Author's Notes~! So, you really need to read this first, lol. This, like most of my fics, is based off a dream that I had. In this dream, Link was female, and so he will be a she in this fanfic as well. :) Not too confusing yet, I hope? Another thing was it seemed that the world from Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass are mixed together, not separate like they are in the games.

I haven't read any fics with a FemLink and I wasn't about to search through 600+ pages on to find one. Hopefully, she isn't being too Mary Sueish and is staying with Link's character. Just more PMSy, ha ha! And I'm totally working on how Dark Link is supposed to be. I wanted to give him an actual name, like he separated himself from what he was. I hope that makes sense?


Step Into Hell

Chapter Two

The sound of waves and seagulls lulled Link out of the black that had consumed her. She was warm and felt safe. Slightly annoyed that the seagulls had roused her from her slumber but it was better that they woke her than Linebeck. He would just bang the door open and start hassling her.

The thought stopped her heart. She burrowed herself deeper into the pillows and blankets, trying to convince herself that she had another dream. With a shaky hand, she touched her chest and a sob escaped her throat. She felt bandages and they went across her entire chest. So it really did happen, she thought miserably. That could not have really been Linebeck though. Right? He would never hurt her, right? Where she was was not helping her thoughts much either. She knew this smell, this bed. It was his and that made her hurt even more. Who brought her here? Did they bring her here to suffer? To rub into her face that which she could no longer have?

Slowly, tenderly, she sat herself up and took a cautious look around the room. She had been right, she was in Linebeck's room. Why here? She was miserable. She would have preferred the other, smaller bed room. The last time she was in here, her heart was broken. The Goddesses were playing a cruel game on her, placing her back in here. Link was brought out of her reverie by a short rapping at the door. She stared intently, her heart pounding in her ears, wondering who was on the other side of the door.

"Oh, you're awake," it was Damien. "I was coming to check up on your wound."

"Why," her voice cracked. "Why did you bring me here? Why not the other bedroom? Or an inn?"

Damien stared dumbly at Link. She continued to glare as his mouth moved open and shut. Tired of waiting for him to speak she rolled her eyes and gingerly got out of bed. She had to get out of his room at the very least. She got down the hall and to the small kitchen before her head started swimming and she needed to sit. She sat with her head in her hands, trying to will the throbbing to go down.

Damien followed her shortly and sat roughly in the chair across from her. "Look, I understand you're upset, bu-"

"Upset?" Link interrupted. "Upset doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling! I go to find Linebeck, to make sure he's OK, and then he does this!"

Damien sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair. "It wasn't him," he said almost too softly.

"What? The what was that? A shadow? Like you?" she covered her mouth with both hands after what she had said. "I'm sorry, Damien, I.."

"It's fine," his tone was harsh. "But no, he's not like me. Last time I checked, I didn't have shark teeth."

Link made a face and imagined Linebeck with sharp teeth, she was slightly thankful that the image in her mind was more comedic than anything. "Then what do you think it was?"

"No idea," he sighed. "Best wait for you to heal up before we go after him again, though."

"Whoa, wait a second. We? Nuh-uh, I'm doing this alone," Link slammed her fist onto the table.

"Alone?" he laughed. "Yeah, that went real well! If I hadn't shown up you'd be dead right now."

"Jealous that you wouldn't have been the one to do me in?"

"I told you, I don't feel the need to kill you anymore." They sat in an awkward silence, the only sound being the seagulls. Finally, Damien stood and went to leave. Link stopped him, wondering where he was going. "I have an order to pick up, the shop'll sell it to someone else if I don't go get it."

She watched him leave the boat, suddenly aware of how alone she was. The sun had drifted behind some clouds, darkening the boat and making her feel very cold all of a sudden. She heard footsteps up on deck and wondered how Damien could have gotten to the shops so quickly and back. Didn't he just leave?

"Did you forget something?" she called out as the footsteps came down the stairs.

"Not quite." Link froze in her chair. It was that imitation Linebeck grinning like the village idiot, showing off what appeared to be a row of sharp, pointed teeth. "Not happy to see me, Cupcake?"

"What... What are you doing here?" her voice was barely audible. The back of her left hand began to glow and burn. She winced slightly, but refused to take her eyes off of the doppelganger.

"Well, I thought about it and realized that I was quite rude at our first meeting, so I brought you a present to make amends," he continued smiling while dropping a swab of red cloth onto the table and dropping unceremoniously in Damien's seat. "Come on, Cupcake, don't be scared, you can look at it."

Slowly, she reached out her right hand towards the bundle, never taking her eyes of the creature in front of her. Once her hand rested on it, she registered it as cloth, but it was damp and sticky. Slightly disgusted, she pulled it back towards her and could not help but notice the red streak it left behind. "Blood...?" she choked out.

"Indeed," he nodded in agreement. "And I think you know who's."

He cackled as Link unfurled the cloth. Its original color was red, she was certain of that, and it was only as wide and long as a scarf. But why would this thing give her this...? Realization hit her face like a ton of bricks. She snapped her head up in the imitation's direction and watched his grin broaden into a full blown smile.

"It's amazing," he continued, "how much courage that little coward can get when I mentioned you. He even threatened me!"

She could not speak, she could just stare at what had to be Linebeck's scarf covered in blood. His blood. Suddenly that monster was close, so very very close. "I wish you could have seen the look on his face when I told him about the delicious things I want to do to you," his voice was a hiss. "Then the look when I told him I was going to make him watch."

"Wh-Why?" a sob escaped her throat.

He thought about it a moment and grinned again. "Because I want the Goddesses' Chosen to suffer."

"What?"

He grabbed her left hand, it burned more painfully with his touch. "You see this space here? This forsaken darkness?" Even though his touch was light, it felt like he had taken a flame to her hand. "That is why."

He dropped her hand and she retracted it and rubbed the burning away. "What does that have to do with anything? Who're you allied with? Ganon? Bellum? Vaati? Who?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter? Seems as if I've worn out my welcome, though." he turned to leave. "Oh, and one more thing, Hero, he suffers because of you."

Link's heart stopped and all color drained from her face. This was her fault? Because she was the Goddesses Chosen Linebeck had to suffer like this? She waited until she could no longer hear any footsteps before she let the tears fall. First she was silent with the tears just running down her face, splashing onto the soiled scarf. Then the sobbing started and escalated into wailing. She buried her head underneath her arms on the table and cried, completely unaware that Damien had returned. He was grabbing at her arms, trying to get her to speak to him. It was minutes before she even realized what was going on.

"Goddesses, Link! What the fuck happened?" Damien exclaimed once he finally pried her hands away. "Why are you crying?"

"He was here!" she cried, her voice suddenly hoarse and tired. "He told me this is my fault! That Linebeck is hurting because of me!"

"You know that's bullshit, he got himself into his own trouble."

"You do not understand," Link grabbed his shoulders and gave a small shake for each word. "You see that scarf? That's his scarf with his blood on it because I'm chosen by the Goddesses! Because of who I am he has to suffer!"

"Slow down. Start from the beginning."

Link took a shaky breath and told him everything that had happened since he left. Damien's face paled ever so slightly, his ruby eyes as wide as saucers. By the end of it she had started crying again, unable to control the volume of her voice. All he could do was wrap his arms around her and wait until she stopped. She felt hollow, empty, after all the fear and tears. She felt as if she had another mission, another duty to perform.

"I need the Master Sword. Its the only way, there's nothing else that can kill that thing," she was babbling.

"You can't just go get the thing when you've got a personal vendetta. I don't think it works that way."

"He threatened me! He threatened the Goddesses' Chosen! That means he threatened Princess Zelda and I can use the damned sword then!" Link slammed her fist onto the table. "I want to do nothing more than chase the fucker down and make him eat his words but I can't. I can't not go and find Tetra and make sure she is unharmed."

"That's... Really mature. Especially coming out of you."

"It's not maturity. It's duty. Being the Chosen Hero means I absolutely must put duty before personal matters. Protect Zelda, Tetra, at all costs. All others are second."

"You're hating this. Absolutely hating this. Why follow the Goddesses will if it hurts you this much?"

"So, what did you have to go to the store for?"

"Oh no, don't change the subject on me, little girl! You can't tuck this away," Damien jabbed an accusing finger towards Link. She shrugged and asked her question again and again until he finally gave up and just answered her. "I couldn't get any faeries to help, so I went to a medicine man and got a salve for your wound."

"So I assume you'll want me to... Undress then?"

"Hell no! You're awake, you can do it yourself now!" he shoved the small jar into her hands and pushed her towards the bedroom. "Use it sparingly, that shits expensive."

Link sighed and blew a piece of hair out of her face. He had shoved her back into Linebeck's room. Knowing that he was not the one who actually hurt her, it did not hurt as much to be in there. She pulled off her shirt and stared down at her chest. She rarely ever got wounds there so seeing the gauze was something new for her. Gingerly she pulled the tape and gauze off, afraid of what she would see underneath. The wound was still red and angry looking, barely scabbed over. This would take an agonizingly long time to heal if she did not find a faerie who would heal her. And by then Linebeck could be dead.

Unscrewing the cap off the jar, she dug two fingers into the soft, lotion-like substance and sniffed it. She gagged and almost threw the thing across the room. What the hell is this made out of? Chu guts? She tried to breath through her mouth to avoid the smell. It was cold and almost hurt to apply. She caught a look at herself in the mirror and decided that it was made out of Chu guts because that's what it looked like was smeared across her chest.

"Ugh. Gross." She looked around the room and found her bag. She pulled out her extra clothes but waited to put them on, she wanted that disgusting salve to dry first. Did I pack any gauze myself? She wondered, rummaging through her bag. She sighed in frustration when she did not find anything. Then again, why would she pack anything like that? She expected this trip to be a quick three day thing at most. She cracked the door open and whined until Damien brought her the gauze and tape.

"You almost done in there?" he asked through the door.

"I guess? I'm not used to this first aid stuff," she admitted. "I usually just ask a faerie to help me out."

Damien snorted. :If the damned things would come near I would've gotten one for you."

"Maybe tomorrow I'll go see if I can find any," she said more so to herself. She pulled on her undershirt and her tunic and took another look at herself in the mirror. "Good as new!" She finally opened the door and found Damien sitting against the wall, looking bored.

"Ugh, Farore, finally," he sighed. "Do you normally take this long? I think I was created in less time!" he rolled his eyes. "So what do we do about that?" he motioned towards the bloodied scarf.

"I'm taking it with me when I go see Tetra."

"You can't do this alone."

"I've done plenty of things on my own. I'll be fine."

"I nearly killed you. That thing definitely got closer than I did," he was blocking Link's path to the kitchen now. "You're just going to get yourself killed if you do this by yourself."

"Why do you care? You were trying to kill me too," she gave him a hard, unwavering stare.

"And I could do it so damned easily right now if I really wanted to," his eyes flashed dangerously, that old blood lust slowly coming back into them. Link took a step back, unsure of what beast she may have released. "But I won't. Not here anyway. Not when I'm trying to make amends."

He turned and stomped away, not stopping even after Link called after him. She had pissed him off, she was sure of that. Was he going to come back? Or had she alienated a potential ally?