Chapter 1

School was one of those things, Link decided, that came and went no matter how much effort was put into learning… so, if time would pass without him trying, what was the point? He was already stuck with insane classes to take: Hyrule History, where the textbook was conveniently titled "Hyrule Historia", was the worst. He and his best friend, Sheik, were the only two in the class who were on the brink of failing, and because of that, they were to report in an hour early every morning. Every single morning.

School was also one of those things, Link decided, that people could definitely live without.

It wasn't that Link hated going to Courage High, because he didn't, but his history class frustrated him to no end. Some things that the teacher, Mr. Byrne, spouted from the textbook were fundamentally wrong. How in the world did the first hero, the Hero of the Skies, venture singlehandedly on his quest, not returning home, not even to get supplies? Link felt like there had to be someone else with him on the quest, even if they weren't actively "saving the world" and "founding Hyrule". It didn't sit well with Link – the hero was still human…

Today, though, would be different, Link hoped. The teacher had given the two friends a strange look when he read over their test answers the day before and then simply said, "I'll see you tomorrow." No lecture, no disappointed glare… just a dismissal…

Soon enough, before he knew it, Link was seated in front of the teacher's desk beside Sheik who was leaning back lazily.

"The teacher tells us not to be late…" The crimson eyed blonde mumbled vindictively. As if on cue, Byrne pushed into the classroom with two more books than usual and a strange expression.

"Glad to see you two could make it," he said as his usual greeting. He sighed as if something was weighing down on him… "I guess… you two have already caught on, slightly, to today's lesson. This is the last lesson you'll be receiving from me, and from then on you two will have to draw your own conclusions. The material for the rest of the year… I want you to interpret it in your own way. I will give you permission to not follow the curriculum." Link and Sheik looked at each other, sapphire to ruby, before turning back to Byrne wordlessly.

"The Hero of Time was said to have sealed the Master Sword away countless times, even being sealed away because of it," Mr. Byrne began, pointing to the board with his prosthetic arm. "He is the Goddess Chosen Hero, according to legend, and has saved Hyrule countless times." Byrne changed the slide to show an interpretation of the Hero.

"Hey, he looks like you, Link!" Sheik noted, earning a glance from Byrne.

Link frowned at the hero on the screen. His dirty blonde hair was painted harshly around his pale face, and his unnerving blue eyes glared down a sharp nose. On his ears, he wore two pale blue earrings to compliment his eyes. Before Byrne hit "next" on the PowerPoint, he narrated, "This is the Hero of Twilight. Unfortunately, like most of the other heroes, he lived in a time when cameras were not yet invented, so we do not know definitely what his appearance really is." The next slide showed the Hero of Legend next to the Hero of Twilight and the Hero of Time. Another picture showed the Hero of Winds, which was a photograph, surprisingly… the Hero of – the heroes ran together in Link's mind.

Maybe Sheik was right – the likeness was uncanny. They all had that messy mop of blonde hair, the green obsession – and his father had made fun of him for that! Ha! – and the piercing blue eyes. Each one had them, the eyes that seemed to burn through the screen. He realized how young the Hero of Winds was, with his childish round face, but his expression was one of determination. The Hero of Legend, the first hero, had a young look to his face, also. He had could not be plagued with the memories of past heroes, and his only purpose was to save his best friend, a reincarnation of the goddess Hylia.

The Hero of Twilight was the one that bothered him most, though.

This hero's eyes had the harsh slash of someone who'd suffered through too many battles, lived through too many lives. Like the Hero of Time, his eyes were old, his face angular… even his posture screamed Fighter!

Byrne went on, ignoring Link's wary look. "For each hero, there was likely a dark counterpart. The Hero of Time was famous for fighting his dark counterpart deep within a temple, succeeding and becoming stronger from the experience.

"The Hero of Twilight was explained to have known the story of Twilight, how dark interlopers were infesting the world. The Hero of Winds was spared this experience, but some other heroes, such as the Royal Engineer, also fought this dark interloper."

"What was the hero's name?" Sheik blurted. "I mean, all of the heroes. Were they named differently, or...?"

"No, they all have the same name. Quite simply, their name is Link." Link flinched and looked up, blue eyes wide. "Link is a common name in Hyrule, as is my name, Byrne. My namesake was said to have died in protecting the Princess and the Royal Engineer in battle with Malladus, whom you should remember from chapter fourteen."

Link nodded his head absently, frowning. Sheik sat up eagerly, waving his hand around. "Do I have a namesake?"

"Yes, in fact, you do. You are named after Sheik the Sheikah, who aided the Hero of Time in the second half of his quest. Although, Sheik never really existed, in actuality he was just—"

"Do you hear that, Link! We're probably part of some grand scheme, some legend, something bigger than all of us and-" Byrne held up his hand to stop the boy.

"The reason I'm explaining this is for that exact reason. The Hero of Time stumbled upon it, and I believe it's come into play once again… I do believe… that you two are connected to this timeline." The teacher dropped his pointer and leaned back against the desk, eyeing the two. "I want you two to tell me what you think – on Monday, of course. You are dismissed."

The two stood up and gathered their books. Byrne nodded and Sheik followed Link out of the room, talking eagerly. Link's mind was elsewhere, however.

If Link was connected to the prophecy… was everyone…?

Per Byrne's request, Link – he wasn't sure about Sheik – was going to draw his own conclusions about this school.

In high school, Link had learned things the hard way. There was always that one student out to get him, that one student who everyone forgot, and that one overly popular student… there was the girlfriend stealer – Link silently cursed that lavender haired weirdo, Vaati – the creep…

But, going back, there was always that one forgotten student. Amongst the students in the small high school – quite a few had ruby eyes, Link noted early on – there was one quiet student that he'd ran into a few times. In Freshman year, a few students had come up to him, shyly asking if he had a brother… maybe one with red eyes… the answer was always no. He didn't have a brother, last time he checked, but he did have a younger sister who, Link made certain of this, was off limits to all high school guys.

This guy, Link's "brother", was the kind of student to do his work and leave immediately, taking part in little to no social interaction. Link had done his research, via Zelda, one of the most popular girls in school… who also happened to be his best friend's sister….

Link's doppelganger was a dark haired teen named Dark, a quiet, thin guy with eerie crimson eyes that were always set in a glare. He moved about like a shadow, keeping an eye out for potential threats as if he were always under fire…

Of course, when Link looked for him, he looked for dark – most likely black – hair, and ignored everyone in the café whose hair was lighter than dark brown… and didn't notice the white haired teen standing in front of him.

"Excuse me," the crimson eyed boy said, hand half way out as if to brush Link aside. "I'd like to actually get something to drink, if you don't mind." As Link murmured a quick, "Sorry", and moved, their eyes met for a second, just a fleeting second…

… and all hell broke loose.

A fistful of Link's shirt later, Dark had the boy shoved against the vending machine, angry red eyes glaring into confused blue.

Link squirmed as he saw the conflict rage in Dark's eyes before settling with an emotion that startled the blonde. Pain.

"You… left me…" Dark hissed up at him, arms shaking. He dropped Link back to the ground and Link tried to back up… only to run into the vending machine. He was trapped.

Dark's hands slammed on either side of his head, slapping against the dark plastic. Pale hair fell in a halo around the teen's bowed head, pure black hair at his roots.

"Uh… I-I'm sorry if I offended you in any way… I didn't…-"

"Stop," Dark said, his voice quiet. He stood up and turned around before Link could see his eyes again… or his face, that face that seemed so familiar… "I mistook you for someone else," Link could hear the lie in the other's voice. "I'm sorry."

The teen walked away stiffly, each movement carefully controlled, his left hand raising half way to his head… dropping dejectedly…

But there was something wrong about Dark's eyes, Link concluded.

"Link!" Sheik called from the left, eyeing Dark. "What did you do? The guy looks destroyed…"

Link sighed worriedly, "I'm not sure myself…"

Link found himself surrounded by a heartbeat loud enough to drown out his own, his face lying on smooth skin cool to the touch…

Link's body moved on its own accord, turning over to face his sleeping partner. Dark. Something inside of Link's mind screamed for him to jump up in shock, but his body acted as if it were natural, rolling over and gazing at the clear sky.

"Hold that pose," a voice said from next to him. A dark haired teen – no man… - leaned over, shining ruby eyes looking down at him. Unmistakably, these eyes could only belong to one person… Link so desperately wanted to move, to get out of this uncomfortable position.

Listening, Link could hear water gently lapping at land around them, and the smell of moss, grass, and something sweet filled his nostrils. He inhaled, his body still moving on its own.

"What?" Link didn't recognize his own voice – it was deeper…

"I said 'hold that pose'. It's not often I get to see you smile, you know."

"You make it sound like a bad thing…"

Dark sighed, a small, exasperated laugh escaping. "It really is, you know? People worship you, but you make it seem like the life of a hero is always depressing…" Dark sighed again, rolling over. "Just… promise me something."

Link's eyes shifted to look at Dark. "About what?"

"Promise me that, after this is all over… promise me that you'll never stop smiling."

"Where's this coming from?"

Dark's ruby eyes shifted back to the cloudless sky. "It's just… it makes the sun shine a little brighter, you know? And the clouds a little less…" Dark's hand reached up and gripped the fabric over his heart. "A little less dark..."

Link sat up. "Okay. Whatever. But you have to promise me something in return." Dark looked over at Link in question. "Whenever I smile, I want you to smile, too."

When Link opened his eyes, his face was pressed flat against the unforgiving surface of a standard school desk. Mr. Byrne was droning on about something unimportant, and Link swallowed the panic that had risen in his throat. Byrne had given him direct permission to ignore class, hadn't he?

Cerulean eyes slid over to the figure hunched next to Link – Sheik was leaning back, sleeping as he had just been. In the back of the classroom, Zelda was staring intently at her cell phone screen and beside her… a white head was hunched in sleep, too. Link's eyes narrowed as he recognized the dark hair branching out from the roots. Blushing abruptly, he turned away and adverted his thoughts.

Apparently, he and Sheik hadn't been the only two given permission to slack.

His recon was done – he could peacefully sit in class and think without having to worry about getting scolded by a teacher for "Ignorantly ignoring my intense instructions!" like one flamboyant teacher, Ghirahim, had put it.

Link's mind drifted back… the dream was blurry, but Link could distinctly remember something about Dark. The Dark in his mind was different from the Dark he'd met at lunch – dream Dark had shimmering, hopeful ruby eyes, dancing with excitement… the real Dark had empty, crimson blood eyes that were dulled because of pain. The excitement was drained, the hope smothered.

That's what was wrong with the boy's eyes. They were dead to the world, so unlike they were in Link's dream. The Dark with the life-filled eyes was right.

In a spur of the moment, Link pulled out his cell phone. Zel, he texted quickly, Tell Dark to meet me and Sheik outside of the café.

Any reason why? Was the instant response.

Did Mr. Byrne tell you anything strange today? Link decided it'd be good to know who was in on the "no more history" routine.

First teacher I've had that told me I didn't have to listen in class, if that's what you mean. Link grinned inwardly.

Yeah, that's what I mean. Sheik's in on it too… I want to know if Dark is, by extension.

You act like you know him. Zelda wasn't Zelda if not perceptive. Link frowned at his screen. His battery power was almost completely gone… and he'd just charged his phone, too.

I feel like I should know him, if that makes sense.

It doesn't, but whatever.

His battery died as soon as he went to reply. There was no time to mourn, however, because the bell rang, signifying the end of Link's last period of the day. He stood up quickly, slinging his untouched back-pack over his shoulder and running to get out of class. Behind him, Sheik and Zelda followed before Mr. Byrne suddenly reached out. A prosthetic limb prevented four students from leaving their last class… on a Friday… needless to say, the four were not happy.

"What?" Link asked irritably, frowning back to realize that Sheik, Zelda, and Dark were also trapped behind him.

"I need to talk to you four…" Byrne declared, motioning for them to have a seat. Link tossed down his bag and leaned against a front row desk, Sheik following suit. Zelda hopped up on the desk, crossing her legs and Dark stood behind a desk, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"I guess… tomorrow, I'll be taking you on a field trip of sorts." Byrne started, looking at the surprise on their faces. "I want you four to see the Legendary Master sword. I know this sounds like nonsense," Sheik snorted and Byrne shook his head, "but I do believe that this era has some connection to the last."

No one missed the glance Byrne gave Dark, who had settled for leaning against the far wall.

"You four are connected to this timeline – I'm convinced. There's no mistake." Byrne gestured towards a miniature statue of the Master Sword that sat on his desk. "I was raised to protect 'The Hero', as were my ancestors. 'Should the Hero ever come along,' I was told, 'guide him. Your ancestor would be proud.'" Byrne turned around and picked up the statue. "I shall guide the hero and his aides to the Master Sword…"

"If you want to spout this nonsense to your class of idiots," a quiet voice said, and three pairs of eyes turned towards Dark, "feel free. I'm not buying it." He stood up straight and grabbed his bag on one shoulder. "I don't see how you're qualified to teach this stuff."

"Oh, but Dark," Byrne said gravely, "you remember more than anyone else." Dark froze in a step but continued walking. "We need you to regain our memories."

"So, this isn't just about 'The Hero', then? You want to get your past memories, too? Your ancestors? You want to remember how you died, right, saving their," he sent a glare at Link and Zelda, "meaningless lives?"

"I'm sure meaningless isn't what you want to use," Link began, standing up straight to look Dark in the eye. "Meaningless wasn't what you wanted to use, was it?"

Dark grit his teeth, his pale face seeming even paler in the fluorescent light. "You… you don't remember…" He took a menacing step towards Link, his fists clenching and unclenching. "You should remember what you did to me…"

"Dark," Byrne said stiffly, pushing an arm between the two. "He doesn't remember… but you can help him. Swallow your hatred, Dark, and we can all regain our memories. If you still feel the need to take revenge…"

"You don't know!" Dark shouted, stepping back in disgust. "You want me to 'swallow my hate'?" Suddenly, he laughed, dull ruby eyes going wide. "I think… I know! You don't want one of Ganondorf's followers to help you along on your quest, to relieve this world of evil!" He spat the word, licking his lips gingerly as if he could taste it on his tongue. "But, you think since the 'Hero' trusted me, and since we were…" he trailed off, narrowing his eyes. "Fine!" He shouted, as if someone had suddenly pressured him. "Fine, I'll help you get your memories, 'Hero'," He glared bitterly at Link, "But I can't promise they'll be pretty."

This is pretty new for me - this story is kind of a "side quest" I'll work on while trying to complete my other Zelda AU fic titled Hands of the Dead. Thanks for reading - Desert

R&R