A\N: STOP. BEFORE YOU READ THIS FANFIC, THERE IS A FANFIC THAT COMES BEFORE THIS TITLED 'RAINBOWS'. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ 'RAINBOWS' SOME OF THE FOLLOWING CONTENT WILL NOT MAKE SENSE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
I know it's short, but I wanted to set the stage before the story started. So you could call this a Prologue or a Really Short First Chapter but whatever you call it, it's here.
I don't own this, and I hope you all enjoy this one as much as you did the last!
He sat crossed legged with his hands resting on his knees, eyes closed and breathing steady. Footsteps came from the outside world, tired and rugged. They were accompanied by several sighs and moans from the mouth of a skychild. There was a soft jingle, like a belt strap sliding through the buckle, and then there was the solid thud of a young man hitting the mattress.
Pale white lips tugged up into a smirk, and soulless, brown eyes wandered to the far end of the seemingly eternal white void. The sight was blinding, and had it not been for his personal little patch of night, the light surely would've snuffed his life years ago. One and a half years, to be exact. Alright, alright, fine. Six hundred and nine days, twelve hours, forty-one minutes, seven seconds, and twenty-nine tenths of a second, to be exact.
You were right, Shai. I can feel the seal weakening already. By morning, this blade will be a memory of the past—one I should soon hope to forget—and I will be on the Surface where I belong. Miles and miles away from this filthy spawn of humankind. After that—
He stopped short as he sense the sword's native spirit approaching, and he glanced over his shoulder innocently, giving her a pitiful look. She didn't waver at his watering eyes nor at his pouting lips, and after a few moments he turned back to the doorway with a sigh, tracing his fingers in the blackness and resting his chin on his palm.
"I suppose you quite enjoy seeing me like this…"
Fi stared at him blankly and responded in perfect monotone, "I do not have emotions like humans do; therefore, I cannot relish an enemy's pain. I have no sense of victory about this situation, Ghirahim."
Ghirahim frowned, still playing with the black substance around him, fading off into boredom at her dull words. "Since when did you stop calling me 'Demon Lord Ghirahim'? It was quite nice…"
"So long as you are in this sword, you are not a lord or a demon, thus your previous title is rendered obsolete in my database."
Ghirahim let his head sink a little, peering deep into the black until he saw what he wanted. "That could have been said in a more tactful and ethical way."
"I am not programmed to mince words for others' benefit."
Ghirahim sighed heavily, reaching out past the barrier of darkness only to jerk it back and hiss in pain. "Can you at least expand this thing? I can't even lie down and sleep!"
Fi watched him with a trace of suspicion in her eyes, but expanded the circle enough to let him rest his head, though in a very curled up and uncomfortable position.
"Could you make this a little more difficult?"
Fi gave him an odd look, but proceeded to shrink the ring again. Ghirahim gasped, his upper torso being caught in the light momentarily.
"It was sarcasm, Fi! Learn to read it!" He winced, grabbing his arms and rubbing them furiously to ease the burning throb in them.
Fi just widened the circle again and floated off, beginning to toy with magic and occupy herself in her own Fi-like way.
I must get you back over here, my sweet… but how?
He glanced at the hole, which was still wide open and calling to him, commanding him to free himself from his prison. He looked back to her. Her back was to him, but without his magic and without any weapons, he was powerless against her. Not to mention confined to that blasted circle on the floor!
"Fi… I have a question for you, and I hope you can answer it."
Fi remained silent, but turned slightly towards him as though he was listening.
Ghirahim tapped his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "If you have achieved your mission—to aid Link in the destruction of Demise—then why are you still here?"
Fi didn't reply, and Ghirahim growled, clenching his fist at his side and rising to his feet. "She devil! That was a question! Answer me!"
"My analysis shows you are still 95% temperamental."
Ghirahim glared at her, but sank back to the floor and laid down, propping his hands under his head. "Seriously, though. What's the answer? It's not like I'm going to try and resurrect him. I failed at that once already, and if I bring him back now…" Ghirahim visibly shuddered, despite himself, and shook his head. "Never mind that!"
Fi turned to face Ghirahim fully and squared her shoulders. "My mission is not accomplished until the threat of Demise is vanished from this world. As it stands, this is not the case, and I will remain by my Master's side until my objective is complete."
Ghirahim was a little taken aback at her sudden composure, but he merely turned away from her and stared at the hole again. After that, there was a long silence, and then he heard her approach. A sly grin parted his lips, and he waited for her to stop behind him.
"Ghirahim, my analysis fails to show me exactly what your problem is. Could you specify?"
Ghirahim glanced over his shoulder briefly, but did not move far enough for her to see his smile. Then he slowly got to his feet and stretched, tapping his chin with his finger and placing his free hand on his hip.
"What is my problem, you wish to know?"
Ghirahim whirled, throwing his hands into the light despite the excruciating agony and dragging her into the darkness with him. As soon as her head hit the barrier, her eyes flickered, and she collapsed to the ground, though she bore no injury.
"Well that was disappointing. She didn't even scream to me."
Ghirahim turned towards the hole and started walking towards it, blackness forming around his body as he went. Without a light oriented spirit around to restrain him, he could go wherever he wanted, and he wanted out.
He stood at the edge of the pit and turned to look at Fi, who was still slumped on the ground in the darkness. He took a moment to scan the area in every direction, thinking about how this had been his view for the past six hundred and nine days. And now finally, finally he was going to taste freedom. He was going to see color, he was going to eat food, and smell scent, and hear new voices, and say new things, and—Well… He probably wouldn't be doing that last one. Seeing Shai.
Certainly, the boy had told him on what day Link's blade would be the weakest and how to get out, but that was nearly five hundred and eighty-nine days ago. The child probably did it to stay on Ghirahim's good side. Humans often played the security card—getting the 'fire insurance' and what not—but Ghirahim doubted Shai was going to follow him again.
It was a shame, too… Shai was always a particularly kind boy, always having a smile on his face and a spring in his step, except for when Ghirahim asked him to tone it down. He was obedient and wise beyond his years, often giving Ghirahim advise when the demon least expected it. He had been… well, dear to Ghirahim. But now he was just another human, and Ghirahim was on his own.
"Alright, enough thinking. Just do it before you run out of time."
Ghirahim held his breath and took one step forward, plummeting into the darkness of the passage leading to the hilt of the blade. Almost instantaneously, he was outside of the hilt and sprawled on something hard and cool. He opened his eyes slowly, and realized he was lying on the skychild's bedroom floor.
Silently, he got to his feet and walked over to Link, staring down at the young hero—now almost eighteen years old—with a mix of emotions in his eyes. He glanced down at the Master's Sword and considered for a brief moment taking the boy's life, but the more he thought about that idea, the more he disliked it. All he really wanted to do was to get out Skyloft alive. Nothing else.
He moved towards the window and saw a platform in the distance. From there, he could jump down underneath Skyloft and walk over to the Axialis light, go back to his castle, reclaim his throne, and begin ruling there. After that… well, he would leave that up to his active imagination.
He snapped his fingers and—wait. Nothing happened.
Puzzled, he tried again to teleport to the outdoors. He snapped several more times, and then just tried to focus without snapping, but still, nothing happened.
It must be leftover from the blade. I've been inside it so long my powers are dormant. They aren't gone because I can still feel them in there, I just need to get them out.
Taking a deep breath, he turned towards the door and began tiptoeing across the creaky wood floors.
I suppose I shall be doing this the human way.
Shai gasped, jerking awake and looking around himself to see where he was. He sighed when he realized he was in his dorm, and wiped his brow, easing back into the sheets.
For some reason, even though he had been coming to the academy for almost a year, he still woke up in the middle of the night thinking he was home. And not the home everyone thought he meant. He still dreamed about his old life with Ghirahim, and even though he hadn't spoken to his Master in a long time, he was still confident that this was the night he was going to escape, and when he did, Shai would know. He would feel it, just as he had always been able to feel it when Ghirahim returned from Skyloft.
"Tonight's the big night… He's going to get out… and we'll get to be together again."
Shai smiled to himself. Of course, he had no intentions of letting Ghirahim off the hook easy. In fact, he wasn't even going to go find his master and offer his services. He was going to let Ghirahim find him and ask for his services. He wouldn't make him beg or anything like that, but Shai didn't want to chase after his Master for the rest of his life without receiving a little appreciation.
"Unless Master really needs me. Then I'll just have to help him because… well, because he's Master."
Even at fourteen years of age—almost fifteen, actually—he still was very much dependent on leadership, and he liked it that way. The other boys said he was a baby, but they could never understand. Spending the majority of your life as a slave, doing nothing unless told to, and meeting punishment when you disobeyed made you crave a guiding hand.
Master, it's been so hard without you here. I miss the days of just you and me. I don't like being picked on, I don't like being alone, I don't like all these people telling me to step out on my own. None of them give me a shoulder to cry on, and none of them would ever hold out their hand when I don't think I can stand by myself anymore. I want you back…
Shai knew he was pathetic, lying on his bunk and mumbling about 'Master this' and 'Master that' but he didn't care. He loved Ghirahim, and if he was pathetic for that, so be it.
Shai lay down in the bed sheets and closed his eyes, sighing heavily as slumber started to set in. He was almost unconscious when he cracked one eyelid open and sniffed the air, a familiar scent filling his nose. He licked his lips.
"Welcome back, Master."
A\N: BEFORE THE QUESTIONS START ROLLING IN:
Yes, there's a reason they're in the sky and not on the Surface as planned. Explained in next chapter.
No, Shai has not turned sadistic like Ghirahim and he's not going to make him beg for forgiveness. That's not his style. He would just like to be appreciated and actually WANTED for a change.
Yes, I realize Shai is immature for 15, but after how cute he's been in the past two stories, I can't change him now! I'm going to blame in on Ghirahim's overlord attitude and the human to demon to human transformation that has messed up his hormones.
No, Ghirahim is not currently with Shai. Shai can sense that Ghirahim is on the island, but he doesn't know where and they are not together.
I think that's it. I hope you all liked it, and as I go there will be more action, angst, blood, violence, aww moments, cuteness, fluffyness, and seriousness. At least... that's the plan. :)
I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED IT! PLEASE REVIEW!