run, his foot slipped and only finely-honed balance saved him. A long, vertical tunnel descended into the rocky ground, from whence emanated a long, evil groan and another freezing scream. Sheik grabbed a branch, violently strummed the Bolero of Fire yet again, and leapt into the black pit.

He landed on his feet, holding the burning branch far in front of him. His worst fears were realized; two ReDead were bent over Rioko's limp form, while a third shambled toward him. With an enraged cry, Sheik brandished the flame at the undead fiend. It stumbled back, stunned by the light. A shower of needles buried themselves deep in the monsters' putrid, zombie-like flesh, and the ReDead attacking Sheik collapsed. He felled the next with a wild spinning kick and a blow of his torch. Drawing a knife, Sheik stabbed the last, ripping the blade through the demon's back and out its side. It, too, fell to the floor. He jammed the brand into a cleft in the rocks and bent over Rioko.

"...Sh...Shei...k..." Her beautiful skin was dead gray, her eyes midnight pits. She reached up for his face with an appallingly bony hand and a gasping, ReDead groan. Sheik leapt back, pulled out the Skysong, and plucked two fast ascending arpeggios, followed by a long, high trill: the Sun's Song. A burst of golden light flooded the room. The moment it spilled over Rioko's deathly form, she screamed -- a haunting, paralyzing scream -- and arched her back against the stone floor in mortal agony. Then, suddenly, she collapsed, sobbing, alive. The three ReDead melted like nightmares in the morning sun. The light faded, and Sheik was holding her as she cried helplessly, freezing cold from death's touch.

"I-I got l-lost, an-and I fell, and th-then those thi-things..." She sobbed hysterically, still terrified.

"It's alright, I'm here, it's okay," Sheik soothed. "They're gone forever. ReDead won't touch a place the sun's been for years. It's alright, you're alive." He had no idea what to say, but was so relieved to find Rioko just in time that for a second he found himself fighting tears rather than ReDead. But I'm not Sheik, he tried to tell himself, but it didn't change anything. Rioko shuddered convulsively; he held her tighter.

Eventually she calmed down enough to let go. Sheik cautiously climbed up the tunnel leading into the dead-end cave. He leapt lightly back down. "This place isn't even visible from above unless you're standing right on it and have some light," he announced, a trace of happiness in his usually sober voice. "We've got practically the best hiding place we could ask for."

Rioko wiped her eyes. "Maybe people don't turn into Stalfos, after all," she whispered, "maybe they turn into worse things."

"Don't dwell on it," suggested Sheik. "I'm just glad you're safe." Probably too glad, he automatically scolded himself.

"Th-thanks." For an instant it seemed that Rioko might cry again, but she only shuddered and sniffled. Sheik sat down next to her. "I...I'm afraid I was going to kill you," Rioko said quietly. "Isn't that funny? I really like you, but for a moment I hated you and I wanted to drain your life away."

"That's what evil does. You can't tell the difference between light and dark anymore. Everything's black." I really like you... Sheik pulled his legs up, and the two fell into silence.

If only...if only I could be rid of the Triforce, then I would be Sheik, Sheik thought, knowing it wasn't possible. The Triforce's power was what made him Sheik; without it, the red-eyed, blond Sheikah couldn't exist. But the responsibility that came with carrying a third of the sacred triangle made living fully as Sheik impossible. Too much rested on his shoulders to give up that responsibility. Even for Rioko, he thought bitterly.

His first year as Sheik had been hard; he'd had to relearn everything he ever knew about getting along in the world. Magic had given him a new, stronger form, but experience and skill were earned, not cast. His new body felt strange and unfamiliar, like a tunic that didn't quite fit. Each successive year became easier until he felt more Sheik than anyone else. Getting over the change had been difficult, but now he wasn't sure how he'd ever managed living as anybody else. And now that he felt fully Sheik, now that he was finally ready to begin his new life in its entirety, the time was drawing close when Sheik would have to be renounced and his old life taken back up.

It's not fair, Sheik sighed inwardly, not at all. But for now, Rioko was sleeping again, and he allowed himself to put his arm around her cold shoulders.

Morning dawned, but neither Rioko nor Sheik stirred; Rioko, because she was exhausted from her ordeal, and Sheik, because he didn't want to leave. After a long several hours, Sheik rose and lit a fire in a corner of the cave. He unraveled the bandages from his fingers, head, and torso, and pulled off his wet shroud. He left them all on an outcropping along the cave wall and ventured outside, sitting for a while near the entrance to the cavern.

I wonder how it'll all end, he pondered. If we're successful and I set things right again, then this future may never even happen, and Rioko may never receive the burden of the Mask of Truth. And that's better, thought Sheik, red eyes reflecting the blue sky and green trees. Better that her home's never destroyed, that she never gets mixed up with Wolfos and ReDead and Sheikahs. But for those of us who will remember, it's still difficult. He absentmindedly picked up the Skysong and strummed the Song of Time. It's always difficult to carry the weight of the world, and never be allowed any time of your own. Heavy, indeed, is the head that wears the crown, he throught ironically, though his head was bare and the breeze played with his blond hair. The strings of the Skysong felt different on his fingers without their wrappings.

"Sheik? Are you out there?" Rioko's voice came from the tunnel.

"Yeah, it's me." He climbed back down, taking a few stray branches with him. "Need something?"

"Not really. I was just wondering, that's all. But...will you play me a song?" Rioko sat weakly up, leaning against the stony wall.

"Sure. I'll pick one that won't incinerate the place." He tossed the wood into a corner, sat crosslegged on the floor near Rioko, and quickly picked the Bolero of Fire. The little pile of wood sparked and ignited, making a neat campfire. "Maybe you've heard the Ballad of Kakariko before?" Rioko shook her head. "I don't sing very much, or very well, but I'll try." Sheik cleared his throat with a sheepish smile and tuned his voice to the harp. Then he began to sing a long epic about the Kakariko family, the Sheikah clan that settled the area that would later become Kakariko Village near Hyrule Castle after warring with the monsters that once occupied the pass to the Death Mountain trail. His voice wasn't as bad as he seemed to believe, and despite the ballad's non-magical origins, Rioko could almost see the events as if she were there. Her eyes slowly slipped closed as Sheik neared the end of his ballad. He finished, letting the last chords ring through the little cavern.

"I liked it," she said sleepily. "I think you've got a good voice for singing."

Sheik smiled again. "Thanks. I'm a bit out of practice on that one. It's not often anymore I get a chance to play for pleasure, rather than combat." He leaned the harp on the wall. "Maybe you should get some more sleep. It'll be a while before you've fully recovered from your ordeal. I'll see what I can find to eat around here."

"Okay," Rioko said. Sheik nimbly climbed up the tunnel, palming a handful of metal needles and settling down at the edge of a creek nearby. At each flash of scales, he threw one of the spikes and speared a fish.

It's strange, he thought, pulling up another fish. Being around Rioko makes me so happy. I forgot all about the Triforce and my own quest while I was singing. And in all these years, I've only really smiled for her. If I really am in love, that's going to make life difficult, he bitterly realized. Because I'm not...Sheik. Am I? Aren't I Sheik now? Sheik with the sacred triangle hidden in my hand, but Sheik nevertheless. I've never thought about it, but I even call myself Sheik when I'm thinking to myself. How much more Sheik can I be? I wish there were some way...just to stay Sheik forever. But there's not. Hyrule depends on me. I can't fail in this. He reached into the water and brought up a struggling fish, shining in the warm sun. Maybe I shouldn't worry so much. I'll be what I am for now, and later I'll be what I am then. What else can I do? The flow of time is not to be interrupted again.

Sheik drew his knife, letting the pure sunlight destroy the last traces of the evil that it had slain. He beheaded, scaled, and deboned the fish with a few expert strokes each, and took them back down into the hideout. Rioko was again sleeping, and slowly regaining the color in her face. The red-eyed Sheikah speared his catch over the fire and wrung the last of the water out of his shroud. He stretched it out to dry between two stony points over the warm fire. Settling back, his gaze fell on Rioko.

I was really afraid I'd lost her, he pondered. Not just because of the Mask of Truth, which she was now using in its bag as a pillow. For an instant I felt so alone and scared; I didn't know what I'd do if she had become one of those monsters. She doesn't realize how close she came to the point of no return. If she'd indeed touched me and sapped my life energy, just a drop, the change would've been irreversible, and I would've had to... Sheik shuddered. Kill her. I'm not sure I could, even if she was already dead. It'd be easier to take my own life than her lost one. I don't know if I'm Sheik or not in the end, but I am somebody, and whoever I am, I love her. His hands unconsciously clenched into loose fists as a new light burned behind ruby eyes. Even if I can't.

Rioko stirred and mumbled in her sleep. "Get back...rmm...ReDead...Sh...eik, look out..." Sheik gently stroked her auburn hair.

"I'm still here," he whispered. "It's okay." She quieted and slept peacefully again. Poor Rioko, she has no idea what she's getting herself into, he thought. Even this much so-called adventure has already taken such a toll on her. I wonder what Rauru was thinking when he gave her this mask. He retrieved the warm, dry shroud from over the fire and laid it over her shoulders.

The sun was beginning to go down by the time Rioko finally awoke. Sheik convinced her to eat as much fish as she could, to help her regain strength. He finished the leftovers, and as it was too late to travel and Rioko was still too weak, they quickly decided to camp one more night in their hiding place. Sheik concealed the entrance to the cave even more than it naturally was, so that it could only be found if the seeker knew exactly where to look. They let the fire die to a flicker for warmth and sat in front of it.

"How long do you think it'll take to get to the Temple of Time from here?" Rioko asked. She spoke in a low voice.

"From here to the edge of the Lost Woods is about three miles, then across the plains to Hyrule Castle Town is another ten or so. And if we arrive at the town in the night, I wouldn't chance crossing through. It's dangerous enough in full daylight. I'd give it three to four days, give or take."

"I used to live in Castle Town," Rioko reminisced. "I think I already told you that, though. It was a nice place, until Ganondorf took over. I don't know what's happened to it afterwards."

Sheik hesitated. "It's only fair to tell you, since it's your old home and we'll be running right into the middle, but in the past few years, Castle Town's become a nest of ReDead. I don't like it any more than you do," he quickly added, seeing the look of fear and disgust cross Rioko's pretty face. "Even in the daylight. It's so close to the base of Ganondorf's power that light has no effect on evil."

"At least we've still got a few days between now and then," Rioko tried to bolster her courage. "Besides, you'll protect me, right?"

"Of course."

Rioko laid her head on Sheik's shoulder. "What are we supposed to do with the Mask of Truth once we get it to the temple, anyway? Raura never told me."

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out when we get there." You old fool, Rauru, Sheik thought angrily, you've put her through all this without a clue as to what she should do. Why didn't you just ask me to carry your stupid mask, instead of getting innocent people involved? He carefully concealed his anger behind half-closed ruby eyes, but it wasn't enough to keep Rioko from noticing.

"Is something the matter, Sheik?" she asked concernedly, looking up at him.

"No, just thinking about things," he covered lamely. Then, changing the subject, "Want to learn to play harp?"

"Oh, I couldn't," Rioko said. "I'm all thumbs at instruments."

"It's not hard. Here, I'll step you through a song or two." Sheik took the Skysong and showed her how to hold it. He put his arms and hands over hers on the harp. "First off, these strings are all chromatic. That means each one farther from you is a half step up from the one closer to you. A C scale is just eight natural notes, from one C to another. Like this." His slender fingers guided hers over the strings, and together they plucked out a C major scale. "Right. If you play the same scale down two notes, that's A minor. It's darker sounding, but uses the same notes." He helped Rioko play an A minor scale. "But that's just some music theory you probably don't care about. Do you have a song you want to learn?"

Rioko thought for a moment. "There's one you use a lot, to light things on fire. What is it?"

"That's the Bolero of Fire. It's an ancient song used to invoke the power of the Fire Temple. A more powerful instrument could use it to actually go straight to the temple, but the Skysong's not quite that strong. It just starts fires," he explained.

"You mean that's not powerful?" Rioko asked, confused.

"Oh, it is. There are few instruments in the world that can do it at all. Anyway, I'm getting off-subject again. I'll show you the Bolero of Fire, now." He showed her the proper notes to play, and she slowly plucked it out.

"I'm not going to catch us on fire, am I?" she asked, smiling uncertainly.

"Not unless that's your intent," replied Sheik. "The actual part of the song that first invokes the magic is just eight notes long. The entire original song, designed to teleport the player to the Fire Temple, goes like this." Sheik strummed out the rest of the Bolero, spanning rising key changes and finally resolving into a major chord. "But to do other things, say, level an army of monsters, you need to know a lot of music and magic theory and have a mastery of your instrument."

"That's too much for me," Rioko concluded, leaning back into his arms. She was silent for a long moment, then she suddenly blurted out, "Oh, Sheik, this sounds crazy, but I think I love you."

The combined joy and sorrow battling within Sheik's heart ached worse than any wound he'd ever endured. "I love you, too," he whispered, "and I think I am crazy."

-[part three, serenade of water]-

The next morning they finally left the cave. Sheik could no longer separate his emotions, they were so tangled. How could he be so happy, yet so sad? Was this love's revenge for being unfulfillable? Despite his heart being in such a whirl, he and Rioko talked and laughed all morning, not in a hurry and not caring a whit about the danger.

The sun shone bright, while soft, gigantic clouds drifted slowly across the crystalline sky. No monsters appeared to hinder them on their way, and near lunch they came across a tree laden with apples. It seemed that the Lost Woods no longer tried to lose them in its maze. Evening fell in a glorious sunset that Sheik and Rioko watched from atop a towering tree they had decided to camp in, and for dinner they had the leftover apples that they had stuffed their pockets with at lunchtime.

"Do you think Ganondorf's monsters lost track of us?" Rioko wondered.

"If they did, it's only temporary," replied Sheik. "They've got senses we don't, and eyes everywhere. By tomorrow they'll probably have picked up our trail again. We're already at the edge of the Lost Woods, so when we get into the open I'm sure they'll see us. There's almost no cover at all on the plains. I'm not expecting a walk in the park like we had today." The night wind rustled cooly through the dark leaves. He glanced up toward the beautiful full moon and twinkling stars.

"Tell me about yourself," Rioko said quietly.

Sheik turned sad, red eyes to her. "I can't," he replied.

"Why not?"

The blond youth sighed. "It's hard to explain. I'm still trying to explain it to myself."

Rioko laid a hand on his arm. "Explain it to me, if it's so painful. Maybe I can help."

Sheik smiled sorrowfully at her. "I haven't always been Sheik, and I won't always be Sheik. I shouldn't be in love with you because Sheik only exists for now."

"Who will you be, if you can't be yourself?"

His voice dropped to an uncertain whisper. "I don't know anymore."

"Who were you before?"

"I was..." Sheik paused. "...happy. I thought I was happy. But now, after living life day-to-day, learning what it means to really live, and meeting you, I've come to realize I just want to be free. I won't be free, soon. I'll have to return to where I was and the responsibilities I still have to fulfill."

"I don't know what to say," Rioko admitted. "But you'll still know how to live, right? That's something nothing can take away from you. You'll still have your memories, and me. I'll be with you no matter what."

"I wish it were that easy. I wish you could understand, even if I told you everything."

"Tell me everything. Maybe I can."

Sheik hesitated, struggling with himself. He'd been longing for somebody to talk to for his whole life. Before, he could always depend on Impa for wise advice and sympathy, but now he was utterly alone. Or was he, after all? "I don't even know where to begin," said Sheik. "There's only one way I can think of to show you the whole truth. Bring out the Mask of Truth."

Hands trembling, Rioko reached into her bag and pulled out the staring mask, its topaz pupil gleaming. "Now wear it. It just might show you in a way you can understand." Rioko uncertainly fingered the edges of it, looked from Sheik to the mask, and slipped it on. She slowly brought her head up.

The images and thoughts that passed before her eyes were overwhelming: she saw a little girl with blue eyes, and a fairy boy in green. A dark man swore false fealty to the throne. The green boy opened the doors of time, the dark man stole the golden power inside, and the blue girl ran for her life with a red-eyed woman. The power broke and found the boy and girl. The boy slept and became a man; the girl slept and became Sheik. He knew fear and hiding, then battle and running. Finally he came to know peace and love, but feared and hid and fought and ran from the future and the little blue-eyed girl who would be queen someday. And all around, light and dark and the things that breathed in between watched and wondered.

Rioko lifted the Mask of Truth from her tear-streaked face. "I do understand," she whispered. "It isn't fair, is it? Time isn't fair. And none of us can escape it, and it's not fair. But I saw everything. You might still be able to change time. Things might still turn out okay. And I saw into your heart, too. You're Sheik, and I love you. Now I see why this mask is so dangerous." She replaced it in its mud-streaked leather sack. "I'll carry it to the ends of the earth, as long as you'll carry it with me."

"I will, Rioko. I will." They clasped hands and knew that they now shared a bond that could never be broken, one stronger than even love: the bond of truth.

The murky dawn found them already leaving the forest and heading straight across the windy plains toward Hyrule Castle Town and the Temple of Time. They spoke little, but didn't need to. Around midday, Sheik sighted a lone Wolfos skulking far behind them and to the east. They picked up the pace even more, but within the hour Sheik felled a Stalkid and several Keese in broad daylight. He gave Rioko his knife as a precaution if they were attacked in force. The two ran for several minutes, but Ganondorf's monsters were much faster and couldn't be shaken in the open. The watery, cloud-deadened sunlight was no comfort as Rioko slayed a Wolfos for the first time, shaking in terror for hours afterwards. They had no time to stop for rest or meals or even to wipe the blood from their hands.

Eventually, it was too much for the brown-haired Hylian girl. "I don't know how much longer I can go on, Sheik," Rioko panted, slowing to a stop. "I can't feel my legs. We've been running all day."

"Would you rather stay here and fight for hours, and probably die?" he snapped. Seeing the hurt look on Rioko's face, he felt terrible and apologized. "I'm sorry. It's wearing on me, too. I've been looking, but I can't find a safe place to stop."

With a growl, two White Wolfos sprang from the tall grass onto Sheik, knocking him to the ground. He flinched as one's claws ripped into his shoulder. The other circled Rioko, who drew Sheik's knife and cautiously watched them both. She ran to Sheik and his attacker, lunging awkwardly at the White Wolfos and missing as it dodged away. The second beast circled around behind Rioko, leaping to attack. She barely stepped aside, its talons grazing her arm. Before it could strike again, Rioko drove the knife deep into its back with a cry and kicked it away. The other howled, sprang at her, and met its end in a storm of needles. It yelped and landed dead at her feet. Sheik stumbled to his feet, blue suit shredded and bloody around his right shoulder.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"Not as much as you are," Rioko replied concernedly, running to him. "How deep did it get you?"

She carefully examined his injury. He gritted his teeth as she did. "Probably not very," he ventured. "Hurts like anything, though. We'll have to find some safer place to hide while we figure what to do about it. How's your arm?"

Rioko put her hand to the trickle of blood darkening her sleeve. "Just a scratch. How about that patch of big plants up ahead?" She pointed to a grove of some kind of enormous, fat-stemmed flower.

"What, in the Peahats? They might keep the monsters back, but they'd dice us up," warned Sheik. He tried to move his shoulder and sharply sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Ouch. This'll make fighting tough if we get in another battle. Let's keep moving until something better comes along."

They skirted the looming Peahats and continued toward Hyrule Castle Town. Ganondorf's tower now darkened the horizon. Rioko shivered under its shadow and felt that it watched her every move, waiting for a chance to send more horrible creatures. It occurred to her, and rightfully so, that the danger would soon be greater in front of them than behind. Here, groves of trees dotted the sparse plain, and they took shelter in the most tangled, overgrown one they could find. Natural fences of vicious-looking thorns barricaded the little grove until it was a tiny fortress, and Sheik was hard pressed to find an entry that wouldn't shred him and Rioko to more ribbons than they were already in. Inside, the weak sunlight could hardly penetrate, but only a few weeds and vines straggled across the space between the trunks of the trees. They exhaustedly sat down and began to bandage their wounds.

Sheik pulled off his shroud and shirt, which fit so closely that it almost seemed to form a catsuit with his pants. He had to sacrifice the wrappings on his forearms and torso as bandages for his bleeding shoulder. Rioko cleaned and dressed it skillfully, but even so, the poor red-eyed youth flinched, grimaced, and gritted his teeth until his face hurt almost as much as his actual wound. He in turn wrapped Rioko's arm. She was quite surprised to find that Sheik's shirt now showed no sign of ever being torn.

"It's part of the magic," he explained shortly. "Too bad my skin doesn't mend so quickly." They chose to rest for the night, even though the sky was only starting to tinge red in the west. The next hiding place could be miles away, and neither felt up to the journey that day. They hardly spoke, or did so in the lowest of whispers, knowing that thorns were of little use against undead monsters and enchanted beasts.

"We'll be there tomorrow," Sheik assured Rioko, trying to sound braver than he felt. Even he didn't like running injured, unarmed, and expected into a nest of purest evil.

"I don't really want to go," she whispered. Her breath made white wisps in the cold air.

Sheik fell silent for a long time, pondering deeply behind ruby eyes. "Neither do I. Once we get rid of this mask, the monsters shouldn't follow us anymore, but..." We'll be apart. You'll go back to Kakariko Village, and I'll go...somewhere. Anywhere. Nowhere. I don't know. I never really thought about it, because I didn't want to. I'll have to become lost, lonely, loner Sheik again, but how can I ever go back to the way I was? I can't. There's no way. I'm trapped between lives now: the life I want to live, and the life I have to live. Which one am I supposed to choose? Why does it have to hurt so much, even if I do the right thing? He laid his head back against a tree, and a bitter tear escaped from tightly shut eyes and slipped down his dirt-streaked face. Rioko gently sat down by the torn Sheikah, wiping away the teardrop and embracing him wordlessly. He ran his fingers through her brown hair.

"We've just got to fulfill our duties," he whispered. "It's our only choice, right?"

"Time can change," Rioko replied vehemently. "I won't lose hope now. I still believe fate doesn't have to be this way. I'm going to do my part to restore the future, because it's our only chance at freedom together. Don't give up, Sheik. We can fight together." Without a moment's hesitation, Rioko threw her arms around Sheik's neck and kissed him, shroud and all. Even with the fabric between them, the feeling was electric. Chills of something like fear, only warm and ten thousand times scarier, ran down his spine. He couldn't even feel the stabbing pain in his wounded shoulder as he returned her embrace; he only knew that his hands and heart were trembling. After a long moment, Rioko pulled back and their eyes locked.

"Maybe you're right," Sheik finally stammered as Rioko's slender, graceful fingers moved the shroud away from his face and tucked it under his chin. They leaned forward again, for a real kiss. Suddenly, the thorn bushes around them shattered like black glass under the cruel mace of a giant Moblin. It howled in its discovery, and they both scrambled to the back of the grove. Stalfos dropped from the trees behind them, barring their way out. The Moblin advanced menacingly and hefted its dark mace for a deathblow.

"Hang on tight," Sheik warned Rioko. He palmed a Deku Nut and threw it at their feet. The light blinded Rioko, and all that she knew was that for an instant she was being pulled apart in all directions. She tried to cry out, but her voice was lost in the blackness, and then Sheik was pulling her to her feet quite some distance away from their once-safe grove. "Sorry I didn't give you enough warning," he hurriedly apologized as they ran unseen through the blackness. Rioko quickly found her footing and they dashed away, as far and fast as their legs would carry them. Rioko realized that she was hungry again, and it occurred to her that she usually only thought of this at the most inopportune times.

They ran until the cramp in Rioko's side and the throbbing in Sheik's shoulder were too much, and slowed to a fast walk (if indeed one could call it slowing). Ganondorf's evil tower now seemed impossibly close, and still the old Castle Town walls were little more than a darker line on the horizon. Neither Sheik nor Rioko especially wanted to slow down any more, though, so despite their tiredness and hunger they pressed on.

"What was that huge ugly thing that attacked us?" Rioko panted.

"A Moblin. Nasty, barbaric creature," explained Sheik. "They usually don't leave the Lost Woods. Goes right along with the White Wolfos in that respect. Seems like Ganondorf's called every last follower to chase us. Is the mask alright?"

"I've got it right here." Rioko gestured to the bag, now slung across her back by its strings. "I haven't let it out of my sight since the Skull Kid tried to steal it." That seemed like so long ago that Sheik felt it must've been a dream, though it was really only a few days past.

Black clouds blocked out the stars and a stiff wind blew from the north. When the easternmost sky lightened to dull gray, Rioko and Sheik collapsed under a spreading tree for a dearly-needed rest. They still had nothing to eat but water wasn't a problem when the rains came. Cold, hungry, and miserable, they made their way to the deserted town walls and destroyed drawbridge. Dark outlines of abandoned houses morosely outlined Ganondorf's tower, standing ugly and triumphant where once stood the beautiful Hyrule Castle.

Sheik and Rioko stumbled wearily across the decaying moat and into town. They had only traveled a few steps when Sheik spotted a ReDead curled up against the crumbling guardhouse. It seemed to take no notice of them, so they hurried past it and into the old village square. Rioko shuddered, seeing the number of ReDead shambing blindly around the once-lively market and sitting in corners with faces like so much dead wood. Sheik guessed correctly that the sunlight, while not destroying them, still blinded them. "I want to see my old house, while I'm here," Rioko whispered.

"Lead the way," Sheik replied, so she did. Up a street, down another, up a staircase. Her house stood like a sad, empty shell, sagging under the constant darkness but mostly undamaged. The doors were still locked, but Sheik proved quite skilled with locks and his needles. Soon they were inside. Cold, gray dampness filled the tiny kitchen; however, thankfully no ReDead had shuffled their way into the house. Sheik lit a fire in the fireplace while Rioko wandered around and checked on the state of her old home. She was much cheered to find that all the food that had been placed under magical seals was still good, as was a bottle of red potion. Rioko started a pot of stew and lit the lamps around her old home. Soon the house warmed and lost its deadly chill. She gave the red potion to Sheik, who drank most of it and sat down next to the fire to wait for its healing magic to take effect.

"I'm glad my home's okay," Rioko said as she busied herself with the stew. "I was hoping we'd at least have a safe place to rest. I forgot about all the food I'd stored away just in case. Do you like carrots?"

"I'm so hungry I could eat Keese," Sheik answered.

Rioko didn't comment. "How's your wound coming along?" she asked instead. "You can wash up in the bathroom, if you want. There's a water spell that should still be working in there. It's the second door on the right. This'll be ready soon enough."

Soon enough did eventually arrive as promised, and after Rioko washed and changed clothes, the two sat down to huge bowls of hot stew at a real table. "I'd almost forgotten what normal meals were like," Sheik joked. They ate at an astonishing speed, then went for seconds and thirds. Warm, well-fed, and generally in a better mood than they had been in for days, Sheik and Rioko finally pushed back from the table.

The Hylian girl laughed. "You stuffed yourself, didn't you? You're going to need bigger clothes if you keep that up." Sheik's already tight suit stretched even more tightly across his stew-filled stomach.

"Speak for yourself. You'll lose your girlish figure." He stood up with a very un-Sheik-like yawn and picked up the dishes. "What should I do with these?"

"I'll take them, thanks." Rioko quickly swept the bowls from Sheik's hands and into a basin. "Make yourself at home. It's my opinion that we should try to get a quick rest here, since we didn't get any sleep at all last night and if I have to run another step I'm just going to curl up and die." She hurried off into another room.

Rioko's pretty active for how tired she says she is, he thought even though he heartily agreed. He kicked back by the fire and replayed the night's events in his mind. She's amazing. It seems like she gets stronger by the day. When I first met her I thought I'd be babysitting for a few days, but now I'm not so sure that she won't end up having to watch me instead of the other way around. The electric chill tingled down his back again. What a strange, strange night.

Some time later Rioko entered the room again. "There's a hot bath and some clean clothes waiting in the bathroom. I'm working on straightening up a room for you for the night, since it'll be sundown soon and I don't think either one of us wants to go out there with the ReDead wandering around." Very true. Sheik shut himself in the bathroom and threw off his dirty suit, shroud, and bandages. The hot water was extremely relaxing and refreshing, doing more to both wake him up and calm him down than any barrel of red potion could do. His shoulder had healed quite nicely, leaving only thin white lines where the Wolfos's claws ripped the skin, and the hot food and bath did a lot to ease all his other aches and pains. He dried off and changed into the clothes Rioko provided for him: a loose, soft white tunic and comfortable navy pants.

"Wow, I hardly recognize you in normal clothes," Rioko only half-joked. "It's a good look for you. You should try it sometimes." She carried a load of sheets, blankets, and pillows. "I forgot what a mess I'd left the house in. I guess I'm only cleaning out of habit, but you know, it's just nice to be home, even for only a short time. This is the bedroom, by the way. Go ahead and get comfortable." Sheik let himself in and sat down on the soft bed. The bedroom was quite small, but cozy. He went ahead and stretched out, savoring the clean sheets.

It's been forever since I've slept in a real bed, he thought. It's almost like actually living here in Castle Town with her. I know it's not possible, but still...what a nice dream. He glanced waywardly up at the shutters blocking the gloom out of the house. If I opened those, though, it'd shatter the illusion. I don't think I will, not for a while. I want to believe it for a moment yet. He closed his eyes peacefully, letting the time pass by without him. Rioko tapped at the door and entered.

"If you're going to sleep, you might want to try doing it on the other side of the blankets," she suggested playfully. Sheik half-opened his crimson eyes with a slight smile.

"I wasn't asleep. Just thinking." He closed them again.

"About what?" The bed squeaked; Rioko was sitting down.

"Just things. Did you live by yourself?"

"Mm-hmm. I'd just moved into my own house when it happened. My parents' home was destroyed, though. They didn't make it out." She stated it so matter-of-factly, like it had become something she just accepted without fighting anymore.

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

"This is your room, then?"

"Yeah. I was gonna sleep in the kitchen."

Sheik hastily sat up. "No, you don't have to do that. I'll sleep in the kitchen."

"No way, you're a guest. You're going to sleep in here if I have to lock you in." Rioko crossed her arms, unable to hold a straight face despite the sternness she forced into her voice.

"You can't lock me in here. I'll fight my way out. Or pick the lock. Or teleport, or climb out a window, or..." Sheik began counting his escape routes on his fingers, ticking each one off as he said it.

"Alright, I get the point, but you're not stopping me." Rioko began to stand up.

"Catch." Sheik swung a pillow at her, catching her completely off-guard. She had enough time to ineffectively block.

"That's not fair! I'm unarmed!" She lunged for the other pillow, laughing and trying to hit Sheik with it as she did. He ducked out of the way and returned fire, which Rioko barely held off using her own pillow. Laughing and grinning ear to ear, the two smacked each other with their big, fluffy weapons (although Sheik got significantly more hits that Rioko did).

"That's it, you're in trouble now," she cried, tossing away her pillow and tackling Sheik. The pillow fight quickly degenerated into a wrestling match that left her pinned almost instantaneously.

"What was that about trouble?" the blond youth grinned teasingly. "Come on, I've seen you slay monsters before. Surely you can do a little better than that."

Rioko struggled free with surprising strength. "You're just asking for it, aren't you?" she threatened unconvincingly.

"Yeah, I'm asking for it. Except I don't seem to be getting a whole lot of it." Sheik easily pinioned Rioko's arms to her sides. She broke free again and jumped him immediately. They struggled for a while, laughed some more, and then Rioko discovered Sheik's secret weakness.

"No, don't--" he started, but ended up giggling hysterically.

"You're ticklish," Rioko teased. "Of all the silly things."

The tickle-fight continued until Sheik couldn't breathe. "I give up!" he tried to say.

"Told you I could beat you," Rioko exclaimed triumphantly. "I defeated the mighty Sheik! Yea--whoa!" Sheik grabbed her around the waist, restarting their one-sided battle. Eventually they were too tired to do anything but lie around and laugh.

"I just thought I'd tell you," Sheik pointed out, "most monsters aren't very ticklish."

"Shut up," Rioko retorted with a grin, burying his head under a pillow. "I still won. But the room's a mess. And I had just cleaned it, too," she said, trying to sound so pitiful that they both cracked up all over again until their sides hurt.

Sheik studied Rioko for a long moment. She was so beautiful, even more so somehow with her still-wet hair tousled and her clean clothes in disarray. Her emerald eyes sparkled more brightly than Sheik had ever seen them shine. "Has anybody ever told you how pretty you are?" he asked rhetorically in a dreamy voice.

"Hmm, no," she answered. "I'll bet nobody's ever told you you're handsome."

"You're right," admitted Sheik. "Nobody's ever kissed me before, either."

"I still owe you one," Rioko recalled. "There aren't any Moblins in my house, you know."

"Really," remarked Sheik, certain that he had fallen into a dream somehow. Rioko moved closer. "That's a relief." They kissed, and time stopped.

-[part four, nocturne of shadow]-

The dream's over. Time's waiting. Sheik produced two metal needles, dead of all emotion. He deftly locked the door, took the weather-beaten leather sack still sitting under the kitchen table, and crept out into the night. He relocked the door to her house and knew that if he stopped to feel, he'd never be able to move from where he stood. Not allowing himself a second thought, the crimson-eyed Sheikah leapt to the black earth and raced east against the sickly wind blowing from Ganondorf's Fortress.

The ReDead in the marketplace were already moving to block him when he arrived. The few unfortunate enough to be closest to him crumpled under a storm of needles. Sheik ran past their decaying bodies, vaulted high over the next two, and sprang from the shoulders of a third. He turned a flip, landed just in front of a fourth, and felled it in a smooth flow of attacks. Barely dodging a paralyzing scream, he dashed onward toward the steps of the Temple. A gigantic mace crashed down at his feet, and only Sheik's unnatural reflexes saved him. He leapt away, barely dodging a second mace. Glancing up, Sheik found that a whole troop of Moblins lumbered out of the shadows. Behind him, another legion of Stalfos clattered and tried to surround him. He broke through their ranks with blinding speed, forced to turn north rather than continue to the temple. So he dashed that way, hoping to cut around the monsters and reach the Temple of Time from the back.

No such luck. Another Moblin nearly smashed him, and a flock of Keese attacked his face. He needled most of them out of midair and circled farther north. The crumbling buildings seemed to block his way intentionally, angling him further and further from his goal. Even the wind itself whipped furiously at him as if it were filled with the evil of the place. He searched desperately for an escape, but the ways were blocked by howling, seething beasts of all shapes and sizes.

Soon the cliffs rose on either side, and the pack of demons roared forward. Sheik did the only reasonable thing and ran for his life, clutching the Mask of Truth. The path led to Ganondorf's Fortress, floating eerily over a deadly inferno of magma. Gasping for breath and for the first time in his life completely cornered, Sheik backed to the edge of the cliff as the monsters crowded forward. A burning updraft caught his hair. He glanced desperately back and forth, then down to the lava below. Its fiery glow reflected on his ruby eyes, filling them with the flames of the underworld. He couldn't allow himself or the mask to fall into the clutches of evil, but if he took his own life leaping into the pit of lava... What was there left to do?

Rioko pulled the blanket tighter over her shoulders. She stretched out, shivered, and curled into a tight ball. How could it be so cold if Sheik... she wondered sleepily, her thoughts under a heavy fog of tiredness. She reached over and found only empty blankets. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up.

"Sheik?" No reply. Rioko tossed back the covers and went to the door. She turned the handle, and it didn't move. A twinge of panic dissipated the mental fog, and she knocked on the door. "Sheik? Are you out there?" Glancing around, she saw that his tunic and pants were thrown on the floor and his blue outfit was gone. Rioko pulled on the handle with all her might, then slammed both fists against the door itself. "Sheik!"

She put one hand to her forehead and slumped against the immovable door. How could he leave now? What was he thinking? Her viridian eyes widened, and her hand dropped limply to her side. A painful lump rose in her throat as she frantically searched the room for the Mask of Truth and came up empty-handed.

He's trying to deliver the mask himself, she realized. He's trying to carry my burden for me. But that's not what Rauru wanted! He's trying to change time again, in a way that won't work! Oh, Sheik, you're only going to make things worse! Rioko shook her head violently. I've got to break out of here and find him before something horrible can happen. But how? Her gaze darted around the darkened bedroom.

"You can't lock me in here. I'll fight my way out. Or pick the lock. Or teleport, or climb out a window, or..." She brightened momentarily. Climb out a window. I can't break down the door, or pick locks, or teleport, but I can climb. Pulling on her boots, Rioko threw open the window and put a leg over the windowsill. She easily slipped out and onto the roof. Dark winds buffeted her, carrying the shrieks of a horde of evil beasts. She reached into her boot and drew Sheik's knife that she hadn't yet returned, realizing he'd probably be able to make better use of it just then. Rioko gracefully leapt from rooftop to rooftop, crossing the entire block of houses and avoiding the prowling ReDead. Finally she had to slide down a waterspout. She hit the ground running, first toward the Temple of Time.

The temple was strangely unguarded and empty-feeling. Rioko wasted not a moment, quickly deciding that Ganondorf's fiends must've headed Sheik off and forced him north. As she ran, she had to fight off a few Wolfos and ReDead. Luckily, her skill in battle had increased enough so that she quickly dispatched them and kept on. The monsters grew thicker and thicker. Soon, she wondered if she would be able to break through after all. Somehow they seemed preoccuiped, though, and few actually attacked her despite their numbers. Most slithered, stomped, or shambled northwards so determinedly that they didn't give her a second glance.

Rioko fought bravely through the canyon, and abruptly found herself standing in front of the horde. Sheik teetered on the edge of the black cliff, hair, shroud and wrappings swirling in the evil wind blowing from below. His eyes widened as she approached.

"Rioko, look out! Behind you!" She spun around to find a frightening figure staring back at her. His eyes glittered with evil, and the stone set on his forehead marked him as a Gerudo.

"Foolish girl," he growled, raising a hand, "did you really think you could save your precious Sheikah?" Dark light enveloped Rioko. She screamed, dropping Sheik's knife as the force lifted her above the black earth. "So you're the one Rauru chose to do his dirty work. That old fool actually believed he could keep the Mask of Truth away from the mighty Lord Ganondorf! Don't look so surprised. You must've felt my eyes on you for some time now."

Rioko choked on darkness. "Destroy it, Sheik!" she finally gasped. "Destroy the mask!"

"Oh, now, I wouldn't recommend that," chided Ganondorf cruelly, clenching his hand. Rioko cried out in unseen pain, and Sheik's eyes narrowed.

"Put her down, you fiend," he spat. "Hiding behind shields is a sign of weakness. If it's a fight you want, I'll fight you."

The dark Gerudo man sneered. "A fight? I'd crush you in an instant. What kind of power does a lowly Sheikah have that he could even imagine taking me on? Turn over the Mask of Truth to me and I'll let her go."

Sheik glanced down to the dirty leather sack in his hands. "Don't listen to him, he's lying! Just throw it in the lava!" screamed Rioko hysterically. "Finish my--our task! Do it!" Another glare from Ganondorf, and she convulsed in agony.

"He'll kill you," Sheik replied, so softly that he could hardly be heard over the wind. His eyes shone with tears.

"Either way, you lose," Ganondorf crowed. "Your friend or your mask. You choose."

"I can't betray Hyrule," Sheik said to himself. "But I can't betray Rioko. I can't...can't choose. I don't know..."

Rioko caught her breath. "Get--rid--of--it!" Her eyes and Sheik's met, and her thoughts became his for an instant. There's still hope, her voice whispered, hope no matter what. This future is not our future. Death is not the end. I love you, Sheik. Forever. The Mask of Truth slowly slipped from its bag into Sheik's hands, and he looked back up to her, suspended in Ganondorf's dark magic but still beautiful. I love you too, Rioko. For eternity. He turned and threw the mask. It glimmered across a long, graceful arc in slow motion, flashing in the burning light as it spun. For all time...

Ganondorf roared in anger. Rioko screamed; purple lightning arced violently within the force field. The bolts stopped and she fell to the ground limply. Sheik picked up his knife and charged at Ganondorf, a cry of rage and loss ripping itself from his dry throat. He lunged again and again, always a moment too slow, just a beat behind the Gerudo's dodges. The dark one stepped back, raised a hand, and curled his lips into a derisive sneer.

"Fool Sheikah. One such as you could never defeat me. With or without the Mask of Truth, I win this day." A blast of dark power threw Sheik to the stony earth, and Ganondorf was gone. Sheik raced to Rioko's side, taking her in his arms.

"Rioko?" he whispered. "Please, Rioko, don't die now. Hang on. I'm still here, I'll still protect you. Stay with me." The brown-haired girl breathed in shallow gasps, her hands and face white. Her emerald eyes, glazed and dreamy, fixed on his.

"Sh-Sheik," she breathed. "We did it. Because...of you..."

"Don't die on me," pleaded Sheik. "I won't let you. You were too strong for him to kill. You've got to live."

Rioko nodded weakly, wordlessly. Sheik picked her up and began to run; back through the now-empty canyon, through Hyrule Castle Town, out the destroyed gates. The full moon pierced the clouds and lit the field with brilliant silver light. His whole body had gone numb, but his mind and emotions raced. "Hang on, Rioko," he repeated. "Don't give up now. There's always hope..."

-[part five, requiem of spirit]-

"She'll pull through, I think." The old potion shop woman expertly appraised Rioko's condition as she lay asleep on a bed in the makeshift hospital of Kakariko Town. "Too much longer, and she would've been beyond my power to save. She ought to be on her feet again in a week, I think. Let me go prepare another bed for you."

Sheik shook his head. "No, I've got to go." He rose from his chair.

"Go? Aren't you even going to wait for her to come around and say goodbye?" The old woman, bent with age, peered up with unnervingly piercing eyes into Sheik's face. He turned away.

"I can't. There's something I must attend to, elsewhere."

"Can I at least get you a hot drink before you leave, sonny? It's right cold outside now, and..."

"I have to go," Sheik exclaimed in an outburst that startled even him. The potion shop lady blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry, old mother, but I can't stay. Please take care of her for me." He glanced down at Rioko for only an instant, knowing that any longer would make him stay and abandon his duty. "Maybe I'll be back someday." With that, Sheik walked out of the house, into the night, and away from the love of his life. His chest ached and felt strangely empty. The sorrow would come later; for now, the heartbreak was his only emotion. Without looking back, he vanished into the blackness from whence he had come but a few days or lifetimes ago.

Time passed as it does and found Sheik teaching the Hero of Time what he knew about the magical songs of old. One by one, the Sages awoke, and as they did Sheik's hope awoke. With every new Sage, he grew closer to fulfilling his own true role in the story. When the moment finally arrived for him to cast off Sheik, he did so willingly, knowing that leaving this life was his only way to regain it. Link rescued his princess from Ganondorf's clutches, and together they sealed him within the Sacred Realm. He didn't try to kiss her; she was secretly glad of it.

The moment of truth finally came. She raised the ocarina to her lips and blew the Song of Time. Time bent and changed, hopefully for the last time; the little green fairy boy was home for good, and the little blue princess too. The Door of Time never opened, and yet, those who were closely involved still remembered the events of another reality as they would have happened. Such was the case with the princess, and her beloved nursemaid, bodyguard, advisor, and friend, Impa.

At first the duties of the crown kept her busy. Even changing time couldn't stop many people who had suffered or died from remembering the reign of Ganondorf, and a royal explanation was in order. Songs were written, stories told, and legends were born, and the princess herself had a hand in writing much of the music. When everything was set straight, though, and castle life calmed down, she found herself more and more distracted. She took walks farther and farther away from the castle until Impa finally declared that the princess was not to leave the castle grounds until further notice.

The princess didn't leave again, but Sheik did. Impa caught him by the shoulder one day on the outskirts of the Lost Woods. "Just what do you think you're doing?" she asked sternly, not for a moment fooled.

Sheik jumped, startled. Impa could sneak even more stealthily than he. "Just roaming around, I guess," he replied.

"'Just roaming' isn't like you at all, Princess. Or Sheik, I should say. Neither is irresponsibly using the power of the Triforce of Wisdom. You've been distracted for a long time, now, and sneaking out for about a month, I'd say." Seeing the expression of surprise on his face, she half-smiled. "You didn't think I'd notice? Surely you wouldn't think that. You're plenty familiar with the Sheikah ability to know more than one lets on, I'll bet. Sit down, tell me what's troubling you."

The two sat down on a long stone. "I don't rightly know how to explain," Sheik sighed. "It's a long, strange story."

"I can be very patient, as you well know. Please continue, I want to help. You can trust me with any secret, Your Highness. It can't possibly be any worse than the time you turned the castle's water supply into vinegar."

"It's worse," Sheik asserted, but he had trusted Impa implicitly since before he could remember, and soon the whole story spilled out, tears and all. Impa listened patiently, asking no questions and making no judgements. Sheik finally finished his tale. "I don't know what's got me so on edge recently," he admitted. "It's just...I don't know."

"I'd suppose it's because tomorrow is the day that you would meet Rioko for the first time, in another time," Impa guessed. "It seems to me that you've spent so much of your life as Sheik that you're almost two people in one; Sheik and Zelda, neither quite able to exist with the other nor without. Especially since Sheik's known love and freedom, and Zelda's known only formality and duty. Each person is as real as the other one. There won't be an easy solution." Sheik's face dropped; if anybody would know the answer to his troubles, it would be Impa. "But you know you can't keep living as two in one. You can feel it in your bones. Neither body fits anymore, do they?"

"No," Sheik admitted. "I don't know who I am anymore."

"You are who you will make yourself to be," Impa told him. "Nobody can tell you who you are, and in the end even duty cannot choose for you, since it is your choice to fulfill the responsibilities given you or not. I was afraid this would happen, ever since you first took the name and life of Sheik of the Sheikah. I had hoped, for your own sake, that you would never meet one such as Rioko. But it wasn't so. Your promise was one not made lightly; you gave her your word that you would love her forever, and your heart holds it to be true no matter how difficult it may be for you. Even if it is impossible. Even if you can't."

I love her. Even if I can't. The words rang in Sheik's mind as if he'd just spoken them again. "How can I go on? Please, Impa, tell me. I'm being torn apart. I can't leave Hyrule. I can't leave her. I can't choose. I never could. So many times I've had to make the choice and failed. I'm failing again. Help me." Sheik's voice grew desperate.

"You never really gave up the life of Sheik. Even as Zelda, all you wanted was to be free as he is, but Sheik's burden is Zelda herself."

"But what can I do?" Sheik asked desperately.

"That's not for me to answer. I'd advise you ask the one who coordinated your meeting with Rioko in the first place." Impa rose to her feet and brushed the dust from her hands.

"Coordinated...? Who would do such a thing?" Impa only gazed intently in return, red Sheikah eyes meeting with Sheik's own. "Rauru. He's the one, isn't he? I'll go to find him right now." Sheik broke into a run, leaving Impa far behind within moments. When he arrived at the Temple of Time, his lungs burned for air and his legs burned for rest, but he didn't stop.

Up the stairs, through the vast doors, onto the dais on which was engraved the likeness of the Medallion of Light. "Rauru! Where are you?" Sheik shouted to the empty air. "Rauru, show yourself! I have to talk to you, now!"

Brilliant white light flooded the room suddenly. Unseen powers lifted Sheik bodily from the marble floor, encasing him in a pure, blue crystal. Everything seemed to grow light and dark all at once until Sheik could no longer see at all. He floated, felt himself descending, and the crystal dissolved around him, leaving him standing in an unknown place with no sound but the rushing of water. The darkness filling the air slowly withdrew, and Sheik glanced around anxiously.

-[part six, prelude of light]-

He very slowly realized he was in the Chamber of Sages. Waterfalls flowed through the dark, infinite expanses around the central platform, where Rauru waited patiently on his pedestal. "You called for me, Princess Zelda? Or are you Sheik?" he asked, nodding towards the confused youth. Sheik glanced down at his hands uncertainly. One was the Sheikah's, fingertips wrapped in bandages, and the other was Princess Zelda's delicate hand. He dropped to his knees in alarm, gazing into the water. The pair of eyes that greeted him was only half-red.

"What's happening to me?" he demanded, voice wavering between Sheik's and Zelda's.

"Only what's happening constantly in your heart. The Chamber of Sages is a magnifying glass for the truth. I don't need to tell you that you're torn between the two lives you live."

"Why? Why did I meet Rioko?"

Rauru considered for a long moment. "To protect her and the Mask of Truth. But this is the least of the reasons. I chose Rioko to carry the mask because I knew that she alone in the village had the strength left in her heart to do it. I also knew, though, that even that strength wouldn't be enough. You were strong, but to draw unnecessary attention to you would spell doom for the future. By giving her the mask, Ganondorf would concentrate on her while you supported her, unseen by him. Had you two not fallen in love, I don't believe you could've made it. It was the strength of this love that kept your true identity hidden even while you fought Ganondorf, and that kept Rioko alive through her hardships. Did she not say, at the last, that she only succeeded because of you?"

Sheik slowly nodded. "That's right." He wondered how Rauru could've known that.

"I knew, though, that the strength of your love for each other would cause Sheik to become a dominant part of yourself. It couldn't be helped at the time, though. The two of you together saved all of Hyrule. I doubt you've realized the magnitude of this until now. However..." here Rauru motioned at Sheik, "it doesn't help your current situation, does it?"

"Do--do you have an answer for me? Anything at all?" begged Sheik.

Rauru fell silent again. Eventually he spoke. "I have only one possible solution, and it's not the quick fix I'm sure you were hoping for, but... There is a way to allow you to live both lives, as Sheik and Zelda. The two identities within you can be split. The problem is that you've only got one soul between the two. Sheik may yet live his life, but Zelda will sleep as in death until Sheik passes on."

Sheik's eyes widened. Could such a thing be possible?

"You should know, though, that it does carry its consequences. I've foreseen that a shadow will cover Hyrule before its princess can awaken. In my vision I saw the Hero of Time, split as you are, fighting against himself. You and he, and Ganondorf too, are bound together by the Triforces in your hands. What befalls one, befalls the others. I cannot guarantee that they will not be affected by this; in fact, my dream tells me otherwise. Then again, I believe that it may be fate that Princess Zelda slumbers. I will leave the choice to you."

Sheik glanced around the room. "I don't want to harm Hyrule," he protested.

"How much more will Hyrule suffer under a ruler who doesn't even know who she really is?" asked Rauru rhetorically. "How will the people react to a leader unable to lead even herself? And would you be able to even assume the throne in your state now? These are questions you must ask yourself."

"Will it...hurt?" he asked timidly.

"No more than if you don't," answered the Sage of Light cryptically.

Sheik stood, staring at his mismatched hands for what seemed like--and may have been--years. Finally he stepped toward Rauru. "What must I do?" he asked.

"Only relax, and close your eyes." He did, and Rauru placed a hand on his forehead. Something inside his mind ripped; he felt as if he were being torn apart from the inside out. He could hear both Sheik's cries and Zelda's, somehow. Then everything went black and quiet, for how long he could not guess.

-[part seven, song of time]-

Sheik didn't know when his memory stopped and reality began. He had no idea how he'd gotten to the gates of Hyrule Castle Town. He only knew that he was again wearing the white tunic and navy pants that Rioko had loaned him in another lifetime. He was running, barefoot, hair fluttering free under the sun. No ReDead blocked his path; no Moblins swung clubs at him. A few people turned to look at this Sheikah youth, red-eyed and materialized out of nowhere, smiling Hylian-ear-to-ear even as tears streamed down his face, running like one who had been bedridden forever and was suddenly and miraculously healed.

He knew exactly where her house was. Turn here, turn there, up the stairs. His heart beat so hard and joyfully he thought it would burst. He was afraid that when he knocked at the door that it would disappear, and he would wake up from a cruel dream, but the wood remained solid and the rapping was the best music he'd ever heard in his life. The door opened.

"Sheik? Is that you?" Rioko's beautiful emerald eyes widened in disbelief, then even more in joy. "Sheik! You came back! I was so afraid that it was only a dream, that time didn't change and I only imagined it all!"

"Me, too," he smiled. "But time's changed for good now, and I'm free. I'm Sheik now, just Sheik. I know who I am. I'm Sheik. I'm free." Rioko leapt into his arms, both of them laughing and crying in pure happiness and hugging each other tightly. The future could wait. Life beckoned to Sheik for the very first time.

---

Author's Note: Yay! I finished my first real fanfic! I'm so happy, but that may be partly because I'm so happy for Sheik and Rioko. I put myself in the characters' shoes waaaay too much while writing it, a problem I tend to have. Every time Sheik got butterflies in his stomach, I did too, which was unhandy because it's hard to write with butterflies, although I think it made everyone's emotions a bit more realistic. So writing the epilogue I wanted to cry ^_^; I got all teary-eyed and everything. I feel so dumb sometimes...

About Sheik's gender. Anybody that knows me from the DDR Freak forums (prolly nobody) has already heard my explanation on this, which is as follows. If Zelda uses magic to become Sheik, that could conceivably include a gender change, right? Super Smash Bros. Melee said so so it must be true.

Speaking of SSBM, Ocarina of Time was NOT the game that inspired me to write this (truth be known, I finished it for the first time about halfway through part three). It was, in fact, SSBM, and playing as Zelda/Sheik for hours. I realized nobody seems to think much about Sheik as an individual character; he's just written off as Zelda in men's clothing. And that's just sad! So I took it and ran with it, and came up with Schism, whose name doesn't even figure in much until around the last parts. Always makes me think of the song by Tool by the same name, even though that's not where I got it; it almost bears a resemblance if you stretch things a bit. Ah well, hope you had fun reading it. I had fun writing it. Never mind that I lost sleep trying to make the more confusing bits fit together, all's fair in love and magical gender change(?). And, um, yeah, it does kinda put Ocarina of Time happening right before The Adventure of Link, but doesn't it make sense how the towns except Mido are all named after the Seven Sages? Also, adult Link on OoT can't use the Mask of Truth, and apparently Gibdo possession at least is possible because it happens to the researcher in Majora's Mask, and ReDead are like Gibdos in practically every way except appearance. I've got an explanation for practically everything in this story. That's because I'm a detail-obsessed fiend suffering from lack of social life. I'm going to stop because the Author's Note is now longer than the last section and there's something just wrong about that.

If you've got any suggestions, ideas, constructive criticisms, questions, etc., email me at rainbowstarmoppy@yahoo.com, unless you're going to correct me on Sheik's gender, because then I won't care. Until the next time the fanfic bug bites me!

~Aevir