About this story: I try to write Link as best I can, knowing that he doesn't speak in ANY of the games... so I do try to keep him as silent as possible, but sometimes he just has to say something... especially when Dark asks him something. This chapter I did give him some thoughts, just to get a hint of emotions lying beneath the surface. However, that where Dark comes in in this chapter, he's loud, somewhat arrogant, and talks a good bit more than Link, because he's sorta Link's dark counterpart, he can't help but voice his opinions. Dark Link also doesn't have all that much of a filter between his brain and his mouth, so he speaks unnecessarily, and rudely sometimes. But that's what we love about him right? I do try to keep the action and violence up in this story, I mean it's based off of a video game, so you gotta have a lot of action am I right? Also, as I was writing it at first, people were asking for more dialogue, and so I had to up that a bit, but there's still a lot of fighting and blood. Perhaps a bit more than is typically in a Zelda game, but I go for a sense of realism, while keeping it cannon.
Summary: Link faces his dark side, and finds it difficult to kill that darkness. However, Darkness isn't finished off so easily. Rated M for Mature for intense violence, blood, shounen-ai, eventual torture, and perhaps a bit more than shounen-ai in later chapters. *wink* *wink* DarkxLink.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Legend of Zelda, nor do I think I own anything about it... except the work fan fiction that you are about to read. (If I did own it, Dark Link would have had a bigger role in the game) Yes, I wrote this, using my extensive knowledge of the world of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that I gained from spending WAY too much time playing it since... well, longer than I care to admit, I did not copy it from any other fan author, this sprang forth from my own fangirl imagination, and it can indeed be found on Deviant Art, I know that, because that's where it was originally posted BY ME.
Author's Notes: This is a story I've been working on for a while now... Well, okay, I started it a while ago, and it's been on hiatus for a while due to a terrible bout of writer's block lasting for months (also been suffering from artist's block as well, so it's more like a lack of creativity on my part, but I digress, go find Kairi. lol) But I just got into recently, and i've been dying to post something here... even though it's already on my DA (byohazrd13)
Now on with the story already!
As he passed through the door iron bars crashed down behind him. He took a quick look around the new room, and he was taken aback by the strange sight before him. It seemed as though he was outside, but he knew he was still within the confines of the Water Temple. A strange ambient light filled the room which seemed to stretch on forever. There was only a monolithic stone doorway through which he had just passed, another identical to it on the other side, a strange island in the glassy water, occupied by a leafless tree. Other strange large stones emerged from the glassy surface of the water that stretched as far as his eyes could see. Cautiously, he made his way to the other door, making sure too keep an eye out for any enemies that happened to be hiding somewhere out of sight. His mind was filled with confusion as he found heavy iron bars blocking the exit, he had not seen anything that gave a clue as to how to open the door.
"Hey!" Navi called out to him, "We can't go this way because of these thick iron bars, you'll have to figure out some other way to get out." Link wanted to swat the fairy in that moment, for overstating the obvious, but he didn't bother with it, he knew he couldn't afford to go on without her aid, even if she was annoying. With a heavy sigh, he turned around to explore the area further when he saw a faintly transparent silhouette with eyes tinged red, appearing under the tree. Drawing his sword, Link cautiously walked back the way he had come, and as he did, the figure became solid, and he realized that it looked exactly like him, but was wearing black, in fact, he appeared all in grey, even his hair, which was black. This shadow was lacking any color whatsoever, except for his eyes, which were vibrant red like Shiek's, but ablaze with anger and hate.
Without a word the dark version of Link, sword already in hand, attacked Link with the same technique the young hero used. He didn't have enough time to dodge the attack, so his shadow's sword came down on his shield with a heavy CLINK that spat sparks into the air on contact. Link tried to back away at first, trying to put some space between himself and his opponent, but it was no use, he ended up defending a barrage of attacks as he retreated, and decided to fight back with a flurry of steel. Navi was flying about Dark Link, trying to aid the Hero of Time, but everything he threw at the shadow was countered and thrown back at him. In a nearly desperate move, he backflipped, then turned swiftly and and ran away from his opponent, but only until he had put a reasonable distance between himself and his double, then charged up his spin attack, waiting until Dark Link was within range, then unleashed the fierce attack, forcing his enemy to backflip away and back off for a moment.
"Navi, please don't try to help me this time, I think it's helping him more than me, like he knows what I'm planning." Link said, watching as the other sunk into the water, then popped up to his side, but he was ready with a small spin attack to fend him off.
"Okay, be careful." Navi told him as she hid herself under Link's hat. Before Dark Link could attack him, he readied his sword and attacked him, letting out a battle cry as he brought the sword down towards his opponent's head. At the last possible moment Dark Link moved back, the sword barely whizzing past his nose.
"You're going to have to do better than that 'hero'." Dark nearly spat mockingly at the blonde with the blue eyes. Link made the shadow wish he hadn't said anything as he unleashed Din's Fire on the other, the flames spread out, knocking the other back, and he fell into the water with a SPLASH. Before Dark could get up again Link once again brought his sword down upon the shadowy figure, but it met only the metal of the grey shield that his double wielded. Link backflipped away as Dark Link took a swipe at his ankles, and Link kept backing away, once again trying to put some distance between them.
Dark laughed as he stood up, glancing at his singed tunic before he sank into the water and popped up behind Link. This time Link's reaction was too slow and cried out in pain as the blade bit into the flesh on his back as he tried to move out of the way. Dark Link quickly followed up with another slash which Link somehow managed to avoid before he whipped around with his own sword which bit deep into Dark's shield arm, blood quickly spilling down his arm. The shadowy Link jumped back before Link could attack again, and slipped below the water, reappearing next to the tree where he dropped the shield he could no longer wield effectively, and would only become a burden. Link took a moment to place his own shield on his back to defend against another attack from behind.
The shadowy incarnation charged forward and brought his sword down upon Link, but Link blocked it with his own sword, and they stood there for a moment, Link glaring fiercely into Dark's blazing red eyes. Dark, in turn stared into Link's bright blue eyes, then smirked.
"Tell me Link, I've been wondering, would it be suicide if I killed you?" Link answered by using the leverage he'd just found to knock his opponent back, then lunged forward to try and end it by running Dark Link through, but he should have known that someone so like himself would not go down that easily. Dark jumped up and landed on Link's sword and grinned, but did not use this opportunity to attack.
'Is he toying with me?' Link wondered to himself, then he could no longer hold up the weight on his sword and brought it down, hoping that Dark would fall, but he saw it coming and backflipped off before Link could make his move. Fortunately this gave Link time to be ready with his next attack. Dark Link was still regaining his center after the awkward backflip off of Link's sword when the same blade came at him, tracing a line across his midsection. He doubled over in pain as liquid as red as his eyes stained his black tunic. The stain continued spreading as Link readied Din's Fire again, not seeing the look of pain and sadness in the other's eyes. He unleashed the spell as Dark Link tried to stand, knocking his already injured opponent back, where he landed on the small island. Link was swift in pulling his sword out again as he ran towards the shadow that lay unmoving. As he came close, he saw the shadow's suffering, he kicked the sword out of Dark's hand, and it slid far out of their reach. He had this battle won, all he had to do was end it, he raised his sword to mercifully kill the shadow, but he couldn't do it.
'...would it be suicide if I killed you?' Dark Link's words echoed in his head, and they now seemed more meant for Link than for Dark. Link knew that this was all a ploy of Gannondorf, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to kill his own image. Again he raised his sword, he had to kill this thing before the bars on the doors would lift and he could leave the room, but again his thoughts stayed his hand. Trying to shorten the distance his sword had to travel to deliver the final blow in an effort to overcome his doubts, he straddled his shadow, and poised his sword above it's heart.
'Why couldn't he have fallen in battle? This isn't right!' Link thought to himself, wishing he'd managed to lop off his opponent's head or something, at least while he had been armed. He slowly brought the sword down to his side, and took off Dark Link's hat, not surprised at all that his silky black hair was the same length, pulled back into the same small ponytail he kept his own hair in.
"What's the matter? Finnish it already." His breath was labored, and Link realized that his voice sounded like it had not been used much in a very long time. Dark opened his eyes, and Link was surprised to see that they no longer contained malice, but sorrow. "Please, finnish it." Dark pleaded with his eyes, and put his hand on Link's.
"I... You're just a shadow, created by Gannondorf to make me doubt myself." Link started, more for himself than his fallen opponent. Then Dark Link made a shushing sound.
"Don't say such things. I exist because you exist. I have nothing to do with Gannondorf, except that I'm indentured to him, I serve him because he summoned me from the Shadow Realm. Nothing more." Dark Link said, his straining voice still filled with pride. "You still have to kill me if you want to leave this room."
"I can't." Link said defiantly, his sword arm shaking.
"You don't have to worry about me, even if you kill me I can't die. I told you, I exist because you exist." Link still would not raise his sword again, so Dark took hold of Link's shoulder with one hand, and the hilt of the Master Sword with the other. He positioned the tip of the blade on his chest, then pushed it in as he pulled himself up to Link, his lips gently meeting with his. "Go kill Morphia... I'll wait for you..." and his voice trailed off as he went limp and fell back onto the ground, a pool of blood growing beneath him. Link heard the sound of the bars on the doors sliding up.
"Okay." Link said obligingly, even though the shadowy double could no longer hear him. Link stood up and pulled his sword out, then wiped off the blood before putting it back in it's sheathe. He went and collected Dark's sword and shield. The shield he leaned against the tree, and he folded Dark's arms across his chest, then put the sword in his hands in a show of respect, then left the room.
Author Notes: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I enjoyed writing it, and I always enjoy re-reading it... namely because I went crazy and had fun with the fight. Reviews are nice, and always appreciated, but won't do too terribly much good until the later chapters, because this was posted up to ch.7 all at once.